Keanna had lost track of how long she’d been in the tower. Months, certainly. She didn’t think it was a year yet. The only bright spot in her days continued to be Haggoz’s visits. After her heartfelt confession to him, Haggoz still remain the same.Although he had kept her out of the general prison population and made sure she was properly fed and taken care of. He still refused to give her his forgiveness. With a lot of extra time on her hands, Keanna had many hours to daydream, to remember. She thought often of how it had all begun—this all-consuming passion she and Haggoz had for each other, right from the start. She certainly never would have believed it could have happened when they first met on that windy, storm-swept day. Yet that day on the docks had started this journey and had led her to fall desperately and irrevocably in love and banish any idea she’d ever had of killing Haggoz. She sometimes wondered how she could have ever ev

He turned on his heel quickly and left Keanna frowning after him. The servant touched Keanna's arm. “Excuse me, ma'am. My name is Flovan, and I work for General Haggoz. He sent me to fetch you.” All this talk of “fetching” and being taken to her “new home” was making Keanna feel like some kind of pet, and she was surprised at how much she disliked that idea at the same time it sent an odd little thrill of something she couldn’t quite identify all through her. She was owned now by this werewolf man. To cover the feeling up, Keanna folded her arms over her chest and glared at the servant. “He couldn’t be bothered to come himself? I saw the general here earlier.” “The Dyson is a busy man. He had to get back to the war ministry for a meeting. I have your papers here for you to inspect. I think you’ll find everything in order.” Keanna snatched the papers from his hand and pretended to look it over. The words of her contract were written in the Standard text. It was used almost exclusive

He had been seduced by Haggoz that night. She’d thought he would be brutish and violent in his lovemaking. Demanding, arrogant, selfish…all the things she pictured in her head when she thought of a Werewolf. Instead he’d been a thoughtful, tender and exciting lover. He’d taken care not to hurt her at her first time and pulled reactions from Keanna that she hadn’t known she was capable of. Those first days flew by, a seemingly endless stream. There were long stretches of time that Keanna almost forgot why she was there. For the first few months, Keanna rarely went out of Haggoz’s luxurious home. Everything she needed was provided for her, of course. A private work-out room, a library, a music room, even a small theater where she could watch vids in English that Haggoz ordered for her from the Sechuan traders. Occasionally, if the weather was good, Haggoz took her for long walks on the city streets, looking in shop windows and watching the other Werewolf people they encountered, some

Perhaps a month or so after Akari arrived on the planet, Haggoz told Keanna they had been invited to a dinner at the king’s palace. By that time, she had been watching the consort for several weeks off and on. She had been told in the note she was passed to give her reports to Kingston's servants, a sour-faced older couple who had arrived when the Colonel had. Sje felt a little sad for the former colonel that the servants she surely trusted were FeRes plants. Keanna wasn’t sure why her reports were even needed since they were so much closer, but she dutifully managed to slip them the short reports she made out and waited for more instructions. On the night of the dinner, Keanna was excited. The prince and his new royal consort would be there and he would get a chance to actually meet Akari Kingston in person at last. She was unaccountably nervous as she got ready and her first time to meet the king and his family. Keanna had been a little surprised by Haggoz’s invitation to attend wi

Haggoz had kissed her awake not long after they’d dropped off to sleep and left her, saying he needed to speak to the king on urgent business. He looked upset and wouldn’t tell Keanna what had happened, but rushed out, telling her he’d come back later to take her home. Keanna thought it would be a good time to look at the note she’d stuffed into her robe. She got out of bed to retrieve it and then read it once, and then couldn't believe what's in it shhe read it again to make sure she hadn’t made a mistake about what she saw. The note said that Akari Kingston would be kidnapped that very night. That plans were in motion and she was to stay away from the dining room for the rest of the evening. The last part was the worst, and she read that again and again. It said the prince would be killed, if possible, along with as many of the royal family as the operatives could manage. It was a horrible note, growing weary she slowly lower her self o