The worst thing that you can do is lie to your hitman when you have secrets you want buried. When he decides to turn on you, you've just paid for your own execution.
His life had been one of crime and death; then a split-second decision changed everything. One thing that is never smart to do is to lie to Caliban Andros, but that is exactly what Mircea Kalivati did. Something is drawing Cal closer to Mircea's "dead" wife, who now has a new name and is pretending to be Cal's new wife. At the same time, there are those in his inner circle who are not who they seem. As Cal tries to calm the woman he finds himself increasingly drawn to, his best friend Theron is back home ferreting out the traitors. Has Mircea been foolish enough to cross him a second time, or is there someone else hiding in the shadows that Cal will need to deal with?
After the upset of the memories of the past, there is calm.
“There, now your wound is cleaned and the bandage replaced. You’ve had some pain meds because you were naughty,” Caliban winked to try and lighten the mood. “I want you to rest. I know that you haven’t done anything too strenuous, but you’ve been upset.” He started putting all of the supplies back into the bag that had held the first aid kit. He had to temper his voice to keep from sounding like an overprotective father or a boss. Neither of those things would make Adira relax, something he wasn’t sure she’d actually done since he’d brought her out of that basement. Why he cared was something he was still trying to figure out. It was like the woman was a gorgeous hurricane that was stirring up everything in his life.
When he looked back over at her, he noticed that Adira hadn’t looked up at him since she had revealed everything that had happened to her at the hands of her father and family. It was bothering him, but he wouldn’t press her. The woman had gone through hell in the last 2 days, he could hardly expect her to be handling things anything close to normal. The fact that she’d just revealed to three almost strangers deep pain and anguish from her past was far from normal.
“I can stay up here if you like, or I can go downstairs to give you some time alone.” The soft whoosh of the zipper to the bag followed Caliban’s equally soft voice as he gave her the options. For the foreseeable future, he planned on giving her choices and letting her determine things. It seemed that it had been a long time, if ever, since she had been the one in control of her life.
“I don’t know.” She swallowed after she answered, her voice and her breath both shaky. Adira felt emotionally and physically spent, almost like she hadn’t slept in a week instead of less than a few hours prior. All she’d done so far that day was lay in bed, but she felt like she could fall asleep again just by closing her eyes.
“I…I don’t know how to feel right now, Cal. I’ve never told anyone about all of that, how I’ve always just been a thing to everyone in my life. You seem to get me to admit to things…” She almost choked on a half-sob, as tears once more filled her eyes and threatened to spill over her lashes onto her cheeks.
Caliban dropped the bag on the floor without a second’s though and quickly sat on the bed next to her. Gathering her in his arms, he cradled her head to his shoulder and stroked her hair as he tried to comfort her. “Then don’t, love.” He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head, “Just relax and let your mind go. I won’t leave you alone unless you want it.” Fingertips stroked over her spine and back, hoping to relax her. He felt powerless to do anything more to help her than just to be near and hold her. If he thought that it would assuage her upset, he’d track her bastard father down that instant, and let her put the bullet in his brain her own self.
Adira’s hands made soft fists on the back of Caliban’s shirt as she just relaxed into him and let his strength support her. “I’m sorry I keep being such a mess. You don’t deserve this…any of this.” Her forehead came to rest against his neck as she relaxed and closed her eyes once more. It was in his arms that she felt the safest; she knew that he would let nothing happen to her, and absolutely no one near her at the moment.
“I don’t deserve a beautiful, smart, and sensitive woman in my arms, holding onto me? I would agree, but I’m not turning it down. I would say I don’t deserve her flirting with me earlier either, and not her physical attention first thing this morning.” He gently teased her trying to get her to smile, even if he couldn’t see it. “Love, I already know I don’t deserve you. You don’t have to tell me that. I’m still going to take care of you, and be glad that you’re here and putting up with me.” Another kiss was dropped on her hair, his arms tightening momentarily around her. He wasn’t sure where that all came from, but he didn’t regret saying it. She was a breath of fresh air in his dark and dangerous life.
Even if his sweet words were meant to soothe her, they brought more tears. They reminded her of the coldness of Mircea and her father. It wasn’t just Caliban being sweet and kind, it was that she knew he was doing it because he legitimately cared for her. Even if she couldn’t understand it, and hadn’t ever felt as safe and protected as she did in his arms, the arms of a killer. Her killer. Mircea had never been hers, she had always just been the side effect of a business deal to him, something she hadn’t realized till years later. Things with Caliban were different though. Her mind went back to what he’d said the night before, even if their marriage had originally been “fake”, any prior relationships with women would have ended the moment he slid the ring on her finger.
“I guess I was wrong,” her voice was soft and just above a whisper, “It’s me that doesn’t deserve you, Cal.” There was emotion dripping from every syllable. Her forehead pressed tighter against his neck, her arms tightening around him, holding him like she was afraid at any moment he would disappear and she’d just be left with the dust of the dreams she had pulled someone like him from. Her life had been just as dark and deadly, but filled with much more pain than his.
Sometimes the worst prisons are in our own minds....
Caliban set his coffee cup down on the nightstand, and picked up his phone. He had an idea that might help Adira to relax and feel more comfortable. Scanning his thumb to unlock it, he turned his head to look over at his wife. His. Wife. He was coming to like the sound of it, even though right now it was just in his mind, more and more. “How about we call your family to let them know that you’re really not dead? I bet they’re devastated at what happened. Hearing from you might help them feel better.”
Coffee spilled onto the nightstand as Adira’s cup clattered down hard. Her breath was coming hard and fast, her heart trying to escape her ribcage as she all but launched herself across the bed to grab and throw Caliban’s phone across the room, where it hit the door with a loud thud. “NO!” She grabbed his shoulders and looked in his eyes, barely holding onto control of herself. “NO! You can’t. They can’t know. They can’t ever know. You can’t tell them, ever. Promise. Promise you’ll never say a word, not even a hint, especially to my father. I’m dead. I have to be dead. Always dead. DEAD. Do you hear me? Promise me! Promise me, Caliban! I’m dead!”
Adira’s eyes were wild, she was hyperventilating, and tears were streaming down her face. Just the thought of her family, especially her father, finding out that she was alive sent her into the icy grips of terror and panic. Memories assailed her as she warred with the urge to get up and flee from the room, no thought to where she would go, or what that would accomplish.
Even though they were sitting in the middle of a king size bed, Adira most resembled a frightened animal that had been backed into a corner by a lethal predator. Why? That, Caliban did not know, but her grip on his shoulders was so tight that he was quite sure that her short nails were drawing blood. The woman who had been ready to die rather than go with him in the basement was no in such a frenetic state he wasn’t sure what the best way to handle her was.
In shock, Caliban continued for a moment to simply stare into her eyes, her pupils blown wide in terror as he tried to figure out how to react without making things worse. This was a reaction that he had not in any way anticipated. Trying to help her feel more relaxed had backfired in the most spectacular way imaginable. Day three of a married man, and so far this one was going as sideways as the previous ones, three for three. At some point they had to start getting better. He really did want her to calm down, lest one of her guards or Theron decide to sedate him and whisk her off somewhere.
Gently he took hold of her arms finally, his hands running gently over them to try and calm her. His eyes kept on hers while he breathed deep and calm in hopes she would match him. “Adira, my love, calm down. Breathe with me, darling.” He kept his voice quiet and soft. He took deep breaths with her to try and help her calm, gently pulling her towards him so he could hold her until she was calm enough for him to find out more. Thankfully her grip on his shoulders lessened and she started to let him guide her and come out of her blind panic.
Before he could say more, both Lars and Marcin threw open the door to the room and were in the doorway looking confused and concerned. “Hey, uh, boss, uh, and, uh, Adira.” Lars started, then paused as he looked around the room for whatever threat had caused the commotion they’d heard from below, “we, uh, heard something hit the door, then it sounded like Adira yelling or screaming. Is, uh, everything okay up here?” His eyes were studying the scene before him, and he wasn’t sure what was going on, but he could tell Adira was terrified, and Caliban looked utterly confused. This wasn’t good. What had happened?
“Adira was just about to tell me why we are never going to let her family know she is alive. Weren’t you, sweetheart?” Gently Caliban maneuvered her to be sitting next to him with his arm around her, pulling close against him. His free hand took one of hers, the thumb softly caressing the back of her hand. “I made a bad suggestion, and what you heard was the response. Unfortunately, I still have quite a bit to learn about my new bride.” He clarified without taking his eyes off Adira who was trembling and now had a death grip on his hand with both of hers.
All she could do was nod and swallow, clinging to Caliban like he was her tie to life and sanity. “I’m sorry…” It came out not much louder than a whisper, and Adira felt her husband pull her tighter against him and murmur some kind of reassurance. All she could really hear though was the rushing of blood in her own ears. The thought of her father finding out she was alive, and where she was, had so terrified her that she was having trouble calming back down from it. The feel of Caliban’s lips against her temple caused her eyes to close and a couple of deep breaths to fill her lungs, she could do this.
“My father knows what life was like for me,” finally she stuttered out then paused, taking several more deep breaths, “I tried to run away once, to go home. When he found me, he beat me even more than…Mir…Mircea..and drug me back still bleeding.” Adira’s whole body shook as she started to cry. Memories assailed her as she began to recount all the times that her father had added onto whatever “punishment” that Mircea had thought she had earned. Then there were the times that her father felt disrespected and took his anger out on her. Or the times that he thought he saw her do something that disrespected Mircea, but Mircea wasn’t around or didn’t see, so her father took it out on her. If it hadn’t been for Caliban’s strong hold on her, the way he would run his hand over her arm or thumb over the back of her hand, and the soft kisses on her temple when she stumbled over words, she wasn’t sure she would have had the strength to keep going. Knowing he was there supporting her somehow gave her the strength to face the nightmares of her past.
The whole time Adira was talking, the three men said nothing. Caliban was trying to reassure and comfort her, while also trying to digest everything she was recounting to them. It was painful to listen to all she had endured, so he could only imagine how hard it was for her to relive. His mind was having a difficult time comprehending how a parent could inflict such abuse on their child, let alone condone what Mircea had done and add further to it. He knew she wasn’t lying, but he was still struggling. The one thing he kept focused on was making sure that she felt supported and cared for. There was no missing how hard it was for her to talk, and he didn’t mind being her rock to lean on for it.
More than once Lars and Marcin looked at each other as they listened. Both men had worked for Caliban for some time and had carried out operations for him. They might have inflicted the type of abuse that Adira was recounting upon men, but never women. They knew few in their sphere of influence who would, even if the woman had done something to cause them great harm in one way or another. Even death was brought more swiftly and painlessly to women. It was the way that things had always been done, so to hear her speak of her father backing Mircea and being just as brutal, it was uncharted territory for both of them. While Caliban currently just looked stunned, they had a feeling that when he had properly digested all she was saying that he would have much to say on this, and probably some actions that he desired to take.
When she had finished, the three men looked at each other, matching expressions of rage burned in their eyes, but they remained silent. Caliban was the first one to speak. His calm voice belied how enraged he was at all he had heard. Now was not the time for that, that would come later. “Lars, would you please get Adira some water? Also, bring me the first aid kit from the supply room off of the kitchen? I need to rewrap her hand. Then, if you gentleman will please leave us, I think my wife needs some peace to fully calm back after the upset that I caused her.”
Lars nodded then headed towards the stairs to get what Caliban asked for. Marcin stepped into the room to grab Caliban’s phone that was on the floor, and place it on the dresser, then mirrored Lars’ movements. Neither man particularly wanted to remain, they had no idea what to say or how to respond without it being awkward. Best to leave things to Caliban until it was needed that they do otherwise.
Caliban entered the bedroom again, both cups of coffee in hand. There, still laying in the bed, was Adira. Her eyes closed with her chestnut hair in a glowing halo around her head in the morning light, she looked like a literal angel to him. He knew that she wasn’t truly asleep, but the look of peace on her face brought a contented smile to his face. Somewhere between deciding that he was going to preserve her life and this moment in the bedroom, a growing fondness for the woman had begun to form in his breast.
During the walk from the door to his side of the bed, the conversation he’d had with the two men downstairs echoed through his mind. It bounced against his conversation the night before with Adira herself regarding her marriage to Mircea. The pain and anguish she’d already gone through, both physical and emotional. Not a warm or overly emotional man, he still did not wish to add to that. His own tenderness with her came as an intriguing surprise to him. What exactly had spurred this change from agreeing to a fake marriage to it becoming not so much one?
