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let him delude himself. The truth of the matter was…her reputation was the only thing of value she had left in this unforgiving life.
    “I am here to collect you and take you back to England. Do you think I will go back without you?”
    “You must. It’s the only way. They are closing in on us. We must part now, Christopher.”
    He shook his head, and his eyes blazed. “No.”
    “You just won’t listen to sense, will you?”
    “Speak some sense, and I shall consider listening.”
    “Devil take you, Christopher!”
    “He can try, but I am as you well know, a Saint.”
    She let out an exasperated sigh. “You are incorrigible.”
    “I know.”
    She didn’t like the sense of impending doom that suddenly slipped across her vision. She fell against him, when a picture of his demise entered her mind’s eye. She fought to catch her breath. She felt sick. She hated seeing the premature deaths of people whose lives she touched. She was the kiss of death—and she wasn’t about to kill him. That thought terrified her senseless.
    “You have to go now, or else they will kill you. Please, Christopher, listen to me.”
    “I am listening to you, Duchess, and yet, I will not leave you.”
    “You must. The time isn’t right.”
    “I disagree.” Without any further explanation, he pulled her into the passageway. The door slid shut behind them.
    “Christopher, please. You have to leave Belle Roche now. You must abandon me. You don’t know what you’re up against, please take the candle and go.”
    He gripped her tightly.
    “I know. My time here is over. And so is yours. You, Duchess…you are coming with me.”
    “No. I am not.” If she stayed with him, something dire would befall him. Why couldn’t he bloody well understand that? “Please go,” she said again. She was close to tears now because he wouldn’t take her advice.
    She tried to wiggle out of his grasp. If she could manage to escape from him, she could keep him from getting killed, to keep from losing hold of the candle, she used her magic to cast a levitation charm on it. Now it would follow their every step until she either took hold of it herself, or broke her spell on it.
    She was bad luck. She’d always known that…anyone and everyone she’d ever gotten close to usually ended up dead. She wouldn’t have another death on her hands, and she certainly wouldn’t have the death of her Saint Christopher on her hands.
    “I pray for you to understand what I am saying. If you don’t go on alone…without me, you will never make it back to the shores of England. You need to trust me.”
    “And you need to trust me, Duchess. I can keep you safe.”
    While they argued, they’d traveled quite a long way…before she’d knew it…he’d lead her out of one of the passages and they’d be speeding toward his death.
    He was too young to die. If she warned him now, she could save him and set him on a new path…if only, he would take her seriously.
    “You cannot do this,” he argued. “I will not be deterred from my mission—I swore I would not leave without you. I gave my word, and I never break my word, Duchess.” Her heart softened toward him. She had to take away his choice in the matter. She summoned her nerve, and used her free hand to touch the amulet around her neck. She channeled her magic through it.
    A beam of green light shot out of the amulet and slammed into Christopher. He released her, and went flying up into the air. She gasped. She hadn’t realized how intense the magic would be that would channel through the amulet. She’d never been desperate enough to use its enchantment for this kind of an attack before. She still didn’t know why her natural born talents had no effect on him, but she was beyond caring at the moment. She just wanted to get rid of him, so he could live to fight another day. If he remained with her…his death warrant was as good as signed.
    Christopher hit the stone wall, and slumped down into a heap, letting