Sins of Mine - Mary E. Twomey Page 0,53

a long road ahead.

At least we’re home, and the people here don’t care that I’m a criminal. I’m in good company. Jen can help Paxton, who finally dug the bullet out, but made more of a mess in the process.

The entire backseat is stained in blood. Gray looks to be on the edge of collapse. He’s naked and covered in sweat, but Paxton holds his hand. “Stay with me, brother. Keep your eyes open. Do you understand me? Keep your eyes open, Gray!”

The only response is a defeated groan.

“Keep your eyes open!” Paxton shouts, emotion clawing at each syllable. “You’re supposed to teach me about cars. You have to stay with me, because I can’t do this alone! My father’s dead, which means I’ll have to take his place. You have to keep me from making a mess of the world. Stay awake, Gray!”

Tears jerk to the forefront, clouding my vision as I park in front of our house. There have been too many fatalities today.

Or perhaps just the right amount. One more would be over the edge.

Paxton rushes out into the twilight. “Jen! We need you!”

Gray turns back into Rafe seconds before he loses consciousness. I climb into the backseat, hoping we haven’t reached help too late in the game.

Gray came to rescue me; I won’t be able to live with myself if he dies.

I scoot closer, so I can rest his giant silver head across my lap. My fingers in his fur connect us, even if he’s too far gone to feel the closeness.

“I love you,” I whisper, though the words sound hollow and small. Our love is big, and spans the entire injustice system. We storm enemy forts for each other. We break rules of magic. We resurrect power long forgotten. We do all we can to make sure the other has every advantage possible.

And now he’s passed out in my arms while I weep into his fur.

This isn’t the life I promised him.

18

I am the Chaos

Arlanna

My world goes oddly still, even as Everly Ann bolts out of the house and leaps into the backseat with us. She sniffs Rafe and howls, sounding his pain into the darkening sky. The clouds are heavy and dark, looking for a place to unburden themselves.

Paxton is getting Jen from the house, but I’m nowhere near ready to leave Gray.

My wolf is passed out in my arms. I don’t know enough about treating animals for gunshot wounds to be of any help, other than comfort. I can keep his body warm with mine, so that’s what I do.

It’s too much, this injury on top of a double homicide. I want to scoop Rafe up and take him away from all of this, but I know that’s not possible.

I am the chaos. I’m the thing that dragged him to the cabin and into this violent life.

Jen rushes out with her first aid kit, swearing when she takes in the state of our favorite shifter. “Bullet’s out?”

Paxton pants beside her. “Yes, ma’am. That’s what made most of the mess.”

“I can see that. Paxton, take Everly Ann into the house, go boil some water and bring me some fresh towels.” Her hands are steady as she fishes through the kit. “You all get that you should have taken him to the hospital, right?”

“If that were an option, we would have.”

Jen’s lips purse as she works in silence for a couple minutes. “One day, we’re going to have a talk about that line of thinking. Whatever you all were running from, it’s not worth Gray’s life.”

“It’s not that!” I shout, though I don’t mean to sound cross with her. When Paxton comes back out with the towels, I lower my voice. “No hospital nearby would treat him because he’s a shifter! The shifter hospital is farther away than the commune. You were the closest, so we took him to you.”

Jen’s neck shrinks. “Oh. I thought you were afraid of getting your father in trouble with the cops.”

My mouth goes dry as I make a decision without truly thinking it through. “I can’t get my father in trouble. He’s dead.” Then I fix Paxton with a look that warns him to keep his mouth shut. “I killed him.”

Paxton narrows his eyes at me, anger radiating out. I know he’s cross that I would dare take the blame for something he did. In reality, he only did what I didn’t have the courage to do. And he did it to save me. “You know that’s not how