“Grace,” he murmured. “We are mating. I’ll be fine.”

She could play dumb and accept his words, even though science said otherwise. Or she could face things head-on and take control of her destiny…and his. “No.”

He sighed. “The queen admitted she didn’t know or understand the Seven, the Keys, or the effect of your blood on mine in a Petri dish.”

Grace nodded vigorously. “Exactly. She doesn’t know. Why would you risk your life on an uncertainty?”

He brushed his knuckles down the side of her face. “I made a decision and a vow when I mated you with a bite and a mark, and I meant it. That hasn’t changed, and we will mate again tonight. Completely.”

She set her stance. No way would she let him sacrifice himself for her. Or even risk it. “No.”

One of his eyebrows rose in a look she was becoming very familiar with. “Want to bet?” he asked mildly.

The shiver that took her had nothing to do with challenge or fear.

She swallowed.

He smiled.

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Getting her drunk seems like dirty pool,” Benny said, scouting the outside perimeter of the cabin along with Adare.

“I know.” Adare had made sure Grace’s glass was full of very good wine during dinner. “But she’s determined to save me from myself, and I’m determined to save her, and that’s the end of it.”

Benny chuckled. “You have it bad, and so does she, and you’re both being morons about it. You’ve wanted her since you met her, and I’ve seen how she looks at you. If you both admitted that shit, maybe the mating would be stronger and take hold. Genetics and all that crap never made sense to me.”

The wind whistled a sharp tune, scattering powdered snow in every direction.

“You’re more a fate and what the fuck kind of guy,” Adare agreed. “Think you’ll ever get mated?”

“Sure. There’s a wildcat out there waiting for my mark on her ass, but let’s be honest. She’d have to be at least half-crazy to fall for a hybrid like me, and that’s gonna take some energy on my part. We have too much going on for crazy right now. Well, more crazy than we already have.”

Sometimes it was impressive how self-aware Benny could be.

“But,” Benny continued, “at least I won’t face possible death or mutation to mate. Like you.”

“Possible mutation?” Adare eyed the next camera, satisfied it was shielded from the falling snow.

Benny nodded. “Sure. If she has these, what are they, antibodies? Say they attack your cells, meaning your immortal cells, and hers somehow win. Maybe they don’t kill your cells but just turn you into a human. Can you imagine?”

“No,” Adare said shortly. There was no force on earth that could turn him into a human.