Unknown P.O.V.
"Do you realize what you've done?!"
She sighed, unamused at his outburst.
"Relax. I've wiped his mind."
His face was red with rage.
"And if he wakes up and remembers? What will you do then? It will destroy all her trust!"
She scoffed.
"Her idiot father destroyed her ability to trust. We just have to work before she can find out what we're up to."
He was trying not to strangle her.
"Do you know how far I've traveled? How long I've waited? If you've screwed this up, you will pay for it."
She gulped at the threat.
"We'll make our move during the Centennial. Can you manage not to screw anything up until then?" He asked.
She nodded and he sighed.
"One more week. Then, the throne will be ours."
- - -
Evelyn's P.O.V.
"This is where you'll be staying."
I opened the bedroom door for Mrs. Chandler and showed her the room.
"Vega and the boys' rooms are just across the hall there," I said, pointing that way.
She gave me a tight lipped smile and hugged me.
"Thank you for everything."
My heart broke watching her move about with such frailty. She was a strong woman and bold, too. I had never seen her act so quietly. I couldn't imagine the toll this had to be taking.
"You're only a five minute walk from your husband's room, Mrs. Chandler. He'll have around-the-clock care provided by my staff and you're welcome to visit whenever and however long you'd like," Adam added.
"Thank you," she said.
Her bags were brought in by a couple of men who had followed us from the foyer and she stared at them with heavy eyelids.
"I'm sure you're tired from the flight, so we'll let you get some rest. There's a guard down the hall, let him know when you're hungry or if you need anything and he will make sure you're taken care of," I said softly.
"Make yourself at home," Adam said, giving her a warm smile.
I nodded in agreement.
It was hard leaving her room. I wanted to stay and hug her and tell her everything was going to be alright. I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to fix Mr. Chandler and restore his mind.
But I couldn't.
Adam ushered me out and closed the door behind us.
I could hear the boys shouting in amazement in their room. They were excited to be in a new place and couldn't contain themselves, not at all worried about their father. I envied their naivety and optimism.
I crossed the hall to see Vega watching the men bring her bags in.
"Do you like the room?" I asked her.
She looked around the room and nodded slowly. "It's nice."
I stepped through the doorway into the room as Adam excused himself and left.
"Does he follow you everywhere?" Vega asked.
"If I'm not following him," I joked.
She stared at me straight-faced.
So it wasn't that funny.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Vega asked.
"For your father. For not being there for you," I said.
She shrugged her shoulders.
"You're here now, aren't you?"
"You don't seem happy to be here," I noticed.
Vega scoffed. "Would you be?"
"I suppose not," I said, shaking my head.
I stood there awkwardly, sensing her moodiness.
"Well, there's a guard down the hall who is there if you need anything. Adam and I are getting dinner at 6, if you'd like to join us. I'll definitely check in on you-"
"-don't bother," She interrupted. "Don't act like you want me here, or that you care. If you cared, you would have come to us. But you didn't. You stayed here—in your castle—and summoned us to you. Thanks for the invite, but I'll have my dinner in here."
I took a deep breath.
Hurt people hurt people, I thought, reminding myself of Adam's words.
"Make yourself at home," I said, leaving the room.
I shut the door behind me and walked down the hallway.
Liu met me as soon as I reached the end of it. "I'm sorry for bothering you," she said.
I shook my head. "You're no bother. I welcome any distraction at this point."
She sighed in relief.
"It's just... there's a few ideas I have for the Centennial."
"Let's hear them," I said.
"Well, I was thinking we could do the Arrival Gala in the ballroom, instead of the courtyard. It's freezing outside and it would be easier to just have it indoors."
I nodded. "Smart. The weather didn't even occur to me."
"Okay," she said marking something on her list. "Second, I wanted to know where you planned on housing the other Alpha Superiors..."
I thought. "Let's put them on the fourth floor in the empty suites there."
Liu nodded and wrote something down.
"That's all I've got for now," she said.
"Thank you," I said, "for helping me."
She smiled. "Anytime. I think right now you need to rest though. You look exhausted."
I sighed. "It was a long night."
"Not the good kind, I'm assuming?" She laughed.
I smiled and shook my head. "No."
"Get some rest."
Liu left me standing there and I yawned.
A nap sounds great right now.
I slowly made my way back up to Adam's room. Once there, I changed back into his sweats and curled up on the bed.
I just need an hour, then I'll check on Vega and Mrs. Chandler.
My eyes closed without any protest.
- - -
I stood in front of my burning house.
I couldn't move, only watch as the flames climbed higher into the night sky.
The red tulips planted next to the front door seemed to glow like the flames that broke through the windows.
The smoke was suffocating and my eyes burned from the heat.
"Evelyn!"
My mother's screams echoed in my ears.
I tried to yell, to tell her I was there. My voice wasn't working.
"Evelyn! Help me!"
Her screams got louder and more frantic.
I started to panic. I couldn't move. I couldn't yell. I could only stand there, watching the house burn down in flames and listening to my mother's screams.
"Evelyn!"
Her voice got louder, closer.
"Evelyn!"
I shot up from the bed to see Adam standing next to the bed, his hand on my shoulder.
"Are you ok?"
I was hyperventilating.
"My mom," I whispered, shaking my head.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around me.
"We'll find her."
I sighed and leaned my head against his solid chest.
"And you're sure she wasn't in the fire?"
I held my breath as I waited for his answer.
"She wasn't," he assured me. "They never found any remains."
