Shane grabbed his hand. “Don’t.”
A muscle jerked in Pate’s jaw. “It’s not even her voice that gives power to the wish. She just has to think it.” He stared into Shane’s eyes. “Go ask her if she wished for Donald’s death, because I think she did. Chloe can’t even remember attacking her father. She doesn’t remember anything that happened to her after Donald shoved that silver knife in her chest.”
Shane glanced away from him. “So what the hell are you suggesting we do with Olivia? Keep her locked up? Forever?”
“That’s an option.”
Shane grabbed his friend and pinned him to the wall. “The hell it is. No one cages her.”
Pate swallowed.
“What’s the second option?”
Pate didn’t speak.
Shane leaned in close. “You better not be fucking thinking death.”
“I-I didn’t realize how powerful she’d be—we have to stop the djinn inside of her…” Pate shook his head. “There’s a reason the djinn were killed off. Because if they’re not taken out, they’ll destroy the rest of us!”
He nearly destroyed Pate in that moment. “No one will hurt her. I won’t let that happen.”
Pate’s laugh was strangled. “She…doesn’t need you for protection. She’s got all her powers now. The woman could kill us all right at this moment, and we’d never have the chance to fight.”
“Not now,” Shane snarled. “Because you have her in a cell, caged with your damn blood marks!”
“It’s the only thing keeping her in check!”
Shane bared his fangs.
“Man…” Now fear entered Pate’s voice. “It’s me. Me. I’m your friend.”
“And she’s everything. Everything to me.” He was far too close to attacking Pate. Shane forced himself to step back. To think.
There had to be a way out of this mess. A way that didn’t involve losing Olivia. A way that would let them stay together, forever.
Forever…
He smiled.
“You’re going to kill me,” Pate said, sounding utterly certain.
“Not yet,” Shane told him. “But you’d better stop tempting me.” He whirled away. Headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Pate yelled.
“To offer Olivia forever, if she’ll have me.”
“What?”
Shane slammed the door shut behind him.
Her cell door flew open. Olivia jumped to her feet, and when she saw Shane rushing toward her, happiness seemed to explode within her. She grabbed him, wrapped her arms around him, and held tight.
She wouldn’t have long with him. She knew that. Olivia had figured out the fate that waited for her already. So she’d hold him and enjoy him while she could.
He kissed her. His mouth was desperate and hungry on hers. She couldn’t get close enough to him. His taste, his touch. She needed him so much.
“It’s all right,” Shane whispered against her mouth. “Everything is going to be all right.”
Her vampire was such a liar. There was no way things could be all right.
Olivia knew exactly what she’d done.
She’d raised the dead.
She’d forced a daughter to kill her own father. Just with a thought.
I just wished he’d die. That he’d feel the same betrayal I felt.
And then Chloe had acted.
I’m sorry, Chloe.
Shane pulled back a bit. Stared into her eyes. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“And the most dangerous?” Olivia asked, voice breaking a bit. It was almost funny. She’d once interviewed monsters, never realizing that she was the biggest threat out there.
Shane caught her hands in his. Stared down at her. Emotions swirled in his gaze.
She dared to ask, “Pate plans to keep me locked up, doesn’t he?”
Shane didn’t answer.
“It…it’s probably the safest idea. Until I can learn to control myself.” If she could. Olivia wasn’t sure it was possible. No…no, be honest. “I won’t ever control myself. I can feel it…the power inside. Like a black hole that’s stretching and trying to take me over.”
Shane shouldn’t be there with her. She wanted him close because—he’d gotten to her. Broken through her armor and reached the woman inside. Love shouldn’t happen so quickly.
But then, wishes shouldn’t go dark, either.
Life wasn’t fair. It was twisted—as twisted as her wishes—hard and cold. And beautiful. Sometimes, so beautiful and good.
She wanted to remember the good times. When she spent years caged up, the good memories would be all that she had.
“It won’t take you over.” He sounded so confident.
He didn’t understand that it already had. She’d killed, with just a thought.
But then Shane lowered before her, bowing down on his knees.
Olivia shook her head and blinked in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“I know you don’t believe in mates, but do you think you could believe in me? In us?” His hands held hers. “Because I do. And I pledge myself to you. Right here. Right now. I pledge that I will always be by your side. I will stay with you through any danger that comes. I will celebrate with you, and I will mourn with you.”
His words seemed to wrap around her.
“I will tie my life with yours.”
Those words…it almost seemed like some kind of ceremony that he was performing. “What are you doing?”
“Being with you, if you’ll have me.”
She wanted no one else.
He stared up at her. “I love you.”
Olivia shook her head.
“I wasn’t manipulating you. Wasn’t trying to seduce you into giving me your delectable body and, apparently, your all-powerful heart. I just wanted you. I needed you. And I would have done anything to have you.”
She would have done anything to have him. But it wasn’t just about what she wanted. It wasn’t safe for him to be with her. It wasn’t safe for anyone to be with her. “You should go.” She had to blink away tears. I have to keep him safe. He’s only safe when he’s away from me. Everyone is safe…away from me.
He stayed on his knees, and he shook his head.
“Pate won’t let me out.” He had to see that.
His lips thinned, and then Shane said, “We have two options.”
Her heart slammed into her chest.
“If you stay locked up, then I stay with you.”
No, that couldn’t happen.
“It won’t be Purgatory. It will be paradise, because I’ll be with you.”
“Bullshit,” Olivia instantly called.
His lips twitched.
“It will be prison,” Olivia said, “and I won’t have that for you.”
His hold tightened on her hands. “Then that gives us option two.”
She wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear this one.
“The djinn dies.”
Olivia tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. “You’re…going to kill me?”
“I want you alive forever, Olivia. I don’t want to think of any world without you in it.” His gaze fell to her neck. “I can make you something other than djinn.”
And she understood. “Vampire.”
He nodded. “I’ve taken your blood. You know the pleasure to be found there.”
It was rather hard to forget that particular pleasure.
“If you drink from me, I can change you. Your human side will die, and your djinn side…it will either die, too, and you’ll become a full vampire…”
He trailed off. She waited. And waited a bit more. “Shane?”
“Or something else could happen.” His words were gruff. “When Holly gave her blood to Duncan, he became a blend of vampire and werewolf. You could change like that, too. Then you would—”