She wore a black leather vest adorned with an array of weapons.
Beside her sat her companion, a male who bore a strong resemblance to her. They shared the same almond-shaped brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair, though his was shaved close to his head. A pink, jagged scar traced down the side of his neck and disappeared into the edge of his matching leather vest. He was considerably larger than the woman, but they both had a deathly stillness that made me nervous.
They had to be the twins Julian and Xavier had mentioned.
“Everyone, this is Zara. She is our guest for the time being,” Xavier announced with a smirk that only deepened my glare in return.
“You mean prisoner,” I muttered under my breath, but he chose to ignore my comment.
“You’ve already met Julian,” Xavier continued, and Julian raised his glass in greeting.
“These are the twins, Theo and Dedra,” Xavier added, indicating the pair sitting across the table. “They are my generals,” he said, his voice taking on a note of authority.
“Nice to meet you all,” I said, forcing a strained smile.Generals? Gods, if I wasn’t already intimidated enough.They both looked like they could snap me in half with one touch.
“Please, join us,” Julian offered, his voice a blend of casual charm and underlying curiosity. He gestured to a chair beside him and pulled it out with a flourish. As I moved to sit, Xavier followed, guiding me gently into the chair. His fingers brushed my shoulder, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.
Xavier seemed to hesitate for a moment before sitting down on my other side at the table.
I glanced around at everyone, my smile a touch uncertain. “So, you both are generals… I’m guessing that means you have a large army to command?” I asked, glancing around the room.
Dedra’s response was immediate and sharp. “Why? Trying to gather intel on us?”
I flinched at her hostility, and Xavier’s growl cut through the tension.
Dedra’s eyes narrowed at him, a silent challenge in their exchange. “Why is she here?” she demanded.
“Enough, Dedra,” Xavier snapped.
Dedra stood, but another more primal growl came from Xavier’s chest, and Dedra seemed to reconsider. She sat back down in her seat, casting an icy look in my direction.
I scrunched my brows in confusion. I think I was missing something.
Theo, who sat next to her, had his mouth quirked up in a half smile and was beaming at me. “Welcome to Nexia,” he said, giving me a wink. Dedra twisted in her seat and gave Theo a sharp punch in the arm.
“Ow,” Theo exclaimed, though he laughed it off. “Come on, sis, lighten up. It’ll be nice to have another girl around, especially one that isn’t so mean.” He nudged her playfully, eliciting a ghost of a smile despite her earlier reaction.
Xavier reached for a piece of bacon from the tray, and I shot him a sidelong glance, feeling uneasy and uncomfortable. He grabbed more food and placed the plate he filled in front of me, making my brows shoot up in surprise.
“You need to eat,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument as he prepared another plate for himself. The others at the table watched the exchange with barely concealed curiosity, quickly averting their eyes when I met their gazes. I hesitated, then dug into the overflowing plate Xavier had set before me.
The food was extraordinary. I was starving and didn’t even realize it. Reflecting on my last meal, I realized that besides whiskey, I hadn't eaten since the ball. I started to eat at a ravenous pace, and I momentarily forgot about the others around me.
Their wide eyes tracked my every bite, and Julian’s voice cut through the silence, laced with an amused nervousness. “Do they starve you in the human realm?” he asked, his eyes fixed on me as I bit into a buttery, flaky pastry.
I swallowed my food and responded sheepishly. “No, but with the attack and everything that happened, I guess I forgot to eat,” I admitted.
“What attack?” Julian asked, brows knitting in concern.
“A Daka attacked me earlier today—well, yesterday now, at my castle,” I said, tearing into another strip of bacon and meeting his concerned gaze.
“And you didn’t lead with this?” Julian’s voice rose, directing his frustration at Xavier.
“Jaxon took care of it,” Xavier grumbled, his tone dismissive as he focused on his plate of food.
“You mean Jaxon caused it. If Daka are breaching the human realm, we need to close that door. Now,” Theo snapped, his previous light demeanor fading.
“We don’t know if it can be closed again.” Xavier sighed, his expression clouded with a flicker of pain before it solidified into a stony mask. He continued to eat, ignoring the rising tension around him.