Married for love, or only on paper, mattered little. She looked to him for protection, it was his arms she slept in, and he found that he was already becoming accustomed to her being there, along with enjoying it more than he would have anticipated. While he could already tell that they would be able to form an amicable bond, a fondness with one another, and that their rapport would be easy, what he was not sure of was whether there could be love. Caliban had never felt romantic love towards another, felt the need for it. He would not lead Adira on in that respect. On that note, he also would never treat her as she had been in the past. She would be the only woman in his life and take precedence over all others. Any who disrespected her would deal with him, and regret it.
Setting one hip on the edge of the bed, he kept his voice low, not wanting to break the spell that seemed to surround the room and keep it in an almost surreal peace. “While it seems a sin to bother such an angelic sleeper, I do have coffee. Lars freshly brewed it, I promise no more pain meds hidden in it to mess with your head or poison to harm my beautiful princess. If the lady does require it, I can be an official taster” He winked and chuckled when she rolled over and stuck out her tongue at him. “You’re cute when you’re precocious, love.” Reaching over, he took her injured hand in his. “After coffee, you’re going to let me play doctor and look at your stitches. I’ll bandage it again after your shower too.” Caliban brought her hand up and brushed a kiss against her knuckles.
“You don’t have to do that.” Adira blushed as she sat up. He was so sweet, at times she still had trouble figuring out how to react to it. “I’m sure one of the guys ca….” She found herself silenced by a finger.
“And, I would let another man take care of my wife, why?” Caliban smirked at her. Then he tapped her nose with the finger that had been against her lips and turned to take the coffee cup from the side table and hand it to her. “We have a full day to spend together, and I intend to be the one you spend it with, not your bodyguards. Besides, I think you and I need to learn about one another.” He winked.
“Okay, I remember what Theron said.” Adira held up her hands in defeat. “I won’t argue.” She smirked and her eyes narrowed at him slightly as she carefully took her mug. “You do know that means you’re going to have to tell me some of your deepest and darkest secrets though, Mr. Andros. Are you sure you can trust me? What if I’m just using my charms to seduce you, and learn all the ways to defeat you? Or maybe I want to take over your empire and be queen?” Her chin lifted a little before she took a drink, her eyes crinkling in amusement as she looked at him over the lip of her mug.
“I’m a dangerous man, Mrs. Andros. You’d be taking a big risk thinking you could outsmart me.” He winked at her while smirking. The tease was absolutely dancing in her eyes, and he enjoyed it immensely. It reminded him of the ease of their conversation the first night in his office, and confirmed his conclusion, once more, that saving her, instead of killing her, was definitely the better move. If her business acumen was as sharp as her wit, it might be one of his best moves ever. “Although,” he paused, the tease now getting heavier in his voice, “if you are honest with me,” the hand not holding his coffee gently cupped the side of her face to caress it gently, “the benefits to you could be quite immense, my darling Adira, and far surpass you just becoming the queen of my empire, which you already are.” Gone was the tease, his eyes softening, voice deepening, and touch staying affectionate and gentle. If things kept progressing the way that he felt they were going to he would not only move heaven and earth for her, he might just destroy them as well.
“Then I guess it is good for me that there are no ulterior motives in my actions, other than to learn more about the man that it seems I will be spending a great deal of time with.” Adira felt her heart flutter from the way he was looking at her, so different from the way Mircea ever had. His touch so different too: so soft and caring, yet with a feeling of protection. Her free hand rose, gently covering the back of his to guide it so that she could kiss the palm, her eyes never straying from his. It was in these small moments when she kept expecting to wake up, and be back in the hell that she had been living in since she was a Freshman in college, the never ending nightmare that had been her existence and marriage. Even if Caliban never loved her, if he could at least act like this often, it would be like going from a steady diet of hot dogs to ribeye.
His thumb swept her cheek as his eyes softened even more, the hold Adira had on Caliban’s heart seemed to be ever tightening, and he wasn’t sure how she was so effortlessly doing it. “I will be keeping my eye on you, Mrs. Andros. Very, very closely watching you. I do believe you are using that seductive way you have again.” His eyes narrowed, the corners of his lips twitching up as he teased her. “I must make sure that you are behaving yourself, and that those motives stay clean.” He gave her a wink, and leaned forward to gently kiss her. “Besides, I like the view quite a bit.” His voice had dropped slightly, and had taken on a slightly seductive edge.
“Mmmmm…do you? I am rather fond of mine as well.” She murmured back against his lips. He had her feeling like she was back in secondary school, having her first taste of puppy love and crush on a boy. Adira knew that this was so much more than a crush though, and had a feeling that it would last longer than those relationships back then.
“Do you think they’re going to come down?” Marcin smirked over at Lars. He was making the second pot of coffee of the morning. Both guards had noticed that neither of the couple had been seen, or heard, all morning. Both also found this amusing. After how Caliban had arrived at the gatehouse the day before, both were pretty sure that the marriage was a whole lot less fake than the boss would have them believe. Not that Lars could say he blamed him, Adira was easy on the eyes, and seemed very sweet.
“I think the odds are even right now. Can you blame Caliban for not rushing? When have you seen him with a woman this calm?” Lars’ eyebrows were raised as he looked over at Marcin from where he was leaned up against the counter. “Can you imagine that last one he dated if she’d had a gun held to her head?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me of that one. That time she screamed about a spider in the pool house almost got someone shot.” Marcin’s eyes rolled as he shook his head. All of the women Caliban had dated over the years had been beautiful, the vast majority of them had also been overly dramatic about everything. That Adira had been so calm during the whole situation with Kondrat when he’d been confronted at the drive, set her far apart from any woman that Caliban had brought onto the estate. Marcin might not know her well, but he already had a feeling about her.
“Theron said the only time he’s even heard her raise her voice was when she took that swing at the boss when she was still three-quarters asleep.” Lars chuckled as he poured them both more coffee. “I still envy that you got to see that. Even the night before during the storm, she was scared, but I cannot imagine her trying to grapple with Caliban. She’s a tiny little thing, up against the boss, and him pretty much letting her.” He shook his head and let out a wry laugh.
“It won’t be a sight you get to see often either.” Caliban’s voice from the doorway to the kitchen had both men straightening quickly and Lars clearing his throat, much to Caliban’s amusement. “Two cups please. Sweetener or sugar in one. The other black. Then I’ll let you two ladies get back to gossiping about me and my wife.” He smirked. His hair was still disheveled and he was sans shirt. Neither he nor Adira were really ready to get up, but both needed liquid sanity before they could even start considering how to spend their daylight hours.
Both guards chuckled as Lars pulled down two more mugs and got them ready for Caliban. “Seems she’s settling into that role pretty well. I take it we’re keeping her? We don’t have to fill out return paperwork?” Marcin questioned, amused and winked at his boss.
“She’s not a pet.” Caliban answered with a raised brow. “However, you are correct, I believe that we are both enjoying having one another as companions. I think she will be staying around for a while in the role of my wife. I don’t foresee wanting to change that anytime myself, either” He smirked as he took the two mugs Lars offered. No, after the night before, and the morning they’d already had, he was of any mind to have her leaving his side. She brought a sense of peace and calm to him that he hadn’t experienced from a woman before. He liked it, and he liked the way she felt in his arms. What had he gotten himself into? Moreso, what had he gotten her into?
“She’s not a pet, but she’s also not a toy, Cal.” This time it was Lars, who had turned around to face Caliban and leaned up against the counter again. “She seems like she’s already been played with enough.” He took a sip of his coffee, looking at his boss over the rim of the cup. There was no need for elaboration, both men knew exactly what he was referring to in all ways. Since he’d seen the terror in her eyes that one bolt of lightning could cause, Lars had felt a sense of protection over her.
“Yes, and that will stop. There will be no games or deception in her future.” Both men nodded at one another. Few men could challenge him in the way that Lars just had, but Caliban knew that Lars had Adira’s best interest at heart. He was still feeling Marcin out, but as far as he could tell, he was solid as well.
Adira came awake to the soft feel of Caliban’s fingers moving over her back. It was clear he was awake, but the room was absolutely quiet save the sound of his fingertips over the fabric of her shirt. “I see even getting woken up is going to be a form of spoiling.” She kept her voice soft and low, barely more than a whisper, as she let him know that she too was awake.
“Which one of us is being spoiled this time?” Caliban couldn’t help but chuckle, adoring the sleepy sound of her voice. “I feel a little spoiled at the moment.” His deep voice seemed to roll over her senses, giving her chills, there was no hurry to their conversation or his words.
“Maybe this is more of that mutual spoiling?” Tipping her head back to place a kiss along his jaw, she found he had anticipated her action and captured her lips with his own. The kiss was slow, soft, and when coupled with the slow and soft way his hands also moved over her body and caressed her face, gave her a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies to take flight in her stomach. She couldn’t even remember the last time anyone had given her such a feeling, certainly long before Mircea.
He had only intended it to be short and soft, but as soon as his lips found hers, Caliban found himself not wanting to pull back. Like with the night before, it seemed like the one touch led to another; but instead of just passion and lust filled, as had been so frequent in his past, now they were tender and affectionate with some sense of growing feeling behind them. It was as much her reaction to him, as his own desire, that prompted him.
As much as his body was desiring to take things further, the rest of him knew this wasn't the time or the place. “If you keep reciprocating the spoiling, sweetheart, we may never get out of bed.” His lips danced over hers, reticent to fully pull back from her.
“Aren't newlyweds supposed to spend the honeymoon at least partly in bed?” She had only meant to build upon the tease, but when Caliban made a sound between a cough and a choke, Adira was afraid she'd taken it too far. “I mean…I was just…last night was late…and…” Her eyes frantically searched his face as she stumbled over her words.
She had shocked him with the boldness and tease of her first statement, but he was having trouble not laughing as she fumbled. There was no doubt that the new Mrs. Andros was going to keep him on his toes. Cutting off her adorable fumbling off with another kiss, Caliban shifted his weight and rolled so he was lightly pinning her to the bed. His larger frame caging hers as he made sure to not to press his full weight on her.
“Darling, I can assure you that I would have no issue spending the day in bed with you. Nor would I have any objection to whatever it is you wanted to do with me while we're here.” Caliban’s voice rumbled low next to Adira’s ear, causing her skin to prickle and her breath to catch. “All you have to do is ask.”
His warm breath across her skin sent Adira’s brain tumbling. The slow and seductive kisses that he began to place upon her neck didn't help her regain her ability to think. Without even thinking about it, her legs had wrapped around his, and her fingers played in his hair as he had spoken. The temptation to do far more than kiss and caress while essentially fully clothed was blossoming. She wanted so desperately to trust him, to be able to turn off her brain, and just enjoy the moment. How long had it been since she could?
“Then I'd like to keep you here a bit longer.” Her voice now deepened and took on a slightly husky tone. It might go no further than they were presently, but his response was enough to make her in no hurry to leave. Even clothed, the feel of his body pressed to hers was awakening parts of her that had long been dormant. There was no demand in his actions, his words, or even his tone, even as there was no denying in their current position that he desired her as much as she did he. His soft touch, heated looks, and obvious patience were doing their own kind of healing, and for the moment she tried to push all doubts and fears to the side. “I rather like you, right where I have you.”
“Then who am I to argue?” He smirked as he looked down into her dark eyes that seemed to want to pull him into their abyss and never release him. A desire burned within them that seemed to match his own; and as hands roamed, lips tasted, and bodies shifted against one another under the covers, he could still see that flame when his own eyes closed.
“Well,I…I don’t know. I just know that no matter what I tried, I was never enough for Mi-” Suddenly Caliban’s hand was over her mouth, cutting her off as she felt herself fully pulled back against him. Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled, and she waited for the pain. Pain always came after the wrong things were said. Hopefully Caliban would not be as brutal as Mircea had been. She still ached from being dragged by Kondrat and the abuse in that basement.
Caliban had to stop her from finishing her sentence, he hated hearing that name in her voice, but especially with how broken her voice sounded at the moment. There was such a strong undercurrent of pain and fear that was always carried along with it, but added to that now were her nerves regarding their conversation. While she had not meant to, the almost comparison with her ex was not something that Caliban felt like dealing with at the moment either.
