"Shh,” Echo said. “We don’t want to wake the boys.”
Keegan managed to control the level of his voice but not his emotions. "You can't leave. No way. I won’t allow it.” The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake. He couldn’t take them back, and he didn’t see any way to explain them away. He'd sounded like a Neanderthal, and she'd be right to think so. Any second now she would rebound. And he deserved her anger. But instead of her big hazel eyes glaring at him, they shone, and laughter came from her lips rather than an angry retort. He didn’t know what to make of her reaction.
“That was priceless,” she said.
“Happy to oblige.” He frowned. “I think.”
“God, I love you.” She kissed his cheek.
He gaped at her. She loved him.
“You are so adorable.” She tousled his hair.
Great. She likened him to a poodle. Swallowing his disappointment, he said, “There has to be another way, some other solution.”
“I'm sorry. There isn't. It's the only way to keep you and Smith safe. Bartholomew wants revenge and as long as I'm here, he'll strike until he gets it.”
“Leaving might not ensure our safety or the safety of other innocents. There’s no guarantee he’ll stop.” He watched her bite at her top lip. His logic was making sense to her. Keeping up the momentum, he said, “If it weren’t for him and his plan, he wouldn’t have put you in the position he did. How could he think you’d go along with him? I would never put you in a position…” He clamped his mouth, knowing how desperate he sounded. He shifted gears, took a deep breath and steered the topic from himself.
“What is Bartholomew exactly?”
“I suppose you could say he's a soldier in the war against good. The Morning Star is always looking for new recruits.”
“Bartholomew makes a better bad guy than herald, I’m sure.”
“Unfortunately.”
“You’re better off without him.” He considered that fortunate.
“Because of me, Bristol Harbor could be destroyed. The demons will move on to annihilate the next town or city and the doyens will morph into something hideous that the world has never seen. In no time, we might be over-powered and out manned. We're limited in what we can do.”
Keegan grabbed hold of the thought slipping in and out of his mind. If she couldn't stay on this plane, he could come with her, go with her where the job took her, fight at her side. That could work, couldn’t it? Sure, it could. She’d probably need to get His permission, but when the good Lord saw the depth of his love for her, He would surely give them His blessing. He had assumed a chauvinistic take on a relationship with Echo. He’d willingly, gladly in fact, sacrifice his life for a life with her.
Together they could do God’s will. It was an interesting alternative, one he hoped she would consider. He couldn’t imagine, though, asking God for Echo’s hand in marriage.