Miles Xavier watched a thorn slice open the back of her hand. Red blood flowed freely, but the swirling snow fell and immediately buried the stains on the ground.
He couldn't watch anymore. "Someone!" he roared. "Burn this patch of thorns!"
"Yes, sir!" Caleb Adler acknowledged the order and sent men for torches.
A large patch of pink roses grew within this thicket of thorns; they had always been his late mother's favorite.
No matter how many bloody incidents had taken place in this thorn patch, Miles Xavier had always allowed the blood of those involved to soak into the soil, making it ever more fertile.
But today, when he saw Joan Shaw's blood flow into the soil of the thicket, watching as the ground devoured it, he was suddenly overcome with heartache.
He swept her up into his arms, grabbing hold of her bleeding hands. "Stop looking!" he roared at her. "I have the ring!"
...
