Free New Roots (Fate's Intent Book 8) by April Bowles Page A

going to be tested in the morning and—and there’s a chance that I may not make it through it.”
    “What?! Troy! No!”
    “It’s all right. I have to do this. I need to get back what I lost.”
    “But what about what I might lose? I almost did once. I can’t take that again.”
    “Even if that happens, you will never lose me. I will stay with you.”
    “That wouldn’t be acceptable to me, Troy. You wouldn’t be able to grow old with me.”
    “You mean, you won’t like it if you had someone young forever that always wanted and loved you?”
    “This isn’t the time for joking.” I moved away from him and became serious about my worry. “You can’t do this. There has to be another way.”
    “There isn’t. Promise me you’ll stay strong. I need you to be.”
    His hand moved to my stomach and another tear rolled down my face as I turned away. “I can’t promise.”
    “Jaylyn.”
    “I can’t support something that could lead to your death. I’m sorry. I’m going to bed.” I shut the lantern off and got into bed fully clothed.
    I didn’t care if he was following at the time but he did and moved in close behind me. “Jaylyn, you have to understand what this is going to mean to me. I need to get my life back. I can’t be somebody one day and go on being nobody just like that.”
    “But you are somebody. You’re somebody to me. That should be enough. I don’t care if you’re a Great Seni Fighter or not. That’s not going to make me change my mind about us.”
    “But I care. It’s who I grew to be. My life that I spent training for. I don’t want that taken from me. I need it back. It’s who I am.”
    “And you’d give your life just to have that title rewritten on your grave?”
    He paused and I was hoping he was seeing my way but his answer said differently. “Yes.”
    I started to cry. “I don’t want you to do this because of me!”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “I know you were watching me.”
    “This isn’t because of you. I’m the one that shouldn’t have been.”
    “But if you weren’t with me, none of this would have happened.”
    “If I wasn’t with you, I don’t know where I’d be.”
    “Obviously not about to commit suicide.”
    I still had my back to him and was still crying.
    “Jaylyn, I need you to believe in me. You’re what’s going to keep me alive.”
    “I can’t see you hurt. I know you’re not going to let me heal you.”
    “No. Not until they heal themselves and leave their mark behind.”
    “If I promise to be strong, will you promise to not die?” I rolled over and only just barely saw him through the darkness.
    “I promise and as long as I’m thinking of you, I won’t. I need to do this for me.”
    “Okay.” I leaned into his lips and we kissed.
    I didn’t want him to move away. The whole week he’s been lost in his thoughts, I haven’t been this close to him. He needed me tonight if he was going to get through the trials he was about to face in the morning and he probably knew it too.
    I rolled on top of him, trying to avoid contact with the wounds he already had on his chest and pulled away from his lips. I was straddled over his hips as I reached for my shirt and pulled it up over my head. Troy immediately sat up with one of his hands around my back and his other cupping my right breast while he kissed the left.
    I smiled at the sudden fire he was expressing for me and let out a quiet laugh.
    “What?” He backed his head away and looked up.
    “Nothing. You’re cute.”
    “Oh.” He got back to kissing me. “I’m sorry.”
    “For what?”
    “Depriving you this last week.”
    “It’s okay.” I ran my fingers through his hair while his soft moist lips were still caressing against my breasts. “I know you were dealing with a lot. I didn’t feel neglected—too much.”
    “Think we can wake up for a week in one night?”
    I laughed. “Oh, I don’t know but I’d be willing to find out.”
    “Good.” Troy flipped