As soon as he’d done it, he was kicking himself for his impetuous action of grabbing her as he had. He knew how Mircea had beat her, and his grabbing her had probably put the fear of such action in her once more. Caliban was fighting grinding his teeth at his own stupidity while he tried to calm himself enough to talk without making it worse. There was little doubt he’d just scared her to her core, something he never wanted to do. Adira was so different from any woman he’d previously known, and he was going to have to be more careful in many ways to keep from causing her more pain in the future. He’d never previously wanted a serious relationship, they were liabilities in his life. He had never felt that he’d missed anything by not having them; something he was reconsidering after one evening of engaging in enjoyable conversation followed by the night of having her in his arms. This was going to be the first, and he was getting a crash course in it. One thing he did know was that he was not going to allow Adira to walk around with constant fear in her head, and feeling that she was on eggshells. She’d already done that for too long.
“Adira, sweetheart, please breathe. You’re not in trouble. I’m sorry for scaring you.” His voice came out soft and reassuring, a gentle kiss placed against her temple when he realized he wasn’t feeling the rise and fall of her normal breathing; and he hated himself even more for being the cause of it. Second day as a married man and already he was screwing it up, he was going to have to learn a lot faster from here on out.
Slowly Adira nodded and began to force herself to breathe slowly. Caliban was holding her firmly, but not painfully, so she relaxed into his strength, trying to trust his word that she was not in trouble. After a few seconds, his hand came away from her mouth to gently cup the side of her face and softly guide her to look up at him over her shoulder. It took all of her will for her eyes to meet his. The look in Caliban’s eyes when she did was one of regret for his actions, and concern for her, something that warmed her to her very core. Still, she didn’t understand it.
“The past is over, and I don’t want that name to even go through your head any longer. He can’t hurt you anymore, and you are safe from that kind of life. You’re my wife now, and we’re going to work on things in this partnership together. Consider it a fresh start.” His fingers caressed the side of her face. “So erase those doubts, and I’ll erase mine that I won’t be good enough for you. Deal?”
It had never entered Adira’s mind that he would have any kind of doubts. Caliban seemed so assured about everything, whereas she was a mess at the moment, or all the time if you asked Mircea. Could it be that he had doubts? Truly? Or was he just saying that to make her feel better about her own? Would he do something like that?
Adira remained silent and still for so long that Caliba wasn’t sure that she was going to answer. He knew he had frightened her with his response, a response he was still mentally kicking himself for, but he had hoped that he had cleared up that and put her mind at ease. That it was taking her a while to answer was making him doubt that. Then, slowly she turned in his arms to look up into his eyes. The expression on her face was hard to read; all he could do was wait for her to say something.
“What doubts could you possibly have?” Adira’s brows drew together. She truly was having a hard time understanding how he couldn’t understand that he was already more than she could have ever expected or asked for. He had not only rescued her from her kidnappers and Mircea, but he had chosen not to kill her, something he had been hired and fully paid to do.
“Sweetheart, you deserve someone that is going to treat you the way that you’ve always deserved. I am not always the easiest to get along with, and have, what some would call, a bit of a problem with my temper. So, I cannot guarantee that I will be the best husband to you. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to be as supportive, understanding, and protective as I can. I just may fail on some aspects, and you have been failed enough.” His expression was soft as he cupped the side of her face with one hand, his thumb softly caressing her cheek. She truly was something special he could already tell. He had never believed in love at first sight. He wouldn’t say that he did now. However, he might say that he now believed in connection at first sight. How far that connection would take them, he couldn’t say, but he was looking forward to finding out.
“I don’t ask that you be perfect, Cal.” It was the first time she’d shortened his name, but for some reason it felt right to do at this time. “I’m not perfect either. We can be imperfect together, and still make things work, as long as we’re willing to listen and work with one another. Isn’t that what makes a strong partnership after all? So, you have your deal.” She smiled softly up at him.
Caliban lowered his forehead to hers, a much better angle to gaze into her eyes that seemed to speak as loud as her voice did at times. Many people over the years had shortened his name, but there was something about the way that it sounded rolling off of her tongue that he found he liked more than any other. Add that to the growing list of things that he found unique and pleasantly surprising about the woman before him. He could not have anticipated how the decision in the basement could have led to the conversation they were having now, or the way it was making him feel, but he was becoming more grateful as each hour passed that he had followed his gut.
“I will do my best to always listen to your cares and concerns, and to make sure that I share mine with you. Hopefully then you won’t deal with my temper, and whatever it is that has the doubts swimming in that beautiful mind of yours will also be alleviated.” His nose gently ran along hers as a smile formed on his lips as well. Adira was unlike the women he had been entangled with in the past, and maybe that was what drew him to her so much now.
“Double deal.” Adira tipped her head to brush her lips over his. If he was saying and doing all of these little things to make her fall for him, he was doing it all perfectly. She could only pray that she was not making a mistake and believing in him.
For those who have been following along, Lars' face is going to be changing in the collages. I have been feeling a disconnect w/him for a while, so Lars and I went FC hunting last night and he feels more connected w/this one.
Caliban had taken many women to his bed the first night he’d met them, and that was the only night they’d spent together. Some he’d dated for a while before becoming sexual. None of those had ever brought about the conflict that he currently felt with Adira as she returned to the bathroom to finish changing. It was not that there was not the physical desire for her, or that he knew that it would be far more than one night with her, but rather that the physical was so far less important at the moment than making sure that she felt safe and secure mentally and emotionally. The other could wait, and he would wait, because he knew how wounded she was in all ways. He did not want to add to that in any way; certainly not if there was a chance of losing the way she looked at him by rushing or pushing for anything. Whenever her eyes and his met, there was something that he could not describe within them, something that awoke a part of him that hadn’t been touched before, and he was finding he liked it.
When Adira was once more behind a closed door, she leaned against it, holding the PJ pants to her as her heart thudded within her chest. She had no idea what had made her so bold as to walk over to Caliban like that and just assume he would welcome her touch upon his bare skin and her help in disrobing. It hadn’t been until she had actually been in the act of doing it that her brain had kicked in. By then it had been too late and the only thing she felt she could do was continue, and now she was thankful that she had. Just his initial response of covering her forearms and hands with his own had almost made her knees give way in relief and also a warm and safe sensation that had flooded her whole body. She craved him in a way that she had never craved Mircea, in a way that she couldn’t even put into words. It wasn't blind lust, it was something deeper.
From the day that she had met Mircea, she had known that they would be married. It was why her father had introduced them. Also from that day, she had alway tried to garner his approval, to please him, to make him proud, to elicit praise. He had at least pretended in the beginning to be somewhat fond of her and that her efforts were more than enough. The lack of overt affection understandable due to theirs being an arranged marriage, but it was one he seemed to desire, something that still confused her with how things eventually went. However, the longer their relationship went, the more it was obvious that she was not who he wanted and that her efforts would never achieve the results that she hoped for. She had still tried, no matter how many times she failed to live up to standards he seemed to change on a whim. Up until the day she had been kidnapped, she had relentlessly tried.
Caliban was completely different from Mircea in every conceivable way. One could say that their marriage was no less arranged than hers with Mircea had been. It was not built on love, but an agreement to provide for her and keep her safe. The difference was that even in the beginning of her relationship with Mircea she had not felt as safe and secure with him, nor had she felt as accepted. Then there was something about the way that she felt when she was held in Caliban’s arms, the way just his voice calmed any fear or anxiety in her, the look in his eyes when he looked at her, his gentle and soothing touch when she was upset or hurting - it was all so new to her; at the same time, it was like what she had always been looking for in the past, but never found.
It was in wondering how he had not found a wife previously, with everything he had already shown her of who he was, that Adira came upon the thought that made her stomach turn: what if there were other women he was in a relationship with when he had saved her? Could she do that again? Could her heart take other women also being in a relationship from someone other than Mircea? If there were, could she even do a fake marriage? Her breath caught and her heart burned at the thought.
By the time that Adira finally opened the door again, Caliban had started to worry if things were okay with her. The room had been too quiet, and she had seemed to be in there too long. He had to keep reminding himself not to rush her. Patience was never one of his virtues, but he knew that if he wanted to unwrap the delicate gift that was the true nature of the woman he now called his wife, he was going to have to learn some. There was something about her that made him confident that whatever new skills he might have to learn or test he might feel like he was enduring, in the end, it would be worth it.
“Is everything alright?” He finally asked as she silently crossed over to the bed and began to place her jeans in the bag that he had brought up for her. She hadn’t looked at him when she came out of the bathroom, nor even when he spoke to her, and this concerned him. Before she’d gone back in, they’d once again been affectionate with one another and she’d seemed to be relaxing. Had she had another panic attack of sorts?
Still not looking at him, Adira’s voice came out soft and stuttered, “I hadn’t thought to ask before if…” She paused, gathering the courage to say what had come to her mind as she realized how much she was attracted to Caliban. It was as if the question was stuck in her throat, refusing to come out. There was a fear of hearing the answer once it did.
“If what, sweetheart?” Calban asked cautiously, as head cantered. He had heard the hesitation and nerves in her voice. He pushed off of the dresser he’d been leaning against to walk over to her. There was definitely something wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what could have changed in just a few minutes.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her head still bowed as if looking down into her bag. “If you had…someone you were with..you know, when you..we...” As she let her breath out, she steeled herself for the answer. Her hands had balled to fists around the clothing she was holding, as if that would somehow protect her from the answer hurting her. She had known many men who would be with multiple women simultaneously. It wasn’t like she was naive to the way the world of rich and powerful men who looked like him operated. Even those who were married often had more than one girlfriend on the side besides their wife. This was often the life wives of family heads led.
So that was the issue that had suddenly come to bother her. The tension Caliban had been feeling waiting to hear what had upset her faded instantly. He was glad her back was to him because he could not keep the devilish smirk off of his face. Not that he was laughing at her, far from it; no, he was delighted that the beauty was concerned that she might have competition for his affection. To him that meant that she too was starting to feel something for him in the same way he was for her. Otherwise she wouldn’t care if he was in a relationship with someone else while being fake married to her. Being fake married to Adira seemed to get better every time he turned around, and now he was going to have at least two weeks secluded with her in a mountain cabin. Who knew what could happen then?
“And it would bother you if I did?” The shaky inhale of breath after his question gave him his answer, just before his arms wrapped around her from behind. She couldn't hide the slight tremble in her body from him, a tremble that he hoped his next words would quell. Placing his chin on her shoulder, he let his warm breath fan across her neck with his next words, “my darling wife, if there had been, the moment I slipped that ring on your finger they no longer existed.” He gently kissed the crook of her neck and continued, “there is now, and from now on always will be, only you, unless it is you who wants things otherwise between us.” Caliban was never one to share a woman, nor did he expect a woman to share him.
As much as his words comforted her, she also felt like they were too good to be real. “Are you sure that you can be happy that way?” Adira was afraid to even hope, even if she prayed, to a god she had long since stopped believing in, that it was true. She was under no illusion that Mircea had ever been faithful in their marriage, even from the beginning. He’d always blamed her; of course it was her failure as a wife that led him to have to find others.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He kept his chin on her shoulder and laced his fingers with hers now that she’d covered his hands with her own. Every time he thought he’d figured out how much damage that Mircea had done, something more was revealed. There was no doubt the coming days and weeks would reveal more, and he would try his best never to repeat those wounds. If he could, he would instead heal them.
“Well,I…I don’t know. I just know that no matter what I tried, I was never enough for Mi-” Suddenly Caliban’s hand was over her mouth, cutting her off as she felt herself fully pulled back against him. Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled, and she waited for the pain. Pain always came after the wrong things were said. Hopefully Caliban would not be as brutal as Mircea had been. She still ached from being dragged by Kondrat and the abuse in that basement.
Caliban discovers that his new wife will continue to surprise him....
After Caliban had stored his pistol in the top drawer of the bedside table, he too took out the pajama set that was in his bag. Walking over to the dresser, he took off his suit coat and folded it neatly before laying it carefully on the top. His vest was next to follow, also carefully folded, followed by his tie The silver cuff links with his initials on them he placed up near the mirror, where they wouldn’t get knocked off. Then he began unbuttoning his shirt to take it off. As he was undressing, he was going over his plans for the next few days, things he wanted to discuss with Lars and Marcin when he had a chance, and other matters. Darker matters that he intended to keep away from Adira for as long as he could.
