Page 52 of Realm Walker's Awakening

How could I tell Rune that? He’d take that on and blame himself for everything else that happened to me.

“That’s what I thought,” Rune murmured.

ChapterTwelve

Ididn’t want to people.

While I was lost in the darkness with the whispers and having a flashback that was all too real, the others had found a small cottage home for us to hunker down in for the night. I didn’t know how much time passed while Rune and I were apart from them, but I hoped it wasn’t more than the half hour it felt like more.

Before I hid away, I had to make sure Harper was okay.

My eyes stung, and my chest constricted so badly that it hurt to breathe. I still wanted to sob after coming out of it with Rune’s help.

After everything that happened back-to-back, it was all becoming too much. Not that it wasn’t already before, but the cracks in me were getting deeper. I was still shattered, my pieces not fitting back together that great.

I could still hear Harper’s screaming and cussing while we went through the portal. What stood out the most was Callum’s voice and his gleaming eyes as he talked about raping me. Then letting his friends do worse before they killed me.

With each step to the small home covered in moss and ivy, I felt like a robot toy. I didn’t want Rune carrying me because the thought of being touched made me want to scream. What was worse was that I wanted him to hold me, which went against my repulsion of having his hands on me.

If I was already a complete mess that couldn’t breathe without wanting to break down, I’d be a sobbing wreck with Rune touching me and opening the floodgates.

Rune must’ve known because every time he moved his hand to my lower back, he’d stop mid-reach. Every time, the side of my face tingled when his gaze landed on me.

As my lower back tingled when his hand hovered over it, I held my breath and bit the inside of my cheek. The two sides of me warred against each other, with oneneedinghim to touch me in comfort while the other felt like bugs were crawling beneath my skin at the thought of it.

Once we reached the small wooden door covered with green moss and ivy hanging over, Rune stepped ahead and opened the door with one hand while holding the other out in an offering.

Instead of accepting it, I lowered my eyes and woodenly walked around him inside the dusty structure. I wanted to kick my ass for rejecting his touch. Deep down, I believed it would help me out of whatever was happening to me.

But I was scared and didn’t want to admit that to him. Hell, I didn’t want to admit it to myself or linger on it to make it that much more real.

It was like what they said,“If I can’t see it, it isn’t real.”

“Isa,” Harper said, sounding calmer now than the last time I heard her.

My gaze shot up, and I froze for a second as I looked her over. She didn’t have any injuries that I could tell from here, and she didn’t look as upset as she sounded when Hluti carried her over his shoulder.

She was fine. No blood or bruises. No scowling or cussing anyone out.

My stomach took a nosedive.

Was she upset with me? Did she think I was okay with her being kidnapped? Because I wasn’t. Did the guys fill her in on what was happening while they waited? Why was she acting calm and not freaking out on all of us? Why wasn’t she angry and bombarding me with questions?

Hluti was leaning against the wall next to her with his arms crossed over his chest, and his signature scowl still marred his scarred face. His ankles were crossed, making his legs longer and thicker than a tree trunk. I tried to ignore that I caught the abnormally large outline on one side of his thigh. Instead, I snapped my eyes to his. They glowed like a fire within and swirled like golden magma.

What the hell was going on?

I glanced around for Slátra, but he wasn’t here.

Where did he go? Was he okay?

“Hey, easy...” Harper said soothingly. When my eyes came back to her, she shot a glare at Hluti like she was making a point about something she said to him before I showed up and took easy steps toward me with her hands stretched out for me in a gesture she wouldn’t hurt me.

Why would she do that? I knew she wouldn’t harm me.

Why was everyone treating me like a frightened animal about to tail it out of here?

Tingles and heat spread on my lower back.