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I looked at her head on.
“I felt the same way. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be turned, but then Kingsnake didn’t have a choice.”
“And you’ve come around since?”
“I have,” she said with a nod. “Even if I could change it, I wouldn’t. I hope that gives you some reassurance.”
“It does. Thank you.”
We fell into silence.
I looked into the mirror for a while. “I almost married a man who didn’t love me. Now I’m marrying a man I’ve known for a very short time. It feels right…but I wonder if I’m being hopeful and foolish.”
She watched me, absorbing my words and giving them time to digest before she gave a response. “Time is not the best metric for love. Kingsnake and I have been together for a relatively short time, but I know it’ll last forever. Cobra has worn his heart on his sleeve with me before. And trust me when I say his love for you is real.”
My heart tightened into a fist—and I knew I should treasure that feeling because it would be gone soon. He wouldn’t be able to hear my heartbeat anymore…because I would be dead.
“You’re taking a risk. I understand it. But if it makes you feel better, it can be reversed.”
Every single muscle in my body tightened at that revelation. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how it works. I just know it’s possible. It’s probably difficult and complicated, but it can be done. So if you ever decide this was a mistake, there’s a way out.”
“And you’ve never considered it yourself?”
She stared for a while before she answered. “I did—briefly. I’ve always wanted to have children, and that’s not possible as a nightwalker. But I would rather have Kingsnake forever than live a short life with him.”
“So, he agreed to become mortal too?”
“He did. But it’s not the right decision for us.”
I looked into the mirror again.
“I think Cobra would do the same for you if you asked.”
My hands flattened against my stomach and smoothed out the dress even though there wasn’t a single wrinkle. “I don’t want to ask.”
“It sounds like I made you feel better.”
“It’s just a big change. A very big change. Feeding on blood…no more sunlight…night vision. It’s a different way of life.”
She nodded in agreement. “But once you have something to live for, eternity seems like the minimum to aspire to.”
27
KINGSNAKE
I stood outside the gate, seeing the Ethereal who had made camp in tents on the field. A short while ago, we’d had a battle on that very field, Ethereal on one side, us on the other, and King Elrohir of Ethereal fell.
Now we were allies.
Cobra’s army was visible in the distance, and as they drew closer, their horses slowed. There wasn’t enough room for their army inside Grayson, so they would have to spend the day in tents as well.
Cobra handed his horse to the stable master and walked up to me, tireless as if the journey there and back was nothing when he was high on happiness. His hand clapped me on the shoulder. “Brother.”
I returned the gesture. “Can we trust your men to behave themselves?” With the Ethereal camped right next door, it could be a bloodbath.
“Everyone fed before we left. Their last meal before we freed our prisoners.”
