Mutely shocked, Valla stared out at Tommy. "For him," she whispered to Abby. "I was petrified of the forest, but ... I was more afraid for him."<br/><br/>She thought of Julian, and she realized just what a fool she was. How could she think that Julian was just being friendly, or that he wanted a spell? Valla was giving out spells to anyone who asked, it's not like Julian had to work for it. It was embarrassing to Valla to have Abby point all this out to her, like it was so obvious it might as well have been written in blood in the sky. Valla was smart enough to know that her friend was right, though.<br/><br/>Julien. The man ruled his camp with authority, but there had been fearful whispers that he might want to rule more. It seemed laughable to Valla that anyone would want to dominate the island, but men were men. A warlord could choose anyone he wants for a wife, whether she wanted to be or not. That thought sent a chill down her spine, but it was often the lot of a woman to have her mate chosen for her. The only reason why her father hadn't already married Valla off was because she was almost as useful around the compound as her brothers were. Valla had seen other girls married off for as little in exchange as a few cows or a half-ton of grain.<br/><br/>Valla had been so focused on her little world she hadn't seen the society that they were building on this island, and it was just like the one she had left behind. Not only was Valla back on the farm, she was back in the village, back in society.<br/><br/>What if they were stuck on the island forever? What if Lois got Tommy after all? And if Julien made trouble, everyone, even Saul, might decide it was safer to just give him what he wants, even if that's Valla. Even if that didn't happen, if Valla didn't end up with Tommy, who would it be?<br/><br/>With just a few words, Abby had turned Valla's world upside down.<br/><br/>"Abby," Valla said, looking at her friend, feeling suddenly desperate. "I hadn't thought about it that way."