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

  Angelica reached out and rubbed Viola’s back in a gentle circle. She stayed quiet for a few moments before meeting her daughter’s eyes with shame in her own.

  “That was my mother, Camilla. She’s named after the ancestor who started all of this horrible conflict in our race. I knew that she was mean but never knew that she could be this horrible,” Angelica said with tears building in her eyes.

  “Well, I guess we know where Anna learned her cruelty from,” Viola said trying her best to ignore her mother’s pain. “I’m glad you’re not like them though.”

  Angelica looked up and met Viola’s eyes and beamed at her words. Her heart swelled as hope for the relationship between herself and her daughter grew. Without saying anything else, Viola moved so her head was lying in Angelica’s lap, letting her mother’s calming touch continue to rub circles on her back and soothe the aching loneliness inside of her. In no time, she was sound asleep.

  Chapter Two

  The following morning, Viola awoke by herself. Angelica had slipped out at some point during the night, to let her rest as much as she could. As she got up, her mind went right back to the guy who’d gotten under her skin without even trying.

  “No. Get out of my head,” Viola muttered to herself and went to find clothes for the day. Hers and Cora’s training was scheduled to begin in a couple of hours and she needed to be finished with breakfast and ready.

  Pulling on a comfortable pair of yoga pants, sports bra, tank top and baggie hoodie, she wondered what all the training would entail. She tied her favorite worn pair of sneakers, then headed out of the bedroom and down the staircase.

  As she entered the dining room, she saw that Cora, Liam and both of her parents were already seated around the enormous dining table waiting for her.

  “Good morning,” she said as she entered and sat down next to Angelica and across from Cora.

  “Morning Sis, did you sleep good last night?” Cora asked, oblivious to Viola’s darker mood. It seemed as if the mating had broken the bond between them to the point Cora couldn’t even sense what Viola was feeling, like she’d always been able to do in the past.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Viola grumbled as she reached for the scrambled eggs.

  “What’s wrong?” Angelica whispered to Viola in such a quiet tone no one else could possibly have heard her question.

  “Nothing,” Viola said with a subtle shake to her head.

  “I’m here if you need me,” Angelica whispered back and resumed her breakfast as if the conversation had not taken place. Viola was very grateful for her discretion.

  “So, what all is involved in our training?” Viola asked in as normal a tone as she could manage.

  “We’ll meet in my study after breakfast and I’ll fill you in. Let’s just enjoy our meal and be thankful Liam is here with us in full health,” Thomas said and raised his coffee cup to his lips. Just then, Sage entered the room and sat down next to her with a nod of his head.

  Viola went back to eating without saying anything else. She didn’t know what to say. Everyone else seemed to be happy and comfortable and she felt like the odd one out.

  As everyone else chatted, she sat and tried to keep up with the conversation, but her mind kept wandering back to him. She didn’t know what to do to get him out of her head. Before she knew it, everyone was pushing their chairs back from the table and preparing to move into Thomas’ study. She followed suit, without having eaten much of her food at all.

  She followed behind the crowd, trying to remain unnoticed. As they exited the dining room, Cora dropped back and put an arm around her.

  “Hey, I’m sorry things happened so fast. I’m here whenever you need me. Please don’t ever doubt that,” Cora whispered and gave Viola’s shoulders a squeeze. “Maybe after training today, we can have some girl time and you can tell me what’s on your mind?”

  “I’m happy for you Sis. I’m just trying to adjust to everything. Please don’t worry about me,” Viola whispered back. She noticed Liam toss a look over his shoulder and smile at his new mate.

  “I will always worry about you. I know something’s wrong. Can we talk after the training?” Cora persisted.

  “We’ll see. We may both drop after they’re done with us,” Viola tried to joke, but Cora saw right through it.

  “We’re tougher than that and you know it. Quit trying to avoid me. I love you Vi. I want to help you with whatever’s wrong,” Cora pulled Viola to a stop as they got close to entering Thomas’ study. “Please don’t shut me out.”

