She swallowed in fear. But she refused to give in to it. He was only trying to scare her off. "You have never hurt me and I know you would die before you did."
He said nothing as he grabbed his suitcase and left her.
She followed him down the hall, to the top of the stairs. "You can't leave like this."
"Yes I can."
She pulled him to a stop before he could descend down to the foyer. "I don't want you to leave me."
Kyrian paused at her words. Words that tore him apart. He didn't want to leave her, either. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder, carry her back to the room, and make love to her for the rest of eternity.
He wanted the right to claim her. The right to have her.
But it wasn't meant to be. He was a servant to the goddess. His life wasn't his own.
"Go back to your world, Amanda. It's safe there."
She cupped his face in her hands. Her bright blue eyes searched his with such an aching need that it made him hurt all the more. "I don't want safe, Kyrian. I want you."
He pulled away from her tender touch and headed down the stairs. "Don't say that."
"Why not?" she asked, following him. "It's the truth."
"You can't have me," he said between clenched teeth as he whirled on the stairs to face her. "I'm already owned."
"Then let me love you." The plea in her voice ate at his will. Gods, how easy it would be to open himself to her. To take her into his arms and...
Watch her grow old while he stayed the same. Hold her in his arms when she died of old age and left him to live out eternity. Alone.
The pain of the thought was enough to cripple him. Life without her was not something he wanted to contemplate. And if it hurt this much to let her go after only a couple of days, how much worse would it be in a few decades?
It was more than his wounded heart could bear.
"You can't."
"Why?" she asked.
"Some things are not meant to be."
She touched his arm, her eyes begging him to see her side of things. But he couldn't. He didn't dare.
"Maybe this is meant to be."
"You're wrong."
A knock sounded on the door.
Amanda watched as Esmeralda opened the door. Tate wheeled his stretcher in.
The resigned, pained look on Kyrian's face as he saw the body bag would be forever etched in her heart.
"Don't leave, Kyrian," she begged one last time, praying this time he would listen.
"I have no choice."
"Yes you do. Damn you, you stubborn man. You do have a choice. Don't leave me."
He rubbed his hand over his eyes as if he had a throbbing headache. "Why do you want me to stay?"