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My eyes fell to the evidence of me having demolished my food. “But you’re thirty-eight.” I had no idea what that statement was even supposed to mean. I was just saying shit at that point.
Another nod. “I was born thirty-eight years ago, and I will live for as long as I choose. That can be forever.”
Frowning, I asked, “Why would you choose not to?”
“Many who have chosen to die did so because their mortal families all passed away, or they lost a mortal lover. It’s hard to lose the ones you love over and over again, or so I’ve been told. I can imagine that level of loss in repetition would be torturous.”
“Me, too. But…how does an immortal…die?”
“The only way is if they take their own life. They have to give up their mortality. It cannot be taken from them.”
A nod from me this time. “How many immortals are there now?”
“Hundreds that we know of, scattered all over the world.”
“Wow. So, my boss or a neighbor could be immortal, and I wouldn’t know it? They could look just as human as you do,” she mused.
“I’m human, love. Just a different kind of human.”
“No, you’re superhuman, a god. Didn’t you just say that?” I was kind of being a bitch, but shit, this was a lot.
“Temple—”
“Did you know this when we were together?”
“Yes and no. My parents told me I was. That was the pressure I felt from them. Pressure to behave like I was royalty, like I was more than who I thought I was, but all I knew of myself was that I was a regular kid. I wasn’t exceptional at anything. I wasn’t that much smarter than anyone else. It wasn’t like I even really stood out in a crowd, so I thought they were just saying things to make me feel special and make sure I went to law school or something.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“I know, but this is…um, I came to realize what and who I am on prom night, after we…”
“Oh, so the sex…”
“Yeah, the sex…it unlocked everything. Evidently, that was the moment I reached my individual maturity. When we made love, I saw visions, heard voices, came into knowledge I didn’t understand, but I knew I needed to understand it. So, I left. After I told my parents I understood what they’d been trying to tell me, I left with my godfather, who wasn’t just my godfather, and came here. My parents left, too, but they didn’t come here with me.”
Now I knew where I remembered the man in the garden from. “Porter. He’s immortal, too?”
That earned me a smile. “Yes, he is. Porter was…is a guardian and a teacher. He has helped mold and guide many immortals before and including me.”
“I can definitely see where things might have been confusing and even frightening for you, but you left and didn’t turn back. You just…forgot about me.”
Reaching across the table, he grasped my hand. “I was scared and confused, totally unprepared despite my parents’ attempts at preparing me. There was so much for me to learn so that I could serve my people. But I never, ever forgot you.”
I nodded, feeling an uncomfortable swell of emotion threatening to overtake me. “Can you take me home now, please?”
His eyes searched mine. “If that’s what you want, but I’d love for you to stay.”
“It is what I want. Take me home. Beam me back. Whatever.”
He sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit, and I wondered if he’d intended to keep me here forever.
Fuck that.
And again, fuck him!
Without another word, he held his hands out to me, and no sooner than mine made contact with them, we were back in his hotel room. I had on my own clothes, and I felt borderline normal again. We stood there, hands still connected, eyes on one another.
“Temple, there’s one more thing I need to tell you before you leave. It’s important.”
