“It’s tonight?” Kent asked, his stomach fluttering nervously. “I don’t know if I can do that. Putting her in danger like this seems so wrong.”
“Kent, it’s the only way that we can fully destroy the statue and save her life. Without that power hidden within her, the dragon-shifters will lose interest. But if they succeed, they will not only take away the most important person left in my life, but they will have all the power they could ever wish for. It would be devastating to everything we know. Our very way of life would be threatened, and my daughter would be dead. There would be no hope left.”
Kent studied the worn-out face of Logan Mills and felt his chest tighten. He didn’t like the idea of taking Adrian to a place where there were bound to be a huge hoard of dragon-shifters ready and willing to kill her at a moment’s notice. And yet, Mr. Mills was right. It was the only way to rid her of this curse once and for all. They had to do something, and if they couldn’t at least try, it would be unfair to Adrian. She would be in danger for the rest of her life. He couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I understand. I’m just concerned…”
“I know you are, Kent. But that’s why we chose you for this job. If you can pull it off, you’re going to be among the legendary bear-shifters on Oak Mountain. There is only enough room in the mine for the four of us, and I don’t know how many dragon-shifters are planning on coming after the statue. Coty has been keeping watch, but we must get there and set up before the dragon-shifters. I need you to go get Adrian. Blaine’s posted outside her house right now, but he has to go to town to finish gathering the supplies for the spell. I believe we can pull this off, but there is a timeframe that will make that a lot more possible. Please, let’s work on this sooner rather than later so we can all meet up at the same place, at the same time.”
“But why would Adrian come with me? She doesn’t even know what’s going on. That isn’t fair to her.”
Kent had been thinking about that for weeks now. Why would the secret hurt her now that it was nearly dealt with? She would need to know why she was stuck on Oak Mountain if they weren’t able to destroy the statue. It was only fair.
“You’ll find a way to make her come with you. I trust you on that part. She likes you, Kent. She doesn’t make brownies for just anybody.”
Kent couldn’t help but smile. How did Mr. Mills know what she’d done? He must have been the one to give her his home address. It had been quite a surprise to get that phone call from Logan, telling him he had to beat Adrian back to his house so he could pretend he’d been home the whole time. He hadn’t realized Adrian must have been asking about where he lived to her stepdad so she could drop off her little gift. He still had most of the pan. For some reason, he felt reluctant to eat them all. It was nice to have a little piece of her around when things got lonely, even if she acted like she hated him. He was starting to know better though. Maybe they just had to be a little clearer with each other.
“It doesn’t matter how we feel about each other. Not if she’s going to be in danger for the rest of her life. If we fail at this, then I give you my word that I will do anything within my power to protect her for the rest of our lives.”
The weight of his words wasn’t lost on either of them, and Mr. Mills nodded firmly.
“You’re a good man, Kent. Adrian is lucky to have you by her side. Now go on. Make sure she is where she needs to be. It’s our best chance of protecting her at this point. I know it seems counterintuitive, but it’s going to be fine. We just need to make it through the night.”
Kent nodded. “All right,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll get her.”
***
Kent arrived at Adrian’s cabin about ten minutes later, his chest burning from the intense run it had taken to get here. He’d been trying to scheme out the fastest way to the mine and how he might manage to get her to go with him. Ultimately, he decided that honesty was the best policy. She would have to learn all about this eventually, it might as well be now. Who knew what might happen if she remained ignorant? The thought made him sick to his stomach.
“Kent!”
She seemed surprised to see him standing there and he bent over for a moment to catch his breath, smiling at her.
“Adrian, hi. Sorry to bother you but can I come in for a minute? I’d love a glass of water right about now.”
“Um, I guess so,” she said, stepping aside to allow him to come into the cabin. “The kitchen’s over here.”
Kent went and filled up a glass, drinking deeply. “Got to love the water here. That’s crystal clean spring water.”
Adrian was quiet as he finished the glass, waiting for him to explain the reason for his visit. Finally, he turned to her, his chest tight. He was nervous about telling her the truth, but there was no way in hell she would go to the statue with him if he didn’t.
“Maybe you should sit down,” he finally said. “There’s something we need to talk about. You don’t need to trust me, but I think after today you’re going to know the truth anyway and it’s probably better to know now than be surprised.”
Adrian frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Kent took her arm and led her to the couch and they sat down together.
“I don’t have a lot of time to explain, so hopefully you’re going to be able to believe what I tell you, and if you don’t, I hope you come with me anyway. Your stepfather will confirm everything I’m about to tell you.”
Adrian studied him for a moment, her beautiful face creased with concern. “All right. What do you need to say?”
Kent sighed.
“Your biological father was a huge fuck up. He got you into some serious trouble with the dragon-shifters and you’re in danger. It’s gotten to the point where they want you dead, and the only way to get the target off your back is if you follow me. Your dad, Blaine, Coty, and I are going to work together to protect you and break this fucking curse for you. But we need to go now. Mr. Mills can explain everything to you better after the fact. Oh, and you need to wear this.”
Kent dug into his pocket and pulled out a medallion of protection that Logan had given to him for Adrian. They didn’t know what kind of effects the statue might have on her once she was near it, so it was better they did their best to bind its power and keep her as safe as possible.
“All right,” she said, her brows knitting. “That’s kind of a lot to process, you know.”
“I know,” Kent said with a sigh. “But do you trust me?”
Adrian looked into his eyes, and for a moment he was sure she was going to say no and tell him to get out of her house. Instead, she surprised him with the serious resignation in her eyes.
“I trust you.”
“Great,” Kent said, standing up. They couldn’t waste any more time. “Then we need to get going. Now.”