Read Online The Awakening: Aidan by Abby Niles - Free Book Online

again after he’s able to cope with my death. A shifter waits for death to rejoin his mate. What kind of life is that?”
    “It’s not like that, Jaylin. Not at all.”
    “Oh, really?” She gave a brittle smile. “My very human mother lost my shifter father when I was twelve. She was thirty-eight. In the prime of her life. It’s been almost twenty years since he died. If she’d married a human instead, she could’ve found love again. But no, she reciprocated the bond, Fewsed her soul to his, and what has she been left with?” She paused. “Loneliness. Twenty years of living alone in a huge house, never dating, never kissing, never being held again, just waiting for her time to be back with him in Anavrin.”
    At least that gave him more insight into her thought process, but she was seeing it all wrong. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be. The bond is eternal. Have you ever talked to her about how she feels?”
    “Of course I have.”
    “Has she ever said she regretted her decision?”
    She averted her gaze. “That doesn’t matter.”
    “It does matter.”
    “No. It doesn’t .” Her eyes locked with his again. “She doesn’t regret her decision, but I’ve seen the life she’s lived since his death. I do not want that. For God’s sake, I’ve had clients who lost their mates almost immediately after the ritual. Some failed to breed and are spending the rest of their lives completely alone. You can’t seriously tell me you want that?”
    “I do if it’s with you.” He meant the words with all his heart. She was the link that would make his life complete. Only without her bond would he truly be alone. How could he convince her of the same thing?
    Jaylin groaned, stood, and threw up her hands. “See! This damn Drall makes you oblivious to the consequences.”
    Pushing to his feet, Aidan grabbed her by the upper arms. “I’ve seen the consequences, Jaylin, through Liam, through my brother. He lost his mate four years ago. Yes, the first couple of years were horrible, as it is with any death. But once the haze of grief lifts, and no matter what you think, it does lift, even for a shifter, he was able to concentrate on the peace that filled him. The place where his mate ran through his blood was filled with such harmony he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she waited for him on the other side, that she was happy where she was, and he would one day join her. An unbonded human can’t say that.”
    Jaylin shook her head. “I won’t do it. I won’t bond myself to someone for eternity. You don’t have a choice, but I do, and all I can do at this point is keep you from becoming Liam, because if you Fewse to me that is exactly what is going to happen. I will reject you.”
    Aidan released her and ran a hand through his hair. “I won’t wind up like Liam. You’re making it damn clear that you won’t reciprocate the Fewshon , so why would I do that to myself?”
    At his words, his beast growled, baring his teeth, then lunged forward, sending a need to mate through him. Clenching his jaw, Aidan ignored the instinct.
    A sputtered laugh came from her. “Oh my God. You think you can control it.”
    “I can control it, just like you told Liam he could.”
    “You’re a fool. The affects of the Drall are completely different from Dsershon . Liam is no longer driven to connect to his mate. He already is. That instinct is potent, unyielding. Who knows what will happen if you try to fight it. Kissing me was the biggest mistake of your life.”
    Aidan grabbed her waist and jerked her to his chest. He had to prove to her that he could keep his instincts contained. He was stronger than they were. If he didn’t, he feared he’d never get the chance to break down her defenses, show her they were meant for each other—forever. The possibility of losing Jaylin scared him far worse than winding up like Liam.
    Maybe he was oblivious to the consequences. Maybe he was a fool. But he was certain he couldn’t