Once we arrived back at Redwood Compound, Kaleb cleared me for active duty after a few meals, a lot of water, and a good night's sleep. Alana, on the other hand, was bedridden for three days, and Kaleb had her on an IV drip so she couldn't run off. 

Daleron stuck around until she was fully recovered and helped Moreno supervise the compound. The giant had lived among halfants a long time and had been married to my great aunt for forty years until she'd died in an accident about nine years ago. 

In addition, Milo was also bound to the compound. The rebels had wreaked havoc on Theo and Selena's farm, and they'd been forced to move in with neighbors while the barn and house went through repairs. 

Overall, with three extra people in the compound, things seemed easier. While Kaleb was still undergoing medical training, he had extensive knowledge of natural giant healing and modern human medicine. He didn't do shifts like the other halfants because, according to Moreno, he didn't have as lengthy or complete training since he was only a quarter giant.

 His halfant mother married a human, but they'd passed away in a car crash, leaving Kaleb to be raised by his grandparents Monty and Dalia who served as the halfants chief technician and medical officer. They'd both been called to the battlefront at Snowdon. 

When Moreno wasn't running patrols or getting his mandatory eight hours of sleep, he was helping me learn self-defense. According to him, I needed to be able to handle myself in case I ever ended up in a dark tunnel with giants again. 

Throwing punches with Moreno wasn't easy. He wanted my form to be perfect. That was the part that came naturally. The hard part was doing it over and over. 

I had some upper body strength from doing farm chores but didn't have Moreno's raw muscles. He was a lot stronger than I was, giving him almost every advantage when we fought hand-to-hand. 

After an hour to two working with him every day, I didn't feel like I was getting better. Sure, I could throw punches at the dummies in the training room, but I couldn't land a blow on Moreno. 

Tres told me not to worry about it. He claimed that Moreno was one of the best hand-to-hand fighters that the halfants had. When he took a turn in the fighting ring, I was at least able to feel like I was making some progress. 

I knew I needed to protect myself. If my mother decided to siege this compound like her supporters were attacking Snowdon, I couldn't be defenseless. 

Simply having a guard wasn't enough. I had to fight for myself. This was my life and my future. 

I hadn't had any visions since I'd arrived back. Even my dreams were dull. I didn't even think they were the future. 

Since meeting with my crown prince uncle, Moreno had received a letter from the capital via Hellene. He'd sent me a running log of all his dreams and visions. 

With that information, I was able to determine which of my nighttime wanderings were visions and which were dreams. 

Most of them were easy to determine. In the past week, I'd had visions of the king pacing around the throne room, a very old female giant consoling a younger giant man, a flood drowning a dozen golden sheep, and a set of golden guards sparing in a courtyard.  The weirdest part, though, was we'd both had the same vision about the two prisoners. 

Victor was able to identify the prison as the giant detention center Gorgon's Deep. He also included that the rose-gold-haired prisoner was Horus Ethesis, Moreno's father. He wasn't able to put a name to the prisoner begging.

I got my first punch in on Moreno during a spat before bed when I told him I saw his father in my vision. He rubbed his jaw and winced. 

"Not bad," he said. "Good impact and strong form."

"But your dad was in my vision," I said. 

Moreno sighed. "My dad has been locked up for ages. I haven't been out there in over a year. It's his own fault for landing there." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. 

"My dad used to be someone I admired," Moreno said. "Now I hate him. It's pretty simple."

I looked into his eyes. "Does it have to do with your mom and brother's death?" 

He was quiet for a moment. "That wasn't entirely his fault. But what happened afterward... when I needed him most? He abandoned us to be selfish. He knew the consequences, and he was too lost in grief and pain to care for his children."

I winced. "Sounds like a lot. That couldn't have been easy. Your dad left you, and you had to raise your baby sister right after you lost your mom and Enrique."

Moreno flinched. "Who told you that name?"

"You did, and then Alana mentioned it when she was surprised you told me about your brother," I said. "I mean, we weren't talking about you... we were but..."

"It's okay," Moreno said. "I miss my brother a lot. He was my human ally, much like you and Jilly. My best friend. I loved Enrique."

"And you blame your father," I said. 

Moreno shook his head. "My father wouldn't have made it on time. Some giants don't see humans as much more than toys. Once my father marked my mother as desirable, it made many giants jealous. One of those morons snapped when they realized my mother turned him down and had another child with my father. He killed her. Enrique died shielding Carisma. The only reason I survived was because I ran for help. I just wasn't fast enough."

There was tremendous guilt in his face. He'd been eight years old. There was no way he could have stopped a murderous giant. 

I stepped in closer to him. His shoulders sagged, and I reached out to hug him. He fell against me, and I held him quietly. 

"That wasn't your fault," I said. "You did everything you could. Carisma adores you. You're an amazing big brother."

"I went from little brother to big brother in moments," Moreno said. "Sometimes, I miss relying on an older sibling. Enrique taught me so much, from how to climb trees to standing up to bullies."

I let him rest against me. I wasn't sure how long we stood there. When he finally broke away, he looked deep into my eyes. 