It wasn’t until Adira had closed the bathroom door and stripped off her shirt, that she realized she had left the pants to the pajama set on the bed. Somehow, she had just grabbed the top. She decided to go ahead and put it on, then she could go out and grab the pants. Certainly Caliban wouldn’t be too undressed yet, and it wasn’t like eventually they weren’t going to have to get more comfortable around one another if they were going to live with each other. She also decided to kick off her shoes and take off her socks, picking them up along with her now folded top, before opening the door back into the bedroom.
At first she was confused that Caliban wasn’t in there, but as she took a step into the room, she realized he had just changed positions within the room, so she hadn’t seen him from inside the bathroom. He was over by the dresser and had just started to slide his dress shirt off of his shoulders. Like her ex-husband, she saw the scars marring his skin that came from coming up through the ranks of the type of life the men both lived. The breadth of his shoulders, his musculature, and something about the way that he was shrugging off the shirt made her fingers itch to touch him. How many times had she been forced to undress Mircea regardless of her willingness to be near him; and now she found herself desiring to be the one that removed Caliban’s shirt, even if nothing else transpired between them.
It only took a few steps until Adira was right behind him, the items that had been in her hands now on the dresser. Her soft fingertips grazed his upper arms as they curled to take hold of the fabric of his shirt and pull it further down his arms. While he had not heard her approach on the carpeted floor, Caliban froze at the feel of her touch. It was a wholly unexpected move on her part, but not an unwelcome one. Closing his eyes, he relaxed and just enjoyed the freely given attention and affection, not wanting to dissuade her from continuing. He could not, however, contain the soft, pleased smile that formed at the thought of his fearful bride seeming to be an endless source of surprises.
Her fingers just barely touched the warmed skin of his arms as she slowly removed the shirt, but as she reached his hands, his fingers curled to momentarily pause her movements. His thumbs sweeping over her knuckles as his head finally turned to look over his shoulder at her. There was no missing the heat in his gaze as he did so, and it brought a quick flush to Adira’s cheeks that had her dropping her gaze with a smile that was a cross between impish and sheepish. a smile which amused Caliban. So bold in some moves, yet still so shy and nervous at times. He found it endearing.
Once she had completely removed the shirt, she nimbly folded it as she had others so many times in the past, then placed it atop his other clothes. If he’d asked right then what made her do it, she wasn’t sure she could have given him an answer beyond that she had wanted to. There was something about it that just seemed right after how he had been acting and had treated her in the last two days, even if that thought caused her to doubt her own sanity.
For his part, Caliban felt it was more than just her beauty that was drawing him to her, and he could not help but wonder what it was that was drawing her to him. If she kept doing things such as this, he was, however, not complaining, nor would he. He just hoped it was not out of some Sense of duty or owing him something. That was his only fear.
Adira’s arms encircled his waist as the comfortable silence continued to stretch between them, her head coming to rest in the middle of his back. A soft and stuttered breath fanned over his cooling skin, the only evidence of the nerves that she held within her. Caliban’s hands came to rest over hers, enjoying the quiet moment with her, as he contemplated what might have prompted her to come over to him. He expected nothing from her, but he was not going to reject the small touches of affection such as this from her. Never would he want her to feel rejected or unwanted. Just from what he had already gleaned from her and cursory investigating, she had been rejected enough in the past.
“You know that you owe me nothing, Adira.” Caliban kept his voice low and soft when he spoke after several minutes more of silence had stretched between them. “I will not turn such spoiling down,” he brought one of her hands up to kiss the back, “but you are not expected to act in any certain way or need to feel like you owe me anything.” With what he had gathered from short snippets of conversations and comments that had been made, he did not want her thinking that he was in any way like Mircea, and that she had to keep him happy in some way to avoid the abuses that she had received from him. He would never harm her like that, and would protect her even if their relationship was never anything more than platonic; although their current physical position did not feel altogether platonic.
“I know, Caliban.” Adira pressed more against his back as her arms tightened around him. For some reason, holding him tighter, and him not pulling away, made her feel more secure. “Maybe I just wanted to do something small to spoil my husband that has already done so much to spoil me.” A soft kiss was placed between his shoulder blades; and she fought tears as she prayed that she had not messed something up. Old fears were hard to keep from rising up.
When he turned to face her though, Caliban didn’t say anything at all. He did, however, place one hand on the small of her back to pull her to him until their bodies were flush against one another. Adira felt like there was a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach as she gazed up into his deep eyes, that seemed to have darkened with desire and were focused solely on her face. Her own fingers danced over the skin of his upper arms, gracing over his shoulders, before stilling gently on the back of his neck. The scars that bore silent witness to his bloody and violent past had not gone unnoticed as her fingers had made their slow trek across his skin; but instead of scaring her, they reminded her that this man before her chose to be delicate with her yet was capable of extremes of the opposite.
Everything that passed through Caliban's mind to say, he was afraid would ruin the moment. It had taken all of his control not to react to being touched from behind unexpectedly. Always having lived alone and having to watch his back made such a sign of affection foreign to him. Only the slight waft of perfume that had preceded her had given him a warning that she was approaching. Still, he had not anticipated her actions at any point up till feeling her fingers brushing against him. Her gentle touch, the seeming care she had taken in helping him undress then embracing him, and now the almost bashful way she was now looking up at him, they kept edging him towards actions he was not sure either of them were prepared for. Once more he was struck wondering how Mircea had ever laid a hand on the woman.
“You spoil me like this often, my darling, and I might get used to it.” Finally Caliban decided to lightly tease, his fingers caressing the side of her face.
“I spoil you, you spoil me. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?” Her voice was a little breathy and unsteady when Adira answered. Her fingers were lightly playing with the hairs at the base of his neck.
“I do believe I told you that I planned on spoiling you, now didn’t I? I don’t remember saying reciprocity was required.” One side of Caliban's mouth ticked up, his thumb swept her cheekbone over that bruise he still loathed. His hold tightened on her, but his eyes never left hers.
She nodded slowly. “You did. And, maybe, I might enjoy spoiling my husband so you’ll just have to get used to it.” Adira lightly licked her lips, which stayed slightly parted as she kept gazing up at him.
“Adira, I will take care of you, and keep you safe, no matter what.” He cupped the side of her face with his hand. His expression softening as he did. Caliban could swear she was casting a spell over him, he did not have the sorts of feelings towards women that he was currently fighting feeling towards her.
“I know.” Her brows drew together some. “What if I want to for my own reasons?” Once more she grew nervous. Did he not like it or want it? Had she misjudged?
Caliban lowered his forehead to hers. She was getting through his defenses far too easy. If Mircea had wanted to get a spy into his operations, she would have been the perfect one, had he not treated her like refuse. “Then I will let you have your reasons, love, because I do enjoy the outcome and want you to know…” he had no idea how he wanted to end that sentence. He wanted her to know what? That she was getting to him? That he was feeling something for her? That he liked her? That he was apparently losing his mind? All of that? He wasn’t sure himself. Instead of thinking further, he simply kissed her.
A stop is made for the night, and there is a soft moment....
Adira slowly awoke to find herself alone, on a bed, in an almost completely dark room. Confusion was once more awash over her as she tried to remember where she was and how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was resting her head against Caliban’s shoulder as they were pulling down the drive to the estate. As she lay still and only blinked, she tried to get any clue as to the time from the sky outside, but she could see nothing through the small gap in the curtains. Was this Caliban’s cabin? Even if it was, why had he left her alone? He had said he wasn’t going to do that again. Had something happened?
For a few minutes, she lay there simply trying to get her bearings in the dark room. When she sat up, she could see the outline of a door against the wall across from the head of the bed where the window was, but no light coming from underneath it. Her only assumption was that everyone else had gone to bed. Caliban has seemed protective of her all day, and now she was alone in the strange room to sleep alone?
Maybe since there were three of them in the cabin besides her they figured she was safe? Even if that was true, then why not wake her up to at least tell her where to find them? For some reason, being left alone in the room caused her to feel hurt and tears stung at her eyes. They knew what she had been through and how the previous night had gone for her. Then there was the beginning of the day. She didn’t like being alone after that, yet here she was.
Absent-mindedly, Adira gently ran her thumb across the palm of her wounded hand as she continued to sit and think. Even though the room was so dark, Adira closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Her emotions were getting the best of her, and she needed to calm down, there was no reason to be getting upset. She knew Lars and Marcin wouldn't let anything happen to her, and that went double for Caliban. If she could survive Mircea, one night in a strange bedroom would not kill her.
As she sat there breathing slowly and relaxing, she could start to hear the faint voices of the men. They were quiet and sounded like possibly on another floor, but also sounded calm. She kicked herself for overreacting, she knew she was, but she was still having a hard time calming down. She was alone, in a strange place, and while she truly wanted to believe everything Caliban said, she knew she wasn't really his wife. Not that her life had been a bed of roses before, but it had definitely been one of the more eventful 48 hours of her life, and the ground still felt like it was moving under her. She truly didn’t know how to feel or what to think about it all, especially the man that every time he was near her, she found herself just wanting to curl into and let him hold and protect her.
So lost in her thoughts and trying to sort everything out was she, that she hadn’t heard the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and approaching the door. The turning of the knob and the creak of the door opening did get her attention, startling her, and making her jump to her feet with a gasp. Turning quickly in that direction, all she could ascertain in the darkness was a tall broad shouldered figure in the doorway that seemed to almost take up the whole space. She quickly backed up against the wall behind her, as if it could provide protection, with a gasp and a sound that was a squeakish scream. There was no fight or flight, it had long ago been beaten out of her. Instead, it was freeze and pray for mercy.
“Shit! Adira, I’m sorry, I thought you’d still be asleep.” Caliban’s voice was full of the remorse he felt, and just the sound of it helped to soothe Adira’s nerves some. For his part, Caliban was kicking himself for not having come up earlier to check on her, or having just stayed when he brought her up originally. He'd wanted her to get rest while he talked with the two guards, and instead had just ended up scaring her. Not part of his plan at all.
Caliban hadn’t even considered that she’d be awake now. She’d been so soundly asleep when he’d carried her up from the SUV, that he figured it would be sometime the next morning before she would wake up. Now he felt guilt deep for scaring her, after the day she’d had and the storm the night before. He was going to have to work on doing better.
“I…I just woke up a few minutes ago. I was trying to get my bearings, I guess I was a little on edge.” She admitted sheepishly, having a little trouble getting all the words out smoothly, and still feeling that she had been overreacting to being alone. Her back was still against the wall, using it for support as her heart slowed as did her breathing, and she hadn't moved. “You just startled me, that’s all. I guess I wasn't fully awake yet. Are we at your cabin? It sounded like it was going to take a long time when you were talking earlier, but I don’t know how long I was asleep.” She had assumed that they had made it, but wanted to ask just to be sure. When he had spoken of it earlier, she had been very tired and still under the effects of the pain medication, so she might have misunderstood him,
“No, both Lars and Marcin were getting tired, so rather than chance an accident, we stopped at Theron’s hunting cabin that is about half way. We are going to stay here till nightfall again so no one sees us traveling. It will be dawn in a couple of hours or so. The men are going to sleep downstairs, for a while, in a couple bedrooms, and I was going to rest up here with you. I didn’t think you’d want to be alone, and thought you’d prefer me to one of them.” Caliban remembered her wanting him to be the one to take her back up to the house instead of Theron. He could be wrong, but she seemed to be more comfortable around him, and more trusting of him than the others.
“If you don’t feel like resting more, Theron has a library downstairs with a TV that is hooked up to Netflix and Hulu, if you’d prefer to watch a movie or show. I can’t guarantee what is in the kitchen, since he wasn’t planning on anyone staying here, but there should at least be coffee. It’s only about 4 AM though. If you’d like Marcin or Lars, I can get them. I want you to be comfortable, sweetheart” Caliban kept his voice low as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could barely make her out on the other side of the room. He hoped he’d let her make his mistake up to her, but would understand if she would prefer one of the others at the moment. The way the day had gone, he’d do anything for her to make up for what Kondrat had done. It was not in his nature to be so protective over someone, but then again, she wasn’t just anyone and from their first meeting she had him doing things that weren’t normal for him. Part of that was Mircea outright lying about why he wanted her dead, lying was one thing that Caliban didn’t take lightly.
