“Well, then I suggest you start deciding,” he says, tipping his head to me before turning back to the game. He un-pauses it and then starts playing.
And I head out with heavy feet and heart to talk to Jareth.
31
I stumble out of the room, my eyes blurred with bloody tears. Somehow I manage to fall into Jareth’s arms, clinging to him with desperation, wanting to feel his embrace one more time before our lives change forever. His cool arms wrap around me, stroking my back as he tries to soothe my choking sobs.
“He said no, didn’t he?” my boyfriend concludes, leading me back over to the sofa and sitting me down. “I was afraid of that. I didn’t want to discourage you. But from all I’ve heard about the guy—”
I shake my head furiously. “I almost wish he had,” I reply. “It would have made things a lot easier.” I give him the whole story from beginning to end. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I finish. “I mean, how am I supposed to make this decision? If I turn down his offer, I’m basically condemning my sister to death.” I hang my head. “She deserves another chance. A chance at the happy, normal life she’s always wanted for herself. The one I stole from her that night at Club Fang. If I agree, she has another chance to find that. To grow up, become a journalist, get married, have children—everything that she always wanted. Who knows what she can accomplish if given a half a chance?”
I start choking and have to stop. Jareth pats my back, looking at me with tender eyes. “It would be great,” he agrees. “To bring her back to life. To allow her another chance at happiness.”
“But then what happens?” I cry, breaking away from his grasp, feeling ready to explode. “If I accept his offer—if I go back time…” I squeeze my eyes shut in agony, imagining the scene. “That’s it for us. You won’t even know me anymore. You won’t… love me. You won’t be mine. It’ll be like we… like we never met.”
Jareth grabs me in his arms, crushing me in his strong grip. I can barely breathe, but it doesn’t matter. At the moment I don’t care about anything but his hands on me, holding me tight. And I wildly beg for this moment to freeze in place forever.
Can I live without Jareth? My true love? Can I accept an existence without him by my side? Can I go back to a life where I’m totally and utterly alone?
“I finally got you back,” I whisper hoarsely. “How can I just walk away? How can I just leave all we have behind?”
Jareth looks down at me tenderly, brushing a lock of blood tear–stained hair out of my eyes. “Rayne, I spent a lifetime feeling guilty for letting my family down. And it’s a torture I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” He sighs. “If you turn down Hades’s offer, you’re going to have to live with that decision for the rest of your life. You’ll be tormented by the idea that you could have saved her, could have given her a chance at new life but you chose your own happiness instead. It’ll haunt you every day until you go mad, wondering if you made the right decision.” He pauses, looking down at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. “And then you’ll start to resent me. Because I held you back. I kept you from saving your sister.”
I stare at him in horror. “But I’d never—”
He holds up a hand, interrupting me. “You say that now. But are you sure you’ll always feel that way? Because as much as I love you to death, I don’t think I could live with being the cause of such all-consuming pain and guilt. I know what it feels like. I know how it can so easily destroy your life.”
I moan. This is all so hard. So, so hard.
Jareth reaches out, lifting my chin with his hand, forcing me to stare into his beautiful eyes. “Sweetheart, darling, my Rayne,” he murmurs. “You told me our love could stand the test of time. Well, now we’re faced with that test. I won’t be gone. I may not remember you, but I’ll still be there, waiting for you, even though I don’t know it. You made me fall in love with you once. You helped me break down the walls of the emotional prison I’d trapped myself in. Don’t you think you could do it all over again?”
I nod slowly, my heart overflowing with emotion. “But what if you don’t fall for me this time around?” I manage to choke out.
He presses his lips against my forehead with such tenderness I can barely stand it. “How could I not fall in love with you? You’ve brought me more happiness than I ever thought possible. And besides.” He quirks his mouth into a grin. “I know you. And I know you won’t take no for an answer.”
I crawl back into his arms, wishing there was a way to burrow inside of him. I want to memorize every touch. Every caress. Save it all deep in my heart until the time I can feel it again.
Because I know he’s right. We’re bound together by a force stronger than time itself. And there is nothing in the universe—on Earth or in Hades itself—that has the power to break us apart.
“My little soldier,” Jareth soothes, stroking my hair with gentle fingers. “You fought so hard. It’s now time to go and accept your victory.”
“I’ll find you again,” I gurgle against his warm chest. “I’ll make you love me. Even if I have to hit you over the head with a brick!”
“I have no doubt,” he replies. Then he kisses me.
Our very last kiss.
At least for now…