End of Summer

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Chapter 44

Kris was still waiting for the bartender to come to take her order when she noticed a group of four girls come up beside her. She moved a little so that at least one of them could step up if they wanted to order. None of them moved. She frowned when one of them tapped her roughly on the shoulder. She turned just enough so she could look at them and still keep her spot. "Yes?"

The one that tapped her shoulder was glaring. "Who are you?"

Kris snorted at the question. "Why do you care?"

The girl's face got a little more red as she gestured behind them. "Why are you keeping them all to yourself? Haven't you heard it's polite to share?"

It took Kris a few moments to realize that the girl was talking about the Soldiers. When she did, she laughed out loud. She tried to bring it under control, but every time she saw the girl's frown growing, her laughter doubled. She finally managed to tone it down enough that she could speak. "I'm not stopping you from heading over there. Although, considering one of them is my brother, I'm not so sure that I could stand having you at the table."

Her eyes glinted at the last part, and the girl must have finally realized that even though Kris was small, she wasn't going to be pushed around. That didn't stop her from taking a threatening step forward. "You don't want to mess with us."

Kris lost all sense of mirth, and her face became impassive. "No, I think you have that wrong. This isn't the time or place for this kind of behavior, but trust me when I say it will never be a good time for you to step up with me."

Despite her stature, Kris suddenly became more intimidating than any of the women had expected. It was the face she used to cow towering Soldiers when they thought she couldn't go toe-to-toe with them. Even though she doubted the girls would start something in the bar, Kris was grateful when she heard the bartender at her other side. "Can I take your order?" She turned her back on the group without concern. If she had seen the apoplectic look the girl wore once her back was turned, she probably would have grinned. By the time she turned back around with several glasses in hand, the girls were gone.

She put the confrontation out of her mind as she set the drinks down to several thanks. She did grin when Genesis pulled her down beside him and wrapped an arm around her waist. The rest of the night was spent laughing. It wasn't until they were ready to go that she saw the girls glaring at her as they all walked out together. She couldn't resist the urge to give them all an evil grin. Genesis gave her a questioning look when he caught sight of it, but she didn't bother explaining. That was one thing that wasn't worth either of their time.

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Over the next couple of months, Kris learned to handle the absences of Genesis and Zack, along with the rest. She still didn't like it, but she didn't have as many nightmares. Genesis assured her that part of it was that she had growing confidence in him and his ability to always return to her side. She wasn't sure if that was the reason, or if it was just that she quit keeping the biggest secrets to herself. She even told Zack what her nightmares were about. He hadn't liked it any more than Genesis had.

Much to Kris' chagrin, those two finally formed some sort of truce. It couldn't be called getting along, because neither of them hid the fact that they weren't entirely comfortable with the other, but they both figured out they had something important in common. Kris and her safety. As long as they both agreed that her happiness came first, they had no problems with each other.

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