Charming Charly (English Edition) (Lords of Arr'Carthian 3) (20 page)

“Lady Charly. If you could keep still now, please. I’m going to turn the machines on now,” said the healer.

He operated a few buttons and switches, then Charly felt herself becoming tired.
 

When she woke up she was lying in her bed in her cabin. How much time had passed? What about Amano? Had the fight already happened? And what was the outcome? She sat up in the bed, her heart pounding, and at that moment the door opened.

Amano came into the room. He was covered in blood from top to toe – his hands, his face – everything covered in blood. She threw her hands in front of her face. How much of that blood was his? How seriously was he injured?

He walked up to her bed and stared down at her. He slowly knelt down next to the bed. He pulled out his knife, holding it with the blade to his chest. With his free hand he took her hand and put it around the knife. He put his hand over hers. To her horror, he pushed the point into his flesh and made a deep cut right across his chest. She stared, as if in a trance, at the red blood that was pouring out of the fresh wound.

“What …?” she screamed in shock.

“I beg your forgiveness,” he whispered hoarsely. “I have failed.”

“What? I don’t understand. Are they still alive? Or what are you saying?”

“They are dead!” he snarled. He closed his eyes and let go of the knife. It fell to the floor. Then he took her hand and pressed it to his chest. She could feel his wild heartbeat. “I have failed,
mene carisha. I did not protect you. I have avenged you, but it was my inattentiveness that put you in danger. I beg you to forgive me. You have the right to part from me as I have failed. It is your decision.”

She shook her head in confusion.

“Amano,” she whispered. “There is nothing to forgive. It was not your fault. You could not have known that that would happen. If anyone is to blame for you getting shot, then it is me. I was set on going to my flat.”
 

“Charly,” whispered Amano hoarsely. “I have failed! I need your forgiveness, otherwise I cannot forgive myself.”

 
‘Stubborn pussy cat,’
she thought lovingly.
‘If you absolutely want to hear it.’

“I forgive you,” she said.

A deep sigh came from his lips, then he pulled her to him and kissed her.

Epilogue

“There’s … there’s no way that I can get on there,” said Kordan, eyeing the slippery ice skeptically.

“It’s not all that bad,” said Amano, laughing and moving along the edge of the rink on shaky legs.
 

“That could definitely be more elegant, but not bad for a beginner,” laughed Charly.

“Come on, pussycat,” Lory teased him. “It’s really easy.”

Kordan carefully took one step onto the ice. He was moving, crossing one hand over the other, along the low handrail, glaring at Lory. “This was a silly idea!” he grumbled, ill at ease.
 

“And I thought you’d be in your element here, my little ice bear,” laughed Lory unperturbed. “Now don’t sulk like that. Come further into the middle. You don’t need to hold on.”

“Give me a sword and set twenty males against me and I’ll gladly present you with all twenty heads on a silver platter. But I can’t walk on two damn knives over a damn frozen puddle.”

“Coward,” said Lory challengingly.
 

“I’m not a …”

“Come to mummy. Come on, baby!”

Kordan looked at her crossly, but he let go of the handrail and moved cautiously towards her. Half way across, he suddenly began to wobble and his legs slipped from under him. With a loud ‘ouff!’ he landed on his backside.

Charly, Amano and Lory began to laugh.
 

Kordan swore. Lory wanted to help him up but, unexpectedly, he pulled her arm and she fell on top of him. She was about to swear at him when Kordan put his hand on her neck and pulled her down so that he could kiss her.
 

Charly looked at Amano. He had a suspicious twinkling in his eyes.
 

“That looks like a good idea to me,” he said, pulling Charly towards him. He closed her mouth with a passionate kiss that sent a sensation throughout her whole body.

When he let her go, they were both breathing heavily.
 

“I love you,” said Charly.
 

“Me coshima nu,” replied Amano tenderly, kissing her again.
 

THE END