me?”
“Yes.” The answer was strong and immediate.
Well, damn. “But… why ? You barely know me.”
“We’ll get to know each other with time.” He reached out and traced a gentle finger
down her cheek. The small action sent a shiver to her toes.
She didn’t understand how he could be so sure. “But what if I have a deep dark
secret that you can’t live with? Wouldn’t you want to know before we bonded?”
“I want to know anything you want to tell me.”
“That’s not an answer!” She knew she shouldn’t get angry, but she could feel a
bubble of annoyance pushing to the surface. Why wasn’t he more concerned about this?
When mates bonded, it was forever. He should want to ask her a million questions.
Lord knew she wanted to know everything about his past.
He sighed. The sound was long and heavy. “Listen, Paz. I don’t care what you’ve
done in the past. It can’t be any worse than the things I’ve done. I’ve…I’ve been alone
for a long time and I like you. A lot. I’m not going to change my mind about bonding,
but take all the time you need to make a decision.”
She bit her bottom lip and eyed him suspiciously. “Fine. How is it that you’re five
hundred years old but you look younger than those half your age?”
His jaw clenched once. “My father was an Immortal.”
A gasp escaped before she could stop herself. “You’re a mixed-blood?” His eyes
darkened and she immediately realized her mistake. Before he could respond, she
grabbed his hand. “I didn’t mean that as an insult, I swear. You just surprised me.”
79
Savannah Stuart
Tension still hummed through him, but he didn’t pull away. “No one else knows.”
“I thought Immortals needed sex to stay strong. Or is that a myth?” Immortals had
always fascinated her. And if she was really honest, they’d also terrified her a little too.
Compared to the other supernatural beings on the planet, so little was known about
them.
“It’s a combination of both. Immortals don’t need sex, but it does make them
stronger. I’m…different.”
“What do you mean?” If anyone understood being different, she did.
“It doesn’t matter. Just know that I don’t need sex to survive or to keep up my
strength.”
“Well what about my life span if we bond? And what element do you control?” As
far as she knew, Immortals controlled one of the four elements and when they died,
they reverted back to whatever power they’d possessed when they’d been alive. Adam
scrubbed a hand over his face and she wondered if she should have held back some of
her questions. “You don’t have to answer me if—”
He shook his head and let out another breath. “It’s fine. I should have expected this.
I’d rather not talk about my abilities…yet. If we do bond, you’ll age at the same pace as
me. I guess that’s something I probably should have told you sooner.”
She swallowed hard at his words. “How do you know I’ll become like you?”
“My mother was a full-blooded werewolf and when she became pregnant with me,
her aging process changed to match my father’s. Besides, I wouldn’t be the first mixed-
blood to mate. Nature has a way of working things out.”
The inflection in his voice when he mentioned his parents told her they were likely
dead. Even though she wanted to ask, for once she made herself bite her tongue. If he
wanted to talk about them, he would. She was still holding his hand so she linked her
fingers through his and scooted a few inches closer.
80
Power Unleashed
Maybe if she opened up to him now it would be easier later to tell him the truth
about what she was. As a mixed-blood, he wouldn’t have the prejudices so many others
did. Or she hoped he wouldn’t. “So why do you work for The Council when they
denounce so many different supernatural beings?”
He frowned at her words. “What are you talking about?”
“Their laws are archaic.”
The lines around his
“Yes.” The answer was strong and immediate.
Well, damn. “But… why ? You barely know me.”
“We’ll get to know each other with time.” He reached out and traced a gentle finger
down her cheek. The small action sent a shiver to her toes.
She didn’t understand how he could be so sure. “But what if I have a deep dark
secret that you can’t live with? Wouldn’t you want to know before we bonded?”
“I want to know anything you want to tell me.”
“That’s not an answer!” She knew she shouldn’t get angry, but she could feel a
bubble of annoyance pushing to the surface. Why wasn’t he more concerned about this?
When mates bonded, it was forever. He should want to ask her a million questions.
Lord knew she wanted to know everything about his past.
He sighed. The sound was long and heavy. “Listen, Paz. I don’t care what you’ve
done in the past. It can’t be any worse than the things I’ve done. I’ve…I’ve been alone
for a long time and I like you. A lot. I’m not going to change my mind about bonding,
but take all the time you need to make a decision.”
She bit her bottom lip and eyed him suspiciously. “Fine. How is it that you’re five
hundred years old but you look younger than those half your age?”
His jaw clenched once. “My father was an Immortal.”
A gasp escaped before she could stop herself. “You’re a mixed-blood?” His eyes
darkened and she immediately realized her mistake. Before he could respond, she
grabbed his hand. “I didn’t mean that as an insult, I swear. You just surprised me.”
79
Savannah Stuart
Tension still hummed through him, but he didn’t pull away. “No one else knows.”
“I thought Immortals needed sex to stay strong. Or is that a myth?” Immortals had
always fascinated her. And if she was really honest, they’d also terrified her a little too.
Compared to the other supernatural beings on the planet, so little was known about
them.
“It’s a combination of both. Immortals don’t need sex, but it does make them
stronger. I’m…different.”
“What do you mean?” If anyone understood being different, she did.
“It doesn’t matter. Just know that I don’t need sex to survive or to keep up my
strength.”
“Well what about my life span if we bond? And what element do you control?” As
far as she knew, Immortals controlled one of the four elements and when they died,
they reverted back to whatever power they’d possessed when they’d been alive. Adam
scrubbed a hand over his face and she wondered if she should have held back some of
her questions. “You don’t have to answer me if—”
He shook his head and let out another breath. “It’s fine. I should have expected this.
I’d rather not talk about my abilities…yet. If we do bond, you’ll age at the same pace as
me. I guess that’s something I probably should have told you sooner.”
She swallowed hard at his words. “How do you know I’ll become like you?”
“My mother was a full-blooded werewolf and when she became pregnant with me,
her aging process changed to match my father’s. Besides, I wouldn’t be the first mixed-
blood to mate. Nature has a way of working things out.”
The inflection in his voice when he mentioned his parents told her they were likely
dead. Even though she wanted to ask, for once she made herself bite her tongue. If he
wanted to talk about them, he would. She was still holding his hand so she linked her
fingers through his and scooted a few inches closer.
80
Power Unleashed
Maybe if she opened up to him now it would be easier later to tell him the truth
about what she was. As a mixed-blood, he wouldn’t have the prejudices so many others
did. Or she hoped he wouldn’t. “So why do you work for The Council when they
denounce so many different supernatural beings?”
He frowned at her words. “What are you talking about?”
“Their laws are archaic.”
The lines around his
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