“Because your sister survived,” Trajan revealed, “and because siblings are almost always alike in that way.”
“That’s why they haven’t harmed you,” Isaac growled, pacing. “It’s why Viktor called Sibyl off the night in the barn. Why didn’t I see this?”
I was in shock.
“But he could’ve done it already,” Isaac said to his father. “He’s had opportunities. The barn, even one night at The Cove, Viktor was there, feet from her.” Isaac was utterly enraged.
I stayed far away from him. I let him pace furiously back and forth.
“He wants her to be willing,” said Trajan. “Her sister was supposed to bring her first and when that didn’t work, he sent others to scare her.”
“Oh no...The bastard used my uncle to threaten me.” The realization hit me hard. I was even more the reason Uncle Carl was in the hospital than I knew.
Remembering I had my phone on me, I reached inside my pocket and yanked it out. No signal. That was no surprise, considering.
Trajan looked at me. “Adria,” he said, “your family is safer without you there.”
“But Father,” said Isaac, “what am I supposed to do? I will kill every last one of them.”
“And I don’t doubt that you’re capable,” Trajan said, “but Viktor is the one who wants her and he is also the one you cannot defeat.”
Isaac raised his fist and sent it crashing down upon the desk against the wall, breaking it in half. Splintered wood, papers and other items flew up and around him before scattering about the floor.
My breath caught and I froze, only my eyes moving to see if Trajan was going to get up from the bed with reprimand.
As calm as ever, Trajan remained; holding Aramei as if she was all that mattered. “Viktor Vargas will soon be dealt with.”
Isaac turned swiftly. “I’m sure you said that to your men three hundred years ago.”
I never even saw Trajan place Aramei onto the bed.
He was kneeling over Isaac, gripping Isaac’s throat and crushing him against the rock floor. A picture of the man I watched die earlier in an eerily similar predicament flashed through my head.
I screamed. “Please! Please don’t....”
I rushed over and knelt, my knees touching Isaac’s head. I didn’t care if it would be the last thing I did. One hand held Isaac around the chin, the other I put up in front of Trajan pleadingly. “Please....” More tears streamed down my face.
Slowly, Trajan’s haunting figure rose and stood tall over us.
With his back to us now, Trajan said to Isaac, “One day you yourself will know the perils of being an Alpha.”
Isaac got up from the floor. If he was in any pain, he wasn’t showing it.
“Forgive me, Father,” he said. “I’m—”
“You are your father’s son,” Trajan said proudly. He inspected Aramei once more and then turned around to face Isaac again. “Adria is strong,” he said. “I can smell it on her; the control, the impending power.” His voice got lower. It was as if he didn’t want me to hear, yet it wasn’t entirely a whisper.
“You might have to do it yourself, before Viktor does.”
Isaac shook his head and stepped back, letting his father’s hand fall away from his shoulder.
Aramei lifted from the bed, the silk sheet barely covering her. “Vukašin,” she called him by his real name, but the rest I could not make out. She was speaking in a different language.
Trajan went over to her, cradling her head in his giant hands and kissing her eyelids.
“Until I go back to Serbia,” Trajan said as Isaac led me toward the door, “I will be staying here with Aramei. I won’t risk her with Viktor and his vendetta.”
“And what about Adria?” Isaac said stopping at the exit.
“My men and I will do with Viktor what is decided when that time comes,” he began, “but as Aramei is to me, Adria must be to you. An Alpha protects his own. It is the way it has always been.”
As promised, Isaac had me back in Hallowell by morning. I had fallen asleep during the long drive. All that had happened, emotionally and physically exhausted me.
I saw someone die. I couldn’t decide if it was affecting me the way it was supposed to. It worried me.
When we arrived back at the Mayfair house the shrouded sun was just barely rising over the vast blanket of white. Cold and gray would be this day too, even with sunlight; I knew because I could feel it, like when you know it’s about to rain.
Isaac guided me up to his room. He straightened and fluffed his bedding for me so that I could go back to sleep. I felt him cover me gently, just to my waist.
He went to leave; his footsteps quiet across the floor.
“Isaac,” I said, holding out my hand, “Stay with me.”
He paused, but only long enough to know that I meant it. I wasn’t ready for anything more, but having him next to me already felt natural. I needed him. We needed each other.
I fell fast asleep curled up in his arms and I never slept as soundly as I had that day. And that’s when you know you feel totally safe, undeniably loved. I was in more danger than most humans could imagine, yet in Isaac’s arms, I was completely at peace.
19
THE CELL PHONE VIBRATING against my leg woke me. I crept awake, a little disoriented. 1:42 p.m. showed next to Beverlee’s name. I answered quickly.
