To Love a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,50

heard them coming. The dirt bags don’t understand it’s a little hard to surprise a wolf,” a lazy smile touches his lips for just an instant. “We evacuated the land in mere seconds. Everyone’s safe.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. No one else has died. Everyone’s fine.

For now.

Everyone works through the night, restoring the community to the pristine condition by sunrise. The wreckage of the attack barely left a shadow on these unbreakable people. Even the huts are right back in place. The materialistic items may be gone but everything else appears… untouched.

The only significant difference is the Welcoming tree. The massive historical tree can never be replaced. I point out a large tree in the area but Kaino didn’t even give the elder tree a glance.

As I walk with him, I find him dwelling on a small tree, a tree so insignificant it might be trampled over by a deer or low flying owl on any given day.

“This one,” he says, flicking open a knife as he kneels at the base of the tiny sapling, the branches barely sweeping above his black hair. He studies the trunk, not larger than his forearm, before haphazardly etching the words Wanderers Welcome into the smooth bark.

“Kaino, that one might not make it through the year,” I tell him in a tired voice, not really caring at this point.

“It’ll make it.” He finishes his carving, his dark fingers trailing over each letter. “Strength isn’t an appearance, Princess. It’s a presence, a feeling kept in your core, waiting to be freed.” He peeks over his shoulder at me, his depthless eyes meeting mine. “You were once this tree. A year ago, Luca drug home a puny human girl I thought for sure wouldn’t make it through the night. Yet, here you stand. Commanding a commander through a human village just to save one hybrid.”

As he stands, I try to suppress the smile that’s wide across my lips. I look up at him as he avoids my gaze, shifting uncomfortably.

“Stop,” he says, looking at the burnt ground instead of my beaming happiness.

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Does affection really make you that uncomfortable, Kaino?”

He ignores me, the serious stiffness set in his stern features once again.

The image of Kaino entangled with Shane flashes through my mind and I manage to bite back my smile and teasing. Kaino really is my friend and if he isn’t ready to be himself… then I shouldn’t press him. I just want him to be happy. Shane makes him happy but he refuses to fully accept that fact. Or perhaps his father would never accept that fact.

Exhaustion tears at my lethargic body as I look up at the sound of approaching footsteps. I pull my sword as Michael walks our way, his eyes darting over the concealed community. He see’s nothing but he knows what’s here.

In an instant, Kaino starts running toward the representative. Ayden appears at Michael’s side just as Kaino leaps through the magic shielding force, shifting from man to wolf in the blink of an eye. His limbs seem to tear open, his skull pulling back for the beast that thrashes to be released.

The commander lands on four paws at Michael’s feet, sending the man crawling backward, scuttling through the leaves to find some distance between himself and the snarling black wolf. Kaino’s beautiful, so much so, that I stop in my tracks, staring wildly at the beast I always knew was within him.

His fur shines against the morning light, a look of strength and power in his massive form. His always straight spine ends in a swaying, unkempt tail that stops moving as his depthless eyes hold the stare of my father.

Ayden backs carefully away, his hands out in front of him in a gesture of surrender.

I trail after the aggressive animal, running until I, too, exit the shielded community.

“Fallon, tell him to stop!” Michael cries as Kaino takes a prowling step closer.

Why are they here? Just the two of them?

“Kaino, wait,” I beckon as his head dips lower, a rippling growl passing over his sharp canines.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here,” Lord Raske says as he steps up beside me. “I should kill you myself. I could send your tongue back to your president as a parting gift for all the lies she told us.”

“We’re not here for war. I wasn’t aware of the attack until this morning. Ayden and I came as soon as we could. We don’t support the bombing but we can