Instead, Amanda popped the Daimon with a blast of her own.
Kyrian frowned at her. "Baby, can I handle this, please?"
She poked her lip out at him. "I was only trying to help. Besides, haven't you been battered enough?"
Before he could answer, Desiderius ran at him again.
Amanda held her breath as she watched them fight. Even weak, Kyrian was amazing. He flipped over Desiderius and retrieved his sword. Desiderius grabbed a sword from the table and charged him.
The sound of clashing steel echoed as the two of them engaged.
"Go, baby," she whispered, clutching her doll in her hands.
Kyrian would win. He had to. She'd gone through too much to see him die now.
As she watched them fight, she realized the sun was rising. She could see it just peeping through the closed windows.
Desiderius saw it and cursed, then he landed an upper blow to Kyrian that knocked the sword free from his grasp.
She held her breath.
Desiderius smiled as he stalked Kyrian away from where his sword had fallen. "Tell you what," he said evilly. "Why don't you give Hades my best?"
"Kyrian!"
Kyrian turned to see Amanda lob her doll at him. Instinctively, he caught it. He cursed as the blades in the doll's feet bit into his hand.
A smile broke across his face.
Laughing, he ducked Desiderius's blow, and caught the Daimon right in the heart with the doll's feet. "Tell Hades yourself," he said as Desiderius gaped.
Time stood still as Desiderius met Kyrian's eyes. The Daimon's face went through an entire array of emotions, disbelief, fear, anger, and pain.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Desiderius disintegrated.
Kyrian and Amanda stood frozen as the full impact of the moment hit them.
It was over. Desiderius was dead. Amanda and Tabitha were safe.
Kyrian had his soul.
And the woman he loved had saved his life.
His heart pounding, Kyrian dropped the doll to the floor and walked toward Amanda. "You are a very accomplished actress."
"No. I was terrified." She reached a shaking hand out to his chest. "I almost screamed when he did that. You have no idea how hard it was. Acheron told me that you had to die in order to be free and I knew I couldn't kill you. I knew the only chance we had was to let Desiderius do it for me."
Kyrian took her hand in his, and as his fingers brushed her palm, he felt the blisters. He turned her hand over to see the medallion symbols branded into her flesh. "It must have been excruciating."
"I'm all right."
He swallowed at her nonchalant tone. How could she dismiss what she had done for him? He arched a brow in disbelief. For him, she had ruined her hand. "You're scarred for life."
"No," she said, smiling. "I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Second to you, that is."
Kyrian cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "Thank you, Amanda."
As she watched him, the joy faded from her face and she gave him a scared look. "Julian and Acheron said you could summon Artemis now and return your soul to her, if you chose to."