How to Tame a Cat (ManxMan)

Epilogue

[AN: Small trigger warning for blood and slight gore.]

~Epilogue~

The first think someone might notice upon arriving at the scene of a battle is the bodies. Dozens of demonic figures litter the small town where the fight took place. There is the occasional unlucky human caught in the crossfire, though most of their bodies are too charred to discern their identities. However, nowhere in the torn up town can a witch's body be found.

Another noticeable thing is the scent of blood, smoke, and burning flesh. Taking a deep breath to calm myself at the sight was a mistake, because I end up on the ground, dry heaving. I only feel worse when I realize I am kneeling in a puddle of black blood – demon blood. Even with the hand rubbing my back in soothing circles, I spend a few minutes crouching on the damp dirt.

I vaguely hear Ryland asking the demon spy captain, "Why weren't the humans evacuated?"

"We didn't know the witches were coming," Koa answers from somewhere behind me. "This is one of our military bases in this realm. The only occupants were our soldiers and their families, the humans you see here. If we had known that this base had been compromised, the families would have been safely back in Yabrogath."

Ryland hums in thought before asking the question on both our minds, "Why did you ask us to come here?"

"I would like to request your help," Koa says, and even though there is some lingering nausea, I hold it back as well as I can to stand up and face the demon. "Even without your sister missing, we are running out of connections. Sidr swore to Heather that you and your family would not be asked to help the Hellions, but the spy faction made no such promises."

How sneaky of them. "Couldn't you have asked us this over the phone?" I ask. Bringing us here was kind of an underhand way of making us see the reality of this war. I would rather they just sent us pictures or something. You cannot smell death through a picture.

The demon shrugs. Ryland's hand returns to my back and remains there as a comforting pressure. Leaning closer to my mate, I look at him for a moment. He meets and holds my gaze. My decision has already been made, but that does not mean Ryland has to follow me into this mess. It would be enough just to have him around, giving me words of encouragement.

However, it looks like I will not have to settle for encouraging words. "Insieme per l'eternità," he whispers in my ear. Together for eternity, huh?

I turn to Koa, "How can we help?"

[AN: Well...that's a wrap, people. If you're interested check out the sequel - How to Catch a Fish. Thank you guys so much for reading, voting, and commenting!] 

[EXTRA: To find out how Heather got that cast in chapter 31, read the first chapter of Heather's short story - How to Deal with War.]