She winced. "I know it's bad, but we can't give up. You'll fall asleep soon, then it won't bother you anymore."
He glanced at the window and set his jaw. "This is the best way."
Stubborn man! He was pissing her off. "Stop being a damned hero and come down." She grabbed his leg and pulled.
He stumbled and caught himself by placing a hand on the wall behind him. A terrible hissing sound came from the silver burning his flesh. He pulled his hand away, grimacing.
"Oh God, I'm sorry." Emma tried to help steady him. "Please come down."
"'Tis better this way. Let me go."
"No! I refuse to lose you." Her tears threatened to overflow. "I've lost everyone. I'm not losing you."
His eyes glimmered with moisture. "If I wake at sunset, I will attack you. I'd rather die than cause yer death."
"It won't happen!" She grabbed his kilt in her fist. "When the sun rises, I'll make contact with Austin. I'll lead him here. We'll be rescued. We'll be okay, Angus. Please."
He closed his eyes. She could see the struggle he was enduring in his furrowed brow and clenched teeth. He swayed on his feet. She glanced back at the window and saw the rosy tint of the sky. The sun was on the horizon. Soon it would shine through the window and land on Angus.
"Don't leave me," she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek.
He opened his eyes. "I pray ye're no' mistaken."
"I'm not. Austin will find us today. I swear he will."
Angus bent down and eased off the table. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor. "Death-sleep," he whispered.
She leaned over him. "It's all right. I'll move you to a safer place."
"Not much time." He motioned to the table. "Stake."
She found the stake. It was crude, but it would work. Even in pain, Angus had managed to give her a way to protect herself. "I'll be honored to use this on the Malcontents. Thank you."
"If Austin doesna… make it in time, use it… on me."
The stake fell from her hand. Her heart froze. "No."
"If I wake, the hunger will take me. Ye must stop me."
"No!" She scooted back.
Tears glimmered in his green eyes. "I swore never to hurt you."
"You are hurting me! I can't do it. I care too much about you."
A tear slipped down his cheek, tinted red with blood. "If ye care, doona allow me to hurt you. I couldna live with myself."
"Angus." She moved closer and wiped the tear from his cheek.
He smiled slightly. "Ye were wanting to kill me for days."
She sniffed and wiped a tear from her face. "Not anymore."
"I'll be in my death-sleep," he whispered. "I willna feel… a thing." His eyes closed. "Angus." She leaned over him, her hands on his cheeks. He wasn't breathing. He was gone. Her heart constricted with pain. She couldn't bear to lose him. "I love you."
She laid her head on his chest and let the tears flow. How could she ever harm Angus? In just a week, he'd taught her so much. That good, honorable men like him stayed the same after death. That she'd existed for too long with only hatred and revenge in her heart. Love was a much nobler cause to live for. Love didn't follow its own selfish agenda; it was willing to make sacrifices for others. How strange that it took an undead man to show her how to live.
Sun poured through the window, and she hustled to pull Angus's body to a darker side of
the room. She placed the screen around him.
She began calling out to Austin telepathically. No answer. She washed up. The human slave dogs brought her breakfast. She tried communicating with them, but they wouldn't respond.
By noon, she was frantic.
Emma, I'm here, Austin called.
Oh, thank God! Where have you been?
Asleep, sorry. We were up till dawn, searching for you. I figured you were safe during
the day, so we took a nap.
You need to find us by this evening. Emma glanced at the stake on the floor where she'd
left it. She didn't want to think about it.
We set up headquarters in Kiev, Austin explained. There were ten of us last night. We spread out in a circle and checked a two-hundred-mile radius. During the day, it's just me and Darcy, but I have a plan to help us narrow the search parameter.
Sounds good. Emma paced about the cell. What can I do?
Just keep in touch. We're going to start traveling one direction. Eventually I'll be able to tell if we're getting closer or farther away. If I'm getting cold, I'll turn another direction and see if that works.