The doctor nodded, then began removing the bandage. “I think that if you’re careful, you can get out of bed longer today. I want you to keep that arm in a sling at all times, and don’t use it.”
Vivian was so glad that she jumped out of bed without thinking, then stumbled a little and sat back down. “Oops, that might have been just a little too fast,” she said, grinning.
The doctor shook her head. “Maybe go a little slower; just to the bathroom to start.”
Vivian waited until the doctor was gone before trying again, this time managing to make it to the bathroom and back to the bed before she had to rest. “I think that’s as far as I’m going for today,” she said, disappointed.
Adam helped her back in bed, thinking he wouldn’t mind spending the whole day in bed with Vivian. Then he got an idea. “Stay here and rest; I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.
It felt like he was gone forever, but then she heard the sound of an engine, and it stopped in front of the bungalow. Adam came through the door a few seconds later, a huge smile on his face, “Your chariot awaits,” he said, gesturing to the little four-wheeler.
Vivian grinned at him, “That’s perfect, Adam, thank you. Now I just need to change out of these rags.”
Half an hour later, they were on their way to the main house and breakfast, both sure that they were going to starve to death before they got there. When they pulled up outside, Daniel and Natasha came out of the house to greet them, and Vivian relented when Daniel insisted on carrying her inside.
They went through the house and out to a patio shaded by palm trees overlooking the ocean. There was a gentle breeze and a few lazy clouds in the sky, and if circumstances had been different, Vivian would have been perfectly happy to sit and watch the waves for hours.
“I can see why you live here,” she said, smiling up at Daniel, who grinned back at her.
“Not bad, huh?” he said. “It’s a nice change from my apartment in the city.”
“And he’s been hogging it all to himself,” Alex said, grinning at her.
“It took Lucas Davenport to get us here,” Taylor added, the same grin on his face.
“Well, I’m sure glad to see you,” Vivian said, then added, “Adam and I got ourselves into some trouble, and we might need your help.”
Alex and Taylor exchanged a glance, then looked over at Daniel. “She knows,” he said.
“All of it?” Alex asked.
Daniel shrugged. “Enough that we can fill in any blanks this morning,” he said.
***Adam***
Adam was less than excited to see his brothers but wasn’t surprised that Daniel had called them. He’d probably talked to his father as well, and his stomach clenched when he thought about that confrontation. Once he’d gotten Vivian settled and food for them both, his curiosity got the better of him.
“What did dad say when you called him?” he asked, already cringing.
“I believe his exact words were: it’s time you boys cleaned up your own messes,” Daniel said.
Adam thought about that for a second, not sure how he felt. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” he finally said.
Daniel shrugged. “He’s going to show up here eventually, but I think for now he wants us to handle this,” he said. “I could hear mom yelling at him in the background to give her the phone, so my guess is that they’ll be here soon.”
“And my dad?” Vivian asked.
“Hmph, that’s not quiet so easy. After he stopped yelling at me, he wanted to talk to you, and when I told him you were hurt, he hung up the phone. I’m going to assume that he’s on the way,” Daniel said. “If I were you, Adam, I’d make myself scarce when he shows up, let him see that Vivian is okay.”
Adam winced, but Vivian took his hand, and warmth spread through him. They’d have to face their parents sooner or later; might as well get it over with, he decided. Nothing they had to say would change his mind about Vivian, and he knew that she felt the same way.
“It’ll be fine,” he said, the conviction in his voice surprising everyone.
Daniel studied Adam for a second, then nodded his head and said, “Okay, we’ve got some work to do. We still haven’t figured out who the tracking device belongs to or if it was activated, but we’re going to proceed as if it is Lucas’s.”
“If he knows where we are, why hasn’t he come after us already?” Adam asked, taking Vivian’s hand.
“We have a few people on the inside of his organization, and from what they’re telling us, it looks like Lucas is preparing for something big. He’s got a new witch working with him, just a kid, but a very powerful one and she worships the ground he walks on,” Daniel said.
“So, he is coming after us,” Vivian said, then shivered.
“That’s the only conclusion we can come to, but I think he’s been planning this for a long time,” Natasha said. “He’s determined to see Daniel and the rest of you dead, and he’s not going to stop until either that happens or he’s dead.”
There was a long silence around the table. “So what are we going to do?” Adam finally asked.
“Well, the first thing you’re going to do is try to explain all this to Vivian’s dad,” Daniel said, gesturing to the shore.
Adam’s heart sank; he’d hoped to have a little more time before James showed up. “I’ll talk to him,” Vivian said, putting her hand on his arm.
“We’ll talk to him together,” Adam said, covering her hand with his.
It didn’t take long for the boat to dock and James Spencer to come striding their way. They were waiting at the top of the beach for him, and Adam shrank back when he saw the look on his face, realizing that he was madder than he’d ever seen him.
He looked from Adam to Vivian and then down at their joined hands. “What the hell is going on here?” he roared, something he’d never seen James do before.
