Page 50 of Forever Midnight

“I destroyed him, Tru.”

“I don’t understand. You told him something about yourself and he couldn’t accept it? That’s on him, not you. Not to speak ill of the dead, but fuck that, Midnight. Love is acceptance. Warts and all.”

I shake my head. “It’s not that simple.”

“You told me you murder people for a living. What could possibly be more intense than that?”

“It’s not what I do. It’s who I am.”

“I call bullshit, Midnight. If you really love someone, you accept all parts of them. Unless you, like, kick puppies or something.”

“No.”

“Right. You kill bad guys.”

Closing my eyes, I know I have to tell him the truth for this to go any further. “I want to tell you, Tru, but I’m scared I’ll lose you too.”

“Well, no offense, you’re hot and all, but I’m not taking myself out for anyone.”

His answer draws a small laugh from me. “That’s good. You’re very strong.”

“Yeah, I am. Maybe stronger than Benedict. Maybe…” He pauses, clearly thinking over his words before speaking them. “I don’t know, Midnight. All of this is weird as fuck. The way we met, the way we connect with each other. You don’t scare me. Nothing about you could scare me.”

“I desperately want to believe you.”

“So believe me. Trust me.” He takes my hand and puts it on his chest over his heart, and the move stuns me. I’d swear electricity pricks across my skin. Tru must feel it too as his eyes go wide. “See?” he says. “We’re connected by something neither of us understand. I think we were meant to meet. Maybe we’re even meant to fall in love.”

“That would be incredible.”

“I told you before, Midnight, and I meant what I said. I will tell my parents. The more time I spend with you, the less I want to go back to that old life. You’ve made me see there could be something else. Something more. Something exciting.”

The tiny well of hope in me bubbles with life. “Do you mean it?”

He nods. “I do. I really do. I always told myself that if I met someone special, I would come out. I never thought I would, honestly, but I’d be an idiot to deny what’s obviously happening between us. Assuming you feel the same.”

“I do.”

Tru’s face lights up with his pretty smile. “Good. You can trust me, Midnight. Whatever secret you have that you think is too much for me, I want you to know it’s not. I can handle it because I want to be here with you. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together.”

As I search his eyes, a sense of peace I haven’t felt in centuries washes over me, and with every ounce of courage in me, I part my lips to confess to him.

“Tru, you may find this hard to believe but I swear on all the planets and the stars and Hades himself, it is true.”

Tru nods, holding my hands to his chest.

“I am, um…” I blow out a breath. “It’s not easy to say.”

“Take your time,” Tru says softly.

Nodding, I close my eyes for a moment to hold back the parts of me that want to show themselves physically. The very idea of him believing me,acceptingme, makes my gums throb, desperate to release my fangs and taste his essence. Could it happen?

“Okay. Tru. I’m a—”

The front door blows open and Syn steps through, followed quickly by Thorn and Bowie. I’m out of bed before they can make it to the bedroom. Bowie blushes, glancing away when he sees my naked body.

“What the fuck, guys. Can you knock?”

“No time for knocking,” Syn says. “Two of the guys that were with Vinni showed up dead under the North Bridge.”

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