[This post is from Matt’s point of view.]
It was hard to breathe—he couldn’t breathe, all he could do was stare at her as his heart tried its damnedest to crack right in half.
Why?
There has to be another way. I have to find another way.
“Matt.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard. Her fingers slid through his hair, tightening slightly as they curled around the back of his head.
“Don’t tell me that you can’t or won’t, beloved,” she said, her voice barely more than the whisper it had been a moment before. “This is what we have to do. I mean to do it, but I want you by my side when I do.”
“I won’t lose you,” he murmured. “I’ve just found you.”
He opened his eyes to see her close hers against the tears that suddenly gathered along her lashes. Matt wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against his chest. Her voice came muffled against his shoulder.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
He choked on a laugh and squeezed her harder, though only for the space of a few breaths before he let go. At the other side of the table, Gilad stood slowly.
“I’ll go hook up with my patrol,” he said carefully. “We’ll ride hard, hopefully surprise them at the rear. Maybe we can cause havoc enough to be of some use.”
“Maybe,” Matt agreed, then looked at Hecate, who was wiping away her tears with the heel of her hand. After a few seconds, she nodded.
“That sounds like a wise course of action. Thank you, Gilad—thank you for coming to warn us.”
The other man bowed low in respect. “I thank you for your hospitality, my lady. May the power smile on you.”
A weak, breathy laugh escaped her. “They forgot me long ago. Usually, I pray that they don’t suddenly remember.”
Her fingers threaded through his and squeezed briefly. He squeezed back and took a deep breath.
“Either way, we’ll need all the help and luck we can get,” he said.
Then he went to retrieve his warhammer.