Vivian stepped forward on shaky legs and put her hand in his arm. “Don’t shout like that, dad; it’s not good for you,” she said.
He glared at her, then pulled her into his arms. “Do you know how scared I was when Daniel called? I thought I’d lost you there for a second,” he said.
Vivian gave him a long hug, then looked up at him. “But I’m fine.”
“Well, since you’re fine, you have a lot of questions to answer. I’ve been doing a little digging into this Vince Briceson person, and I have to say that I’m more than a little concerned,” he said, making Vivian hang her head.
“I can explain it all,” she said.
“I hope so,” James said, then looked over at Adam. “And you have a lot of explaining to do as well.”
Adam had to force himself to swallow, then said, “Yes, sir.”
He had to carry Vivian back to the house, which made James scowl the entire way, so by the time Daniel and Natasha greeted them at the front door, the tension was thick. Natasha took one look at the group and ushered them inside to the breakfast room, where a fountain was bubbling away soothingly in the center of the room.
Once they were all seated, James opened his mouth, but Natasha held her hand up. “I think we all need some refreshments before we start.”
James closed his mouth but glared at Adam and Vivian as Natasha served them all little sandwiches and coffee. After he’d devoured ten sandwiches, James started looking more like his old self and Adam felt a little hope spring to life and realized that he needed take control of the situation.
“I take full responsibility for Vivian getting hurt. I should have called you and Daniel as soon as I knew what she was up to,” he said, forcing himself to look James in the eye.
Vivian looked over at him sharply, but he went on. “I should have stopped her from going to Lucas Davenport’s, and I don’t blame you for being furious at me.”
James was silent, and Vivian was looking at him like he’d grown a second head, but then James said, “She can be a real handful. I guess no harm’s been done, but I
would like to hear the whole story.”
Chapter Fifteen
***Vivian***
Vivian could only stare at Adam as he talked; each word that came out of his mouth making her angrier. Finally, she said, “I’d appreciate it if you two didn’t talk about me like I am a child. I don’t need anyone to take care of me; I’ve been doing just fine on my own.”
There was a long silence in the room, and then her father said, “It doesn’t sound like it to me; you got shot, Vivian,” he said.
“But that wasn’t my fault,” she said, glaring at Adam.
Adam looked a little sheepish. “I might have played a role in that one.”
James sighed. “It sounds to me like you both made mistakes. Maybe I need to hear the entire story.”
Together they recited the same story they’d told Daniel the day before, and when they were finished, James shook his head. “I should have known we couldn’t keep you two apart; we never should have tried.”
“Then you don’t care?” Vivian asked, smiling for the first time in hours.
“I don’t. I never did,” James said, shaking his head. “But I don’t know if Marcus and the council will agree with me; you may have some trouble from them.”
Adam looked over at Vivian and thought about all the time they’d already missed because of the council. “The council doesn’t run my life,” he said.
Vivian reached over and put her hand on his arm. “What about your dad?”
“I’ll talk to him, he’ll understand,” Adam said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.
She didn’t quite believe him, knew that Marcus must put a lot of faith in the council’s decisions if he’d been willing to keep them apart. The thought that Marcus might still want to keep them apart sprang into her mind, but she pushed it away.
Then Adam surprised them all by getting right to the point with Daniel. “What do you think? Should Vivian and I be kept apart?” he asked.
Daniel was silent for a long time, then he said, “I think the council needs some rethinking; times have changed, and I think it’s time the Society changed with them.”
Adam breathed a sigh of relief; if they had Daniel on their side, the council would leave them alone. “But you still have to convince dad; you’re going to need him on your side.”
“I expect he’ll be arriving soon,” Adam said, his shoulders slumped.
Daniel nodded. “I tried to call him this morning; my guess is that they’re on their way now.”
“Good, then we can get this straightened out and prepare for Lucas, which is a much bigger problem,” Vivian said, deciding it was time to change the subject.
They spent the rest of the morning discussing ways to defend the island and explaining dragon shifters to Vivian in more detail. She wanted more than anything to see one of them shift, but was afraid to ask, especially after they explained that it took a lot of energy.
After lunch, they headed back to the little bungalow for a nap. “I can’t believe how tired I am,” Adam said, stretching out on the bed.
Vivian climbed onto the bed, and into his arms. “I feel like I haven’t slept in days,” she said, then yawned.
It wasn’t long before they were both sound asleep and when, hours later, a knock on the door woke them, they were still curled up together. The knock woke them both, but neither moved, hoping that whoever it was would go away.
But after a second, louder knock, Adam untangled himself from Vivian and answered the door. It was Daniel and judging from the look on his face, he hadn’t come with good news. He swung the door open and let him in.
“I just got off the phone with dad, and he’s gone completely crazy. He ordered me to separate you two, to lock Vivian up if I had to,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “I’ve never heard him talk like that before.”
