I looked up at the trees. The night sky. It shielded my tears from the prying eyes of those around me. I curled around the lifeless body of the love of my life. She was gone. Had been gone for hours now.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't let anyone take her from me. I'd almost shot Thane in the chest before I'd been disarmed. He'd tried to take her. Tried to put her body in the ground. Said we needed to bury her.
I'd shoved him away. Carried away the shell that used to hold my soul. My heart. No one was taking her anywhere. And they certainly weren't putting her in the fucking ground. That was for damn sure.
I knew what death looked like in a human body. I'd seen it. Smelled it. Watched it deform with decay and rigor mortis. None of those things happened to Cheeks. Not a single one. Her bowels didn't void. Her limbs didn't become rigid as granite.