Paul’s eyes widened at this news. Hope beating to life in his chest. He could be immortal, have Jeanne Louise. That hope died with the man’s next words.
“But I’m not letting any of you do that. Your one turn is too precious to let you give it away for someone else’s life mate.”
Paul sighed and sank down in the chair at the table. The man was right of course. The way Jeanne Louise explained it, if Justin gave up his turn he might one day meet a life mate and not be able to turn her. It would leave him in the same position Jeanne Louise and he were in right now. As for Jo and Marguerite . . . well, they might have their life mates already, but immortals could die. What if they found themselves widowed? And then found another life mate who was mortal? They too would be right where he and Jeanne Louise were now. His conscience wouldn’t allow that.
“Jeanne Louise’s original hope was to turn you and let you use your one turn to turn Livy,” Lucian announced, drawing his attention back to the man. “You knew that?”
“Yes,” Paul admitted on a sigh. “We had discussed it.”
He nodded. “And you agreed to it?”
“Of course,” Paul said at once. Good Lord, who wouldn’t agree to that?
“Because you wanted to be immortal?” Lucian asked.
Paul blinked at the question with surprise. “Hell no. I’d rather neither Livy nor I were immortals. Everything has changed for her. She can’t go back to school next year. Can’t run around carefree in the sun. She can’t see her friends or play with the kids in the neighborhood for fear of accidentally revealing what she is. And I sure as hell don’t want to lose my family.”
“And yet you agreed to the turn,” Lucian pointed out.
Paul sighed and rubbed his forehead, he felt the beginnings of a headache ruffling through his thoughts. “I agreed for two reasons. One, because becoming immortal was the only way for Livy to be alive. If I could have found another way to cure her or save her I would have jumped at it and allowed her a normal childhood.”
“And you?” Lucian asked. “If you could have cured her another way would you have bypassed becoming immortal too?”
“No. Because it would mean not having Jeanne Louise. I’d give up everything in my life for her . . . except my daughter and her happiness.”
Lucian was silent for a moment, his gaze sharp and focused on his forehead and then he nodded and turned to Livy. “You were saying maybe you could turn your dad and make him immortal like you and Jeanne Louise so you could be a family. Did you mean it? Would you turn your dad if you could?”
Paul stiffened at the question. “Just a damned minute, she’s five years old. She can’t—”
Lucian silenced him with a look. Actually a look and some mental tinkering, Paul decided when he tried to speak again and found he couldn’t. The bastard was controlling him.
“Livy?” Leigh prompted gently, brushing the hair back from the girl’s face. “Would you use your one turn to turn your father?”
“Uh-huh,” Livy said simply, and leaned into the woman. “I’d like Jeanne Louise to come back. Daddy was happy with her. She made me happy too. And I don’t want Daddy to die.”
“Right. That’s what we’ll do then,” Lucian announced, standing up.
Paul tried to rise and protest, but couldn’t do either.
“Leigh, honey, why don’t you take Livy out to the car. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Leigh nodded and stood, taking Livy’s hand to lead her out of the dining room.
Paul watched them go, more confused than upset now. He’d thought they were going to try to make the girl turn him. It seemed not. He was relieved and disappointed all at once. He wanted to be turned, it would give him all he wanted, Jeanne Louise and Livy both. A happy family. He just didn’t want Livy to have to do it or to lose her turn to do it.
“What kind of sick bastard do you think I am?” Lucian snapped with disgust the moment the two females were gone. “I wouldn’t make a five-year-old child rip her wrist open to turn her father.”
Paul blinked at that comment. “I—” He paused, surprised to find he could talk again. Lucian had removed his control over him. “Well then, why did you even force her to answer such a question?”
“Because she had to say yes,” Lucian said dryly. “She had to verbally give up her one turn to you in front of witnesses.”
“She’s five years old,” Paul said with amazement. “You can’t hold her to that.”
“I can, and I will. But I will be doing the turning for Livy,” Lucian said simply. “I will physically do the turning, but it will count as her one turn.”
“No,” Paul said firmly. He couldn’t take his daughter’s turn and possibly leave her in a similar untenable position in the future, faced with a mortal life mate she could never claim.
“Don’t you want Jeanne Louise?” Lucian asked simply.