Saved By Your Hot Book Boyfriend

56. Accidentally Married to Your Hot Book Boyfriend!?

You

“Come on, human,” Ziros says, lifting you in his arms under the crisp, starry night sky. “Let’s go home.”

“Hey!” You protest, “Aren’t you going to tell me the thing now? The thing you promised to tell me if we survived!”

Your words whip into the wind, drowned by the roar as Ziros leaps from the roof.

You don’t even get a chance to scream.

In seconds, you’re safely on the ground.

“I thought you lost your powers,” you croak, still winded by the surprise as he carries you toward home.

The night is chilly, and you lean into his shoulder, breathing in the comfort of his scent.

It’s strange to think now you’re bound together again.

Only this time…it’s forever.

“It’s just like when we were tethered before,” he says like it’s no big deal. “Don’t worry about it. I’m still badass.”

You laugh softly. “And ever so modest.”

There’s something comforting about being carried in his arms, and you find yourself drifting off, suddenly aware again of how deeply exhausted you are.

Turns out almost dying really takes the energy out of a person. Who woulda thought.

“You know,” you mumble into his shoulder as he walks, the steady rhythm of his gait lulling you further toward sleep. “That night we met…I wished I had a hot book boyfriend to walk me home. And now I’ve got one.”

If he responds, you don’t hear what he says. You’re already soundly asleep.

Ziros

She’s beautiful.

Beautiful and peaceful, eyes shut, nestled against my chest as she breathes evenly in and out.

She looks so calm and innocent as she sleeps, I almost laugh. Innocent? My human isn’t innocent. She’s fiery and bold and brave, braver than any mortal ought to be.

A mortal.

That stop stops me in my tracks.

Am I a mortal now?

I scoff softly, shaking my head as I resume walking, climbing the stairs to her apartment.

We may be sharing a lifetime, but I’m still powerful. And…leaning down close to her neck, the scent of her blood surrounds me in an intoxicating fog.

I may be tethered to her, we may be sharing a lifetime, but I sure as hell still crave her blood.

And that shouldn’t make me smile the way it does. I shouldn’t like drinking her blood as much as I do.

“You wild, crazy human,” I mutter as I open the door to her apartment, clicking it shut behind us.

Or maybe I’m the one who’s lost my mind, because I’ve just tethered myself to a human for all eternity—and I’ve never been happier.

You

You wake as Ziros opens the door to your apartment, setting you gently on your feet inside.

“We’re alone now,” you say, suddenly wide awake with anticipation. “That means you have to tell me the thing.”

“Right…” he glances away. “The thing.”

And if you’re not mistaken, he’s blushing again, but it’s hard to be certain what with how he’s not making eye contact, arms folded as he looks at the wall.

Is he embarrassed?

Finally, he coughs. “There’s something you should know.”

“Yeah?”

“So, among my kind—immortals—bonding our lifelines…well, that soulbinding, you know, it’s—”

“You sure are tongue-tied,” you tease, grinning. You’ve never felt happier. Suddenly, everything is going right. “What, don’t tell me soulbinding means something romantic.”

“Well, that’s the thing.” He takes a step closer, suddenly back to his usual confident scoundrel demigod self. With one hand on your jaw, he tilts your chin up, leaning down close.

His fangs glide over the side of your neck, sending tingles down your spine until you can’t help but let out a soft little, “ Oh .”

Drawing his teeth along the side of your jaw, he stills as he says, “Soulbinding is to my kind what marriage is to yours.”

Your heart skips a beat.

Staring up into his eyes, you can barely breathe. All the air evaporates from your lungs.

“Are you saying—” you choke out, the words barely more than a gasp. “Are you saying we’re married ?”

Ziros grins.

Not just a little smirk. A full, evil, triumphant grin that lights his eyes brighter than you’ve ever seen.

“That’s right, human. You’re mine forever now, and there’s no taking it back.”

Before you can say anything, he crushes his lips against yours, pressing your back to the wall, the muscular length of his body pinning you in place.

Of course you thought sharing a lifetime sounded a lot like a marriage, but at the time, you had much bigger things to think about.

Things like not dying.

Ziros pulls away, leaving you breathless as he smirks down at you. “So what do you have to say for yourself, human? Do you regret your decision?”

“ Never ,” you reply without even having to pause to think. Leaning forward, you press your lips against his in a soft kiss. “I could never regret it.” Lifting his hand in yours, you ask. “But what about you? Now you’ll… die .”

“Not for a long time,” he says, waving off your concern. “Not until you do.”

You wince. “Humans get sick all the time. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow—”

“You won’t.”

He kisses you again, softly, then harder, one arm braced on the wall beside your head.

