The Defender – Part 1 

~ ZARA ~

Heart in my throat I followed my father to the formal parlor, as he'd called it. Which was just a sitting room with a lot of nice chairs and couches, a piano, and tall, wide windows that let in natural light.

My father ushered me to a two-seater couch under the window and urged me to sit. One of his servants swept into the room, bringing a message that he read without giving any indication what it was about, then he sat next to me.

Under my skirt, I was tapping my heel on the floor—partly through impatience, partly through tension because this was Ash, but… but the Ash I didn't know. Wasn't it? Or when I left our world did he come back to this time too? But he remembered it, so he must have been here before, right?

My head spun, trying to fit the pieces together and I didn't know what to do. My heart was beating quickly and I twisted my fingers together in my lap.