Page 53 of Twisted Devotion

He reaches for me, his fingers grazing my hips. “You know this is his choice. I’m sorry, Kelsey.”

I open my mouth to yell again, but instead I whisper, “I can’t lose him.” Dropping my hands, I let him go, stepping back as the weight of this cruel revelation settles in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

“You won’t.”

I shake my head, blinking back more tears. “You can’t say that. Youneversay that to a client’s . . . whatever I am.”

He frowns, nodding. “I will do everything in my power to make sure of it.”

“Even if he—if he makes it through the procedure, I’m still going to lose him.” I sniffle, far past caring that I’ve completely fallen apart in front of Jackson. “He’ll be human, and I won’t be. He’ll die of sickness or old age, and I—”

“Have the same choice he does.”

My mouth drops open, my bottom lip trembling. “You can’t be serious right now.”

“I’m telling you something you already know.” His brows knit. “We don’t need to talk about this right now. You’re upset, and I’m sorry. Why don’t you let me take you home? I don’t have any appointments this afternoon.”

“Just the one you knew would ruin me.”

He flinches. “I . . . I’m doing my job. I’m looking at the situation with Seth as a client, not—”

“Someone I care about?” I cut in, disgust clear in my tone. “How could you keep this from me? You were supposed to be in a meeting with the architect.”

“I was.” His voice is infuriatingly calm. “I met with Seth after that appointment.”

I shake my head, the dark tendrils of devastation clawing their way back up my throat. I don’t have the energy to yell at him again. It won’t do any good. “Please,” I whisper, “don’t let him do this. Refuse him the procedure.”

He presses his lips together. “I think you need to talk to Seth about this, Red. I can’t do anything now that you know, so you may as well have the discussion with him.”

“It won’t be enough,” I tell him. “I need you to send him awaywithouttaking his immortality.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” I shoot back angrily. If this is aboutgood business, I will need more restraint than I have right now not to throw Jackson through a wall.

There’s a knock at the door before he can answer.

I turn enough to see Seth’s face in the small window there, and my chest tightens at the sight of his solemn expression.

“Talk to him,” Jackson offers.

I shake my head again. “I can’t.”

“Look at me.”

Oh god.

It’s the voice. The voice of his that gets me every time. I can’t ignore it. So, I obey.

“Talk to him,” he repeats. “He’s your best friend, and your heart is breaking. I can see that. He should know where you stand. He cares about you and values what you have to say, so give him the opportunity to hear you.”

My lower lip trembles. “Fine,” I finally say, and Jackson nods, opening the door so Seth can come in.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Seth says as Jackson excuses himself from the room, leaving the two of us alone.

“This way,” I echo, nodding in direction. “Were you going to tell me?” The thought of him making this decision and going behind my back to get the procedure done makes me want to cry and scream and hit things.

“We have not spoken in a few months, and—”

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