Page 54 of Until Forever Comes
Katie seemed to be struck mute after that story, which was really saying something because even the sight of Miguel and I going at it hadn’t stopped her from running at the mouth.
I turned in my mate’s lap until I was straddling him and then I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry, Miguel,” I whispered in his ear.
“It was a long time ago. I’m over it,” he said, but the slight hitch in his voice and the way he held me just a bit too tight told me different.
“I love you,” I whispered in his ear.
He choked back a cry and cupped the back of my head, pulling me so close that air couldn’t pass between us. “I love you too,” he said. “And you have to know that I’d walk outside at high noon before I’d let anything happen to you. Your reaction to feeding is different. If you gotweak, I wouldn’t do it. But you don’t. After I drink from you, you’re—”
“I’m stronger. I know,” I said. “My body makes enough blood for both of us. I’m not worried about you hurting me. But I need to understand what she meant about life-threads because, Miguel”—I pulled my head back so I could look into his eyes—“I don’t want to hurt you either.”
“Oh, thank fuck, someone is finally listening to reason,” Katie said. “Did you hear that, Uncle Miguel? Even your wolf knows it’s a bad idea to tie your life-thread to someone who isn’t immortal. He won’t live forever, and if you bond with him, you won’t either.”
I looked at Miguel and hoped with everything I had and everything I was that he’d tell her she was wrong. But he didn’t.
“You’re right. I won’t,” he said calmly. “And that’s okay.”
I was sure I’d throw up. “We’ll stop,” I told him. “You don’t have to feed only from me. I… I can handle it. We’ll just—”
Miguel cupped my cheeks in both hands and gazed into my eyes. “We’re not stopping anything, Ethan. We’re true mates, remember? That means I’m the only one for you and you’re the only one for me.”
“But it’ll kill you,” I sobbed.
“I’ll start aging, so, eventually, yeah, it probably will.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “But in life we take the good with the bad. I’ve lived for four hundred years, and spent almost every one of them feeling lonely and hungry and cold, deep down. But you changed all that. When I’m with you, when I feed from you, I feel warm and full and right. I won’t give that up.”
“You can still feed from me,” I said frantically. “Just feed from others too, so we don’t bond like Katie said. Then you’ll live forever.”
“No.” Miguel shook his head. “Baby, I am not feeding from anybody but you until forever comes. If we don’t bond, you’ll pass and I’ll be left here without you. I’ve done that, and it isn’t living. I know you’re scared, but listen to me, Ethan. Bonding to a chosen isn’t always a bad thing. If it’s a good match, the chosen and the vampire take on each other’s traits, so the human will live longer and, yes, the vampire will age where he didn’t before, but he’ll also be able to walk in the sun.”
I thought about what he said, really thought about it, and knew I’d make the same decision if I were in his place. I’d give up anything if it meant more time with my mate. And I wondered whether I was already starting to take on some of his traits: I was stronger; I could see in the dark; I could hear better than ever before. And, anyway, shifters who lost their true mates always perished right soon after. Miguel was a vampire not a shifter, sure enough, but he was still my true mate, so wouldn’t that mean he’d die when I did, vampire-chosen bond or not?
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”
He tugged me forward until I leaned my forehead on his. “Thank you, Ethan, for making my time on this earth actually feel like living.”
“You’d give up eternity just to have a few extra years with him?” Katie asked in disbelief.
Miguel sighed deeply. “It might be more than a few. It could be an extra lifetime or more. But even if that’s all it is….” Miguel turned his head toward her. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t do the same if it meant you could be with Sheila again?”
Katie’s mouth dropped open but no words came out. “I understand,” she finally said and wiped the back of her hand along her eyes. “I don’t want to lose you, Uncle Miguel. You’re the only family I have. But I understand.” Then she climbed onto unsteady feet and started walking toward the door.
“Katie?” I said.
“Yeah?” she answered without turning around.
“I know we’ve just met, but I miss my family too. Maybe we can be there for each other.”
“That’d be nice,” she answered, her voice hoarse with tears. “I’m going to get some rest. I’ll see you both at sunset.”
I dropped my head onto Miguel’s shoulder and thought about everything that had happened that day.
“Longest damn day of my life,” he said, showing me he’d been doing the same. “The sun is going down in a few hours and we have a long drive ahead of us. How about we climb into bed and get some rest?”
“Okay,” I said and reluctantly moved off his lap.
He got to his feet and put his hand on my lower back, seemingly having the same desire to maintain contact, and we walked over to the mattress.
Miguel dropped his pants to the ground as I shucked my shirt. Then he lay down and pulled me on top of him, pushed his hands down the back of my shorts, and shoved them past my hips to my ankles. I kicked them off and then snuggled on my mate’s warm chest, enjoying the feeling of his skin against mine and the realization that I’d have this for the rest of my life.
