Page 106 of Black Heart

She closed her eyes and shook her head, tears ran down her face as the first sob broke free. “Please don’t do this,” she begged softly.

“Yer okay, mo ghrá,” Tristan said as she felt his lips brush against hers. “It’s not yer time yet.”

“Please don’t leave me, Tristan,” she sobbed softly. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Never.”

* * *

“What the fuck is that beeping?”Connall demanded even though they all knew what it meant.

Not even a minute earlier, they’d all watched as their brother left his body. Those kind, too goddamn forgiving eyes had locked with his. With a sad smile and a small flicker of his hand, Tadgh had covered his naked form with clothes and walked out of the operating room in search of his young bride.

“He’s dead,” Liam said flatly as they watched doctors and nurses race around the room, shooting drugs into Tristan’s IVs in between shocking him and pushing air into his lungs in the hopes that they could restart his heart.

No one said anything else as they watched the men and women work in vain to save Tristan’s life. There was no point really, the curse had him and would soon have his wife. They’d be forced to watch her die once again and at that moment, Shayne wanted to hate Tadgh, but he just couldn’t.

This wasn’t his fault. It was the fault of the murderous bastard who had gotten off too easily so long ago. They should have made his death last for days before they’d allowed him any release. They should have-

“They’re keeping his body alive?” Declean asked, sounding curious and cutting into his thoughts.

“Aye,” Shanye said, having watched enough television and movies to know that was exactly what they were doing. It wouldn’t help, not in Tristan’s case, but he appreciated the effort, nonetheless.

“Tadgh died, right?” Declean asked, sounding thoughtful.

“Aye,” Liam said with a slight nod.

“Then…then the curse claimed him?” Declean asked, starting to irritate him.

“Aye, lad! Do ye really need to have this explained after all this time?”

Declean simply shook his head. “I don’t, but a thought just occurred to me that’s all,” he said with a shrug.

“What’s that?” Liam asked, his eyes never leaving Tristan’s face.

“It’s just that he died and the curse claimed its due for this life. They’re keeping his body alive, so what’s to stop us from putting Tadgh back inside? I don’t think the curse can claim him twice in one lifetime, can it?”

Shayne looked up and met Liam’s gaze. “Is it possible, do ye think?” he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Liam said with a determined glint in his eyes before he disappeared.

“Guard him,” Shayne told Connall as he disappeared, praying that they’d finally found a way to beat the curse.

* * *

“How are you still here?”Marty asked, remembering what they were told last night. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Once he died, he was supposed to be ripped away from her.

“I’m not sure, mo ghrá,” Tristan said with a kind smile, his hand continued to caress her stomach. “But it might be best not to speak to me, lass, or they’ll think yer crazy,” he said with a wink, trying to tease her into smiling, but it didn’t work, and she didn’t care if they thought she was crazy.

She wanted Tristan back. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him, to live even a single minute without him. They still had time left, she could feel it down in her soul.

“There has to be a way,” Marty said, ignoring the concerned looks of everyone around her.

“There’s not, lass. Believe me, we’ve tried everything,” Tristan gently explained. “The only thing left to do is let ye go now, Macha.”

“No!” Marty said, trying to reach for him, but she couldn’t move, not with her father’s arms wrapped tightly around her.

“It’s the only way,” Tadgh said with a sad smile. “I can’t keep putting ye and our child through this, mo ghrá. This has to end now.”

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