Last of Her Kind (Book 1, Part 1, of the LAST series)

alliances of old

***

I leaned against the counter, playing with a cup in my hand. I chewed on the inside of my lip, watching the others. While Azriel and Ren whispered to each other, Sorin and Kaius glared at each other. They had been like that for what felt like hours. Even as I explained everything to them, their glare never wavered. The walk back to our place was even more awkward. So much silence and tension. It was horrible.

The magnetic pull towards Sorin seemed to intensify with each passing moment.

The sight of everyone together felt surreal, stirring a mixture of emotions within me.

Shifting my weight uneasily, I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, aware of his penetrating stare. It beckoned me towards him, tempting me to surrender. Resisting the urge, I released a shaky breath, grappling with the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

“Fae,” I looked up to see Azriel staring at me. “Are you alright?”

“I’m alright,” I nodded. “How have you guys been?”

“Tired,” answered Ren.

I laughed. I missed him.

“I missed you, too,” he smiled.

My eyes grew wide. I did not mean to say that out loud. I shook my head, biting my cheek to hide my smile.

“After Sorin healed and we fixed the house, we began searching for you,” spoke Azriel.

“Wait, what do you mean fixed the house?”

Azriel scratched the back of his head. “Before you vanished, you sent branches through the house, destroying many things. Thankfully, no one was injured, but you were just gone and this worried us. We care about you, Fae. And I know these last several weeks have been hell, but we’re no longer leaving your side until we know you’re safe.”

I gave him a genuine smile. “Thank you, Azriel.”

He smiled back at me. “All this is just hard to wrap my head around.”

“Shocker,” whispered Kaius.

I pinched his arm, causing him to squirm. “Be nice,” I whispered.

“Why don’t you tell him that,” he said, nodding his head towards Sorin.

I met Sorin’s gaze as he leaned against the archway, feeling my heart flutter once more. Determined to focus elsewhere, I shifted my attention to Kaius. “Just ignore him,” I muttered, watching as Kaius rolled his eyes and brushed past Sorin, their shoulders bumping into each other passing, before exiting the house. With a sigh, I turned back to Azriel. “How’s Nissa?”

“She’s alright. She’s still at the house. She said she likes the quiet.”

I chuckled. “Sounds like her.” I heard a howl. “I should probably check on Kaius. He has a strong distrust of protectors.”

Setting the cup down on the counter, I strode past Sorin, my heart pounding in my chest, and stepped outside to find Kaius gazing up at the sky.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I was afraid of how you would act. I was afraid you wouldn’t trust me.”