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“What I needed to do to save you.”
“You gave me your blood.”
“I did.”
Finally, he looks up at me. “Why?”
“Because the magic in it is the only thing that can hold the bond at bay.”
“Allison is dead.” The words are strangled, spoken on a pained sob.
A tear slips down my cheek, shed for the man before me, not the woman who lost her life. Truthfully, I couldn’t give two shits about the vampire who’s spent the last three decades making Tarnley chase her down while she was on a bloodthirsty bender. To be completely honest, I’m surprised it took hunters this long to put an end to her. “I’m so sorry, Tarnley.”
“It shouldn’t hurt. I haven’t seen her in thirty years.”
“It hurts because she was your mate,” I remind him, reaching up to run a hand over his shoulder. The coiled muscle beneath flinches under my touch, so I withdraw my hand.
If he noticed, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he meets my gaze. “Your magic keeps me from feeling it?”
I nod.
“And what happens when the spell falls?”
I pinch my lips together, knowing I need to tell him the whole truth, but I’m afraid of how he’ll react when he learns what I’ve done. Still, he deserves to know. So, instead of redirecting, I take a deep breath and sit back on my knees, folding my shaking hands in my lap. “The spell was more of a redirection,” I tell him.
“Redirection?” Brow furrowed, he studies me.
“I redirected your bond with Allison, linking it with me, instead.”
Tarnley gapes at me, mouth falling slack. “You bonded us?”
“It was the only way to save you. If I hadn’t, you would have died. I’m so sorry; I couldn’t let you die. We’re friends.” Tears prick the corners of my eyes, but just as I worry he’ll be disgusted at the idea of being mated to a witch, Tarnley reaches forward and takes my hands. “Thank you.”
Those two words catch me off guard. “You’re welcome. You should know it can come back. If something happens to me, the bond will sever, and you’ll be back in this position again. As long as I live, the spell will hold. The only way it breaks is if I die.”
His eyes hold mine, and in them, I see a reflection of the affection I feel for him. “In which case, I won’t want to survive any longer anyway.”
