Page 42 of These Eternal Bones

Names With Power

Molly

For the first time in what seems like forever, Elric sleeps, finally free from the weight of his secrets.

It unsettles me at first, the way he looks when he’s gone to the world and not displaying any signs of life.

There’s no gentle falling and rising of his chest, no tracking of his eyes.

He’s cold, still as stone, and hard to wake.

The latter of which benefits me greatly.

Despite his heavy slumbering, I don’t dare prattle around, snagging only my winter cloak.

No heavy skirts, dresses, or wool socks to warm me.

I don’t so much as hazard a breath until I’m in the hall, slinking into the fur-lined cloak as I rush down the stairs, keeping my eyes peeled for Tien.

My hair is wild and frazzled. I hadn’t bothered to brush it after the bath.

Elric laid me by the fire as he often does, innately aware of his lack of warmth.

He lay beside me, tracing patterns along my flesh with his lips.

My core was soaked and aching by the time he hauled me up and put me to bed.

Even now, the bare flesh between my legs is damp and throbbing, but that doesn’t bear thinking about.

A few lesser supernaturals scatter as they see me rushing through the never-ending maze that I now know is called Onogahara Castle. It’s not until I hit the wide entryway, frantically shoving my feet into my boots, that my heart tosses itself against my ribs with a violent thud. “Mistress?”

I whirl on Péal, waving my arms around like mad, before I press my finger to my lips.

Her brow furrows, eyes darting to the door behind me.

I just shake my head, offering her a sly smile.

Her free hand tightens on the rag she's clutching, making soapy water dribble onto the floor as her free one slaps over her mouth. The excitement that bursts in her eyes is palatable and infectious.

I turn back to the task at hand, getting my boots haphazardly laced.

When I look back up, she is long gone, knowing Péal, she’s likely off to wait in the woods to see what I’m about to do.

I only hope she doesn’t watch too terribly long.

A flush blooms on my cheeks despite the cold air as I step out into it.

It’s a quick jog to make it past the clearing into the wood line, but it feels miles and miles long.

I don’t dare call out until I’m deep enough into the woods that the darkness feels pungent and light is a thing of distant memory.

I don’t give myself a moment to rethink this. To doubt .

“Fox!” I call out softly. “Fox! I need you!”

I stumble forward, the toe of my boot catching.

It’s not until I straighten myself that I feel the warmth, his voice coming inches from my cheek.

“Thought you’d never ask.” A scream builds in my throat, but his hand slams over my mouth, stifling it, not painfully, but quickly.

At that same blurring speed as Elric. For a moment, I think I made a terrible decision until his voice finds me again.

“No need for dramatics, truly. It is you who called for me .”

My skin prickles. I know deeply, innately, that he played more of a part in my past lives than I have been told. There’s more to him and Elric’s constant warring. I shove away from him, leveling him with a glare, my breath leaving puffs of smoke between us. “If you touch me, he’ll kill you.”

He hikes a coppery brow, shrugging as he leans against a tree, looking far too casual. “Not without a great deal of trouble and pain.”

I don’t know why his words irritate me. Why this banter, the arguing seems so natural. So right. “It cost him neither last time.”

He laughs at that. “I was not there to fight, little one. Not when my point was being so effortlessly made for me.”

“Why bring me to him if you only wanted to tear us apart?”

He sobers, the aloof and carefree wall slipping, seeming at war with his lazy posture. “My dear, you finding each other was as inevitable as the sunrise. I merely wished to give you a fighting chance.”

“You truly think him so terrible?”

His burnt orange hair shifts as he regards me.

“Things such as wrong and right are ambivalent to beings such as us. I knew only that I did not wish to see you buried yet. You once loved me alongside him, you know. I found you first in that life, too. A few back now, I took to your heart just as quickly as your bed.”

My jaw drops open before I snap it shut. “You lie.”

He doesn’t. Not at all.

“Never, not to you.” His lips quirk as he shoves off the tree.

I could certainly see myself falling into his bed.

He is beautiful too, with his tanned skin and black tipped strands.

His body is carved as expertly as Elric’s.

I feel no such inclinations in this life.

Pity him. The fox looms closer, his lips inches from mine.

I can tell how badly he wants to kiss me; I force myself to stay still, fighting the urge to shove him away.