  “Really Cora, there’s nothing wrong. You should go be with Liam after training. Don’t worry about me,” Viola said, putting up as brave of a front as she could.

  “I hate it when you lie to me and shut me out,” Cora stated in a flat tone of voice.

  Viola rolled her eyes knowing Cora would see through all of her lies and claims to be fine. She didn’t know how, but she had to find a way to convince her twin all was well, even if it wasn’t.

  “Please talk to me after training,” Cora almost begged.

  “Fine.” Viola relented. She’d have to come up with a plausible story that was as close to the truth as she could get by the time training was over. “Can we go now?”

  This time it was Cora’s turn to roll her eyes at her twin.

  “Come on,” she said as she pulled Viola into the study.

  As the twins entered, Thomas threw them an annoyed look and motioned for them to take their seats on the leather couch. It seemed to be their designated spots in the room for meetings. Cora instantly cuddled up to Liam on the couch leaving Viola to sit next to her, feeling alone even though she was surrounded by people.

  Ignoring the gnawing loneliness, she focused her attention on her father. She knew their cause was valid and that Anna and her people were wrong. Heck, anything Anna was behind, the twins were against just on principle. That woman was twisted in every sense of the word.

  Thomas waited a few minutes to let everyone settle before he began. He knew Liam would be against what was coming, but he was not going to change his decision. Clearing his throat, he began.

  “Viola, Cora, as you know, your training will begin this morning. Liam, I know you feel you would be the best choice to train the girls, but I feel you are too connected to them, on a personal level, to be as tough on them as we need. I have chosen someone else to perform their training,” Thomas began, waiting for their objections.

  Liam nodded without saying anything. It was obvious to everyone he was disappointed and very upset by Thomas’ decision, but didn’t argue with their father in the open. Viola wondered if that’s what the two of them had overheard when they’d eavesdropped on a conversation between their parents a couple of days ago. Making a mental note to ask them about it later, she turned her attention back to their father.

  He cleared his throat and continued on, “Xavier will be training you both on how to use your powers. He’s tough and will demand even more than either of you think you have in you.”

  “Sir, I mean no disrespect, but I’m not sure Xavier is the right man to train them,” Liam spoke up.

  “I feel he is perfect for the job. We do not have the time to coddle them into learning to use their powers. They have a lot to learn in a short amount of time,” Thomas said in a stern voice. To Viola, he didn’t seem the least bit surprised at Liam’s objections. In fact, if she was reading her father right, he didn’t like the choice he’d felt he’d had to make either.

  Liam pressed his lips together in a tight line and didn’t say another word. It was obvious to everyone he wasn’t going to win this battle against their father.

  “Liam, I agree that under normal circumstances, Xavier is not the ideal choice for this type of job, but we need the girls to learn fast. That makes him the best choice,” Angelica tried to soothe her new son-in-law.

  “Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be present for all of their training sessions,” Liam spoke with an edge in his voice that made Viol
a wary.

  “You have other work to attend to. Besides, all you would do is distract Cora from her training. Sage will be there to monitor the situation as his assistant trainer,” Thomas said and looked over at Liam’s older brother.

  “Yes sir. I will monitor the training and make sure he doesn’t push them beyond their limits,” Sage replied on cue. Thomas nodded once and continued on with the meeting. Viola noticed that Liam’s shoulders relaxed a bit with his brother’s confirmation.

  “Now, there is a training arena in the basement that you’ll be reporting to every morning. Xavier is there right now setting up for your first session. Today, he will be going over your training schedule and everything that will be expected of you during your sessions. He will show you some warm ups and how to begin controlling the powers within you so you can do your best to prevent accidents,” their father informed them.

  Viola gave a simple nod of her head, wishing she was anywhere but there. The urge to go and find the guy who’d taken her from her family to Anna was becoming stronger and stronger. She didn’t understand how she could feel that way about someone whose name she didn’t even know and worked for a monster like Anna.

