City of Trees

COT: Chapter 5

Lucas sat in the grass, underneath a tree, while enjoying an apple. He had been watching Kaiya train for about an hour.

The stamina she had was endless. She could take hits all day and then go run for two hours. It impressed him. There were some lycans who couldn’t measure up to her skill and determination.

“You should look more interested,” grumbled Coral.

“If I wasn’t interested then I wouldn’t be here,” he quipped. “You need to observe more instead of worrying about me.”

“It is literally my job to worry about you. That’s why you asked me to come along.”

He kept his attention on Kaiya. “I brought you along to watch Thomas. Not spend your time babysitting me.”

“If something happened-”

“My father would not care,” he growled. “I’m a liability.”

Coral crouched down so her face was in front of his. “You are the future of our people and all we have.”

He backed up and shooed her away with a wave of his hand. “You’re too serious.”

She let out a frustrated breath and sat down on the grass. “And you’re not serious enough. We are here to find out if one of these damned elves has fire. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“I understand and I’m confident Kaiya is that person.”

“No.” she folded her arms. “You want her to be that person but, she has even admitted there is no magic running through her.”

Lucas stood up and brushed his pants off. “You and her are both wrong. She will bring back the elf fire and help us kill the witches.”

“There’s no guarantee she’ll help us.”

“She will.”

“Okay.” she stepped towards him. “Is that coming from here?” she poked his chest. “Or here?” and pointed to his head.

Lucas hesitated. For the first time his confidence wavered. They had been here a month and there was no doubt that he enjoyed spending time with Kaiya. She was funny, witty, hard-working, and extremely smart. A day spent with her was never boring. But was that clouding his judgement? He wasn’t sure.

“Does it matter?” he mumbled.

“Of course it does.” Coral’s tone was gentle. “Nothing can, or will happen, between the two of you.”

Lucas waved her off again and made his way to the field. Kaiya had just finished her defensive training. After lunch she would move on to weapons.

Kaiya whistled. “Coral looks as mad as a wet cat. What did you do this time?”

“Nothing.” He glanced back up at Coral and winced.

“If you say so.” Kaiya pulled up the bottom of her shirt to wipe the sweat off her face.

Lucas caught himself staring a little too long. Being a Lycan, he was attracted to the women he had grown up with. They were strong and abrasive. There was a barbaric side to them that offered a glimpse at their raw beauty.

Kaiya was the opposite of what he thought he found attractive. Her skin was soft and pale. The way her slender body moved was like a rehearsed dance. But it was her eyes that grabbed his attention. They were intense and full of emotion. There was nothing she could hide that her eyes wouldn't give away.