True Love Hunting

Chapter 12

Cassius stared at the message from Nadya again. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, but he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking her into his arms and kissing her red lips. Something he swore he would never do to a human again. He couldn't stay away, though. He wanted to see her, to listen to her laugh and admire her smile. He closed his eyes as he stood facing the windows that overlooked the gardens in the back of the manor. He heard his adoptive brother enter the room and come up beside him.

"Still brooding, I see? Just go to her, Cassius. Take what you want," Dragos said. Cassius let his irritation show through a scowl and low growl.

"Like you took what you wanted from the girl that ended up going 'missing' according to local authorities?" Dragos at least had the good sense to look sideways with a guilty look.

"Yes, well, you and I are on a different level of," he paused, looking for the right word, "control. Lenny is safe with you, Cassius." Cassius snorted and opened his eyes to look outside. "Just go to her, you fool." Dragos breezed out of the room. Perhaps he was right?

***********

I sat back, satisfied with my work on the chicken coop. After finding several old rolls of chicken wire inside the barn, I had constructed a pen. Hopefully, the wolf watching me work wouldn't get any ideas of snacking on any future residents.

"You swear you won't eat them?" I asked him while I worked on stretching the last piece of chicken wire I was trying to make work. It was just short of where I needed it, so I was trying to stretch it to reach. Another snort and a wag was my answer. I laughed at the wolf sitting near where I worked.

We had become quite comfortable around one another over the weekend. After Aurora and Micah had left yesterday afternoon, he had returned to watch over me again. I had talked about some of my first memories as a child to him.

I strained against the chicken wire again and clenched my teeth, pulling. The wire sprang back and tore a large gash in my palm that started dripping blood. I cursed again in my native tongue, sighing at myself. I looked at the wolf, who actually looked concerned.

"I'm rather clumsy, I guess." His head whipped around in the direction of the forest, and I realized he could hear someone coming again. Was it Aurora again? The wolf stood and lay his ears back and growled.

Cassius walked out of the trees and froze when he saw the wolf. He looked at me, and his eyes went to my bleeding hand. I looked at my wolf, and with another growl, he turned and ran off into the woods, in the opposite direction of Cassius.

Cassius disappeared, and I thought he had gone after the wolf for a moment, but then he appeared in front of me with a towel to press to my bleeding palm.

"Are you alright?" He asked, not looking up at me.

"Yes, it was just the chicken wire I was trying to stretch cut me."

"And the. The wolf?"

"He is still safe for me. We've started a good friendship, I think."

"Come inside; we need to bandage this up."

"First, I need to finish." He released my hand and stood up, taking ahold of the wire, easily stretching it into place and nailing it fast.

"There, now let's bandage up that hand." I followed him inside, and he sat me down on the window seat. He set the med kit between us, took hold of my hand, and gently started to bandage it.

His cool hands felt good near the hot cut. He was more gentle than I expected him to be. He finished and stood and carried the med kit back to the bathroom. He returned but stood in the hallway at the edge of the room. I studied him for a moment.