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Runa’s spritely twirls around the dance floor had ceased. Looming over her was a gruff-looking male with bulging biceps and thick shoulders. His body swayed with the beat while the sorceress had gone stiff as she twisted the wrist he clasped in his grip.

Without registering that I’d moved, I found myself before Runa’s unwanted suitor.

“Release her.” The last word emerged in a snarl.

The beast who held her captive scowled down at me. I glared back, tilting my head to peer up at the drunken oaf.

“The lady is with me.” He dared to poke my chest. “If she was yours, you’d be at her side.”

From the corner of my eye, I caught Runa’s fingertips flicker with purple sparks. Bad idea. If she used her magic, our cover would be blown.

Appearing to de-escalate the situation, I held up my hands, backing away, playing the role of coward. “My mistake, friend.”

The purple energy in Runa’s fingertips fizzled, and she planted her hands on her hips, outrage in the glare she shot at me. “Are you kidding me? Damn right, your mistake. What kind of husband refuses to defend his wife?”

Heart jumping, I backed to a table loaded with empty tankards. Anticipation tingled up my spine. “The kind who is always subject to scrutiny and hampered by politics.”

Her brow furrowed. “Seriously, you’ve never been in a bar fight?”

“Never. Fortunately, Morgue isn’t held to those same lofty standards. And you did promise to introduce me to all this world has to offer.”

I’d fought in many wars and commanded armies across dozens of battlefields. What I hadn’t done was brawl like a common thug.

Runa cringed. “I didn’t realize we were marking things off your adventure list. Does it still count if we’re not in a bar?”

“Absolutely.” I swung the empty tankard. The mug exploded against the dullard’s thick skull.

I grinned back at Runa, who watched me with a shocked expression. Perhaps I’d taken this excursion into the commoner’s realm too far?

Too late, I registered the heavy fist that collided with my jaw.

My head spun, and I found the pain invigorating. That was until Runa jumped onto the back of my attacker, biting his ear.

A high-pitched whine deafened me. My vision tunneled.

Runa peered at me, the fiend’s earlobe clenched between her teeth. Another’s blood stained her sweet mouth.

Red painted the landscape. This male would die.

The moment Runa released her prey, I slammed my fist into his face.

Blood exploded from his nose, and he toppled.

Luckily, Runa jumped free before he collapsed like a felled tree—directly on top of a fully occupied table.

The villagers seated there leaped to their feet.

Runa pointed an accusing finger at a random male who happened to be near me, and the furious mob charged the innocent bystander. Aggression stampeded through the inebriated crowd. Battle cries rang out, and those gathered turned on each other.

The sorceress faced me with wide eyes. An all-out brawl was more than I’d bargained for and significantly more attention than we needed.

“Let’s get out of here before the authorities show up,” I shouted over the raised voices and cursing.

“The lodge is too far. This way.” Runa raced ahead of me.

We sprinted down the alley and into the stable where we’d boarded our animals. Together, we ran up a rickety flight of stairs and into the hayloft.

Once there, Runa cracked open a small loft door that overlooked the street and breathed a sigh. “I don’t think anyone followed us.”

She glanced at me, eyes sparkling, color in her cheeks. “That was—”

“Exhilarating,” I finished.

Her laughter chipped at my stony heart.

“You’ve truly never been in a bar fight?” She shut the door, sealing us inside.

Adrenaline from the brawl and our escape rode me. Blood running hot, I stalked closer, Runa taking a step in retreat. “There’s also one other thing I’ve never done.”

“What’s that?” she asked, her tone breathy.

I closed the distance between us, trailing my fingers down her arm in a teasing caress. “Tumbled a milkmaid in a hayloft.”

At this, she tipped her head back, laughter erupting from her full lips.

“So I’m to be a milkmaid now, instead of the wife of a dung merchant?”

“If I’m to experience all of this realm’s greatest wonders.” I cupped her cheek, noting the flush of pink that colored her skin at my compliment. “Remove your glamour, little thief. ”

She nibbled her bottom lip, then nodded, grasping the medallion and uttering the incantation. I removed mine as well. We gazed at each other, eyes tracking, savoring, reconnecting with our true identities.

“The span isn’t over,” Runa whispered. “We’re still commoners, right?”

“We are whoever you would like to be.”

A frown creased her brow, and her expression turned earnest. “Then for this one night, I’d like to be yours.”

At her words, my stony heart cracked. I wanted this, regardless of the fact that tomorrow, when we woke, everything would return to normal. Runa would stand with Carcerem, and I with the mortal world. But here and now, the two of us existed outside of reality.

Runa was fierce, loyal, and intelligent. Even vicious at times. She made me feel things I’d never experienced with another.

Throughout my life, I’d collected many treasures from various lands—spent millions of dollars filling out my collection. The shelves in my study at home were teeming with these rare and unique oddities. Runa was the greatest treasure of all.

What is mine, I keep, my subconscious whispered.

“Show me what lies beneath your disguise, little thief. Reveal yourself to me.”