Page 106 of Tainted Gifts
It's heartwarming and exciting to be the one who does this for him. He's been there for me, helped me survive something I couldn't have lived through without the magic of his touch. Now I get to help him with the pain he's endured for much too long.
"Ready?" I ask when I finish loading the machine.
He nods, leaning back as I push it over and line the lasers up with his choice of placement. I step back and watch the machine go to work, quickly drawing the black outline of the sparrow all gifted hybrids have.
Then the shading process begins as the black outline is joined with the black coloring - the dark sparrow. For many centuries now, only the strongest hybrids get the dark sparrow. Jase is a strong hybrid, and now he has a place with all strong hybrids. He's no longer a lone wolf with no pack.
The machine finishes, and I unveil another table that holds the uranium sealant, the only way to keep the sparrow intact without letting it be healed with the taste of blood. I dip a rag into it and head back toward the man admiring his new mark. He cringes slightly when I press the burning poison against him, but he smiles when I pull it back to reveal the permanent product.
"It took twenty times to get my sparrow to stay. My body heals even against uranium, so my Uncle Clay actually had to trick my blood into not healing in order to keep the damn thing in place."
Jase chuckles lightly, his eyes staying on his proof of belonging. "Thank you, Aria. This means more than you know."
I wobble and feel the shift of his eyes before I see the mismatched beauties in place. He lets me feel him, his depth of gratitude, appreciation, excitement, and... love. It's breathtaking, and his lips are on mine when I almost fall.
He holds me steady as his body lets me feel him deeper, all of his love for me is overwhelming, and it feels more incredible than I thought possible.
"I love you, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you," he murmurs softly against my lips.
"You mean eternity," I quickly interject, making him smile more.
"Eternity."
"Knock knock," Simone says while popping in.
She seems to be feeling a lot better. Lately she's looked like she was absolutely miserable. Right now, she looks like the perky, vibrant girl I've known as my sister.
"Hey," Jase says while kissing my forehead.
"Did you like Aria's gift?" she asks.
"Best birthday ever. The girl I love agreed to marry me and I finally get to just be me. Not to mention, I'm still the commander. All in all, today's the first day in a while where I've had so much go right. Please don't tell me you've got bad news."
She smiles, but it's forced.
"You do have bad news," I grumble, wishing she'd save her bad news for another day. "Can it wait?"
"Um... I don't know if this is something I can hold off telling. Rex and Melania are waiting for us in their room."
Rex and Melania?
"Did something happen to them?"
"I'll tell everyone at once. This is a closed-circle conversation."
I sigh out, feeling my moment of happiness soured once again by the fatal blows of reality. Jase intertwines our fingers as he follows me out with the same reluctant stride. I wish I could just have some time alone with Jase without the world needing our undivided attention.
"Maybe soon, babe. Maybe soon," he murmurs, reading my mind since I no longer care to shut him out. It's too hard to shut him out anyhow.
I feel his disgruntled emotion matching mine as we briskly follow Simone back into the hotel. As we round the last corner, my stomach turns to knots. I wish she'd just tell us and end the suspense.
She rings the box, and Rex swings the door open to usher us in. Apparently he's tired of the suspense as well.
"What the hell is so important, Simone? We've been on edge since you called. What's so fucking secretive?" Rex rapidly releases, his anxiety running over him and feeding my own.
I'm feeling his emotions with so much clarity right now. I can feel Melania's as well, almost to the point where it's materializing over me. This is new. Maybe I'm finally getting a handle on it.
From Simone, though, I feel an empty ache. It's almost as if her heart is breaking, but I haven't known of her dating anyone recently. Did I miss something?