I sighed.
"And the arson report?" I asked.
"Came back positive."
I shook my head as I sat up straight and pulled away from Adam.
"I don't know who would want to set our house on fire. We didn't associate with anyone other than the Chandlers."
He laid his hand over mine. "There isn't anything good you can do worrying about it. We'll find her and the answers will come out eventually."
I gave him a grim smile.
"For now," he continued, "I had dinner brought up for us. I figured we could use a night in."
I looked over to the cart of steaming food and my stomach growled.
"I need to shower first," I said. I was sweaty and stiff from the nightmare.
I took a quick shower, washing my hair and letting the hot water relax my stiff body. I changed into my pajamas and exited the bathroom to see Adam getting out plates.
"Feel better?"
I nodded, sitting down next to him on the couch. He handed me a bowl of steaming soup and a drink.
"So," he said, "what can I do to get your mind off of things?"
I shook my head. "I can't think of much."
"That's your problem, love," he said pointedly. "You're thinking about it. Try thinking about something else. Tell me, where is your favorite place you've ever traveled?"
I thought about it for a minute. "I'd never gone anywhere outside of the United States before I met you. I'd never even flown in an airplane, actually. I think the farthest I had ever been was to Texas."
"You don't enjoy traveling?" He asked.
"No, I do. Vega and I had planned on going to Hawaii after we graduated from college."
"Were you looking forward to it?"
I nodded. "It was the only thing keeping me in school. But, I guess now I have a reason not to be in school anymore."
Adam laughed. "If school is that important to you, I can see what I can do about getting you enrolled online-"
I stopped him. "No, I don't think so. I won't miss it that much."
He laughed.
We ate in silence for the next few minutes. Once I finished my soup, I set the empty bowl on the cart and went to sit on the bed. I stared at him as he placed his bowl and cup on the cart as well.
"I'm going to shower," he informed me.
I laid my head down on the pillow as he walked into the bathroom.
It's the end of the fifth day, I reminded myself.
If I was honest with myself, I knew in that moment that it wouldn't take the entire hundred days to fall for Adam with the pace we were on.
But it scared me.
Why was I falling so fast? Was it just because we were mates, or was there a genuine attraction between us?
As thoughts and feelings flooded my mind, Adam exited the bathroom in a towel and walked over to his wardrobe.
No, there's definitely an attraction, I thought as I stared at his broad, muscular back.
He put on boxer briefs and sweatpants. Fortunately for me and my eyes, his chest stayed bare.
Adam went back into the bathroom with his towel in hand and came back without it. He came back out and laid on the bed next to me.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked me. "Be honest..."
He turned his head to look at me and I was immediately sucked into the stormy blue ocean that was trapped in his eyes.
I sighed. "I don't know you."
Adam smiled. "Of course you do."
"Only what you want me to," I said as I shook my head.
"Tell me what you want to know," He said, rolling over to face me.
I thought about it for a minute.
"Were you disappointed?"
He eyebrows knit together. "About what?"
"Me," I said. "That I was your mate."
He stared at me for a few moments. "Are you disappointed?"
"No," I said softly. "But I wasn't the one who expected a mate."
He smiled hearing this.
"After two hundred years, I wasn't expecting anything. But, to answer your question: no, I wasn't disappointed. Is this because of Victoria?"
I shrugged. "I see why she would want you to marry someone who was pure-blooded. I think that's what you deserve."
He sat up. "First, I've gotten much more than I deserve with you. Second, there are not many of my kind left and I've met every pure-blooded woman on this earth. None of them were my mate, so I have no interest in any of them. Don't let Victoria fool you into thinking that I'm settling with you."
"Okay," I sighed, even though I wasn't completely convinced. "What do you want to know about me?"
Adam thought for a moment. "How old were you when you shifted the first time?"
I looked at him like he had grown three heads.
"I've never shifted."
"What?" Adam said incredulously. "Are you serious?!"
I laughed. "I'm dead serious."
"Why on earth have you never shifted?"
"Because it hurts," I said, like it was obvious.
Adam rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this."
I laughed. "You're joking right? When did you shift for the first time?"
"I was seven," He said.
"That's a little young, don't you think?"
"I'm an Alpha. We're supposed to learn to shift early."
I shrugged. "Well, I'm not an Alpha. I've never had a reason to shift."
Adam was clearly very distraught.
"What if something happened? You would have no way to defend yourself. You need to learn how to shift and strengthen your wolf. We're doing that first thing tomorrow."
"I don't know how!" I protested.
"I'll show you, don't worry."
"But it hurts!"
"So would sex for your first time, but that wasn't stopping you from trying a few nights ago."
I blushed and he laughed.
"Changing the subject," I said awkwardly. "Why were you mad at Jace last night?"
Adam went straight-faced and his jaw clenched.
"Did something happen?" I asked him.
"He was just too close for comfort," Adam said.
"What do you mean?"
"To you, Jace was too close to you," he explained.
Oh.
"There's no need to be jealous," I assured him.
"I'm not jealous," he said smirking. "Jealous is when you want something someone else has."
"Then what are you?" I asked.
"Possessive," he answered. "I want what's already mine."
My mouth went dry hearing this.
Damn, that shouldn't have been as sexy as it was.
I finally found my voice.
"I'm not a possession," I said shakily.
He smiled. "Not yet. You'll come to be mine the same way I am already yours."
"You plan on doing that in a hundred days?"
"Darling, I'm banking on it taking less than that."
- - -