He rolled his eyes, just like a typical male. “You won’t kill me. You’re a Key, I’m a Seven, and that means more than science. You have to believe that.”
She was starting to, at least a little. But there was always a balancing of the scales, right? If she lived, did he have to die? Or were they both so necessary that they wouldn’t die? Sometimes she longed for the days when she was just human and not aware of all of this insanity. She swallowed. All right. They were talking about this for real and not hypothetically now. “How do you feel about mating me?”
“I’m committed to you and will be a good mate so long as I live.” It wasn’t wine and roses, but there was something sweet about the statement.
“What does being a good mate mean to you?” she asked.
“Keeping my patience while being questioned,” he retorted instantly. Then he exhaled. “I will protect you, provide for you, and learn to express emotions with you. Even if it kills me. If I live after the raid, that is.” His gaze softened. “I like you, Grace. Your insights and depth intrigue me, your beauty draws me, and your spirit challenges me.”
She sat back, stunned. That was a lot from the Highlander. She’d had no idea he considered her anything but a responsibility. “I like you, too.”
“That’s fortunate,” he said dryly. “Especially since there will be no taking of the virus after mating. That’s nonnegotiable.”
He’d been pretty adamant about it before. “What do you think happens if one mate takes the virus? I mean, to the other mate?” she asked.
He looked toward the fire and then back. “That’s the risk, right? That’s why it can never happen, and I assume a law will be put on Realm books soon enough. There’s no other option.”
Immortal laws seemed a little too rigid. She cleared her throat, needing to lay out all the cards. “You might have a second chance with Jacqueline.” Another shifter, who no doubt was a wildcat, literally, in bed. “You need to think about whether mating me is really what you want.”
The fire crackled, the light dancing off the hard planes of his face. “I said goodbye to Jacki a century ago, and I meant it.”
“But how to you feel about that?” she pressed.
He looked as if he wanted to roll his eyes but prevented himself somehow. “I don’t feel anything. It was a long time ago, and it’s over. When it’s over, it’s over.”
“You can just cut people out like that?” Boy, were they different people.
He nodded. “Yes. I’m all or nothing, according to Benny. It’s not a bad way to live.”
If they actually survived this, she hoped he never cut her out completely. That would hurt, more than she’d realized until right this second. How she wished she could’ve known him when he was young. What was he like way back then? “Do you believe in love?’
“No. Do you?”
“Yes.” She was right and he was wrong. Did she want to prove it to him? She was so busy pushing him to have feelings that she hadn’t really examined her own. How did she feel about this immortal badass? He was hot, sexy, strong, stubborn, and protective. Her body felt alive when he was near, and she felt stronger in his presence. Even when they were arguing. Oh, he was emotionally stunted, probably from being a soldier his entire life, but he had depths. She could see them. Could she plumb them?
“Grace?” he asked. “Are you still with me?”
She nodded. “I’m just thinking through the matter.” He was talking her into taking a risk.
“Take your time.” His shoulders were even wider than the back of the chair. “The conclusion is foregone, but do what you need to in order to get there.”
How could he sound so certain? “You understand that you’re risking your life by mating me? That the doctors might be wrong about my blood helping you to survive?”
“I risk my life every day. This is a much more pleasurable way than most.” His eyes glittered.
A shiver ran through her, delicious in its journey. “Aren’t you afraid to die?”
“No.”
She believed him. This was not absence of emotion but absolute truth. Had he faced death so many times during his long life that dying was just the next step? She felt sad at that thought. Great. Now she wanted to save him. To show him that life meant everything and that he should fight to keep it. To enjoy it. She sighed.
“What?”
“Nothing.” There was no way to explain her thoughts to him.
His gaze turned piercing. “Do you trust me?”
The question hit her dead center. “Yes,” she whispered. She truly did.
