Page 124 of Clash of Kingdoms

“It’s not the right decision for her?—”

“But it is her decision. You could be with her right now, but you denied her.”

“Kingsnake, turning Larisa may have been the right decision for you, but it’s not the right decision for us.”

“I know you’re afraid after what happened with Renee?—”

“I warned you not to mention her again.”

“Cobra or I could turn Harlow?—”

“I would never let another man turn my wife, and if I can’t do it myself, then I’m not man enough for her.”

“Your wife?” he asked. “So, you would marry her if you could?”

My jaw clenched. “Obviously.”

“Aurelias—”

“Just drop it.”

“How?” he snapped. “How can I drop it when you’re miserable?”

“I was miserable after Renee, and I got over it…”

“You never got over it. You still aren’t over it. And it took you five hundred years before you loved someone else. We love Harlow?—”

“Good for you.”

“Asshole, we love her for you.”

I looked away.

“Turn her.”

“No.”

“Aurelias—”

“The answer is no. It’ll always be no. Maybe someday I’ll be smart enough to love a vampire instead of another human.”

Kingsnake bowed his head in defeat.

I was glad he’d finally given up.

“And you aren’t…” He took a deep breath like he didn’t want to say what he was about to say. “You aren’t willing to be mortal for her?”

In shock, I stared at him. “You’d want me to?”

“No,” he said quickly. “But I’d want you to be happy.”

Now I avoided his gaze for a different reason altogether.

“Now that I have Larisa, I know real happiness. I want that happiness for you. I’d be willing to give up my immortality for her if I had to.”

“I’m not going to do that,” I said quietly.

“So your solution is to…be miserable?”

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