Chapter Five – Adam
Adam smiled as Wanda laid her head on his shoulder. Dawn was breaking in the east, bathing the land in the silver-gold light. He had been the only one to dance with the little human since midnight. He had certainly learned an important lesson from this. Demanding anything from Wanda wasn't going to work, especially when he ignored context. He had to make sure to ask for everything because, otherwise, she would do the opposite whether she wanted to or not.
When they got to her door, she kicked her feet, making him set her down, and yawned. "You're not going into my room, buster."
Adam grinned. He was energized from the dance and the frequent kisses he and Wanda had shared as they danced together. Everybody would be talking about those for a while. He would have loved to take it further and spend the whole day in her room. However, his human was clearly exhausted.
He brushed his lips across her forehead and nodded. "I'll see you later then."
Wanda smiled sleepily at him and waved as she entered her little studio apartment. Adam wanted so badly to follow her. Soon, he promised himself. As soon as she can tell me what she's so afraid of.
He still needed to talk to his mother about what she said that made Wanda look so panicked during the dance, but for the moment he headed towards his office. He hummed to himself, feeling as light as a cloud. Wanda was starting to trust him, and he was finding that he liked spending time with her. He had been thinking marriage would just be a convenience, but the way things were going, he was going to enjoy it.
His mood darkened rapidly when he got closer to his office. The sniveling weasel, Jonas, stood at the end of the corridor, talking with Christopher. Adam had just released the vampire from the dungeons, in part because Wanda still refused to name any punishment for him. He was supposed to have just left, though.
"What is going on here?" Adam demanded when he got closer.
Jonas jumped and winced. "My lord. I didn't… Ahem. I was just speaking with your brother here. I was hoping that I might have an audience with you."
"About what?"
"The human. Wanda. I recognize what I did was horrible. I was unfortunately not in my right mind and my judgment was not at its best." Jonas laughed, as though what he said was funny. Adam narrowed his eyes and waited for him to get to the relevant part. The other vampire paled. "Uh… Anyway, I think I ought to take her back with me to restore her to her family."
"Wanda isn't going anywhere with you. Get out of my palace before I have you thrown back into the dungeons."
"But my lord—"
"Now."
Adam glared at Jonas as he scurried away, then turned to Christopher. His brother looked bored. "What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing." Christopher flinched as Adam folded his arm. "Okay, maybe I owe him some money—"
"Christopher!" Adam grabbed his arm and dragged him into his office. He slammed the door behind them. "You owe that pathetic worm money?"
Christopher shifted from side to side and shrugged. "Only a little. Ten grand."
Adam resisted the urge to grab his brother and shake him. Of all the stupid things… "And when you were in Cabo? Were you getting high there, too?"
"High? What are you talking about?"
"You've been buying drugs from him!"
Christopher shook his head. "No. Never. I'm not a drug addict, Adam. Yeah, he offered once, but he hasn't ever since I threatened to bring a random raid down on his house. But a couple months ago, we went to a casino he owned, and I may have been on a bit of a losing streak. But come on, ten grand isn't that much. I'm just in a bit of a pinch right now that I didn't expect. If you spot me the money, I'll pay you back. You know I will. I always do."
Adam still scowled, but he nodded. The last thing he wanted was for his family to be indebted to the likes of Jonas in any way, shape or form. But hearing that he had backed off of Christopher when threatened with a raid on his house… It was a long shot, but maybe a raid would be worth it.
In the meantime, his brother's debt had to be paid.
"You'll pay me back by the end of the year," the king warned his brother. "Understood?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't have even brought it up, except, well..." Christopher didn't look any more comfortable despite that issue having been solved. "But hey, shouldn't you have talked to Wanda about going back with him to her parents? That's a choice she should make."
"He told her that I was going to kill her," Adam said shortly. "He terrifies her. That man isn't getting anywhere near her again."
***
A couple days passed with nothing exceptional happening except for the fact that Wanda had dinner with him each night. They had talked well into the night. He learned that she hadn't even finished elementary school and immediately hired a private tutor for her. She had clearly been embarrassed by her lack of education until he told her he was two hundred and sixty-eight before he learned how to read.
He found her in the library one day, returning a stack of books that he had suggested the previous day. They were all easy-reader chapter books but remained some of his favorite stories.
"Hey," he greeted her, bending down for a kiss. She pressed herself to her toes and closed the distance between them. "Returning these already? I guess you just couldn't get into them, huh?"
A faint blush rose in Wanda's cheeks and she shook her head. "Not exactly. I stayed up all night last night and I've read them all. I was just here looking for another stack. I've got a list of books that are a grade higher than my abilities right now, and I figure if I tackle them I'll improve faster than I would if I get comfortable at my current level."
Adam grinned. It was surprising to him how easily Wanda provoked this reaction. Just her presence calmed him, something that he wasn't sure how to take. Part of him said that he shouldn't be relying on her for mood stability, but, on the other hand, it was because he liked being around her so much. It was easy to forget about himself with her.
"Let me see your list." She handed it over. Adam glanced down it. "Hmmm… you know, I have a few of these in my private library."
Her eyes widened. "You have a private library too?"
Adam smirked. "Yep. This library is for anybody to get their grubby hands on books. I have my own stores so that people won't read while eating and get cheesy fingerprints all over my precious books. Come on."
He took her hand and pulled her from the library. Her small hand felt so right in his, squeezing back tightly, warm and comforting. The bright joy in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. She was so beautiful, so full of life and eager to learn everything that the world had to offer. He was a lucky vampire to have met her – lucky that she spat in his face when they first met. That was how it all began, after all.
They reached his private library quickly. It was a fairly large room with a hearth on one wall, a bay window in another, and the other two lined with shelves. It was carpeted in pale yellow and adorned with Victorian-style furnishings.
"Wow," Wanda breathed as they entered. "All those books are yours?"
Adam nodded. "And you are free to take and read any of them as long as you promise not to read while eating, on the toilet, or in the bath."
"I promise." Wanda ran her fingers over the spines, eyes bright. "Lord of the Rings. It's on my list."
"Those are first edition copies."
"Shut up!" Wanda stared at him. "For real?"
Adam chuckled. "For real. And here are the Chronicles of Narnia and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."
"Wow."
He watched her as she continued along. His mind drifted back to the morning after the dance. Was he wrong to have just sent off Jonas without even consulting her? Adam thought he knew what was best for her, but Jonas had picked her up off the streets. Didn't she deserve the right to decide for herself whether to be reunited with her family or not?
"Wanda…"
She turned to him with a smile.
"You know you're free to leave whenever you want, right? You're not a prisoner."
"Yes. I know that."
He glanced at his shoes briefly. "The other day Jonas stopped by. He… he wanted to take you back, to return to your family."
He wasn't expecting the blood to drain from her face. She sagged against the wall, her eyes widening. "Are you… Are you sending me back to them?"