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Jesse’s gaze moves from his shirt buttons to my face, and I hold the eye contact firmly over the rim of my coffee mug. I’ve been watching him dress while I eat a light breakfast, and though it’s been difficult to stop myself from reaching out to touch the bare skin of his chest, I’ve managed to persevere. Barely.
“You are,” he says simply, and a ripple of shock vibrates through me.
“Just like that? No argument?” I ask, tilting my head to study him.
“Would there be any point?” he counters.
“No, but that’s never stopped you from trying to leave me behind.”
His hands drop, leaving the shirt half-undone as he steps closer. Pressing two fingers beneath my chin, he lifts my face and presses a light kiss to my lips. Pulling back slightly, he tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“You know I’ve never wanted to leave you, right? I’ve only done so in an attempt to keep you safe.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“Good,” he says, kissing me once more before stepping back and buttoning the last few buttons on his shirt. “After the little tête-á-tête Jasmine orchestrated last night, I’ve realized the only safe place for you right now is by my side.”
“Speaking of Jasmine,” I say slowly, my heart rate spiking, “I need to tell you something.”
Jesse stills, his body like a marble statue as he stares at me. “What did she do?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly, swallowing thickly as my gaze darts to the closed bedroom door before returning to meet his. “She didn’t do anything more than what I already told you. I just…”
Jesse sits on the edge of the bed next to me, taking my hand and pulling it up to his lips for a tender kiss. My heart slows to a more normal rhythm, and my tense muscles relax. I don’t know if it’s his obvious affection for me or his mental abilities causing me to unwind, but either way, I’m grateful.
“I just want you to hear it from me before she tries to twist my words to hurt you, somehow.”
“Hear what?” he asks softly, clasping my hand tighter.
I take a deep breath and push it out slowly through my parted lips. “She was trying to get under my skin, talking about how I’m going to grow old and die, and how no one can prevent the heartbreak you’ll suffer watching nature take its course. I could see the pleasure she got from the idea, and I’m pretty sure she relishes it so much because she wants you for herself.”
“Eden––”
“No, Jesse,” I say, cutting him off. “I’m not worried she’ll be able to come between us. And if she kills me, it will destroy you, as well, so I’m not even that worried about her harming me, physically. But I could see the mind games she was playing, so I decided to strike back in the only way I knew how…I led her to believe we’ve been discussing the possibility of you turning me.”
My voice drops on those last few words, and they come out as barely a whisper, but obviously, Jesse hears them. His eyes widen like that’s the last thing he expected me to say, and his grip on my hand tightens slightly.
“Is that what you want?”
There’s no inflection in his voice, no hint as to what he hopes my answer will be. I appreciate that he’s trying not to coerce me in either direction, but I can’t help but be a little disappointed in his lack of reaction. What did I expect? For him to jump for joy? Lash out and exclaim that he’d never do that to me? Hell, I don’t even know which reaction I’d prefer.
Losing my humanity and becoming a vampire is as equally frightening as imagining my death being the cause of his. My death…
“Wait. If I have to die to become a vampire, will you die in the process?”
“No,” he says in that same emotionless voice. “If you were to die a true death, I would lose my will to live and wither away until death claims me. But with a turning, that death is temporary. I wouldn’t be losing you at all.”
I nod slowly, remembering Jesse’s initial explanation of our mate-bond. He explained all this to me, but I guess I only remembered the “you die, I die,” part, not the logistics. And while that’s a huge relief, it doesn’t make my decision on the matter any easier.
“I don’t know if that’s what I want,” I say honestly. “Until the words popped out of my mouth, I hadn’t really even considered it. Not seriously, anyway.”
“I would never force it on you, Eden.”
“I know that,” I say, squeezing his hand. “Just as I know you wouldn’t fight me on it if I decide I want to be with you forever.”
One corner of his mouth quirks up, and he lifts our clasped hands to kiss my knuckles once more. His dark eyes remain locked with mine the whole time, and my core tightens in response.
“I would not,” he confirms, and a pleasant warmth spreads through me.
