Maxim’s touch was so different from the possessive chill of Cain’s aura. Her true mate’s soul sang in harmony with hers, two halves of a whole. With him, she was safe, cherished for who she was rather than what she could provide.
“Tell me of your life,”she requested impulsively. “I want to know everything. I mean, only if you want to,”she quickly added, realizing how demanding she sounded. But she wanted to erase everything of Cain from her mind and replace those memories with ones of her true mate.
She sensed his surprised pleasure at her interest. “What would you like to know?”
“Anything you’re willing to share,”she insisted. “I’ve missed so much time with you already. But we have the rest of our lives to make up for it.”Was that too forward? Was she assuming too much? She’d seen the way Finn had immediately taken to Lizzy, and they were true mates. The commitment had been there from the get-go. But then, Lizzy hadn’t kissed a vampire king. Dammit. What the hell was wrong with her?
Suddenly, she felt joy suffused through their link at her words. “You’re right. We have forever together. I look forward to every moment of it.”
Settling into Maxim’s soothing presence, Alice listened avidly as his deep voice began recounting his long life.
“I still remember my boyhood village so clearly,”he said wistfully.“Our little thatched cottages clustered at the foot of the mountains. Thunderstorms that shook the windowpanes at night. My father’s forge glowing hot as he hammered out horseshoes and wagon wheels.”
Alice could picture a gangly, soot-smudged youth peering into the billowing flames as Maxim described it. She longed to reach out and caress the memories from his mind.
“My alpha, Mikla, found me tending my father’s fire one evening. He said my potential burned as bright and offered to make me one of his warriors.”Reverence filled Maxim’s voice.“He did, and I served as one of his warriors until he was killed. Then I took over the pack. I was only sixteen, but the most dominant wolf in our pack. What I didn’t understand was that we weren’t a registered pack. We were rogues.”
“It must have been frightening, taking on such a mantle so young.”
“It was at first. But I had good warriors who helped me navigate the role until I could stand on my own two feet. Pack is family. They’re there to help you when you stumble, hold you when you can’t stand anymore, and cheer you on in your triumphs.“ Fondness filled their bond, as Maxim recalled it.“Centuries later, things have changed a bit. And I think it’s because we still have a rogue status.”
Alice’s brow pinched as she understood what it meant to be an outcast, or to feel like one. It warmed her though that she was getting to know this long-hidden part of him and that they shared something in common. She could have listened entranced for days, absorbing Maxim’s rich past. She longed to explore every thread of his memories and experiences.
Sensing her fascination, Maxim continued reconstructing his youth, the peaceful days and dark battles as Mikla’s second-in-command. The misty forests and mountain caves engraved on his heart.
Every story, each vivid detail, drew them closer. The mate bond hummed between them, thriving on this intimacy. He was sharing his very soul with her, and she would need to unburden her own regrets and hopes to him. Their relationship was beginning in an unbridled way. If Alice wanted it to survive, then she’d have to bare herself as well.
Together, they would build something beautiful from the broken pieces of the past. Something strong enough, Alice believed, to withstand any threat still to come.
She absorbed everything he told her like a woman dying of thirst. This male belonged to her and she to him. What she saw in Finn’s eyes when he looked at Lizzy… She hoped Maxim would look at her the same way. The thought left her giddy despite her dire circumstances. As Maxim’s rich voice continued washing over her, Alice allowed herself to fully hope for the first time in what felt like an eternity. The darkness could not hold her anymore, not when her true mate had finally come.
“I could talk to you all night, Malishka, but you need your rest,”Maxim told her, his voice gentle but firm.
“Who’s Malishka?”
“You are, female. It’s a term of endearment.”
Even in her sleepy state, Alice found herself liking the fact that he already had something special to call her. “You shared all about yourself, and I haven’t told you anything,”she argued, not wanting to be separated from him. The bond was intimate as hell, and though she was terrified of what he would see in her mind, she was more terrified of him not coming back.“There are things I need to tell you. Things you need to know before you choose me.”Alice mentally sighed.“You might not want me when you know.”
“I know enough for now,”he assured her, his voice held the edge of a cold bite.“The rest we can deal with once we’ve gotten you to safety and dealt with Cain.”
Alice’s anxiety rose. She didn’t want to come off as needy, but she couldn’t stand the idea of him not knowing the things that had happened between her and Cain. Maxim was her soul mate. From what she’d learned in the book Cain had given her, and from Lizzy and Finn, that meant he literally had the other half of her soul and she had his.“You got the short end of the stick, Maxim.”Even her internal voice sounded forlorn.
“If this is about the vampire king, then settle yourself. I already know.”
Alice felt as if she’d been kicked in the gut. How did he know?
“Perizada,”he answered her unasked question.“The high fae found me and told me. She believed I needed to know what kind of situation you were in. I would have come for you no matter what, Alice. You’re my true mate.”
“She told you I have feelings for a killer?”Alice winced internally as Maxim’s mood shifted, his presence growing cooler through their bond. She shouldn’t have pushed. Obviously, this was a painful topic for him. How could it not be? But she had to know just how much Perizada had revealed.
“She told me enough.”Maxim’s tone was clipped.“That you and Cain have some sort of … bond because he sired you. That you care for him in some fashion.”
Even in her weakened state, Alice felt pain and jealousy rolling off him in waves. Her heart ached that she caused his turmoil.“I’m sorry.”She exhaled.“I never meant to hurt you. My feelings for Cain aren’t…”She trailed off helplessly. How could she explain emotions even she didn’t fully understand?
Maxim was silent for a long minute. When he spoke again, his voice was carefully controlled.“You owe me no explanations. Not yet. Let’s just focus on getting you free of him first.”
He was shutting her out, hiding his true feelings, and Alice didn’t know how to bridge the sudden gulf between them.
