Eva glanced behind her to see Mateo slip the gun from the back of his pants, obviously feeling the uncertainty as she had. He made brief eye contact with her before slightly nodding. Reaching into the side pocket of her pants, she slipped out the large knife and curled her fingers around the hilt. The dagger was long and sharp, but it was hardly going to be as effective as the gun Mateo held. At first, she argued with her brother about the weapon, but she finally relented and grabbed the dagger once she realized he wasn’t going to give it up.

Every muscle in Eva’s body tensed as she glared at the gun pointed at her face. “What are you doing?” Amber matched the heat in her eyes with her own distrust. “That man ruined my life. He took my future away from me and my family. Trust me, this is what he deserves.”

Laurence stared at the gray tombstone, his hands still shoved into the pockets of his pressed black suit. His brothers remained by his side, all of them completely silent as they stared at the burial site. Everything felt like it was happening too fast, but also that it wouldn’t be over soon enough. Laurence pushed back another wave of emotion and swallowed hard, clearing his throat.

Eva followed as Laurence launched the last of his bags into the back of his truck. The morning dew stuck to her shoes as she tread across the grass, her feet chilling from the moisture. She stood beside him as he gazed at his empty home, only furniture left inside the large house. Eva saw the longing and the pain etched on her mate’s face and a pang of sadness settled in he