I didn't sleep much that night. Thoughts of my dad sneaking up to try to lock Liesel in her room kept me tossing and turning. What was his deal with witches anyway? I never heard any stories of him encountering any, which only added to the mystery. If Liesel's presence was going to cause this much tension, we wouldn't stay. I needed her to help me understand, and she was my only insurance if Amy tried to take control.
Early in the morning, Lucas whispered that he was going to meet my dad for a pre-breakfast run. It seemed like a step in the right direction, so I nodded and let him go. I laid still for about an hour before deciding to get up myself. With any luck, I could peek in on Liesel before heading downstairs to breakfast.
I could hear the house coming to life as I changed into a flowy sundress. Doors opening and closing, footsteps in the hall, the murmur of voices... My parents had more people in their house than Lucas did, but they also had a lot more moving pieces in their pack. It simply made sense to keep more people close at hand.
Slipping into a pair of sandals, I stepped out of my room into the hall. The guard from last night stood like a sentinel beside Liesel's door, ramrod straight and focused. With a low growl, I swept across the hall and knocked on her door. She answered right away, so I let myself in.
She on the end of her bed, notebook in hand. "Good morning, Karina. How did you sleep?"
I shuffled across the room and joined her on the end of the bed. "...not great. I was too wound up, thinking about my dad and his reaction to you."
"Please don't stress yourself because of me," she sighed. "I am... more than used to people's less-than-welcoming attitudes toward witches."
"Still..." I muttered. "Are you coming down for breakfast?"
She grimaced. "If it's all the same to you, I ordered something to be brought here. I'd rather not ruin breakfast for everyone by testing your father's limits."
It made sense. I should try to talk to him before bringing her into another conversation. If Lucas hadn't made any headway during their run, breakfast could at least be a neutral meeting.
"Of course. Do you need anything before I go?"
She shook her head. "I'm just going to go through my notes of what has happened so far. If your father can provide more details of what they've been experiencing here, we may be able to start piecing things together."
I stood and straightened the skirt of my dress. "I won't ask during breakfast, but hopefully later I'll be able to see some reports."
"I'll be here," she chirped.
I let myself out and closed the door behind me. The guard's gaze darted sideways for a second.
"You've been here all night," I stated, crossing my arms as I stopped in front of him.
"I figured that I should, as Alpha Adrian wanted her room locked. Since you forbade me from doing that, I didn't dare defy him by leaving the witch unattended."
I huffed. "Her name is Liesel, and she's not a threat. She is here to help me. That is all."
"You should remain on your guard," he countered. "Witches are only loyal to their covens. They can play the ally very well."
I lifted my chin a little. "Do you speak from personal experience, or are you parroting whatever my father has indoctrinated you with?"
His jaw twitched, and I knew it was more of the latter. Loyalty was no laughing matter, and my father earned loyalty. It was admirable until it turned into prejudiced opinions.
"Try not to judge someone by their race," I finally said, making sure he got my full meaning. "Liesel couldn't help being born a witch any more than you could help being born a werewolf. If witches weren't necessary to survival, the higher powers would take care of it. But as it stands, it seems that we need each other."
A door opened behind me, and a familiar scent flooded my nose. I smiled as Lucas appeared beside me, freshly showered after his run.
"Morning, darling." He kissed my cheek and looped my hand through his arm. "Ready to go down?"
I shot the guard a final look, knowing he intended to stay there until further notice.
"Yes. I'm hungry."
Lucas silently led me down the hall. When we reached the stairs, he glanced over his shoulder. "What were you talking to the guard about? It seemed tense."
"It seems my father has shared his mistrust of witches with the guards," I answered. "He stayed outside Liesel's door because we wouldn't permit him to lock it. He believes that Liesel might be playing us."
"Darling, you know ties are strained between witches and werewolves. It's natural for one to be wary of the other."
"Wary is one option, yes; but at least you still try to get along. This is just defensive. They have lumped all witches into the 'Evil' camp, and that's that. It's no wonder they all went underground. We treat them like prey."
Lucas stopped me at the bottom of the stairs. Voices from the dining room echoed all around us. The house was quite alive for so early in the day.
"We—you and I—" He motioned between us. "—enlisted a witch to help us with your guardian. If all continues to go as well as it has so far, the relations between witches and werewolves will have a positive mark on it. Let us focus on why we came. Hm?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Of course."
"Come on, then." He gently kissed my forehead and whisked us into the dining room.
I sighed at the sight. One long big table set for 15+ people, sideboard loaded with fresh fruits, coffee posts on the table along with platters mounded with meats and breads. Were we supposed to join the crew? Surely my mom wouldn't do that to me.
"Good morning!" a kitchen maid bobbed a curtsy in front of us. "Luna Sierra is waiting on the back patio for you."
