Page 13

“Alright, we’re getting out of your hair. But tomorrow, you and I are going to catch up.”

She heads for the front door with Miko, and I follow her.

“Absolutely,” I say. “And Liz,”

She stops in the hallway outside of my bedroom and turns to look at me.

“You know I love you. So don’t take this wrong when I say it’s time to take the braids out, friend.”

Liz tosses her head back and laughs. “Shut up, Michaela. I was going to.”

We both laugh as we continue to make our way to the front of the cabin. She stops when she gets to the door. She goes to hug me, but Miko shoves me away with his small body.

“Miko,” Liz scolds him. “That is not okay. This is mommy’s friend.”

The wolf drops his ears and tucks his tail.

“It’s okay. He’s protective of you. That’s a good thing.”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. They just need more time to get to know you.”

“Of course,” I lie.

I watch my friend and her little bodyguard walk out of my borrowed home. The moment I closed the door, I let out a deep breath, dropping the façade.

I had to take the long route to get here in order to throw Markis off my trail. Not to mention, that battle took a lot of energy out of me. Energy I haven’t yet recouped. I haven’t slept in a week, and I need some rest.

“Well, that was fun?” Marley says coming out of her room plopping down on the couch.

Pushing away from the door, I walk over to the living room with her. The cabin they put us in is nice. From the front door, you can see the living room and the kitchen. It’s an open space concept. The cabinets in the kitchen are dark oak and the marble on the countertops and built in island is white and black. A small dinette table is off to the side of the kitchen. There are two bedrooms and two baths. It’s perfect for Marley and me.

Flopping down on the couch beside my sister, I turn to face her.

“How are you feeling? I know there are a lot of emotions going on.”

“I’m fine, Mizani.”

“Marley, you can’t call me that here. Not even behind closed doors. Werewolves have impeccable hearing.”

“Sorry.” She shrugs.

Despite being born into a royal family, Marley was very sheltered. She has no real idea of our world. She doesn’t even truly know who I am or what I’m capable of. Like most vampires, she has heard rumors of me, but they don’t know the truth.

“It’s alright. We just have to be careful. I need time to figure out my next move. So, we need to be on our best behavior here.”

She sighs and leans back on the sofa. “They really hate us, don’t they? Was it always like this?”

“No, there was a time when vampires and wolves worked alongside each other. They were partners and friends.”

“What happened?”

Folding my arms across my chest, I let out a deep breath. “The fey started to die off. With their slow demise came an opening for a new ruler. The Vampires felt as if they were the most qualified. The werewolves felt that was utter bullshit, and the witches wanted all of them to die. A war broke out. For fifty years, vampires fought against werewolves.

“The war claimed many lives. Friendships were destroyed and mate bonds were no longer a thing. The fey eventually stepped in and called it a truce. But the damage was done. The shifter population was cut in half. The royal vampire families went from thirty to only fifteen. There were major losses on both sides. When it was all said and done, the vampires blamed the shifters, and the shifters blamed us.”

“What do you think?”

I smile at my sister’s question. She always wants my opinion on things. It’s like nothing else matters but what I think. She’s always been that way.