War of Hearts (True Immortality 1)

“I love you,” Conall said, the words rough as if they’d been grounded out. “But I willnae force you to stay with me and endure a mating bond. Not if it makes you feel like a prisoner. When we get to England, you can leave. I dinnae expect you to come to Scotland with me and I dinnae expect you to heal Callie either. God forbid you see me as anything like that bastard who tore your back to shreds.” And on that, he strode away, fists at his sides, before pushing the door to the deck open with such force it slammed, drawing everyone’s attention.

Thea felt a sob rise from her chest and wondered what had happened to the woman who could control her goddamn emotions. Hurrying out of the lounge, away from prying eyes and ears, she held the tears in until she could find a restroom. Finally, she found the ladies’ toilets where she sat in a stall and did her best not to bawl her eyes out.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

He was choosing her over his sister. By setting her free, he was choosing her over Callie. He loved her so much he was letting her go.

Quiet tears slipped down Thea’s cheeks as she tried to be strong.

Yet sometimes being strong wasn’t about weathering storms alone. Sometimes being strong was admitting you needed someone.

Thea needed Conall.

More than she was comfortable with.

However, there was no changing the fact that her happiness depended upon his.

And she’d hurt him.

Pulling herself together, she drew in a shaky breath and moved back out through the lounge and onto the deck. He stood in the distance, braced against the railing as the ferry cut through the choppy waters. The wind battered him, but he was an immovable force. Conall MacLennan was the most steadfast, honorable man she’d ever met.

Thea swayed slightly as she approached him. Feeling her presence, he turned to look at her. Once upon a time his face, those wolf eyes, had been intimidating and fierce. Now they were beloved. And while others might see a menacing flatness to his expression, Thea saw the bleak. It broke her heart.

She held out a hand, praying he’d take it. “Please.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw, but he reached out and enfolded her small hand in his. She squeezed it and then turned, leading him back down the deck. They were silent as Conall followed her through the ship and back into the empty ladies’ restroom. Thea locked the door behind her and leaned against it. Conall stared around and turned to her with a questioning expression.

“I should never have compared our mating to what happened to me with Ashforth. I didn’t mean it to come out like that and I hate that it did.” Tears shimmered in her eyes and the intensity in Conall’s was no longer icy. “For a … for a long time, I’ve been alone, and not just physically alone, running from Ashforth.” She swiped impatiently at a tear. “I gave up on love years ago. I never thought I’d love anyone, and I never imagined that anyone would love me again.”

He moved toward her. “Thea—”

She cut him off, holding up her hand to stop his advance. “You have to remember that the idea of finding a mate is new to me. There are still parts of my life that are very human. Finding out we’re mates … you’ve just accepted it. And it’s not that I don’t believe that we are. I know”—she pressed a fist to her gut—“I know deep in here”—and then her chest—“and in here that’s it true. It’s just taking me a little longer to understand what it means. But I don’t want to walk away from this. Yes, my fear wants me to because I’ve watched the people I love die around me, and moving on with my life has been impossible every time.” She took a step toward him, her heart hammering so hard he had to hear it. “But when I saw that vampire plunge the silver into your neck, when I felt you dying in my arms …” Her tears fell freely now. “I wanted to die too. Running from Ashforth was just about surviving until you came along. You woke me up, Conall. You gave me a reason to fight instead of run. After everything I’ve lost, you terrify the shit out me”—she laughed through her tears and his gray eyes darkened with tenderness—“but the thought of losing you terrifies me more.” She gasped when he moved, crowding her against the door.

He pressed a hand to her breast, right over her heart. “Say it,” he demanded, guttural.

Thea nodded, trembling with the feeling that overwhelmed her entire being. “I love you, Conall. I love you.”

His answering kiss was ferocious with need and Thea met him, searching lips against searching lips, hungry tongue against hungry tongue, as their hands roamed each other, devouring, loving.