Thorns & Wildflowers

n stepped down over the shattered brick, the gravel crunching beneath his boots. He braced a hand against the wall, his palm brushing against layers of graf

oles grinding into the loose bri

d active, casting a stark, pale glare across a small patch of tile before bleeding out into a dim haze. Th

t the wall. The cold tile bit through his clothes. He stretc

es to her chest, resting her hands over them as her o

ind howled, forcing a draft do

. The screen flared, cutting through the gloom, and she sq

he turned the sc

veiling half his face, but his silver-gray wolf ears were clear-er

at it, offeri

y... of five million? Your

ea

ensive," sh

. She slid the phone

the Greym

cy light flickered with a sharp buzz,

ire," he said. "

d her hea

horn-shaped brand on his left cheek, pressing into the raised tissue until the skin went pale. "T

ind of

ne kn

cy light fl

s cold, her knuckles prominent as her fingertips traced the exac

r-gray tail went taut as w

nd rolled bene

it h

cy light caught the profile of her face, leaving the re

's apple

sped, his voice rough

y rubbing the dust from her

asks about a scar, it stops hurting.

His tail dropped

und echoed

s, snapping dry brick as they descended, sen

He yanked Eve behind his b

file. They wore gray tactical uniforms-completely devoid of insignia-, but their cadence was identica

at the front, loo

mane. Step

didn'

ps, their pace unhurried, each boot hitting

a half-s

" he

N

un

look bac

er square in the jaw-striking bone with a sickening crack. The man's head jerked v

w never left

looke

n. The black hilt rested flush against his s

but the blood forced its way through his fingers-hot and fast-

forward, sh

fted h

whip-fast. They coiled around the ankles of the five men, binding them tight in a fraction of a second. The men cra

them. Only bound

d and dropped to her knees, pressing her hands flat against Cain's abdomen. The h

't m

ere entirely bloodless, the

I'm

ut

irt. She bunched the thick fabric into a tight compress, jamming

turned dark and sodden, cementing their blood t

are

talk

you hel

ash, sweat, and his blood. Her eyes shone

reas

st the iron-hard vines, their metallic buckles clinking useles

ced it onto the makeshift

the fabric. The blood had soaked throug

his to keep him upright. They were close, their breath mingling

ve them, accompanied by the lo

you ma

sta

till speckled

can protect

mouth, but his v

her green eyes locked onto

hand remained pressed against his stomach, the blood slow but steady beneath his f

to spea

he simply knelt th

g stopped. The vines held f

he bloodied cloth, a stark red smear across his pa

dn't f

blood slipping into the spaces between h

," he wh

ustic curve of the concrete platform, ech

n't smile, and she didn't

blood was already beginning to dry, tacking the

al, then,"

eply, but his gri

ght gave another

s came the steady, rhythmic so

d Eve remained kneeling before him, their hand

e five men remain

long moment, then forced

going to sle

N

hy

aid you'

at her throu

I wo

dn't l

y the mechanical buzz of the dying bulb and the