Page 147 of Shifter Situations

“We’re not immortal,” she repeated.

“Right. But we can’t die,” I argued eloquently.

“No, we can’t. That doesn’t mean that we’re only immortal.”

I leaned to the right, staring at her with furrowed brows. “I’m gonna need a bit more than that, Love.”

“What I’m saying is there’s a difference between immortal and eternal.” She shrugged.

“When you’re immortal, it means that there are ways that you can meet your true death. It’s just very few and far between. But living for eternity means that we have everlasting life. Nothing can kill us.

“That’s what Lucy was trying to tell us—or me—when he was explaining the power that he gave me. The mimicry.”

She gnawed at a freshly painted nail—black, instead of her usual red—and strode across the library to open a cabinet. Two glasses appeared in her hand, and she poured three fingers of whiskey in both before returning to me. She curled her legs under her as she sat in the chair adjacent to me.

“What happens when we seal our bond? Lucy speculated that each of you would gain access to the mimicry power. He feels like that also means you’ll be just as eternal as I am. I agree with him, but I don’t want to test the theory.”

“Mated couples or groups age together. You have the longest projected lifespan out of all of us, so there’s no theory to test, Love.”

I set the cigar on the ashtray between us. Then I stood, tugging her back to her feet so I could pull her into my lap.

“What if my lifespan is solely based on the mimicry? Without it, I could have—”

“No. That’s not how it works. Yer not an exception to the evolution of supernaturals. Yer mother and her mates would have gained the lifespan of Sam. He’s a demon-angel hybrid, Sloane. He’ll live forever. Yer parents will live forever.

“You are part demon and angel. The extra power has nothin’ to do with how long ye’ll live. Do ye see what I’m gettin’ at?”

“I see it. I’m just trying to comprehend what we share through the bond.”

“We literally have forever to figure it out, Love. It’s not the most pressing issue right now.”

“I know. It’s just… All the things that have happened in the last few weeks have been beating down on me. Every time I think I know what’s going on, the direction changes, and I'm lost again. I don’t know what’s important and what isn’t. It’s slowly driving me crazy.”

I nodded. “So yer tryin’ to sort out the things we haven’t looked at.”

She sighed, easing her way out of my lap. “I don’t think any of it is important right now, but I’ve been wrong before. It would be a shame to overlook any more small details simply because they aren’t a priority to me.”

“Yer right. I’ll start lookin’ into what I can, but ye should talk to the guys about it too. They’ll have a different perspective on the small things.”

“That’s where I’m heading now. I can’t let books and a sexy mage distract me. I already lose hours in this room when I’m here.”

“Oh? No sex in the stacks today? Ye should scurry along before I change my mind.”

She chuckled, her rasping voice filling the space around me as she leaned down to whisper, “I’ll be back, Mage. I’ve been curious about how sturdy those shelves are.”

As she sauntered away, images assaulted me. I groaned, smiling to myself. I liked being in charge, but I wasn’t above taking suggestions.

I padded over to the shelf she’d flashed me, attempting to shake it to test its durability. Right in front of my face was a book titled Hard Men. I snorted, not the least bit surprised that she’d send me to the smut section of the library.

After milling about for a few minutes, searching for a good read, I spotted a stack of books on the table in the center of the room. The worn leather spines called to me.

I picked one up, realizing these were the books Sloane had borrowed from Hell. The first one was about demonic insects; I cast it aside. The second book was more promising, so I flipped through the table of contents, skimming the topics.

Species by territory. Habitats. Lifespans. Demonic bonds.

Lifespans was a chart of estimates, and it was wholly disappointing. I didn’t realize that some of the animals from the Underworld could live for hundreds of years, but I didn’t think the numbers were factual at all.

Demonic bonds was short and to-the-point, taking me no time to speed-read and understand.