But Sam was quicker. He leaped toward Caine, stepped inside his reach, and grabbed his brother’s head with his good hand.
Sam’s palm was flat against Caine’s temple, his fingers curved into his hair.
“Don’t make me do this,” Sam warned.
Caine didn’t try to back away. His eyes were wild with defiance. “Go ahead, Sam,” Caine whispered.
Sam shook his head. “No.”
“Pity?” Caine sneered.
“You have to leave, Caine,” Sam said softly. “I don’t want to kill you. But you can’t be here.”
Brianna zoomed up, screeched to a halt, and leveled a gun at Caine. “If Sam doesn’t get you, I will. You sure aren’t faster than the Breeze.”
Caine ignored her contemptuously. But he would never get the chance to attack Sam now. Brianna was too fast to defy.
“It’s a mistake to let me live, Sam,” Caine warned. “You know I’ll be back.”
“Don’t. Don’t come back. Next time…”
“Next time one of us will kill the other,” Caine said.
“Walk away. Stay away.”
“Never,” Caine said with some of his old bravado. “Diana?”
“She can stay here,” Astrid said.
“Can you, Diana?” Caine asked her.
“Astrid the Genius,” Diana said in her mocking way. “So intelligent. So clueless.”
Diana stepped close to Sam, cupped his cheek with her hand, and planted a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Sorry, Sam. The bad girl ends up with the bad boy. It’s the way the world works. Especially this world.”
She went to Caine. She did not take his extended hand, did not even look at him, but walked beside him as he descended the steps.
The battle between Drake and Orc had staggered to an exhausted draw. Drake was raising his whip hand once more to bring it down on Orc’s pylon shoulders, but his movements were slow, leaden.
“Knock it off, Drake,” Diana said. “Don’t you know when the fight is over?”
“Never,” Drake gasped.
Caine raised his hand and almost casually pulled the struggling, cursing Drake after him.
The coyotes, those still alive, followed them out of town.
Edilio raised his gun and took aim at the retreating beasts, human and not. His eyes locked with Brianna’s, the two of them ready.
Sam said, “No, man. War’s over.”
Edilio lowered the gun reluctantly.
“Put it down, Breeze. Let it go,” Sam said.
Brianna obeyed, more relieved than anything.
Quinn climbed the steps to stand with Edilio. He was spattered with blood. He threw his own gun down on the ground. He sent Sam a bleak, infinitely sad look.