Page 67 of Blood and Fate

“Wait right there!” Kais called, weighing the whip in his grasp. “Put that one on your head.”

The girl froze as she looked from the pinecone in her hand to where Kais stood with his whip. Then the giggling came again.

“No!” she squealed, her voice pitched excessively high.

“Why not?” Kais gave her a mock offended expression, covering his heart with his free hand. “Don’t you trust me?”

She looked again between him and the pinecone in her hand, as if weighing his words. Her face scrunched up, causing the top of her nose to wrinkle. She was adorable.

“Well...” she drew the word out, making it last about four beats. “I do trust you. You’re you. But I like my head.”

Kais laughed. “Wise.” He pointed his chin toward the log. “Go ahead, put it up there, and come back here.”

Quickly the girl placed the last pinecone on the trunk and rushed back to Kais, making sure to stand far off to his side and out of range of the braided cord.

Kais snapped the whip, knocking the first pinecone off, and then again for the second.

“I have questions,” Adalyn spoke up before he could snap the third one off.

“What’s that?” He aimed and knocked the third pinecone down.

“She’s very pretty.”

Kais wanted to laugh as he turned a quizzical look on the girl. “That’s not a question.”

Adalyn seemed to consider for a moment. “Do you think she’s very pretty?”

“Who?” Kais asked, confused for a moment.

“The girl with you.” Adalyn gave him a look like she was concerned he may not be well.

Satori. He breathed in deeply. Yes, he certainly did think she was pretty. “I suppose, yes, she is pretty. Set those pinecones back up, please?”

“No, I said very pretty,“ Adalyn insisted, her voice serious, as she replaced the pinecones.

“Yes, Bug, she is very pretty.“ Kais shook out his whip. “Move back, please.”

He aimed and brought the first pinecone down, then the second. He turned to Adalyn.

“Do you want to try?”

Adalyn’s eyes grew wide. “Yes!”

She rushed to his side, taking the whip in her hands. He stood back and allowed her to attempt to crack it a couple of times.

“It’s too big,” the girl whined.

“Where’s yours?” Kais asked.

He had given Adalyn a whip of her own two years prior as a gift.

Her face fell. “It’s at home; my Mama won’t let me use it.”

Kais made a show of looking around, as though to see if anyone was listening. “Go get it.”

“But Mama . . .”

“Go get it,” he repeated. “Let me handle your Mama.”

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