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One corner of her mouth lifted, as though she were about to smirk at him. But then it dipped and she frowned instead. “In theory,” she admitted.
“That seems to be my problem as well.”
She regarded him curiously, then asked, “What are you getting at?”
“I make demands,” he said in an honest tone. “I believe you accept them in good faith, but then you go and chase after your friend Michael in the woods and end up broken and battered when you’d agreed to stay inside your cottage. You take a stand against forty demons and try to kill a fire wraith, when I’ve explicitly told you to stay in the village.”
She opened her mouth, likely to defend her actions, but he silenced her with a look.
“You take the oath of a demon slayer,” he continued on, “knowing full well it’ll send me over the edge.”
Her expression turned remorseful.
“And you accept my marriage proposal because you think it’ll provide leverage in keeping the villagers safe.”
“No,” she quickly interjected. “I wanted to accept that proposal from the very beginning. Not because of any leverage I might gain. I wanted to marry you.” Her gaze held his, her eyes searching for Lord only knew what. Confirmation that he believed in her words? “There were no ulterior motives, Davian. I just… I needed validation that it would all work out. For us. For your demons. For my humans. We all live in too close a proximity to make decisions lightly—no matter what the circumstances are.”
She shook her head, as if that explanation didn’t fully encompass what she wanted to say.
She took a few moments to compose her thoughts again.
“We were secretive with our romance, for the most part,” Jade said. “That wasn’t the appropriate approach. I shouldn’t have hidden my feelings for you from my friends, regardless of whether or not they approved. I should have been upfront—and more delicate when I did reveal our involvement. Springing the engagement on everyone wasn’t fair to them. Or to you.” She lifted her hands as though in surrender. “I know I appear impulsive and reckless. But I do think about my actions.”
Davian didn’t say a word.
She further told him, “The trouble I continually encounter is that what I do is driven by demon interactions. I had to try to protect Michael when he left my cottage in a fit of rage. I had to divert the fire wraith from burning my house to the ground the first time he injured me. I had to take Walker’s place because there was no one else to do it—and I possess the skills. And I had to follow Toran to the border in an effort to stall the demons long enough for your scouts to reach you and for you to return with your men.”
Davian tried to reconcile all this in his mind.
Jade stared up at him, imploringly. “Yes, I am constantly in dangerous situations. But that could change for me—and all humans—if we work together, as you’d asked me to do.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. Forced his entire body not to go rigid.
Of course, he did not want a partner who lived in fear or was too weak to defend herself and the people she cared for. He wanted a woman who was strong and determined. He wanted Jade. Everything about her appealed to him, even if she did repeatedly create internal strife for him. He wouldn’t get so aggravated or be so worried over her welfare if he didn’t have such powerful feelings for her.
But could two strong wills truly unite? Find that elusive common ground they’d previously left unresolved?
The Demon King didn’t know.
Unless…
He said, “There’s one thing I haven’t shared with you yet. Something that could significantly alter everything about us from this moment on. In a positive way.”
Intrigue flickered in her mist-covered eyes. “What is it?”
Unraveling the satin ribbon on the necklace, he wrapped it around her throat and tied the ends, since the clasp was broken. If Jade chose to keep the pendant, he’d have the jeweler who’d crafted her ring fix the fastening.
“The Star of Nathea,” he told her, “is a mystical piece. It was forged and blessed by a demon princess. The immortal who gives it to a mortal can grant an eternity. The gift hasn’t been invoked in centuries. The necklace has been in my possession since I was a child.”
She gaped
His brow rose.
She said, “Are you telling me you have the ability to make me immortal?”
Davian nodded. “If I ask you, all you have to do is say yes.”
Jade turned away. His heart sank.