  Cora frowned as she watched her sister’s unusual reactions to what was going on. Viola could see it out of the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore it. She didn’t have time for Cora’s worries when she had to figure out what was going on within herself.

  That was her mission when training was over, not talking to Cora about how great being mated was. She also didn’t feel like trying to explain why she was drawn to a guy she couldn’t have because he was on the wrong side of their war. Her heart broke a little as that thought crossed her mind.

  As Thomas dismissed their meeting, she rose to her feet and headed out of the door with Cora and Sage for their first round of training. She just hoped she could focus enough to control her powers and not harm anyone.

  Chapter Three

  Sage made the introductions between the twins and Xavier without much enthusiasm. He agreed with Liam that Xavier was the wrong person to train the girls. At least Thomas had granted his request to assist and provide a buffer between the three of them. It was only a matter of time before this whole situation exploded in all of their faces.

  “This is not a game. You will work hard. There will be no whining,” Xavier said as he paced back and forth, examining both girls and looking almost disgusted with both of them. Sage could see that Viola’s back was stiff as a board with the tension he could feel rolling through her. This guy really got under her skin and, from the stress he was feeling from Cora, he got under hers as well.

  As he stood back watching the scene play out, he tried to figure out what this guy’s deal was. He couldn’t get an emotional read on him like he could with everyone else. The block made him even more on edge. It was common knowledge that Xavier and Sage had not gotten along in the past on any mission they’d worked together, but never before had the guy’s emotions been blocked from him.

  Xavier continued his lecture of what he expected and would not tolerate from the girls as Sage watched and evaluated. This was going to be tricky. Xavier knew his stuff, there was no doubt about that at all. It was his patience that worried Sage as the guy droned on and on. They’d gotten there an hour ago and Xavier was still talking.

  Viola started tapping her foot, with an impatience she was not bothering to hide at all, and rolling her eyes every time Xavier’s back was turned to her. Cora was having a difficult time covering her silent laughter at her twin’s antics and Sage was finding that he was having the same problem.

  Finally, Sage got tired of listening to the guy talk and cleared his throat, interrupting. “Are you planning on getting started soon or are you just enjoying listening to yourself talk? The rest of us quit listening about an hour and a half ago.”

  Both girls laughed so loud that Sage couldn’t help but smile at them. He was glad he’d broken their tension, but he could tell Xavier was about to go ballistic. The guy needed to learn how to lighten up.

  “You will show me respect Sage Alexander or I will make sure you are reassigned. I am in charge here, not you,” Xavier bit out and pointed his finger to accentuate his point.

  “I am not saying you are not in charge, but we are wasting time listening to you instead of teaching the girls what they need to know to fulfill the prophecy. At the rate you’re going, you’ll still be talking when the time of the prophecy arrives. Maybe I should go inform Thomas of our progress after three and a half hours,” Sage said and raised his eyebrows at the man while the girls continued to crack up laughing.

  “We work on my schedule, not yours!” Xavier almost screamed, the pitch of his voice had risen so high.

  “No. You work on my schedule Xavier,” Thomas’ voice boomed as he descended the stairs towards the four of them. “So far, I see no progress.”

  “Uh, sir, I was explaining the rules to the girls when Sage…” Xavier came close to stuttering at the unexpected appearance of the girls’ father.

  “Sage what?” Thomas asked, and raised an eyebrow at Cora’s new brother-in-law.

  “I reminded him that we don’t have time to listen to him ramble on and on,” Sage replied with a smirk. He winked at the girls discreetly, but otherwise looked professional while speaking to Thomas.

  “As you should. The girls have been down here with you for over three hours now and no progress has been made. I am very disappointed. I expected more,” Thomas said, disapproval clear in his words.

