“Yeah, right.” Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she ambled to the top of the stairs that led to the yard. There was a small grassy area that contained a woodpile and a shed. Beyond that, the forest held sway as towering pines, majestic oaks and colorful maple trees surrounded her home.
It made her sad to think that this might be the last day she’d spend here. She didn’t want to think what would happen to her home after she was gone. There was no family to inherit it. The house and land would be sold and the money donated to various charities once the government took their share. It depressed her to realize her life had had such a small impact on the world.
There would be no one to mourn, no one to care. Sure, the townspeople would talk. This would be just another chapter in the sorry life of poor Aimee Horner. Aimee wasn’t certain there would be a body for them to bury or if she’d just disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Maybe her story would end up on one of those sensational televisions shows. Whatever Happened to Aimee Horner? Or maybe The Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Horner? Something suitably dramatic.
She shook off her morose thoughts and picked up the conversation as though it had never stopped. “You’d throw me to the wolves, or demons in this case, if you thought it would rescue your Lady or your fellow warriors. Don’t deny it.” She turned to face him once again, wanting to see his reaction. Hoping she was wrong.
Roric raked his fingers through his hair, the white stripes gleaming in the morning sun. “What do you want from me?”
Again, his tone was low and restrained. She wanted to break his control, penetrate the barrier that seemed to surround him most of the time. Occasionally he slipped its yoke, usually during moments of intense physical need.
“I want the truth!” she shouted, her anger bubbling over. “I want you to be honest with yourself and with me. If you thought it would free the goddess you serve, you’d hand me over to Hades yourself.”
This entire situation was a mess. If she helped him, she’d mostly likely end up dead or worse. If she didn’t help him—assuming she had a choice—she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. If he kept her alive, he might die himself, or he might have to forfeit his own life or the lives of his friends. If he didn’t keep her alive, she knew he’d feel as though he’d failed her and his honor. They were both damned if they did and damned if they didn’t—literally.
Frustration poured off him in waves. He didn’t fidget, didn’t flinch. His lips were pursed tight together, as if to keep from yelling at her.
“Wouldn’t you?” She got right in his face. There was no backing away from this. She needed to know where she stood going in.
“Yes!” he shouted. “No!” He shook his head like a wild beast, hair flying around his face. “I don’t know.” He met her gaze, and she could see the torture and pain that lived within him. The muscles of his jawbone flexed as he ground his teeth together. His blue eyes darkened as he watched her.
Aimee was coming to know him so well she could almost read his thoughts. Roric wanted to save them all, and that just wasn’t possible.
“I understand.” And the strange part was that she did understand. The man had served the goddess since the beginning of time. She’d met him yesterday. There really was no choice for him.
“I have to do this, Aimee.”
She closed her eyes and savored the sound of her name on his lips. Just the fact that he was torn at all told her that she meant something to him. Besides, his loyalty to his friends meant he was capable of being loyal. How could she not admire that when there was so little loyalty left in the world?
Against all reason, against all common sense, she had deep feelings for Roric. Whether it was love or not, she wasn’t quite certain. Who could be sure at a moment like this? Their time together had been filled with incredible happenings and emotional ups and downs. And it was only the beginning.
But it was also the end.
Roric would escape from Hades’ clutches and live to try to free his fellow warriors and the Lady or he would die trying. For him there truly was no other choice. His honor demanded it.
And there was no choice for her either. She would help him, no matter the cost to herself.
Taking a deep breath, she held out her hand. Roric reached out, slowly closing the gap between them. His large fingers wrapped around her smaller ones, practically swallowing her hand in his. “What did the scroll say?”
“Aimee.” He squeezed her fingers. “It wasn’t Mordecai.”
She knew he wouldn’t believe her. Maybe he couldn’t believe her. If one of his fellow warriors could give in to Hades, what was stopping Roric from doing the same? To believe was to doubt himself and his conviction. And that was no way to begin a fight with the Lord of the Underworld.