As soon as you’ve got your husband out of the cave, safely out of the cave, you turn to him and begin checking the cuts in his throat, heedless of the fact that you’re shirtless; or that the pus is seeping through the shirt and in danger of falling onto your pants.
Walter covers your hand with his own. “I’ve had worse wounds.”
You pause, frown and narrow your eyes. “Not with me in the picture, you haven’t,” you mutter in an injured tone.
Walter chuckles, but the sound is pained and you wince at it. “At least she didn’t bite you,” you mutter under your breath. Then, your eyes widen in concern and you quickly begin running your hands over his body, checking for any wounds you can’t see. “She didn’t bite you. Did she?”
“Ray. I’ll be fine.” He touches your chin, presses a kiss to your lips that has your toes curling. Then, he looks past you and addresses someone standing behind you. “She’s the guardian for the reservation. Isn’t she?”
You turn, your eyes landing on Anubis, who stands with a box identical to the one whose remains you left back in the cave. On one side of him stands Dorian, close enough that their sides are brushing together. On his other side stands Grant, with red eyes and tears staining his cheeks.
Anubis nods and holds his hands out to you. “Give it to me.”
“Do you know what it is?” you ask.
“A heart. Pierced through with a poisoned blade.” Anubis pauses, glancing at the box he holds, then up at you. “Half of a heart.”
“How dangerous is the poison if it touches your bare skin?” You step towards the guardian, gingerly holding the wrapped shirt out to him.
“It’s painful, but unless it gets into your bloodstream, not fatal,” Anubis answers. “You’ll live.” He places the box on the ground and then reaches out to take the wrapped heart from your arms.
After checking your hands carefully for any stains, you turn to start checking the cut in Walter’s neck again. “I don’t think it needs stitches.”
Walter wraps his arm around your waist and tugs you close to his side. He kisses you again, firmer this time and then glances back over his shoulder towards the mouth of the cave. “She’s not coming after us.”
“The land itself is trying to contain the infection,” Anubis answers. “The caves will hold them. At least for a short amount of time.”
“Them?” you ask.
Grant speaks up, only focusing on the ground. “Martin and Paul are in the other cave.” His voice is low and hollow.
“I’m sorry,” you say, knowing that the cost for the younger man is going to be so much greater than the cost for you and Walter.
He doesn’t say anything and you really can’t blame him. After all, he’s facing the loss of two people he loves. Wrapping your arm around Walter’s waist, hugging your husband as tightly as he’s hugging you, you decide that you’ll invite Grant back with the two of you. At least until the younger man gets back on his feet emotionally.
Anubis kneels on the ground and unwraps the heart, as carefully and slowly as if it’s a precious object he’s uncovering. He then opens the wooden box, uncovering a heart that’s identical to the one you retrieved and lifting it out reverently, placing it on the ground next to the other.
The two hearts begin beating and pulsing, sending more black pus into the grass. Where it touches, smoke begins rising and the earth turns black like it’s been scorched.
Anubis places one hand on each heart and closes his eyes.
Several long moments pass and cuts appear on Anubis’ exposed skin. They’re not deep, but they do bleed. His body shakes and then abruptly begins writhing, as if he’s receiving an electric shock.
You start forward, but Dorian Hook gets there first. He kneels on the grass next to his partner and places his hand on Anubis’ shoulder. Then, his eyes roll back in his head and he slumps to one side.
For the next few minutes, the two are still, apart from their bodies twitching slightly. You grip Walter tight, preparing yourself emotionally for anything. A shockwave like the one when you broke the statue, for instance.
And then the two hearts begin beating faster. They spin in place and as they spin, they turn red, losing the blackened, charred spots. They spin faster and faster, until they become a blur and you can’t make anything out other than a red object moving.
And then the spinning stops, leaving just one single heart sitting on the ground, pulsing away as it beats, slow and steady.
As you watch, the heart sinks into the ground until it’s gone, with no trace of it ever being there. Even the rot in the earth is gone.
A low rumbling catches your attention and you look back over your shoulder as the caves retreat back into the ground, leaving no sign of their presence…apart from two men standing close together. Martin and Paul.
Grant’s eyes widen and he runs forward, into the arms of his two lovers, clinging tightly to them.
You quickly walk over to Anubis and Dorian, who are beginning to stir. Walter lets go of you and crouches down next to the two guardians. “Are you both safe?”
“Barely.” Anubis leans heavily on Dorian as his lover helps him to stand. “But it’s over now.”
Walter glances back over his shoulder, towards Grant, Martin and Paul, then back at Anubis and raises his eyebrows, though he doesn’t say anything.
“It’s a gift,” Anubis answers, exhaustion heavy in his tone. “Don’t question it.”
“Is it over now?” you ask.
“The curse is broken,” Anubis says. “It’s over.”
“And the rest of the dead?” Walter asks.
Anubis closes his eyes and rests his head on Dorian’s shoulder. “They’re all alive. So long as they don’t do something to get themselves killed again.”
“Thank you.” It seems woefully inadequate, but it’s all you can think of to say.
“You’re exhausted,” Walter says. “Why don’t we all go back to our place? I don’t know if you need to eat, but at the very least, you can rest.”
Anubis glances at Dorian, who nods and says, “I’ll get us in the car and we’ll follow you back.”
Walter nods and then smiles warmly at you, squeezing you gently around the waist. “Do you want to go and collect Grant, Martin and Paul?” he asks. “I think we could all do with some rest and relaxation.”
“Sounds good to me,” you agree. Kissing your husband, you then start walking towards the three men. It’s over now and you feel so much lighter and free. You can only hope that the next few months are quiet and calm.
The End