by Tricia Barr
“Are we...?” Kenzie started, then had to stop to swallow the emotion bubbling in her throat. She wasn’t sure what had happened up in the streets of Chicago, whether Wes had died or severed the bond between them or just been too weak for her to really feel him. And she couldn’t identify the part of herself tied to him, if she still was, though she’d gone the entire time at Heritage Prep not realizing what kind of link they shared.
“Are we still bound?” Wes asked, his eyes searching hers.
Kenzie blinked, pulling in her lips.
Wes’s warm hands encompassed her face, and he gave her another kiss, this one softer, searching. When he pulled away, there was a hint of relief in his eyes. “I tried to sever our bond, but it appears, Ms. MacLugh, that our bond is too strong to fight. Even if it is for your own good.”
Kenzie slapped his chest playfully, a relieved chuckle on her lips. “Never do that to me again. It’s us. Now and forever. You got me?”
Wes smiled, then pulled her in for another kiss, warming her with a hug. His chin rested on the top of her head. With Kenzie’s ear to his chest, she could hear his heartbeat, and she knew her own heart beat to the same rhythm.
“There’s something you should know,” Wes said.
Kenzie didn’t bother to lift her head, just closing her eyes and nodding as she held on like she’d never let go.
“There’s something else I should tell you. I wanted to before, but now...” Wes took a deep breath, gently forcing Kenzie to look at him. “I might have contacted the hunters again. I was going crazy thinking what could be happening to you in that vampire school. So I told the hunters about it.”
“Really? Are you sure that was such a great idea?”
Wes shrugged. “It probably didn’t do much good, seeing how the vampires chased you all here. The school was probably empty by the time they arrived.”
Kenzie smirked. “I’m sure they still had their hands full. There were a lot of Initiates there, and probably at least a handful of vampires. Who knows? Maybe they were able to clean up the rest of this mess by being over there while the majority of the vampires were over here.”
“We can only hope. It’s not like I can contact them again.”
“Speaking of... it looks like I’m in. Here, I mean. I’m gonna be going to school here.”
Wes looked around the room skeptically. “I’m not sure anyone is gonna be going to school here any time soon.”
“Are you kidding? This place’ll be up and running in no time. Especially with a hybrid and a selkie to help clean things up.” Kenzie smiled broadly at Wes. “Any chance there’s an incredibly attractive cougar were that would like to help, too? It sure would make the work easier to have a little eye-candy hanging around.”
“Rawr,” Wes said, bringing his forehead to hers again. “If it’ll keep you out of trouble...”
Kenzie spit out a laugh. “I don’t think there’s anything in the world that can keep me out of trouble.”
“I’ll spend my life trying.”
“Then you’ll never get bored.”
Kenzie yawned again, her eyes drooping involuntarily.
“Come on. Let’s get you someplace so you can rest.”
Kenzie nodded, following Wes as he brought her to the cots and cushions that had been laid out for shifters to sleep.
Wes found a spot, and laid down with Kenzie, holding her tight. She fell asleep with her head against his warm chest, feeling for all the world like she was in the safest place she could possibly be.
***
Kenzie’s eyes fluttered, sleepily wondering where she was. And then she remembered everything. She lifted her head, noticing a dark stain on Wes’s shirt where her mouth had been. Kenzie wiped self-consciously at her chin, then tried to tame the little pieces of hair that always wanted to stick up when she slept.
Wes’s eyes opened, and when he saw Kenzie, he smiled. “That’s a good look for you.”
“Oh, man. How bad is it?”
Wes put a hand to her hair, patting it a few times before laughing. “It’s perfect.”
“Ugh.”
A throat cleared behind her, and Kenzie whipped around. Her mom stood there, arms crossed, foot tapping.
“Mom!” Kenzie said, scrambling off the cot and landing on her rear.
“Mrs. MacLugh, I’m sorry—”
Mom held up a hand, stopping Wes’s apology before it had really begun. “I don’t suppose there’s any stopping you two, anyway.”
