“Did my mother know what my father was?” she asked.
“He told her in his own way, but he was scared of losing her. When he came back at night, he would tell stories of how beautiful you were and how he loved you both so much.”
She smiled sadly.
“I think he wanted to explain everything once you were older. He couldn’t risk your mother questioning his sanity, and he definitely wouldn’t cope if you were taken away from him.” Leeman looked at Aspen and placed his hand over hers. “But you’re here now, and we’re here to help you and to teach you how to be a strong warrior.”
“I want to learn,” she said forcefully. “Tell me how to conquer the enemy. Show me how to destroy my father’s murderers.”
Leeman chuckled and swallowed another mouthful of food. “Soon, little princess, very soon,” he promised.
Aspen glanced around but Dylan had disappeared. She placed her cutlery together on her plate and accepted a bowl of water with a slice of lemon in it to rinse her hands. After she’d wiped her mouth on a small towel, she handed her plate to a server and excused herself from Leeman.
Dylan wasn’t in the tents and she couldn’t find him anywhere. As she walked past the last tent near the lake, she saw him. He stood next to the most beautiful girl that she’d ever seen.
Thick hair tumbled to the girl’s waist in fiery locks of red, and she wore a tiny white miniskirt that showed off her tanned legs to perfection. Her waist was small and she was stunningly beautiful in all aspects. As Aspen watched, the girl stepped closer to Dylan and slid her hands up his chest, then settled them around his neck and pressed herself against his body.
Aspen sucked in a breath.
Dylan didn’t push the girl away. Instead, his hand rose up and circled her waist in a move that spoke of complete familiarity.
Aspen didn’t wait to see what happened next. She spun around and rushed back into the tent.
Chapter 9
Roman
The Mickey Mouse alarm clock clanged wildly, and Aspen reached out to bash the ears down. She lay back in her bed for a second before the previous night’s dream sifted through to her consciousness. Her eyes widened and she looked around the gloomy room. Slowly, she sat up and felt something around her neck.
In the darkness, she felt a warm, smooth object. It was the threaded dream catcher from the previous night. She lifted the pendant and could swear that sparks hummed around it. Her jewelry throbbed with power; even the leather bracelet seemed to glow around her wrist. She spread her arms above her head and stretched like a cat. Immediately a flame surrounded her hands, and she slammed her arms down to stop the flow.
Carefully, she lifted her hands again, and a blue flame ignited once more. It licked over the surface of her skin and switched off just like a light on command.
Aspen squealed in delight. This is so cool.
The quilt fell to the floor as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She washed and changed into a pair of jeans and an emerald-green top. The dream catcher looked good against the material of her T-shirt, and the ring, watch, and bracelet really made her feel like a princess.
Within seconds, she’d run down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Her mom looked up as she entered the room. “Looks like you had a good night’s sleep.”
“I did. And I had the most fantastic dream,” she said with a smile.
“What’s that around your neck?” her mom asked.
“It’s a present.”
“Let me see. Oh, Aspen. Your father had one just like that.” Her mother gasped. “Wait here. I’ll get it for you.”
Norma left the kitchen and returned with a wooden box a few moments later. She opened the box and lifted a massive pendant, much larger than Aspen’s, from the red velvet bed it rested in.
“Look, the pattern is almost the same.” She touched the dream catcher. “Where did you get yours from?”
“Um, my friend Dylan gave it to me for my birthday. It would be so cool if you could wear yours too. If I’ve got one and you wear Dad’s, then it’ll remind me of him and I’ll be so happy.”
Her mom beamed. “Well, if it means that much to you, then of course I will.” She turned around while Aspen placed the dream catcher around her neck.
“Yes, Mom, it will. Promise me you’ll wear it all the time?” If she wore her pendant, the Chancellors would know where she was, and she didn’t want them to find her mother. It wouldn’t be so bad if they found her stepsister or stepfather, though.
She pulled out a wooden chair and sat down at the table. “Mom, what was Dad like?”
Norma’s eyes lit up and she sighed. “He was a total heartbreaker, and he was so full of energy. There wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for me. I swear, he almost didn’t seem human at times.”