She managed to pry open her eyes enough to create a thin slit of vision. Why was it so hard? Percy was staring at her, his green eyes filled with concern, or as concerned as Percy ever got. Maybe it was time for his feeding. Percy was always worried about being fed on time. Why was her mattress so lumpy and why had she gone to bed wearing her clothing?
Her eyes started to close, too heavy for her to keep open, but Percy let out another grumble and she forced them back open. “Okay, I’m awake.” Honestly, the cat thought he was the boss of her. He was probably right, but there was no need to let him know that.
It was difficult for her to open her eyes all the way, but she managed. She blinked and stared around her at the familiar trees and shrubs, at the swing in the corner and the fence just beyond. She was outside in her backyard. No wonder she was cold. It might be late May, but nights still got cool in North Dakota.
In a daze, she lay on the grass and wondered how she’d gotten here. At first, her memory was a blank, a chalkboard wiped clean. She frowned and tried again. Like a light switch being turned on, memory rushed back, images tumbling over one another. But there was enough for her to make sense of it, to remember.
Hades. The curse. Mordecai striking both of them with his sword. Leander falling and being pinned to the ground by Hades’ blade.
“Leander.” She cried his name and scrambled to her knees, ignoring the shaft of pain that shot through her head and the way her stomach roiled when she moved. Her mattress wasn’t lumpy. She’d been lying on him.
He was lying so still on the grass with his eyes closed. Dried blood coated his stomach, side and the pants he wore, but at least the bleeding seemed to have stopped. She wasn’t much better as blood coated her top and jeans. The traitor Mordecai had stabbed them both, leaving them to die.
She swallowed back the bile that momentarily lurched up from her stomach and took a deep breath to steady herself before she touched Leander’s face. His skin was like ice. Why was she still alive? She’d felt herself die, felt the darkness overtake her. She’d been so afraid of ending up in Hell, but yet here she was. And why didn’t her stomach hurt?
She yanked up her blood-soaked top and stared at her belly in disbelief. Instead of a gaping wound, there was a long reddish scar. What had happened?
“Leander.” She released her top and turned her attention back to him, patting his cheek. “Wake up.” If she was okay then he should be too. Right?
She remembered a light and a world filled with color. So many beautiful colors she knew she could never name them all. Was that heaven?
The man still wasn’t moving, so she shook him. “Stop this. You’re scaring me.” Screwing up her courage, she placed two fingers against his neck, searching for a pulse. Nothing.
Tears began to flood her eyes, spilling over and then flowing down her cheeks. “No. You can’t be dead.” She thumped her fist against his chest in anger. “Wake up. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”
She swiped at her face and studied his side in the dim light that spilled out into the yard from her kitchen. Her whole house was still ablaze with lights, the back door wide open.
He couldn’t be dead. Not after all they’d been through. Not now when the curse was broken. And it was broken. If it wasn’t, Hades would still be here or they’d be locked away somewhere in his realm.
Maybe they were in Hell. Maybe her prison in Hell was to be beside Leander’s lifeless body for eternity, never able to wake him, always mourning what she had lost.
“No. I won’t stand for it. You hear me.” She grabbed his face between her hands, leaned down and kissed him. It worked in the fairy tales, so why not in real life? “True love’s kiss is supposed to break all curses. It has to bring you back to life.” She kissed him again, ignoring the fact that his lips were cool to the touch when they were always so warm.
She broke off the kiss and stared down at him, willing his eyes to open. “I love you. I love your lion too. Please, I understand that you can’t stay with me. I just want you to live. Please.”
Desperate now, she lowered her head to his chest and began to sob. Maybe she wasn’t destined to have a happy ending like the other women had. Other women. Hope jolted alive within her. Maybe that was the key.
Araminta jumped to her feet but hesitated, not wanting to leave him alone. She pinned Percy with a glare. “You stay with him.” As though the cat understood, he settled next to the large warrior and rested his head against one gigantic biceps.
Satisfied the cat would watch over him, she raced into the house, ignoring the scorched floors and walls, broken glass, ripped books and the shattered remains of her furniture. At least the demons were gone, their bodies turned to dust and returned to where they’d come from. Not having to deal with their bodies was a plus.
Where was her cell phone? Last she’d seen it, it was on the coffee table next to her computer. She shoved fallen bookshelves out the way and tossed aside sofa cushions. She only prayed the phone hadn’t been damaged in the fight. There. Under the chair was her computer, and right next to it was her phone. It must have gotten kicked there during the fight.
She dived for it and held it carefully in her hands. “Please work. Please work. Please work,” she chanted as she pressed the on button. The cell phone came to life and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Her hand was shaking as she hit the redial button. Kellsie’s number was the last one she’d called. “Please answer, please answer,” she breathed under her breath. She worried about Leander lying alone out back with only Percy for company. Was there still a chance for him or was she too late? She started back to the yard, but tripped over some debris and fell to her knees.
The phone only rang once before being answered. “What?” The voice was male and very disgruntled.
“Is this Marko?”
“Who wants to know?”
Tears continued to drip down her face, but she ignored them and pushed herself off the floor. “This is Araminta.” She heard the sudden shuffling of clothing as he shifted position.
“The curse is broken.” It was more a statement then a question, but she answered him anyway.
“Yes.” She glanced at her watch to confirm that it was indeed past midnight. It was almost one o’clock. “But something is wrong. Leander isn’t moving.”
“What do you mean he isn’t moving?”
Keeping the phone against her ear, she gave him a rundown on the events as she hurried back out into the yard, not wanting to be away from him any longer. Leander hadn’t moved. Neither had Percy. “He’s just lying here.”
“You’re sure his wounds are closed?”
She took a closer look at his bloodstained stomach and was relieved to see the wound had closed, leaving an extremely long, reddish scar, just like hers. The gash on his side was similarly healed. “Yes. Both wounds look like they’re several weeks old rather than minutes.”
“And you say that your injury was fatal?”
“I thought I was dead.” She paused and rephrased what she’d said. “No, I know I was dead. There’s no way I should have lived with the severity of that gash and the amount of blood I lost.” It made her queasy just thinking about it.
“He gave you his life force.” Marko was matter-of-fact, as though this was an everyday occurrence.
“He did what?” How could he? He was necessary to win the fight against Hades. The world needed a champion, a warrior like Leander. Plus, she loved him. How could he leave her alone?
“He gave you his life force, but he gave you too much.” Marko paused and she clutched the phone tighter, her knuckles turning white
“What can I do?” There had to be something. She wasn’t willing to give up, not without a fight, not until all hope was gone.