Page 41 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

Aru had thrown him a lifeline to pull him out of the turbulent waters of despair, but to implement Aru's suggestion, they needed the doctor to get there in time.

"I just thought of something," Negal said. "It's not only our blood that has healing abilities. Our venom and our saliva do, too. I don’t think the saliva would be effective for this, and the doctor still needs to get the bullet out anyway, but you don't need to wait for the doctor to bite Frankie. It might just give her enough of a boost until the doctor arrives."

Negal's idea of using venom to help Frankie was absurd. The notion that he could bite her while she was unconscious and barely clinging to life was utterly ludicrous.

"Do you think I can get my fangs and venom glands going while Frankie is unconscious?"

Negal shrugged. "You can think about the monsters back there and get your venom going with aggression."

Dagor shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, and you know it."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? I was trying to think outside the box. Maybe you can think back to when you and Frankie were intimate, and the memory will be enough to activate your fangs and venom."

"I can't think sexy thoughts while my mate is dying in my arms."

Mate?

Why had the word slipped from his lips?

With Frankie's life hanging by a thread, the realization that she might be his mate hit Dagor with the force of a freight train.

The term mate had always been a distant concept for him, something that was not relevant to his carefully-laid-out future plans. But the fear for Frankie's life was like a jolt of clarity amidst the fog of urgency and desperation.

This recognition brought about a surge of protectiveness and a profound sense of connection. Could Frankie, the human girl who had unexpectedly entered his life, who had challenged him, fascinated him, and now lay dying in his arms, be his mate?

Aru

Aru had planned on waiting to confess to Kian what he had done after the transfusion was administered and Kian couldn't stop it, but his conscience wouldn't allow that, and he found himself walking over to Kian's cabin and ringing the doorbell.

Since his calls were no doubt monitored, it wasn't the kind of conversation he could have over the phone, but even if no one was listening it still needed to be done face to face, no matter how awkward it was.

As the door swung open and he stepped in, Kian regarded him with a raised brow. "How can I help you, Aru?"

Aru glanced at the blond Guardian, who was sitting on the couch with the phone glued to his ear. He was talking with someone in rapid Spanish, arranging rental vehicles to be delivered to the dock.

At the dining table, Kian's assistant was busy typing on his laptop, and he only acknowledged Aru with a slight nod.

Aru nodded back before answering Kian. "I need a word alone with you if you don't mind."

A knowing look in his eyes, Kian rose to his feet. "We can talk out on the balcony while I smoke my cigarillo. Can I interest you in one?"

Aru only smoked when he needed to conduct a private conversation and used smoking as an excuse to step outside, but in a way, this situation fell into the same category, so he nodded. "Thank you. I would love to try one."

Kian smiled. "What about a shot of fine whiskey? Can I interest you in that as well?"

"Sure. Why not."

Kian walked over to the bar, poured two shots, and handed one to Aru.

"Thank you." He sniffed the whiskey the same way Kian did and followed the immortal out the doors to the expansive balcony of the luxurious cabin suite.

Kian closed the doors behind them and motioned for Aru to take a seat on one of the loungers.

A pack of cigarillos was on the side table, along with an ashtray and a lighter.

Kian sat on the other lounger, took the box, and opened it to offer Aru one of the brown sticks. "Every time I try to quit, another disaster pops up, and I turn to my one vice."

"You have only one?" Aru pulled out one of the cigarillos. "That's not so bad."