Ren came up behind her, a smile on his handsome face. “I can always give him a jolt, if you need.” He let a slip of electricity arc between his thumb and forefinger, winking at Wes.
Mom laughed, fuller and heartier and more real than anything Kenzie had seen from the woman since they’d lost Dad. “Save it.” She turned back to Wes. “Are you planning on attending here?”
Wes’s forehead crinkled. “Uh, I’ve been considering it.”
“Lita here tells me that you’re in need of some training. We’ve got plenty of toy mice and feathers, if you’re interested.”
Kenzie laughed along with her mom this time.
Wes gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I don’t suppose she told you about my previous profession?”
Ren gave Mom a questioning look.
Oberon walked up behind the two, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “The hunter has become the hunted. I was the one who sent you the acceptance letter. And yes, we know of your history.”
“It’s complicated,” Wes sighed.
“Isn’t it always?” Oberon said, letting his arms fall to his sides.
Wes shrugged. “I suppose.”
“So you’re in, too?” Kenzie asked him, hope soaring.
Wes nodded.
“Good,” Ren said, giving Mom a conspiratorial grin. “Just remember to behave yourself. I’ll be watching. And I’m everywhere.” He phased from solid to a ghost-like state and then back, and Kenzie and Wes’s eyes both widened.
“Come on,” Oberon said. “We have a lot of work to do. Breakfast is being served in the gymnasium, and they’re coordinating everything from there, too.”
Kenzie and Wes nodded. Wes got up first, helping Kenzie to her feet. It was still a bit dark in the room, but so much had changed while they slept. There were a few injured still lying around, but no one looked near death anymore. Even the blood had been mopped up. More shifters slept on the makeshift beds, most of them Kenzie recognized as being harpies who had been healing the injured.
Wes’s fingers threaded through hers, and she pulled her eyes away from the room. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, then tugged her along.
She was sure there would be more tears before everything was done, but they’d made it. The threat was over. Now it was time to rebuild and heal.
And Kenzie was right where she needed to be.
Chapter 59: Leif
Reparations were well underway, and Leif was impressed with how efficient Ren Suzuki and his team of kitsunes were at utilizing technology to fix the broken Dome. The giant hole at the top had been blocked with Kenzie’s skillful selkie magic as a temporary fix. It had firmly held as the water of Lake Michigan had been placed back where it belonged.
The interior was also undergoing repairs, and Leif imagined that before long, the school would be functioning just as it used to—before Draven’s attack.
Draven. The vampire leader was gone. The first hybrid was killed—at his own hands, no less. But still one hybrid remained. Leif still questioned whether or not turning Myreen was the right decision. But without her, the shifters would have lost the battle against the vampires.
Leif was standing in Oberon’s office—previously occupied by Eduard Dracul. Regrettably, the shifter military leader had died, but he’d returned honor back to the Dracul name. All these long years, that name had brought nothing but violent anger to Leif’s soul. But not anymore.
Oberon had instructed Leif to “sit tight”
while he oversaw the clean-up affairs of the school. Apparently, sight of a vampire within the walls of the school—even a good vampire—was still unsettling to some of the residents of the Dome.
A knock came at the door, which Leif found odd. Oberon wouldn’t knock at his own door.
“Come in,” Leif said, placing his hands behind his back as he gripped them together tightly.
The door creaked open and Kol Dracul slipped in. Closing it quickly behind him, the amber eyes of Eduard’s son rested on Leif.
Leif bowed slightly. “Hello, Malkolm.”
Kol nodded his acknowledgement. “Can we talk?”
Smiling, Leif said, “I really don’t have much else to do at the moment. Honestly, I would appreciate the company.”
The boy looked to be in a bit of turmoil, as if his mind had been raging its own battle recently. It seemed as if a verbal flood was dammed up within him, but was on the verge of surging out.
“My condolences about your father,” Leif said. “I didn’t know him very well, but in the end, he put his faith in me—which wasn’t an easy thing for him, I think. And he was invested in protecting the school and the shifters here.”
Casting his eyes to the ground, Kol muttered, “Thanks.”
