The guard laughed. “Goddess, no. You are braver than most of us.”
“Or I’m not as smart as the rest of you.”
The other females joined in laughing, and I took a moment to check out their outfits. They wore fitted black pants and black tops with a laced bodice and thin sleeves. Their feet were bare, and there was a pile of black boots nearby.
“It is good that you don’t fear him,” said a blonde guard. “If you survive training under him, you will be a fierce warrior someday.”
Me, a warrior? I liked the sound of that.
“I like your hair,” the brunette said. “I have never seen a color like that.”
“I guess you’ve never been to my realm. It’s common there, especially in certain parts of the world.”
She shook her head dejectedly. “I hope to go someday.”
I waved a hand at their outfits. “I like those clothes. They look a lot more comfortable than the normal court clothes.”
“You don’t like your clothes?” she asked.
“They’re nice,” I rushed to say, not wanting to insult the court fashions. “It’s just that I’m used to more casual clothes. I always feel overdressed here.”
The guards chuckled, and the first one said, “I will send my personal tailor to you. She makes all of our clothes.”
“That would be great. Thanks.” I stepped forward. “I’m sorry. I haven’t even introduced myself.”
She met me halfway, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “Oh, I know who you are, Jesse James. I’ve heard so much about you from my brother.”
“Your brother?”
“Vaerik.” She gave me a wide smile. “I am Roswen. I had hoped to meet you last night, but it seems a drakkan had other plans for you.”
“Princess Roswen,” I stammered. I stared at her like an idiot because I had no clue how you were supposed to greet a member of the royal family outside of social settings.
“Please, call me Roswen,” she said. “After hearing Vaerik’s stories about you, I already feel like we are friends.”
“Okay,” I replied slowly, wondering what exactly Lukas had told her. “I’d like that.”
She beamed as if I’d handed her a gift. I hadn’t been sure what to expect when I met Lukas’s sister, but it wasn’t this friendly, down-to-earth girl who trained like one of the guards.
“These are my personal guards and best friends.” Roswen pointed to her four companions, starting with the blonde. “Parisa, Tiannan, Cyrene, and Ellette. Parisa is head of my security, but she’s nice and not nearly as scary as Faolin.”
“Not unless I need to be.” The blonde gave me a pretend snarl that made them all smile.
I smiled back, hoping I would remember their names. “Hi.”
“Now that we are friends, we want to hear all about your adventure.” Roswen took my hand and tugged me down to sit on the floor with her. The others followed suit, and they all listened raptly as I explained how I’d rescued Gus in New York and had to send him back to Faerie. Then I told them about my reunion with him yesterday.
“The whole court thought you were gone for good,” Roswen said, and the others nodded. “Nothing like that has ever happened before.”
I made a face. “For a while, I thought I was a goner, too.”
Ellette leaned in. “You made quite the entrance upon your return. Rashari and Delphine will not soon forget it.”
“Why?” I asked over their laughter. I’d never heard of Delphine, and I assumed Rashari was the same one I’d met.
“Because your drakkan knocked them into the lake,” Tiannan said gleefully. “Goddess, I wish I had been there to witness it. I heard they came out covered in slimy mud.”
Parisa scowled. “It’s past time someone dunked the pair of them. Goddess help us if either of them is chosen as Vaerik’s consort.”
“Or Dariyah,” Cyrene piped in. “She is the worst of them all.”
It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Was it common knowledge and expected that Lukas would take one of his father’s acceptable matches as his mate and consort?
“Vaerik is too smart to not see them for what they are, and he will not choose someone to please our father,” Roswen declared. She looked at me. “Only a strong, selfless female with a kind heart could win my brother’s devotion.”
I smiled at her obvious attempt to reassure me, but I couldn’t dispel the tiny knot of insecurity that had settled in my stomach. Lukas cared about me, and the way he kissed me left no doubt he was attracted to me. But we’d never talked about our feelings for each other. Was that because he knew there could be nothing more between us, and he didn’t want to hurt me?
A liveried male approached us, and Parisa immediately stood to face him. “Yes?” she asked him.
“Consort Maurelle wishes for Princess Roswen to ride with her this morning,” the male answered.
Roswen’s face lit up. “Tell her I will be there within the hour.”
“Yes, Princess.” The male bowed to her and left.
The rest of us stood, and Roswen turned to me. “Riding is one of my favorite pastimes. Do you ride?”
“No.” I thought about the huge majestic tarrans Conlan and the others had ridden when we went to town. “Not yet.”
“Then you must ask Vaerik to take you riding. It is so much fun, and he is a good teacher. He taught me to ride.” She retrieved her boots and pulled them on. “I am so happy I finally got to meet you, Jesse. Maybe we will see each other here tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here bright and early.” I picked up my practice staff. “As long as I don’t slip and clobber myself with this.”
Roswen laughed. “You won’t. I can already tell you’re a natural.”
She gave me a little wave and walked to the door with her guards. A wave of loneliness washed over me as I watched them leave, and I missed Violet so much it hurt. We’d never been apart this long, and I couldn’t even pick up a phone and call her.
Shaking off my melancholy, I went back to practicing with a vengeance. The sooner I learned to fight and defend myself, the sooner I could go home without fear of Davian and his goons. I gritted my teeth and repeated the strikes I’d learned over and over until not even Faolin would find fault with them.
* * *
A cool breeze tossed the hair that wasn’t clinging to my sweaty face as I walked past the siren’s lake toward the manicured grounds. I ignored the curious stares of the people around me because I was used to them by now. I would have thought they’d be used to seeing me too, but I’d underestimated the interest span of people with nothing to do.
The water splashed, and I stopped hoping to catch sight of the elusive sirens, but all I got was a glimpse of the tip of a silver tail. Damn, they were fast. I’d walked past the lake twice a day for a week, and I had yet to see one of them.
On my second day of staff training with Faolin, he’d told me about a low rise nearby that would be good for conditioning and building endurance. It was where he, Lukas, and the others had started before they began their real training. I’d asked him to show me where it was, and I’d burst out laughing at the steep rocky hill he called a rise.