Eternal (30 page)

He stroked my hair. I dissolved into sobs. He sat beside me and put his arms around me and let me cry.

I should have been deliriously happy to see him again. It was just that he'd confirmed my worst fear—he planned to leave. He didn't want to be with me.

“The apartment is beautiful,” he said. “You have made it a home.”

I sniffed and mopped my face. “For you.”

“I will camp by the river.”

I gulped. “Here in town? In the
bosque
?”

“
Bosque
. Yes.”

That was actually good news. He wasn't moving back to Europe, or anywhere else inaccessible.

“Guess you'd rather live outdoors than in an apartment,” I said. “I can understand.”

“It is not because of preference. I have spent many evenings talking with
Mad
ó
ran
and with Pirian.”

“Pirian! He's still there?”

“Not now. He and I left together.”

“You mean he's here in Albuquerque?”

“Yes. He means to patrol the mountains, while I patrol the river.”

I blinked at Savhoran. He still had his arm around me, and he was gazing into the distance.

“We have decided to follow Ebonwatch's path, if we can. We will atone for our hunting as Ebonwatch did, and watch over humankind in the place where we live. If we succeed in living by the creed, we can recruit others who share our misfortune. Someday we may have a clan.”

“
Pirian
agreed to that?”

“I believe he thinks we will fail, but at least he was intrigued enough by the idea that he is willing to try. He is not unreasonable, merely accustomed to his habits.”

I swallowed. Habits like thinking humans weren't worth the bother of getting emotionally involved. Would Savhoran someday be accustomed to that idea too?

“He has promised me that he will leave you and Len alone,” Savhoran said.

“I thought he already promised that.”

“No, he had promised to leave
Mad
ó
ran
‘s guests alone. You are no longer his guests.”

Crap. Freaking literal-minded ælven. Lucky I hadn't run into Pirian on campus.

“He will not harm you. He knows that if he did, I would slay him as an oath-breaker.”

Savhoran gave my shoulders a squeeze, then let go and turned to face me. “My hope is that you will never be hurt again, by me or others of my kind.”

I frowned. “You want me not to be hurt.”

“Yes.”

“Then don't leave. Stay with me. Let me l-love you.”

I could have kicked myself. Nothing that corny had ever left my mouth before.

Savhoran took a deep breath. “If I stay, you will surely be hurt. You are mortal, and I am not.”

“Don't you dare make that excuse! I don't care if you still look twenty when I'm a gray-haired granny. People will just think I'm a cradle-robber.”

Savhoran's face got grim. “That is another reason I should not stay. You will want children someday. I cannot …”

He looked down and swallowed. I grabbed his hands.

“I don't care. We can adopt. That's not a problem, just don't leave.”

I kissed his cheeks a dozen times. Finally he raised his head.

“Amanda—”

“I have faith in you. You'll succeed. You'll live by the creed and gather a big clan and you'll all help each other. But that clan will need a human mascot, right? Caeran's clan has Len. You can have me.”

He closed his eyes, and I was afraid I'd offended him. Then he laughed.

It was like the sun rising. OK, not a good analogy for Savhoran, but that's how it made me feel. Hope.

“You will not let me refuse, will you?”

I smoothed his hair back. “Nope.”

He leaned into my hand, and a slow burn started in my gut. All my worries vanished. I put my arms around him and kissed him.

I knew he'd been holding back, but I didn't know how much. He kissed me like I'd never been kissed, and the rest of the world went away for a while.

All I can say is wow. I was definitely spoiled for human guys.

He paused to let me catch my breath. “I have one request,” he said.

“Hm?”

“Do not donate blood again.”

I thought about the blood center. They were always begging for more donors, but they'd have to do without me. I didn't think I'd be able to go back in there anyway.

“You got it,” I said.

Thank you, Amanda.

I caught my breath. I hadn't felt him like that in a while. If I could feel like that every day, even just for a minute, it would be worth any pain that might come my way.

Pati Nagle was born and raised in the mountains of northern New Mexico. An avid student of music, history, and humans in general, she loves the outdoors but hides from the sun.

She writes in a variety of genres, but is most often drawn to fantasy or (as P.G. Nagle) historical fiction. Her stories have appeared in
Asimov's Science Fiction
, the
Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, and in various other magazines and anthologies, including
Elf Magic,
which featured “Kind Hunter,” the story that sparked the ælven world. Her Blood of the Kindred series includes
The Betrayal, Heart of the Exiled
, and
Swords Over Fireshore
. A contemporary series featuring the ælven began with
Immortal
and continues with
Eternal
.

Pati Nagle still lives in the mountains in New Mexico, with her husband and furry feline muse, where she loves to walk in the woods and look up at the stars.

Pati Nagle's websites:

www.patinagle.com

www.pgnagle.com

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Immortal Series

Immortal
Eternal

Blood of the Kindred Series

The Betrayal
Heart of the Exiled
Swords Over Fireshore

patinagle.com