this is why you originally came to New Hampshire.” I spoke softly, some anger transferring from Troy to the humans that had destroyed that which had once been sacred to all shifters. “Humans and their greed.”
“It’s all Troy’s fault,” Jen spoke angrily beside me. “He was the one that told the humans about this place. About the gold.”
Troy inclined his head, still not turning to face us, but not denying the accusation either. He simply stood watching the sun across the chasm slowly making its way to the horizon.
“It’s where he got all of his money.” Jen continued, her voice growing firmer as outrage flared within her. The scent of it was sharp and heavy, even Troy reacted to it by slouching slightly.
“He sold out his clan, had them all murdered , just for the money to have his human comforts.”
“Almost right Jen.” Troy finally twisted to face us. His eyes were red rimmed, bloodshot, and burned with a feral intensity that didn’t affect his tone. “I didn’t do it for the money. I did it for love. The money was just a pleasant bonus.”
Troy’s face darkened as Kris laughed a wicked laugh. “Love? What the hell do you know about love?!”
“I sacrificed everything for love!” Spittle flew from his mouth as he ranted, his wild eyes trying to burn my sister where she stood.
“And then,” Jen spoke darkly, “your ‘love’ sacrificed you, didn’t she. She was in it for the money.”
“I SACRIFICED EVERYTHING !!!” Troy’s yell echoed off of the bare rock walls in the mine. The reverberating yells crashed into and over themselves to create a cacophony out of his words that washed over us. For the first time I could remember, his eyes matched his voice.
“Love isn’t about sacrificing others.” Kris returned Troy’s glare with equal intensity. “It is about self sacrifice. Something you know nothing about.”
“Enough.” Troy growled through his clenched teeth. “This ends here, where it all began. I have come full circle.”
“Well I don’t know about all of that.” A new voice spoke and I spun around to find a large group of men standing a bit further down the hill. All of them had guns and they were all pointed our way. A man took a step forward from near the center of their line.
“But you were right about this ending here.” He looked around at all of us on the hill, then focused on Troy. “You think we’d just let you get away with it? That trap you led my boys into down in West Virginia? Lost a lot of good men there. Rest of us are here now to make sure you pay for it.”
“That was no trap,” Troy waved a hand dismissively. “And I paid you all very well for it already. Maybe if your men had been better trained they could have handled two wolves.”
“Wasn’t just no wolves what done that,” one of the older men spoke. “My boy was torn apart . You ‘bout to get the same!” He finished angrily and spat to the side, glaring at Troy.
“Right.” The first man looked to the others of his group then back to us. “It’s a good thing one of the survivors from that.. incident had the presence of mind to follow your truck. In any event, time to die. Monsters.”
A gunshot rang out, then another, and soon they were all firing. I dove between the men and Jen, reaching out to grab my sister as well, but I wasn’t fast enough.
Kris fell to the ground clutching her chest and red blossomed from her leg. I wanted to get to her but Jen had been hit as well. The sharp sting of her pain filled my nose as tears welled in her eyes, her right hand holding her left shoulder as I brought her to the ground and shielded her with my own body.
I grunted as a bullet hit my back, another my arm, and a third again in my back. I was too large a target to miss.
Steeling myself against the pain I looked into Jen’s eyes. My mate, my love. I would do everything I could to protect her, even if it cost me my life.
“I love you,” she said simply.
“I love you
“It’s all Troy’s fault,” Jen spoke angrily beside me. “He was the one that told the humans about this place. About the gold.”
Troy inclined his head, still not turning to face us, but not denying the accusation either. He simply stood watching the sun across the chasm slowly making its way to the horizon.
“It’s where he got all of his money.” Jen continued, her voice growing firmer as outrage flared within her. The scent of it was sharp and heavy, even Troy reacted to it by slouching slightly.
“He sold out his clan, had them all murdered , just for the money to have his human comforts.”
“Almost right Jen.” Troy finally twisted to face us. His eyes were red rimmed, bloodshot, and burned with a feral intensity that didn’t affect his tone. “I didn’t do it for the money. I did it for love. The money was just a pleasant bonus.”
Troy’s face darkened as Kris laughed a wicked laugh. “Love? What the hell do you know about love?!”
“I sacrificed everything for love!” Spittle flew from his mouth as he ranted, his wild eyes trying to burn my sister where she stood.
“And then,” Jen spoke darkly, “your ‘love’ sacrificed you, didn’t she. She was in it for the money.”
“I SACRIFICED EVERYTHING !!!” Troy’s yell echoed off of the bare rock walls in the mine. The reverberating yells crashed into and over themselves to create a cacophony out of his words that washed over us. For the first time I could remember, his eyes matched his voice.
“Love isn’t about sacrificing others.” Kris returned Troy’s glare with equal intensity. “It is about self sacrifice. Something you know nothing about.”
“Enough.” Troy growled through his clenched teeth. “This ends here, where it all began. I have come full circle.”
“Well I don’t know about all of that.” A new voice spoke and I spun around to find a large group of men standing a bit further down the hill. All of them had guns and they were all pointed our way. A man took a step forward from near the center of their line.
“But you were right about this ending here.” He looked around at all of us on the hill, then focused on Troy. “You think we’d just let you get away with it? That trap you led my boys into down in West Virginia? Lost a lot of good men there. Rest of us are here now to make sure you pay for it.”
“That was no trap,” Troy waved a hand dismissively. “And I paid you all very well for it already. Maybe if your men had been better trained they could have handled two wolves.”
“Wasn’t just no wolves what done that,” one of the older men spoke. “My boy was torn apart . You ‘bout to get the same!” He finished angrily and spat to the side, glaring at Troy.
“Right.” The first man looked to the others of his group then back to us. “It’s a good thing one of the survivors from that.. incident had the presence of mind to follow your truck. In any event, time to die. Monsters.”
A gunshot rang out, then another, and soon they were all firing. I dove between the men and Jen, reaching out to grab my sister as well, but I wasn’t fast enough.
Kris fell to the ground clutching her chest and red blossomed from her leg. I wanted to get to her but Jen had been hit as well. The sharp sting of her pain filled my nose as tears welled in her eyes, her right hand holding her left shoulder as I brought her to the ground and shielded her with my own body.
I grunted as a bullet hit my back, another my arm, and a third again in my back. I was too large a target to miss.
Steeling myself against the pain I looked into Jen’s eyes. My mate, my love. I would do everything I could to protect her, even if it cost me my life.
“I love you,” she said simply.
“I love you
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