Even harming the human female I was beginning to think of as mine.
Chapter
Nine
Leda
After my meltdown at breakfast and meeting Venna, I was ready to call it a day. The temptation to tell Bokkan I was exhausted and hide upstairs in his bedchamber was strong. But I refused to give in to it.
I would not let this break me.
I didn’t have a choice when those imps dragged me here, but I’d be damned if I would choose to hide. I firmly believed there was a time and place for running away or hiding. The fights you always won were the ones you never started. There was no shame in avoiding a confrontation if that was the safest option.
But this wasn’t one of those fights. My only enemies were my own mind and emotions. And maybe Bokkan’s horny daemon soldiers.
After we finished eating the second breakfast Masu made, I asked Bokkan if I could see the rest of his manor and estate. I hoped he was telling me the truth about eventually helping me get back home, but it would pay to be prepared if he wasn’t. Knowing the layout of the house and the surrounding land was necessary. If I had to make a run for it, I needed to know the best ways to escape.
His manor was much larger than I realized. There was an entire wing that he rarely used. There was a large suite, even bigger than his current bedchamber and bathing room. He explained it was intended for him, but he didn’t plan to move into it until he found a mate and settled down to start a family.
I found myself laughing when he explained that it was too far from the kitchen.
There were several other rooms in that wing intended for guests and his future children.
The thought of Bokkan with a mate and starting a family gave me a weird feeling. I managed to brush it off and ended up following him outside. His second-in-command, Guldan, was running the soldiers through training. Two daemons were in the same ring where I’d faced off with Talus, and they held wooden swords and shields in their huge hands. Though they swung the weapons around as though they weighed very little, I winced at the sound they made when they crashed together. The heavythunkthey made upon impact gave away that the swords were heavier than they looked.
As we approached the ring, the soldiers watching the match eventually noticed Bokkan… and me. One by one, their attention moved to us. I straightened my shoulders and stood tall. Bokkan said he would protect me, and I was beginning to believe him, but I also wanted the daemons to know I was strong enough to protect myself.
Commander Guldan finally noticed that he’d lost the attention of his men and turned to see what the distraction was. When he saw me standing next to Bokkan, he frowned.
He said something to the daemons in the ring and started toward us. The two soldiers went back to their sparring as Guldan ducked beneath the primitive fence around the ring.
“General, is there a problem?” he asked.
Bokkan shook his head. “No, I am merely showing Leda the estate.”
Guldan shot me a sidelong look. “I do not think it is a good idea to have her out here near the other males.”
“I don’t think he asked you,” I muttered beneath my breath.
Bokkan made a choked noise, then cleared his throat and answered, “Leda needs to be familiar with the property. I’m going to show her where the barracks and armory are and also give her a tour of the grounds. Return to training.”
Guldan grunted and headed back toward the fighting ring.
“Come with me,” Bokkan said.
I could feel the eyes of the soldiers on me as Bokkan led me to several large wooden buildings.
Pointing to the one to our left, he said, “Those are the barracks. The higher-ranking soldiers have their own rooms. The rest bunk in pairs.”
I was grateful he didn’t take me inside. I’m sure it wasn’t messy, but I didn’t want to be in a confined space with any of the men in his training. Instead, he walked to the building to our right.
“This is the armory and the training rooms.”
He led me inside, where there was a short hall with three doors. One had an odd padlock on it.
He took a skeleton key out of his pocket. “The armory remains locked at all times.”
I shot him a sidelong look and saw him returning it with a dry one of his own. “Are you warning me so I don’t try to sneak in here later?”
