Page 68 of His Stolen Queen
"I can understand him doing what he did though. He had to take the chance." She glanced up at me, and I kissed the tip of her nose. "What are the odds that a turning would be successful for us?"
"For us? Less than zero."
She blinked up at me. "But…that means a turning is impossible. Why did he risk it if it wouldn't work?"
I shook my head. "You misunderstand. A turning is extremely rare, but still possible. There has only been one recorded successful turning, but there could be more. What I meant was that it is less than zero forus. Because I would never attempt to turn you." My tone left no room for arguments. It was a risk I was unwilling to take.
"Oh." She slumped back against me. "But…in my memories…"
I glanced down at her. "What of them?"
Her silky hair slid against me as she shook her head, her tone wistful. "I'm so sure I was one of you. I recalled both of us biting and drinking from each other. It just felt…soreal. So normal."
I shrugged, even though the image she created sounded like everything I ever wanted. "Yes, but there were other things in your dream that were not real. Like your upbringing."
"But the schooling I was raised in is real," she pointed out.
I hesitated because she was right. The all-girls school did exist for adolescent Vampires. "True. But I still cannot risk losing you."
"So what does that mean? I stay mortal?"
I knew she was frustrated—as was I. But this was her mortality we were talking about.
"King Artemis and Queen Sarai were a mated royal pairing. If King Artemis could not successfully turn his Queen, then what chance do we have? There is only one chance to get it right. Itis not as if you remain human and stay alive if it fails," I ground out, willing her to understand.
"Youperish. As soon as your chest is open and your heart exposed, you are deceased." I shook my head, pushing the horrible image that thought produced out of my mind. "No. You will remain mortal and live your—our—mortal life. The moment you-you pass, I have given Von strict instructions to behead and burn my body to ensure my complete death. I will then join you in the afterlife."
Her mouth dropped open, and her head whipped around so fast that she knocked the bowl of grapes over. "Wait, wait, wait." She turned around until she faced me fully. I could not help it; my eyes went instantly to her bare breasts.
“I stay mortal and grow old and decrepit, while you continue to look like, like…that?"
I frowned in confusion. I could sense her horror and revulsion yet could not understand where they were coming from. "I will join you in the afterlife," I reiterated. "In fact, if we could leave this world together, that would be preferable. I do not think I could stand to be without you for even a minute."
"Acheron." She rubbed the little spot between her brows. "Talking about a suicide pact shouldn't sound sweet, yet somehow it does." She shook her head, her expression clearing. "But what I'm stuck on is the fact that I'm going to be an elderly lady, wrinkled and helpless, probably unable to wipe my own ass…and you're going to keep looking likethis?" Her hand gestured at me, up and down. "Like a literal Greek god!"
My eyes searched her face, noting the distress but unable to find the source. "I do not understand."
"Acheron!" She slapped my chest, which felt like a gentle breeze. "I don't understand what you're not getting."
And then I sensed it, and my expression turned furious.
Jealousy. Insecurity. Horror. Disgust. Not at me—at herself.
"Alice," I said slowly. "Am I under the impression that you think I will desire you less, love you less, because your appearance will change?"
"Acheron." Her eyes shifted away, rubbing at her arm. I could feel her spirit start to detach from me, as if she were already expecting me to be revolted by her. "It's not only my looks…I'll be weaker, things will sag and drag. I don't—how could you—"
With quick movements, I had her flipped and on her back. I loomed over her, my expression dark as I fought to get my point across to her. She wouldn't look me in the eye, still feeling insecure.
"You humans are not only weak in body but weak in thought. You truly think that I care about your physical appearance? That I care that your body will grow frail and tired?"
"Well, when you put it like that.Yeah."
I lifted her into my arms, my lips coasting over her brow. "I will carry you in my arms for all your eternity. I will tell you every day how beautiful you are, and I am more than happy to show you how much I will still desire you, whether you are forty or eighty."
Her eyes softened, and I lifted her chin. The green in them shimmered, tears of sadness at her own mortality threatening to spill over. "It isyouI desire. It is your courage, your heart, your spirit, and your mind. You are everything to me, and I will not have you thinking that something as trivial as age and appearance would ever change that."
Her body relaxed, and I swiped at a tear that escaped. It was not sadness though. It was love. Adoration. Relief. And trust.
