He brushed his knuckles down the side of her face. “I made a decision and a vow when I mated you with a bite and a mark, and I meant it. That hasn’t changed, and we will mate again tonight. Completely.”
She set her stance. No way would she let him sacrifice himself for her. Or even risk it. “No.”
One of his eyebrows rose in a look she was becoming very familiar with. “Want to bet?” he asked mildly.
The shiver that took her had nothing to do with challenge or fear.
She swallowed.
He smiled.
Chapter 25
“Getting her drunk seems like dirty pool,” Benny said, scouting the outside perimeter of the cabin along with Adare.
“I know.” Adare had made sure Grace’s glass was full of very good wine during dinner. “But she’s determined to save me from myself, and I’m determined to saveher, and that’s the end of it.”
Benny chuckled. “You have it bad, and so does she, and you’re both being morons about it. You’ve wanted her since you met her, and I’ve seen how she looks at you. If you both admitted that shit, maybe the mating would be stronger and take hold. Genetics and all that crap never made sense to me.”
The wind whistled a sharp tune, scattering powdered snow in every direction.
“You’re more a fate andwhat the fuckkind of guy,” Adare agreed. “Think you’ll ever get mated?”
“Sure. There’s a wildcat out there waiting for my mark on her ass, but let’s be honest. She’d have to be at least half-crazy to fall for a hybrid like me, and that’s gonna take some energy on my part. We have too much going on for crazy right now. Well, more crazy than we already have.”
Sometimes it was impressive how self-aware Benny could be.
“But,” Benny continued, “at least I won’t face possible death or mutation to mate. Like you.”
“Possible mutation?” Adare eyed the next camera, satisfied it was shielded from the falling snow.
Benny nodded. “Sure. If she has these, what are they, antibodies? Say they attack your cells, meaning your immortal cells, and hers somehow win. Maybe they don’t kill your cells but just turn you into a human. Can you imagine?”
“No,” Adare said shortly. There was no force on earth that could turn him into a human.
Benny clucked his tongue. “Yeah, you’re right. Your cells would die before letting you become human. Probably. I mean, cells are an enigma to me, but that sounds right.”
This pep talk from Benny was giving Adare a headache. “You’re a good brother, Benny.”
“I know.” Benny reached up to move a branch out of the way of camera three. “I am the glue that holds us Seven together.”
Well, okay. “You’ve done a good job so far.”
“True. As such, I feel we need to get serious for a moment. You mated Grace out of duty to Ronan and Faith, and you could be talking eternity if not death here. You have to take a moment and ask if you really want Grace. If she’s worth the risk.”
Adare nodded. “She’s a sweetheart, and she’ll sacrifice her life so as not to risk mine. It’s my risk to take.”
Benny kicked a couple of branches out of his way, snow falling on his dark hair. “Think you’ll die?”
“No.” Adare angled around a tree to make sure the security lines were still solidly in place. “She’s a Key, and that’s powerful, but I’m one of the Seven, right?”
Benny nodded, tapping a tree trunk and looking up at one of the many cameras. “Sure, but the power of the Seven comes from fighting and our shields. The power of the Keys comes from their very blood.” He paused, looking at Adare. “And hers swallows yours.”
“True,” Adare allowed, turning back toward the cabin. “Bottom line, if I don’t mate her, she’ll return to a coma state and then eventually die. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“Because she’s a Key or because she’s Grace?” Benny asked, his boots sinking deep into the snow.
Adare thought about the question, listening for any threats in the vicinity. “Both.”
