The old man watches me curiously. With a shaking hand, I reach into my pocket and pull out the crucifix. His eyes widen.
“This belonged to her... I... I wasn’t the one who killed her, but... we did meet. She... was going to kill me, but hesitated. She said, “Why do you have to look so much like him?”
He doesn’t move, his eyes frozen on the golden cross.
“I’m sorry. But another shifter got to her before I had a chance to talk to her. I wanted to, though. I wanted to find a better path. All this fighting and killing, it just seems so pointless when we could just sit down and talk. We all have lost loved ones... a reason to fight... but that doesn’t mean we have to slaughter each other.”
He shuts his eyes, and a shiver wracks through his old body. I pass him the cross. “Take it. I held onto it as a reminder. I truly believed for a moment that your daughter and I could have come to some agreement. She... spared me... just because I looked like your son. She didn’t want to kill me, any more than I wanted to kill her...”
He grasps the cross with his fist, squeezing it tight. Then he whispers, “Thank you.”
A hush has spread through the cave, and that’s when I finally realize we have an audience. Every human watches us spellbound, and my skin burns bright red.
I can’t believe it. A group of humans are staring at me...
I feel as if I am up on stage.
However, there are no hostile expressions when I glance around. All I spy is awe. Are they awed by me? Humble little Patrick?
That’s when a slow clap comes from Hunter, who’s still perched beside Ethel, and now the two of them offer me a round of applause.
The rest of the cave follows suit, and I want to disappear into dust. So embarrassing.
The old man extends an arm and squeezes my shoulder, and despite the heartbreak in his eyes, he’s smiling. “Thank you, son, for returning this to me...”
I smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Hector...”
My heart hiccups, and now I give him my own name. “P-Patrick.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, and it looks like I made my first friend amongst the humans.
This is what it could be like. If we all just sat down and talked, we could have nights like this every night.
My attention is drawn to Butch next as he comes up beside me, his hands in his pockets. “Come with me. It’s Ylfa. She ran off...”
Fear surges through my veins, and I spring to my feet, following Butch out of the cave as Hunter rushes up behind us.
I only hope my mate is okay.