Talbot was Mona’s and Xiven’s father, a short, balding mild mannered man. Xiven was an older, masculine version of Mona. Neither looked like their father so they must have gotten their exotic looks from their mother.

“It’s been over six weeks now.” Nero sighed and rubbed his eyes dejectedly. “I went to her room one morning and her bed hadn’t been slept in and nothing was taken.”

“Why does that make you think she had been kidnapped?” Kael countered, his feelings hidden behind a steely face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Are you implying that he’s lying? You low level son of a pig. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I’d known you were going to insult us.” Joss’ fist pounded the table hard.

Kael didn’t blink an eye. “You think I don’t understand the female kind? I do. It’s the quiet and innocent ones that you have to watch out for. They are the ones most likely to run at the first chance of adventure or when something better comes along.”

“You don’t know her,” Joss snarled.

“I probably know her kind better than you think. Let me guess; she didn’t leave the house much, did she?  A perfect example of an obedient daughter. Never asked for anything, always seemed content.”

Joss and Nero’s mouth dropped slightly, as they sat speechless.

Kael leaned forward and finished his tale, directing the rest of his tirade to Nero. “But over the last few weeks she started to change. She became more restless, absentminded, needing to run out at the last minute to buy something she’d forgotten. You probably found her daydreaming more than normal.”

Nero closed his mouth and nodded sadly.

Kael’s eye lit with contempt. “They are the obvious signs you can’t ignore. She was secretly seeing someone.  Knowing you wouldn’t approve, she more than likely ran away with him. There is nothing for us to do, no need for you to go out looking for a young lovesick woman.”

“How do you know? How can you possibly know for sure?” Nero asked, his face a mask of brokenness.

“Because I had once chosen a young girl, Gwen, to be my lifemate. We went before the leaders and received their blessing to begin our courtship and the closer we came to our Union day, the more hesitant she became.” The shadow that I could sometimes see around Kael was back and becoming darker with his bitterness.

“These were the signs she showed before running off with another.” Kael finished; a look of hatred swept his face as he glanced at me. I wasn’t sure whether the look was directed at me or about the girl in his story. I usually received many hateful looks from Kael.

Hemi, who had up until that point had been a quiet observer, eating and drinking without missing a beat, had started choking at Kael’s announcement. Hemi sputtered and coughed until he received a hard pat on his back from Darren, to clear his airways.

Nero cleared his throat and waved his hand in the air, conceding to Kael. “That may very well be the case in point. She was exhibiting all of those signs.” Nero sighed loudly. “It hurts me dearly to say this, but I agree with you, all the signs point to her running away.”

The silence that filled the dining room was so intense that it was almost unbearable. I was afraid to bite down on a celery stick for fear of drawing unwanted attention. But I definitely wanted to pull Kael aside and give him a piece of my mind. What was he thinking? How could he possibly believe she ran away? How could his viewpoint change within a few hours?

After dinner was finished I was trying to catch Kael’s eye when I was approached by Xiven and Mona.

“Are you close friends with the Jesai family?” I asked the exotic looking siblings. Both were dressed in the colorful and flowing outfits that many of the people of Skyfell wore.

“We’re like family,” Xiven answered and then bit on his bottom lip as if he was debating on how much to tell me. “Our father is an old friend of Nero’s.

“Our father, Talbot, is a merchant and spends more time away from home than home. When our mother passed way, Nero invited us to live here, so we wouldn’t be alone when our father was traveling.” Mona spoke up sadly. I felt my heart go out for her because I knew the feeling of losing a mother. I tried to uplift her spirits.

“That explains that delicious drink you gave us. Was that one of the spices that your father found? It was wonderful.” I complimented Mona and her face turned pink.

“Yes, it’s called chai. I learned it from my mother; she loved to cook and would experiment with whatever Father would bring home.” Mona replied.

“So are you a Denai?” Xiven asked. His brown hair flowed over his eyes in a rakish way.

“Um, sort of. I go to the same school as Joss, or at least I did.” I replied casually.

“How are you only sort of a Denai?” Mona replied her petite lips pursed in thought. “You either are or you’re not.” Her eyes were filled with doubt.

“I bet she is, and a strong one. Otherwise Joss wouldn’t have brought her home,” Xiven spoke up, looking at me thoughtfully before finishing. “You know how particular Gloria is about marrying into strong Denai families.” I didn’t even get to respond before Mona turned toward me, her eyes wide.

“Is that why you’ve come? You’re going to marry Joss?” Mona gasped.

“No! We’ve only known each other a few months. I’m not ready to be married.” I rebutted trying to keep the peace and not ruffle any of Mona’s feathers. She seemed to be one that was easily excitable.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” She brought her hand up to her neck and played with a small gold charm she wore. “Just be forewarned. The Jesai family is very strict about purebloods and you had better figure out what a “sort of” Denai is, because Gloria, his mother, is the one you have to win approval from.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. My mind whirled with questions. I didn’t understand. Why was Joss not able to choose who he wanted to marry? But then, I felt I already knew the answer.

“The whole household revolves around Gloria, and with her being so ill, I can’t see it in the near future for Joss to do anything to upset his mother. Especially since Tenya ran away.”

Any hopes I may have about a future with Joss teetered on a small, precarious and ill mother, who I’d yet to meet. I was not lying when I said I wasn’t ready to take get married, but with no foreseeable future with Joss should I break all ties with him now to save ourselves more heartbreak? I tried to keep the pleasant conversation going with the only other people in the room my own age, but I felt as if I had a rock in the bottom of my stomach. I moved to sit by myself on a lone chair and ponder the implications. Talbot came over and sat by me.

“Ah, I see you have met my children. They are very opinionated, just like their father.” Talbot chuckled softly.

“They are very nice and your daughter makes the most delicious chai I have ever tasted.”

“That’s because she is just like her mother.” Talbot’s smile grew wider and his eyes had a faraway look to them. “Every day she becomes more and more like her, but she never came into her gifts, unlike her mother. Sometimes she can be hard to live with because she was the only one in our family to not develop the Denai power. Her brother’s strengths keep growing and it has been a difficult journey for her. So please overlook her bitterness and look at the girl underneath who desperately wants to fit in, to have friends.” Talbot sighed and stood up, turning to me. “I hope that you can be that for her.” Walking away, he went to fill his drink.