Page 320 of The Curse Trilogy

“It’s just me,” Brazen whispers, and I step out to see the pain etching itself his eyes when he sees the gown I’ll be wearing down the aisle on my way to another man.

“You look incredible,” he says with that same pain hiding in the undertones.

“Thanks,” I murmur shyly, my eyes moving to the floor to escape his pale beauties.

He walks over to me, and his cold hand slides down my cheek to my shoulder. He kisses my forehead, and then he leans against the wall while holding my hand in his.

“I’m not going to be able to attend the wedding, so I wanted you to have this now,” he says softly while handing me a small, red, gift wrapped box.

“I didn’t expect you to attend, but I thought it would be rude to exclude you in the invitations. You’ve been a huge part of my life, Brazen. You always will be.”

He smirks slightly before replying, “And I will be again one day. I want you to know that. I’ll be waiting for my chance to be at your side.”

Crap.

I’ve avoided this conversation with him since I found out I was immortal. I really don’t want to have it now on my wedding day.

“Don’t do that. Don’t wait on me. You deserve more than that. Your feelings could change in seven hundred years, and I really don’t even want to discuss this right now.”

“Araya, you’re the only woman in the world for me. Maybe things worked out the way they were supposed to. Maybe this was fate’s master plan all along. I’ve felt a strong connection to you since the day I met you. I couldn’t understand it when it appeared you already had someone destined for you, but then… now… well, there’s that chance. I understand that connection and why it’s there. It’s just not our time… yet, but it will be one day. I’ll wait because seven hundred years is not long at all to be with the woman I love. It’ll always be you no matter how much time passes.”

I sigh out loudly, and he kisses my forehead again before prompting me to open his gift. He smiles eagerly as he awaits the big reveal. I keep my eyes focused on the gift as I unravel the small ribbon to drop the paper to the ground. I pull out a small key, and my head tilts curiously.

“It’s a secluded place outside the wetlands, not too far from Summit’s hybrid colony, where you’ll be safe during… you know. There’s an underground tunnel that leads into Metropolis should things get bad and you have to run. There’s another tunnel that leads to the middle of the blank lands, and there’s at least five maintained vehicles there for escape. It used to be my safe house when my cover got blown. It’s hidden, camouflaged from aerial views, and it has everything you need to feel comfortable. I’ll make sure to fully stock it with food and blood myself when the time nears.”

“You make it sound as if you’re leaving,” I murmur worriedly.

There’s only four people besides Hale I trust, and Brazen is one of them. Why is he leaving now?

“I’m going to head up the search for Ty. It might take a while, and I just want to be prepared in case I’m not here to give you this later. Plus, I want you to have peace of mind when it comes to where you can go when the time comes.”

I smile as I stare down at the small key holding so much meaning. Even though I chose Hale, my full blood still loves and cares about me just the same. He’s not resentful, cold (at least not in the emotional sense), or even angry.

“Thank you for this. It does help me with some of the stress, but I’m still worried about what’s going to happen when…”

I stop and my eyes point to my flat belly holding the secret of a life it shouldn’t be able to. His hand moves to rest on my baby’s home, and I feel comfort cloaking me - just as I always do when he touches me.

“Don’t worry about anything. If Clay or Hale don’t figure anything out, I’ll have a back up plan. I’ve actually already got something, should they fail to make something happen. You might not like it, but it could work.”

“What?” I urge.

“Not here. If you want to know, we can go to Hale’s office.”

“Tell me here. Just whisper. I don’t want anyone seeing me yet, and I don’t want wait to hear this either.”

“We can say that it’s my… unspoken from a turning. The unspoken can come home with me, and you can come see him or her whenever you want to,” he hesitantly offers.

“I want to raise my… unspoken. I don’t want to be a casual face.”

“I know, that’s why I said you wouldn’t like it. It’s just a suggestion if all other alternatives fail. It’s a way to keep the unspoken safe without you having to be on the run. It may not come to that, but it’s an option in case it does. I’m just trying to give you a little security, baby,” he coos while running his fingers down the side of my face. “If you were with me, this wouldn’t be an issue. You could marry me, and we could raise the unspoken together.”

“Brazen, please don’t do this to me. Besides, this is mine and Hale’s unspoken. Not mine and yours.”

“It’s not like he couldn’t come around whenever he wanted to,” he menacingly offers.

I roll my eyes, and then I kiss him on the cheek for at least trying to help me out with the future. His cool skin feels so familiar against my lips, and he pulls me to him like he’s about to kiss me full on.

“I need to finish getting ready. They’ll be waiting before long,” I murmur softly to deter his plan.