Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Welcome to the family, son,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse. “We’re very pleased to have you. We know you’ll treat our Mattie right.”
“Er…” Grath didn’t seem to know what to say to this but then Grandma Thelma wormed her way around Mattie’s dad and tackled the big Hybrid with a hug. Of course, he was so tall and she was so short she could only get her arms around his waist, but that didn’t stop her for a minute as she pressed her face to his flat stomach.
“I knew when Mattie brought you home, you were the one for her,” she said, looking up at him. “Promise me you’ll at least try to give her a baby before I die! Please get her pregnant—I want to see my great-grandchildren before I go to Heaven to join my dear husband.”
At this point, Grath had a look on his face like a cornered animal with its leg caught in a trap. Mattie saw it and felt a stab of anxiety—was her family overwhelming him? They could be a bit much, at times. Especially Grandma Thelma when she got on the subject of great-grandchildren.
“Listen, I need to go out for some air,” she told them. “It’s so hot in here I feel like I’m going to faint!” She looked at Grath. “Would you come with me?”
“Sure, baby,” he mumbled. “Come on—let’s go.”
And without waiting for a word from any of her family, he swung her up in his arms.
“Oh!” Mattie exclaimed, trying to make sure she didn’t kick anyone as her feet flew into the air. “Grath, you don’t have to carry me!”
“Faster this way,” he growled. He left her family behind and carried her rapidly through the crowd until they reached one of the brightly marked EXIT doors.
Then he pushed through, taking her out of the noisy, crowded dance hall into the silent, freezing night.
THIRTY-SIX
GRATH
Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong, Grath told himself. He’d been certain that Madeline understood what he had been trying to tell her—that he was going to make a fake proposal. But either she was a much better actress than he’d given her credit for, or she had really believed it was real.
Her reaction when he’d asked her to Join with him had been one of extreme, joy and her family had been ecstatic, too. Overwhelmingly ecstatic, Grath told himself.
He wouldn’t have minded their reaction if the proposal had been real. He would have welcomed their enthusiasm and felt honored that they wanted him as part of their clan.
But knowing it was fake—knowing that Madeline would just have to tell them that she had “broken up” with him in a few months—made Grath so melancholy he wanted to weep—which wasn’t something he did often.
First, however, he had to find out what was going on.
“Madeline?” he asked, looking down at her uncertainly. He had placed her on her feet on the path beside the perimeter of the building and he thought it looked like she was starting to shiver. Were the effects of his essence beginning to wear off?
“Grath, I don’t know what to say,” she murmured, looking up at him. “I know the two of us have grown a lot closer these past couple of days, but I never could have guessed you’d really ask me to marry you!”
“I didn’t,” he said bluntly. “I mean I know it looked like I did but…”
He trailed off, because Madeline was staring at him with a stricken expression on her lovely face.
“But…but the ring!” She gestured at her hand, where the diamond caught the light from the holiday decorations and glittered like ice. “It’s huge! Surely you didn’t buy me such a big diamond just to use as a prop for a fake proposal?”
“Ethan was with me—he told me I had to buy the biggest one I could afford.” He shrugged, his shoulders rolling under the tux. “So that’s what I fucking did.”
“So…it’s not for real?” Her expression in this unguarded moment was tragic—a mask of utter disappointment and despair. “But I thought…I thought…”
“Look, it’s not that I don’t want it to be real,” Grath said quickly. “I’d like nothing better, little girl. But I’m a Hybrid, which means I can’t bond you to me.” He shrugged again, awkwardly. “I mean, I wish I could, but it’s fucking impossible.”
“What?” Madeline shook her head as though she didn’t understand.
“I said I can’t bond with you,” Grath repeated, thinking she hadn’t heard him. “Because I’m a Hybrid with not just two strains of the Kindred bloodline but three strains—I’m a Triple Hybrid. That makes bonding with a female damn near impossible.”
Madeline put her hands on her full hips.
“So we can’t bond? So what?” she demanded. “I’m sure it’s convenient to be able to call each other telepathically, without using a cell phone or a Think-me, but I don’t feel like the lack of that ability should keep us from getting together.”