Page 81 of Bad Blood

He framed my face with those big hands, and when his fingers brushed against the spot Hunter had hit me with the gun, I winced. He gently turned my head, prodding with cautious fingers to feel for the bump. When he found it, he sighed, then kissed my forehead.

“Are you hurt anywhere else? Was there anyone else with him?”

I shook my head. “No. I think he was alone. And he just…he only hit my head. I’m okay.” I didn’t want him to worry, but I could see in his eyes that nothing I said right now would chase away any of the concern and fear that had wrapped itself around him.

“He was one of them.”

It wasn’t a question because he already knew, but I nodded anyway.

A muscle in his jaw appeared and disappeared, like he was grinding his molars together. “Alright. What do you want to do with him?”

I looked over at Hunter, who was writhing in the dead leaves. Luna still had her teeth embedded in his ankle.

I didn’t want his death to be on Cain’s hands. Didn’t want them stained with the blood of a monster.

But…

What about the infected? I could feel them down there. Had they followed Hunter here? Well they could have him. Let them tear him to pieces.

“Can you look down the cliff over there?”

Confusion marred his features, but he didn’t question me.

“Yeah. Wait here for a minute.” He set me gently on the ground.

I nodded again, watching as he turned and headed toward the cliff’s edge. He peered over, raked a hand through his hair, then came back to me.

“Fuck. There’s tons of?—”

“Throw him over. Let them have him,” I said.

His gaze bored into mine, then he nodded, gave me a rough kiss on the forehead, and stalked over to Hunter, who screamed when Cain ripped the machete from his arm.

“Luna, back.”

Luna released Hunter’s leg and came over to me, sitting at my side.

Without a word, Cain grabbed Hunter’s ankle and dragged him to the edge of the cliff.

Hunter scraped at the ground, trying to grab onto something. “No, wait, wait?—”

He tossed him over with a ferocious yell, then stood and watched as the infected ripped him to pieces.

Hunter’s screams rang out from below, mixing with the excited growls of the infected. I petted Luna’s head, feeling the silky ends of her ears, watching Cain as he watched Hunter.

When the screams stopped, Cain turned back to me.

I held my arms out to him, more tears spilling down my cheeks as the deepest sense of peace and belonging settled in my soul.

I didn’t need to see the rest of the world, to experience the things I’d heard in stories over the years. I didn’t need anything other than what was right in front of me.

“Cain,” I rasped, needing him to hold me. I just needed his arms around me, needed to know he was real. He was alive. I was alive. “Cain, I need you.”

He was on me in an instant, cradling me in his arms, and I was clinging to him as tightly as he was holding me.

“Okay. Come on, let’s get you home. I’ll fix you up. I’ll fix this. I can fix this. I promise, I’ll fix it.”

“Cain. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”