“We took you together. You spread beautifully taking two cock–

“Then you’re insane.” I offer, crossing my arms, putting a barrier between us.

He laughs. “Then perhaps let the fox god have this small delusion.”

“Another god,” I remark, changing the subject because my cheeks are seconds from lighting aflame.

I wonder if I was a skilled writer in that life as well.

“The boundary lures us in, supernaturals and gods alike. The magical imprint on the land is like a moth to a flame. Once we realize…it’s far too late.”

“It traps you all…” I take a shuddering breath. “Then there are other gods here as well?”

“Oh, fates no, we killed them. Much too small a plot of land for all that pride and posturing.”

I shake my head, determined to ignore his goading. “I need your help.”

“Do tell my dear.”

“I need to make it to the border.”

He stills at that, a flash of worry in his odd eyes. “Why?”

My own widen, the note of authority seems odd coming from him. Somehow, I flush deeper. “He won’t enact the bond.” I say the words so quietly that if it were another human before me, they wouldn’t hear them.

“You mean to force his hand, even knowing what it means?”

“I will die.”

“Something you excel at.”

I glare .

He takes a deep breath, and I can tell he wants to say no. I can also tell that he won’t. That anticipation buds in my stomach again. I’m smiling before he agrees. “It will cost you.”

Names have power to the fae.

“You want my name?”

He doesn’t answer, doesn’t need to, but I watch as his attention shifts for a moment, as if he’s listening to something behind us. My heart spikes in my chest. “Molly.” I rush out, wondering if he already knew, judging by his fond smile. Perhaps he just wanted me to tell him.

He nods. “It’s nice to meet you, Molly. My name is Rummes. Do keep that to yourself, yes?”

I can’t hide my gasp at the crackle of energy that lights the surrounding air.

Suddenly fighting the urge to cry, he asked for something, but gave far more.

Holding the name of any fae is a serious honor.

But holding the name of a fae God? I cannot fathom what I’ve been given or why.

My nod is dazed and numb, so much so that I barely react when he shifts to his fox form, the action seamless.

It’s not a ghastly shift like I was told of werewolves in stories, but a blurring of forms, really.

He's huge. So much so, I stumble back to get a better look at the colossal creature that now stands proud before me. “You’re bigger than I remember.”

He laughs at that, but not out loud…in my mind. It knocks me off kilter, jarring and uncomfortable.

“Your mate is awake and very displeased.”

“The border, is it close?”

“No, get on.”

I hesitate, shaking because riding a horse-sized Fox God through the dark woods while running from my Vampire God mate seems a little far-fetched even for me.

It’s the world I stepped into when I got off that boat.

It seems like a lifetime ago as Rummes lowers himself.

My hands tremble as I knot them in his fur, hoisting myself up, making sure my slip is a good barrier between my bare, shamefully slick core and his back.

I’m rattled, my heart pounding as a deafening roar sounds from beyond the woods.

“This is about to be very unpleasant for me. Hold on.”

Then he bolts. A scream clamps up my throat, but the force of the wind keeps it locked inside.

My fingers dig into his soft, warm fur. He smells good, like the woods, like dirt and pine.

I inhale him for a moment. It feels like returning to someone I hadn’t realized I missed.

That is until his snarky laughter sounds in my mind and ruins it.

All too soon, the sound of crashing, felled trees jars the peaceful forest. My entire body trembles as I press it flush to the Rummes' back as he darts, weaves, and leaps.

I gasp, tucking myself deeper into Rummes as the trees fly past us, blurring from his speed until I cannot make one from another.

Another deafening roar sounds far closer than I was ready for, but this one takes the shape of my name. The rage there should horrify me, but I’m not scared. I’m…exhilarated. A nervous giggle slips from my throat, and the crashing in the forest cuts off abruptly.

I realize too late what I’ve just done.

I just told him exactly where I was.

I can feel him inside me before I see him, pressing into my blood, checking, tasting, and lord help me, my core tightens.

The heady rocking of the Foxes' back is no help at all. If he can smell my arousal, he thankfully stays quiet about it, though I swear I can feel his approval. Elric tugs at my blood, and a strangled yelp leaves my throat. He didn’t hurt me; it was a warning.

An omen, a way to force me to make another sound.

Despite the wind rushing past us, the woods are deathly silent.

Not even Rummes' paws dares a single snap of a twig .