“You’re really not getting this.”

He took her hand in his and knelt before her. “Marry me,” he said.

Valkyrie looked at him. He was serious. She had never used the word dude in a serious conversation before. She didn’t think this qualified. “Dude, I’m sixteen.”

“I love you.”

“That doesn’t make me any older. Stand up.”

“Not until you say yes.”

“You’re going to shuffle around on your knees for the rest of your life? Stand up, for God’s sake.” She waited until he did as she asked. “Did you seriously propose to me? Have you not heard anything I’ve been saying these past few months? This is ridiculous. This is beyond ridiculous.”

“Be my wife.”

“Shut the hell up. What did I tell you? What did I tell you about coming on too strong? Do you not think a marriage proposal falls into that category?”

“We are destined for each other.”

“No we’re not. Caelan, I’ve made it quite bloody clear. I’ve been with you because you’re really good-looking and you’re dangerous. That’s attractive to me. That’s a good combination. But they are the only reasons we were together. It’s not love.”

“It’s fate.”

“It’s not fate either, you idiot. Why do you like me?”

“I love you.”

“Then why do you love me? Give me five good reasons why you love me.”

“Because you’re beautiful.”

“You’re absolutely right there, but that’s got nothing to do with me, that’s genetics. Four more, sunshine.”

“You’re intelligent. You are the light in my darkness.”

“Intelligent, that’s reason number two. Light in the darkness? That’s not a reason, that’s a bad song lyric.”

“You’re full of life. I look at you and I’m reminded of the glory of humanity, how they seize life and let it fill them to the brim.”

“I remind you of the glory of humanity. OK, that’s reason number three. Two more.”

Caelan smiled. “There are more reasons why I love you than there are stars in the night sky.”

“In that case you won’t have any problem coming up with two more.”

He hesitated.

“You don’t love me,” she told him. “You think you do. You like the idea of it. But the fact of the matter is that you’re a hundred and something years old and I’m sixteen. I’m a teenager. Do you not see anything wrong with that?”

“If I repulse you…”

“You don’t repulse me, Caelan, because you look like a hot nineteen-year-old. But every time you say something, I’m reminded of the fact that you’re really just an old man. And… OK, I’ve never actually said that out loud before and it’s really kind of disgusting.”

“For people like us, age doesn’t matter.”