Adira nodded slowly along with what he was saying. “I’d prefer to rest for a little while longer, since you’re up here. I don’t feel like being alone right now. I’d rather stay up here with you than one of them.” She admitted, glad he couldn’t see her cheeks in the dark, because from the way they were feeling heated, there was no doubt that they were pinked. There was something about being around him that made her feel warm and safe, something that made her want to stay close to him. She just hoped that she didn’t make him feel like she was too clingy. Mircea hated her wanting to be around him all the time.
If Adira could have seen Caliban's face, she would have seen him smile. Her phrasing pleased him. She wanted to be with him. Who was he to deny a beautiful woman?
“If you’d like to get into something more comfortable to wear, I brought one of your bags with me. I tried,” he cleared his throat with a cough, “to pick you out some sleeping clothes that I thought you would prefer.” He tried not to let his mind wander back to the pieces that he had skipped. Obviously his staff had anticipated more romantic nights between the couple than what he planned for the current trip. Lace and satin seemed a bit presumptuous given how things had gone so far. “If you’re ready, I’ll turn on this small lamp over here, it won’t make it too bright. This way you can at least see what you’re doing.”
When Adira had made a sound to indicate that she was fine with that, the lamp snapped on, and the room was bathed in a very low, soft, orange-yellow light from the lamp’s bulb through the shade. It made the room feel warm and comfortable, highlighting the timber walls and the rustic cabin feel of it. Adira blinked a few times to adjust to the light, and she could tell by looking, though, that this was far from a rough-hewn rustic cabin, the finishing on everything told her that it was expensive and well made, just made to look old and rustic. There was something comforting about it though, homey.
Caliban put her bag on the side of the bed closest to her, tossing his own onto the other side before slowly approaching her. After startling her entering the room, he didn’t want to throw her off balance any more, and he could tell she was still nervous. He was concerned about her.
Also on his mind was that while she had been sleeping back at the estate, he and Theron had a long discussion about things between he and Adira. He’d come to look at things a tad bit different than before, and wanted to make sure that she never felt forced, intimidated, rushed, or in any way like there was something she HAD to do in order to be safe. Both he and Theron wanted her in their operations for her business sense, Caliban also enjoyed the easy report she shared with both of them, and that she was beautiful only added a benefit to it. For some reason, already there seemed to be something developing between Adira and Caliban, but neither of them wanted her to feel forced to make something work if it organically would not have. Both agreed that the poor woman had been through enough trauma, that she would need time to process it all, and know for sure WHAT her thoughts and feelings were on ANYTHING. Caliban had been protecting her and keeping her safe, it would be natural to her to be drawn to that alone. Things should move slowly so that wasn’t taken advantage of, in case things changed as she became more comfortable.
Theron also picked at Caliban’s motives for not killing her. Yes, Mircea had lied about why he wanted Adira dead, but it was not like the circles that they ran in were always truthful. But the whole scene in the basement had been wrong, very WRONG, and you didn’t send Caliban Andros into a situation like that and not face consequences. Mircea’s were coming. Adira surviving was part of that, or at least that is how it started out.
Adira stood watching him as he drew nearer, a little unsure of, well, everything. Her thoughts, feelings, emotions..everything, felt so off kilter since he's showed up in her life. Things the night before had felt so natural between them, both in his office and then later during the storm, after a rescue that still made no sense to her. That morning before he’d gone down to his office had felt much the same, but was it all in her head? Was he just trying to make it seem like he was interested and caring? Could he be like Mircea, and the soft would come before the pain? She knew that he could be just as violent, she’d seen that at the house where he’d rescued her from. She wanted to believe him that she was safe, and he cared for her, but did he? Was she deluding herself, and he really found her as annoying as Mircea had? Would he turn on her too? She had never loved Mircea; but she could see herself falling for someone like Caliban, what if he actually had no interest in her? What if she was being stupid all over again with her emotions? What if he laughed at her? After all, what had he been doing down in that basement? Why had he freed her? What was he doing now? What was she?
As the thoughts were going through her head, Adira’s breathing increased. Her eyes darted around the room, focussing and stilling on nothing. No longer was she hearing what Caliban was saying, she had turned inwards to her fears. The sound of the blood rushing through her ears overpowered everything else. Her vision started to swim and then narrow. She was hyperventilating.
“Adira?!” Suddenly Caliban’s concerned face was very close to hers, his voice matched his very worried expression, and his hands gripped her upper arms as he shook her very delicately. “Are you okay? You almost seemed to be panicking, sweetheart. You didn't seem to be hearing me. What's wrong?” When she started to nod but said nothing, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her to hold her tight to him, one hand cradling her head to his shoulder. “It’s okay, whatever happened, you’re safe now. I promise, you’re safe. I am not going to let anything or anyone hurt you. Just let whatever it was go, it can’t hurt you.” What had just happened? He was going to need to get Theron to set up some Zoom appointments with one of their therapists for her. She needed someone that could help her with the trauma Mircea had inflicted, and then Kondrat as well.
“Do you need another pill to help you relax, sweetheart? Something strong to drink? I know that this day wasn’t what we talked about last night. Tell me what you need me to do for you. What can I do to help you?” He softly kissed her temple. Guilt for her being upset was welling up inside him. He had promised to keep her safe and while he had kept that promise physically, mentally was another matter. The slight tremble in her made him hate himself again.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Caliban. I guess I zoned out for a minute or something.” She didn’t know how to tell him all the doubts and fears that were tumbling through her mind without sounding childish and foolish. Tears threatened to fall, her emotions were such a mess, and she couldn’t seem to get a hold on them. No matter what she tried, it seemed to just make her feel more unstable, except when his arms were around her. Her hands lightly fisted the material of his suit coat in hopes he wouldn't pull away yet. She could only hope that his patience would not run out on her the way that Mircea’s so often had.
“I…I’ll be fine. I think it’s just going to take a while for it all to settle in. I’m sorry, I keep messing up your life, especially today. I know I’m a mess. Please don’t give up on me, I’m trying. I promise I'm not trying to upset you.” Her breath stuttered as she fought another wave of panic and tears. Her hands tightened on the back of his jacket, and another small tremble went through her as she prepared for rejection.
“Give up on you?” Caliban was left almost speechless, and was once again enraged at the fears this beautiful and sweet woman had forced into her head by her ex. “There is not a chance of that. Understand me?” He kissed her forehead, also gently rubbing her bak. “No more apologies for being upset or emotional either. The last two days have been a lot, and I’m not going anywhere. So lean on me when you need to, that’s what I’ll always be here for.” His hold once more tightened around her, wanting her to feel safe and secure in his arms. He needed her to know she had nothing to fear by coming to him about anything. Why he kept feeling this way, he wasn’t sure himself still; but he did. “There isn’t one thing you’ve messed up in my life. Like I said before, I now have an intelligent, sensitive, and beautiful woman who I enjoy being around to share my life with for the foreseeable future, or till you get tired of me, so I don’t see a downside to this.” Softly Caliban kissed her forehead, then laid his cheek against the top of her head as he tried to sooth her more.
Adira wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head against his chest, suddenly fighting tears that she wasn’t quite sure where they came from. At times she saw everything from the day in slow and excruciating detail, at other times it seemed all to have been a big blur. Even after his guards had rescued her from Kondrat’s grasp and she knew he was dead, it was not until she had seen Caliban’s face in the gatehouse that she had truly felt safe again. Even if she’d only known him for two days, she trusted him.
“I know. I feel safest when I’m with you, I just worry you’ll be the one getting tired of me.” Her voice was small and soft, muffled slightly by his shirt. Even with all of the thoughts that had been bouncing around in her head earlier, she would not deny the truth. Caliban calmed and reassured her just by his presence. She knew that Theron and the guards would do their best to keep her safe, and that they would do whatever they could to make sure she had whatever she needed; but it was Caliban that settled her soul. He had been the one who knew that she would choose death, truly, over going back to Mircea, and he had made the choice to give her a new life instead of the death she’d asked for. He had taken her out of that basement, used his own body to shield her from the bullets that had been thicker in the air than mosquitoes in the Mississippi summer night air, the first one to really make her feel safe since she was a small child. He had held her when she was scared of a storm, and she had been able to see the duality of his anger and his concern over her being hurt earlier in the day. No matter what else Caliban Andros was, he was her protector, of that she was sure.
“Because you are and always will be safe. I promise. I’ll take care of you, sweetheart. No worrying, I won’t hear of it. Understand?” He hated hearing fear and uncertainty in her voice. Her asking him not to give up on her made him want to hunt down Mircea that day and painfully end his life. It was no secret to him now what damage Mircea had done to her physically, he could only guess at emotionally and mentally. “Why don’t you go get changed then we can rest and you can relax again. Okay?” Another soft kiss to the top of her head.
Adira nodded before loosening her hold on him and starting to back up. Caliban gently caressed the side of her face one more time before heading around to the other side of the bed to where his bag was. She watched him before opening the one had put down for her and unzipping it to pull out a soft set of sage jersey pajamas. She set them aside before zipping the bag up and putting it on the floor. Then she grabbed them and headed into the bathroom.
The soft click of the bathroom door had Caliban’s eyes closing as he let out a deep breath. Every moment he was around her, he found himself caring more for her. She seemed so innocent for someone who he knew had spent many years with one of the most violent men to ever exist in his type of lifestyle. Part of him suspected it was not innocence, but a learned fear and not ever questioning or challenging. He and Theron would teach her to get over that as they drew her in deeper to the operations of both their legitimate and underworld operations. Adira would be given her voice back and allowed to have her own freedom. They would also keep her safe and protected as they did so. For some reason the thought that her freedom could mean her leaving his personal life didn't set well with him.
When Caliban and Adira were settled in the back of the SUV, Lars and Marcin each took their positions in the front. For the first part of the trip, Lars would drive. Halfway there, they would refuel, get some provisions, and then Marcin would take over for the rest of the trip, or at least that was the plan for now. The way the day had gone, there was no telling what could happen between the estate and the cabin. None of the men were feeling all too comfortable that the ride was going to go completely smoothly.
In the inky blackness of the back seat, Caliban's arm found its way around Adira's shoulders and held her close to him. It was a position he was beginning to find he liked. “Rest your head darling, you can sleep again if you would like. I will make sure that nothing bothers you. The tinting on the windows will keep any of the street lights out. The glass is all bulletproof. You know that Lars and Marcin will both keep you safe, as well as I will.” Caliban’s voice was soothing as his hand gently caressed her upper arm. A soft kiss was placed on her temple as he used his hand to guide her head so her forehead was tucked in the crook of his neck. “Where we are going, very few know of the exact location. Even if told that we were going to the cabin, they would have no way to find it. I told you that I will keep you safe, and I will.” Caliban placed a soft kiss against her forehead as he gently hugged her to him. Where had this tenderness and affection come from that he felt for her?
It was unusual for Caliban to be so nurturing to anyone. It was not that he hadn’t had lovers before, but he had not seemed to connect so quickly with them. What was it about the woman next to him was affecting him so differently than the past? He'd wondered that to himself the night before as they laid in the bed during the thunderstorm. Then again, he had more than once wondered what led him to first kiss her, something that he had enjoyed, and was looking forward to again when someone wasn't trying to kill her. Never one for overly serious relationships due to the complexities of his line of work, having this one basically fall into his lap surprised him; but he was finding it was more and more a very enjoyable surprise.
For her part, Adira found that having his arm once more around her, made her feel more relaxed and safe than she had since the previous night when she had slept in his arms. Reaching across him, she easily found his other hand and laced her fingers with his. Then, after placing a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw, her eyes closed. She knew that the three men in the car with her would keep her safe. No matter how long the ride was, nothing was going to happen. And due to that, she was able to relax and drift into a light and comfortable sleep embraced by the man she was beginning to find herself more than just physically attracted to.
After Caliban was sure that Adira was asleep, he broached the subject again of Kondrat and what had happened regarding Adira’s almost kidnapping. “Did either of you, Pietre, Svarog, or Theron come up with any more information on who could have assisted Kondrat with grabbing Adira behind Lars?” Caliban's voice held the hostility that he felt towards whoever within his employee had dared to try and kidnap or harm his wife. Only not wanting to disturb her kept him as calm as he was, and his volume as low as it was.
