He smirked. “I can tell you have a lot to say.” He turned so he more fully faced me. “I’ve signed a contract that states I’m required to be your servant until you let me go.”
Guilt swallowed me. I closed my eyes at the hurt. His mom hadn’t stolen the diamond. He didn’t deserve to be here. “I know. I’m sorry.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. “That’s—”
Adam touched my face. I opened my eyes. “It’s okay. I want to help. So tell me what’s going on.”
I smiled, a newfound joy spreading over every inch of my face. The act of smiling so big actually hurt. I reached up and touched one of my cheeks, marveling at the difference between a real and pretend smile. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” I searched his face for any indication he would run if I told him. But I realized I wanted to tell someone. Say the words out loud. If I did maybe it would help me make sense of my situation. And if Adam did leave, I would be okay with that. It was the least of what I deserved.
“Try me.” Adam took my other hand.
The emotional trauma raging in my body all but stopped. I sighed with relief. And then told him everything . . . well, except that I’d tried to put the moves on Greg. All but that. When I finished he sat up, crossing his legs.
“So, let me get this straight. Some guy who can also turn into a girl cursed you?”
“That’s what he said.”
“What did he say, exactly?”
I closed my eyes. It helped me see the words. “He said, ‘For your vanity, your cruelty and your cold, unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you. A year shall not pass before your true form will be revealed. You are Vaktare, daughter of royalty, born to deliver your people, created to save your species from the extinction they so rightly deserve . . . You, your father and your mother have been sentenced to die . . . Unless you can learn to give love unconditionally. Only then will your species have a chance.’” I opened my eyes and focused on his blue eyes.
“You are Vaktare. What is that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard the word before.”
Adam stood, letting go of my hands. The pain came back in full force, making my heart ache.
“Do you mind if I use your computer?”
“No,” I whispered, curious about what he was doing, but in too much pain to ask.
He suddenly seemed to notice my pain. “Oh, hey.” He slid his hands into mine and pulled me off my bed. “Let’s research the word Vaktare.” He released one hand and sat at my desk. While he pulled up the Internet, he asked, “And up until now you haven’t had any feelings, like no pain, nothing?”
“That’s right.” I moved to stand behind him.
Adam typed v-a-c-k-t-a-r-e and hit Enter. There were definitions and explanations in a different language. Clicking on Translate, it appeared the word, though spelled v-a-k-t-a-r-e meant security guard in Swedish. “So he cursed you to become a Swedish security guard?”
I laughed out loud. A real laugh. My body seemed to come to life at the sound and the pain squeezing my heart subsided. “Probably not.” I shook my head. Adam’s eyes sparkled. He turned back to the screen and scrolled down, searching for more information. By the third page, it was easy to see there was nothing there. Nothing of use anyway.
He swiveled the chair so he could see me.
“And up until now you haven’t ever felt anything. No emotion whatsoever.”
“Right.” My bottom lip trembled. He rose, taking my hands again.
“And then you got a message from your mom?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t know where your parents are?”
“No.”
“Can I hear the message?”
My cell phone rested on the bedside table. I picked it up, found the message, and played it on speakerphone.
While my mom spoke I watched Adam’s face. He seemed to be taking all that I’d said very well. He didn’t seem freaked out. He wasn’t treating me differently. At least I didn’t think so.
When my dad told my mom to hang up because she’d already said too much, Adam’s eyes scrunched together, but he didn’t say anything.
“Why aren’t you freaking out?” I asked him. I appreciated that he wanted to honor his contract, but if the roles had been reversed, I would’ve run away already.
Adam shrugged. “To be honest, I think the whole thing is extraordinary.” He took my hands. “When I watched you fall from the second floor of the shopping center I thought you were possibly suicidal.”
“How did you catch me? Why didn’t you get hurt?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw you fall and I reacted. I didn’t debate, I just knew I needed to save you.”
A rush of gratitude for Adam filled my insides. “Thank you,” I breathed.
Adam stepped closer. “Of course, Miss Cavanaugh.”
“I think you’ve earned the right to call me Beatrice.”
Adam leaned back, but I held his hands tightly.
“If you want. You don’t have to.” I exhaled. “The truth is you don’t even have to stay.” With the rush of emotions came the realization that I didn’t want to hurt Adam anymore. In fact I couldn’t understand why I’d had such a hateful desire in the first place. And the fact that I’d lied about the diamond made matters worse. I was a rude, immature girl who needed to figure out what Vaktare meant. Adam certainly didn’t need to be a part of whatever was happening to me. “See, your mom, she didn’t—”
Adam pressed a finger to my lips. “I’ve signed a contract agreeing to stay until such time as you release me. I’ll abide that.”
I smiled, knowing the right thing was to release him. “Thank you, but that’s what I’m trying to say. You don’t need to stay. I am releasing you.”
Adam stepped back. Disappointment rolled over his gorgeous face. “Already? I’ve done nothing to make up for what you believe my mom did. I researched red diamonds. They’re worth millions.”
“I know. But she—”
Mrs. Dotts pushed open the door. She was humming. “You’re out of bed.”
“Yes,” I said.
Mrs. Dotts set a tray on the table. On it were two steaks. “I thought you might be hungry.”
I hadn’t even thought about eating.
“Thank you, Mrs. Dotts. ” I went over and cut a piece of meat. Then realized I should’ve asked Adam which he wanted first. “Sorry I didn’t let you choose, Adam,” I said when he came to stand beside me.
Mrs. Dotts dropped the napkins she’d been about to hand over. “Is there anything else you need, Miss Cavanaugh?” Her voice quaked with surprise.
“Have you heard of the word Vack-tare?”
Mrs. Dotts froze. “Um, well.” She stuffed the napkins in the front pocket of her apron.
Isaac walked in. “Miss Cavanaugh. May I have a word with you?”
I glanced over mid-bite. He held a strange box in his gloved hands. Adam squeezed my shoulders. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was—that Isaac might know what the word Vaktare meant. I dropped the fork and rose.
Mrs. Dotts scurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. Isaac stepped further inside.
Nine
Fresh Cut Wood
“What is it, Isaac?” My heart began to race, pushing the pain out and back in with each thump.
He cleared his throat, glancing at Adam.
“He’s fine to remain here.”
“Very well, Miss Cavanaugh.”
“When I came to work for your father fifteen years ago, you were just a small child. And while your parents were never kind to me they were never unkind either.” He coughed. “I knew I was luckier than most. Your father paid me well. Very well. I came to respect, even admire him.” Isaac cleared his throat again. “On your sixteenth birthday your father and mother came to me and asked if I would be willing to keep something for them.” He lifted the box in his hands. “They made me promise that if anything bizarre began to happen with you and if the two of them suddenly vanished I was to give you this box.” Isaac set it on my desk.