“I would if I could,” I hear myself say.
Gray turns abruptly away. He picks up his fork and starts tracing it over his empty plate. Shit. Now my heart is hammering. The entire room has gone deathly quiet. This is awful.
Ned breaks the heavy silence. “Cambions can mate just as well as any other demon.”
My gaze snaps to his. Did Gray tell him what I am, or did he always know? I wait for terror to flood me, but it doesn’t. Apparently, I’m fine with everyone knowing the truth of me.
Wait a minute. What was the second part of his sentence? Cambions can form mating bonds with pure demons?
I search the vampire’s face, but all I see is truth. I turn my attention to Brodie. A healer would know this stuff. He gives me a solemn nod. As does Pink. Human magic holders tend to be very well educated.
Oh, my gods. My heart has fallen into some strange, dizzying rhythm. My stomach is tying itself in knots. Every muscle I possess is trembling.
I am strong enough. I can mate Gray. I can make him mine. We can be joined. Bonded to one another. This is the most wonderful news since the universe was born.
My chair falls backwards with a loud clang as I jump to my feet. Gray flinches at the noise and the sudden movement. I grab his hand and fall to my knees beside him. His dark eyes are enormous.
“Gray. Will you do me the honor of becoming my mate?”
Suddenly, Gray is off his chair and in my arms. He is kissing me passionately, while wrapping himself tightly around me. His body is warm against my own. I kiss him back. I guess this is a yes.
I think everyone else is cheering and clapping. But I don’t really know because there is only room in my mind, heart and soul, for one thing.
Gray is going to be my mate.
Chapter thirty
Gray
We’ve been driving in Mal’s car for hours and hours and I’m getting impatient. I don’t care where we are when he mates me, but he insists he knows a location that is perfect.
But we are running out of time. The sun set a long time ago. The dark moon is rising. I’ve already had to wait nearly a whole moon since he proposed.
“Nearly there, Little One,” he says with a chuckle.
I shoot him a glare, but his eyes are fixed on the road, so I don’t think he sees it. I look out of the window, but all I can see is darkness. I’m glad humans have not covered the entire world with their houses and buildings. There are still some wild places left.
Oh no, Mal is not driving us all the way back to Scotland, is he? I did love it when we visited to save Lello, but it took so long to get there. It is sweet that he noticed and remembered that I adored it, but I’m far too impatient for that!
I need to get him to pull over. The side of the road is good enough. I want to mate him, not admire pretty scenery.
The car turns into a wide expanse of gravel. The engine falls silent. Finally.
Mal gives me a teasing, wicked grin. I scowl back at him. I know damn well he is excited and eager too.
He leaves the car’s lights on as he gets out and grabs his bundle from the back. I slide out of the car. Scents of heather and gorse roll over me. No sounds save for the wind whispering gently over the grass.
Okay, this is quite nice. Open moorland. Remote and peaceful. No one else for miles and miles.
Mal gestures to me to follow him. He walks in front of the car, following the straight line of the car lights. We step off of the gravel onto the short grass of the moor.
We take several more steps. Then he stops. He shakes out the beautiful eiderdown quilt he brought, and places it on the grass.
“Lie down,” he says.
I grin. This is more like it. I hurry down onto the quilt. The covering is silky and soft. I love it.
Mal lies down beside me. He takes my hand. Excitement is thrumming through him. But we are only laying on our backs, side by side.
