Last of Her Kind (Book 1, Part 1, of the LAST series)

call of home

He looked sad.

Why'd he look sad? Maybe I should go back and let him.

I feel bad.

Wait, no. Why would you feel bad, Faeda? He's the one who should. He's the one that doesn't like me. Maybe that's why he rarely says anything to me.

I ran a hand through my locs in frustration, trying to ignore the weight of sadness on my chest. Feelings sucked. I missed the days when I didn't have to deal with them.

I continued walking around, battling with my emotions. I was halfheartedly taking everything in, my mind not letting me forget Sorin.

Just thinking about him made my heart race. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of him.

I soon found myself back at the large tree, my feet sore from walking. I honestly couldn't remember what I even saw.

Leaning back against the trunk, I watched the elves interact with each other. I heard a child's laughter and turned my head to see a smiling Sorin holding a child in his arms, spinning him.

Why? Of course he'd be good with children, cause why wouldn't he?

The child squealed as he held on for dear life. Sorin just smiled, throwing the child up into the air before catching her with ease. Children ran to him, surrounding him, as they all joined in on the laughter.

Placing the kid on the ground, the others jumped up and down yelling "next". I couldn't help but smile at the scene before me. Why couldn't he be horrible with them? His eyes connected with mine and my smile faded, while his remained on his face.

My heart hammered against my chest, heat rushing my cheeks.

Saints.

His full smile was gorgeous and his teeth were perfect. I watched as he said something to the kids, causing them to "awe" in disappointment, then walk away.

It was too late to run. He had already spotted me. I just would have to stand here and not be weird or obvious....

...too late.

He stood before me. "Hey."

I cleared my throat, letting out an awkward laugh. "Hey, back at ya." I inwardly cursed at myself. "The kids seem to really like you."

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess. They're amazing."

I didn't like this. I had his full attention, and his eyes....oh, his eyes. I could feel myself getting lost in them. I think I was going to barf. I quickly tore my gaze away, turning towards the tree. "I like this tree. It's a very large...large tree."

He let out a breath. "Indeed it is. The elves help keep it alive. Come with me." He began walking around the tree.

I shook my head. "No, it's alright. You go."

"Trust me," he insisted as he walked back towards me, grabbing my hand with his rough ones. Is it bad that I liked how our hands felt together? "You'll want to see this." I walked with him to where there was a tiny opening that led inside the hollow of the tree. "Through here."

We both squeezed through the opening, and what I saw caused my jaw to drop. I pulled away from him, walking towards the center, staring up and looking all around. Green, glowing specs floated around everywhere. I smiled. "What is this?"

"No idea. But an elf made this. The specs help the tree stay alive."

"It's beautiful," I remarked, gazing at the scenery before us.

"It is," he agreed softly.

When I glanced back at him, I found his eyes fixed intently on mine. My smile faltered. Not again. I couldn't bear the weight of his gaze any longer. Clearing my throat, I averted my eyes. "Thank you for showing me, but I should probably go find Azriel so he can show me where I'll be staying," I said, taking a tentative step forward.