The Last Hope (AU Book 1 of The Last Series)

Chapter 20

I forced a smile on my face and tried to cover up the pain that I felt, even though I knew that it filled my eyes. I didn't say a word while I looked at Andrei, and I couldn't help but look at him, trying to see if there was anything that I was missing while he stared at me with the same expression on his face.

"Well," he said and cleared his throat while he shifted in his seat and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, what?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I stared at him. "What are you wanting?"

Andrei bit back a small sigh and patted my leg. "Well, I wanted to know what happened," he said before he shook his head and cleared his throat, shifting on my bed. "Why did you pass out, twice?"

I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line. "I don't know," I said, making sure not to think about what happened. "I think it might be best if you ask either Fernos or Tabitha to see if they know because I can't think of any reason why that happened."

"Hmmm." He pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded, and I have a feeling that he didn't believe me. "Well, at least you are awake and safe for now," he said and offered me a tight smile, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Do you want to practice your water powers again?"

"Andrei," I said and bit back a small groan. I laid my head on the tent wall while I closed my eyes, biting back a small sigh. "Please, don't," I said while I shook my head. "I don't want to practice my powers in here again. Why are you trying to make me?"

"Why are you trying to say no?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "Are you scared?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line and gave him a deadpanned look while I stared at him, and Andrei bit back a small chuckle but didn't say a word while he waited for me to say something.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head, moving my hand through my hair and across my face. "Well, I am tired," I said, earning a snort from Andrei while he pressed his lips into a thin line because he knew that part wasn't the whole truth but also not a lie. "I am also trying to make sure that I do not get caught doing something that I am not supposed to be doing."

Andrei bit back a small sigh and moved a hand through his hair. He shook his head and pursed his lips in annoyance while he looked at me. "Who are you afraid of catching you?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Cooper?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. "Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and shifted in my bed. "I don't want Cooper to get mad at me for using my powers and then get mad at you for telling me to do it."

"Hmph." Andrei bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded. "I know," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Is there anyone else that you are nervous about knowing?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I hesitated before I slowly nodded before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "I think that I am nervous about Silas knowing," I said, and he raised his eyebrow higher in question with a look of shock appearing on his face.

"Oh?" he asked while he cocked his head and studied me with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean by that? Isn't he supposed to be one of your protectors?"

I bit back a small laugh and slowly nodded. "Yes," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "He is one of my protectors, but I do not know him and do not trust him."

"You don't?" Andrei asked, and I shook my head no. "And why not?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question. "Why do you not trust him?"

I hesitated before I shrugged and grimaced. "I do not know," I said, honestly. "I just do not trust him. I don't know if it is a feeling that I am getting or if it is because I don't know him, but... I don't trust him."

Andrei pressed his lips into a thinner line. He looked at the tent entrance before he looked at me before he cleared his throat and shifted on the bed. "Do you want me to keep an eye on him?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded. "Please," I said and moved a hand across my quilt. "Just don't make it obvious. I don't want you to get hurt."

Andrei bit back a small laugh and slowly nodded. "Ok," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "I will make sure that I am not seen while I keep an eye on Silas." He paused and furrowed his brows while he slowly tucked his head closer to his chest and studied me. "Do you want me to ask my father to see if he can't find anything about Silas?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Please," I said and nodded in confirmation. "I want to see if he can't find anything about him, but I don't know if he will be able to, especially with whatever is going on over there."

The smile on Andrei's face dropped, and he bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded, moving a hand through his hair. "I know," he said softly. "Do you want anyone else to see if they can't keep an eye on Silas?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I sighed and moved a hand through my hair before I slowly nodded. "I think I might ask Fernos..." I said and shifted on my bed to look at the floor to see that there was still a shadow, and I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief because I knew that it meant that Fernos was close to us. "Can you keep an eye on him?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "And see if there is anything that you can find about him?"

The shadow that was there moved just a tad before it moved closer again as if it was a nod, and I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Fernos," I said. "I appreciate you a lot."

"Oh," Andrei said and leaned over the bed so that he could look at the shadow with something in his eyes that I did not like.

"Andrei," I warned, and he looked at me and gave me a cheeky grin before he looked at Fernos again.

"Can you make sure that no one enters the tent so that Caroline and I can practice with her powers, please?" he asked. "I think she needs more practice if she wants to kick people's ass with water."

"Andrei!" I exclaimed, biting back a small laugh, my cheeks turning red. I shoved him back, earning a small laugh from him while he moved with the push. "Stop!"

"Please? I want to help her some more before whoever is supposed to be here to help her gets here to help her."

Fernos moved a shadow as if to nod, and Andrei breathed a small sigh of relief while I groaned in annoyance.

"Thank you, Fernos. You are the best," Andrei said, laughing. He looked at me and grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement and laughter, and my heart couldn't help but skip a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest.

"I hate you!" I exclaimed with another laugh and shoved him again.

"No, you don't," Andrei said and shook his head. He looked at me with a soft smile with something in his eyes that I couldn't describe and didn't know if I wanted to know. "You love me, Lina," he said. "You do not hate me because you love me."

I made sure my smile didn't waver while I looked at him because that was true. I did love him, and I had no idea if I would ever be able to get rid of those feelings.

Oh Goddess, help me...