He lay limp against the wall, his face pale. His body cold.
No!
It was over and Kyrian was dead.
No!
Desiderius's evil laughter rang out through the dark room and made her entire soul weep in anguish.
Right then, she wanted to die, too. This was all her fault. She had stood by and let Kyrian die and had done nothing to save him. Her grief welled up and lodged as an unreleased scream in her throat.
"I love you, Amanda." His words would haunt her forever.
Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around Kyrian's body and held him close, willing him to wake up and speak. Please, God, take anything from me, but please let him live.
"Amanda?" Desiderius's voice was sharp as he commanded her back to his side.
She held tighter to Kyrian, laying her head on his chest, beside the bolt, and willing her life force into him.
Amanda froze as she heard something. It was a faint sound, but it made her soar.
She heard Kyrian's heart beating.
Pulling back, she watched as his eyes fluttered open.
Kyrian gazed into Amanda's dark blue eyes that sparkled from her tears. No longer blank, her eyes stared into his with a purpose. And with love.
Her face softening, she passed her hand over his chest and the bolt shot free.
In that moment, he knew she hadn't betrayed him. She had set him free.
"You have your soul back, Kyrian of Thrace," she whispered as the ropes around his wrists unknotted. "Now let's make this bastard pay."
Desiderius screamed in fury as he realized what was happening. Kyrian didn't have his Dark-Hunter powers, but it didn't matter.
For the first time in over two thousand years he had his soul, and the feel of it and the knowledge that Amanda hadn't betrayed him invigorated him.
The Daimon was a dead man.
Desiderius ran for the door.
It slammed shut. "I wouldn't want you to leave the party so soon," Amanda said. "Not after everything you've done to make us so welcome."
"Amanda?" Kyrian said uncertainly.
She looked at him, her eyes shimmering ever so slightly in a way that reminded him of Acheron's. "Desiderius unlocked my powers for me," she said quietly. "He thought to use the telekinesis and telepathy for himself." She looked at Desiderius and smiled. "Surprise. When you unleashed them, you lost all control over me."
Desiderius struggled to open the door.
Kyrian stalked him like a hungry panther after its prey. "What's the matter, Desiderius, afraid of a mere human?"
He turned with a snarl. "I can beat you. I'm a god."
"Then do it."
Cursing, Desiderius charged him. He grabbed Kyrian around the waist and drove him against the wall. Desiderius opened his mouth to bite him.
"Oh, like hell," Kyrian snarled. "I didn't just get my soul back to lose it to you." He kneed the Daimon in the groin.
Desiderius stumbled away from him.
"Kyrian."
He turned to see Amanda with his sword. She tossed it to him.
Extending the blade, he went for Desiderius. The Daimon dodged his swing and lifted his hand to astral-blast him. Kyrian cursed as the blast hit him in the chest right where the crossbow bolt had been. He staggered back.
Oh, it hurt.
Dazed, he couldn't defend himself as Desiderius rushed him. He braced himself in expectation of Desiderius's blow.
It never came.
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."
"Now, why would I choose such a thing?"
She shrugged. "You're a Dark-Hunter."
He kissed her lightly on the lips. "What I am is a man in love with a woman. I want you, Amanda. For the rest of my blessedly short mortal life. I want to wake at dawn with you in my arms and watch our children play and fight. Hell, I even want to hear them back-talk me."
She smiled at him. "Are you sure?"
"I have never been more sure of anything in my life."
She took his hand and led him from the room.
Kyrian stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the early morning light in the living room. From habit, he stepped back as he stared at it.
The bright sunlight didn't hurt his eyes. There was no burning of his skin.
Tightening his hand on Amanda's, he forced himself to walk forward, through the door.
And for the first time in over two thousand years, he walked out into daylight. The feel of the sunshine on his skin was incredible. The warmth, the tingly early breeze. His heart pounding, he looked up into the light blue sky and saw the white clouds.
It was a glorious day.
One he owed to Amanda.
Scooping her up in his arms, he held her close. "All hail Apollo," he whispered.
Amanda smiled as she hugged him dearly. "No. All hail Aphrodite."