He rose to his feet, as if to leave, and I reached forward, grabbing his wrist.
“Never.”
Nicolas hesitated. He could easily have pulled free—I didn’t have the strength to stop him. But I knew he didn’t really want to.
“But I killed you.”
“You were a newborn vampire, commanded to feed by your maker. You didn’t understand what you were yet. You didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to stop. He lied to you.”
“Eli—”
“You didn’t know it was me, either. You wouldn’t have if you had known. That’s why Magnus hooded us—because you would have fought him with everything you had if you’d known.”
“Eli, stop.”
“No!” I snapped, glaring him down. “Nicolas, you told me that no one knows why old souls keep coming back. But I do know why! I’ve been coming back foryou. Because I love you. I’ve always loved you—for lifetimes.”
He stared at me, outraged. “How can you even stand to be in the same room with me, knowing what I did to you?” His voice rose, but I heard the despair in it. “To countless victims?”
“Nicolas, I forgive you.”
The coldness crumbled from his expression all at once, and he let out a sharp sound that was half gasp, half sob. And I knew through the bond that both of us realized, in that moment, he had been waiting eight centuries for exactly this—for an absolution that shouldn’t have been possible.
“What?” he managed, his words choked. “But how can you—”
I rose from the bed to join him. Then I gathered him into my arms, holding him close. “I came back foryou, Nicolas,” I breathed. “And I always will. I forgive you. I forgive you for everything.”
“Eli,” he whispered into my shoulder, his voice breaking around my name. “Eli.”
“I’m here,” I replied, speaking around the sudden, searing lump in my throat. “We’re here, and we’re together again. Everything will be okay now. I promise.”
Because no matter what else happened, Nicolas and I had found each other after so many lifetimes apart.
And I was never going to lose him again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT || COLE
“I’m surprised you bothered learning how to cook,” Thierry said the following morning, watching me with a frown as I plated the pancakes I had finished cooking from scratch. “I can’t imagine you were especially domestic for the past eight centuries.”
I grabbed two plates and moved to the table, setting pancakes in front of Thierry and Jeremy. Eli already had his in front of him, but he hadn’t started eating yet. He was waiting for me.
“I wasn’t,” I admitted. “And I’m hardly a good cook. But I’ve been learning.” I gave Eli a small smile. “We’re learning together.”
“How saccharine,” Thierry huffed. “I might prefer you when you’re evil.”
I knew he was joking, of course. There was a strange expression on my brother’s face, almost as if—
It’s like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop,Eli’s mental voice was so clear that it was as if he had spoken aloud. It startled me all over again to realize that he could hear me just as easily.
Yes,I agreed, crossing the room and grabbing my own plate and napkins for everyone.He’s always been wary aboutenjoying himself. Of the two of us, he’s the reserved one. Though I suppose it’s nice to know that some things never change.
They truly don’t,Eli agreed. He flashed me a broad smile, affection transforming his face. “The pancakes look amazing, by the way.”
“They look adequate,” Thierry said, frowning down at his plate. “Though I will never understand what possesses vampires to learn how to cook. First Nathaniel, then Rico, and now you.”
“Feeding your partner is a way of showing you love them,” Jeremy said. He grinned at Thierry. “Or so I’m told.”
“I’ll have you know that I’m frequently romantic,” Thierry huffed.
