Page 33

This was clearly the part he was most anxious about. He took another deep breath before answering. "Several things. Our essences would begin to merge in certain ways. You would become more durable. Less susceptible to illness, to injury."

"And?" I prompted, sensing there was more.

"And you would stop aging," he watched my reaction carefully. "Not immediately, but eventually. Your lifespan would align with mine."

The implications hit me like a physical blow. "You mean I'd become immortal?"

"Not precisely immortal," he clarified. "You could still be killed. But natural death from age or disease? No."

My mind reeled with the possibilities, the implications. Living for centuries, perhaps millennia. Watching the world change, watching everyone I knew grow old and die while I remained.

"This is a lot," I admitted, running a hand through my still-damp hair.

"I know." His voice was gentle, understanding.

"And if it's too much, if you want no part of it, I would understand.

The mark I've given you would remain, but the bond would never fully form.

You would live a normal human lifespan, and when your time came," He paled visibly at the thought. "I would feel it, wherever I was."

The pain in his voice was unmistakable. For an eternal being, the prospect of finding his one true mate only to lose her to mortality in what would feel like an eyeblink to him must be agonizing.

I studied his face, this being who had crashed into my life so unexpectedly and changed everything. Despite his power, despite his agelessness, in this moment he looked vulnerable, almost fragile with fear of my rejection.

Decision made, I slid off the couch and knelt between his knees, looking up at him. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Remove your pants," I instructed, my voice steady despite the hammering of my heart.

"Rosie." My name was a question, hope, and uncertainty warring in his expression.

"Remove your pants," I repeated, more firmly this time. "Please."

With slightly shaking hands, he undid his belt, then the button and zipper of his jeans. I helped him slide them down his powerful legs, leaving him in just his boxer briefs. The hard line of his arousal was evident beneath the fabric, but this wasn't about sex. Not entirely.

"These too," I murmured, hooking my fingers in the waistband of his underwear.

He lifted his hips, allowing me to pull them down, freeing him completely. I placed my hands on his thighs, feeling the muscle tense beneath my touch.

"Rosie," he breathed, his voice strained. "Are you sure? Once done, this cannot be undone."

I looked up at him, at the face that had become so dear to me in such a short time. "I'm sure." And I was. Terrified, but sure. "The left thigh?"

He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "It doesn't matter where. It's a vulnerable place, a gesture of absolute trust between us."

I stroked my hands along his inner thighs, feeling him tremble beneath my touch. It was heady, having this powerful being at my mercy, watching him come undone with anticipation.

Without further hesitation, I leaned forward and sank my teeth into the soft flesh of his inner left thigh, biting down hard enough to break the skin. The taste of his blood hit my tongue, copper and something else, something otherworldly that fizzed like electricity.

Aldaine's reaction was immediate and powerful. His entire body went rigid, a primal sound tearing from his throat as his head fell back. His hands gripped the couch cushions so hard I heard the fabric tear.

And then I felt it. A surge of energy that started where my mouth met his flesh and expanded outward, engulfing us both in a whirlwind of light and sensation.

It was like being struck by lightning while diving into the ocean, overwhelming and all-consuming.

Colors I had no names for flashed behind my eyelids, and every nerve in my body sang with pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.

I could feel him, not just physically, but in my mind, my soul.

Glimpses of memories not my own flashed through my consciousness: ancient forests, medieval cities, modern skylines, all seen through his eyes.

Emotions washed over me in waves: loneliness so profound it ached, curiosity about the ever-changing human world, and above all else, a fierce, protective love directed solely at me.

The energy between us built to a crescendo, a blinding flash that seemed to rewrite reality itself before settling into a warm, steady pulse that connected us heart to heart, soul to soul.

When I finally pulled back, blood on my lips and wonder in my eyes, I knew with absolute certainty that nothing would ever be the same again.

"Aldaine," I whispered, my voice sounding strange to my own ears.

His eyes opened, and I gasped. They had shifted to their demon form—glowing embers in a field of black, but I could see myself reflected in them, and my own eyes glowed with the same unearthly light.

"It's done," his voice reverberated with power. "We are one, Rosie. Now and for all time."

We spent the day in our room exploring each other.