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Star and Spencer walked toward the house, leaving me with the group of guards. There were four of them, standing a few feet from me, waiting silently.
“You all want to keep doing this?” I asked.
They nodded.
“Well, if you’re going to be following me around, we’re going to have to drop some of the formality and get to know each other.”
The guard that spoke earlier smiled. He took a step forward. He was a huge shifter with a close-trimmed black beard and cropped black hair. “I’m James, Your Highness.”
“Nice to meet you James, I’m Lola. You don’t need to use the title,” I said. It felt weird and I wondered if I’d ever get used to it.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “But I’ll save it for when other people are around.”
“Alright,” I said.
The other guards introduced themselves and I could feel some of the tension easing from them. We were going to be spending a lot of time together and it was nice to start to get to know them.
“James, Malaki, Ruben, and Cole,” I said, pointing to each of them in turn.
They smiled and nodded. “You got it,” James said.
“Well, gentlemen, should we head in and see what everyone else is up to?” I asked.
“After you, Lola,” James said.
I took a deep breath and marched forward. Music and flashing lights greeted us in the ballroom. They really had gone full swing into the party. Shifters in blue uniforms carried trays of food, bartenders poured drinks at stations set up in the corners, and nearly everyone was dancing.
I was by far the most underdressed person at the party, but I was certain nobody was going to say anything. Shifters waved and called to me, some of them bowing or using my newfound title as I weaved between the crowd. With the adrenaline wearing off, I was starting to feel stiff and sore from the fight.
My wounds would heal with time, but it was going to hurt until they did. My uncle had not held back in his attacks.
After I walked around the room a few times, I asked James if there was a place I could freshen up. My guards were quick to surround me and lead me away from the noise of the party.
Shifters knew how to celebrate, and I was pretty sure they’d continue late into the night whether I was there or not.
We walked down a hall lined with landscape paintings and past a library overflowing with books. I paused to take it in. The shelves were two stories high, complete with sliding ladder. I had a feeling my uncle never opened a single book.
I resumed walking, telling myself I could ask for a tour later when there weren’t a whole ton of shifters having a party a few rooms away. Finally, my entourage stopped in front of a door.
“This is a guest suite,” James said.
“Thank you.” Everything ached and the healing wounds felt tight every time I moved, irritating them. I needed to get them cleaned and I needed to rest.
“Can you let my friends know where I am?” I asked.
James nodded. “I’ll stay at your door. Cole will find your friends.”
“Alright.” James must be the leader. I was sure there was some kind of hierarchy. There was so much for me to learn but most of it was going to have to wait.
I let myself into the room and found a light switch on the wall near the door. When I flipped it on, I gasped. Much like my uncle’s room, every inch of this room screamed luxury. A fireplace was inset to the wall on my right. A couch and two chairs formed a horseshoe facing it. In front of me was a four-poster bed with plush bedding and a dozen pillows. Several expensive looking rugs were strategically placed around the room. On either side of the room were arched doorways. I caught a glimpse of a bathroom beyond one and a closet beyond the other.
I shook my head as I made my way to the bathroom. I was never going to get used to this.
Carefully, I peeled my clothes off my injured and dirty body. The fabric stuck to the drying blood and I winced as I pulled it from my wounds. They were healing, but most of the injuries were deeper than I was used to. Sleep would probably help speed it up.
There was so much I needed to figure out, so much I needed to learn about my new role, but exhaustion was setting in.
I stepped into the huge shower and turned on the dual shower heads. Water came at me from both directions and I stood there, soaking in the warmth and breathing in the steam. Okay, so maybe I could get used to a shower like this.