His hand gently stroked her arm as Caliban looked at Adira with affection, making sure that she was still asleep and not upset in any way. He had not been lying when he had told her that if he had been the one to come upon Kondrat that he would have killed him. Maybe even a fake marriage begins to affect you, or maybe it was the woman herself. Caliban wasn’t sure, but he knew that the woman in his arms was going to stay Mrs. Andros, he was going to ensure that no matter what it took. Gently, Caliban lowered her head down into his lap and then helped her to stretch out in the back seat so she could be more comfortable and rest. She was now safe as she could possibly be, and Caliban was going to ensure it stayed that way.
“No, boss.” Lars replied, the frustration was clear in his voice. He didn't like that Adira had been kidnapped from directly behind him. So close that she should have been able to call out, or make some kind of noise and he would hear her. She had almost been close enough to reach out and touch him. However, he hadn't heard anything at all, and that bothered him as much as anything. “No one seems to want to say anything, but you can tell that several are suspicious of others around them. I have a feeling that until we do figure out who it is, we are going to have some issues within the ranks.”
“I don’t envy the three we’re leaving behind.” Marcin added, looking over his shoulder into the back and at first wondering where Adira had went, till he saw her resting in Caliban’s lap. He was still a little confused about the couple, but they were almost cute together. “With the current tensions on the estate, and Mircea having to be wondering what is going on; there is no telling what they are going to be facing. Hopefully they will get some kind of answers regarding Kondrat soon. I don’t like the thought of a traitor or traitors walking free on the estate where they could sabotage things.” He really did hope that by the time they returned to the estate that it would all be cleared up.
The SUV was loaded, Lars was behind the wheel, and Marcin was waiting in the hall. Now all that remained was for Caliban to wake up Adira and go downstairs. Then they would be off to get away from the estate, the violence, and the memories of the whole area for a while. The fresh air and the cabin would do them both some good. Theron was set up to handle all matters from the city while Caliban would be working remotely as needed.
Thanks to the sedative provided by the medic, Adira had slept soundly. Caliban had checked on her repeatedly while packing, and also talking to Theron regarding arrangements, just to make sure she was still doing okay. Her complete stillness bothered him, but he couldn’t put a finger on exactly why. He knew with all that had happened since the previous morning that she had to be exhausted on top of the injury and medication, yet it still gnawed on him that she made no movement or sound for hours. His only hope was that the rest would help to calm her nerves and help her healing. What she had gone through, he couldn’t even imagine.
Once more Caliban perched on the edge of the couch next to Adira, this time to wake her at least enough to get her down to the SUV, so that they could leave for the cabin. Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder to rouse her and jostled her gently. Unfortunately due to the sedative and the trauma of the preceding thirty-six hours, Adira’s vision was hazy when waking up, and she was disoriented. Caliban’s face was too blurry to see clearly, his voice distorted when he said her name, and her memory of recent events a bit disjointed; so, her brain told her she was back in Mircea’s mansion. Thankfully, Caliban was clear headed which kept him from getting punched hard in the jaw, having seen the unfocused eyes of Adira, and the look of terror on her face before she started to swing at him.
“Adira…ADIRA!!” Still holding her wrist of the arm she swung at him with, Caliban pinned her other arm to her side by leaning against her as she struggled against him and cried out. He was trying to keep from getting hit, while simultaneously keeping from hurting her, as she reacted in a blind panic. She had already been through enough, he did not want to cause her more pain or upset. The fact she had woken up in such a state already had him concerned.
Thrashing against him, Adira screamed for him to let her go and Mircea’s name more than once. It had Marcin coming in with his gun drawn, unsure of what could be happening in the room; although once he saw the situation, he relaxed. Adira cried, pleaded and begged to be let go, her voice breaking and tears streaming down her face as she begged not to be hurt or killed. Her eyes might be open, but Caliban, and even Marcin, were quite convinced that she was not really awake, but instead caught in a nightmare that she wasn’t waking up from for some reason.
“Shhh…shhh…you’re safe. Wake up. It’s me, it’s Caliban. You’re safe, sweetheart.” He kept his voice calm by some feat of will, as he continued to try to carefully restrain her. Finally she started to still and ceased fighting against him. “There we go, that’s my girl. Breathe deep. Calm down, you’re fine.” He let out a heavy sigh as her eyes seemed to finally focus and then confusion was awash over her face, her eyes darting back and forth between Caliban’s face and Marcin.
As Adira became fully coherent and focused, she also became afraid in a different way than she had been when she had thought she was once again in Mircea’s grasp, and about to face more pain at his hand. Looking up into Caliban’s face with him holding her arm, she was more concerned how bad she had just fucked up. Her breathing was still rapid, and she was having trouble coming up with words. She could hear Marcin saying something to Caliban but was still so confused that she wasn’t making sense of it.
“I’m not sure if it was the medication or a nightmare, but she’s fine. I think when I woke her up she was already having a bad dream, it was just confusion.” Caliban answered Marcin’s inquiry as to what had caused her reaction. It pleased him that the guard was concerned, even though it was clear that not only was Adira not in any danger, but that she was being taken care of. “I think I have learned a lesson about waking her up.” A wry chuckle left him as he turned his attention once more to her, letting go of her wrist now as he pulled her up to sitting and into his arms. “Are you more calm now, sweetheart?”
Adira nodded, not taking her eyes off of his face as her head came to rest on his shoulder. He looked calm, he sounded calm, he had let her wrist go, but she was still afraid she had seriously misstepped. “I’m sorry. Wha..what…whatever I..I did.. I..” her eyes closed as she took a deep breath to calm herself. “I was confused when I woke up,” she finally finished, her eyes still closed to help with her nerves.
“There is no need to apologize. Marcin, please get her some water. Let Lars know we’ll be a couple of more minutes.” Caliban didn’t take his eyes off of her face, reaching up to softly stroke across her forehead and then down her cheek. “You’re fine, Adira. You have had two days that were traumatic and upsetting, plus the medication dulling your senses. I am not upset.” He could feel a slight tremble in her and knew that she was afraid, most likely of his reaction. That bothered him. Yes, he was a violent man, but he would never be towards her. He already knew this to be a fact and he would have to remember to be patient until she knew she was always safe with him; and remember that at times she would react from her past, not their present. After all, they had only known one another since the previous morning when he had quite literally shown up to kill her. He could hardly blame her for having some fear of him.
“Thank you.” Adira’s eyes opened to meet his, now a small smile forming on her lips as she fought the remnants of her fear. His calm voice and soft touch were doing more to calm her than his words. That he had sent Marcin to get water for her also meant something to her too. He was making sure she was taken care of without having to leave her alone, and for that she was grateful.
“No, there's nothing I've done that requires any kind of thank you.” Caliban looked at his wife again, and ran his fingers across the side of her face, his thumb brushing over that bruise that still angered him even though he's been looking at it for the past thirty-six hours. “Adira,” he started, “just remember you are always safe with me. We are going to figure out what happened with Kondrat, and make sure it never happens again. But for now, we are going to have our vacation and relax. Once you've had a little something to drink and your mind is clear, we can look at getting ready to go. The car is all loaded, and all the arrangements have been made.” His arm tightened around her and his other hand came to cradle her head gently to his shoulder. He was worried about her.
It was only a few minutes later that Marcin returned with the water for her to drink, and also with Lars following him. “Hey boss, we thought we'd just come up and wait and make sure everything was okay.” Marcin told him as he handed Adira the water bottle with the cap loosened for her. He was worried about her, just like Caliban and now Lars as well. Now he understood what Lars had told him earlier about her blind fear of her ex-husband. “You doing better, ma'am?”
“Yes,” she replied, “I'm sorry for any upset. I was confused when I woke up.” Adira's eyes darted quickly between Caliban and Marcin. A soft blush roast her cheeks as her eyes dropped, her hand reaching over and taking Caliban’s free one in her own. His thumb swept the back of hers softly as his fingers wrapped to hold her hand softly, and then he gave it a light squeeze. It was helping to calm her to be held so gently by him, each moment that they sat there adding to the calm that she was feeling. Never in her marriage with Mircea had there been a time like this, even in the beginning. He had never been one for quiet, calm, soft..anything. A few sips of water here, a few reassuring looks and touches, and occasionally some words from both Marcin and Lars, helped her to feel better.
Finally, when Adira felt that she had recovered her senses enough to be able to walk down to the car under her own power; so, Caliban decided that they should leave. Lars led the way, with Caliban following after Adira, and finally Marcin bringing up the rear. He was also to let Pietre and Svarog know that they were leaving, and that the house would be empty until they returned.
Earlier in the evening, while Caliban had still been packing, Theron had left to return to his own estate. The following day, he, Pietre, and Svarog would get together again, and begin to try to discern who it was that had betrayed Caliban and led to Kondrat dragging Adira across the yard. In truth, Marcin, Lars, and Caliban would all have liked to have helped in that endeavor. However, it was clear that getting Adira away from the estate was the best for everyone. She needed calm, quiet, tranquility, and also to get to know Caliban better. If they were to be a team and work together, everything had to settle into its place, and that meant getting to know one another without there being constant upset and possible violence.
If Caliban had discovered who it was while he was still there, there was no doubt that violence would erupted the mansion once more, which would only set her back with her settling in. That was not something that Caliban wanted, instead he did want to get to know the woman that he was now married to, at least on paper. He had found himself drawn to her with a possessive and protective nature since their first encounter in that basement, and he could not put his finger on why. He didn’t like unanswered questions. Another question he wanted to figure out the answer to was whether she was clinging to him because she saw him as a savior, or if she too had felt something the night before in the library when everything had seemed so relaxed.
While their marriage was fake at the moment, there was already a hint of something that could develop. Caliban could not deny that she was a beautiful and intelligent woman, and from all he had heard of her, he would find her personality just as charming as he had the night before. Theron too had been taken by her, not an easy feat, so there was that fact that he needed to keep in mind. His best friend was a good judge of character, so it seemed to confirm his own thoughts on the woman. He would rush nothing with her, assume little, but that did not mean he was not intrigued to see how things would develop over the coming days.
While Caliban is up with Adira, the men are down at the Gatehouse talking.
“Wait, so she really IS Riona Kalavati?” Marcin shook his head slightly, trying to get it to sink in. Lars had brought he and Pietre into the gatehouse to talk privately, after Caliban headed back to the mansion after the status update. That one piece of information was giving Marcin the most problems digesting. No matter who she was, if Caliban wanted her protected, he’d do so, but how Mircea Kalavati’s wife could ever become Caliban’s wife confounded him.
“No, Riona Kalavati died in that house we raided where the Marabioli’s were holding hostages. Remember, we had a hit job there because someone was trying to start a war between the families? That was Riona that wanted to start the war to get out of her marriage, according to Mircea. Adira is the woman you saw who came out with the boss, the one that he was protecting, and put in the line of fire to keep her safe. Didn’t you hear, Lars, they’ve been married since before Riona disappeared? Theron can show you the paperwork and the marriage certificate is framed in the boss’s office. You need to keep up, Marc, or you’re going to get replaced on the security detail.” Pietre elbowed him with a slight smirk, having understood very well what Lars was telling them, and what it meant. “So, Svarog and I are going to stay here, and help Theron figure out who helped that bastard hurt the boss’s wife? Sounds like we’ll also be working out if there is anyone else working against him?”
“That’s the plan. You can understand how in just over twenty-four hours after being freed from the Marabioli house where she was held prisoner, to be drug across the lawn of her own home with a gun to her head might be a bit…stressful.” Lars inclined his head to add emphasis. “Marcin, you’ll be coming with us to Caliban's cabin in the mountains. Caliban wants to take her up there for seclusion and to recover from the trauma. The newly married couple would also like some time alone together, since that has been in short supply lately. You and I will take shifts. Since it’s just going to be the four of us, we are getting the luxury of not having to share a room and getting to stay in the guest rooms that he usually reserves for his friends.” He rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "I can tell you that Mrs. Andros is terrified of thunder, but she will do fine as long as the boss is with her if we have a bad storm. Otherwise some hand holding might be in order. That storm we had last night was not a fun experience for her.”
Marcin nodded. He was now understanding what was going on, if still a little confused why Caliban was somehow married to Mircea Kalavati’s wife. That seemed like a good way to start a war with the Kalavati family to him, but he was not going to challenge the boss. “Hand holding I can do. She seems like a very sweet woman.”
