Free Crown of Steel (Chaos Awakens) by Heath Pfaff Page B

beneath the mask, but seeing Kassa would have to be good enough. The wolf mask gave the woman a fierce and canine scowl, yet it also seemed to reflect Kassa's facial expressions as well. Beneath the wolfish features was the look of amused wonderment that Kassa no doubt had on her face.
    "How do I look?" She asked with a grin.
    "Like a grinning wolf." Haley replied. "It's a little unnerving."
    "Well, at least my nose isn't freezing anymore." Kassa sighed. "Let's get going. I'm not sure how much longer I can survive out here."
    Haley gave a single nod for a reply and then they set off looking for some place to take shelter and get warmed up. As they traveled Haley gathered the makings of a fire. The terrain was mostly treeless and rocky, but there was some occasional foliage and she took what she could find and carried it along with them. They would need every scrap of wood they could gather if they were going to burn a fire long enough to make a difference.
    It had been a long time since Haley had been so cold. The last time was when Xandrith had come for her, appearing out of nowhere like a ghost in the woods. He had come with his half loaded smile and his hands raised as though that made him less dangerous, and the moment she'd seen him Haley had known that he wasn't like other men. He hadn’t seemed real then. He was strong and determined, and his eyes were filled with a compassion that he would never admit to having. When Haley had been at her lowest point, Xan had effortlessly lifted her and carried her against his chest, holding her safely sheltered from the world. She'd felt so safe with him. He'd been warm, solid, masculine, and caring. It had been that moment when she'd really started to feel her attachment to the assassin.
    All the while she'd traveled with him he'd remained cloaked in an otherworldly nature. Haley knew that he was just a mortal man like so many others, but it was as though Xandrith didn't know that about himself. No one had ever told Xandrith that some things were impossible, and so he lived his life as though nothing was. Haley had seen that in him, and she'd immediately wanted to learn to live the same way. Besides, he was kind of roguishly good looking in his own way, and he didn't flinch away every time he saw Haley's face.
    Haley found herself blushing despite the frigid cold. What was she even thinking? Xandrith was old enough to be her father, and he was a killer, an assassin, and her tutor. Besides, he had Kassa. Haley wasn't exactly certain what existed between her mentor and the woman he cared for, but it seemed like more than a simple friendship. Xandrith had given up everything and risked his very life in order to bring Kassa back from the brink of death. He'd even given her a piece of himself. He'd left Haley behind so that he could save Kassa, and no matter how many times Haley tried to justify that to herself it still hurt.
    Haley wasn't angry with Xan for saving Kassa, but she was madly jealous of the other woman even if she would never admit to that fact outside of her thoughts. Haley had gone out of her way to be friendly and to treat Kassa the way she knew Xan would want her to, but sometimes the older woman infuriated her. Kassa had all of Xan's skills and she'd never had to work for them, and she'd obviously been the most important person to the assassin. It wasn't fair. Haley had worked hard to get as good as she was, and she wasn't even close to Kassa's proficiency in fighting. Kassa was given Xandrith's last moments and affection, but she professed to only think of the man as her friend. If Xandrith had chosen her instead, Haley wouldn't have been afraid to say that she loved him. But he hadn't chosen her. He'd left her behind and chosen to save Kassa, and why wouldn't he? She wasn't burned and deformed, and she wasn’t just a child in his eyes. Kassa hadn't been broken and abused by a hateful man, spoiled so that no other would ever love her. Haley could accept that she