He looked at her, and even though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew he was staring at her. "The only way to give his soul back is to stop his human heart from beating. When it beats for the last time, the medallion must be placed against the mark where the soul was captured. It will leave the medallion and reenter his body."
Her head throbbed as she tried to come to terms with what he was saying. "I don't understand. How do you stop his heart from beating?"
"You drain his Dark-Hunter powers, then you stake him through the heart."
She stepped back, her mind whirling. "No! He'll vaporize like a Daimon. You're trying to get me to kill him, aren't you?"
"No," he said earnestly. "The Dark-Hunters are my children and I would sooner damn myself to a Shade before I ever let one be hurt. You asked how to return his soul to him and I've answered you. If you want to free him, you have to drain him and kill him."
Before she could say another word, Acheron took her hand and brought it over the medallion in his. The heat from it was excruciating. It was like holding her hand over a propane torch.
"Now imagine touching it," he whispered. "Then think of holding it. You will have to keep the medallion in your hand from the moment he is staked until his heart stops beating and you release it back into his body."
His grip tightened on her wrist and she could feel his hidden gaze boring into her. "Do you love him enough?"
"I…" Amanda hesitated. "How long do I have to hold it?"
"As long as it takes. I can't tell you that. It is different for every Dark-Hunter."
"And if I let go of it before the soul is free?"
"Then Kyrian is doomed for eternity to walk as neither Dark-Hunter nor Human. He will be trapped between this world and the next as a Shade. He will yearn for food and never be able to eat. He will thirst and never drink. He will suffer eternally."
Amanda stared at the medallion in horror. "I can't chance it."
Acheron released her hand, then returned the medallion to the box. "Then he will die anyway when he faces Desiderius."
"There has to be another way," she whispered. "There isn't."
Her chest tight, she tried to imagine draining Kyrian's powers and leaving him vulnerable. Could she do that to him? Acheron moved to return the box to his backpack.
"Wait," she said, stopping him. "You said the medallion must be placed exactly where the soul was captured."
"Yes."
"How would I find that?"
He gestured to the bow mark on his hip. "The brand will always show you where Artemis was touching us when she captured our souls."
Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but a booming voice silenced her. "What are you doing here?"
Amanda whirled to find Kyrian behind her. He looked to Acheron. "Why did you let her in?"
Acheron passed a warning look to her. Say nothing , his voice whispered through her mind. "It suited me to," he said aloud.
Kyrian's face hardened. "I told you not to."
Acheron smiled, his fangs flashing for an instant. "And I listen to you since when?" Kyrian glared.
Amanda's gaze drifted down Kyrian's body and she noted he was dressed again in his black jeans, shirt, and boots. "You're not going after him tonight , are you?"
"I have no choice."
She looked over her shoulder at his boss. "Acheron…" Acheron shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's his decision."
"He's wounded," she insisted.
"He's a Dark-Hunter. He knows his strength and weaknesses. It's for him to decide."
Frustration welled up inside her and she wanted to kill them both. "You would let him die?"
"This has nothing to do with Acheron," Kyrian said, cutting her off. "As he said, it's for me to judge."
"Yeah, well, your judgment sucks."
"Yeah, well, Tabitha says the same about yours." She glared at him.
He glared back until she broke eye contact with him. Then he glanced to Acheron. "Watch over her for me."
"Is that an order?" Acheron asked in disbelief.
"Don't be an ass."
He cocked a taunting brow. "I'm an Ash, not an ass."
A tic appeared in Kyrian's jaw. "And I have an appointment to keep. Later." He turned around and stalked out of the room. Amanda stood frozen in the living room. And her heart shattered at the sound of the garage door opening and Kyrian's car starting. The man was so damned stubborn!
"He was wrong, Acheron. You're not the ass, he is." Acheron laughed.
Amanda rubbed her hands over her eyes as she tried to think of what she should do. But in her heart she knew. Kyrian was going to die one way or another. At least if she killed him, he stood a chance. "Give me the medallion."
Acheron handed her the box. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely not."
She tried to take the box, but he held on to it. "Whatever you do, don't change your mind after you take this into your hand. It would be the cruelest thing you could do to him. I would rather he die fighting Desiderius than die by the hand of the woman he loves. Again."
Her hand trembled under his. "I would never hurt him."
"No offense, but the last time I heard that, the woman dropped the medallion ten seconds after she picked it up. Don't make me wrong again."
"I won't."
He nodded grimly and released the medallion to her. "Remember, you have to take it into your hand the moment he's staked. Hold it until he's dead, then place the medallion over the bow mark."