“She is. Don't ask me how this all got started, I don’t know. Given Caliban’s temperament at the moment, I wouldn’t go asking him either. It is clear that he cares for her, and I would venture deeply. Theron seems to have affection as well. So our two bosses want this woman looked after.” His lips thinned as Lars smiled. “During the storm Caliban didn’t release her even after she’d fallen asleep. Whoever she started life out as, she is Adira ANDROS now.” His brows rose to add emphasis.
“Is she okay?” Pietre asked. He’d been wondering. Lars hadn’t really said and they knew that she’d been taken out of the gatehouse by Caliban and Theron caging her so that she didn’t have to see the blood and body from the earlier violence.
“As best a woman that lived under routine beatings from Mircea Kalavati, then a kidnapping by the Marabioli clan, and now almost getting shot in the head by her new husband’s guard could be doing. That is to say, physically she is fine, but emotionally I won’t venture a guess. Neither Theron nor Caliban are letting anyone near her. I guess we will know when we leave tonight.” Lars sighed.
“You two take care of her up there with Caliban. We’ll ferret out the traitor or traitors to the boss, so it’s all safe when you get back. There is just something wrong with this whole situation.” Pietre looked between the other two men.
“I don’t disagree. Kondrat was way too confident for him to be acting on his own. He was having help from somewhere and thought that whoever it was, they were going to cover his ass. For him to have pulled her right from behind you, that means he knew he was going against the boss.” Marcin shook his head slightly. "So that means we have at least one other person.”
"Which is why the five of us will be Caliban’s eyes and ears for a while. He needs to focus on Adira. Right now she's clinging to him but she could just as easily get spooked and then we'd have to hunt her down and hope Mircea didn't find her first." Theron joined the other three men. With Adira resting and Caliban packing, he'd decided to see how everyone else was doing.
"Ther, so you think that Cal is in danger too? Do we need to step up security in general when they come back?" Pietre asked, the question having been growing in his mind.
"I don't think there's a threat to Cal, yet. That yet may change. Any leak or someone working for another family is bad news though. It weakens us," was Theron's answer.
"I'm going to address the elephant in the room, so don't shoot me. How did Cal go from entering that house to kill Riona Kalavati to exiting with his new wife?" Marcin knew that he was in dangerous territory but if he was going to unequivocally have Caliban’s back, he wanted to understand. Theron had the answer, he was sure. He only hoped that he didn’t die for his curiosity
Theron chuckled before explaining how absolutely everything the previous day had happened. When Caliban had started feeling attraction to the beautiful brunette, he couldn't say, but the chemistry had been obvious even to him from early on in their meeting. He had no reservations about the arrangement or relationship. If he had, he would have voiced them to Caliban personally..
"I believe she is going to do Cal and the organization a world of good. She seems honest and trustworthy. As you can see, he's a little protective. Truthfully, we both are." Theron chuckled.
While Caliban was at the incident scene, Theron tried to handle things with Adira. But it's Caliban's return that calms things again.
“Adira, please drink the tea.” Theron was about to lose his mind, but was trying to keep his voice calm. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her again. If she started crying again, he would feel like a complete asshole and Caliban would probably put a bullet in him. The medic had visited once they had gotten up to the room due to Theron messaging him that Adira’s hands were shaking and she kept hyperventilating whenever there was the slightest sudden sound. He had given Adira a few pills to help calm her over the next few days since she would be leaving the estate, yet she would not eat or drink since he left, which was required to take the medication. Theron didn’t want to have to call the medic back and ask for him to come and give her an injection. With Caliban’s mood, someone WOULD get shot by their boss then, since the mere suggestion of that earlier had almost had her running for the bathroom to hide. To say she was skittish was an understatement and Theron couldn’t say he blamed her. She had been through hell in the last thirty-six to forty-eight hours.
“My stomach doesn’t feel good. I feel queasy and dizzy.” Adira’s voice was shaky as she looked up at Theron; her expression plaintive. She was lying on the couch in Caliban’s room, where she’d been since Caliban had left to head back down to the scene of the earlier incident. One guard was stationed outside the door in the hallway, another just on the other side of the door in the room that Adira had been given the day before. With the three guarding her, she knew she was safe, yet her stomach was still upset from earlier in the day. “I promise I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m sorry.”
“Would ginger ale or lemon-lime soda help? Those are known to settle stomachs.” Theron was ready to try anything if it got her to take the damn meds so her hands stopped having tremors, and she stopped squeaking and jumping whenever there was the slightest sound. He knew that she was not being stubborn or trying to make things hard, which was the only reason that Theron’s voice remained calm and soft. She didn’t have to tell him that, it was clear in everything about her. Even from observing her and interacting the night prior, he would have known that. “And I know you are not trying to make things hard, sweetheart. Just relax. I’m trying to help, I just don’t know what to do.”.
Adira’s eyes closed as her stomach rolled again, trying to keep the nausea at bay some. “I’m willing to try it. I’m sorry, I really am, Theron. This is all my fault. Everything that has happened is my fault.” She sighed, her hand coming up over her mouth as another wave of nausea hit, and also to try to keep from crying. Whether it was nerves or the injection she’d been given earlier when she got the stitches to help with pain, she wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t remember ever feeling this queasy outside of when Mircea used to threaten her with death, her own or someone else’s, or when he’d hit her so hard in the head she would pass out.
Theron looked over at Caliban who had just entered the room soundlessly, his expression saying it all. “Adira, I’ll get you some cold soda from the kitchen and be right back. You need to take the meds he gave you though, they’ll help with the nausea and nerves. You are not to blame for any of this, no one thinks that, so please stop thinking it yourself.” Theron’s brows rose as he looked over to Caliban, trying to make it clear this was the circle they’d been going in for a little bit. Maybe now that Cal was back he could do something to ease her nerves and her thinking that anyone would blame her.
Caliban crossed the room and sat next to Adria on the edge of the couch. She didn’t even move or open her eyes as he did. He doubted that she knew it was him, so that meant she trusted Theron enough not to need to look if he was getting close to her. “Sweetheart,” now her eyes flew open to look up at him, “he is right, No one blames you.” His fingers ghosted across her forehead to sweep loose hairs off to the side as he gazed down at her with affection. “Whatever the doc has given you, please take. Whatever we need to get you in order to do that, we will.” He leaned forward and kissed the middle of her forehead, offering silent thanks to whatever gods were listening that she had not been hurt more than a cut hand.
Adira nodded, her emotions still so jumbled and a mess. She didn’t even know how or where to start to explain them all to Caliban. She had thought she knew fear in that basement and her previous life with Mircea, but that had been nothing compared to that insane man dragging her across the yard. Why he had scared her more than Mircea, she wasn’t quite sure; except that if she had been handed back over to her ex-husband, she knew that the previous violence she had experienced at his hands would pale in comparison to what she would endure in the future. The sense of security that had somehow settled into her in the last twenty-four hours had been ripped from her, and it somehow left her feeling more vulnerable than she ever had before.
She felt Caliban take her hand gently between both of his and her fingers curled around his tightly as she gazed up into his eyes that shone back at her with understanding and affection. “I’m sorry for being so emotional and not knowing what to say.” Her breath stuttered, her voice coming out soft and quiet. She could feel his hands gently tighten as they encased her hand and warmed it. “It all just happened so fast…and I was so scared Mircea was going to show up…” Her breath started to hitch again and she fought another wave of terror and panic that were threatening to rise from the depths of her soul. Her eyes scrunched shut, trying to chase the memories from her mind and ground herself in the present once more there in the room with him.
“Shhhh…we will find everyone that helped Kondrat and they will be eliminated from the staff. Those three who helped you will be added to your security detail. They are all highly worried about you and from now on will be helping to make sure that you are always safe and that there can never again be even the slightest hint of a repeat of today.” Caliban could not miss the slightly confused look in Adira’s eyes when she opened them to look up at him. Did she really think that his staff would dislike her or not want to protect her? What was life on Mircea’s estate? Maybe it was better he didn’t know, what he already knew of her previous life was more than enough to make him want to eliminate the other man. “The second man who shot Kondrat will be joining Lars as security when we leave tonight to go to my mountain cabin for a while. The other two are going to stay here with Theron to help handle Mircea and any other fallout from today. A call did go through,” he saw the rise in panic on her face and quickly continued, “and we’re going to make sure he firmly believes Riona Kalavati is dead. Since they both saw you and Theron is going to be adding your name to company documents, they can all confirm that you are Adira Andros, and there is absolutely no resemblance between you and the former Mrs. Kalavati.” A soft smile formed on his lips as he saw her relax and the logic behind his actions began to sink in. He had no doubt that while they were gone that Theron and the other two would vet all of the staff and guards to ensure nothing even close to this could ever happen again.
“They won’t doubt me because they know who I really am? Even Theron? I mean, he wasn’t wrong about that, just that I was spying on you and betraying you. Does Lars know now?” She felt so nervous, like she was going to vibrate off of the couch if Caliban wasn’t sitting next to her. Why was he even trusting her and being so nice? She was trying to remember why he said he was being so kind? Waking up that morning in his arms seemed like almost a lifetime ago and all he had said before was hazy, let alone the night before.
“Adira, they all know about the past and no one is judging or doubting you in the least. Theron may care for you just as much as I do, darling.” Caliban’s fingers gently caressed the side of her face. She looked so small and fragile at the moment, like she’d shatter from even the slightest blow. He knew in that moment that from then on, he would kill in an instant to protect her without question or hesitation.
“I knew who you were before I ever walked into that house yesterday, and they know that as well, and saw my reaction to you being harmed. Now, you are my wife, and THAT is not going to change. PERIOD.” He brought her hand bearing the ring up to his lips and kissed right below the ring on her finger. “So, do not argue or worry. Hear me?” There was a soft and affectionate smile on his face as he looked down at her. It wasn’t that he did not understand her concern, he was just trying to comfort her the best he knew how. It was not his strong suit; he’d never had to do it.
Regardless of anything else, she trusted Caliban implicitly. She knew the three men he was referring to, and she would trust them as well. They had saved her from whatever fate Kondrat had held for her as well. When he had refused to let her go, they hadn't let him hurt her. “Cal,” she used the shortened version of his name that she'd heard Theron use, “I..” she faltered unsure and saw his brows come together slightly, “are you sure that you still want…” His finger cut her off.
“My beautiful wife to rest and take her medicine when Theron gets back up here, absolutely positive. I’ll take care of packing for you. Do you trust me to do that for you?” Adira nodded. He figured she would, but after all that had happened, he did not want to assume if packing for herself was something that would help her to feel more secure. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and then finally upon her petal soft lips.
“Now, whatever worries or doubts are in your mind, let them go. Just let me handle everything and I will take care of you.” One last forehead kiss, then he rose to take care of the details of preparing for the trip to the cabin. Some time away would do them both some good.
Closing the door to his room, correction THEIR room, Caliban looked at the guard standing just next to it. “If anyone tries to enter, shoot them. If food or drink is brought up, just have Theron come out and get it. I want NO ONE in there other than him or I. Is that clear?” The guard nodded, then Caliban turned and walked down the hall, reminding himself that Adira had said from now on she would feel safer if she slept in the same room with him, so it was THEIRS. That thought did put a small smile on his face, even given the situation at hand.
Adira was curled up on the couch in the room under a heavy blanket. She had said that she felt more secure there without him. He wasn’t sure why, but he was not about to argue with her. It was clear she was going to need much time to recover from the morning, and he would ensure she was given all she needed. Even with all that had happened with getting her out of the house where she had been held hostage, she had not seemed as rattled as she did currently, and that only served to feed his rage and need to find out what the hell had happened to get to that point.
After getting Adira to the room, Caliban had to change clothes. Adira’s blood was on his shirt and suit jacket. She had tried to apologize for ruining both, but he had brushed it off. Blood came out of fabric, something he knew well. His staff would take care of things while they were gone. If things were stained, they could be replaced. She could not, and that was more important to him. She was safe, that was his only concern.
Now dressed in an all black suit, with a black shirt, and sans tie, he headed back to the scene where Kondrat had been shot. He needed to find out if anything had been discovered before the man’s death. He also wanted to check on Svarog’s condition. While the wound wasn’t life threatening, the blood loss was concerning. He valued his staff.
