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all, she’d hated and feared vampires for as long as she could remember, and now she wanted to be one?
    But she wanted to be with him. Loving someone meant sacrifices, right? And she’d be more than willing to make those sacrifices if it meant being with the person she loved, the one who’d outlive her otherwise. Willem had brought them together through the worst way imaginable. Tonight, they’d finished forging a bond that couldn’t break, and now they had a chance to build something beautiful on the foundation a vampire with crimson eyes had intended to destroy them both.
    This was the way for them to be free of him. For good.
    If only Kiernan would understand….
    As if on cue, he opened the bedroom door and leaned against the frame, waiting, and something she’d read a long time ago crossed her mind. “It is true that you can’t come in unless invited?”
    With a wry smile, he shook his head. “Mere superstition. I’m just being polite.”
    Nodding, she patted the empty space next to her. “We need to talk about this.”
    “There isn’t anything to discuss.” He joined her, but kept some distance between them. “I cannot do that to you.”
    After setting the glass on the coffee table, she angled her body toward him. “I need you to listen to me. I forgive you. I love you and want to be with you, but it’s not feasible if….”
    “If I don’t change you.”
    “Right.”
    “You need to think this over, Moira. I want you to have the choice I didn’t.”
    Why couldn’t he understand that she had decided? “Before I was sent to live with the Dufresnes, I spent three months with a temporary family, but they were a family . The love between Jan and Ronald was obvious, even to a kid. Especially to a kid. I remember thinking how badly I wanted someone to love me as much as he loved her. Tonight I experienced that. You’ve given me the only thing that’s ever mattered, and now…it’s like you’re asking me to walk away.”
    “It’s a major decision.”
    “No. It’s the result that all the evidence points toward.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her standard ‘try messing with me now’ pose. “I’m not backing off. You’ve wanted this for a long time, and now a life together is in your grasp, and you can’t commit? What’s the deal?”
    Shit . By the look on his face, she may as well have kicked a puppy in front of him.
    “ The deal , as you put it, is that I cannot bear the thought of turning you, of forcing you into a life you’ll hate.”
    “I’m not a child. I don’t need you to make my decisions for me.”
    “At least take some time. Do research. Talk to the people you trust. This is not a decision to be made lightly.”
    They weren’t getting anywhere. He was as firmly entrenched in his beliefs as she was in hers. “If I agree, what kind of timeframe are we talking about? A few weeks, a few months?”
    “Years. Time enough to understand what you would deny yourself for me.”
    Translation: Enough time to forget about me .
    “Hell no.” She set her jaw, ready to argue her case further. Years wouldn’t cut it.
    “Think this through.”
    “I’ll concede four months. I’ll even add another two if you stop patronizing me.”
    He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You should take more than six months. You’ll have quite a bit of living to do.”
    “Fine.” Am I really about to give in? “A year. I’ll take a year.”
    “Good.” As though the weight of the world had been lifted, he sat back against the sofa. “Take the next year and think things over. Talk to those you trust. Weigh what you’ll give up. Weigh what you’ll gain. I’ll reserve this same suite for a year from now. If you come back, I’ll do as you ask. If you don’t….” His voice faltered and red rimmed his eyes again. “If you don’t, I’ll understand.”
     
    ***
     
    After they returned to bed, Moira didn’t say a word. She remained in Kiernan’s embrace and let the tears