Time ✔️

Chapter Forty Eight

Word Count: 1538

¬ Rosie

Knocking on the doorframe, I peer into our room, where Time lays back against the headboard of our bed.

The moment we returned, I fed Time the cure, which has thankfully set in, color slowly returning to his cheeks. I've let him rest for awhile, but I've been unable to keep myself away, still coming down from the fright of potentially losing my mate. Had our plan with Sariah not have worked, I'm not sure what I would have done.

"I'm so happy you're okay. You have no idea," I say softly, moving into the room and toward the bed. Time adjusts himself, giving me a weak smile that tugs painfully at my heart. He shouldn't have had to go through that.

"You didn't have to do that," he comments, voice hoarse. His golden eyes are still dull, hair mussed and messy. "Hunt down your brother like that."

I tilt my head. Of course I did.

"I think more than one person got a happy ending from finding this cure," I tell him assuredly. Sariah stayed behind with him, which I didn't question. What they do from now is none of my business, although I do secretly hope it works out. More for Sariah than my awfully selfish brother who must know how beautiful and amazing Sariah seems.

Time shakes his head, releasing a forlorn sigh. "It's a shame I don't deserve one."

"What are you saying? Of course you do," I scold, wanting to shake him for thinking that. Of course coming to the edge of death is frightening, especially for an immortal, but his sad inclination is making me nervous.

"After all this you still want to forgive me?" He looks up at me, golden eyes searching, while remaining open and vulnerable, making my stomach twist uneasily.

"For what?"

"For all the death and destruction I caused? I was so obsessed with getting revenge on Jasper that I didn't stop to think that maybe there would ever be more to my life. And now there is, I regret everything," he tells me honestly, reaching out to hold my hand tenderly. "Why have a your powers back when it could mean sacrificing your mate."

Blinkly, I soak those words in. While we were gone finding this cure, he must have reflected back on all the mistakes he made in his life. Killing Alpha Jasper took a toll him I can't begin to understand, but as something I still get uncomfortable thinking about, I'm secretly glad he's also having regrets.

Tightening my grip around his fingers, I smile softly at him, hoping he doesn't think I'm going anywhere after I tried so hard to save his life. "You're not sacrificing anything."

"But I know you judge me for it. I could be a better man and you can't deny it," he confides.

I settle against the headboards with him, mulling over his words. Admittedly, knowing what he has done in the past is hard, but being that I'm killed to an immortal who has been alive for a great amount of time, it should be expected. Yet he is still beating himself up for what happened for Jasper, which isn't going to stop unless we find out a way to make it better.

And then it hits me, as if it had been so painfully obvious, that I should have known it earlier. "Jasper isn't a pure-blood, is he?"

"No."

"Can't you bring him back from Death's realm?" I offer. If we could bring him back, then maybe that would help right what Time did. Of course it won't heal every wound, but it would make a lot of people much happier. It included me.

"That's not within my abilities. Death completely restricts immortals from having any involvement in her realm," Time explains, not sharing my excitement as he winces against his wound, which is healing, but slowly. Hopefully when thought burnt down their original facility he eliminated all the weapons they were holding that could hurt Time again.