“So, you must die?” he asked, his voice constricting.
Roan gave a curt nod. “You must understand that I have no choice…”
“Everybody has a choice!” Joseph shouted.
“Not me.” He swallowed, trying to keep his emotions intact. “If I don’t…”
“What then?”
“We are not the only ones who will lose… The humans will be the ones to suffer most.”
He gazed thoughtfully at their leader. “Please, think of Miguel?”
Bang! Roan’s fist met the wall. Small stone fragments flew in all directions. “I have!” he growled.
He stiffened as the running footfalls of a ten-year-old became audible. No! His inside screamed. Why are you still here? The door swung open, a miniature version of himself sprinted towards them.
Miguel skidded to a halt. “Father...?”
Roan relaxed his features into a smile. Bending down on one knee, he opened his arms. Miguel did not waste time, heading straight for his father’s embrace.
Wrapping his arms around his only son, squeezing him tightly to his chest. “I thought you already left with Anna and Jonathan?” Sadness filled his words, threatening to devour him. Lowering his head, he buried his face in his son’s hair, committing the scent to memory.
“Do I have to?” he choked.