Page 68 of Love Lives
"I'd say you got pretty close to talking to the guy already. More than once."
"That's not how I mean it. We need to talk to the God of Death to ask him to... I don't know." Remy made a vague gesture with his hand, getting frustrated. "Change the outcome of the prophecy. So you don't all die."
Aldrich closed his fingers around the stone in his pocket. "You put way too much stock in that prophecy."
"It's the only thing we have," Remy insisted. "The only way we have of stopping all this."
"You really think that someone who lived five centuries ago could predict what's going to happen in our future?" The whole thing sounded ridiculously far-fetched, and yet, Remy was willing to risk his life on the assumption that it was true.
"If my dreams can be real..." Remy dropped his gaze to the floor, shoulders slumping. "But you don't care about my dreams, do you?"
"I don't."
"They're real. I saw Silas die and--"
"I know they're real."
Remy's eyes snapped back to Aldrich. "Then why--"
"They don't have to come true just because they're real." Prophetic dreams or not, the future was not set in stone. Aldrich refused to believe that. "You saw Silas die and he didn't."
"Because I took actions to prevent it."
"That only goes to show that no one can predict the future accurately. What if someone else had had the same vision as you? And they didn't take any action? Silas still wouldn't have died becauseyoutook action. And this prophecy was madehundredsof years ago. Who knows how many people have acted in ways that the prophet couldn't predict?"
Remy's mouth opened but he didn't say anything.
Aldrich sat next to him on the bed. "You spend way too much time worrying about the future, but if you want this stupid stone, you can have it." He grasped Remy's right hand and pressed the stone into it. "I hope it was fucking worth it."
Remy swallowed. His fingers closed around the stone and his expression darkened. He averted his gaze from Aldrich. "I saw you die. Not hundreds of years ago. A few nights ago, and I have no idea what action to take to prevent that other than..."
"Other than what?" Aldrich prodded.
"Just..." Remy didn't seem to want to say it. Curious. He wasn't usually too shy to speak his mind.
"In spite of my actions today, I don't actually wanna die, squishy, so come out with it." Gently, he grabbed the mortal's chin to make him look at him. "What do I gotta do? Dance naked in the streets? Perform a satanic ritual? Kiss one thousand virgins?"
That actually got a small chuckle out of Remy. Look at that, he was just as handsome when he was laughing as he was when he was mad. "Nothing like that."He turned his face away again. "You just have to leave."
"So you're saying if I stay in this house, I'm gonna bite it?"
"Not in this house." Remy looked straight at him. "If you stay with me."
That… Aldrich hadn’t expected that, but it explained a few things. "That why you dug around in my memories? To piss me off?"
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Not long-term," Aldrich pointed out. "You can't manipulate me that easily." He inched a little closer to Remy, removing his hand from the man's chin and letting it slide down his side instead. "I don't think you really want me to leave either." His eyes found Remy's neck, and Remy's body tensed under his touch. Not out of apprehension, though. It was excitement. Aldrich knew it.
"I don't want you to die," Remy insisted, even though he made no attempt at shoving Aldrich off as the vampire took his hands and pressed him back into the mattress.
"Why not?" Aldrich asked. "Maybe I deserve it."
Remy's features drew into a scowl. "You just said you don't want to die."
"Which doesn't mean I wouldn’t deserve to." Aldrich moved on the bed, climbing over Remy, who made no move to get up, even though he was still scowling.
"You don't," he insisted. "You've been helping us. Even if you can be a pain about it."