That was it. Kol didn’t elaborate on the subject of his dad, which told Leif that something else was the matter.
“Is everything all right?” Leif asked.
Kol crossed his arms. “You turned Myreen.”
Leif detected bitterness in Kol’s accusatory tone, but he nodded. “Per her request, I did. To be frank, though, had I declined, she would have forced me to do the deed by use of her siren voice.”
Kol cast his eyes to the ground. There was no way the boy could argue that point. Leif half-expected him to blow up. Instead, Kol’s arms unwound and fell to his sides, and his shoulders drooped.
“What should I do, Leif?” he asked. “My whole life, I’ve been trained to hate vampires. I’ve been trained to kill vampires.”
Chuckling, Leif stepped over to Kol. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he said, “And yet, here you are, confiding in one.”
Kol met his gaze. “Well, you’re different than other vampires.”
Raising an eyebrow, Leif said, “On the contrary, from a biological standpoint, I’m the same as all vampires. My differences lie in the enchantments that have been placed on me. And technically, I didn’t make Myreen a vampire. She’s a hybrid.”
Kol shrugged. “Same difference.”
Leif patted him lightly on the back. “I’m approaching one hundred and fifty years of living on this earth, and you know what I’ve discovered? It doesn’t matter if you’re a shifter, a selkie, a human, or a vampire.” He patted his chest. “What we choose to become is what matters most.” Flashes of the destruction he caused at La Framboise Island twenty years ago bombarded his mind—motionless shifter bodies on the riverside, stone blasted to rubble making up a massive grave for countless others. In a whisper, he said, “I’ve done some terrible things.”
“But you changed,” Kol said.
Leif nodded. “Yes, I changed. My place was not with Draven. And one day, I had an opportunity to not only escape from his clutches, but to reach a helping hand to Oberon. Yes, ever since, my place has been among the shifters.”
“But when I see Myreen, I can’t help but see the changes she’s been through,” Kol said. “I can’t help but feel the vampire coursing through her veins.”
“Do you still love her?” Leif asked.
Kol thought for a moment. “I love who she was.”
Leif sighed. “Long ago, I was turned against my will. I was madly in love with a selkie—one of Kenzie’s relatives, actually.”
“Really?” Kol said.
Again, Leif nodded. “Her name was Gemma. I had plans to ask her hand in marriage, but before I could, I was turned. When she found out, she had every right to shut me out, to see me for the monster I’d become. But she didn’t. Instead, she looked for ways to spend more time with me. Because of Gemma’s enchantment, I can walk in sunlight without being harmed.”
Kol slowly shook his head. “How did she do it? How could she see beyond you being a vampire?”
Leif smiled, the memory of their engagement trickling back into his mind. “Because to Gemma, I was still Leif. And I still loved her more than anything.” He cast his eyes to the ground. “I still do.”
“What happened to her?” Kol asked.
The last thing Leif wanted was to bring more pain to Kol. Sharing the story about one of his ancestors murdering Gemma didn’t seem like a good idea. “That,” he said, holding up a finger, “is a story for another time. What I’m telling you is that Myreen might be different physically, but inside, she’s the same. Love sees no difference in such changes. I know you still love her, otherwise you wouldn’t have come to me to talk about it. And the greatest thing about a strong love connection? You won’t focus so much on what you both are, but on what you can become—together.”
Kol looked him in the eyes. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
Leif bobbed his head. “I do.”
Another knock sounded at the door. From the other side came a voice. “Leif, it’s Kenzie. Can I come in?”
Leif gave Kol a questioning look.
Kol nodded. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. I should probably get going, anyway.”
Leif smiled, then raised his voice. “Come on in, Kenzie.”
The door opened and in walked Kenzie. There seemed to be a light about her—a happiness he’d never seen on her before.
“Oh, Kol,” she said, her hazel eyes first looking at him. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”
“We were just finishing,” Kol said, a redness forming on his cheeks. He looked at Leif. “Thanks for talking.”
