Page 99 of This Blood that Bonds Us

“On top of being a master hiker? And a brilliant, successful woman that’s going to dominate everything she puts her mind to.”

“Yeah. Maybe I could do all of that and . . . be your wife. And maybe that could be my favorite thing.”

My heart skipped. I could be one of her infamous favorite things. That was special. I could even bethe mostfavorite thing. The thought had me buzzing with excitement. I had to fight the urge to get up and start pacing and planning it all out and imagining her in a white dress.

Instead, I caressed her cheek and savored her heart slowing. I wanted to ask her. To claim her heart in that interesting new way. For her to be mine even more than she already was.

“I’ll need to get you a ring first.”

“I don’t need one.” Probably because she understood how little we had and how all we had was going to our combined cause.

“Oh, you do. Can we forfeit our no stealing rule?” I smiled, hoping she’d know I was kidding.

She smiled too and shook her head.

“That’s okay, I have something else in mind.”

I moved to separate from her so I could help her clean up, but she bit her lip. Her attention had moved to something else.

“What are you worried about? You can tell me.”

“I’m just afraid . . . the queen will take you from me, and I don’t think I could endure seeing you with Her. Because I want you to be mine. Just mine.”

“Kim, I’m always yours. Only yours. Forever.”

The queen was nothing but a blurry memory. Even the memory of Her blood in my veins didn’t compare to the love I felt for Kimberly. How much more of myself could I give her? I didn’t think there was a way to be closer to her, yet we keptfinding new ways. There was so much I still wanted to do for her. I was learning to be the man she needed. I just needed more time.

Forty-Three

Presley

I underestimated my brother. That or he’d changed. Instead of being an annoying cry baby, he was actually cool. The Zach and Luke kind of cool. The kind of cool I let drag me out of bed into the snow in the middle of the day. We’d driven at least twohours to get here, and I didn’t know where here was, but it was beautiful. The mountains on either side almost distracted me from the fact that I was hiking in snow. I didn’t even like hiking, especially not when there was snow involved.

“Where are we going?”

“Almost there, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried. My socks are just wet.”

Kimberly came up beside me and wrapped her arm around mine. She was absolutely beaming, and the sun had her natural red hair peeking through the dark brown. It wasn’t fair she looked so good in different hair colors. I smothered my brown hair with a beanie, and I guess I understood why Kim didn’t like her hair. We weren’t ready for the change.

Kimberly was back in her element. We didn’t have the clothes for hiking, but it was easy not to slip in sneakers when you were a vampire.

I needed a day without creeper Kilian breathing down my neck or The Family texting me. I’d given Kilian my phone and gotten a new one, then I felt a lot lighter without a cult stalking me. I’d forgotten what no responsibility or problems felt like.

We walked up a hill until there was a clearing in the trees. An enormous frozen lake glistened in hues of bluish-green marble. It expanded far into the mountain encased in snow and powdered trees.

“I thought we could use some fresh air,” Aaron said, taking off his gloves and wrapping his arms around Kimberly’s shoulder and mine.

Our little trio.

“It’s so beautiful!” Kimberly exclaimed.

It reminded me a little too much of our last hike together. The day everything changed and got terrible.

“It’s water. You know we have a pond by the house, right?” I was being an ass, and I hated it.

My brother only smiled and squeezed me. “It is water, but I wanted to bring you both here because I have something important to say. And I wanted to say it in a place where I could make you a promise and have that promise be measurable.”