“I’ve held onto his memory for so long.”
“Now we learn how to be together. Just you and me,” Blake said. My human mate was far stronger than me and infinitely wiser.
Thirteen
Blake
“Ihave to work. It’s how I pay my bills, and unless you can come up with more gold than the one rock, we’re going to have to find a solution for when I’m gone. I don’t want to think of you frozen here the whole time I’m gone.”
Marlon furrowed his brow, and he was lost in thought for a moment. “Maybe it will get easier. This is the first time we’re separated since we’ve mated,” he said.
“Did you know other mated vampires?” I asked because who the hell were we supposed to go to for help or information? Marlon was the only vampire I’d ever met, and before that I really didn’t believe they existed. So, I was no help at all.
“No, it is very rare. There were times I ran across others of my kind, and some of them mentioned mates, but I had never felt a pull to another until that time with your ancestor. And even now those feelings fade.”
“Maybe since you took the time to know him you fell in love. Sometimes we’re drawn to people for reasons we cannot explain or deny,” I said. “There have been a few people I’ve been involved with that were huge mistakes, but I couldn’t help myself.”
Marlon’s eyes darkened, and his lip pulled up in a snarl. “If they were to hurt you now, I would tear them limb from limb,” he growled.
“It’s okay. I will never need you to do that. You’re all I need and all I want,” I said. “I’m only concerned aboutyou.” The thought of him standing frozen anytime we were apart tore at me. I forced myself not to look at the time because I still had to go back to work no matter how much I didn’t want to.
“Do you need to leave?” Marlon asked, and this time I could see the worry in his eyes.
“Yes, but I won’t be long, and I won’t be far. Would you like me to get someone to come stay with you? I can ask Aaron if he’s busy.”
“No, spending time with him would be infinitely worse than being frozen. I will do what I did before and stay in the basement. Would you walk me down there before you leave?”
Marlon was not weak, and the fact he was so vulnerable right now hurt me more than I would ever admit to him. It hurt to know a creature who could destroy any human with little effort was now brought to his knees by his bond to me. A bond he had not wanted or chosen.
“I’ll do whatever can help,” I finally managed.
“I may not have chosen this bond, but I am not unhappy about it. Or the fact that you are my mate. We’ll find a way to be apart.”
I took his hand and led him down to the basement, making sure to avoid any sunbeams on the way. I didn’t need a demonstration of what would happen to him. Then, a thought crossed my mind. “Can you read my thoughts?”
“Not completely,” he said.
I led him to the old crappy couch in the basement and turned on the television before handing him the remote and explaining how to use it. I also plugged in the old landline phone that was down there. “You can call me if you need to.” I dialed my cell and showed him to press redial to get me.
“I won’t need all that,” he said and tried to sound strong, but I knew neither of us was prepared for how this bond made us feel.
“But I want you to be as comfortable as you can be. You think I would really leave you if I thought you’d be sitting here frozen? Unmoving in every way until I returned?” Smoothing his hair back from his face, I made him meet my eyes before I leaned in and kissed him. “I’m going to fucking help you whether you want me to or not. You’re my mate.”
His lips quirked up slightly, and his hand reached for the back of my neck as his fingers tangled in my hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever hoped to find anyone who meant so much to me as you do. Not even when I was human. You’re extraordinary,” he whispered.
“Don’t start using big words on me now,” I said. “You relax here. There are books over there, and hopefully plenty on the television to keep you entertained. If you need anything, even if you just need to talk, don’t hesitate to call. Promise me.”
He nodded before pressing his forehead against mine. “I won’t. Thank you,” he whispered.
I could only nod before pulling away and, after a backwards glance, hurrying upstairs and out to my truck.
Time moved slowly even though I was busy. “Hey, Blake.” I looked up just as Aaron walked into the service bay.
“Hey, Aaron, what’s going on?” I looked past him at my boss, who eyed both of us before going back to reading the newspaper.
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“What? Who?”
