Page 103 of Into The Light

“If there’s a chance, even a small one, that I can live as a human, I’m taking it.”

“Aiden,” Emilia breathed. “It’s too risky. You might die! You promised you would fight and not leave me!”

“I am fighting, Emilia. I’m fighting for the life we deserve. The life we both want.”

“Dammit, Thorne,” Lothaire growled. “We agreed not to tell him about your foolish idea!”

“No, you agreed.” Thorne argued back. “I’m not lying to him. He needs to decide for himself.”

“I’m not losing my brother again!” Lothaire exploded and finally I understood the reason for his hard stance against this. He’d lost me once. We’d both lost our brother, Caleb. All these years I thought Lothaire hated me and really he grieved for me... for his only brother. The only one left. Now he thought he might lose me again.

“Lothaire.” I reached out and took his hand. “I’m so sorry for the years apart. I’m sorry about everything I said, and I’m sorry I left you.”

The hardened lines in his face softened while he studied me.

“I don’t want to be a vampire anymore. This isn’t the life I want, and I need you to understand that. If there is any truth to what Thorne is saying, I need to take the risk. Can you understand that?”

“No,” he answered, but I could hear the doubt in his gruff response.

“You would do anything for Grizella, right?”

“Of course. Anything.” He cast her a glance.

“And I would do anything for Emilia. Anything. All these years I have wanted what you have, what the two of you share, and now I have it. She doesn’t want to be a vampire, either. If there is any chance I can save her from that life, then I need to take it. I need to save us both from eternal darkness. Can you understand that, Lothaire?”

His lips pressed into a tight white line while he searched my face. “This is what you want? To be human?”

“More than anything,” I breathed. “And I want her.” I looked back to Emilia who bit her lip and stared at me, the worry lines cutting deep into her forehead. “Please, Lothaire. I need to try.”

A faint nod tipped his head. “All right. Then we try it.”

A heavy sigh pushed from my lips and I lay my head back down into the pillow. “Thank you, Lothaire. I know you don’t understand, but I need to do this.”

“I understand,” he said, reaching over and taking Grizella by the hand. “I understand.”

“Aiden,” Emilia said, dropping to her knees at my side. “It’s too risky. You’re so weak, and there’s no guarantee we can get you there... or that they are even there! If we’re wrong, you might die. It’s too risky!”

“I might die anyway.” The pain flashed across her face and I hated being the one to put it there. “There’s no guarantee changing me back will work. If I’m going to die, I want to die trying... fighting for the life we both want. I’m fighting for us... just like I promised.”

“Aiden, it’s too dangerous.”

“How about this? If we go looking for the Picts and we can’t find them, or if I’m dying, they can turn us both on the spot. Then at least we’ll have tried.”

She gave me a worried look and then exhaled a deep sigh. “Okay. Let’s try.”

“Good.” I smiled and drew her closer to me. “I’m not ready to give up Jägermeister yet.”

She cracked a smile and snickered.

“He did Jägermeister?” Mark gasped. “And I wasn’t there? Ugh. I miss all the good stuff! When this is all over, I need a play-by-play, Emilia.”

“When this is over, I’ll let Aiden tell you,” Emilia said, shooting me a confident look.

“Aiden, you sleep. The rest of us will go figure out how to find the Picts and get you better. Don’t die on us,” Lothaire added with a scowl.

“I’ll do my best.” I chuckled.

“We’ll leave you two be.” Annella leaned down and kissed my head before pulling Mark out of the room.