Gideon, still shaken from the day’s violence, is overwhelmed by how intensely he wants Rune, feeling as if nothing matters more than getting her upstairs and into his bed. He notes that even concerns about his little brother’s feelings fade against the force of his desire.

As Rune clings to him and kisses him with fierce hunger, Gideon struggles with the doubt Harrow planted in his mind: that Rune might be using witchcraft and that Gideon cannot see the truth. Gideon tries to test that fear by kissing Rune harder and focusing on what he feels, but Harrow’s crude suspicions keep intruding.

Halfway up the stairs, Gideon nearly gives in to the urge to take Rune against the wall, but he stops himself, realizing he does not even know what Rune likes or whether Rune has ever gone this far before. Choosing care over impulse, Gideon carries Rune to his second-floor apartment and decides to start in the bed, quietly hoping this could become something real rather than a game.