by Elin Peer
Snickering like children, we made it to my room, where we found Tristan.
“So, it’s true then?” He sat on the bed with his feet stretched in front of him and his hands behind his head. “Salma told me she saw you two holding hands. Does that mean you’re back together?”
“We are.” Solo intertwined his hand with mine. “And this time we’re not letting anyone come between us.”
“What about Hunter?”
I sighed. “He’s not happy about it, but he’ll accept it, eventually.”
“Let’s hope so.” Tristan yawned and looked at Solo. “You do know that Leo is pissed at you, right? You’re still on duty and no one knew where you were. Zasquash went missing too but he turned up with Darlene about an hour ago.”
“I was with Willow.” Solo squeezed my hand. “I should get back and talk to Leo. It’s probably better if I sleep down there to avoid drama.”
“Okay.” I reached up on my toes and kissed him.
“Are you coming?” Solo gave Tristan an impatient stare.
“Coming where?”
“You’re not staying here with Willow.”
“Ehh… yeah, I am.” Tristan tilted his head. “She said I could sleep here.”
“In your dreams.” Solo raised his voice a little.
Tristan frowned. “Come on. You know I won’t touch her, and every other room is full.”
“Then sleep on the lawn for all I care.” Solo squared his shoulders. “No one sleeps with Willow but me.”
“Why not? We’ve already slept together and nothing happened. Didn’t she tell you that?”
“Yes, she told me but to be honest I already suspected that much. Her acting didn’t convince me she was in love with you.”
I scoffed. “That’s rude, Solo. Ben says I have a talent for acting.”
But Solo didn’t pay attention to me. He was waving his hand for Tristan to come with him. “Come on, Tristan. You must be high if you think I’m letting another man sleep in the same bed as my woman.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “Okay. Then I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“No! You two aren’t sleeping alone in here.”
It annoyed me that the two men were talking over my head and that neither of them asked me what I wanted. With a sigh of irritation, I walked over and picked up my bag. “You two can share the room! I’m not sticking around to hear you make decisions on my behalf.”
Solo followed me down the hallway. “Where are you going?”
“To Mila’s room. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Do you even know where her room is?”
“Yes, she told me.”
“At least let me escort you there.”
To my surprise it was Raven who opened the door to Mila’s room. “Willow. What’s wrong?” She narrowed her eyes at Solo. “What did you do this time?”
Solo held up both palms in a sign of peace. “Nothing.”
“Can I sleep here? Tristan is in my room.”
Mila came running to the door with a puppy in her arms. “Of course you can. Come on in.” Her large blue eyes were wide with excitement. “This is just like old times.”
“Bye, Solo.” Raven waved at him and when he walked away, she called out, “Are we still doing that fight session tomorrow morning?”
He didn’t turn but lifted his hand. “Seven a.m. on the lawn.”
“How about eight a.m.?” Raven asked.
“Six a.m. it is.” Solo turned a corner with a chuckle and left Raven to look at me with her head tilted.
“Is he serious?”
I smiled. “I think so.”
Closing the door, Raven walked into Mila’s spacious room with me next to her looking around in wonder.
“Wow, this room is gorgeous.” The sounds of excited puppies drew me to a fenced-in area where three golden-brown puppies were on their hind legs with their heads reaching over the barrier. Their tails were wagging, and I just had to pick one up. “Look at you, aren’t you the cutest?”
“His name is Trailblazer and he’s one big bunch of high energy.” Mila smiled. “Don’t get him unless you plan to let him get out and run a lot.”
“I wasn’t planning on getting a puppy. He’s just so cute.”
“They all are.” Raven picked up one of the other two and kissed its little paw. In return it licked her chin.
Looking around again, I took in the large bed, the en-suite bathroom, and the lounge area. My room at home was about a fourth the size of this place and my bathroom was tiny. I could have opted for something bigger, but it would have meant having a roommate and I didn’t have the best experience with roommates. “This is a different room from when you were younger, isn’t it?” I asked Mila.
“Yes. This suite used to be Finn’s, but he agreed to swap with me. He says he and Athena don’t need much space when they come to visit. They are always out and about anyway.”
“Do you see them often? Finn and Athena.”
“Yes, they are my parents’ best friends. I love Finn and Athena.” Mila put down the puppy she’d been holding and Raven followed her example. I exchanged Trailblazer for a darker-colored puppy that had been yapping for attention. “That’s Samba, she swings her hips when she walks and it makes it look like she’s dancing.”
“Oh, a fellow dancer, that’s so nice.” I kissed her and looked into the cutest brown eyes, melting a little. “Mila, do you know if Finn and Athena are coming to see one of our performances?”
Mila shook her head. “We invited them, but they couldn’t. That’s why we let some of the performers stay in their room. Athena is at the yearly priestess meeting. Finn said she’ll get another tattoo this year.” Mila pointed to the spot right above her eyebrow by the edge of her temple.
“Do you think it would be wrong if I got a tattoo there as well?” Raven asked and threw herself on Mila’s bed. “It looks so mysterious.”
