"How can you love someone too much?"
"When that love overcomes all sense of reality and logic — when the love once beautiful starts to create fear and jealousy. Just because something starts out good does not mean it ends good. Do you understand?"
I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder. "You aren't good, but you aren't bad either. You're simply both."
"That I am." Sariel sighed. "His blood still calls. When you return to them, you'll have to make a choice, Genesis, but it's yours. Not theirs. Cassius gave you his essence."
"Will he die because of it?"
Sariel closed his eyes; a blue tear slid down his cheek, hitting me in the shoulder. "That depends on the balance of things."
"But…" I frowned. "I thought balance was restored."
"Yours… Ethan's." Sariel rubbed my hand. "But Cassius is still very much unbalanced. That's what love does to a Dark One. It is also why it is forbidden."
My eyes welled with tears. "He loves Stephanie… in that way?"
"He stayed away from the girl for a very long time… pushed her so far out of his mind, out of his consciousness, that he simply rejected the idea of even knowing her. When a female was needed, as an Elder I put the suggestion in his mind, made him think it was his own… made him think he was powerful enough to face his past in hopes he could finally start living."
"Instead, he got worse." I sighed.
"Because every day her smile reminds him of what he can never have."
"There's always a way," I argued.
Sariel let out a laugh. "And this is why I like humans, always optimistic."
"What other choice do we have?"
His eyes met mine. "Exactly."
Ethan
Not how I expected to start my day or end it.
Cassius was in the room next door to mine.
Genesis still hadn't woken up, but her breathing had evened out. Her heartbeat sounded less erratic. I had faith she was just healing — taking her time.
"Have you tried kissing her?" Mason said from the doorway.
"What?"
"Kissing her." Mason walked into the room, his arms folded, eyes tense. "In those movies, the prince always kisses the princess."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I growled. "What movies?"
"Like the King Lion movie… there's tons of them. I had nothing else to do, so I went out and bought them because they made Genesis happy, and I was losing my mind with worry so I watched a few… or maybe… seven… and the prince always kisses the princess."
I fought hard for patience as my fangs elongated, wanting to take a bite out of his silly neck. "You watched cartoons. All day?"
"I made steak…" Mason fidgeted with his hands. "…for when she'd return. I thought maybe we could share it."
I glanced back at Genesis. "She would like that."
"I figured it would give her something to look forward to."
"Sharing meat with a wolf?" I smirked.
"And watching cartoons." Mason pulled a seat up to the bed. "And it's worth a shot. Maybe kiss her, then tell her about the steak."
Werewolves.
"Any change with Cassius?"
Mason shook his head. "His temperature drops for seconds before it skyrockets again. It's like he doesn't have enough blood to self-heal."
"He gave it all to her." Tears filled my eyes. "To save my mate."
"There must be something we can do for him," Mason growled. "He's still king. He's still…"
"Our friend. Brother," I finished. "Watch her for me? I need to find Stephanie."
Mason's face was impassive, but I could hear his heart pick up speed. "So, you'll risk breaking her heart by telling her the truth?"
"Yes." I licked my lips.
"Good luck." Mason shook his head. "I think I'll stay here and talk to Genesis about steak."
I smiled — the first time in a few hours — and patted him on the back. "Don't leave out any juicy details, wolf."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he growled then leaned over the bed and grabbed Genesis's hand. "Listen, human, if you don't wake up soon, I'm going to eat all the meat, and we both know what that would do to my digestive system at this point."
I let out a chuckle and moved down the hallway, my ears sensitive to all the heartbeats in the house.
Cassius was weak, so weak. I'd never heard his heart flutter that way.
Another strong heartbeat joined the mix.
Picking up speed.
I waited as Stephanie reached the top of the stairs. Her hair was piled in a knot on her head, her blue eyes still blurred with tears.
"Remove it," I whispered.
Alex could hear my thoughts — could hear me in the house. He'd just walked in the door when I'd uttered the command. He cursed a blue streak.
"I said…" My voice edged with venom. "Remove it."
Alex's tortured heart slowed, and then the house trembled as Stephanie's hair went from light to dark, her lips from cherry to pale, her eyes — white.