This was a disaster in the making.
“What I can’t figure out is why the attempts on your life?If you were sent as a distraction why kill you?”
“Giselle,” Lainie whispered.
“What about Giselle?”
“She killed me because Lucien wanted me.She still hates me.”
“I should have seen,” he muttered, shaking his head.
“How could you?You didn’t know Giselle and Lucien were lovers back then.”
“But I should have known.”
“Beating yourself up isn’t going to help us.We need to figure out what to do.”
“’Tis obvious what I have to do.There are two treasures to protect now.”
Lainie shook her head, her heart rending in two.“The Templar treasure is more important.What will happen if Lucheux and Giselle get their hands on it?”
She stepped away, creating more distance from Christien.
Christien looked at her sharply.“What are you doing?”
“Don’t you see?I have to leave you.”
“No!”He reached for her but she sidestepped him, her heart breaking, but her resolve firm.
“If I’m not around.If I’m…gone, they have no hold over you.You can concentrate on protecting the treasure.”
“You don’t understand, Madelaine.”His heart was in his eyes, the pain and terror of losing her so acute she felt it inside her.Her own emotions mirrored his, but this was one thing he wasn’t going to talk her out of.She knew what she had to do.
“I’m your Achilles heel.”
He winced.“No.”
“Yes.”She took another step away.“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I will not allow this.You will stay beside me.”
“There are some things you can’t command, Christien.Some things are out of your hands.”
“Not this.”
Her dark knight.Her hero.The man of her dreams.She was dying inside, knowing what she had to do to make this right.To bring balance back into the world.
“You think you know, but you don’t,” he said.“You don’t know everything.”
He slowly made his way toward her and God forgive her, she couldn’t move away.Her feet were planted in the earth as surely as the roots of the tree growing a few paces away.
“When I was told of my mission—to live forever, to protect the treasure—I was also told of the key that would break the seals.”
Lainie stilled.“Key?”
“A key, Madelaine.”He reached out and lifted the silver key hanging around her neck, cradling it in his large hand.His fingers closed around the necklace and his worried gaze searched hers.
“This isn’t the key,” she said.“This was given to me by my mother and has been in her family for years.”