“Carl is doing better,” she said. “You can visit him this evening. Are you with Harry?”
“That’s so great,” I said, relieved. “I was so worried. No, ummm...” I glanced down at Isaac lying next to me. He was beautiful when he slept. “No, I stayed at Zia’s place.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “In Zia’s room, right?” she added skeptically.
“Uhhh, yeah. Definitely.”
“Alright, hon, if you need me to come pick you up to bring you to the hospital, just call me.”
“I will. I love you, Aunt Bev.”
I knew she was smiling on the other end.
“I love you too.”
Isaac opened his eyes as I reached over and laid my phone on the nightstand. I had a feeling maybe he wasn’t sleeping after all.
“Uncle Carl is going to be fine.”
He smiled softly at me and then brought me back into the fold of his arms.
“That’s awesome,” he said. Then he sighed heavily and pulled me closer. I buried my head under his chin. “Now we just have to figure out how to keep you away from them without making it seem like you’re abandoning them.”
There was a tiny knock at the door.
“Yeah?” Isaac said.
Zia peeked her white-blond head around the corner.
“Safe to come in?”
“It is,” Isaac answered.
She practically tiptoed inside as if still unsure whether she was intruding upon something.
I smiled across at her. “It’s alright,” I said. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Zia snickered and plopped down on the end of the bed.
“You two have been asleep all day,” she said. “What’d you do last night?”
Isaac sat up straight. I stayed curled up next to him.
“I took Adria to see my father.”
“Oh,” Zia replied, her smile replaced by a more serious expression. “You mean Aramei?”
I felt Isaac nod next to me.
Zia looked at me then. “Tragic, isn’t it?”
I didn’t want to answer, but my face did it for me.
“Well,” Zia slapped her palms against her jeans, “that’s none of my business. I guess you’re both too tired then to go skiing with us, huh?”
I rose finally. “I’d love to,” I said, “but I need to go see my uncle later.”
“I’ll be taking her to the hospital,” said Isaac. “She’ll be forced to endure me looming over her pretty much everywhere from now on.”
Forced? Hardly.
“I’ll need to talk to Nathan, Seth and Xavier, too,” he added. “Father told me that Viktor wants Adria as his mate.”
Zia’s body went rigid, pushing her instantly to her feet. Her mouth formed the letter O.
“It’s true,” Isaac said, “but I won’t go into it right now. Not again.” He combed his fingers through my hair. “Just tell my brothers if you see them before I do, that the circumstances have changed.”
“Okay, I will,” Zia agreed.
She lightened up then, though her bright smile seemed forced. I sort of felt like a little girl shielded from all the bad words and bad people. But that was okay. For now.
“I probably should tell you,” Zia said to me, “Daisy and Harry really hit it off. He’s still here; passed out on the sofa in the den.”
“Wow, seriously?”
“Yep,” Zia said. “I was almost jealous!”
I laughed.
Isaac eased his way out of our ‘girly’ conversation and went to change his shirt. I couldn’t help but watch. He was so perfect. Sculpted, scarred chest. Dark, messy hair. I even noticed a large birthmark along his ribs. He had ‘flaws’ and that’s why he was so perfect to me.
“Girl, you’re not even listening to me!” Her mouth and eyes were wide with over exaggerated shock and then she winked at me.
I shook myself attentive. Isaac secretly smiled across at me. He knew I had been watching him instead of listening to Zia. It wasn’t a conceited smile; just an innocent, knowing look.
Blushing, I turned back to her. “Sorry, I was just—”
“Distracted?” She grinned like she was hiding something behind her back.
“I’m glad your uncle is doing better,” she said, changing the subject from whatever she had been going on about before.
“Thanks,” I said as she hugged me.
“Who all is going skiing?” Isaac said to Zia.
“Sebastian, my brothers, Harry and Daisy,” she said. “That’s all I know so far. You know, I’ve never been skiing before. I kind of like Maine. Except for the trouble that came shortly before us.”
“Don’t get too comfortable here,” said Isaac. He slipped on a pair of socks and slid his feet down into a pair of black Doc Martens. “Depending on how this all turns out, we may be moving again.”
Zia’s face fell somberly, but when she placed her hand on the door and looked back at me one last time, she was smiling again. “See yah later, Dria,” she said before slipping out of the room. She called me Dria. Like my sister used to. It kind of made me feel good.
“What was that supposed to mean, about moving?” I was still on the center of the bed, sitting with my knees drawn up to my chest.
Isaac leaned over me, easily lifting me into his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist. I draped my hands on his shoulders; he kissed one arm and then the other.
“I don’t know how any of this is going to turn out. I have no idea what we’re going to do about Viktor and that worries me. It’s why a meeting with my brothers is imperative.”