“A killer who needs to be brought to justice. That means he gets a trial. Heal him. Please.”
“For you,” she said softly. “I’ll try. But don’t get your hopes up.”
“I have faith in you.” And he did. He truly believed she could perform miracles, if she had faith in herself.
Without another word, Willow crossed to the other man and laid her hands on him. Ruben turned away, exhaustion swamping him, unable to watch her. At least he now knew the truth. Not only about the killer, but about his war with his dual nature. He’d allowed himself hope, hope that had turned out to be false. He couldn’t coexist with his wolf. The beast had wanted to blindly, savagely kill. His wolf hadn’t cared about justice or trials. How could anything but madness await him now?
He sank to his knees, back still to Willow while she continued to try and heal the man he’d nearly killed. He wanted to weep, but didn’t have the energy to do so. To think he’d actually let himself believe he had everything under control!
His eyes stung and he angrily rubbed them with his fist. He would not reveal—not even to Willow—the depths of his sorrow. Instead, he hung his head, shielding his face from her with her with his hands, trying to imagine what kind of future he had in store now. All he could see was blackness, which he fancied mirrored his soul.
“I did what I could. I think he’s sleeping normally,” she said, weariness making her voice tremble. “Perhaps you’d better secure him somehow so he doesn’t escape.”
Without a word, Ruben got up and used the bloody rope from Chad’s belt, finding the discarded knife and using it to cut off the right length. Once he had Chad trussed up, he removed the sheath and attached it to his own belt, placing the knife safely inside it.
Staring down at the still-unconscious man, he reflected on how closely he’d come to being just like him. A murderer.
Defeated, he turned away, unable to stand looking at the bloody leaves any longer. He saw the earring, shimmering in the dim light. Legs shaky, he retrieved it, carrying it back to her. “Here’s your mother’s earring.”
She accepted it solemnly, placing it in a small pouch she kept tied to her belt. “Thank you.”
“I don’t understand. He killed for that,” Ruben mused.
“No. He killed because he takes pleasure in it.” She sounded certain. “Which is why he was going to kill you.”
Though Chad hadn’t said as much, Ruben knew she was right. Stomach clenching, he turned away. He kept remembering how his wolf had attacked, fighting as if it was a battle for life and death. Hunching his shoulders, he studied the blood-stained leaves and dirt and considered how easily the outcome could have been different.
Maybe the wolf hadn’t been wrong.
“You were fighting to save your life. What you did was self-defense,” Willow said, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder. Once again she’d come up behind him without him noticing, proving his senses also had gone dull. Worthless.
“I was out of control.” Slowly he sank to his knees, wishing he’d let Chad kill him. That would be infinitely better than succumbing to madness.
“You are not mad,” Willow said firmly. “You defended yourself—and us.” Kneeling next to him, she tried to wrap her arms around him, undeterred when he tried to shrug her off.
“Let me help you,” she said softly. “Your psyche is wounded. I believe I can heal you, too.”
“I’m beyond redemption,” he said, bitterness coloring his voice. “Leave me alone.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Actually, I do.”
To his disbelief, she succeeded in circling her arms around his chest and back, holding on to him tightly. “You did the right thing.”
“How can you say that?” He let his mouth take on an unpleasant twist, fury almost choking him. “If you hadn’t come along, I’d have ripped out his throat.”
“Only to save your life.” Her voice washed over him like a cooling balm. “You did what came naturally, what you had to do to defend yourself. Now do the right thing again and let me help you.”
Glaring at her with burning eyes, he sneered. “Go away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Then, stunning him, she kissed him, her mouth soft as she moved her lips over his. “I promise I can help you, just like I helped him.”
Swiveling his head, he eyed Chad, still crumpled in a heap on the forest floor. “You healed him?