Lars met Caliban on the drive as he approached. His face was grim and it was clear he was troubled. This did not bode well and gave Caliban a very sinking feeling regarding the information he was about to receive. He hoped it would not be too bad, or Theron might have extra work to do while he was away at the cabin.
“Sir, one of the calls to Mircea went through and lasted 45 seconds. I don’t know if it was voicemail, but there was…something.” Lars was scared of few men, but the one boring holes in him with his dark eyes at the moment was at the top of the list of the ones who did. It was clear that of all the things that he could have been informed of, this was not one of the ones that pleased Caliban. On the contrary, it enraged him, but he was trying to keep calm because there was still much to be done and plans to be made. Losing one’s temper did not help anything.
“Pick one other guard you implicitly trust, and the two of you will be going with Adira and I when we leave later tonight. Pick two more that you believe are also trustworth to round out my wife’s security detail. The four of you are the only ones to know of the trip, and anything else regarding her and her security. I need the utmost secrecy regarding everything to do with her and her protection. NO ONE else is to have a thing to do with it. Am I clear?” Caliban was going to have to mitigate whatever damage Kondrat had done with his call. The only thing he could hope for was that Theron would be able to handle Mircea with the false wedding certificate and the now bloodied rings that were in his possession. Having watched his friend argue in a courtroom, he knew that Theron could be very persuasive when required, and this situation definitely required it.
“Sir, is she truly Riona Kalavati? It will stay between us, but if I am to choose a team, I need to know.” Lars had been figuring a lot out since the incident, but he wanted his boss to confirm it. It would change nothing regarding his feelings towards Adira or her safety. Having interacted with her the previous night, he would defend her with his life. She was like a scared child, and he could understand Caliban’s protective nature over her.
“Riona Kalavati died in the basement of the house that caught fire when we had the firefight with the Marabioli men. Adira Andros is the woman who came out of that basement with me, and that I subsequently brought to the mansion. Adira Andros IS my wife. Does that answer your question?” Lars nodded. “I think you can tell that whoever or whatever she was before that happened, she is very important to me now. That she is kept safe and there is not a repeat of this type of incident is of the greatest importance.” Caliban’s voice was firm, his expression serious, and there was no doubt that somehow Adira had claimed her place in the mansion. This was not to be doubted or questioned.
“I knew that she was special last night upstairs, Caliban.” Lars became less formal with his boss, which was the norm between them. “And seeing things today, I see she has somehow managed to become rather important to Theron as well. I swear to you,” his brows raised and his head inclined slightly towards Caliban in respect and deference, “I do not know how Kondrat got his hands on her without me hearing. I am still analyzing the entire situation in my head to try and figure out my failure. It will NOT happen again that someone gets by me.” His eyes were intense, not shying away from his boss’ no matter how enraged the other man still was. That Adira had been taken and harmed weighed on Lars like a boulder. Even if she had not been Caliban’s wife, she had been entrusted to him and he had somehow failed at his basic duties to keep her safe. Until he figured out where he had misstepped, he would not be able to relax.
Caliban gave a curt nod. “About that, Adira said there was another man at first, a blonde with light eyes. We have a few that could fit that description. Obviously he had some help. Do you think there could be more than one helping him?” Caliban mused. He had been trying to figure out what it would have taken to get her away from one of his most trusted guards, something wasn’t making sense. Lars’ reactions since he had walked into the study to find Adira not there spoke of his confusion over how it happened as well.
“I see you now understand why I asked if she…had a past.” His brows rose for a second as a slight smile ticked up the sides of his lips. As soon as Lars had found out the call had connected, he had started to suspect several around him of possibly helping. Of course none would have admitted to it now, especially not after the way that Caliban had first arrived at the scene. “I had suspected one may have helped him, but you may be right that it could be more than one. Whoever it is would have to be awfully confident to try to do this on the estate. Even if they did not know you had claimed her as your wife, to do this to a guest could hardly be assumed to ever be approved.”
“I’ll have Theron do some investigating while we are gone. Were you able to find anything else out?” Caliban knew Lars had more, and he wanted to get off thinking about the fact that Mircea possibly now knew that Adira was alive. Hopefully Theron would be able to convince him that Adira and Riona were NOT the same person, no matter what Kondrat had told him.
Lars nodded. “Kondrat was ready for a fight and was not prepared to let her go. He fired first when confronted by three of the men. They had tried to get him to let Adira go without any violence, but that just had him press the gun against her tighter, so they decided to advance as one hoping to distract him. That got his attention and he shot at Svarog, and one of the bullets that hit him was from Svarog. The other came from Marcin, who will most likely be the other guard accompanying us. BOTH men told Kondrat he was insane to think you would be married to a Kalavati. The third, Pietre apparently was quiet, but when it was over said he thought Kondrat was either on drugs or drunk, that he wasn’t making sense to kidnap your wife like that and think she would have anything to do with the Kalavatis. All three men passed my evaluations with flying colors, they are solid, Cal. I’d argue to take Svarog with us as well if his shoulder wasn’t needing to heal. Having both him and Pietre here to back up Theron if Mircea shows up might not be a bad thing. Now you have my other three for security detail.” Lars inclined his head.
“No, it won’t be bad to have them here. Although I’ve coated her former wedding rings in blood off of the towel she was using before her injury was seen to, so when they are returned to him, hopefully Mircea will accept that his wife is dead and that Kondrat was mistaken at best, having a nervous breakdown at worst. Sounds like you've made solid choices for the guards.” Caliban was becoming more uncomfortable. So the rogue guard had not been quiet about what he knew, and that put Adira in danger. “Since you trust these other two, have them help Theron in determining who else we cannot trust on the estate. I do not want anyone we are not completely certain of here when we return, take that as you will.”
“Yes, sir.” Lars nodded. “All three of the guards involved would like to speak to Adira when she is able. They feel responsible for her injury, although it was the glass that injured her and not them directly. They have promised not to mention Kondrat or what happened, only to express their concern and hope she heals quickly.” Caliban nodded. This was a good sign. Those in his employ were showing loyalty already to her, which meant Adira would be safer.
“Of course, I think that might help her feel not so scared and vulnerable to know the three of them care, especially since you all will now be her personal team. At the moment she is terrified of pretty much everything.” Caliban sighed heavily and broke his eye contact with Lars to look around the grounds of his estate.
His gaze finally returned to Lars after a couple of minutes. “Mircea caused the bruise you inquired about on Adira’scheek. That is how old it is. According to the medic, it’s just the latest in a long line of them…and worse. That information stays between us, but I did not rescue her from that monster to have her living in fear on this estate and in my mansion. Less than two days and she has come to mean a great deal, Lars. That she does is something that no one should forget.”
Lars nodded. “It will be impressed upon everyone. I don’t think that you and I are the only ones wondering who Kondrat might have been working with. The situation here has been tense between some of the men. No one is saying it, but body language speaks volumes.” Caliban nodded, he didn’t hire stupid or careless men, they all knew that. “Theron gave instructions earlier that no one was to be let on or off property. That instruction will stand until you say otherwise. That should keep anyone who Kondrat was planning on meeting with Adira from being able to show up.” Lars filled him in on the last bit of information.
“Good. We will leave late tonight. Very late.” Lars nodded towards him. “I am going to return to the mansion and check on my wife. Theron and two guards were still not making her feel too comfortable. I don’t like leaving her up there feeling vulnerable. Until we leave, if you need anything, call Theron.” Caliban nodded towards Lars and headed back to the house. There were still some rats to figure out, and then…then there would be great violence again. This time, however, Adira would know nothing of it.
A knock at the door had Adira and Caliban’s heads turning quickly, as the medic came in to look at her hand. He let Caliban know that Svarog’s gunshot wound was only superficial and stitches had been all that was required, but there had been quite a bit of bleeding. He’d need some time off to rest and heal, but otherwise he’d be fine. Nothing to worry over.
After cleaning the cut, even Caliban could see how deep it was. She had gotten lucky though, none of the tendons had been cut. Whether there would be any nerve damage would have to wait until it started healing. The medic could apply stitches, but only a neurologist or hand surgeon would be able to do more. That would require a trip to the hospital, which Caliban had already been debating. In the end it was Adira who decided to just have the stitches at the mansion. Mircea knew many people at the hospital, and she didn’t want to take a chance on being recognized. Not yet. Not so soon. If there were problems later, they could figure out how to get a specialist involved.
After the stitches were in and the hand bandaged, Caliban took the bloody towel she had previously had her hand wrapped in. He had an idea on how to keep Mircea from suspecting anything, at least for a while. Once Adira was seen in public with him, there might be some talk that they would have to deal with; but for the short term it would be a solution. Her wedding rings from Mircea were still up in his bedroom. By putting her blood all over them and returning them to him, it would hopefully confirm somewhat in his mind that she was indeed dead. Then with having her secluded with him at his cabin for a while, where he could even work remotely, there would be time away to let everything settle within the society he ran in. Hopefully that would give her a bit more of a sense of security as well.
Once the medic had left, Caliban sat quietly with Adira waiting for Theron to arrive with a car to take her up to the main mansion. He figured the delay was that Theron and Lars were talking outside, and possibly others that had witnessed the shooting. No doubt Theron wanted to know how things could have gone so sideways so quickly, a question that he had himself. Once Adira was back up at the house and resting, Caliban was going to start demanding answers and someone better have some; or there was going to be hell to pay that would make Mircea Kalavati look merciful.
Finally Theron appeared, looking a bit drawn and frustrated. It was clear that whatever he had found out was not good. “Why don’t I take Adira back up to the mansion so she can rest while you handle things down here, Caliban?” While Theron was concerned about the woman, it was Caliban he was fully focussed on. He wouldn’t say more, not with her sitting there. Caliban was not a stupid man, he would have to figure it out.
“Theron?” Adira was the one that spoke, looking between the two men. “I…I…” Now both men were looking only at her. She was trying to find words, but was failing, she was still so scared. She didn’t want to go with Theron, even if she trusted him. “No.” Her head shook as her voice came out shaky and quiet. “Caliban can take me up. I want him with me.” She was now looking at the floor and fighting not to completely collapse over the weight of all that happened. She was holding Caliban’s hand and her grip on it tightened, feeling like it was a lifeline to sanity.
Caliban pulled her to him and cradled her head on his shoulder, before Adira had even finished speaking. Someone was going to pay for what had gone on, more than just the dead guard outside. There had been more than one failure that got it to this point. Softly he kissed her head as his hand gently soothed her back as she softly began to sob against the side of his neck. His eyes closed, he hated not being able to do anything to soothe her, to make everything that had transpired that morning disappear from her memory.
Theron looked between the couple on the couch, he too was not a stupid man. “Of course, Adira. I’m sorry for thinking you would have no problem otherwise. I did not mean to upset you.” Things were about to be very bad, he could tell from the way Caliban was caring for her. Already both of them were accepting her into their lives in her new role, and that meant that whoever threatened her would face a severe retribution.. “He is going to need to come back down here at some point, unfortunately. The men need to talk to him. Who do you want to stay with you at the mansion, once you are settled? I promise that we are not going to leave you up there alone.” He was treading much more carefully now. His voice was warm and understanding, realizing that he might not fully know all that had happened. He was not going to ask either.
“I..I..I don’t know.” Adira said around choked sobs, her arms now around Caliban tightening as she clung to him. “Can anyone keep me safe from Mircea?” Her eyes closed and she pressed against Caliban; he was the only one that she truly believed and trusted could.
“Theron, why don’t you stay with her and I’ll send up two more guards when I leave.” Caliban again kissed her head. “Theron will stay in the room with you and the others will be right outside the room. You need to rest and I need to find out what happened to lead to this. We’ll get you settled first and comfortable.” His hand gently ran over her hair in a soothing manner. Keeping her calm was his top priority at the moment. “Mircea is not going to get to you. I’ll kill him first, do you understand me?” Caliban’s tone was soft and comforting for someone who had just promised death to her ex-husband. “No one hurts what’s mine.” His arms tightened around her as his eyes met Theron’s. The expression on Caliban’s face did not match his comforting tone, instead it was one of intense fury. It was one Theron knew, and knew well. It was one that the men outside had best fear.
“Ok.” It was said so softly that neither Theron nor Caliban were sure that they had heard it, but her nod reinforced that Adira had said something.
