This was…actually really sweet. “They did, thank you.”
“Good.” He smiled. “Let me introduce you to Miss Luna Atkins,” he said, stepping aside and turning to the gorgeous new woman. “The Leo bride.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said simply. A bitcold.
Her eyes met each one of us and held. There was something about her; like she quietly judged every single micro-expression and stored it. The room had fallen silent, pausing in time. Waiting for something.
“Please, do not let me disturb your meal.” She waved at our empty plates and mostly empty drinks. Somehow, her words made the room resume its activities.
“You’re not disturbing anything.” Melanie was the first one to speak. The first one to find her voice back. “Please,come join us.”
Luna looked around warily but ultimately obliged, pulling a seat with a bit of disgust before sitting. “Fine.” A pause, another look around the room. “Do I…call for a waiter to bring me something?”
The three of us exchanged confused glances. Was she for real? “Oh, no…You need to go and pick what you want from the buffet over there,” I said, pointing at the small refrigerated box at the back of the room.
Luna reeled back, positively appalled.
“I’ll get it for you,” Maxwell added in a hurry. “What would you like?”
She stared at our empty plates with not much excitement. “Something sweet, but nothing with vanilla.”
And Maxwell was off. No please. Not even a thank you when he came back and placed a slice of apple pie in front of her.
This was odd.
“So…” Melanie started. “Are you excited to meet your husband?”
Luna looked up from her plate and blinked. “Should I be?”
What?
“I mean, yes, kind of?” Wendy added. “This is the beginning of your new life.”
She looked…bored. “Is it? Oh. Well, I guess we can see it that way. I wouldn’t say…excited, but I’m ready to make things work. It can hardly be worse than my old life.”
Was she another victim of abuse? Was she fleeing from something—someone, too?
“Did weallhave a stupid life before?” Melanie chuckled. “I mean, is it some sort of criteria to recruit us?”
I looked away. I wasn’t yet ready to discuss this with a group of girls that were still basically strangers. Wendy didn’t seem eager to add anything either.
“My life wasn’tstupid,” Luna corrected, her tone something between anger and annoyance. “I was betrayed. By my partner and my own family. My ownblood.”
Maxwell cleared his throat and turned around, heading back to where the food was displayed. We all waited in silence, unsure what to say.
“I was a queen,” she continued. “As it was decided by my parents when I was born. I was placed on the throne when I came of age and they retired, but the minute they died, my brother decided that he didn’t agree with the decision. There was acoupand I was forced to flee my kingdom. My wholecolony.”
Melanie cursed. Wendy was really interested in her fingers, playing on her lap. I was still out of words.
“I got hurt during my escape and required medical assistance when I reached the nearest neighboring colony. That’s where they tested me and sent my results to this…program.”
Maxwell sat at another table, pretending not to hear us.
“Sono, I am not really excited. I am merely grateful for the opportunity to live without fearing an assassin coming after me.”
Okay, Iguessedher situation couldn’t get worse. And I had seen the Lionus…He wasfarfrom being difficult to look at.
She picked a tiny piece of her pie and brought it to her lips. She winced, but still chewed slowly until her throat worked to swallow. It seemed to have been enough as she pushed the plate away.
