No Greater Love {Completed}

Page 12

"True courage is not about knowing when to take a life, but when to spare one."
-J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit)

Shannon's POV

Aviana left the room leaving me alone with Jared.

"No," he said the moment the door shut.

"No what?"

"I know what your doing Shannon! She's been nothing but kind to you ever since you got here, and you're trying to take advantage of her love for you to risk her life to save us! I never thought you'd stoop so low," he said in disgust.

"Well look at it this way, if she succeeds we can live as free men. If not, then we can continue with my plan as if nothing happened."

"This is someone's life Shannon! You can't just take advantage of it! Her life is no less than yours!"

"You're right, Jared. Her life isn't less than mine. Thanks to this fucking invasion it's worth so much more! If the bitch wants to die for me then let her!"

Jared was silent for a long time. His fists were clenched in his lap and he stared down at the floor. He stood and went for the door pausing with his hand on the knob. "You're my brother, and I won't stop you, but if you go through with this... I'm not leaving with you. I'd sooner die before I let someone else give their life for me. I refuse to take a life that's not worth taking." He opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Aviana's POV

I felt completely empty. I sat down on a bench in the garden. It had become my place of refuge and tranquility. When I was here I could think, and everything wasn't so hard to bear.

Daemon turned off his camouflage and walked over to a bush of roses. He plucked one off and held it out to me.

Tears began to stream down my face. "Why did I make you so human?" He knelt down and placed his head in my lap, but didn't say anything.

I thought I was doing something right when I created him, but it as we sat here like this I regretted it. I gave him human emotions, and not just any human emotions. I gave Daemon the heart and mind of a past love. Everything that I felt in the past was resurfacing into the present.

I cried violently. Daemon placed his metal hand on top of mine. I looked down at him, but he could no longer be seen.

"Hey, I thought I'd find you here." Jared said walking around the corner. His eyes locked on mine as he made his way to the bench.

Daemon not seeing a threat reappeared. He hadn't moved an inched from where he was, and Jared looked at him quizzically.

"Is he broken?"

"No, he's just trying to comfort me." I patted his head and he squeezed my hand gently.

"Wow, he legitimately has human emotions. How did-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," I cut him off.

Jared nodded and sat down. "I'm sorry about Shannon. He's just angry and about what happened the night they invaded."

"Don't you mean the night 'I' invaded?"

Jared shook his head and leaned back absorbing the sunlight. "The way I see it, true invaders are those who willingly and openly despise and kill humans. You wouldn't hurt a fly." He winked at me with a generous smile.

I smiled back and rested my head on his shoulder.