and the nanos. How they keep you healthy and heal wounds, and keep you young. How they make you strong, fast, give you night vision and all that, but nobody mentioned anything about a turn. What is it?”
“How could they not tell you that part?” he asked with disbelief.
CJ frowned. “It isn’t like a vampire turn, is it? Like you turning me into a bloodsucking immortal?”
Now it was Mac’s turn to frown as he recalled her reaction to the knowledge that he worked with blood when they’d first met. She’d shuddered and made a face that seemed to suggest she found blood gross. Swallowing, he considered the matter briefly, but he couldn’t lie about this. Blood was a necessity to his kind. She would need to consume it if she turned.
“Yes,” he said finally.
“Oh.” She grimaced with disgust. “That isn’t necessary, is it? I mean, do I have to turn for us to be together? Can’t we just . . .” She shrugged helplessly. “Be together?”
“We could,” he said slowly. “But turning has all sorts of benefits, my love. Your HIV would be eradicated. You wouldn’t have to take medicine every day as you do now. In fact, you would never have to take any kind of medicine again for anything.”
Her eyebrows rose at that, but then she bit her lip briefly and pointed out, “But it’s kind of taking medicine for you when you take blood, isn’t it? I mean, it’s necessary for you guys to live. You can’t do without it.”
Mac blinked in surprise at the suggestion. He’d never thought of it like that.
“Can’t we just be together without my turning?” she asked, leaning into him.
“We could, but . . .”
“But?” she prompted when he hesitated.
“You’re asking me to accept your death before we’ve even started,” he said sadly.
CJ’s eyes widened with amazement. “I’m not dying. You’re not getting rid of me that quickly. I’ve got a good thirty years left in me at least.”
“Unless you’re in a car accident, shot, or hit by a bus,” he said dully.
“Accidents happen all the time, Mac. Surely even your nanos can’t save you from accidents?”
“Unless my head’s cut off and kept away from my body for an extremely long time, or I’m set on fire, yes, the nanos can save me from most accidents,” he told her solemnly.
“Oh.” She bit her lip again, but said, “Still, we’d have thirty or forty years together. That’s nothing to sneeze at.”
“CJ,” he said gently. “I was born in 1009 b.c. I’ve lived more than three thousand years, and may live three thousand more. The human life span is a blink of an eye to me. Thirty or forty years is half a blink, and I’d spend it constantly worrying about you getting in an accident, or falling ill . . . and then I’d spend the next three thousand years mourning your passing.” Mac frowned as he recognized the truth behind his words. Being with her while she was mortal would be a constant hell of worry, mixed with the constant highs of having her near. It would be a roller coaster ride, but worse, because he’d also have the constant knowledge that she would die soon and leave him alone.
Mac wasn’t sure he could handle that. He’d have to, of course. He couldn’t not take her any way she was willing to be with him, but he was afraid he’d be a moody son of a bitch because of it and started to say, “I’m not sure—”
He’d meant to say, “I’m not sure you’ll like the man I’ll become living like that,” but CJ had covered his mouth, cutting him off.
“I’ll turn,” she said abruptly.
“Really?” he asked, hope thrashing around inside his chest.
“Yes. Really,” she said, and managed a weak smile. “I love you, and if it will make you happy, I’ll turn or let you turn me, or whatever it is.”
Scooping her up off the floor, Mac swung her around and then hugged her tightly. “You won’t regret it. I promise. I’ll spend the rest of my life ensuring you don’t. I’ll bring you flowers every day. I’ll buy you stock in Reese’s Pieces. I’ll—” His words died as she covered his mouth again, and Mac stopped spinning around and set her down. Since her hand was over his mouth, he simply tilted his head in question.
“You don’t have to do any of that,” she said quietly. “Just love me and that will be enough.”
“I already do,” he told her solemnly.
“Well,