Loretta reached him and dropped to her knees, trying to gather him into her...

Loretta reached him and dropped to her knees, trying to gather him into her arms. She couldn't lift him. A tortured moan worked its way up her throat. With a trembling hand, she cupped the side of his jaw, sobbing his name. She touched the scar that slashed his cheek, the lifeless lips that had so frequently whispered comfort to her. If her face was carved on his heart, his was carved on her soul.
"Don't die! Hunter, please, don't die! I love you! Hunter--" A sob tore the words from her guts in ragged spurts. "I love--you. , you hear? I love you! You can't die and leave me. Please, don't leave me!