Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
“But you deserve a male who—”
She pushed onto her tiptoes and kissed him. It broke her heart to think he feared she couldn’t accept him because of how his illness had changed him on the outside.
Her heart?
So much had happened in such a short time, she couldn’t say for sure how she felt about all of it. But there was no doubting that her heart was involved.
When she pulled away, his eyes flashed a vivid, warm blue.
“So what does the mating mark mean in practical terms?”
He licked his lips, the tip of a fang peeking out. “I agree with the magic, Kaira. I feel like I have been waiting for you my whole life. Not just because your blood has the ability to heal me, but because when I am with you, I feel whole in my heart. I feel a peace I’ve never felt before. We know very little else about one another, and I understand this is all very fast in human terms.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his tenderness so remarkable for someone so big, so powerful. “But to answer your question, the mark gives us the opportunity—three days—to decide whether to become mates, to build a life together, with you at my side as my queen and my partner. I would share my whole life with you, my blood, and, if this healing takes, I should be able to share my immortality with you, too.”
Her brain struggled to keep up with the flow of truly amazing information. That real feelings had already taken root in his heart. That she could have a place to belong. And that she could be with him…forever. “You said the mark gives us three days?”
He nodded. “There is a ceremony that consummates the mating, but it has to be performed within three days of when the mark was made, or it will fade, and the opportunity to mate will go with it.”
Three days?
How was she supposed to decide what essentially amounted to the rest of her life—and a version of her life she never could’ve imagined before this moment—in just seventy-two hours?
He kissed her with warm, soft, commanding lips. Looking her right in the eye, he said, “This is why I said you have a decision to make. Everything about our time together has been intense and overwhelming. I know that. And I don’t want you to feel any more pressured than you already do.” His hands slipped around the back of her neck and massaged. “I want you to go back down to Tromsø.”
“What?”
“Wait. Just listen. I want you to go into town and enjoy the rest of your exhibit and the judging ceremony the day after tomorrow.”
“How did you know about that?”
“I have been thinking about this all day, about what would happen if we matched. So much will change for you. I know the sacrifices are unfairly weighted on your side. No matter what, I didn’t want you to have to give up something you’ve obviously worked so hard at and have such a talent for.”
At those words, her heart got a whole lot more involved. She hadn’t had to say it, or beg for it, or rail about the injustice of it. He’d just known how important the show and her photographs were to her. He got it.
He got her.
And, honestly, she had no one in her life. No family. No real roots. The sacrifices weren’t as many as he thought.
“I won’t send you alone,” he continued. “One of my warriors will drive you down and get you checked in at a hotel right in the center of town where you need to be.”
“I don’t need to stay there—”
“Yes, you do. I won’t have it any other way.” He arched an eyebrow that was as sexy as it was humorous. “He’ll stay in town with you, out of sight but watching over you just in case. I will give you a phone number. After the show, call and let Jakob know what you’ve decided. I will respect your decision, Kaira, whatever it is.”
A tidal wave of emotion crashed over her. Confusion. Fear. Uncertainty. Excitement.
He was letting her go. He was setting her free. He was giving her a choice, even if it meant it might harm himself.
Those emotions lodged a knot in her throat. And they weren’t alone. There was another emotion fighting its way in there as well.
Love.
Love? Truly?
Very possibly. And that was an amazing thing to her. To someone who’d been alone for so long and had thought she’d die before she ever had the chance to experience any of this.
“I don’t know what to say,” she managed, wondering if she was alone in the whirlwind of these emotions. His words spoke of a connection, but did vampires feel love? Could they?