Then he wrapped his jacket around her. “Here put this on.” The big trench coat billowed around her small frame. He started to stand but her hand snapped out and grabbed his wrist.

Amazing considering she couldn’t open her eyes.

“Where are you going?” she asked in a high voice.

Brayden looked at the dead bodies. “Just going to take care of the bodies. I’ll be within thirty feet of you. I swear nothing’s going to happen to you now.”

“Okay,” she said but she didn’t release his hand.

“Trust me.” He used his most commanding of tones, the same one he used with soldiers.

She started nodding then released her grip on him. His coat engulfed her small form as she wrapped it around her.

Brayden grabbed each of the vamps and tossed their bodies on top of the fire. Nothing would remain of them now. Before the horrid stench of burnt flesh could meet her nose, he encouraged her to stand then lifted her in his arms.

If she hadn’t been so bruised he could run with her and make it back to the pack in half the time, but as it was, he made his way through the dense forest being careful of her injuries.

“What do you do?”

Her soft voice startled him. His chest tightened and he felt the strong urge to look away from her. He wasn’t used to being questioned, let alone with an innocent question about his life.

It felt odd.

“I’m an Elder with the Justicars.” He told himself he only answered because she’d been through a rough night. She deserved some minor conversation at the least.

“But what do you do?”

Brayden thought of his job and realized it’d probably sound incredibly boring to a young one like her. Hell, it was boring, but he loved it.

“Help packs and clans negotiate treaties, help to capture criminals, and decide on sentencing. A variety of things.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time. When she did, he wished she hadn’t.

“Why do you want me to marry that Alpha?”

He couldn’t be sure why the question threw him off. Was it because of the soft innocent way she asked it or because this was the first time she’d brought up the subject without screaming at him?

“I believe family values should be upheld. If marrying the Alpha would bring peace and prosperity between the packs then it is for the best. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

She made a sound akin to a snort. “He’s old.”

Brayden straightened and resisted the urge to say he was much, much older.

“That Dmetri guy’s old but he doesn’t look it, ya know? But the Alpha looks it. He’s fifty and looks seventy, no joke. How can I possibly go through with that?” He had no idea what to tell her so he kept his mouth shut.

“You don’t look old.”

She squirmed in his arms then stretched her arms out to wind them around his neck.

“Sorry, my wrists hurt.” She sounded embarrassed.

Brayden started walking faster. When she didn’t tense or complain, he broke into a jog.

He needed to get her home before she started prying into his life even more.

“How old are you?”

A pause then, “Old.”

Sounding displeased she said, “Figures. Everyone’s old but me.”

“Do you hurt badly?” His eyes flew open at the question. He’d been thinking it but he hadn’t meant to ask. But then he felt her arms stiffen around him.

“No. Who were those men?”

“Members of Claude’s clan here to do his bidding.”

“Why does he want to hurt us?”

Simple questions that any innocent would ask, but the answers were much more complicated. In the end, he decided to just tell her the truth. It made things much easier on him, besides she wasn’t so young she wouldn’t understand.

“He wants to kill the Kategans so he can gain control of the pack.” Her hands clenched around his shoulders. “What? The pack would never follow him, even if he could somehow become a lykaen and make them change loyalty.”

“Perfect logic, but then again you’re not insane, he is. He believes a lot of crazy ideas and has enough determination to start a war.”

“And hurt people,” she said softly.

Brayden nodded before he remembered she couldn’t see him. “Yes.”

“Why have you been so mean to me?”

Brayden faltered a step but righted the action quickly. “I haven’t been mean. I’ve been as I always am.”

She laughed softly. “I see. You’re just a mean old guy then.” Brayden didn’t know how to respond to that so he didn’t. As he stepped over a fallen tree, he spotted the Kategan land in the distance.

“We’re not far now.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

He could smell the burnt wood and smoke that covered the pack as he neared it. A heavy fog sat over the pack because of the humidity from the rain. He supposed it was metaphorical in a strange way. Damn, now he was thinking sappy thoughts.

“Thank you.”

He was silent for a long time. As they crossed over into Kategan land he said, “You’re welcome.”

The black cloud finally lifted from the pack and streaks of brilliant sunlight flooded the landscape. Though, Dmetri thought, it wasn’t a particularly nice sight. Two of the homes were destroyed and now in the process of being rebuilt and the pack was agitated. Rightfully so, too.

Dmetri finished lugging some of the bigger pieces of debris into the big pile that’d be burned in a bonfire later. God, this was not what he’d expected when he came here. Helping the Kategans, okay, but now he was cleaning like a maid.

A look at the sun overhead told him it was about noon so he made his way to Christine’s house. He hadn’t had much time to be around her in the past few days with all the clean-up and rebuilding going on. He planned to rectify that today. The last time he saw her she’d been adamant about not being his and not moving in with him. While he loved a good challenge, he wished she’d agree already. He was growing impatient...and worried.

He made his way down Christine’s street. The narrow concrete walkway to her cabin was covered in black silt and ash. He stepped through it in his black loafers and knocked on the front door. A strange excitement filled him, made his heart feel heavy in his chest and beat faster than normal. If he wasn’t careful she might get under his skin. As soon as he thought it, he laughed.

Yeah, right.

The door swung open, and his smile turned into a grimace. The woman who answered was older than Christine with curly blonde hair that reeked of hairspray. The woman eyed him like he was a disgusting insect she wanted to squash.

“Yes?”

“Where’s Christine?”

She arched a thin eyebrow at his command then stood in the doorway blocking him. “She can’t see you. She’s busy.”

“Doing what?” He’d rather have his teeth pulled then have to ask these questions. Did none of these lykaens know who he was?

“I don’t see why that’s any business of yours, vampire.” He narrowed his eyes on the shrewd woman. “She’s mine that makes everything she does my business.”

The woman’s mouth dropped open in astonishment and then she tossed her bi-gheaded hair back and laughed.

“Yours? She’ll never be yours. And if you know what’s best for you you’ll stay away from her.”

“Are you threatening me?” he asked in a low voice.

She crossed her arms but didn’t back down. “Consider it what you will. Christine is my daughter and I will only see the best for her. Not a vampire.” She almost sneered when she said it.

He’d had enough of this. “Where is she? Christine,” he called out. No response came.

“As I said, she’s busy.”

Dmetri’s patience snapped like a piece of thread. His palm slammed against the front door sending it flying open. He stalked past the little woman and made his way through the house. She trailed after him in outrage.