Page 157 of Protected in Darkness
He shook his head.
For the longest time, she remained silent, listening to Obsidian’s heart beat against her ear.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked, sensing he was still holding something back.
“Only that your death has to be precise.”
Lifting her head, Penelope peered into his eyes. They still glowed, his emotions still running hot.
“What does that mean?”
“You have to take your last human breath exactly twenty-four hours before the moon is full.”
“I suppose you know when that is?”
“In exactly twelve hours.”
Penelope swallowed hard, looking at the bedside clock. It was 6:29 p.m.
Obsidian lightly touched her chin, urging her to look at him. “It doesn’t have to be now. There’s a full moon every month. We could wait.”
“But…?”
He released a long, slow breath. “This won’t let up. The pain, the longing. It’ll only get worse.”
She couldn’t imagine worse. As it was, she could hardly function. So much that Obsidian had been forced to drug her to give her any peace.
“I’m helpless in this state,” Obsidian said softly. “I can’t protect you the way you need to be protected. And the fact of the matter is, the demons are close. I need to be able to protect you.”
His eyes were so serious, the silver swirling, churning, his pain evident. It wasn’t about the effects theamnighwas having on them physically. She realized that was what worried him most. Should the demons strike, Obsidian wouldn’t be able to protect her. It was his greatest fear and now it was hers.
Penelope took a deep breath, exhaled slowly as she relaxed against him. She had to die in order to come back. In order to be with him for eternity. She wanted that. Hell, she wanted it more than air. And she wanted to ease his fears and his pain as much as he wanted to do the same.
It was her sacrifice.
Obsidian wasn’t the only one being tested. She was as well.
“Maybe it’s not ideal,” she whispered, cupping his face as she lifted her head and met his steady silver gaze. “But I’m ready, Obsidian.”
Though it didn’t even seem rational, it was true.
Penelope couldn’t imagine life, or death for that matter, without Obsidian in it. And she was willing to do whatever it took to be with him forever.
BECAUSENEITHEROFTHEMHADTHESTRENGTHto make love, Obsidian opted to give Penelope another dose of morphine, enough to have her sleeping peacefully.
Once she was under, he called for Asmia to come watch over her before heading for the sparring gym, pacing back and forth across the room, trying to come to terms with what he had to do.
They now had ten hours before the deadline came upon them. Thanks to the drugs, Penelope wouldn’t spend any more time thinking about what was to come or attempting to soothe him. It hadn’t exactly surprised him that she had. He’d seen the fear in her eyes. Not for herself but for him. His female worried about what he would go through, the pain it would cause him to take her life. Her love for him was humbling, making it all the more impossible to do what had to be done.
“Hey, what brings you down here?” Taayin asked when he stepped into the room.
Obsidian didn’t look up, just continued to pace the concrete box, his steps heavy, anger and fear surging through his veins.
“Obsidian?”
“I need you to inform the others thelintamairwill occur at dawn,” he told hislieterraas he kept every bit of his attention on the stones in the floor.
There was no snide comment, not even a hint of amusement in Taayin’s tone when he said, “Of course, Obsidian. I’ll ensure everyone’s aware.”
