Chapter Seven – Adam
The custom-made punching bag that cost Adam over four thousand dollars split apart at the seams on the fifth blow. Sand and stuffing flew into the air, spilling over the floor. The king growled, yanking the whole thing from the ceiling. Steel chains snapped like rubber bands, and he screamed when he threw it across the room. There weren't enough things in this stupid gym that he could take his anger out on without destroying. Maybe he ought to move to Africa where he could pick a fight with an elephant when he was in these moods.
Which was why everybody feared him.
Panting, Adam wiped his forehead. The sound of a clearing throat drew his attention across the room. Lena stood in the doorway, shaking her head at the mess that the gym was in. Her muscles were tense, but she didn't shy away from him when he walked to the water fountain near the door.
"Did you and Wanda have a fight?"
Adam grunted. "Why would you assume that?"
"Because when I walked by her room a little while ago, I could hear her sobbing."
Adam's heart twisted. She probably thought he was disgusted by her or something. The truth was that he had just been so angry when she told him what her parents had done. He knew he wouldn't have been able to hold it in, and didn't want that aggression to be misdirected. He could understand why she would think something else, though.
"What happened?" his mother pressed.
"She told me that her parents sold her to Jonas for drugs. I was just so angry. I couldn’t stay without exploding."
Lena sighed. "And you just walked away?"
"What else could I do?"
"Look, it was a shock and you're a… Well, you deal with things differently. But you did put your anger over her pain."
Adam flinched, despite his mother's gentle tone. He wasn't used to having to put anybody's anything over his own needs. He kicked the floor. "If I had stayed, I'd have vowed to destroy them, and that would have just scared her."
Lena nodded. "That's true. And she probably doesn't want to have to talk you down from your revenge fantasies."
"So what do I do?"
"Well, you came here to work out your anger, so that is a very good start," Lena said.
"You said I was putting my anger over her pain."
Lena smiled. "Yes, that's true, but let's do this in baby steps. You didn't want to frighten her, so that is a good thing. Are you calmer now?" At his nod, she continued. "Then you need to go back to Wanda. Hold her, let her cry. Assure her that she has worth and it's not valued in monetary terms. Tell her… tell her a few good points about her personality. Probably go with three or four, you don't want to overdo it otherwise it will feel fake."
Adam's mind reeled at all the instructions. He had faced down armies, but they hadn't been as intimidating as this. Words were not his strong suit. He said what he meant and what was on his mind, and when problems arose he dealt with them. Wanda's problems, though, weren't the kind that you could throw money at or beat into submission.
"What if she doesn't want to see me?" he asked, feeling strangely defenseless, like he had walked into a werewolf den without any protection.
"Then apologize for leaving, assure her that it wasn't because of her, and leave if she doesn't want you there." Lena embraced him. "My big, strong boy. Just let yourself be vulnerable with her."
Adam sighed. That felt like a pretty high order, but Wanda was worth it. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like without her in it. He'd go back to being the miserable person he was before, and that wasn't what he wanted out of life.
He made his way up to Wanda's room, rehearsing what he wanted to say to her over and over in his mind. There was no answer after he knocked, so he peeked in. Wanda lay on the bed, her breathing deep, her posture limp. Sleeping. With a sigh, the king slipped in. Wanda's face was tearstained and every once in a while she shuddered like she was crying in her dreams. His heart ached. How could he fix this?
"Wanda?"
She made a noise in her throat but didn't stir. Adam watched her sleep for a moment. She laid curled in on herself in a fetal position, one hand cupped behind her neck, the other grasping at the blankets. Like she was trying to protect herself. Adam felt his anger starting to rise again, but forced it back down. He reached to brush her hair from her face.
Wanda's hand shot out, slapping at him. She jerked away, screaming in a hoarse, sleepy voice. Adam jumped back, holding out his hands as her fists came at him. When she saw it was him she stopped and blinked owlishly.
"Adam?"
"Hi. I didn't mean to wake you."
"Why are you in my bedroom?" Wanda yawned and glared at him. "You come in here and watch me sleep? That's creepy."
Adam flinched. "Sorry. Do you want me to leave?"
She shook her head and flipped back the blankets. Adam approached slowly, checking if that was an invitation, and slid into the bed next to her. She cuddled up to him, fitting herself under his arm. The king sighed in relief, grateful to see that he hadn't completely ruined his relationship with her.
"I'm sorry I left earlier," he said. "I just… hearing that you were treated that way by your own family made me so angry."
Wanda shivered. "You walking away hurts more."
He flinched again, and his arms tightened around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He paused. "I can have your parents arrested for this if you want."
"No. I'd rather see them in rehab. They don't really have their own lives – just the drugs. I might hate them for what they did, but maybe it would have been different if they were clean. I don't know. Maybe nothing would have changed it." She pressed herself closer to him. "Jonas, though… I wasn't the only girl he had."
There were more like Wanda in his clutches, terrified? Adam fought to keep himself calm. He should know about something like this! Why had nobody come forward? Why hadn't Wanda? He kept his mouth shut, though, stroking her arms gently, wanting to comfort her.
"He used us to ferry his drugs around the country. Wherever he wanted them sent, he would send one of us. We were all from the same backgrounds. Girls that nobody would miss." Her voice took on a bitter tone. "He kept us locked up unless we were on missions. I ran away so many times, but he always got me back. The last time, he bit my throat. I thought he was going to kill me, but he just bit me and let me bleed. I stopped trying to run away after that."
Adam glanced down as she pulled her collar down. The scars from teeth piercing skin were clear, a half-moon with the canines sunk in deep. He fought to keep his head level as he took them in. What else had that monster done?
"He never touched us," Wanda blurted, sensing his thoughts. "He never… molested us. Never."
"That doesn't mean that what he did do wasn't terrible. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"I wanted to tell you what he was. But I was too afraid that you'd end up like him."
He kissed the top of her head, wanting to comfort her and having no idea how. "Everything he did is immoral and illegal. I will arrest him immediately."
Wanda's arms tightened around him. "Don't leave me. I know it's selfish and you should go right away to throw him in jail. But I don't want to be by myself. Not right now. Please?"
Adam relaxed next to her again. "I'll stay with you."
"Thank you."
He stroked her hair as they laid there in silence. His emotions were in turmoil, but they kept circling back to Wanda. He wanted –needed – to protect Wanda. Whatever else happened from here on out, he would act for her. Jonas would be arrested and he would spend the rest of his life in jail. His properties would all be seized by the crown and sold, the funds distributed to the humans he held unlawfully. And all the other vampires who knew what he was doing and stood by would join him in jail.
For the moment, though, he would stay with Wanda, making sure she was alright.