Turning a Corner...

I was not happy to find that the room that Jensen was leading me to was the same one I had only just escaped.

“You can’t be serious!” I grumbled at him.

Jensen smirked, making me believe our truce had been short-lived. “As much as you might resent returning to this room of your previous incarceration, it really is in your best interest to remain isolated from the guests in residence at this time.”

Appears I was wrong about our treaty. “There are a lot of guests here?” If there were, could it have anything to do with what was on Kallan’s screen? Somehow, I knew better than to let that question pass my lips.

He pressed his lips together as he regarded me, his expression contemplative. Finally, he offered me a curt nod. “There are more than normal, and more are on their way.” He sighed as he brought his fingers to massage the curve of his brow, rubbing them against the lid of his eye before finally dropping his hand back to his side. The tension he was holding onto was wearing on him, and I almost felt sorry for him...almost. “Since you have chosen to no longer remain under Lord Kolbeck’s protection, it seems the burden has fallen on me once more to ensure your safety.” He offered me a wry grin. “If you would allow me to do my job with this regard, it would make both our lives much easier until such a time as you leave our little haven.”

It was more than apparent that he was trying very hard to abide by our recent truce. “Are you going to lock me in the room again?”

“You were only ever locked in for your own protection. I will not have to resort to such measures if you realize I am trying to keep you safe and you do as I ask.” He lifted a brow with a half-grin planted on his lips, his hands clasped before him.

“So, how long are you asking me to stay in my room?” The old woman was clear enough about the risk I was in at the moment, so I knew what was coming. Might as well face it head-on.

He smiled broadly, the once hard features transformed to something more handsome than I had imagined he could be. “You are quite clever, after all.” I started to respond to his slight goading, but he put up his hands to ward off any verbal attack I might have attempted. “I am merely grateful you heard what the elder had to say. By the week’s end, it should be safe for you to wander the grounds. In the meantime, I will be happy to send Tala to you to keep you company, and to give you a chance to offer assistance for her upcoming nuptials.”

His eyes held mine as I gave his words some thought. I really did not want to spend any more time in that room than I had to, but what he asked for was not unreasonable considering. Another run-in with the alpha known as Drake was not anything I would look forward to. I cannot imagine he would be kind after the punishment that Kallan dealt due to the liberties he had taken where I was concerned. In fact, without the protection of Kallan, I was realizing just how vulnerable that made me in this place.

I found myself regarding the man before me in a different way than before. The pale blonde of his hair was neatly combed from his face, tied back neatly by a leather cord. His face was very thin, along with the rest of his form. However, I remember all too distinctly just how strong he truly was.

Those pale blue eyes stared back at me as I continued to size him up. This man was what stood between me and any other lycan male, or even female, that decided to take a dislike to me. For a split second, I found myself wishing that it was Kallan standing there and offering to protect me, but only for a split second. I tucked the thought at the back of my mind in the ‘do not resuscitate’ pile hoping it had seen its last light of day, and I gave the man before me a nod.

“Yeah, okay,” I said, turning away from him to the door of the dreaded room. Man, but I hated this room! The things I did for Tala.

When I turned the knob, I heard Jensen clear his throat before he spoke. “That’s it? No argument?”

There was a surprise there that irritated me. I looked over my shoulder, shooting him a perturbed expression. “Not like I have much of a choice, really, do I?” My tone was a little more snarky than I would have liked, but the question rankled me.

Jensen chuckled. “That hasn’t stopped you before,” he jested.

Stepping into the room, I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now, anyway. Play nice until playtime is over, right, Jensen?”

For several long moments, silence pervaded the room. When I turned around, he had his head cocked to the side. His lips twitched at the corners and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his dark pants, which were common for him and made him look even thinner than he might actually be. The white linen shirt that he wore seemed too large for his frame as it practically swallowed him whole. But when he smiled, it made his entire being light up!

“Why, Ms. Killian, have we just turned a corner?”

Taking the few steps it took to reach the door, I smiled sweetly at him. Upon reaching the door, I placed my hand on the back of the wooden panel. “Goodbye, Jensen,” I said, smiling at him as I closed the door.

A loud chuckle managed to make its way to my side of the door, and I once more wondered how valuable Jensen could be to me. At this point, I felt like I had to rely on him. Who would have thought how much things would have changed between us since I arrived here...and how much he would turn out to become someone I could trust.

As promised, Jensen sent Tala to me. When she entered my room, she beamed from ear to ear, her enthusiasm nearly infectious. For me, it was both with torture and joy that I watched her light up and become animated. For, at the end of it all, she would no longer be my little moon, but someone else’s.

