I stare up into his eyes. “Plans?”
“Yeah.”
“What do these plans involve?” I ask.
His eyes darken. “Me getting my mate naked.” And just like that, the lightheartedness leaves me. My heart hurts so much, I rub at it. Hunter, who never misses a thing, frowns. “What is it, Love?”
I shake my head. “I just...”
“What?” he prompts when I don’t finish. I stare up at him. He’s the epitome of everything I would want in a guy. He’s literally perfect, my perfect kryptonite. And yet, he’s not mine. He might think he wants me now, but someday, his mate will show up. And I’ll just be a distant memory. I take a step back, and he frowns. I decide to be gut-level honest with him. “Hunter, you are everything I never knew I wanted. If I had such a thing as a mate and I could design him, it would be you. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you. You are,” I pause. I swallow hard. “You’re amazing, Hunter.”
“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” he says quietly.
“But you’re not mine.” Those words hurt more than anything in my life. I don’t think it even hurt this much when my mom died, and that blows my mind. “I wish you were.” I harden my emotions and smile up at him. “One day, you’re going to meet your mate.” I smile bittersweetly and manage to force out the words. “And you’re going to be so happy.”
“Sherese,” he tries, but I’m not done.
“I can never say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I…” I pause and wonder if I should even say the words. But then I remember how short life is and how I would give anything to be able to tell my mom one more time. “I love you,” I tell him simply. When he opens his mouth, I put up a hand. “Don’t say anything. I just wanted you to know.”
He reaches out and grabs my arms and yanks me against him. “Sherese, you crazy, stubborn woman. Stop. You’re breaking my heart.” He releases my arms and reaches up to palm my cheeks. “Listen to me very carefully, so you don’t miss this. You. Are. My. Mate.” Each word is slow and distinct. He continues before I have a chance to say anything. “Listen to me, Baby. Please.” I stare up at him. “When you stabbed yourself, it killed Rizo. It also killed the vampire part of you, whether that’s because ofyour healer blood or simply because the connection to Rizo died. You are no longer a vampire; that part of you is gone. I can’t smell any vampire on you anymore. But you know what I do smell?” He smiles, and it’s so gorgeous, it hurts my eyes. “I smell my mate.”
I go still and stare up at him. “Are you sure?” I whisper.
“Positive. There is no doubt in my mind. Your scent is enough to make my wolf lose his mind. We both recognize it as our mate’s scent.”
“Really, Hunter? You’re not messing with me?”
“No. This is it. It’s the real deal. You're my mate. I would never lie about something like that.” A sob escapes me, and I suddenly can’t keep myself together anymore. Another sob catches in my throat, and he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. “It’s okay,” he whispers against my hair. “I’m here; I’m yours. And you’re forever mine.”
The tears come, and I’m helpless to stop them. Like a tidal wave, my emotions roar to the surface. Things I’ve pushed away for years come to the forefront, and I cry for all of it. I cry for the loss of my mom and my childhood and my dreams, for everything that I endured with the vampires, for those who have lost their lives to the vamps. It all comes pouring out. I didn’t even know I was capable of crying like this. The tears come for what seems like hours. I’m not even aware of anything else except Hunter literally holding me together, so I don’t slip away in this flood of emotion.
Sometime later, I realize we’re in bed, and he has his arms around me. The tears finally slow, and exhaustion so deep comes over me. “Just rest now, Love. I’ve got you. I've got you tonight, and I’ll have you tomorrow and the day after that.”
“What about the meeting?” I ask in somewhat slurred speech.
“Don’t worry about it. I told Bryce. We'll try again tomorrow. Before you fall asleep, though, I do need to tell you something.”
There’s something about his tone that makes me instantly alert. “What is it?’’
Those dark eyes fasten on mine. “After you stabbed yourself, which we are going to talk long and hard about at some point—”
“There was no other option.”
His eyes darken. “You hurting yourself is never the right option.”
My heart softens even more. “Agree to disagree.” He frowns, and I have a feeling he’s going to argue again if I let him. “What did you want to tell me?”
“I bit you.”
I stare at him for a moment. “Come again?”
“I knew you were dying, so I bit you. I didn’t know if it would work, but I bit you.”
“Sooo, what does that mean exactly?”
“Well, since you survived, it means we’re mated.”
“How do you know?”
