Chapter 7

A few hours later Leanna woke up. She sat up in bed quickly and looked around, realizing it hadn't been a dream, she was home.

"Feeling better?"

Leanna turned her head and saw her father sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I feel much better."

"Good. Mom's got dinner ready, are you hungry?"

Consulting her stomach she found herself ravenous. Nodding to her father she got out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. There she found her mother and brothers sitting, they had just started dinner. Sitting next to Kade she gave her full attention to her meal, avoiding any questions as to why she had stayed in Zariff for so long, and why she hadn't contacted anyone.

Realizing that they wouldn't be finding out anything tonight her family let the subject drop and turned to a more agreeable topic, horses. The whole family updated her on everything that had happened while she was gone.

After hearing about all the horses she decided that she needed to go see them, especially her baby, Diesel. Going back up to her room she changed into some jeans and an old t-shirt. She clattered down the steps hastily pulling on her muddy boots and practically running outside, her horses causing every other thought to leave her head.

She entered the barn and inhaled the welcome scent of horses. Striding down the barn she stopped at a stall with a large bay inside.

"Hey Deis." She greeted the horse.

The horse nickered and raised his head from the pile of hay he had been eating. She wrapped her arms around the Warmblood's large neck and buried her face in his mane. She started sobbing uncontrollably, so grateful to be back. Despite the fact that she was falling in love with Khadeem she had missed her family and horses terribly.

The horse stood patiently as she cried. Finally it seemed that she was done with the crying jag. She wished she could ride but it was getting late. Leaving the stall she turned off the lights and walked back up to the house where she sat down with her family while they watched television.

She started thinking again about Khadeem and what she should do; falling back into her thoughts she didn't see the glance her mother gave her, or the shocked look her mother had on her face when she saw the wedding band on her daughters finger. Her father saw the look of shock. Rising he took his wife's hand and lifted her off the couch and into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" He demanded.

She stared blankly at him for a moment before she was able to gather her wits and form a coherent response.

"Go look at Leanna's left hand David." She said simply.

Frowning in confusion he went back into the living room and took a look at his daughter's left hand. His eyes widened and he quickly strode back into the kitchen.

"That's a-that's a-"

"Wedding ring." Evie finished the statement for him.

They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Do you want to talk to her or... ?" He let the question die off.

"I'll talk to her." Evie stated.

He nodded and watched as his wife went back into the living room and asked Leanna to follow her. His eyes followed the two as they walked up the stairs to Leanna's room to talk.

Shaking his head he walked back into the living room and watched the television without really seeing it. The three brothers shared a confused look at their father's blank expression. Demon broke the silence.

"Dad what-"

"Don't worry about it right now; I don't exactly know the whole of it either."

The brothers shrugged; assured that they would find out about what was going on, eventually.

"Baby, what is going on?"

Leanna looked up from her hands that were fiddling up to her mother's concerned face. She grimaced, she wanted to unburden herself, but she was just so scared.

"N-nothing Mom."

"If it's nothing then why do you have a wedding band on your finger?!?"

Leanna gasped realizing just now that she had forgotten to take the band off. Tears formed in her eyes, she had to come clean now. Haltingly she told her mother everything, being kidnapped by the slaver, being examined, auctioned off and then married. Once she started the words just poured out of her. She didn't notice the tears streaming down her face as she told her mother the story, though now that it was told her hands were soaked with them.

Slowly she looked up and was startled when her mother engulfed her in a hug. Sobbing Leanna held onto her mother tightly while she let out all the pent up fear, anger, and frustration. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there clinging to her mother like a two year old in their first thunderstorm; she only knew that she felt so much better to have gotten everything off her chest.

Slowly she let go of her mother and realized that she was being talked to.

"- poor baby, what an ordeal!"

For about another half an hour they talked, Leanna confessing everything, her mother listening and comforting her. Finally her mother stood up and stated;

"You're done for the day, go in the bathroom and get a shower then into bed, you need as much rest as you can get."