“You can’t. Only priestesses can have tattoos on their foreheads. You know they earn them when they master something important. Athena’s last one symbolizes her profound knowledge of some ancient religion or language.”
“I know that, but I wouldn’t get any of hers. I would get something related to my own personal journey.”
“Like what?” I curled up in a comfortable chair close to the bed with Samba cuddled against my chest. She was a much calmer dog than Trailblazer and closed her eyes when I stroked down her back. Mila sat down on the armrest next to me and brushed her hands through my hair. “Why is your hair so tangled? Do you want me to comb it?”
I didn’t tell her that it was tangled because Solo loved to fist his hands through my hair when he kissed me. Or that I’d been on my back in the soft grass with Solo on top of me more than once today. I just smiled at Mila and said, “Sure, that would be nice.”
Mila got a comb and some silk oil to brush out my thick locks while I asked Raven again, “What tattoo would you get?”
“Maybe a P for police or a raven because of my name.”
“Don’t you want to complete the training and become a real police officer before you tattoo your body?”
Raven lifted her head from the bed and raised an eyebrow at me. “You don’t think I can do it.”
I leaned forward in the chair, giving Mila more room to brush my hair. “I believe in you, but I don’t trust the men. We all know they want you to fail. If you complete the training they’ll have to let you work as a police officer, and there’s no way they’ll ever let you do that.”
Raven sat up. “You think Khan is setting me up to fail?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think, Mila?” Raven asked.
Mila drew a deep inhalation. “They’re not trying to be mean, it’s just that things are going a little fast for some of them.”
“So, you think I’ll fail as well?”
“Yes. Unless you align yourself with someone who’ll keep an eye on things and make sure you’re being treated fairly. Someone with powe
r and influence.”
“Laura!” Raven pushed up from the bed. “Laura is a warrior like me. She’ll want me to succeed.”
“I was thinking about Pearl. But if you can get both of them on your team then your chances are higher,” Mila pointed out.
I cleared my throat. “What about your dad? Boulder has influence and power.” Samba had fallen asleep on my chest and was making the cutest snoring sounds. “If your father turns up once in a while that wouldn’t hurt either.”
Pacing the room, Raven swung her arms. “I’m not letting anyone stop me. No matter how hard they make things for me, I’m going to show them that we women are tough and that I can be the best police officer they’ve ever seen.”
“Good for you.” I ducked my head. “Argh, careful, Mila.”
“I swear your hair is worse than my siblings after they’ve been swimming all day. What did you do?”
“It was windy tonight and I was out walking.”
Raven stopped and walked over to stand in front of me and Mila. “Okay, can we stop pretending that nothing weird is going on. What is happening with you and Solo?”
Just the mentioning of his name made me smile.
“Wow.” Raven’s brow rose up high.
Mila, who was behind me, couldn’t see my face but Raven repeated a loud “Wow.”
“Wow what?” Mila said while her fingers braided my hair.
“She’s in love with him.” Raven pointed at me.
Mila pulled at my hair to make me turn and face her. “Are you?”
“Yes.”
Mila made a happy sound and hugged me so tight it woke up Samba, who gave a yawn. “That’s so romantic. I always hoped that you two would end up back together.”
“No, you didn’t.” Raven planted her hands on her hips. “I never heard you say that. Not once.”
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t think it.” Mila kept braiding my hair. “All that matters is that Willow is happy.”
“I am both happy and sad.” I bit my lip. “Hunter didn’t take it well.”
“Sorry.” Mila’s voice was sympathetic. “He’ll come around. Give him time.”
“Maybe. But I’m also worried about telling Khan and Magni.”
“Why?” Mila finished the braid and took my hand instead. “Why would you be afraid to tell Magni?”
“Because Magni never liked Solo to begin with. The two of them have always been at odds, and I fear Solo and me being together will remind Magni about the humiliation of not being able to find us when we ran away together. I don’t want Magni to take it out on Solo. He is his commander after all, and he holds enormous power.”
Mila sank to the floor next to the chair and kept my hands in hers. “My father isn’t the cruel man people think he is. I’ve heard him praise Solo many times. He calls him the greatest warrior of his generation.”
“Then why did he make life so hard on Solo? You wouldn’t believe what the Huntsmen put him through when he was younger.”
“You mean after he ran away with you.”
“Yes.”
“Ahh…” Raven plunked down on the floor too. “I know why. I’ve heard the men talk about it.”
“Did you know they left him to survive in the cold for days without food and tools?” I felt emotional as I recounted a few of the examples that Solo had told me about today. “And why would they cut his skin open and tell him to treat the wound with only what he could find in the forest? He almost bled to death.”
Raven arranged herself in a yoga position and spoke in a low voice. “Because they wanted him to understand what it means to live in the forest with no safety net. That’s what he was planning to do with you, and they needed him to see that he was just a kid with no idea what it would have been like once it got freezing cold. They were trying to burst his bubble of immortality and shock him. The problem was that Solo was tougher and more stubborn than anyone could have imagined. It all spiraled out of control. At least that’s what they say.”
