Then the reaper vanished, and Edie seemed to be sobbing uncontrollably in Kip’s enormous, comforting arms, because she was back to herself again, not a zombie-in-progress or even especially injured, and she knew exactly what had just happened.
The person who loved her most in all the world had saved her. Had died for her.
He’d traded his life for hers, the same way her parents had, and she wasn’t certain she could survive it again.
Oh, honey, came Starla’s voice in her head, and Edie jerked in surprise.It’s okay.
But it wasn’t. They were doing something to his…to his body. Behind her. And she should watch, should help, should hold him one last time, but she couldn’t seem to slow the heaving gasps of grief that made her cough and shudder and curl in on herself.
“Don’t cry.” Sabrina’s voice cut through Edie’s sobs, its sharp wryness a cruelty. “I know it’s disappointing that he’s still around, but calm yourself.”
Choking on her own tears, Edie pushed away from Kip. “Wh-what?”
The witch rubbed trembling fingertips across her forehead, even as she smiled. “None of us knew this, but apparently giving up immortality is the equivalent of sacrificing a life.”
Probably because he gave up infinite mortal lifetimes, Starlamurmured, and Edie twitched again at the brain-tickling sensation.Which is all very dramatic. I imagine he’ll get a lot of mileage out of that.
“Is he…” Slowly, hope was pushing back Edie’s despair, and she struggled to make sense of what was happening. “Sabrina, is he…”
She couldn’t look for herself. Not until she knew for certain.
“He’s alive but no longer immortal,” Sabrina told her, “which means he’ll eventually be the first-ever vampire with wrinkles and creaky joints and age spots. I’m really excited to watch that happen.”
“Bite your tongue, witch.” A pair of strong hands hauled Edie into a crushing embrace, and those were definitely Max’s hands. That was definitely Max’s face buried in her neck, his self-satisfied voice vibrating into her skin, and his body so hard and fierce and…hot?…behind hers. “As if I’ve never heard of retinol and Botox.”
He carefully, tenderly turned her in his arms.
Frantic and fumbling, she unzipped his hoodie, shoved his tee out of the way, and scrabbled for bare skin. Her head butted against him as she dived down, searching for inarguable proof that she wasn’t imagining this. That he wasn’t gone.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
There it was. His heartbeat pounding against her ear.
It was still strong and steady, but significantly faster now. And that wasn’t the only change.
“You’re warm,” she breathed, then sniffled loudly. “And you tried to sacrifice yourself for me, you total asshole.”
In revenge, she rubbed her dripping nose back and forth on his skin.
“Technically, I did sacrifice myself for you. Endless lifetimes, gone.” His chest rumbled with his words. “I intend to hold this over you forever, darling.”
The implications of what he’d done to himself seeped into the puddle of utter joy and relief she’d become, and suddenly her face was crumpling again.
He wasn’t dead, thank heavens. But he would be, untold centuries earlier than necessary. Because of her.
“I’m—I’m so s-sorry.” She tried to pull away, to raise her knees and hunch her shoulders and become a miserable human ball, but his gentle hands kept patiently uncurling her, and he was still sostrong. “Max, you shouldn’t have—”
“None of that, please.” His thumb nudged her chin. “Edie, my darling. I need to see those sweet eyes of yours again. Won’t you look at me?”
Sniffing uncontrollably, she mustered her courage, lifted her head, and met his gaze.
Faded denim, without a hint of darkness. Warm. Soft.
There was no anger there. No regret. Nothing but open adoration and a relief all-encompassing enough to match her own.
“There you are,” he murmured. “Such pretty brown doe eyes. Good. All that red didn’t suit you nearly as well, beloved. Now let’s take a look at your neck…”
“As if it never happened.” Sabrina sighed, then clambered to her feet with a groan. “I am so fucking tired. If I needed to light a godsdamn candle, I don’t think I’d have the juice to do it.”
