I watched, turning my neck to look over my shoulder and catch it all before I turned back to the room.

All the women were looking at each other silently with knowing eyes.

Except Meeta.

She had knowing eyes but she was not silent.

Cuddling Viktor closer, she noted blandly, “It’s my feeling that you females who allow yourselves to be caught by these overbearing men are quite mad.”

“And when was the last time you got yourself some?” I asked and she looked to me.

“Got myself some?” she queried on her brows rising elegantly.

“Were bedded,” I explained in this world language.

“Last night,” she declared. “Ruben. That was seven nights in a row. He’s an exceptional lover. By far the best I’ve ever had. He’s especially talented with his fingers. He does things with his fingers I didn’t even know were possible and I’m not inexperienced.”

“I didn’t need to know that,” Finnie muttered.

I looked to Circe to see her smiling at Finnie.

I didn’t smile. Not because it wasn’t funny, but because these days, I didn’t feel like smiling.

My eyes drifted back to the windows and I saw no Zahnin or Bain.

I saw nothing but forest and trees.

As simple as the view was, it still was beautiful.

Even with that beauty, looking at it, it hit me that with all that we had in my world, traffic and malls and TV, even with the way my life had been there, it was still simpler than my life here.

I had one goal, stay away from Pol.

I couldn’t say I was happy doing it.

I could say I had a mission. I had a purpose. I had something to do.

I didn’t have much of a life and I wasn’t content.

But I had a reason for being. It wasn’t a great reason but it was something.

Now, with all I had, these last two days I was reminded that I was still at Apollo’s mercy.

He gave me everything.

And when he felt like it, he took it all away.

I heard the front door open and again went tense.

And again it wasn’t Apollo.

It was Lahn.

The sitting room wasn’t small, it also wasn’t large and there were a number of women in it. Still, the instant he walked in, the room seemed overfull, not only from his big man body but also the sheer force of his presence.

Like Hans, he only had eyes for his woman.

Unlike Hans, once his eyes moved over his queen they dropped to his daughter. Without delay, he strode to Circe, divested her of her baby burden and curled his girl into his arms.

Okay, no way he’d look better with a kitten.

True, he’d look hot cradling a kitten.

But the way he held his girl and looked down on her with unconcealed devotion in his fierce features, no kitten could top that, no matter how cute it was.

Once he’s showered silent adoration on his now sleeping daughter with four women raptly watching him do it (yes, even matter-of-fact Meeta, and as a Maroovian who were sworn enemies of Korwahk, that laid testimony to just how awesome Lahn was), he looked to me.

“A young female at Karsvall approached me prior to my leaving. She requests your attendance at a party in her chambers. I told her I’d have Zahnin bring you to her. He’s waiting outside to take you there.”

Only Élan would walk up to a huge-ass warrior and tell him to ask someone to one of her tea parties.

On that thought, I did smile. It was genuine, but it was small.

“It seems I’ve been summoned,” I murmured as I got to my feet. Once up, I looked around the assemblage. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Go,” Finnie said on a grin.

“Tell her I want an invitation next time,” Circe added, reaching out her arms so I could hand Tunahn to her.

This I did, saying, “Will do.”

I glanced through the group as I gave my farewells, seeing Meeta watching me closely as I did so.

She did this often.

On our trip back from Brunskar, she’d explained she had “the sight.” That was why she was in the woods, heavily armed, dragging Loretta with her. Though, Loretta was in on relating this story to me and she said she’d volunteered but I had a feeling her volunteering was a bit coerced. That said, she’d come and got herself injured because of it so it didn’t matter either way.

But now, I couldn’t tell if Meeta was watching me because she’d had a vision.

I also didn’t ask.

If I was going to be walking into another trap, I wanted to know.

The way she was looking at me now, speculative and troubled, I had a feeling she wasn’t worried about me battling scary-as-hell birds but instead dealing with an alpha who could make me feel marvelous, and it was rare, but he could also make me feel like dirt.

So I tipped my head to the side and gave her a small smile (that was not genuine) and headed to the door.

I threw on my cloak, pulled on my gloves and headed out to see Lahn had not lied. Zahnin was waiting on a horse for me.

I looked around as I made my way to him and saw no Bain.

Undoubtedly patrolling.

My attention diverted, I gasped when I got within arms’ reach and Zahnin’s arms did just that. They reached and pulled me up to sitting in front of him on his horse.

Clearly, he wanted to run his errand and get back to guard duty because he no sooner settled my behind in front of him when he put his heels to his mount and we sprang forward through the snow.

He said nothing but then again, he didn’t know very much English.

I knew no Korwahkian.

Thus the ride was silent.

That was until he reined in at the front door to Karsvall.

I had a mind full of Apollo and what I’d do if I ran into him.

My mind was also full of what he might do and then what I might do in response to what he’d do.

In other words, after the five minute ride, I had the beginnings of a headache.

To my surprise, Zahnin didn’t put me to the steps he’d stopped beside and promptly take off.

Instead, he threw a leg over and dismounted. He then put his hands to my waist and pulled me off the horse.

He set me on my feet but didn’t take my elbow or curl my hand in the bend of his.

He curved his fingers around my bicep and semi-led, semi-dragged me (his legs were longer so I couldn’t quite keep up) up the steps, stopping me at the door.

When he let me go, I tipped my head back to say thank you (words he had to know, or at least I hoped he did).

I didn’t get those words out.

His rumbling voice sounded.

“I have wife.”

I blinked in surprise not only at his strange announcement but that he spoke at all.