Chapter 39

Twilight pulled a chair up to the bed where I lay staring at the ceiling. She'd taken a shower and changed into baggy joggers and a cropped silver tee. She looked fresh and rested while I probably looked like crap.

"My halmoni says you're having trouble sleeping."

I scooted higher on the pillows, bringing the duvet with me. "She shouldn't have bothered you. I'm fine, really."

Just tense and afraid to sleep because they might come for me again. I knew it wasn't rational. I was safe now, the castle on high alert. There was a guard stationed in the hall outside Talon's apartment, and Twilight's intimidating grandmother in the living room. No one was going to hurt me or the baby.

Twilight tipped her head to the side. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"Not really."

"Wanna talk about it?"

I started to say no, then changed my mind. "Yeah, maybe. Lemaire…" I took a ragged breath. "He told me he'd sold me and the baby. Talon—Talon wouldn't have known where we were. He would've thought I left him—again. That I didn't want to be with him. And the baby would've been born a slave."

"Well, fuck that." Twilight sat next to me on the mattress and pulled me into a hug. "You're safe, and Brien and the guys will get whoever it is."

"I hope so. I would've killed myself first."

"No, you wouldn't have. You would've thought of the baby."

"You're right." I pinched the bridge of my nose, horrified at myself. "I can't believe I said that."

"Hey." She squeezed my shoulders. "It's okay. It's only me here and I understand."

MinJi Park appeared in the bedroom doorway. "You're not supposed to upset her."

"I didn't." Twilight lifted her head to look at her grandmother. "Fucking bloodsucker sold her to a slaver."

That surprised a laugh out of me. "You know you're a bloodsucker, too, right?" I asked, then winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"I'm a vampire," Twilight returned. "There's a difference. A bloodsucker just takes and takes like the leech they are. I know what it's like to be treated as less than human. I will never be a bloodsucker."

My jaw set. "You're right. Lemaire was a bloodsucker."

"And he's in his final grave," Twilight said. "If anyone else tries to get to you, they'll join him. Nobody's going to hurt you or that peanut of yours. I mean, how else do I get to be Auntie Twilight?"

My mouth twitched. "Is that what you want him to call you?"

"Why not?" she said.

Mrs. Park sat on my other side, rubbing my back. "Feel better?"

"I do, yeah."

Twilight nudged me with her shoulder. "You did okay, you know? You should've seen her," she told her halmoni. "She never lost it, even when we put her in a little rubber dinghy with everything exploding around us. We were in the middle of the goddamn North Atlantic and she kept her head."

"It's not like I had a choice," I mumbled, a little embarrassed. In my family, you didn't pitch a fit over things you couldn't help.

"But some people would've lost it. No judgment—we can't always help how we react, especially someone with no training like you."

Mrs. Park patted my thigh. "She's got lady balls."

Twilight chuckled, but I was incredibly complimented. I beamed at the older woman. "Thank you."

"I'll tell you what," Twilight said, returning to the leather chair, "after you have the baby, I'll teach you some self-defense moves. You'll feel better if you can defend yourself."

"Seriously?" At least if a vampire ever tried something like that again, I could do some damage.

"Absolutely. Some knife work, too."

"Then, hell, yeah. But you know thralls can't carry weapons," I felt obliged to point out.

"Don't worry, Talon will be on board for this. You should've seen what he was like when we realized you'd been kidnapped. Even I was afraid of him."

"Yeah?" I liked the sound of that, not that I believed for a second that Twilight had been afraid of him.

"Hell, yeah. The man went all Bruce Willis on us. And after that video came, I think he actually considered kidnapping me if that's what it took to get you back."

"Jesus." I couldn't help smiling, though. It was still sinking in that Talon loved me. That I came first with him.

Mrs. Park stood up. "You can talk about this later. You—" she pointed at me—"use the bathroom. I'll help. Then you will go back to sleep. Now, come."

She pulled me to my feet. Behind her back, Twilight made a rueful face at me. I suppressed a grin. Mrs. Park was clearly used to being obeyed, but you couldn't help liking her. I could see why Rio adored her.

When I returned to the bedroom, Twilight was still on the leather chair. "Why don't you go to bed?" she told her halmoni. "I can take over now."

Mrs. Park looked doubtful. "I don't know…," she said with a glance at me.

"I'm fine," I said. "I'm pretty sure I can fall back asleep now."

"Go. I can watch her sleep the same as you—and I'm not the one who was up all day." Twilight urged her halmoni toward the door. "Sunrise isn't until a little after seven. If you come back at six-forty-five, that gives you almost five hours."

They had a whispered discussion and then Twilight appeared in the doorway and dimmed the lights. "Unless you want them completely off?" she asked.

"No." The thought made my throat cinch. "Leave them on."

Darkness gave them an unfair advantage. They could see me, but I couldn't see them. I hadn't forgotten that first night when Lemaire had been in the basement with me and I hadn't even known it.

"And please close the door." A vampire in the shadows could slip through even a narrow crack.

"Gotcha," said Twilight. "Try and get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

I waited until I saw and heard the door close completely, then snuggled deeper into the soft bedding.

To distract myself, I pictured those burning looks Talon had given me.

How he'd had everyone out looking for me.

How he'd held me on the boat like he'd been terrified he'd lose me if he didn't keep me close.

How he'd chosen me over Brien, because even though Brien probably hadn't needed help, Talon had made it clear that I was his priority.

Not his primus. Me.

He loves me.

In my chest, the love I'd repressed for so long unfolded its wings.

Talon. Loves. Me.

The wings flapped, eager to be set free. So I let them soar.