“We have a helicopter,” Dax answered, his voice low.
Jasper turned his attention to his younger brother. “Are you all right? Do you need blood?”
“No. I don’t need blood.” Dax cut him a harsh look.
Jasper shook his head. “Listen, you’re only a year younger than I am.” Which meant he was three hundred and ninety-eight years old. Once a Maxwell male hit around four centuries, they started to die if they didn’t find their mate. It was known as their curse. “You have to find her, man.”
Dax sighed. “I don’t know where she is. I may be one of the unlucky ones, Jasper.”
Jasper would not accept that. He’d find a mate for his brother if it was the last thing he did. He looked down at his own, who watched him with wide eyes. “What?”
“Your blood, it’s amazing. Everything feels good. I mean, nothing hurts.”
“I’m glad.” He kissed her on the nose. “I should probably tell you that I’m very happy you’re coming home to Montana with me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Were you giving me a choice?”
“No,” he said honestly. “But still, it’s nice that you want a vacation from hunting and violence.”
“I really do.” She caressed his chest through the cotton of his shirt.
Her touch warmed him throughout. “I should probably also tell you that I love you. Because I do, and I have for a long time.”
He ignored the gagging noises his brother made from the front seat.
She smiled, glanced at Dax, and then chuckled, her eyes glowing.
* * * *
Leah looked up at Jasper, marveling at how quickly he had launched into battle and jumped in front of a plane to save her. She’d wanted to hear the words for so long, even though she wasn’t ready. Now, he’d said them, and she had them.
She’d fallen in love with him on the side of a burned-out bridge in the freezing cold years ago during another war. She’d known it then, but she hadn’t been ready. Not completely. She always had a mission to complete, but maybe now he would become her mission. She knew the toll it had taken for him to let her use herself as bait, but they’d succeeded in the end. Wallace would never kidnap another woman. Of course, that no doubt meant the war with his family had intensified. Montana might be a good place to regroup and plan.
She ran her palm along the whiskers of Jasper’s jaw—so sharp and strong—and stared into his bluish-green eyes. How anybody could mistake him for human was beyond her. Yeah,she was tired of running from him. From herself and her feelings. It was time to take a chance. With him.
“I love you, too. Always have.” She felt like she sat right where she belonged. “I’m looking forward to our next adventures.”
He kissed her then, going deep, finally leaning back and smoothing the hair away from her face. “As am I.”
She giggled, knowing he liked the sound. His gaze warmed. She’d never been much of a giggler, thinking it silly. But if allowing herself to be silly brought that ease to him, she’d have to do it once in a while. He’d never know how much it meant that he’d included her on this mission. Allowing her to be in danger went against everything he was, but she needed to be there. Not only for herself but also for the women. She loved that he saw her true being and accepted her.
“You’re thinking awfully hard.”
“I usually do,” she admitted. Danger never concerned her too much, but she’d have to be more careful from now on. The idea of losing him hurt something deep inside her, and he apparently felt the same. Plus, now that they’d fully mated, if something happened to her, the Maxwell Curse would kill him. His well-being depended on hers. “Being mated to you comes with serious responsibility.”
“Yes, it does.” He kissed her forehead. “But even if it didn’t, my primary goal would always be to keep you safe. You have to know that.”
She did. “Are you going to teach me how to heal myself?” Those healing cells were too amazing not to explore.
“Of course. Although it might take a few centuries for you to get the hang of it.”
How odd to think she’d live for centuries. Where would the world be then? Would they get a chance to travel to other planets? Would the internet go down? Would AI try to takeover the world? “I’m happy we’ll have centuries together, Jasper Maxwell.”
“Me, too. I find that I’d prefer you to have the Maxwell name. Call me old fashioned, but I have lived four hundred years.” His eyes softened to a mellow aqua. “I’m thinking we should get married.”
She smiled. “We’re already mated. Does marriage matter?”
He kissed her again. “With you, everything matters. Will you marry me?”
