Page 99 of Immortal Unveiled

He huffed out a disgusted grunt.

“I can’t be with you because I know we’ll break each others’ hearts.”

She saw his shoulders stiffen.

“Because one day, you’ll look at me and you’ll realize you can do better. And with every wrinkle I develop, with every line in my face, every gray hair, I’ll wonder when you’ll trade me in for a younger woman.”

He started turning, slowly. “A younger woman?”

Kim avoided meeting his eyes and continued, “Yes. Maybe not in the next five or ten years, but once the first signs of me aging show in my face, you’ll wonder why you’re still with me when you could be with somebody who’s…”

“Younger?” he helped.

She swallowed away the bad taste that word created in her mouth. “Yes, while you’re still looking the same as now.” She sighed. “It must have occurred to you. I’m sure you’re looking at your colleagues’ wives and think the same. How long will it last? You and your brethren are immortal. You don’t have to worry about aging. But I’m human. I’ll grow old. And I don’t think I want my heart broken in fifteen or twenty years when reality catches up with us.”

“So, that’s why you’ve decided to break my heart now.” There was no anger in his voice.

Kim gave a slight shake of her head. “I can’t possibly be breaking your heart. Manus, we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks. Your feelings for me aren’t that deep yet. You still have a chance to get away unscathed.” Even though she didn’t. She was already in too deep. “Take the chance. Do it for my sake. So that I know that at least I didn’t hurt you. Because you deserve to be happy, Manus. You’ve gone through so much. I don’t want to be the person who breaks your heart.”

“Let me make sure I get this right. You want to break up with me because I’m immortal and won’t age, and you’re human and will age. Am I understanding this correctly?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“So, you’re giving me a way out. It’s generous, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not gonna take it. I have a counteroffer.”

Surprised at his words, she shifted her gaze to his face and looked into his eyes. “A counteroffer? This is not a negotiation. It’s a breakup.”

He chuckled. “Kim, if this is a breakup, you’re not doing it right.”

“Wha—”

“In a real breakup, you’d be tossing insults at me, telling me that you can’t stand me, that I’m bad in bed, impossible to live with, emotionally abusive, and just not marriage material. I mean, you’ve done it, right? You broke up with Todd. I’m sure you told him that it just wasn’t working between the two of you. Well, I don’t hear you saying these things to me. So, it’s not a breakup.”

“But I have a legitimate reason,” Kim protested. “I’ll die, and you won’t. I mean, that’s a pretty big reason.”

“Sure, it would be,” Manus conceded. “If it were true.” He stepped closer again.

“But—”

“You met Tessa, Winter, and Leila. They’re mated to immortals. I thought you understood. In fact, I assumed you talked to one of them to ask about this. Women talk about all kinds of stuff. They could have told you that once you’re bonded to me, you won’t age anymore.”

“Uh, what?” Now she was the one who didn’t understand. “Are you saying Tessa and the others won’t age because they’re married to a Stealth Guardian?”

“Not married,” he corrected, “bonded. It’s stronger than marriage, and yes, it allows the Stealth Guardian’s partner to draw from his immortality. Did you really think that any of my colleagues would have tolerated you staying here with me if they didn’t expect me to make it official like they did? I wasn’t going to just fuck you and then toss you aside when I had enough.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “It’s not possible because I’ll never get enough of you.”

Her eyes widened, and she felt her chest expand. Was this possible? If it was, they could have a future together.

“So, here’s my counteroffer. Instead of breaking up, I want you to look into your heart and tell me what you feel for me. And if it’s love, then bond with me, be with me for eternity. If it’s not true love, walk away, because if we bond and one of us doesn’t feel true love for the other, the ritual will kill us both.”

Kim sucked in a quick breath and searched his eyes. “Both have to feel true love?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying you feel that for me?” She felt her eyes moisten with tears. Was it possible this warrior loved her the way she loved him?

Suddenly, Manus touched her cheek and caressed it softly. “Oh, Kim, I’m an idiot. I forgot to tell you the most important thing.” He took her face into both his hands. “I love you, Kim, with all my heart, my soul, with every fiber of my immortal being.”

“Oh, Manus…” She didn’t know what to say because her heart was overflowing with emotions.