Page 255 of Claim Me
"For what purpose exactly?" I ask, raising my brows, suspicion creeping in.
Blue studies me for a long moment, as if testing the ground for what he’s about to say, then continues, "You’re not going to like this, but the type of tumor Marcel has is one we’ve been studying extensively in my labs. It couldsignificantlyalter a person’s behavior. We have highly advanced therapies that can reverse its progression. Prison medical care won’t provide anything like that. He’ll be dead in a few months."
I just stare at him, stunned.
"I can’t believe you’re saying that. You want to save his life?"
Blue lets out a sigh. "I know it’s going to sound strange, but yes."
I close my eyes and raise my hands.
"Blue, please! This is madness!"
He just watches me with a calm face.
"You know that I love that kind side of you, and what you’re suggesting is… very generous and merciful, but Marcel hated you a year and a half ago. I doubt the tumor had anything to do with that. True, over time his behavior got more extreme, more ruthless, but from the start he was against you. You don’t owe him anything."
Blue watches me for a moment before answering.
"Call me naive, but I have a feeling Marcel wouldn’t have organized that attack if it weren’t for the tumor. Maybe he’d still hate me, maybe he’d still be an activist, but in the early stages of his activity his group focused on protests, marches, blocking roads and getting on people’s nerves, but there was no violence. The first plan for an attack on Malden showed up nine months ago, and by then the tumor was already there. Does the fact thathe disagreed with me mean I should refuse to help him when I know I can?"
"Blue, he wanted to kill us…"
"I know. But if you want a more pragmatic approach, think about it. He’ll be dead in two months and that’s it. But if he’s cured, he can face charges and receive punishment. Yes, the charges will likely be reduced on the basis of diminished capacity due to a preexisting neurological condition, but either way, he’ll be in prison for many years. Maybe that will convince you if the merciful approach doesn’t work for you?"
I study Blue for a long moment.
"You want to… show him mercy. Just like that?"
"Yes."
A brief pause. Blue looks down at his hands for a moment, softly moving his fingers as if he were playing some kind of instrument.
"Do you know how I’d like to go? Lying on my deathbed with a completely clear conscience, knowing I did everything I could to help wherever I could. What others feel, that’s on them."
I want to argue, to convince him that you don’t help your enemies, but then it hits me who he really is at his core.
A doctor. A scientist. Someone with a calling. Heisn’tlike most people. There’s a kind of moral scale in him, a kind of integrity and greatness I might not fully understand or even agree with, but it’s an inseparable part of who he is.
"You know you’re beautiful, right?" I say quietly, pushing my plate aside and focusing on him, pouring everything I feel into my gaze. "Inside and out. I’m not capable of being as noble as you are, but I admire you for it, and… I love you. So even if I don’t completely agree with you here, I respect your decision."
Blue slowly nods and gives me a soft, melancholic smile.
If this is what Blue wants, I’m not going to stand in his way. It would mean forcing him to change who he is at his core.
Two hours later, we’re in his limousine, heading to the prison hospital on the other side of the city.
I stay quiet, looking out the window, thinking about everything, about the past that now feels blurred, about the kidnapping, about us. And through all of it, one thing rises above everything else, one overwhelming feeling: my love for Blue.
My absolute devotion to him, and the deep, almost unreal happiness that he is my True Mate, not someone like Marcel. I can’t even imagine there being someone better for me. The feeling fills me completely, like sunlight, and I have to look at him, I just have to.
I turn my head.
Blue.
Leaning over his tablet, working as always. Well, besides the heat period, his mind never really switches off, planning, handling things, making decisions. His fingers glide across the screen as he scrolls through emails.
I lean in and plant a loud kiss on his cheek.