Adam walked over to the bed, sat down next to Vivian, and put his arm around her shoulders. “No one is going to lock Vivian up, and no one is going to separate us. This is crazy, Daniel; what’s the big deal if we’re together?”
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know. I feel like there’s something he’s not telling me.”
“More lies,” Vivian said. “It’s like there are layers and layers of them.”
Adam pulled her close. “We’ll get to all of them, I promise,” he said.
“Mom and dad won’t be here for a while; they were up in the Gulf of Mexico, so you two have a little more time before you have to defend yourselves. I’d spend that time getting ready,” Daniel said, turning for the door.
Vivian watched him leave and wondered how their relationship could matter so much to so many people. “I don’t get it, Adam; why is us being together such a big deal to everyone?”
Adam thought about that for a second and said, “The Opal Society has always striven to not only keep itself secret, but separate from the humans of the world,” he said, then couldn’t help but grin.
“That sounds like something you’ve memorized,” she said, not sure whether to laugh or not.
He nodded. “One of the rules we were taught as children: The Society doesn’t want us mixing with humans, a pureblood kind of thing.”
“That’s terrible, Adam,” she said, wondering if she could be a part of that kind of world, how she could possibly fit in. But then Adam said something that both surprised and shocked her.
“And it’s killing us,” Adam said. “There aren’t enough of us anymore; families are dying out because suitable partners can’t be found, but Daniel’s been talking about changing all that.”
***Adam***
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he hadn’t said them, especially when he saw the look on Vivian’s face. “What do you mean exactly?”
“Well,” he started, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. “Daniel thinks that it’s time dragon shifters and humans mixed again. There used to be a time when that was normal, but somewhere down the line the council decided it wasn’t a good idea.”
“This council of yours sure does make a lot of decisions for people. Who are they? I mean, what kind of power do they have over you?” Vivian asked.
“Well, they’re the older dragon shifters, the ones who’ve served the Society for a long time,” he explained. “They’re appointed by the leader of the Society and serve for the rest of their lives; it’s supposed to be a sign of respect.”
“So, they make up all these rules that you’re all supposed to follow because they’re old and you want to show them respect?” Vivian asked, clearly a bit confused.
Adam thought about her question. “I see what you’re getting at and I’m not sure I can explain it any better than that,” he said, then held up his hand when she opened her mouth. “And before you say any more, I don’t agree with the council; I think it’s an antiquated, old-fashioned tradition that needs to be replaced by something more democratic.”
Vivian nodded. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the council and your father are going to be against us,” she said. “What if they try to separate us again, Adam?”
Adam felt his anger rising. “I’m not going to let them do that, I promise,” he said.
His promise hung in the air, but deep down he knew that if his father wanted him separated from Vivian, he’d get it done. That old and antiquated or not, the council had a lot of power, the kind of power that could see them separated.
But then the solution came to him; in a flash, he knew that the answer to their problem was simple. Going down on one knee in front of her, he asked, “Vivian, will you marry me?”
She stared at him, her mouth hanging open for several seconds, then asked, “What? Did you just ask me to marry you?”
It wasn’t quite the answer he was expecting. “Yes, don’t you see that if we get married, they can’t separate us?” he explained, still not getting the response he expected.
“But marriage, I mean, that’s a big step,” Vivian said, her eyes searching his.
A
dam wasn’t sure what to say; he hadn’t expected her to resist, then he knew what was missing. Reaching up, he cupped her face with his hands. “I love you, Vivian. I think I’ve loved you since we were kids. I know this seems sudden, and maybe we would have done things differently if the circumstances were different. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you, that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Vivian gasped, and tears came to her eyes. “I think I love you too, Adam, but I’m scared to trust my feelings. I’m scared of so many things: the Society, your father, Lucas. What if my fear is the only reason I feel this way?”
Adam got up from the floor, sat down next to her on the bed, and took her in his arms. “Your life has been turned upside down, and all those fears are understandable. But I can promise you one thing: when this is all over, I’m going to love you as much as I do right now, and maybe more,” he said. “I think if you look deep inside, you’ll see that what we have is special, the real thing, Vivian. I’m not going to push you into doing anything you don’t want to do, but I am going to marry you someday.”
Vivian looked up at him, and this time there were tears of joy in her eyes. “I do love you, Adam; I guess there’s no reason to put off the inevitable,” she said.
Adam smiled at her. “Fate has worked hard to get us together; it’s up to us to stay that way,” he said, leaning down and covering her lips with his in a kiss that spoke of a life of love.
When they had to part for breath, Vivian asked, “How are we going to get married here?”
Adam thought for a second, then got to his feet. “Feel like exploring the island a little?” he asked, holding out his hand.
Vivian got to her feet, gave him a curious look, but followed him out of the room. Before long, they were leaving the main house behind and driving toward the center of the island. The road became narrower and narrower the farther away they got from the house.
Dragon’s Forbidden Mate (Dragons Secret Society Book 2) Page 9
