“Why?”
“Why do you insist on fighting this war?”
“It’s our war, Tarnley. What happens next will affect every single supernatural in existence.”
Anger and fear claw up from my chest, and I have to clamp my teeth together to keep from arguing. I can understand what she’s saying and still be willing to let the supernatural world burn if it means keeping her alive.
She reaches up and gently cups both sides of my face. The touch is tender, kind, and yet it still ignites the blood in my veins. “This is a fight that has been coming for a long time.”
“That doesn’t make it ours. Where the hell are the others? Those who aren’t the same cowards who stood by while Heather and Lucy ravaged the city?”
“I don’t know,” she replies, sadly. “But we have to believe they’re out there and that they’re going to help us.”
“I just don’t see a reality where we walk away from this.”
Leaning up onto her tiptoes, she presses a gentle kiss to my lips. “We may not, but we’re sure as hell going to give it our best.”
She pulls away from me, but before she makes it out the door, I grip her wrist and yank her back, taking her mouth in a punishing kiss. Her hands slip up the back of my neck, and mine tangle in her hair. I back her against the door, and it slams, though the noise falls on deaf ears as I ravage lips that haunt my every moment.
“I love you,” I whisper, as I pull away. “Will you marry me?”