“Talk to me, Zotera. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I don’t want to return Eugene to his home. I want to keep him forever.”
“Eugene would also like to be kept forever,” he called from the other side of my bedroom door.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Zotera.
“Is this because I said he needed to go home in the morning?”
A fresh wave of tears started to fall from her eyes. “I don’t want him to leave.”
Eugene knocked on my door. “Can I come in? Please?”
Sighing, I left Zotera on the bed and went to talk to Eugene in the hallway.
“I’ve got to be honest here. I thought it would beyouin tears this morning,” I said.
“No way. She’s great, Ashlyn. I mean, really great,” he said. “It’s breaking my heart to see her this upset. I don’t have a problem staying longer.”
“Hold that thought.” I opened my bedroom door. “Dry those tears, Zotera, and come out so we can talk about Eugene, okay?”
She was at the door and wiping her eyes two seconds later.
Did I see the way he reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze? Absolutely. Just like I saw the hopeless adoration in her gaze. Neither would stop me from doing what needed to be done, though.
I sat on one of the posh living room chairs Zotera had made for us and waited for them to sit on the couch. Once they were comfortably leaning into each other, I ripped off the bandaid.
“An immortal named Thanatos is trying to kill me. I don’t know why. But I do know that Zotera saved me twice in twenty-four hours. When someone is in an immortal’s way, what do you think said immortal will try to do?”
Eugene sighed. “Get her out of the way.”
“I can’t die, Ashlyn. I’ll be fine,” Zotera said.
“You don’t need to die, Zotera. You just need to be far enough away from me not to save me. Just like what happened at the Roost last night. They used Eugene as bait and a distraction.
“How long do you think it would take Thanatos to realize you have a thing for Eugene and use it against you?” I asked. “What happens if you have to choose between my life and his life?”
Her tears started again, only this time, they tracked silent trails down her cheeks.
“I’m not saying you have to give each other up. Iamsaying you need to be smarter. Wait until we take care of Thanatos. After that, you can live with Eugene if you both want. Okay?”
Zotera looked at Eugene, and in that glance, I saw how much she was looking to him, a human, for guidance.
“I’d rather spend a few days without you than risk never getting to spend time with you at all,” he said.
She nodded, and I watched Eugene lean in to kiss her gently. The way Zotera pounced and had him pinned to the couch a second later startled me, as did the aggressive way she kissed him.
“Hey, Zotera, I bet Eugene is hungry. You should make him a soufflé.”
She popped up. “Yes. You shouldn’t starve yourself, Eugene.”
He slowly sat up as she scampered to the kitchen.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching him closely.
He turned his head and gave me a dopey grin. “I’m pretty sure I love her.”
“Just don’t forget who her father is.”
