Page 104 of Conflicted

Istared at Nox, stunned. Then I started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

I swiped at the tears rolling down my face as I gasped for breath. “It’s just that every time I’ve gone to help Dimitri, it’s been because of one of his mates. And now, he’s got to help me because ofmymate.”

Nox smirked. “Feels karmically just, right?”

“It does.”

“Speaking of mates…” Nox said pointedly, his amber eyes intense. “That’s the other thing I want to talk about. Is that something you want? With me?”

My laughter died as what I’d said raced through my mind. Shit, I had called Nox my mate. And hewasmy fated mate, nothing could change that. But…we weren’t together. At least, not in the way he meant. “You mean, like a bond?”

Nox rolled his eyes. “Yes, like a fucking bond, little angel. We’re already halfway there with the marking. Now how about we make it official?”

I bit my lip. “I’m not sure.”

“Becauseof Dimitri?”

“What?” I put my hand on his chest. “What’s Dimitri got to do with anything?”

He shrugged like he didn’t care, but his thumping heart beneath my palm was a dead giveaway. “You’ve been in love with Dimitri for millennia. I know you think you’re in love with me now, but I’m not expecting it to be the same as what you felt for him.”

“It’s not.” I spread my hands over his shoulders. “Nox, my feelings for you arenothinglike what I felt for Dimitri. Looking back now, I can see that my infatuation with him was nothing more than a puddle—annoying and shallow. My love for you is like the ocean; all encompassing, inescapable, and at times, terrifying. The two aren’t comparable.”

He cleared his throat, blinking rapidly. “Fuck. I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a first.” I kissed him, tugging gently on his lip piercing before retreating. “Dimitri has nothing to do with us. He’s in my past, and that’s where he’s going to stay. Well, after he comes and hopefully pulls our arses out of the metaphorical shit heap we’ve landed ourselves in.”

“Why aren’t you sure about the mating bond then?”

I shifted on my feet. “If you accept the bond and I’m killed, you’ll die as well.”

With the mark, if Nox died, I would too. If it was the other way around though, Nox would survive. With a full mating bond, that wouldn’t be the case.

Nox gaped at me. “You can’t be fucking serious.That’swhy you’re unsure? So it’s okay for you to lose your immortality for me, but not the other way around?”

“Umm…”

“Absolutely not,” Nox said roughly. “Fuck that. Do you want to be with me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then I accept the bond.”

His simple words had light bursting from both our chests. The red and white wove together to form a pink cage around us, flaring for a moment before fading away.

In its wake, it left the bond. A bridge between our souls that could never be broken.

I felt him there. His fierceness. His casual cockiness. His loyalty. His quirky humour. His fear about what might happen next.

Most of all, I felt his confidence in his love for me. It flowed across the bond like an unstoppable wave, washing away any doubt that still lingered.

Nox loved me. He’d chosenme.

It was all I’d ever wanted.

“I love you,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “So very much.”

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