Viola's Risk (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 2) Page 14

  “Relax Vi. We’ll get him right where we want him,” Sage said. “I don’t know how to lead an unsuccessful mission.”

  Viola rolled her eyes and gave him a playful jab.

  “Hey, watch it!” Sage feigned being hurt as they both burst out laughing.

  “Where to first?” Viola asked, looking around.

  “This way,” he said, grabbing her hand and taking off at a run, pulling her along behind him.

  They ended up in a garden with all sorts of beautiful flowers and statues. There were huge flowing water fountains made of marble throwing a fine mist up into the air. The garden itself was a bit of heaven in their chaotic world.

  “Wow,” Viola said as she spun in a circle trying to take it all in.

  “Yeah, this is your mother’s favorite place of all of their properties. They spend the most time here, just because of this garden,” Sage said, walking over and picking a daisy. He walked back over to Viola and tucked it into her hair, behind her right ear.

  “I can see why it’s her favorite place,” Viola said, her voice breathless. “Thank you for the flower.”

  “A pretty flower for a pretty girl,” Sage said with a wink.

  “Aw, you flatter me too much,” Viola said and batted her eyelashes at him in fake flirtation.

  “Get used to it,” Sage said and grabbed her hand, pulling her along.

  They strolled through the garden and Sage pointed out different flowers and statues to her as they walked. Viola was surprised there were so many she didn’t know by the time they’d reached the other side of the garden and the exit route Sage had planned for them.

  “That was wonderful Sage. Where to next?” she asked, looking up at him.

  He checked his watch and then tugged her hand, making her follow him without saying anything. She raised her eyebrows and took off with him, without questioning him. For the first time in the whole time she’d known her true family, she was relaxed and enjoying herself. She felt a twinge in her heart that it wasn’t Dominic with her, but she brushed that aside for now. There was time for her to beat herself up about it later, when she was alone in her room.

  They ran across a stretch of grass and then through a thin line of trees before bursting out along the beach of a lake that was so gorgeous Viola had no words to describe it. The ripples of the water reflected the sunlight that hit it, like little mirrors, and the pristine color made her want to jump into the water and go for a swim, clothes and all.

  “Hey Vi,” Cora called, breaking Viola from the trance she’d been in while staring at the peaceful lake.

  “Hey Sis,” Viola called back and headed over. Sage caught up to her and put his arm around her shoulders as they headed over.

  “How’s the day going so far?” Cora asked with a wink and a grin.

  “Great. Sage showed me this fabulous garden that’s our mom’s favorite place in the world and then we came here,” she said, dropping down to sit on the gigantic blanket stretched out on the beach.

  “Care to join us for a picnic lunch?” Liam asked, opening the basket.

  “Is it that late already?” Viola asked, surprised.

  “Yup, we spent quite a bit of time in the garden. More than I’d planned on actually, but you seemed to be enjoying yourself so much I didn’t want to rush you at all,” Sage said and grabbed a turkey sandwich, handing it to her.

  She took it, thanked him and unwrapped it, sinking her teeth into the delicious food. He handed her a glass of apple juice that she accepted with gratitude as well. As the day progressed, she almost wished Sage was meant to be her mate, but then pushed the thought out of her mind. Dominic was just the right person for her, if she could get him to realize that.

  “What’s wrong Little Sis?” Sage asked as he caught the shadow that crossed her face when the thought of Dominic passed through her mind.

  “Nothing. Just a thought that crossed my mind. Nothing important,” she said, pushing away his probing questions. Cora quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as they continued to eat and enjoy themselves.

  When they were done eating, Cora began packing up the food and Viola pitched in. The guys wandered off down the beach a bit as they cleaned up.

  “So, how are you really doing?” Cora asked in a hushed voice.

  “I’m having fun, but I keep wishing it was Dominic with me instead of Sage,” Viola said, wistfulness in her voice.

  “I can imagine. I think we’ve stirred up something in him though,” Cora said with a wink and a smile.

  “Really? What makes you think that?” Viola asked, her interest definitely was peeked.

  “He was up to something when we left. We’re not sure what, but he was discussing something with Dad and it was a pretty heated discussion,” Cora said with a serious expression.

  “Hmm, I wonder what it could be,” Viola said, her mind wandering.

  “I don’t know, but our next stop is to try and find out, while you continue your day with Sage,” Cora said with a nod. “Don’t worry Sis, I’ve got your back.”

  “I know you do. I also know you’re good at playing Nancy Drew. I look forward to learning what you find out,” Viola said with a conspiratory smile.

  Just then Sage and Liam returned from their trip down the beach and back. The pairs split and went their different ways, after agreeing to meet up later for their workout.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dominic swore to himself as he snuck down into the prison cells located beneath the property. He knew the girls had no idea they were there and that both Anna and Patrick were being housed in them.

  He’d wracked his brain all night long the night before, trying to find a way to make himself worthy of having such a spectacular being as Viola for his mate. Taking down the couple that had tormented them their entire lives would be his key to doing just that. He wasn’t sure how to defeat them by himself though, since the only ones strong enough to bring either of them down were the twins themselves.

