Read Online Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 by Angela Corbett - Free Book Online Page B

inquired in my circles about who you were, and made sure to get an invitation to the next the ball you’d be attending.”
    “That was outgoing of you.”
    He held my eyes. Some sugar from one of the pecans clung to his lips. He licked it off like a caress. “I’m persistent when I want something.”
    My stomach flipped, and not because the food was so good. “Did we—” I paused, unsure of the word for dating two hundred and fifty years ago, “—court, long?”
    Emil’s lips lifted slightly, amused. “For the Season. I wanted to ask you to marry me the moment I saw you, but that would have been inappropriate. We were married soon after the Season ended though. Our marriage was the best year of my life.”
    I thought back to the things I knew about how our time together had ended. Emil telling me about the Daevos. Telling me I had to leave because the Amaranthine were the only people who could keep me safe from his, and all the other Daevos Clans. “It must have been difficult letting me go.”
    He stiffened, his lips going tight like he was reliving the moment. “More than you’ll ever know.”
    We watched each other in silence, both of us trying to understand the other’s thoughts. We were interrupted by Kurt bringing our next course: gnocchi in a spicy tomato sauce, and steak, marinated in a red wine reduction, and grilled to perfection.
    I bit into the pillowy potato dumplings and immediately decided if I got to choose my last meal, this would be it. “What about after Cassandra died?” I asked. “What did you do? Just wait around for me to come back?”
    “Our bond made it easy to find you. I kept tabs on you throughout all of your lives, making sure my Daevos Clan stayed far away. It was hard to be near you and not be able to be with you, so I tried to keep myself occupied with other things unless there seemed to be a threat toward you. I started a shipping business and did quite well, especially during the 1800s.”
    I’d wondered about that. So, Emil’s money didn’t all come from the Daevos Resistance. That made me feel a bit better. I was pretty sure my next question wouldn’t make me chipper though. “Did you marry again?”
    Emil stopped eating and held my eyes. “Never.”
    I found that hard to believe. I’d seen women ogle Emil and Alex. They were both attractive in a way that would make perfectly sane women lose their minds if given a chance to date them, let alone marry them. I wasn’t with them all the time, but I knew they got hit on a lot . If they weren’t both immortal, they’d need a security detail just to walk around. I searched Emil’s eyes, but didn’t find a hint of deception there. “Did you date?”
    “No.”
    I blinked, my mouth hanging open. “Are you saying you haven’t had a relationship since you were married to me as Cassandra?”
    He held my eyes. “You were the only one I wanted. Why would I waste time with someone else?”
    “But you didn’t know if you’d ever get me back!”
    He reached across the table, holding my hand. “Nothing worth having comes without risk. I wasn’t going to settle for anyone less than you.”
    I was stunned. I couldn’t even decide which man in my life I loved more, let alone put all my faith in one of them for centuries. “That’s…amazing.”
    His lips curved into a tender smile. “That’s true love.”
    His matter-of-fact statement made me think of something I’d been trying to figure out for a while. After I was safe and Emil had taken Caleb’s soul, Emil had told me the reason he and I could touch was because no one else could detect our bond. I’d asked him why and he’d said he hoped someday I would remember. I wondered if his devotion to me had something to do with it.
    Kurt stepped into the room with a warm chocolate lava cake covered with gelato, whipped cream, and a rich chocolate sauce. I decided not to think of the calories. It was better that way. “Is that why no one can see our bond now? Because