Just like Mom... set up a private breakfast for us. Many of the guys at the table looked up as we walked past. A few gawked; most nodded their greetings. I recognized quite a few, but they didn't seem to recognize me. Would they hide signs of familiarity because I was with my mate? Had I changed so much in my time away? Maybe they could smell the changes caused by my pregnancy.
Mom's set up was quite lovely, much of the same fare as the buffet inside but with a few things added. The dishes were obviously nicer, and our white table seated four rather than 20. She stood beside her handiwork, beaming as we approached.
"Mom, this is so nice," I gushed as Lucas pulled out my chair.
She beamed even brighter. "I may not be the most homeliest luna, but I can set a nice table when there's a reason."
Lucas pushed in my chair before sinking into the one next to me. "My mother is—as you say—a very homely luna; and this spread is just as lovely as anything I've seen her do."
"You're very kind, Lucas. Thank you." She set about serving coffee and fruit like she'd been doing it every day of her life.
I couldn't help but notice the empty seat across from me. "Is Dad still in the shower? Should we wait for him?"
Mom paused her serving for a second. "He has a great deal of business to discuss with the guards, so he's eating with them inside."
A less mature version of myself wanted to throw down my napkin and stomp away. Eating breakfast with his guards? Really, Dad? Why can't you just come right out and say, 'I'm still pissed at you for bringing a witch to my home?'
"I see," I murmured, dumping some milk into my coffee.
Lucas laid a hand on my knee and squeezed. "I tried talking to him earlier. He was still very rattled."
"I can tell." I tried not to sound bitter, but it still crept into my voice.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Mom sighed. "I understand why you need her, but it was a bit of a shock."
"Why?" I snapped, seeing it all coming to a head again. "Why are the races so set against each other? We were created at the same time, put in the same place... yet there's so much distrust that we're tearing each other apart. Why?"
I felt Amy pushing forward, but I shoved her back down. This was my conversation, and bringing her in would only make things worse.
Lucas squeezed my knee again. "Sweetheart, let's not do this now. Okay? You're tired, and you need some food. We can talk after breakfast. Yeah?"
As if summoned, the chef emerged from the house with a tray of omelets. Any further discussion was silenced, and we all dug into our food. If I paused too long in my thoughts, Lucas would use his fork to feed me another bite. I pushed controversial thoughts away and focused on eating. Mom had ordered a delicious fanfare.
Towards the end of the meal, Dad poked his head out of the house. I saw the flash of surprise flutter over his face.
"It's just the three of you out here."
I took a long sip of coffee. "Yes, Dad. You wanted to lock the witch in her room. She decided not to test your welcome by coming down for breakfast."
"Karina!" Mom gasped.
Truthfully, I was surprising myself. Since when was I so hostile towards Dad? Besides flying off the handle about Liesel, he really hadn't done anything worthy of my hostility. I dropped my head into my hand.
"Sorry... I don't know why I'm so wound up."
Lucas wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. "There's been a lot going on, and yesterday was a long day."
I wanted to accept those reasons, but I knew they were a cover for something deeper. Once I calmed down and figured out what was bugging me, I could have a civil conversation about my guardian and the recent attacks.
Dad stepped out onto the patio and closed the door. I wondered if a lecture or an explanation was coming. So him sitting down across from me was a bit surprising. He seemed much calmer than yesterday, but there was a wariness deep in his eyes.
"So why do you trust the witch, Karina?" Dad looked me straight in the eyes when he asked.
I lifted my head from Lucas' shoulder. Progress? If he was willing to hear me out, I could be civil and hash it out. Better sooner than later, right?
"Liesel came to us, Dad. She is here to help—and protect!—me."
He lifted an eyebrow and leveled another stare at me. "She found you? How did that come about?"
"We had been sending out inquiries," Lucas cut in. "We were looking for a witch to help us, and she heard of it."
"So she answered your call," Dad verified. "How is she protecting you?"
"She can extract and exile the guardian if something goes wrong." I twisted my hands together. That sounded more drastic than it was, but I didn't know how else to say it. Explaining was easy enough.
"...if something goes wrong?" Mom echoed. "What could go wrong?"
Lucas squeezed my shoulders, signaling that he'd answer.
"The last guardian overpowered the host and went on a killing spree. There is a chance that this guardian might feel a power pull and try to act on it. That is why we keep Liesel with us."
My parents stared at me. I knew they were imagining the worst. I had too at first. The truth was colored in many different ways, and you wouldn't know what to expect unless someone had specific enough details.
"I thought the guardian is your protector," Mom stuttered.
"She is," I answered. "She's promised to let us do what we need to do if she should lose control. Liesel is part of the 'what we need to do'."
Dad rubbed his hands over his face. "I still don't fully trust her, but I trust your reasons for trusting her. I'll back off my harshness and let you do your thing."
I sagged in relief, finally feeling like we could make some progress. Now that Dad was willing to at least chat on neutral terms, he'd be more forthcoming with the reports they'd compiled over the last few months. He'd probably make copies and let me scribble all over those. Yeah.