Transforming Love (A Koning Clan Novel) Read Free

kind of game. What was she , some sort of princess from the times of yore? Didn't t hey know it was the t wenty-first century?
         “ Jenny?”
         “ Yes , I ’ m here.” She croaked, her voice lost with her right to choose .
         “ The Slag is in a month. It ends two days before y our twenty - first birthday. I left and tried to protect you, but now we have no choice but to go through with the tradition. I am truly sorry.”
         She didn ’ t know what to say, so she waited.
         “ I ’ m sending Charlie to stay with you while you wait. He will explain everything. They won ’ t let you come home now, and I ’ m f orbidden to see you for my crim e of desertion. You have to stay there. You can ’ t try to leave, or I could be punished. They know where I am now. I love you .” He sounded so shattered , so defeated , she could hardly let her words of goodbye past her lips. She had brought the hardest working man she had eve r known to his knees. That alone was enough to break her.
         “ I love you too .”
         The line went dead, and Jenny couldn ’ t hold in her sadness any longer. Her eyes scanned the bar , looking for a place to retreat. She stood and headed to the ladies room. At least she could keep some of her dignity. She walked through the door and took in her surroundings. Well, it was clean. Jenny stared at herself in the m irror and let her mind wond er.
         It was all her fault. If she hadn ’ t left, she could be at home with her dad and Charlie , riding hor ses and rock climbing. Now she was in a dingy bar with worn stools and frustrating males. Her hands clawed at the edge of the sink , threatening to break the porcelain as vehemence flooded her thoughts. How could her o wn father keep something like this from her?
         “ Special,” she scoffed. “ What the hell does that even mean?”
         Jenny turned the cold water on and splashed it on her face. She had to calm down. She was smart ; she could figure a way out of this . She jumped as a knock sounded at the door.
         “ Jenny, i t ’ s Clint. Are you okay? You ’ ve been in there awhile.” He paused and continued, “ I ’ m suppo sed to take you to your room.”
         “ Just a second.”
         She patted her face with the rough, brown, paper towels and tried to compose herself. She fus s ed with her skirt and her wild , windblown hair. She was as presentable as she was going to get. She stood tall and squared her shoulders as she opened the bathroom door.
        “ Where ’ s is this room of mine?”
         “ Gryph ’ s house is in the back. He had a room prepared for you while you were in the bathroom . I ’ ll have your car towed , and for what it ’ s worth , I am sorry you found out this w ay, darlin ’ .” He smiled softly.
         Jenny lifted her shoulders , not wanting to cry. “ I have a bag with some of my things in the trunk. I would appreciate it if you could bring it to me.”
         “ Gryph already retrieved it, and it sh ould be waiting in your room.”
         How could he have retrieved it already? The car was at least six or seven miles down the road. There were no cars that she could see. Whatever , it was the least of her worries.
         She eyed the glass bottle on display behind the bar. She wasn't a huge drinker, but it seemed like the perfect time to start. She pushed past Clint and grabbed a sparkly pink bottle from the top shelf. That's where the best stuff was supposed to be. Her hands shook as she turned the bottle to read the label. Alize Vodka from France, the bottle was beautiful and made her almost want to smile. So she took it.
         "Whoa, hold on a second , that's some special vodka you have your paws on. Gryph's been saving it. He's not gonna like this."
         "I don't really care what he likes . It's his fault I'm stuck here. He could just let me go home." She narrowed her eyes and hissed. "If