Page 55 of Twisted Devotion

Seth wants to die.

Head spinning, I pull my hand back. “You—”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. That look on your face right now is breaking my heart.”

“Yourheart?” I shake my head. “What about mine, Seth? You come back after months of radio silence to tell me you’re ready to die. How do you expect me to handle that?”

He nods. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I—”

“Stop. Stop saying that,” I snap, cutting him off, and he flinches.

Seth frowns. “You said you would try to understand.”

“I am trying!” Tears prick my eyes and I quickly blink them away. “You can’t expect me to be okay with losing you.”

His frown shifts into a sad smile. “I know, and I don’t. You have every right to be furious with me. I just hope you care about me enough to support me. I am not dying tomorrow, Kelsey. I’ll live out my remaining mortal years here. We will have time before it’s time to say goodbye.”

Every fae is different when it comes to how their immortal years transfer over after the procedure. With Seth having been around for so long, there’s no knowing for sure what will happen. He could age rapidly and die within a few weeks, or, start aging from the thirty-something age he appears to be. It’s a gamble—one I’m desperate for him not to take.

I sniffle. “This is so messed up. You were there when I became immortal. You and Tristan saved my life and made me fae, and now you want me to be okay with you becoming mortal.”

He presses his lips together, nodding again. “It is hard, I understand that, but I’m asking you to respect my choice.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say that I didn’t have a choice when he and Tristan made me fae, but I clamp my mouth shut. It’s no use. Seth made up his mind long before I discovered his plan.

Raking my hands down my face, I blow out a breath. “Fine,” I mumble, my voice heavy with defeat, “but you’d better not take off after the procedure. If I only have one partial lifetime left with you around, you had betterbe around.”

Seth offers me a grateful smile. “Thank you.” After several beats of silence, he follows up with, “May I ask you something?”

Arching a brow at him, I shrug. “Go for it.”

“Is there something going on between you and Jackson?” His eyes dart toward the doorway before returning to me. “He looks at you like—”

“We slept together,” I cut in, not wanting to hear what Seth was about to say next. Jackson isn’t allowed to look at me like anything, not when I’m leaving in a matter of weeks.

His eyes narrow slightly. “You had sex with him. That’s it?”

“Why?” I counter, “Did Jax say something to you?”

Seth shakes his head. “Just making some interesting observations.”

“Well, don’t. It’s a waste of your soon-to-be limited time left on this earth.”

He shoots me a dry look.

“I can’t talk about it here,” I finally whisper.

His brows shoot up. “So thereismore to it.”

“Well done, detective,” I deadpan and then freeze.

Hold on. What am I even admitting to right now?

That there’s more between Jax and I than sex?

That isnota rabbit hole I’m prepared to go down, especially not after today’s events.

“Do you think he’s listening?” Seth asks.

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