Finally, he says, “You won’t, because my magic will protect you from sickness. And I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you ever again. And definitely not a bus.”

“Because you don’t want to die?”

“No, my precious, crazy human. Because I refuse to lose you . And now that I have you, I’m going to make sure we grow old together.”

You kiss him again, not sure why your eyes are stinging. Blinking back a wave of tears, you have to ask the thing that’s been bothering you. “What if you regret it? What if you come to regret sacrificing yourself to save me? We haven’t even known each other that long, and—”

“ I won’t , human,” he whispers, and the confidence in his voice warms your heart. He wipes the tears from your cheeks with gentle fingers. “Are you questioning the wisdom of an immortal? I think I’ve lived long enough to know what’s real by now.” He pauses, tilting your chin back up toward him. “And this feels real to me.”

You blink back more tears, trying not to keep crying, but he’s so…it’s so…

“Human. Look at me.” He lifts your jaw, leaning in close. “It gets lonely when you live forever, you know. I’d rather spend one lifetime with you than all eternity alone.”

With that, he kisses you. There’s no hunger in this kiss, only healing. Only love. Only a softness that you never would have expected when you first met.

And when he pulls away, Ziros is smiling at you.

“You really won’t regret it? Sacrificing yourself to save me.”

“My amazing human, I could never regret it. You’ve given me the one thing I could never have, the one thing my kind can never dream of. You’ve taken away my loneliness.”

And he doesn’t stop there.

“Immortality is a curse. No matter how long you live, no one but your kind will remain alongside you. When you live long enough to see civilizations rise and fall, time loses all meaning. Centuries start to feel like seconds. You can’t afford to make friends or get attached, because your heart will only end up breaking. The immortal are few and far between, meanwhile humans walk every street. It’s impossible not to get hurt. No matter how hard to try to turn away, every face that smiles at you will be dead in the blink of an eye. So, no , human. I will not regret it. I’ve lived long enough.” Wiping away your remaining tears, he says, “I’m not the one that’s saved you. No. You’re the one who saved me.”

You sniffle. “Have you always been this sentimental?”

“Not until you, human.” He tilts your jaw up, forcing you to look him in the eye. “You know why?”

You gulp, heart racing. Butterflies dance in your stomach as you squeak out, “ Why? ”

Ziros smirks, like taking your breath away amuses him. “Because…I love you.”

“And I love you,” you say without even having to think.

There’s no need to think, because you already know it in your heart.

You’ve felt it all along.

Ziros leans in, one arm braced on the wall behind your head as he kisses you softly, then harder.

When he pulls away, you stare breathlessly into the steel of his eyes.

“ Ziros ,” you whisper, gazing up at him, the bond between you glowing brightly as you lift your hand to look at it. You still can’t believe he really gave up his immortality to save you. “Has anyone ever told you you’re the wild and crazy one?”

He smirks, leaning closer again. “I hope you know I only ever meant that as a compliment.”

“So do I,” you say, stretching to kiss him before settling against the comforting heat of his chest.

You’re still exhausted from the void, even with his magic flowing through the link. You can barely keep your eyes open.

Ziros wraps his arms around you, strong and warm and comforting. “So, what do you say, human? Should we get some sleep?”

“If I don’t get some sleep soon, the sleep will get me.”

He swings you into his arms before you can protest, carrying you to bed.

“Wait! I’m not even in my pajamas!”

“Pajamas?” Ziros asks with a smirk as he reaches down and shucks off his shirt by the hem. “Who needs those?”

“Ziros! How am I going to sleep with you like that?” you protest as he flops onto the bed.

He just stretches out with his hands clasped behind his head. “Well, if you’re not tired…”

If only you weren’t already exhausted.

You laugh, hitting the light as you crawl into bed beside him, snuggling against his side. “Goodnight, Ziros.”

He slings one arm around you, then stops. “Human. What happened to your clothes?”

You just shrug. “I thought you said I didn’t need them.”

With a low growl, he turns over, kissing you hard. “Better be careful if you want to sleep tonight.”

“Want to…no. Need to…unfortunately my humanity is winning out here.”

Ziros laughs softly, tucking a strand of loose hair behind your ear as he props himself up on one arm, gazing at you where you lie beside him on the bed.

“That’s alright. You should sleep, human. After all…” he leans down closer, smiling softly. “We have half of eternity ahead of us.”

Ziros

She’s beautiful. Sleeping soundly beside me in the soft light of the window as I slide my fingers slowly out through her hair.

Who would have thought.

Me . With a human.

And I can’t help but grin, lying back into the pillows beside her.

“Goodnight, my beautiful, wild, amazing human. Here’s to our future together.”

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