“Take your time.” His shoulders were even wider than the back of the chair. “The conclusion is foregone, but do what you need to in order to get there.”

How could he sound so certain? “You understand that you’re risking your life by mating me? That the doctors might be wrong about my blood helping you to survive?”

“I risk my life every day. This is a much more pleasurable way than most.” His eyes glittered.

A shiver ran through her, delicious in its journey. “Aren’t you afraid to die?”

“No.”

She believed him. This was not absence of emotion but absolute truth. Had he faced death so many times during his long life that dying was just the next step? She felt sad at that thought. Great. Now she wanted to save him. To show him that life meant everything and that he should fight to keep it. To enjoy it. She sighed.

“What?”

“Nothing.” There was no way to explain her thoughts to him.

His gaze turned piercing. “Do you trust me?”

The question hit her dead center. “Yes,” she whispered. She truly did.

“Then do so now. I know what I’m doing—we will both survive this mating. I’m asking you to trust me completely, Grace.” His eyes changed to the rare dark silver hue.

She couldn’t breathe. “I’ve wanted you to let me make my own decisions about my life, and I guess you deserve the same. If you want to risk your life, so long as we try everything we can to preserve it, then you have that right. If we do this, I’m all in. You need to understand that.”

He frowned. “You have to be all in. We both do.”

Oh, he had no clue what she meant. “If we mate, things will change.” If they survived, she had to get to know him, maybe love him, whether he liked it or not. Whether he was prepared for all of her or not. The idea thrilled her to a degree that was surprising. So much for being self-aware.

“Agreed.” His expression lightened. “I’m pleased you understand.”

She swallowed. “Come on, Adare. Neither one of us knows exactly what we’re getting into, and that’s a fact. You think you can handle me, and I think I can handle you, and neither one of us likes to be handled.”

“Grace, I admire your sense of adventure, but make no mistake, you will be handled. After your escapades in Colorado, you’re on the Kurjans’ radar again, and we’ll have to take additional measures for your safety. That needs to happen whether we mate or not, and if we do mate, it becomes my duty.” He paused. “Not that there’s a choice in mating. We’ve both agreed it’s the only path to take, and now we’re just wasting time waffling.”