Alicia finally took the basket from the maid standing demurely beside her, tucked it into the crook of her arm, and strutted into the training yard like a peacock who had just been told it was the prettiest bird in the kingdom.
She did not look left or right, she walked in one straight, confident line, hips swinging, towards the far end of the yard, where Kai and Derek stood side by side, shirtless and still breathing hard from their sparring.
Odelia looked at Jessica from across the field. Their eyes met, and a whole conversation passed between them without a single word. Odelia's eyebrows went up, and she did a small nod toward the approaching threat.
Jessica mouthed, That's his fiancée.
Odelia's mouth dropped open. Her eyes went from Jessica, to Alicia's shorts, to Kai, and back to Jessica again, and she looked back at Alicia with open horror.
