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Carter frowned and muttered, “That’s hardly the result I’m hoping for.”
“Well, if you’re expecting us to fall in love for real without the bond’s influence and live happily ever after, you’re going to be disappointed. I don’t want this! I never asked for a mate, and I never chose Elias.”
“No one gets to choose who they fall in love with, kid.”
I said, “I’m almost a hundred and twenty. Don’t call me a kid.”
“Apologies. But did you hear what I said? No one gets to choose who they fall in love with. It just happens, and the people involved have absolutely no control over it. So, your mate bond sprang to life automatically when you turned twenty, and you didn’t get to select your partner. So what? You’ve been given the rarest and most precious gift imaginable, a soul mate, and you’ve totally failed to appreciate it or show the slightest bit of gratitude.”
“Gratitude. Right. You’re trying to convince me having no choice and no freedom is somehow a good thing, but come on, Carter. You’re a demon overflowing with dark energy, but you’re choosing not to be evil. In other words, you didn’t just accept what the universe handed you without question, but somehow you’re expecting me to.”
He shook his head. “You can’t compare the two. I’m asking you to say yes to love, and you’re talking about the choice I make every single day not to burn down the world.”
I stared at him and asked, “Metaphorically speaking? Or could you really burn it down?”
“I could put a pretty big dent in it.”
“Can I see your true form? Is it terrifying? I assume the idea of horns and a red complexion is just bullshit, but man would I love to see the real you.”
Carter frowned at me. “Are you trying to make me angry? Just so you know, that’s not a great idea.”
“No, I’m not. I just want to stop talking about how lucky I am to have no say whatsoever in who I ended up with as my mate.”
“At least you have a mate,” he said. “I’m one of only three demons on earth, and believe me when I say the other two are something from your worst nightmares. There’s literally no one for me here while you have a wonderful man who’d do anything for you, and you’re treating him like a rash you can’t wait to get rid of.”
“Is there some reason you can only date other demons?”
“What do you mean?”
“You just told me there are only two other demons on earth, so there’s no one for you to pair up with,” I said. “Is dating another demon a requirement of some kind?”
“No, it’s not. But who else besides another demon would be willing to take a chance on someone like me?”
“Lots of people. Elias, maybe, if he wasn’t saddled with me.” I watched him closely as I asked, “Are you in love with him?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve spent the last three months doing a favor for him, and that suggests far more than a friendship.”
“That’s no time at all when you’ve lived as long as I have,” Carter said. “And I was willing to do it because I care about him and want him to be happy.”
“Why does he mean so much to you?”
“He was there for me when I needed a friend. It’s as simple as that.”
I asked, “What’s he like with you? Is he warm and friendly? Kind and thoughtful? Does he seem to care about your feelings and show a real interest in your life?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you he’s all of those things, so just wait and see what he’s like for yourself.”
“I already know what he’s like.”
“You gave him three days. I can’t believe that’s all the time you spent with him when you two first met,” he said.
“He was horrible during that time. He ordered me around, treated me like a possession, and tried to take control of my entire life.”
“Well, he is your alpha, which means he was just doing his job.” I rolled my eyes. The steady hum of the jet engine changed slightly, and Carter glanced out the window as he murmured, “Looks like we’re beginning our descent into Belfast.”
“Ireland?”
“Maine.”
“What are we doing here?”
“Trading the jet for a helicopter.”
“Then what?”
“Then,” he said cheerfully, “I’m delivering you to your one true love.” All I could do was sigh.
Chapter 3
Maybe twenty minutes later, we landed at a small municipal airport. Surprisingly, Carter had actually thought to pluck one of my coats off the rack by the front door when he was abducting me, and I put it on before following him out of the plane.
It was bitterly cold. Even though I appreciated the coat, it had been bought for Southern California winters and didn’t really stand a chance of keeping me warm in Maine. We hurried across the tarmac, and Carter reached a sleek, black helicopter a moment before me and opened the door.