  Maybe he should have given them the chance to finish the couple off themselves, but that would never work with as imbalanced as their emotions and powers were. Cora was a lot more balanced than Viola was. He couldn’t put his mate at risk like that. He’d have to figure out how to do this by himself.

  Rounding a corner, he came to the high-security section of the underground prison where there were very few cells so finding who he was searching for would be easy. This trip down here was just a scouting mission. He was not foolish enough to go in there without a concrete plan to ensure his success.

  As he walked up to the first door, he looked through the small partition and saw that the cell was empty.

  “Dominic, is that you boy?” Anna’s voice called out, sending chills down his spine. He heard the direction her voice was coming from and mapped his way to her cell in his mind without going through and peeking inside. There was no need to fully give himself away before the time was right.

  “Boy, I know that’s you out there. Answer me now,” Anna called out, anger dripping from her words.

  “Give it a rest Anna. Your pet isn’t coming to save you. He’s switched sides like I told you years ago, but you didn’t believe me,” Patrick spit at his mate from several cells over. He’d never thought this would be such an easy recon mission as it was proving to be.

  “Shut up you fool. Dominic would never turn his back on me. Not after everything I’ve done for the boy. He owes me,” she screeched out, the madness in her head becoming more and more apparent the longer he was away from her clutches.

  “He owes you nothing woman. We are in here because of you and your stupid plans to divide our race. Shut up already,” Patrick roared back.

  “Don’t you ever speak to me that way again Patrick, or Thomas and my sister will be the least of your worries,” she threatened in a high-pitch scream.

  “There’s nothing you can do to hurt me anymore woman. You’ve been torturing me for as long as I’ve known you. I don’t know what I was thinking
letting you talk me into pretending to be your mate so you could get out of your parents’ house. What a fool I was. Dominic, if that is you out there, I am so sorry for everything. Please tell Thomas and Angelica that I’m ready to talk,” Patrick shouted out to him.

  “You don’t dare say a word, either of you. You cannot hide from me and I will make sure you both pay if either of you speak,” Anna just started screaming at them. “They will never defeat me.”

  “Take a look around woman. Have you not noticed that you have already been defeated?” Patrick asked and then laughed at her.

  Dominic began to back out of the high-security area when Anna began trying to call him back. It took everything in him to keep his silence and not allow her to get to him. It was too easy to let her get inside of his head.

  Slow and steady, he made his way back the way he’d come without making a sound. The sounds of their ear-splitting argument fading, which gave him some much needed relief as he debated with what would be the best course of action to complete his mission.

  When he’d finally made it out of the prison level without being detected, he headed straight into the training room to get started with his workout so no one became suspicious, and plotted in his mind as he worked himself to exhaustion.

  *****

  The rest of the day passed in a blur as Sage showed Viola place after place on her parents’ vast property. Other than the garden, the lake and the gazebo, she knew she’d never remember it all, unless she took this tour every day for a month.

  By the time they returned to the main house, her legs felt like jell-o from so much walking and running. She didn’t know how she was going to follow through with the workout session that had been agreed upon at breakfast as she climbed the stairs and entered her room to change and pull her hair up into a quick ponytail.

  Once she was done, she headed down into the kitchen and pulled a water bottle from the fridge and drank it down in a few long swallows before tossing the empty bottle in the recycling bin and heading to meet the others in the training center.

  Everyone had made it down there before her, so she entered the vast room without hesitating and headed over to where they were grouped in the middle, waiting on her.

  “Hey, I was wondering if I’d worn you out too much and you’d decided to crash instead of joining us,” Sage teased her as she joined the group.

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” she teased back. “Your tour wasn’t all that.”

  Sage grabbed his chest in mock hurt and stumbled back a few steps as if she’d stabbed him through the heart. “Your words wound me my dear.”

  Liam and Cora laughed at the antics between the two, as Viola saw Dominic pass by out of the corner of her eye. It took everything in her not to go over and slap the stupidity out of his head. She forced herself to stay focused on the group in front of her, but that was proving more and more difficult with each encounter she had with her mate.

  “Are we ready to get started or are we just here to watch you two entertain us with your comical sideshow?” Liam asked with a smirk.

  “Yeah, yeah, we’re ready,” Sage said, giving Viola a shove, just because he could, and smirked when she turned on him.

  “Okay, I guess we’re here for the show,” Cora said and laughed so loud it echoed around the large room.

  “No, let’s do this. I’m hungry and want to have time to get cleaned up before dinner,” Viola said, turning serious. Dinner wasn’t the reason she wanted to get started though, it was because she needed the release she knew would come with a vigorous workout.

  “Ok, so let’s get started,” Sage said and spread them out and began putting them through stretches before getting into the actual routine he’d planned for them. Viola let herself get lost in the movement and burning of her muscles. She let it push everything else out of her mind for the time being, knowing it would all come back to weigh her down again later.

