Dark Promises (Dark #29) Read Online Free PDF Page B

off. It wouldn’t budge, clinging as if a part of her body. She did her best to ignore it, feeling desperate, her stomach somersaulting while everything in her screamed she might lose the most important person in her world. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”
    He had been reborn Carpathian. Fully Carpathian. He was no longer human. He loved Gabrielle Sanders with all of his heart. She loved him in the same way. With her heart. All of it. But this vow was to bring two halves of the same soul back together. She had to hold the light to his darkness. Gabrielle was definitely of the light. He could see it shining in her eyes. He could almost see her soul in those beautiful eyes. But not now. Not at this moment—he saw reluctance. He saw the same dread in her that was there inside of him.
    â€œNo, Gary,” Gabrielle said. “Finish it. Say it in the ancient language, maybe the ritual needs to be recited in the ancient language. They aren’t going to take you away from me. Not that. You’re all I have left. I can’t make it without you. Say the words to tie us together.”
    She knew. On some level she knew. The knowledge was strong in him even when he wanted to deny it. Her soul would not bind itself to his.
    â€œGabrielle . . .”
    â€œDon’t.”
Tears swam in her eyes. “For me. If you love me, do this. I need you, Gary. I love you. Please, finish it. Say it in the ancient language.”
    Gary took a deep breath. His world was crumbling around him. He couldn’t imagine Gabrielle with another man. He wasn’t even certain he would remain sane if he ever saw such a thing. He’d lose his mind and try to kill her lifemate. She belonged to him. He belonged to her. She looked . . . devastated, just as he was devastated.
    â€œPlease, baby, please, for me, try again,” Gabrielle pleaded.
    â€œTe avio päläfertiilam. Éntölam kuulua, avio päläfertiilam.”
The moment he uttered the binding words in the ancient language, the dread increased tenfold. His stomach lurched. The knots tightened. He drew in his breath, shaking his head.
    She shook her head again and tried frantically to tear the bracelet from her wrist. Her nails dug into her skin, leaving bloody tracks.
    â€œI won’t let them do this to us. They’ve taken everything from both of us. Over and over, bled us dry. They can’t have you. It isn’t working because we were both human. Their rules don’t apply to us. We helped them, Gary. If it wasn’t for you, and also for me, their children would still be dying. I know Lara helped, but it was you who pointed everyone in the right direction. You were the one who saved their children. We deserve to be happy.”
    He drew her into his arms, fitting her body into his. He held her tightly. “Honey, it isn’t them. There is no
them
versus
us
. They want us happy.” He stood in the middle of the field, blinking as he looked around him, noting uneasily that the white petals of the flowers were no longer so white. The green of the leaves on the flowers had faded as well. He took a breath. Closed his eyes. Opened them, his heart bleeding for both of them. “This isn’t their fault.”
    â€œHow did this happen? I don’t understand how this could happen,” Gabrielle cried against his shirt.
    He understood. He had been reborn. His soul was no longer the soul of a human, but that of a Carpathian male. Gabrielle had always belonged to another man. Another Carpathian. She was the keeper of that man’s soul. Whether he was alive or already gone, whether he would actually find her, was a moot point. Her soul still reached for his—her true lifemate’s.
    â€œI don’t care,” Gabrielle said, pulling back to look up at his face. “Whatare the chances of either of us finding our lifemates? Seriously, Gary, calculate the odds. We can live as humans. We can