  “I apologize, Sir. We will get started right away,” Xavier backtracked. Sage raised his eyebrow in suspicion. This was a man who never backed down to anyone so his behavior was uncharacteristic. Sage vowed to do some digging on the man once this training session was over. Half of the day was already wasted.

  “Xavier, in my office, now. Sage, take the girls to get lunch. Liam and Angelica are waiting in the dining room for you all,” Thomas instructed.

  “Yes sir,” Xavier and Sage replied in unison. Xavier stalked up the stairs, furious, as Thomas and Sage both turned toward the girls who had now sobered up from their laughing fit.

  “I will join you at lunch as soon as I am done with Xavier,” Thomas informed them and turned on his heel, fury evident in his stride and the set of his shoulders.

  “Do you think dear old dad will get rid of that clown and let you and Liam train us after all of that?” Viola asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Or are we going to join the circus?”

  “I don’t know Vi but I’d love to be a fly on the wall in that office right about now,” Cora said, as they began walking up the stairs from the basement to join Angelica and Liam for lunch. Viola’s stomach rumbled as they progressed, since she hadn’t eaten much at breakfast.

  “Yeah, so would I, but it seems my stomach has other ideas,” Viola said and rolled her eyes again.

  Sage followed them up the staircase without saying anything. His mind was on Xavier’s odd behavior. Neither twin could want to be in on that conversation in Thomas’ office more than he did. There was something off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He decided as they reached the top of the staircase that if training was postponed for the rest of the day, he’d spend the rest of it doing his own investigating.

  The girls continued chatting until they reached the dining room. As they entered, Cora went straight to Liam and sat down on his lap, kissing him as if they hadn’t seen each other in forever and Sage noticed an immediate change in Viola’s emotional structure. She went from relaxed and almost happy to tense, awkward, confused and sad.

  He took a step toward her, leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Everything okay with you?” he asked, worried.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” Viola responded with a look over her shoulder that told him she did not appreciate his concern.

  It then occurred to him that she didn’t know about his extra power of reading emotions. He wasn’t sure whether he should tell her or no
t. She didn’t seem to welcome his general concern for her, so it would only make sense for her to be furious if she found out he could read her emotions without her permission.

  “Nothing really, a lot has happened in the last few days. I was just wondering how you were handling all of it,” Sage replied and pulled out a chair for her at the table. Viola didn’t say anything else as she got herself seated and he moved over to sit next to her.

  Sage kept a discreet eye on Viola as he answered a question from Angelica and Cora moved from Liam’s lap to the seat to his left. Her emotions became more and more clouded with loneliness and confusion as they all chatted as a group around the table, waiting for Thomas to arrive before beginning their meal.

  On the surface, she put on a great show. Anytime she glanced at her twin and his brother however, he felt a sense of longing build within her.

  He had to wonder what was going on under the surface of her calm and collected façade. He made another mental note to try talking to Viola more to see if he could get her to open up to him. She was family now that Cora and Liam were mated and nothing would happen to her if he could prevent it.

  Thomas entered the room and sat at the head of the table. He leaned over and gave Angelica a quick kiss on the cheek before straightening himself in his seat and clearing his throat.

  “I am suspending your training for the rest of the day. I suggest you get your rest because tomorrow will be a strenuous day. I have to apologize for Xavier wasting your time this morning. He will no longer be training you,” Thomas said as he began to fill his plate with food.

  “Who will be training us then?” Cora asked with her normal curiosity.

  “I will figure out his replacement by tomorrow morning. Just remember, this is not fun and games. You have a lot of learning to catch up on,” Thomas told them in a stern voice.

  “Thomas, let them relax and enjoy their meal,” Angelica admonished him with love in her voice.

  Both girls filled their plates like everyone else was doing and didn’t say a word. Sage bowed his head and smirked without being noticed and Liam’s eyes sparkled with silent laughter. Public admonishments by Angelica were frowned on by Thomas, but she always ignored him and did it anyway knowing he wouldn’t say anything about it.