“Love, put it down and come here.” His voice was very firm and I’d been so intent on my list, I’d missed the look on his face.
But I wasn’t missing it now.
I put the list down and went there.
When I was stretched out full on top of him, he lifted both sides of my hair and held it at the back of my head with one hand, his other arm closing around my waist.
“You can go back to your list in a second but when you do, you need to change it. You need to list all the things you want to do, people you want to see, in order of priority. Then we will do these things and see these people,” he told me.
“But I want you –” I started but stopped when his head lifted and he brushed his lips against mine.
He dropped his head and whispered, “It is not me giving up everything for love, my sweet.”
My heart clenched just as his arm tightened.
Tor kept talking and he did it with that tender look in his eyes and a low rumble in his voice. “You must fill the time you have left here with the people you want to see and places you want to be and I’ll experience your world through that. I want you to have that. You’ll need it. And it will allow me to feel more at peace as our decades together pass in my world knowing that I was able to give that to you before you gave everything for me.”
Tears suddenly and swiftly filled my eyes.
God but God, I loved this man.
“Baby,” I whispered as one slid down my cheek but it didn’t make it very far before Tor let go of my hair and his thumb swept it away.
“Now, kiss me, my love, and then finish your list so we can shower together.”
I stared down through my watery eyes at my gorgeous warrior prince.
Then I dropped my mouth to his, both of his arms closed around me tight, I tipped my head to the side, he slanted his the other way, my mouth opened but before his tongue slid inside and I could taste the gloriousness of him I felt myself flying through the air.
Yes, flying through the air!
I cried out in shock but my cry stopped abruptly when my back slammed painfully against the wall and blue sparks shot out around me.
Oh God.
I knew what that meant.
Oh God!
No!
“Tor!” I shouted after I slid down the wall, landed on my booty and lifted my head.
But the couch, the whole couch, was shrouded in blue mist. So shrouded, I couldn’t see him, not even a little bit of him. Nothing.
No!
“Tor!” I shrieked, jumping to my feet and taking one step toward him only to feel an invisible hand plant itself in my chest and I was shoved right back against the wall, violently, blue sparks flying again when I landed and that pressure at my chest did not go away.
I struggled against the invisible hold that held me pinned against the wall, pushing forward and screeching, “Tor! No! Oh my God! Please, no!”
Then I heard an evil cackle I’d only heard once before, my blood turned to ice, the blue mist disappeared from my couch and the invisible hold that had me in its control melted away.
My couch was empty.
Tor was gone.
I collapsed to the floor not only in despair but in sudden pain. Excruciating, unbearable pain that made me curl my body automatically into a tight, protective ball.