Oh Goddess. He was married. He had a wife. And a baby, a baby who is now an adult. The emotions swirling inside of me were a mixture of pure, unfiltered, raw jealousy, yet I was also gutted. I felt hollow. It wasn’t fair to him. He was allowed to have married and had kids a thousand years ago. Feeling ripped apart and jealous over this was ridiculous, and yet there I was drowning in it. I tried to speak, to say something . . . anything . . . but nothing came out. I couldn’t even ask questions. I was just blank. All I could do was stare.

He nodded and took a few steps backward. “I will respect your boundary because you’ve asked me to but do not think for a moment that I am not dying inside a little bit every moment I have to keep secrets from you.”

I opened and closed my mouth over and over yet still nothing came.

Then he stopped and his gaze returned to mine, this time with fire in his eyes. “It is critical that no one else know the truth of her bloodline or her life will be in just as much peril as mine. I have kept her safe and secret for a millennium. I cannot risk her now, but I cannot take another breath while you think there could ever be another woman who holds my heart as much as you.”

My vision blurred and warped as tears pooled in my eyes.

“I love her because she is my daughter, and I hope this secret gives you some clarity.”

He turned and headed for the door.

“Everest.”

He paused and glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes glassy with emotion. “Yes?”

“Don’t go,” I whispered. I rushed over and threw myself at him. He caught me immediately and wrapped his arms around me. “I’m sorry. I promise your daughter’s identity is safe with me. I will not tell a soul until you say it is safe.”

He sighed. I felt his relief roll through him. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for trusting me with that secret.” I gripped him harder, digging my fingers into his shirt. “I know you have a lot more secrets.”

“I do.”

“You can’t tell me yet.”

“I cannot.”

I nodded against his chest. “Is my heart safe with you?”

He cupped my face with his hands, wiping the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Your heart is my heart. They beat as one. They break as one. Nothing is more important to me.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

FRANKIE