“Of course,” he said with a nod. As the young dragon shifter headed for the door, Leif quickly said, “One last thing, Kol. Battles can make or break us. They can turn warm hearts cold. You’ve been through a lot. Right about now, you could use what Myreen has to offer you. And she could use what you have to offer her, too.”
Kol didn’t say anything, but he nodded before he left, closing the door behind him.
Kenzie threw a thumb over her shoulder. “What did he want?”
“He’s working through some issues and needed some advice,” Leif said, not wanting to spill anything Kol had shared with him.
“I know he lost his dad,” Kenzie said, pushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face. “I’m just surprised he turned to you. You know, being a vampire and all.”
Leif smirked. “I think that’s precisely why he came. But enough about Kol. How are you holding up, Kenzie?”
A sly smile crossed her face. “Apparently I’m pretty good at holding up Lake Michigan. Who’d have guessed?”
Leif laughed. “Oberon told me about your heroic actions.” He turned serious. “Look, I know I’ve told you before, but I’m really proud of you.”
She beamed at his words.
“I think Gemma would be proud of you, too,” he said, his face dropping as an image of Octavius formed in his mind. The scene of him placing her brooch within the confines of his strange, blue dreadlocks.
“You know, the idea of bumping into my great-great-great-great-aunt—or whatever the heck we are to each other—should be really crazy.” Kenzie sat in one of Oberon’s chairs and pulled her knees to her chest. “But honestly, after hearing you talk about her, and knowing what she’s added to the family grimoire—I almost feel like I know her. I’d love to meet her.”
Leif grimaced. “Bringing Gemma back got a lot more difficult after the kraken ran away.”
Kenzie’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What does the kraken have to do with bringing Gemma back?”
He set his jaw. “Before I fought Beatrice, she gave him the brooch, and he took off with it.”
“You saw the kraken in human form?” she said incredulously. “Wait. Is he a sh
ifter?” She gave a low whistle. “Talk about shift happening.”
“That’s not important,” Leif replied, shaking his head in amusement. “The fact is, he has Gemma’s brooch. I would’ve gone after him, but Piper was in trouble. I couldn’t leave her behind to die. And there were so many vampires within the Dome. I had to help the shifter military hold them off.”
Kenzie looked down, but brought her hazel eyes back to him after a few moments. “You’ve said you’re proud of me. For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you, too. Knowing what you’ve gone through—what you’ve overcome...” She trailed off, as if seeking the right words to speak. “You’re just, like, freaking awesome. I don’t think anything in the world could keep Gemma’s brooch from you for long. Not even a kraken shifter.”
Her words were kind and hopeful, and Leif walked over and sat in the chair next to her. “You’re a good friend,” he said.
“And you’re sure you want to keep it that way?”
Leif raised a brow.
“Just kidding. I got my own true love story. I think.” Kenzie’s cheeks colored. “You keep loving my great-great-great-great-whatever. Dang, I hope Gemma comes back as she was and not as an extremely old lady.”
Leif chuckled. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. You’re an amzing girl, Kenzie. Your guy’s a lucky one. You know what you’ve taught me?”
“To like cats?” she answered with a smirk.
Chuckling, Leif held up a finger. “One cat. But in all seriousness, you’ve taught me that some people are worth trusting. You and I—we’ve been through a lot together.”
Kenzie reached out and gave him a hug, and he welcomed it.
They sat there for some time, and at last she pulled away. “So that’s the plan, then? You’re going to slam that kraken back where he came from and get the brooch?”
“It’s all I can do,” he said. “With the vampire threat abated, there isn’t a whole lot I can do here at the shifter school.”
Kenzie’s sly grin reappeared. “I think you’ll find that people are more accepting here than they used to be. You won’t believe this, but I’m in! Finally, I get to go to this school. At least, what’s left of it.”
“That’s great news!” Leif exclaimed. “You’ve earned it. And the shifter world should open their arms to you and your family for all the help you’ve given. I can’t imagine the prejudice against your kind will linger for too long. Perhaps Oberon will invite other selkies to the school.”