And tonight was the night. He would deliver his ultimatum to the Dark-Hunters and then he would channel Acheron's powers.
In the past, he'd always been ready to return home. This time, he wasn't. The thought of leaving Danger brought a pain to his chest the likes of which he'd never known before.
"I can't do this."
And yet what choice did he have? He couldn't live in this body. His time was so finite as to be ridiculous. There was no choice here. He couldn't stay.
It was over.
He looked up as Danger entered the room. Dressed in a pair of black jeans with a long-sleeved black shirt, she looked good enough to eat.
She crossed the room to stand in front of him. And the kiss she gave him set his entire body on fire. "When do you leave?"
He looked away as his heart sank, unable to face her with the truth. "Tonight. Once judgment is rendered, I'll be taken back."
He returned to her gaze to see sadness flash in her dark eyes a moment before she hid it. "If I don't get a chance to say it later, I'm glad you came here. And I'm really sorry I stabbed you... twice."
He smiled at her words, but his chest tightened as pain overwhelmed him. He was going to miss her more than he would have ever thought possible.
"Danger-"
"Don't," she said, placing her finger over his lips to stop him from speaking. "I know what you're thinking. I can see it in your eyes. I'll miss you too, but let's not make this any harder on either one of us, okay?"
She was so strong that it never ceased to amaze him.
There were times when he thought she might even be stronger than he was. "Okay."
She took a deep breath as she dropped her hand to his shoulder. "You know, we might still be able to reach Kyros and save him."
"I'm not counting on that one."
"But you might," she said with a hope he'd long stopped feeling. "Let's not give up on him yet. People can sometimes surprise you."
He frowned at her insistence. "Why is it so important to you that we give him another shot?"
Her dark gaze scorched him. "Because if not for Kyros, I wouldn't have met you. And as wonderful as you are, I keep thinking that he would have to be too, otherwise you wouldn't have believed in him in the first place."
Alexion had to give her credit, she made a convincing argument. How could any man in his right mind find fault with that?
Even more, he didn't want to hurt or disappoint her. For her, he would do anything.
"All right, I'll try."
Kyros paced his dark office, which was lit only by candles, as thoughts drifted through his mind. It was three hours and ticking. The great showdown was coming.
And it was unavoidable.
Every time he thought about it, the hairs on the back of his neck rose in warning. Something wasn't right about tonight and it wasn't just that Ias was here.
There was something else. Something he couldn't see but he could feel it with every fiber of his being. Tonight was going to be unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
"You need anything before I leave?" his Squire, Rob, asked.
Kyros turned to see the young man in the doorway. The man was only five feet seven and dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. By his appearance, the dark-haired boy didn't look any older than Kyros, but at twenty-nine, he was just a baby compared to the centuries that marked Kyros's time on this earth.
"No. You can go on."
In case things went bad, he didn't want his Squire anywhere near this area. At his behest, Rob was heading to Nashville to visit his family.