Epilogue

“Wake up Samantha,” I said as I sat on one of the chairs that I had pulled up close to the bed.

“Griffin?” she asked questioningly as she rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily, “what’s going on?”

“Why did you do it?” I asked her.

“Do what?”

“Why did you betray me?” I asked.

“I didn’t, what are you talking about?” she asked me.

“You knew that attack was happening, you gave your father information about me, about my family,” I said.

“Griffin….” she said.

“Where is it?” I asked her.

“Where’s what?” she asked me looking somewhat afraid now.

“Your hunter’s mark,” I said and her eyes widened just a fraction. It was so sudden that I almost missed it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as her eyes darted to the door.

“You smell different, I didn’t want to believe it at first, but Kane was right, I can smell it now,” I said to her.

She darted up from the bed and pulled the door open to find Kane standing there growling at her. I stood up as she backed away and pushed her back towards the bed. I ripped her shirt off and then pulled the sweatpants down that she was wearing.

“What are you doing?” she yelled as I turned her onto her stomach.

Her back was bare as I scoured every inch of her body and then something caught my eye as I pressed her head into the pillow. I lifted her hair and I found that damn hunter’s mark, just below her hairline, perfectly hidden.

“What’s the plan?” I asked her as I let her go and she scrambled towards the wall pulling the cover over her.

“There is no plan!” she yelled.

“Of course there is, a few men will come here to my house, still not sure how you let them know that you’re here because this house isn’t even on my name, it’s time for the truth Samantha,” I said.

“I was supposed to send them a message with my location,” she said as tears fell down her cheeks.

“To kill me,” I said and she nodded.

“I’m sorry Griffin, you have to believe me, I never wanted this,” she said pleading with me.

“Really?” I asked her.

“I love you Griffin, my father, he forced me,” she said and I stared at her.

“You must think I’m an idiot,” I said to her.

“What?” she asked looking confused.

“You can only obtain the hunter’s mark when you accept it, otherwise it doesn’t show, it doesn’t take,” I said to her.

“No, that’s not true,” she said.

“What are you going to do?” she asked me as I walked towards the door.

“Get dressed Sam,” I said and stopped in the hallway, “watch her if she doesn’t come downstairs within the next five minutes, drag her down.”

I went to the kitchen and I took a large gulp of scotch straight from the bottle. I heard Kane growl lightly and then Samantha’s footsteps on the stairs. Kane followed her into the kitchen and I switched the kettle on.

“Coffee?” I asked her and she looked at me bewildered.

“Griffin, please, you have to listen to me,” she said as I took two cups from the cupboard.

“I don’t have to do anything,” I said not even looking back at her.

“I didn’t want any of this. I was tortured Griffin! I had no choice but to accept my father’s way of life, he showed me what supernatural beings are really like,” she said.

I finished making the coffee and carried it through to the living room. I placed her cup down on the coffee table and walked towards the fireplace. I put my cup down on the mantel and looked back at her noticing that I didn’t feel anything for her.

“How does Rosco fit into all of this?” I asked her.

“He works with my father,” she said softly and that’s when I really knew that whatever dream I had, was either a warning or my future.

“Do you know what happened that night your father attacked my clowder?” I asked her.

“People died,” she whispered.

“Yes Sam, people died, people I loved, people like Mac and his parents,” I said and she looked up at me.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“I don’t think you are, you told him everything you knew about us, slept with me and pretended to love me just so I would tell you everything,” I said.

“That’s not true,” she said as she started to cry again softly.

“Stop fucking lying to me!” I yelled and grabbed her around her neck and pushed her against the wall.

Her eyes bulged and she clawed at my hand but the hatred and disdain that I felt for her wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t believe how stupid I was. I almost fell for her lies again, I fucking mourned her, I missed her and blamed myself for her death.

“You killed my fucking mother!” I yelled and slammed her back against the wall.

“I… Griff ple…” her voice caught in her throat as I stood with her heart in my hand.

Her body slumped to the floor and I listened to the plopping sound her heart made as I opened my hand and let it fall down next to her. Kane growled lowly in his throat and then I almost gagged as he ate her heart.

“Tastes bitter,” he said and walked back outside.

An hour later I had placed Samantha in the incinerator and cleaned up the blood in the living room. I washed our cups and then I started searching for her phone. I found it hidden under the cushions of the couch where she had taken her first nap.

I opened the phone surprised that it wasn’t even password protected. I checked her outgoing calls and her text messages. She had two new ones, asking for her location so that I could be put down, like an animal.

At least she wasn’t lying about sending them my location but I knew it was only a matter of time before they tried to trace it. I walked down to the jetty and I took the battery out and broke the sim card and threw everything into the lake with as much force as I could.

“It’s time to go home Kane,” I said as he sat up suddenly. The sun was rising over the lake and it was breathtakingly beautiful. It was probably the first sunrise here that I appreciated.

“She’s here!” Kane yelled as he jumped off the jetty and started running.

“Who’s here?” I asked him but followed him, nonetheless.

Kane stopped at the water’s edge and I looked down at the body laying there, half in the water, half on the sand, I couldn’t make out her features, her hair covered her face and spilled onto the sand, water lapping around her midriff.

I pulled her out of the water and sat down on the ground as I turned her around on my lap and pushed her wet hair from her face. I was lost in an instant, a buzzing sound in my ears as I looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she had a blueish tint to her lips.

“Sierra,” I whispered as Kane started rubbing himself against her.

The End.