Page 16 of Bite of Midnight
“About us.”
That word sends a strange chill through me. “There is nous,” I whisper, even though part of me already knows that’s a lie.
He turns back to me, and the way he looks at me makes my skin prickle. “There has been anussince before you were born, Calla. Since before you ever took your first breath.”
I shake my head, but the air feels thick, electric. “You sound insane.”
“Maybe I am.” His voice is soft, almost sad. “A thousand years of waiting for one soul can do that to a man.”
Something in my chest aches at that, and I hate it, hate that Icarewhen I should be running out the door. “Waiting for what?” I ask.
His gaze doesn’t waver. “For you. For my mate.”
The word hits me like a spark. “Your, your what?”
“My mate,” he repeats quietly, stepping closer. “The other half of my soul. The one I’ve searched for across centuries. Across lifetimes.”
I blink, heat rising in my cheeks. “That’s not… I don’t even know what that means.”
“It means your soul mirrors mine. It means that every lifetime I’ve walked this earth, I’ve been searching for you without knowing your name.” His voice drops lower, rougher. “It means I am yours as much as you are mine.”
The room tilts a little. I take a shaky breath, every nerve in my body fighting between disbelief and the pull that keeps dragging me toward him. “You can’t just say things like that.”
“I can’t help it,” he says. “It’s the truth.”
I shake my head, trying to clear it, but it’s useless. The world feels strange now, too sharp, too alive. I can feel the thrum ofmy pulse, the hum of the air, the fire’s heat against my skin. Everything is louder. Brighter.
“What if I don’t want this?” I whisper.
He goes very still. “Then I’ll never touch you again. But it won’t change what you are.”
The honesty in his voice knocks the air out of me. It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.
“I don’t even know whatweare,” I say, my throat tight.
His eyes soften. He steps close enough for the firelight to paint his face in gold and shadow. “Then I’ll show you. Slowly. Safely. You decide how far you go.”
My pulse thrums wildly. I should be terrified, but instead I feel this strange, aching calm. Like some part of me already trusts him.
“Why me?” I whisper. “Out of everyone in the world, why me?”
He exhales, his hand lifting as if he wants to touch me but doesn’t. “Because the universe only makes one soul for each of us. And when I found you…” He pauses, his voice dropping to a whisper. “When I found you, I finally felt alive again.”
Something inside me cracks open. I don’t know if I believe in fate, or magic, or anything he’s saying, but when he looks at me like that, like I’m the first sunrise he’s seen in a thousand years, I almost want to.
I shake my head, forcing the words out. “What if I don’t agree to be your mate?”
For a second, he doesn’t move. Then a sound breaks from him, low and rough, almost strangled. I look up, startled. Hisexpression has shifted, all composure gone. There’s pain in his eyes, raw, ancient, unguarded.
“You’ll always be mine, Calla,” he says quietly. “But I’ll never force you into anything you don’t want.”
The words hit me like a knife. I canfeelhis pain, can feel it humming through the air like it’s alive. It guts me, because I know he means it. Every word.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to make sense of any of this. How could we even be together? I’m human. He’s not. He’s been alive for longer than I can imagine, and I’m just a girl who thought this was a Halloween party.
“How would this even work?” I whisper. “You drink blood. I pay rent. You’ve seen empires rise and fall, and I’ve barely managed to pay off my student loans.”
Something like a smile ghosts across his lips, sad and faint. “You make it sound impossible.”
