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“Why does he stay with you?”
It was starting to feel the way it used to, sharing intimate words in solitude. “His venom granted me immortality. And my blood grants him the same. But I think it’s more than that…deeper than that.”
“So…Fang is also immortal?”
“As long as he continues to feed from me.”
“I’ve never seen him do that.”
“It’s not a public affair. He bites my wrist and feeds on my blood.” I loosened the vambrace on my wrist and exposed the skin, showing her the snake bite mark in the flesh. It was subtle, unnoticeable if you didn’t know to look for it.
She stared at it then ran her finger over the indentations.
Just that single touch made me warm.
I returned the vambrace to my wrist and locked it in place.
“He doesn’t have a family of his own?”
“He’s had several hatchlings, but once they’re born, they’re immediately independent.”
“Do snakes…fall in love?”
“He’s never given me that impression.”
“Well, it’s nice to know I’ll never have to lose him.”
It was the first positive reaction she’d had to her newfound immortality. I hoped that attitude would grow—in time.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“I want to share everything with you.” I hoped to share immortality with her—if she would forgive me.
She was quiet.
It wasn’t an outright rejection, but I interpreted it that way in my insecurity.
“I’m sorry for my coldness. I just… I’m having a hard time.”
“You can talk to me. Remember, I struggled with the very same things you struggle with now.”
“I guess you’re right.” She kept her eyes on the trees, never looking at me once. “Did you want a family?”
“Yes.” I imagined my own home on the farm, a wife in bed beside me every night, the excited screams of children in the house. “I thought I would have five kids. Raise them to look after their mother when I was gone. Raise them to take care of the farm when I was too old and frail to do it myself.”
She turned her head slightly and looked at me.
“I do understand your feelings, sweetheart. But I’ve made my peace with it.”
She was quiet.
“It’ll get easier.”
“If only we’d met at a different time… How different our lives could have been.”
I turned to look at her, and for the first time, her green eyes were on mine. “While that would have been nice, I would rather have you forever. A single lifetime just isn’t enough.”
* * *
