Willing Sacrifice by Shannon K. Butcher Read Free Book Online Page B

without feeling something. And for me, it’s only been a few months. I hadn’t even had time to
think
about getting over losing her, if such a thing is even possible.”
    She let out a long sigh. “What do you ask of me?”
    “How do I take the disk off?”
    “You do not.”
    “She’s better now. There shouldn’t be any danger.”
    “She has worn it for too long. Much longer than you.”
    “I figured that out. She said she’s been here four years.”
    “Not just that. It is part of her. She has never known a life without it. Or without the feelings flowing through it.”
    “So what do you want me to do? Stop feeling?”
    “If you must. You said you would do anything for Grace. This is your chance to prove that was no lie. Find happiness. Give that to her instead.”
    “Then let me tell her who I am. Who she is. Once she remembers me and the love we shared, we’ll both be happy.”
    “If only you had as much intelligence as you do determination.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Some things are best left forgotten. The pieces of Grace that I hid were not ones that served her future happiness. They would have kept her from healing.”
    “Are you saying you don’t think we should be together?”
    “She is human. Not your kind.”
    “So? I’d rather have a short life with her than a long one without her.”
    “You will live a long life without her no matter what you do. The closer you tie yourself to her, the harder losing her will inevitably be.”
    “I’m already tied to her as close as a man can get. I love her.”
    “What about her? You have seen how gentle her heart is. When she realizes that she will die and cause you great sadness, that she will stand in the way of you fulfilling your destiny as a Theronai warrior, do you think that will add to her happiness? Or will she mourn for what she will take from you because you give her no other choice?”
    Torr had never considered how it would make Grace feel to know she was going to age and die before him and cause him pain. He’d never even once stopped to consider how it might hurt her to know she kept him from finding the female Theronai who could channel his power and save his life.
    He still had several leaves on his lifemark. He still had time. But it
would
run out, and the years he spent with Grace were ones he would never use to find a mate who could help fight the war against the Synestryn.
    Even the idea of looking for another woman to spend his life with—one who wasn’t Grace—was enough to make his stomach turn. But it was his duty to live, to fight, and the only way he could stay alive was to find the woman who would stop the decay of his soul.
    If Grace ever learned that she was standing in the way of him finding the woman who could save his life, it would kill her.
    Brenya closed her eyes in sadness. “So you see now. Being with her own kind is her best chance at happiness. She should grow old with one of her own. Feel that her life is long and full, rather than short and fleeting by comparison.”
    Finally Torr realized the truth. “You didn’t bring me here just to fight that lizard, did you?”
    “No. I could have slain the beast with a mere thought. But I needed your presence, and I am tired, even for thought.”
    “You want me to take her back to Earth, don’t you?”
    “Among other things. I do have need of you here, but I also knew that if you were the one to escort her home to her own kind, you would see to her safety. Without her memories or knowledge of the danger she would face on Earth, I thought it best if she had a protector. Someone she trusted.”
    “She doesn’t even know me. You saw the way she flinched when I touched her—like I’d hurt her.”
    “Before you leave, she will know you. Trust you. You will stay here and spend time with her while you drive back the invasion that the Solarc has sent to draw us out.”
    The Solarc?
The instant spurt of fear that shot through Torr was completely