She shivered and tried to cover the act. “How did you healme?” Perhaps there was a way to help everyone out of this fever.
Athan held up his right hand to show a truly stunningmarking of an M with barbed wire all around it.
“You were branded?” she whispered, shocked.
“Actually,youwere branded,” he said. “Itransferred this from my hand to your lower back.” His shrug emphasized hisbroad shoulders. “I figured you’d want to be able to hide the marking beneathclothing.”
Marking? Branding? From his hand? “I do not understand.”
“I know.” Slowly, twin fangs slid down in his mouth.
She gasped, her heart thundering. The legends were true.She’d heard them whispered since she was a tiny girl, but she’d thought theywere just fairy tales created to scare children. “You’re a vampire.”
“I am,” he said. “I’m also part demon. Immortals can matecertain humans, and you were one of those. In addition, you were created to bemy mate. We just saved each other, beautiful.”
Her heart thundered so hard her rib cage hurt. “Am I a vampire?”Oh, no. Had he turned her into someone who drank blood?
“No.” He laughed. “You’re still human, just enhanced. You’lllive forever, but you can only have one mate, and that’s me.”
She tried to make sense of those words and looked around thelovely room, attempting to focus. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Somehow, the Maxwell family is cursed. If we don’t find ourmate by the time we’re four centuries old, we die. We start disintegratingbefore that time and becoming weaker. It’s ugly. Imagine an apple losing all ofits moisture.”
How was that possible? “This affects only your family andnot all immortals?”
“Aye,” he murmured. “Someday, maybe we’ll understand why orhow…but not now. Now, we search for our mates, our one and only, and then tryto live. But we’re always connected at that point. I need you…and you need me.”
What was this need of which he spoke? She couldn’t bringherself to ask. “How did you find me, if I’m your mate?”
“Luck, fortitude…and fate.” He lifted a shoulder—a powerfulone. “My grams is a witch, and she has a knack for sending us in the rightdirection. I believe she uses the elements to do so, but she won’t share hersecrets. Yet, anyway.”
This was too much, but Ivy had always accepted reality.“There’s nothing special about me.”
“You’re quite wrong about that.” His gaze wandered over herface. “Immortals can only mate enhanced humans, so you must have an ability. Arare one.”
She clasped her hands in her lap. “No. Well, I have a giftwith animals, but that’s just…”
“Your enhancement.” His gaze swept her body. “One of them,anyway.”
Her skin tingled, and she straightened. “What does thismating mean for me?”
“It means you can live your life, but we must meet up once ayear to exchange blood. It’s the only way either of us will survive. I’m sorryyou weren’t well enough to choose this for yourself, but when it came to it, Isaved your life and mine.”
She blinked. “Once a year?” What was she to do the rest ofthe time? “So, we’re not married?”
“No, and there can be nobody else for either of us, Ivy.I’ll make sure you have a good and very long life.”
She sat back in the chair, stunned and feeling more alonethan ever. How would she have a good life without a husband and children? “Didwe, um, share a marital bed?” She lived on a farm and somewhat understood whatthat entailed. Shouldn’t she feel different?
“No. I bit you and branded you without the marital bed,” hedrawled. “That might be necessary someday, but apparently not right now sincethe brand transferred.”
It appeared as if he were indifferent to her. Why didn’tthat grant her relief? They were to remain faithful but apart? What manner oflife was that? Would she have to return to the farm? “What about family?” shewhispered.
His eyes flared. “Someday, I’ll want children, and we’lltalk about it then.” For the first time, she noticed a scar dissecting theright side of his neck. It was white against his suntanned skin and looked likehe’d been slashed with three blades at once. As if catching her gaze, he rubbedthe destroyed flesh. “My job is dangerous, and I don’t know how long it’lllast, so you can’t be in my world. It’s deadly, and you deserve a bright lifeand a chance to live it. Even if I don’t survive.”
She shivered from his matter-of-fact tone. “Why don’t yousecure a different job?”
His smile was a quick flash of teeth that warmed her inpersonal places. “There’s a threat out there, Ivy, and I hunt threats. I wasborn and bred to do it. Someday, I hope the danger will be destroyed, but ithas to be me.” His gaze ran over her face as if he wanted to memorize everyangle. “There’s a chance I won’t survive, and if so, I’ve cursed you with avery long life alone. I hope that doesn’t happen, but at least you’ll have achance now to actuallylive.”
