“Are you sure about this? There’s no going back.”
She rested her head on his chest. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to live if it means someone else dying in my place.”
He cradled her head in his hands. “As you wish, little flower. As you wish.”
Chapter 27
Shepherd walked ahead of me and bent a branch, which thwacked me in the face when it snapped back.
“Thanks for that,” I grumbled.
It had been a long hike, and my boots were getting toasty. The temperature was easily in the sixties, so the kids had taken off their jackets and tied them around their waists. My jacket was weighing down my pack, and I started pondering the worth of a well-packed bag. Viktor was a smart man, and this test had taught me a valuable lesson. Next time we had to pack for a mystery trip, I’d leave behind the heavy leather and invest in a good pair of thermals and a windbreaker.
“How much longer?” Eve whined.
“Who wants gum?” Shepherd reached in his pocket and flourished a pack of mint gum.
“Ooh, me! Me!” Eve turned around and cupped her hands while Shepherd gave her a piece.
I chuckled and nudged Christian. “He’s good at diversion. My dad used to do stuff like that.”
Christian propped his foot on a rock, his sunglasses shading his sensitive eyes. “I figured your da gave you everything you ever asked for.”
“Dads who love you don’t do that.”
“And why is that?”
“Because kids don’t always know what’s best for them.”
“Aye, but parents do?”
I gripped the shoulder straps of my backpack. “Did your father give you everything you ever asked for?”
Christian ran a hand through his scruffy hair, which hadn’t seen a comb in days. “The only thing my da ever gave me was a pickaxe, a plow, and callused hands.”
Eve tossed her wrapper on the ground, and I caught Christian staring at the shiny foil. The bright sun was clearly agitating Christian, because his temper was as short as my list of past boyfriends. I once had my eyes dilated for a vision test, but that wasn’t anywhere near as uncomfortable as it must have been for a Vampire in daylight.
“Good thing you never married,” I remarked, still staring at the gum wrapper.
“And why is that?”
“I’m imagining what you would do if everyone started throwing rice or confetti.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
A gust of wind blew the wrapper.
I smiled. “Is that so?”
Christian glanced down at the buttons on his Henley and did them all up as if he weren’t bothered by the sound of that paper tumbling through the woods. “I’m only annoyed by the inconsideration for others.”
“Good thing nobody’s out here to notice.”
It had been an uneventful morning with no sign of the last remaining lion. We had walked a good seven hours without incident, but the journey was arduous and the hills steep.
I wiped my brow and searched the woods. “I feel bad for leaving Blue.”
Christian looked over his shoulder. “I fear that Blue’s in more danger than we are. His brothers are dead, so if he wants revenge, he’ll go for the weakest in our group. With his family gone, he doesn’t have use for the children. General was their leader.”
