Her body hurt too much for her to feel true shock. So, it was true. Was she concussed? “Oh,” she said lamely. “I’ve heard stories. Whispers, really. But I didn’t believe them.”
“You should have.”
Why would an immortal care about her life? “Why did you save me?”
“You’re not completely saved. You have internal wounds. You must feel the destruction inside you, right?”
Truth be told, her energy seemed to be ebbing. She struggled to breathe, and blood no doubt filtered into her lungs by the spoonful. “What do I have? Maybe a day left?”
“Not that long.”
Then she wouldn’t make it into Poland on time. “Would more of your blood help?”
Now, both of his eyebrows rose. “I gave you more blood than I should, and it would’ve killed you if you were anybody but who you are.”
Who else would she be? “I have no idea what that means.”
“I know.” His gaze intensified. “It’s not a coincidence that I’m here, near you.”
She’d never truly believed in coincidences, so she just waited.
He looked away and then back at her. “Immortals have mates, and many of my people believe in soulmates. The men in my family? We definitely only have one mate, and if we don’tfind her by the time we’re around four hundred years old, we slowly go mad and die.”
“That’s quite a story.” She had no chance in a fight against him, so why the tall tale? If he wanted to take her, he could have. “You want me.”
“Desperately.” He cocked his head. “I felt you, the being of you, two countries away from here. Like a beacon across a stormy sea.”
Poetic, that. “I don’t believe you.”
“Doesn’t matter. My blood saved you. If you want more of it, if you want to live, then we have to mate. You’ll get stronger than ever before, to the point of being immortal. Except for a good beheading, of course.” He sounded matter-of-fact, except tension rolled off him—hot, wild, dangerous. Raw and violent.
Instead of jerking in fear, her body warmed. From head to toe. Craving something in his voice. In him. “I take it mating requires sexual congress?”
He flashed her a grin. “You could say that. Plus, a brand—my mark that you’ll wear on your flesh for all eternity.” He held up his right palm, showing the figure of a deadly-looking M with jagged metal barbs all around it. “M, for my surname. Maxwell.”
She gulped. “Why me?”
“You’re an enhanced human female, and we’re fated. It’s that easy.”
Nothing was that easy. “Enhanced?”
“Psychic, empathic, magic—I don’t know. You’re beyond a normal human.”
Her skills lay in strategy, but she often felt what others did. Empathy? “What if I say no?” Although, what did a word mean? They were in the middle of nowhere, and she could barely breathe.
“Then you’ll die, I’ll live until I’m around four hundred years old, and then maybe I’ll see you in the afterlife.” He brushed snow off his dark pants. “There’s more.”
“Of course there is,” she said dryly, pressing a hand to her aching abdomen. Her organs felt liquified. That blast should’ve killed her. Still would. “What is it?”
“My family is cursed, like I said. Mates have to meet up and exchange blood. I’ll need yours to survive, and you’ll need me even more. Terribly. Your body will crave me.”
Arrogant words, yet she believed them. Her body already reacted to just his voice. “I want to live. I won’t crave you.” Was she really considering this? The good she could do in Poland, to help the war effort, as an immortal? It was unthinkable. She’d taken an oath, and she’d do her duty. “I’ll get blood to you. Somehow. Save my life now, and I’ll ensure you have blood when you need it.” Was any of this real? Her brain even felt burned.
This could all be an illusion.
His chin lifted, and swear to the saints, need pounded through her body. Top to bottom, hitting every feminine spot on the way. His voice deepened when he spoke again. “We can live that way for a while, especially since we both have missions right now, but not forever. That kind of life isn’t sustainable. At some point, Leah, I will come for you.”
She reached for the buttons on her coat. Might as well leave this world with passion under a snowy sky. Unless he’d issued the truth. Then? She’d be unstoppable—and alone with no risk to her heart. She was finished loving people and watching them die. “Only if you can find me, Jasper.”
