My lips lift, and I nod.
She taps my chest in time with the music. “Is this the type of music you usually listen to? I sort of had you pegged as an opera or classical guy, not this mix of soft rock and pop.”
I flash a wry smile. “You would be right.”
“And…” she drawls, tapping me again with her finger.
I grab it and bring it to my mouth to nibble on it. “And these songs are for you.” Her eyes widen, and she stares at me, silently urging me to continue. “Whenever I hear a song that reminds me of you, I save it to this playlist.”
She’s staring at me like she’s never seen me before.
“I had a lot of time on my hands here,” I gruffly say.
She finally opens her mouth, but it isn’t to comment on my corny habit, but to ask the one thing I’ve been putting off: “Tell me about the mate bond.”
I take a deep breath. Tonight, she chose me. It’s time. “Not all vampires get a mate. We’re not sure why. Fewer and fewer are discovered each year. Even fewer outside our race.”
Her eyes are glued to me, full of questions.
“One mate,” she concludes from my rambling. “You only get one mate? What happens if we don’t complete the bond?”
My mouth firms. “Then we don’t. I’ve lived without a mate for 3,741 years. I’m used to it.” I don’t tell her how empty and incomplete I would feel. She needs to make this decision without that kind of pressure.
“Wait, is that how old you are? We’re about the same age.” She pauses for a minute. “If we don’t bond, you’ll never have another mate, will you?”
I smooth a strand of hair back from her face. “No. You’re it for me. I’ll want you and only you until the day I die.”
“That’s not fair,” she says, biting her cheek. “But why do I find so much satisfaction in it? Why does it sound like the most romantic thing in the world?”
“There’s beauty in the singularity of belonging to one person and sharing your soul with them,” I reply, sweeping my thumb across her sweet lips.
“I’m in love with them. Will I still feel that way if I complete the bond?” she asks, clearly worried about the others.
One day, I hope to hear her say those words to me. “If you were a vampire, you would only desire your mate, but you’re not. It’s why the bond is so rarely found with someone who isn’t one of our race.” I pause for a second. “They are my family. For a reason I can’t explain, I don’t need to be the only one for you. They make you happy; therefore, I’m happy.”
Her face fills with relief. “What happens if we complete the bond, and the gods offer you a chance to return to Kallias?”
“There is no returning to Kallias for me,” I state firmly, needing her to understand. “All these years, I’ve yearned to see my daughter, but not Kallias. There’s nothing there for me. This is my world now.”
She lifts an eyebrow in disbelief, and I lift a defensive shoulder. “For a microsecond, I thought about it, but Kallias isn’t my destiny. Here, with you and Jamison and Hawthorne and Gatlin, is where I belong.”
The tension eases from her shoulders, and I realize that’s what she’s been worried about all along. That I would go back to Kallias.
She plays with the hair on my chest for a second. “What do I have to do to complete the bond?”
“You only have to drink a sip of my blood to complete the exchange,” I tell her, trying not to get my hopes up. “It spiritually ties us together. We become aware of each other in a way that’s more intense than a normal relationship. Sometimes we can hear each other’s thoughts or feel each other’s emotions. It varies. No couple is the same.”
I sigh at the worried expression on her face. “Look, this isn’t something you have to decide any time soon. Let me court you. Spoil you. Take time to get to know each other. In a hundred years, we’ll talk about it again. Okay?” No matter how long it takes. I’ll wait.
Her laugh is full of relief. “A hundred years, huh? That sounds wonderful, although I’m greedy, and a hundred won’t be long enough.” Her leg slides over my body as she straddles me. “Why don’t we kill a little time right now?”
33
PHAEDRA
Only an indent remains where Mathias slept beside me. Getting up, I slip on the robe and pad out into the living room to find him peering down at his computer. The minute he sees me, he opens his arms, and I slide onto his lap.
“What are you watching?” I ask after giving him a kiss.
