They didn’t discuss it; he simply gathered the clothing items they’d purchased for him and brought them to her room. She smiled as he settled onto the bed, and he grinned back while patting the spot beside him on the mattress.
“Are you going to join me?” he inquired.
“For eternity,” she replied.
When she climbed onto the bed, he enveloped her in a hug while kissing her. She would have believed she’d had enough sex for one day, but she craved more as they undressed and came together again.
Over the following days, she rejoiced in her happiness and the love she felt for him as they got to know each other better and relished exploring one another. She’d only been around one other mated couple before, her parents, and she recalled how deeply they loved one another.
As a child, she would often watch them sitting together in a chair or holding each other’s hands while walking through a field. They’d touchedeverytime they got close, and she’d always been secure in their love for her and each other.
She was also the reason their love was ripped apart, and she would not let it happen to her and Asher. But first, he had to know it all.
Staring out the window, Brie watched the birds flitting from tree to tree and shuddered at that knowledge. She trusted him, but the idea of telling him everything petrified her. She’d spent centuries keeping her secrets contained; she wasn’t sure how to release them.
“What’s the matter?” Asher asked as he came to stand beside her at the window.
“I was thinking about my parents.”
Asher rested his hand on her shoulder but didn’t speak. He wasn’t sure what to say. She never talked about her past, and he didn’t want to push her.
Brie shifted her attention back to the window. She had to tell him before it became too tough to do so. But she couldn’t stand it if he looked at her differently or if he came to blame her like she had herself so many times over the years.
What if she told him, and he confirmed her worst fear… that shewasthe reason for her parents’ deaths. And if he did, they would grow to hate each other. It was inevitable.
If that happened, there was nothing either of them could do to break the bond, but she couldn’t tolerate an eternity with someone who blamed her.
She’d spent years condemning herself for her parents’ deaths, but that was her heart. In her head, she knew the truth. She wasn’t the one who did those horrible things; she wasn’t the one who destroyed her family, but it was done because ofher,and she would always bear the guilt of that horrible day.
“Did you talk to your friends?” she asked.
Asher hid his disappointment over her change in topic. “Yes.”
“How are they doing?”
“Everyone is safe, for now. They’re trying something new with Elena in the hopes it will save her.”
“What are they doing?”
“They’re taking out her blood and replacing it with the blood of others. They hope it will flush her system and push the demon blood out, but they can’t drain her completely dry, so they’re not sure if it will work or if the demon’s blood will just contaminate the new blood.”
“That sounds horrible,” Brie said.
“It does, but if it can save her, then it has to be done.”
“I hope it saves her.”
She rested her fingers against the glass before turning to face him. His friend could quite possibly lose his mate. She had found hers and knew death awaited him, but she would save him. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than having Asher taken from her.
It was time she told him the truth.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked. “A trail behind the house leads to a beautiful little brook.”
“What are we waiting for?” he said.
She smiled as she slipped her hand into his. They made their way through the kitchen and out the back door. Cabo and Zina were sitting on the back deck, two glasses of margaritas between them and music playing as Cabo dealt the cards.
“We’re going for a walk,” she told them.