"You should hear the rest of the story," he said. "My father. I hate him because instead of stepping up to care for me and Carisma, he decided to go after my mother's killer. He thought the two-month slap on the wrist wasn't enough. Horus Ethesis murdered my mother and Enrique's killer. He knew they'd lock him up for life for the crime, and he didn't care. He gave up his living family to avenge a ghost."

His fists were bawled. Even after ten years, he still was angry that his father had abandoned him. Moreno hadn't wanted revenge. He'd needed his father and watched both his parents slip away. 

"You don't need him," I said. "Your family at the compound loves you. You have Alana and Carisma. You even have me."

He smiled softly. "You're something special, Terri Oakeley, and it isn't because you're a princess. There's just something about you..." 

"You sure it's not the princess aura?" I blushed. 

"It's not that," he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're... You're gorgeous. Princessa, you make life look so easy. You love so deeply. Your family is lucky."

I didn't know what to say to that. My heart was racing, and I turned even redder when I remembered that Moreno and I were intimate in the future.

"You're pretty cool too, you know," I said. "I mean, no one else has spent this much time training me."

"I asked if I could take over," Moreno said. "Gave me an excuse to get to know you a little better."

It was my turn to smile. "And what have you learned?"

"You're extremely brave," he said. "Overly lucky with weapons, and I think training is growing on you."

"Maybe it's the instructor," my chest was warm, and I could feel my pulse beating louder and louder. 

"Thank you, Your Highness," he leaned in and kissed my cheek. 

It took all of my willpower to stop my racing thoughts. This was not the moment to lose myself to what-ifs and wonders. I couldn't collapse here even though I knew Moreno would catch me. 

Before I could decide my next move, Moreno's display on his wrist lit up with some alert. He jerked away and sighed. 

"I've got to put my sister to bed," he said. "Disadvantages of being a part-time dad."

I was slightly disappointed, but our moment was over, and I couldn't take away from his time with his sister. It was cute, and he needed her.

Carisma chose that moment to race into the room. She wore pink and silver pajamas with footies, and her hair was done in twin braids. She looked between me and her brother and smiled. 

"I was coming, Care," Moreno said. "Terri and I were just working on her punches."

The ten-year-old gave us an all-knowing stare. "You sure you weren't doing something else?"

"If Gayle's been gossiping, I swear..." Moreno trailed off and picked up his little sister. "Never you mind, Care. Terri and I are friends." 

"Then can Terri put me to bed?" Carisma asked. 

Moreno looked mock offended. "Now, why would you want that, botón?" 

"Because sometimes you're boring, hermano mayor," Carisma said. "I know all your stories."

"Fine," Moreno said, conceding in a big but obviously fake huff. "You can ask Terri to put you to bed."

Carisma turned her big bronze eyes on me and drew out the magic word until it was several syllables longer than it needed to be. "P-L-E-ase."

I laughed. "If you insist."

I followed Moreno and Carisma down the hallway. He carried her all the way to her room and dropped her on her bed in a big heap. She giggled and crawled under the covers. 

Charisma's room was painted a cheery shade of yellow. Toys were piled in a chest, and a wide shelf of books sat against the wall. A framed photo of Moreno, Carisma, and Alana sat beside the bed. 

Carisma pulled a massive teddy bear under the blankets to snuggle. Then she waved at her brother to scram. 

"Don't let her keep you forever," he murmured into my ear before walking out of the room and letting the door close. 

"You're so cute together," Carisma said. "Have you kissed my brother yet?"

I sighed. "You'll be the first to know, kid. I promise." 

"Jojo needs you," she said. "Trust me. You make him smile."

I looked around the room to try and change the subject. "You need a bedtime story or something?"

"Moreno sometimes sings, but you don't have to do that," Carisma said. "We can just bless the room and pray away the monsters."

I smiled gently. "How do we do that?"

Carisma held out her hands straight up. "Bless the sky and the ground. For the walls of protection all around. Softly guard me through the night. Until dawn and morning's light. See, now all the spooky monsters can't get in."

"Maybe I should use that," I said.

"Yeah," Carisma nodded, curling up in bed. "It might keep you from getting kidnapped again. Jojo was really worried about you two."

I chuckled. "Was he?" 

"Duh," Carisma said. "I'd never seen him so angry when he got Doc's message from Half Circle."

"He lost his best friend," I said. 

"And you," Carisma said. 

"Sure, kid," I backed towards the door. "Goodnight."

I walked out the door before Carisma could say anything else and smacked directly into Moreno's broad chest. 

My face heated, and I immediately backed into the closed door behind me. My head collided with the wood. Moreno stepped backward and leaned forward to inspect my head. 

"You okay?" He asked. 

"Yeah," my face heated to a million degrees. 

Had he been out here the whole time listening through the door as his sister tried to push me closer to her brother? 

"Carisma means well," he said. "And she's not wrong. Follow me."

I didn't have time to process what he meant. He took my hand and led me across the hall. He pushed his door open and led me into his room.

Hey Friends!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Terri's training is getting better. What do you think of Terri and Moreno? Let me know what you think. Until next time!!!