At what price would either of us pay for what he was about to do. All along, whether I wanted to admit it or not, I knew it was going to end this way, with blood on our hands.
Eric’s dark green eyes went large and detached. In a twist of fate, Eric became my prisoner. Unblinking I kept my vision locked with Eric’s, compelling him not to move. One miscalculation and either of us could end up a bloody smear on the ground. The others were dealt with behind us, the least of our concern.
Chase didn’t hesitate after that. Sianara. So fast I hardly saw the movement, Chase twisted Eric’s neck like it was nothing. There was an unmistaken snapping of bone marrow that made my stomach churn in waves. I thought for sure I was going to vomit on my converse shoes. Then the life in Emma’s dads green eyes flickered out, dead to this world.
Emma let a bloody curdling screamed, crying for her dad. She crumbled to the ground, mudding her jeans beside his lifeless body. I didn’t move, unsure what I could possible do or say to ease her pain. Truthfully, I doubted she would even want my shoulder to cry on.
We had deviated from the plan – big time. We had killed her father. If I thought Emma and I were making any progress toward being friends, this just severed our chance. I seriously doubted that she was going to okay with what just went down.
Hunter or not, Eric had still been her dad.
This what Chase had been keeping from me. All along he wasn’t planning on letting Eric walk out of these woods alive. I rubbed my arms trying to chase the chill that had settled over me.
Travis knelt down beside a weeping and distraught Emma, whispering her name. Reaching out, he tried to pull her into his arms.
“Don’t touch me!” Emma yelled, shoving Travis away with a stream of tears running down her cheeks. “Don’t. Ever. Touch me again.” Her shining emerald eyes burned with betrayal and acute pain.
Travis staggered back, sitting on the cold ground looking like Emma had just slapped him smartly across the cheek with the force of a grizzly.
My heart lurched in my chest.
This decision we’d made was not only going to affect Emma, but Travis as well. Emma was going to hold Travis just as responsible for her dad’s death as she was going to pin the blame on Chase and I. Just when Travis had finally gotten back the girl he loved, he lost her again in a bat of an eye.
Glaring with emerald eyes swimming with fresh pain and hatred, Emma got to her feet. In her hands she had grabbed her dad’s bow and now aimed it at the center of Travis’s heart. Her hands shook violently and I gasped.
Travis didn’t try to defend himself. He kneeled, staring up at the only girl he ever loved. That loved shimmered in his turquoise eyes.
Time stood suspended before she lowered the weapon, her body still shaking with gut-retching sobs and ran.
“Emma!” Travis called out after her. “Emma wait!”
Chase put a hand on Travis shoulder before he could take off after her. “Don’t,” Chase said softly. “Let her be Travis.”
Travis spun on his heels, eyes searing his cousin with gold daggers. He shook his hand off him and pushed Chase in the chest. “How could you? How could you Chase?” His voice was filled with hurt, anger, and treachery.
“It was the only way Travis. You might be pissed at me now, but you know that it was the right thing.” Regret tinged his words.
“The right thing? How the hell can you say that? You killed a man.”
Chase’s eyes never wavered, hard granites of steel. “And I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’m not apologizing. Not when it saved the people I love.”
“You mean as long as it protected Angel,” Travis said sharply.
Ouch that stung. I winced.
Travis didn’t stop there. “But what about Emma? Were you protecting her?”
Chase’s voice was low and taunt with frustration. “Does it matter?”
I stared at him in disbelief.
Travis shook his head. “That is low. Even for you.” He turned on his heels and zoomed off after Emma.
Cautiously, I approached Chase, wanting to offer him comfort, solace, something to take away the sting his cousin’s words had left behind. My body was still numb and in shock as I touched a hand to his shoulder. The eyes that I loved so much were brimming with morn, solemn. I almost preferred the glowing gold to the sadden silver. Seeing the weight he carried on his shoulders felt heavy in my heart.
“You did what you had to,” I assured with the best sureness I could muster.
“Did I?”
Chase questioning himself wasn’t a good thing. It worried me. Really worried me. He oozed cockiness. His surety was like armor – strong and unbreakable. I didn’t know what route to take. Did I try compassion or did I sock with something smart in hopes of knocking him out of this stupor?
Instead I said nothing. I just walked into his arms and wrapped mine around him.
Chapter 28