Page 14 of 3013: Wonderland
“We’re glad you like it,” Fenris said squeezing her hand.
“The private residences are protected by powerful wards the Dragon Warriors put in place,” Raek explained. “Anyone whocomes here wanting to cause trouble will be forcefully repelled from the property.”
“You mean—”
“We mean they are literally tossed off the grounds and into the sea by the magic guarding the sanctuary.” Fenris grinned. “It totally works. We’ve seen it happen.”
That made her laugh. “That is amazing. What a unique security system.”
“Oh, and there are gigantic man-eating creatures living in the sea, so we don’t have to worry about the troublemakers coming back,” Raek added.
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Wait, what?”
“Forget about that.” Fenris shot his brother a warning look.
“We know you like swimming so there is a private pool between our residence and Charm’s that you can use,” Raek told her. “There are also a couple of pools inside the castle. Just don’t go into the sea, and you’ll be fine.”
“Avoid the man-eating sea creatures. Check. Are there any other dangers I should be aware of?”
“None at the sanctuary.” Raek paused, then asked, “I don’t suppose you’ve heard about the zombie incident yet, have you?”
“The what now?”
“Don’t worry. There are no zombies on this island,” Raek assured her quickly.
“But there are zombies on other islands?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Wherever that is, I don’t want to go there. Ever.”
“We won’t take you there,” Fenris said. “Now, would you like to rest, or do you want a tour of the castle? We don’t have to cover everything today, but if you want to see a little more—”
“Everything. I want to see everything.”
“Then, we’ll show you everything,” Raek promised with a warm smile. “Welcome home, Juliet.”
Chapter Five
“I need afucking vacation from my life,”Charm Barra said with a groan as she collapsed onto the chair between Juliet and Brielle Artane. “I had a bunch of interviews scheduled for today that ran over. I’m glad you ordered already. I’m starving.”
“I know what you mean,” Brielle said sympathetically. “People need to learn how to just answer the questions they are asked and shut up about everything else. Seriously. I want to know where you worked last, not your whole freaking life story.”
“Exactly!”
They were seated in a private dining room at Tea Party, one of the restaurants in Wonderland, and the table was covered with various dishes they had ordered.
The Krytos female complained about her job daily, but she thrived on the chaos of managing the sanctuary. Actually, Charm excelled at running Wonderland far better than her brothers. Part of that was due to the fact she’d spent years working at Haven, the female-only sanctuary in Jade City. Her prior experience was instrumental in making sure everything ran smoothly at Wonderland, but she was also a natural-born leader and alpha in her own right.
Despite Raek and Fenris’ size and overall intimidating demeanors, both males could be quite sensitive and compassionate, especially when it came to dealing with females. Charm didn’t have that problem. A hard ass through and through, she didn’t put up with any bullshit. Juliet loved that about her because she could always be counted on to tell it like it was and being real…even if the truth hurt.
It had been exactly one week since Juliet had arrived on Evo, and every day had felt like a dream. Despite their busy schedules, Raek and Fenris had taken time off to show heraround Evo. They took turns playing and exploring some of the different islands with her. But most importantly, they spent time just being with her.
They made her feel like she belonged there with them.
Raek and Fenris had referred to Wonderland as her home several times, but they weren’t pressuring her to stay. They were simply making sure she knew she was welcome to remain there if that was what she wanted.
While they hadn’t sat down and openly discussed everything that had happened to her from the point she was kidnapped to when she was rescued, she didn’t actually feel like it was necessary. They already knew everything, and she was aware they did.
Hell, at this point, everyone in the known universe had a general idea of what had happened.
If something came up during a conversation, she didn’t shy away from the subject. She had referenced being a captive a few times, and they had asked her about the strain of dealing with the trial and meeting with the Council of Regents. They had apologized for not being there to help her through everything, but she’d honestly told them that wasn’t their fault.