Page 22 of Licking Fire

“Samuel was not crazy,” Rayer said evenly.

She peeked out at him. “You’re not helping here.”

He waved a hand at her. “Carry on. I shall wait for you to finish absorbing all this. Though you should know that while I am immortal, I do not have forever. Also, your grandmother was a witch, born from a line of true magiks. She was Timothy’s sister.”

“Oh geesh. You are totally nuts. My grandmother couldn’t have—wait, Timothy is related to me?”

“He is your great-uncle.”

“Of course he is. So is he a true magik too?” she asked snidely.

Rayer nodded. “He is.”

She lowered her hands and tipped her head. “I’m not your mate. I can’t be. This person would also live forever, right? I’m going to die. I’ll live a normal human life, so long as Valentine doesn’t speed that process along.”

Rayer was suddenly in her face. “He will not touch you!”

She patted his beefy chest. “Take a calming breath, big guy. I’m just pointing out a flaw in your logic. I’m not immortal. I’ll die.”

“You will not, and you will stop saying such things!” he shouted, lifting her high off the ground. He glowered at her in a way she knew probably meant she should be scared. The harder he stared at her, the more turned on she became. “And you will not age once I claim you. Your life force will be tethered to mine.”

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