I looked away. “Solo admitted that it was a mistake for us to run away together. I just wish people would see that the way things were handled by the adults was wrong too. We were in love and no one seemed to understand that.”
Raven sighed, and Mila looked down. It wasn’t fair to take it out on them.
“Anyway, it’s water under the bridge now,” I breathed. “This time we’re over twenty-one and we can make our own decisions.”
“So, what is your decision? Is he willing to move to the Motherlands with you?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. It’s easier for me to be here. I’ve lived here before and visited often. Solo has a cabin in the forest and with the drone it’s only ten minutes from the nearest city.”
Raven pulled her knees up in front of her and scrunched up her face. “Are you out of your mind, Willow? You can’t give up dancing just to be with a man.”
I grinned. “You’ve never been in love, have you Raven?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “Nor do I want to be. It makes people give up on their dreams and that’s not happening to me.”
“I’m not giving up on my dreams.” I kissed Samba again and smiled. “In fact, Solo encouraged me to start my own dance studio. He was saving up for a newer drone, but he offered me the use of the money he has to find a location in town. It would be the first dance studio in the Northlands, as far as I know.”
Mila lit up. “That’s so exciting. Will you be teaching children? I’ll bet my younger sisters would love to go. I could help you decorate the place and we could make a fun opening night and have Khan, Pearl, and my parents go. That way you’ll get a lot of publicity, which is good for business. Hunter should be there too.” Mila was already planning ahead but her mention of Hunter brought back the feelings of letting him down.
“I would love your help with planning everything.” I smiled at Mila and turned to Raven. “And yours too, of course.”
Raven tilted her head. “I’ll help but I might not have much time, you know, being away at the police academy and all.”
“I understand.”
Raven got up from the floor and placed her hand on my shoulder. “But I’m happy to hear that you’re not giving up on your career or your dreams. That would have been sad.”
I smiled up at Raven. “We’re going to show the Northlanders what women are made of. Business owners, police officers, and…” I looked at Mila. “What is it you want to do for a career?”
Mila’s dimples came out. “I’m not sure. For now, I’m running a small rescue center here at the mansion for dogs. I’m thinking about becoming a veterinarian but I’m not good with blood, so it might not be the best way to go.”
I got up with Samba still in my arms. “Whatever you set your mind to, you have our full support.”
“Group hug.” Mila spread out her arms and little Samba got squeezed in the middle as Raven, Mila, and I hugged.
“It’s late, I should get some sleep if I’m sparring with Solo at six a.m.” Raven walked to the door.
“You’re welcome to sleep here,” Mila offered.
“Nah, your bedroom is getting a little cramped with all the puppies and you two. I promised I’d sleep with Samara anyway.”
“How old is your sister now?”
“Seven.” A soft smile spread on Raven’s face. “She’s the princess in the family. The boys and I are all into fighting and doing crazy stunts outside, but Samara is a mini Christina and we’re all smitten with her.”
“Well, good night then.”
Raven looked back at me. “Good night, Willow. Get some rest before your big show tomorrow, I hear every seat is sold out.”
“I will.”
“Night, Mila.”
Mila blew Raven a kiss before the door closed and she turned to me. “Are you nervous about the show?”
“A little.”
Mila squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine. I’m sure of it.”
&nb
sp; CHAPTER 27
Breakdown
Solo
The outdoor theater next to the Gray Manor had room for twelve hundred people. It was built on a hillside with a natural slope and over the hundreds of years that it had been in use, the twenty-two wide rows of stone seats had been polished by rain, snow, and the backsides of countless men watching a variety of shows.
The Gray Manor hadn’t been added until sixty years ago when a self-obsessed narcissist named Augustus had ruled the Northlands for seven miserable years. The man had gone down in history as a tyrant who loved to tower above his people from the balcony that faced the theater. It was rumored that he had built the large mansion for that purpose alone.
Maybe he wouldn’t have if he’d known that only two years after he completed the house, he would die on that very same balcony – shot by one of his own guards in the spring rebellion of the year 2389.
Our country had been through so many wars, revolutions, and changes in rulers, kings, and presidents that it had become part of our identity.
Many were sighing about Khan’s progressive ways of running the country, but between his father and him, we’d been at peace for forty years, which was historic in itself. Then there was the integration between our nation and the Motherlands, something no one in the old generations had thought possible. Sanctions had been lifted against us, new hospitals and schools had been built, and over all we were experiencing a growth in employment and living standards. I was sure that Khan Aurelius would go down in history as one of the greatest rulers the Northlands had ever seen.
Today, he was sitting on the balcony flanked by family and friends as they watched the first show ever performed by Motlanders on this stage. The choir had smiled and sung their way through their first part; Willow had danced and received a standing ovation. Security was a breeze at this facility compared to the others, but we were still on alert in case some idiot tried to get too close.
Like the other times, Leo, Zasquash, and I were positioned backstage. Salma had been nervous all day, crying several times and having long conversations with Tristan. The last hour before she went on stage, she’d been with Ben, who didn’t seem to have the calming effect on her that he used to.