  Chapter Thirty

  Sage put the group through a much harder workout than he knew the girls were expecting him to, but he also knew Viola needed it to clear her head. He saw the cloud that had crossed her face as she’d spotted Dominic walking by and forced herself not to look in his direction. He felt her inner turmoil as she fought not to give in and confront him for being stupid.

  He wished he could just lay the guy out for the same thing, but knew it would do no good what-so-ever in the grand scheme of things. Their best bet was to stay the course and continue on with their plan.

  The mating instinct would not allow Dominic to hold back much longer. Sage knew because he’d seen other couples try to fight it and lose the battle. It was only a matter of time.

  When he put them through the cool-down routine, he was very impressed that Cora and Viola had kept up with himself and Liam so well.

  “And, we’re done,” Sage said and watched the twins collapse onto the mats with sweat dripping from every visible pore on their bodies.

  “You don’t hold back do you Sage?” Cora huffed out.

  “If you think this is bad, just wait until training begins tomorrow. This was an easy workout,” Liam warned as he uncapped a bottle of water and downed it almost in one gulp.

  Both girls groaned so loud it echoed in the training center, which caused both of the guys to chuckle. Neither of them were sweating much, which told Viola quite a bit. They were used to this hard-core training stuff.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll take it easy on you at first and ease you into the harder stuff. This was just to clear your heads and give you an outlet for all of the stress that’s been building up inside of you both,” Sage said just before downing a second bottle of water.

  “Besides, now you’ll get a great night’s sleep and be ready for your training to begin bright and early tomorrow morning,” Liam said and gave them a wink.

  “You have got to be kidding me. I don’t think I’ll ever move again,” Cora groaned out.

  “Aw come on. Both of you are tougher than this,” Sage said and laughed.

  “Nah, I think you just worked all the tough I had left out of me,” Viola said, closing her eyes.

  “Yeah, me too,” Cora said with an exhausted laugh.

  “Oh please,” Sage said and rolled his eyes. Liam just laughed at the three of them.

  “Come on wimps,” Liam said as he stood between the two girls and offered each of them a hand to pull them up. “Time to get ready for dinner and replenish your energy supply.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll pass and stay right here. That doesn’t require moving,” Viola said without opening her eyes.

  She heard rustling and Cora giggle before feeling hands lift her up and throw her over a strong, muscular shoulder in a fireman’s hold. Her eyes flew open in an instant as she squealed out, “What the heck are you doing?”

  “You can’t stay here all night and since you weren’t moving voluntarily, I decided I’d help you out,” Sage said and gave her a quick slap on the butt as he began carrying her towards the door that lead to the rest of the house.

  Viola looked up and saw Liam carrying Cora in his arms in a much more gentle and dignified manner and began kicking and punching his back, screeching for him to put her down. He just laughed as he kept walking.

  “I thought you didn’t have any more tough in you?” Sage said while laughing.

  “Grrrrr!” Viola screamed in response.

  “What do you think you’re doing with her?” Dominic’s voice demanded from in front of Sage but behind Viola.

  “I am giving her a lift to her room so she can get ready for dinner. She said she was too tired to move, so I’m helping her along,” Sage said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, which made Viola bounce up and down.

  “Put her down right now!” Dominic bit out with rage lacing his words.

  “Nah, we’re good, aren’t we Vi?” Sage asked her as he reached up and tickled her side.

  “Put me down now!” Viola squealed as she squirmed on his shoulder. She hated being tickled. />
  “Or what?” Sage asked, a teasing note in his voice.

  “Sage’s playing with fire. He should just put her down,” Cora whispered to Liam as she watched the scene before them play out.

  “He knows what he’s doing. He’s pushing Dominic to fight for his mate, which is what we all need and want him to do,” Liam whispered back as the room got colder from Dominic’s powers chilling the air.

  “You don’t want me to answer that Sage,” Dominic ground out from between clenched teeth.

  “Aw, why not?” Sage teased him. He knew Dominic was close to blowing and wanted to push him just far enough that he’d realize he had to fight for his mate to survive.

  “I don’t want to fight with you. I really don’t. Just put Viola down and we can all go to dinner in peace,” Dominic warned.

  “Nah, I wouldn’t want Viola to strain her overworked muscles climbing all of those stairs to get to her room so she can shower and change. I’m good. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna take her there now, she’s getting a little ripe after that workout,” Sage said and waved his hand back and forth in front of his nose to indicate something stinky, which made Dominic’s nostrils flare from fury.

  “You will not take her anywhere carrying her like that. I am sure she is quite capable of walking on her own,” Dominic growled.

  “I’m not willing to take that chance. We wouldn’t want her to not be able to train tomorrow, now would we?” Sage watched the other man very carefully to read how to play him. Dominic was so close to where they needed him to be, it was just pushing him over that edge that was tricky.

  “Put her down before I come over there and get her,” Dominic said, squaring his shoulders.

  “Bring it on man. It’s not like I’m hurting her,” Sage said and prepared for Dominic’s advance. He didn’t want to fight the man, but if that was what it took then he would do it.

  “She deserves more respect than what you are showing her right now. Put her down,” Dominic said as he took a step towards Sage.