“I’m not finished. I have one more condition.”
He drew back, terrified of what that final condition might be.
“You must promise to look after them, and I’ll do whatever you need to complete the bond. But then you must end my life. I don’t want eternity. I only want the pain to end.”
He bolted to his feet. “I cannot!”
She glanced at the gun but did not make an effort to reach for it. Her eyes wore the exhaustion of too many sleepless nights and years of endless grief. “Then I’m sorry.”
“A mate cannot harm a mate. It’s unheard of! Besides, I’m a man of faith. I cannot commit murder. You’re a child of God. I would be murdering His child. You would be damning my soul.”
She waved a finger. “But first, you would have to die, and you’ve already explained how unlikely that is. These are my conditions, Jonas. I’m giving you what you need and giving you my blessing to live out eternity with your Abilene. What are you afraid of?”
So much…
He didn’t believe he could commit such a crime. Legends of countless mates told of an unbreakable bond. It simply wasn’t possible.
But if he could remedy this curse and return to his sweet Abilene…
He considered the duality of nature, heaven to hell, a countering good for every evil. There would undoubtedly be a price to pay for such trickery. What if he agreed to such horror only to pay with his soul anyway? There was too much unknown.
“I don’t think it’s possible.”
She sighed and pushed herself up from the chair. He could sense her exhaustion. “Then I’m sorry. That’s my only offer. You see, just as you long to return to Abilene, I long to be with Arthur again. But he’s no longer here. I can’t give you my eternity when it costs us ours. We had a plan, and I’m going to keep my word to my husband.”
He stood. “Clara, it’s simply not possible—”
“How do you know? There are things I can do to ensure I go. Before I do, I’m willing to give you what you need to survive and go back to your family, so long as you promise to look after mine. What do we have to lose, Jonas? If we’re both prepared to die anyway, why not give it a try?” She gripped the hallway wall leading to her bedroom. “Think it over. You can see yourself out.”
Chapter 36
The following morning Eleazar woke to find Larissa absent from their bed. He found her standing near the window, her form silhouetted by the gray light seeping through it as a cold winter dawn approached. Enraptured by her breathtaking presence, he silently watched her for several minutes.
“I can sense your mind waking,” she murmured, her breath forming a small cloud of vapor on the glass of the window.
“I could watch you for an eternity.”
Glancing over her bare shoulder, she smiled at him.
Last night, he had planned to let her rest but when he finally finished all council business, Larissa rushed into his arms and her relief had been jarring. Adriel quickly informed him of the incident with Silus to save Larissa the chore, and Eleazar had been hard-pressed to find the bastard, but his mate proved a distraction he was too weak to ignore.
They made love the moment they entered his private home. Her mind was a wild and welcoming place to play, and he spent hours satisfying his ravenous mate. Every time he touched her, she surprised him with a response more beautiful than the last.
“Come back to bed, Larissa. You’ll catch a chill.”
She tossed him another playful smirk and gathered the white sheet higher to her chest. “Immortals cannot catch a chill.”
He drew the covers back, inviting her to bed. “Humor me.”
She took a step then stilled. “Eleazar?”
A guarded expression stole over his face. “Yes?”
“I like who I am with you.” She padded softly toward the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. “I mean, I like the way you encourage me to speak my mind and be myself.”
It was difficult to imagine anything else. A censored version of Larissa seemed a crime. He reached for her hand and gently laced his fingers with hers. “I’m not interested in imitations. I will always want the real you.”
Her smile stole the morning, outdoing the spectacular dawn and filling him with gratitude for the day and their life ahead. Leaning into him, she brushed a kiss to his lips.
Looking into her vibrant eyes, he teased her lips open and pulled her beneath him. All theories of his mate being a cold female were officially put to rest. His little mouse hid a lioness inside, and she possessed a deep hunger for touch and affection that he would gladly spend an eternity satisfying.
When he tried to enter her mind, she pushed him out and he frowned. Drawing back, he studied her. “Are you keeping secrets from me?”