Even now, I watched her with a sad smile planted on my lips, my mind drifting through the years that we had spent together. The years that she had become such a huge part of my life, and it dawned on me how much I had hidden behind her. I could hide all my own concerns and shy away from others with the excuse that I had Tala to worry about.

“Kallan told us all about a man that presides over the ceremony. Said he was called a...what did he call it?” She worked her lips around, the p-sound humming against her lips. “P-p-preecher. Yeah, a preacher, that is what he called it. Or was it a priest?” She furrowed her brows before the focus left her and they smoothed out on their own. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that this guy-”

“Or woman,” I interjected.

She lifted her brow, a teasing smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. “Yes, or woman,” she conceded. “Or, at least, I guess it can be a woman.” Her brow was once more furrowed. “You know, I didn’t think to ask that. Then again, you would be the one to ask that.” She laughed, a carefree sound that echoed in the chambers, and I couldn’t help but think how very much I would miss that laugh when I was gone. “Anyway,” she let her hands flutter in the air before her as though sweeping away her previous thoughts. “This guy says these words and we are supposed to repeat them after he says them. He called them...v-v-v,” she started to let the sound vibrate against her bottom lip as she struggled to find the word. Finally, she gave up, waving her hands before her once more. “V-something. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are going to have one of them guys doing our wedding for us! Isn’t that exciting?”

She was nearly bouncing on the edge of the bed as she said those words. My own body was rocking side-to-side from her enthusiasm. Clasping her hands in mine, more to stop the movement than anything, I tried my hardest to feel the same sort of enthusiasm for her happiness. “That’s great, little moon. It really is.”

Tala squeezed my hands between hers before she rose up from the bed and started to pace the room. The dress she wore swished around her ankles as she moved. This had become the norm, to see her in this kind of clothing.

It seemed so strange to witness the people wearing clothing that seemed more carefree than functional. For so long, we wore what we could move in freely, that would not give any others any advantages, and that would cover us nearly from head to toe. To show any flesh, especially as a woman, would bring unwanted attention that could end badly for the woman. And now, Tala and most of the other women wore clothing that would not be functional for our old lives. It seems that Tala was not the only one that would be remaining in this Lycan kingdom.

As she paced, she stuck the tip of her thumb in her mouth and delicately nipped at the nail. “With all these people coming here, I wonder if they plan on attending, too?” Her voice had dropped low, almost as if musing to herself.

The words made the curiosity within swell to the surface, making me forget that I was supposed to be feigning happy enthusiasm for what felt so bleak to me. “How many more have come? Are they all lycan? Where are they staying? Are they here for-” I let my question cut off short, realizing a little late that she might not know anything about what I had seen on that device in Kallan’s office.

Tala stopped pacing and turned to look at me, her head cocked slightly to one side. She regarded me for more than a minute before speaking. “Are they here for-what?” She smiled, thinking she knew what was about to come out of my mouth.

While asking the questions, I had started to rise from where I sat. Now, I let myself fall back against the soft mattress once more. “Are they here for the wedding, of course,” I smiled nervously, wondering how well she could see through me.

“That’s what I thought!” She proclaimed the words loudly, and for a second I wondered if she could tell that I had not been honest. Her feet slid easily across the floor to me as she leaned over and hugged me tightly, nearly knocking me backward against the pillows. “You really are excited for me,” she remarked as she pulled away from me, her hands still clutching at my shoulders. “For a moment, I thought...well, maybe...well, I thought maybe you believed that it should be you that should be married-”

Though relieved, I wanted to cut off her final words. “Why, that is silly of course! Why on earth would you think I would want to marry Kallan? That man is more beast than man!”

Tala stood up, staring at me as she let her hands drop. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.” Her expression looked puzzled, as though she were trying to take me apart and put me back together. Then, without warning, she walked silently to the door. It was my turn to be stunned when she spoke after reaching the door. “For the record, Kallan has been nothing but kind to all of us. He and his kind have fed, clothed, and housed us all while keeping us safe here in this place. You wouldn’t know because you are too stubborn to see what is before your very eyes. I love you, Sedona. You are the only family I know. But I will not listen to such careless remarks. If you cannot be nice, then I won’t let you come to the wedding.”

With those parting words, she fled the room. Great, now I had to find a way to make amends. Never had Tala stood against me, and the moment was nearly surreal. How had he crept into her heart so quickly?