“Henry, look at me.” He did, or tried to, but his eyes were out of focus. “This wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”
“An accident?” He lost it, drowned in self-loathing. “These accidents are all I’ve been trying to protect you from, Elizabeth! And Aglaé…” He exhaled, trying to steady the choppy sea in his head.
“I can handle it, Henry.”
“I can’t…What if I can’t save you from her?” His voice was desperate, and he realized he was grasping her by the shoulder. “What if I can’t save you from me?”
Her brows pulled together, and he could tell she didn’t know what to say. His eyes found her arm and he swallowed at the way it sickened him, at how it was from his hand. “You should have stayed away, Elizabeth. From the very beginning.”
“You’re the one who came! I tried to honor our deal, but there you were, waiting outside every night. And it wasn’t until I realized it was actually you that I decided to meet you. You came to me.”
“It was you who wouldn’t leave well enough alone!”
She stared, and he wanted to drown in her eyes, never failing to remind him of his forest. “How could I forget you existed? How could I pretend you weren’t real and that your soul didn’t speak to mine?”
Sighing, he placed his free hand on his hip. “Get out.” He said the words before he could think them through.
She recoiled in surprise, perhaps in pain.
“I won’t do this anymore. I will not put your life in danger. I can’t, Elizabeth.” He glanced at her arm one last time before gritting his teeth and turning away.
“Henry…” It was Arne.
“Out!” he shouted, not bothering to turn, and his eyes burned along with his heaving, tight chest. Maybe now she would see him for what he was. Maybe now was the time she would wake to reality.
It took a moment for the bustling behind him to begin, and with a weak voice, she gave Arne instructions for caring for his wound and fever. On the last word, her voice tanked, giving in to emotion. Then, with soft footsteps and an even softer closing of the front door, she was gone. He sank to the couch, burying his face in his hands.
“She saved your life, you hotheaded ass!” Arne shouted.
The image of Arne swam in his vision, his friend veiled by tears. Henry wiped them angrily. “I can’t believe you let her stay.”
“She wouldn’t leave, no matter how hard I tried. And frankly I’m glad she didn’t, because I wouldn’t have known what to do. I’ll say it again, because I don’t think you understand: you would be dead right now if it wasn’t for her. And you really think I could send her away, knowing she could save you, just to protect your secret? Sorry, my friend, but protecting you is more important than protecting your secret, especially from someone who already knows it.”
Again lowering his face into his hands, Henry willed the sickness to leave his body.
“You’re a damn fool. You’re doing everything possible to lose the only woman who’s ever really loved you for who you are—loved you despite the fact that you’re a damn, blind fool!”
“She doesn’t love me, Arne,” he tried denying.
Arne sighed, and his voice became less confrontational. “If you could see just a glimpse of the way she cared for you this morning, Henry, you wouldn’t have been able to let her walk out that door.” Henry looked up. “It was one thing in the middle of the night—mending your wounds and cleaning you up when she was a mess herself, reassuring you she would never leave and that you would be all right; pulling a blanket over you and lying by your side. All in your beast form, mind you. But it was something quite different in the morning light. She doesn’t know I saw, Henry, but I’ve never seen anything so moving. I’ve never seen anyone care for another soul the way she cared for you, or as much love in someone’s eyes. She pled for you to return to her. You don’t remember, but she gave you everything last night.”
Henry’s heart was so heavy it stole his breath. It hurt so badly all he wanted to do was give into it, to the way he loved her and the way he wanted to protect her from all things. But he would always hate himself no matter how much she loved him, because he didn’t deserve her. If she needed protecting from anyone, it was him. “I made her leave because it’s what’s best for her. She…doesn’t know what she sees,” he finished, less convincingly.
“She knows exactly what she sees. Henry…” Arne clenched his teeth. “You’re making the biggest mistake of your life. I know this is impossible for you to believe, but she saw something in you worth loving—something you haven’t allowed anyone to see in years. And here you are, walking away from it. No, shoving it away. She loves you. Hell, she would risk her life for you. And you know what?”
Cautiously, Henry lifted his eyes.
“You’re right about one thing: you don’t deserve her, not like this. But the real you—the one who can give up the charade and accept the gift you’ve been given—he does. That Henry needs to chase her down. Soon too, because you may have just lost her forever, like you think you want.”
Henry lacked the motivation to argue, every ounce of his fight depleted.
“I know you ache for her, Henry. I know you need her, far more than she needs you.”
Lying on the couch, the wooziness made the chandelier spin above. Arne patted him on the leg. “It’s time to pull the stick out of your ass now. You’re just going to have to accept that it’s more than me who cares about you.”
Chapter 24
Elizabeth meandered up Clayton Road, nearing Henry Street. She didn’t know why she bothered. Not only was the day halfway through, but it had only been yesterday she’d lost every customer. But Jean’s was all she had now, and she would run it until she couldn’t anymore. Besides, baking and coffee-making was something to keep her mind from Henry, from the way he’d banished her from his house—and from him—only an hour before.
Her steps came to a halt when she spotted Regina, walking her way. Elizabeth picked up her pac and took a deep breath, meeting her at Jean’s door. And before Elizabeth could think appropriate words, Regina’s arms were around her, squeezing so tightly Elizabeth wondered if she was trying to be hostile.
“Oh, honey,” she exhaled. “You scared me half to death.”
“Scared you?”
“You’re safe,” she said, almost to herself. Her molasses-colored forehead shimmered. “You are safe, aren’t you? You’re all right?”
“Of course I’m all right. Why on earth wouldn’t I be?”
“We heard those awful noises last night and when you weren’t here this morning, my mind went crazy.”
“You…came this morning?”
Regina’s eyes were sheepish, glazed in apologies. “I had to make sure you were okay. I’m sorry, Beth. I feel awful about walking out the other day. I didn’t mean it that way. I don’t think anyone did.”
A brow lifted of its own free will. “How did everyone mean it?”
“We’re all worried about you. Speaking for myself—and I ain’t gonna lie—it’s hard for me to accept the way you…defend it.” She sighed. “But I got to. Because I ain’t gonna lose you over a silly difference of opinion. So…” Her eyes took on a puppy-dog appearance. “You’ll forgive me?”
“Of course,” Elizabeth said. Regina hugged her again, her groan the very definition of relief. When she pulled away, Elizabeth asked, “Now, can I make you coffee already? You may be my only customer from here on out.”
“They’ll come around. In fact, Eustace was looking for you earlier—this morning, when everyone was being accounted for. Where were you? You had us real worried, especially Sheriff Taggart.”