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"Of course we will. " Her voice was weak, thready.
The smell of gunfire filled the air, as Matthias continued to fire into the darkness, praying he would get lucky.
"Four, you're making me angry," Vidal called out. "You know I'll punish the woman for this. " Amazingly enough, Grace was the one that fired. She was kneeling at his feet, aiming low. A scream of coyote rage echoed in the night. She had obviously hit what she had aimed at.
"Stay put, and stay down," he ordered her, as he glimpsed a flash of gray moving through the underbrush. Vidal was trying to move into sight of the only weak point of their cover.
"I've got your back. " Fear seemed to be making her voice tremble. Matthias moved to the opening behind them, slipped past it, and waited. Behind him, Grace was firing. Occasionally a grunt or curse could be heard from the darkness. The smell of blood was thick in the air, but the smell of Vidal's treachery was thicker.
He moved closer. Closer.
Matthias lifted the rifle and watched, waited. Just a little to the right, he thought. He almost had him. Vidal's graying head peeked from the tree that had been sheltering him, and Matthias fired. The bullet zipped through the night, struck Vidal's forehead, and the bastard went down. Enforcers filled the area at the same time. Dozens of them were falling from the sky, sliding down black nylon ropes suspended from the night-black, silent heli-jet that had moved in overhead. Matthias shook his head at Jonas's timing and slid back into the shelter to collect his mate. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Grace had never given much thought to death. Her thoughts since meeting Matthias had been filled with dreams for the future and plans to show him all the little intricacies of being part of a family. But when she felt the bullet tear into her chest, death was uppermost in her mind. Strangely, it wasn't pain she felt. It was cold, not hot. It seemed to fill her body with ice rather than the burning pain she would have imagined. She was numb, yet able to move.
She had to move. She had to help Matthias. Just this one last time, she had to do something for him. She managed to get his gun out of his holster and help hold the coyote soldiers back, determined to at least take a few with her if she did die. Matthias couldn't help her until this was dealt with, so she fought to hold back the ragged cries that tore at her chest.
Not from pain. She was numb to the pain, just aware of it. She wanted to cry because of what she was losing. As she felt herself growing weaker, felt the haze of blood loss engulfing her mind, she thought of leaving Matthias forever. She thought of the pain he would feel when she was gone. It had taken her weeks to get a smile out of him, and she remembered the thrill the sound of his first laugh had brought her. She had a feeling Matthias hadn't often had occasion to laugh. As Grace lay on the ground staring into the crack between the boulders, the gun dropped from her hand, and a whimper of agony left her lips.
She didn't want to
leave him. She wanted to watch him play football with her brothers. She wanted to see her mother fuss over him and realize her father's approval of him.
"Matthias," she whispered, finally feeling him beside her again. The gunfire had abated. Were the coyotes all dead? She hoped they were. She wanted them all dead.
"Grace. Grace !" She heard the panic in his voice, felt his hands as he turned her over, and knew he saw the blood.
She blinked up at him.
Shock, rage, agony creased his face, filled his dark eyes, and sent pain raging through her. She hated seeing the pain in his face.
Dawn was moving in, lighting the shelter they hid in, shadowing his scarred face, his incredible whiskey eyes.
He was screaming. She could hear him screaming, though what he said didn't make sense. She lifted her hand to touch him. Just one last touch. Oh God, she didn't want to leave him. She wanted to lie with him one more time, she wanted his kiss again, to feel his touch.
"Matthias," she whispered. She loved his name, loved his face, and his heart.
"Don't you leave me, Grace. " He was pressing something to her chest. "Do you hear me? Don't you leave me. "
He was so arrogant. He was glaring at her, as though his refusal to let her go was all that was needed.
"Grace I swear to God, if you die, I'll never wear jeans. I'll never eat pie. I'll shoot fucking football players. Don't you die on me!"
She smiled. She was so glad it didn't hurt. That was so strange, the pain should have been agonizing.
"I love you, Matthias," she told him softly. "Like the earth loves the rain, like the flowers love the sun. " She was so tired. So tired and so frightened. She didn't want to leave him. Her breathing hitched as the tears she couldn't hold back any longer began to fall from her eyes.
"Grace!" He was screaming at her, as her lashes fluttered. "Ah God, Grace, stay with me! Stay with me!"
She was so tired. She touched his face, feeling his hand clasp her fingers to his rough cheeks, and she fought to smile back at him.
Like a flower loves the sun that thought drifted through her mind again. He warmed her like that. The sun warmed the flowers. "I love you. "
She couldn't stay with him any longer. She tried. She tried until a silent scream was echoing in her head, because she could feel herself drifting away from him, and she couldn't stop it. As her eyes drifted closed and rich darkness engulfed her, she could have sworn she heard a wolf cry. Matthias
***
"LET the medic work on her, Matthias!" Jonas was screaming in his face, as Matthias fought the hands pulling him away from Grace.
