"We'll just say he doesn't disagree with me."
Rhyn's heart dropped to his feet, and he looked at Katie. He'd meant to make her safe and left her to the worst fate imaginable. He'd never wanted to lose her, and he wasn't about to back down now. He leveled his gaze on Gabriel.
"All right." He drew a knife from his boot. "I'm challenging you, assassin, demon. You can have her when I'm dead."
"Rhyn, no!" she cried.
"I can handle it," he said.
"Rhyn-- " She started forward, and Gabriel held out an arm to block her. Katie planted both her hands on his arm to push it away. Gabriel resisted, and she glared up at him. "Back off, Gabriel. It's not like I can run anywhere!"
"Two minutes," Gabriel warned. "By Immortal Code, Darkyn and I are obligated to accept his challenge."
Rhyn watched her approach, his gaze dropping from his foes to her sweet face. Her eyes glowed with emotions he'd been waiting for weeks to see. He wanted to sweep her away for one last intimate moment before his death but doubted the assassin and demon would wait.
"This is the stupidest thing you've ever done," she said.
"Letting you go was the stupidest thing. I'm doing something right for once," he replied, glancing at Darkyn as the demon shifted.
"They'll kill you," she whispered.
"If they do, go with Gabriel. Death's a bitch, but she's better than Hell."
"This isn't right," she whispered. Her eyes watered, and he marveled once again at how a half-demon fuck-up had almost ended up with such a beautiful creature. He cupped one soft cheek and rubbed away a hot tear with his thumb.
"I'm not dead yet," he said, amused and touched by her tears. She wrapped her arms around him, and he pulled her close. Her small body molded against his.
"Can't we just run away, right now? Turn into a bird and carry me with you?" she asked, desperation in her voice.
"Even if we did, they'd both come after us."
"You can go. I'd rather know you're safe than live without you."
"No, Katie," he said, his world clear for the first time in his life. "I know where I belong, and it's right here with you. I have to make things right. I couldn't live if I lost you."
"Katie," Gabriel called.
"Rhyn, I love you," she said.