Read Dark Promises (Dark #29) for Free Online

go far away from here, build a life together, have our children and accomplish all the things we talked about doing for the world.”
    There it was. She would go away with him. His heart stuttered in his chest. It wasn’t the right thing to do, not for either of them, but, God, he wanted her. She was there, under his skin, in his heart, his everything. But she wasn’t his lifemate—and he wasn’t hers.
    â€œDon’t,” she whispered. “I see it on your face. Don’t do this, Gary. We belong together. In the human world we’d get married and have children and live out our lives together. We’d be happy. You know we would.”
    Her fingers curled into the lapels of his jacket. His suit jacket. His wedding suit. Gary closed his eyes again, the need of her so strong in him, it shook him. She was giving herself to him. No man, not even a Carpathian male, could be offered the love of his life and turn it down. No one.
    He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze hooded. Sensual. Needing her. Wanting her. Loving her with every breath he took. He just had to take her hand and lead her to the bed and she would be his. She would go away with him, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he’d be happy with her. She was everything.
    Still, the night was dimmer. The color in the world around him had faded significantly. He tried not to be alarmed, but the white flowers were now dull. Her hair wasn’t a rich black but a softer gray. Her lips, always so red, had faded in color as well. All around him, he could see that he was losing his ability to see in color. The vibrant shades weren’t fading over time, like they did with most Carpathians; they were being wrenched from him all in one night. His brain processed the information even as he rejected the idea of it.
    He hadn’t considered what rebirth meant. What the pouring of wealth into his mind from all the ancients in the Daratrazanoff lineage would actually mean. He received all the power. All the skills and knowledge acquired in centuries of battles, of living, were in his head. All of it. But with that came the darkness. Overwhelming. Terrible. Descending on him as if he’d lived those centuries, but again, overnight. Robbing him of his humanity. Taking this woman from him. His one love.
    His hand tightened convulsively around Gabrielle. He stepped closer, needing to feel her body against his. Needing to hold her. He put his arms around her and held her tight. One hand cupped the back of her head, pressing her face against him. He ignored the rising hum of the bracelet.
    â€œHoney, you are just as Carpathian as I am.” The words, as true as they were, tasted bitter in his mouth. It was too late for them. She didn’t understand what was happening to him. He was hurting her. He knew he was and that just added to the sorrow in him. She had chosen to live because she thought they would be together. Now she had to feel as if he was deserting her.
    â€œDon’t, Gary. Please.
Please
, don’t let them take you away from me.” Gabrielle wept uncontrollably, her arms around him. Clinging. Pressing herself even closer.
    If there was a hell, this was it. Gary dropped his head down to rub his face in her soft hair. Breathing her in. Breathing in her sweetness. Trying to make a memory that couldn’t be ripped from him in just a few moments.
    â€œI can make you happy,” she whispered softly. “I can, Gary. I know it. We can leave here, go far away and marry. Have a family. We can live a human lifetime together. After that, after we’re supposed to be dead and gone, maybe then we’ll have had enough of each other, but I can’t imagine my life without you. I can’t.”
    â€œI know, Gabrielle. I feel the same.” He heard the regret in his voice. She heard it, too, because she stiffened.
    Gabrielle pulled back, putting space between them, her hands curling into two tight fists. Her