“Maybe the last one is being held to guarantee their cooperation,” Valid said. “That’s what they did to us with Sin and Honor.”
“Remember, though, based on the prints we found, from different entry points, we’ve got two teams of three, one of four, and one of five,” Storm said. “It doesn’t seem to follow the norm.”
“Placing a call to Valor later, he’ll go talk to Sin for us after we leave here. Let’s get started burying the dead,” Frenzy said.
Rance looked back at Steve. “You have any idea where Grail would have been last?”
Steven pointed off in the distance halfway between a heavily wooded area and the burned out Pride house. “Most likely in that area. Gwen said she saw him taking on two males the last time she saw him. She was headed that way, so it would have to be within the line of sight from that area of the woods she was running to.”
“I promised her I’d try to find him and see to it that he was buried properly,” Rance said, then started walking in the direction Steve had pointed.
Steve joined him and together they searched until Steve stood back, shaking his head as he took deep breaths and tried to control his emotions. There were several Lions lying within a few feet of each other, all dead, festering in the sun. “That’s him,” he said, pointing to a particularly brutally killed Lion.
Rance laid a hand on his shoulder. “Go on, I got this. Go help with the others.”
“It just wasn’t fucking necessary,” Steve said.
“We’re going to give them the same treatment,” Rance said.
“Gwen is going to…” Steve started.
“Not know a fucking thing about it. She doesn’t need this picture in her head haunting her for the rest of her life. Yes, they killed him. Yes, we found him and buried him. He fought valiantly. She doesn’t need to know this,” Rance said, lifting an arm to indicate the headless, eviscerated body before them.
“Jesus!” Frenzy said as he stepped up beside Rance.
“Alpha Grail Gamieyon. He was a good male,” Rance said.
“Where do you want to bury him?” Frenzy asked.
Rance looked around the area they’d found the body in.
“He loved watching his kids play in that sandbox. He’d just built it for them,” Steve said.
“Let’s put him in the safe room beneath it. We can put all his people in there,” Frenzy said.
“Sounds right. I think he’d have wanted to be buried with his people,” Rance said.
“Yep. Share in their honorable deaths as they shared brotherhood in life,” Grim said as he walked up and looked down at Grail’s body.
“Is that what we’re doing?” Frenzy asked.
“I think so. Put his people in first, then him last, keeping sentry over the door,” Rance said.
“Warrior’s burial,” Steve said. “Honorable.”
“You heard them,” Frenzy said. “Bring the bodies back here. Let’s give them honor so they can rest in peace. Do not drop your guard. Move as the teams you arrived with, don’t shoot anybody until we’re sure they’re not Gamieyon Pride.”
Most everyone headed out to retrieve the bodies they’d encountered on the way in. Except Rance. Rance knelt beside Grail’s body as he took the knife off of his belt loop and held his hand out over Grail’s body. “I know you can hear me, somewhere, somehow. Know this, Alpha Grail Gamieyon. I will protect her and your boys with my life. I will love them forever. They will never want. Even if she won’t have me, I will never stopstanding between them and any danger or hardship that comes their way. This is my vow to you. Rest easy, Grail.” He reached out with his other hand and sliced the blade of his knife across his palm, then closed his hand, squeezing the blood running from his hand to land on Grail’s body. He remained on his knees, letting his blood run onto Grail’s body until he heard movement behind himself. He looked over his shoulder and found Frenzy, Grim, and Menace standing there, their heads bowed. He got to his feet and looked them in the eye. “The bodies won’t bury themselves,” Rance said, as he started past them.
Frenzy reached out an arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Hold your hand out.”
“It’s got to heal on its own,” Rance said.
“Sure thing. But it doesn’t have to leave a trail everywhere you go.”
Frenzy held his hand out in Grim’s direction.
Grim dug in a fanny pack he wore on his hip, then handed Frenzy a tube of super glue.
