Page 136 of Legacy of Chaos

He shifted, turning to her, his pulse pounding with excitement. And maybe a little terror. What if she said no?

“I love you, Cyan,” he blurted. “I want you to mate me. I’ll give you anything you want.”

She seemed amused, which was better than some of the alternatives. “Is this a business transaction?”

“It is if you want it to be. That’s how much I want you. If you need contracts and lawyers, I’m okay with that. But I don’t. I just want us to be a family.” He emptied the pouch into his palm. “Before you, I thought I had everything. Now, I realize that I had nothing worthwhile. I had possessions, but with you, I have a life.” He held up the diamond ring he’d had enhanced to amplify Cyan’s abilities. Even if she refused to mate him, he wanted her to have it, anything to keep her safe. “Cyan, you’ve given me a reason to live that isn’t about guilt and hate. Before you, everything was about me. I was trying to save the planet forme. Not for humans and the handful of good demons. It was all about me trying to assuage my guilt while fueling my self-loathing. I treated people like shit because I felt like I deserved their hatred. But you made me a better person. I like who I am with you.”

Her gorgeous eyes misted over as she held out her hand so he could slip the ring on her finger. “And I like who I am with you. Let’s do the mate thing.” She paused as she studied the ring. “Wait. What does it involve? Pain? Human sacrifice? Animal sacrifice? I amnotkilling a goat.”

“But you’d be okay killing a human?”

She shrugged. “Depends on the human. There’s a lot of scum out there.”

“I love your ruthlessness,” he said with a growl. “But nothing so dramatic. There’s just a little blood and a lot of sex. And then an unbreakable bond that will bind us together for life so we can’t make love with anyone else ever. So, yeah. Nothing dramatic.”

Her laughter filled his heart. “Let’s do it. I love you, Stryke.”

And he, her.

Cyan stepped inside her Brussels apartment for the last time.

The movers had packed and stored everything except the clothes and things she wanted at Stryke’s cabin. Now, the place was empty, just waiting for her to make one more pass-through.

The cleaners had done a great job too. The flat looked better than it had when she moved in with Shanea.

She walked around, smiling at all the memories. The parties, the dinners, the quiet movie nights when she and Shan would make popcorn and watch a sappy romantic drama or a silly romcom.

The little bag containing the gift from Shanea dangled from Cyan’s fingers as she moved from room to room. She still hadn’t been able to open it, so she’d brought it with her, figuring this would be the perfect place to finally face that one last hurdle that kept her from fully healing. The bag had sat on the bathroom counter at Stryke’s place for weeks, pretty much just torturing her every time she saw it. It had been Stryke who finally shovedit into her hand and told her to stop punishing herself. And as an expert on punishing oneself, he’d insisted.

After she’d inspected every nook and cranny, she stopped in the living room and closed her eyes. She couldn’t put this off any longer.

Open it.

Stomach churning, she reached into the bag and pulled out a tiny white box with a violet ribbon. Very carefully, her fingers trembling, she opened the gift.

Inside, lying on a bed of white satin, was a bracelet, its intricate silver links made to resemble flowing water. It was beautiful, but what caught her eye, and her breath, was the purple charm dangling from a tiny loop.

“Oh, Shan,” she whispered.

The bracelet, a new tech device that could connect with NeuroTech implants, was outrageously expensive. Shanea could have paid for her honeymoon with what the bracelet had probably cost.

Hands still shaking, the big rock on her ring finger glittering in the light, she slipped the jewelry onto her wrist, where it sparkled against thedermoirethat had appeared after she and Stryke completed the mating ceremony. A perfect replica of Stryke’s, from her fingers to her throat, it was a constant, comforting reminder that he was hers.

Reassured by the faint awareness of her mate, she pinched the bracelet’s charm between her fingers.

Instantly, she found herself at the birthday party Shan had thrown for Cyan right in this apartment. Their friends were mingling, and Shan was cutting cake. The scene changed, but they were still in their apartment. They were making spaghetti in the kitchen, and Shan had spilled the sauce all over herself and the floor. Cyan slipped, and they’d both sat in the mess, laughing until they were sick.

The scene changed again and again, taking her to two dozen of her best memories with Shan, from karaoke night at the local pub, to surfing in Hawaii.

The last one, though…it wasn’t a memory. It was a message.

Shanea stood before her in her wedding dress, but Cyan could barely see her through the tears.

“Hey, girl. Imma make this quick because you just went to get the fitting lady and you’ll be right back. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and that there’s no one else in the world I’d want to be my maid of honor.” She looked down and then back up, and her eyes were misty. “I know you’re going to miss me when I’m gone, but don’t worry, you’re always welcome at my new place. Draven doesn’t even care that I’m calling the spare bedroom your room.” She smiled. “I worry about you being by yourself, though. I know how you get, and I don’t want you to wallow in your lab. There’s more to life than work. Get out there and live, Cy. Be happy, okay?” She looked toward the door and hastily reached for the recording device. But before she shut it off, she whispered, “Love you!”

The feed shut down, and Cyan was standing in the empty apartment again, all alone, sobbing.

Suddenly, the door blew open, and Stryke stormed in, the tendons in his neck standing out starkly beneath the new tribal-patterned mate band encircling his throat. “Cyan! What’s wrong?”

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