Page 111 of Dragon Charmed

“When was this?” Marcus asked.

“A few months before I was attacked. She gave me the storybook and said it was written by an oracle. I didn’t even know what an oracle was at that point. When I started to read it, I remembered the story Mom used to tell us.”

“Where did she get the book?” Megan asked.

“She told me that someone had given it to her, which I didn’t really buy. When I asked her how she knew all this, she said it was from some research she was doing. And I didn’t sense dragon in her.

“So I read the book and it was like the story Mom told us, which surprised me because I had always thought she’d made it up. But then I figured Mom must have heard it from someone else. And other than the symbol on the shield, which matched my necklace, I didn’t think it proved anything.

“Mia met with me a second time, and I told her as much. Then she told me about the witches cursing the dragons and that there was a painting that showed how it all began. Said it could be the key to reversing the curse. And at the same time Ian was telling me about dragons who were losing their abilities to fly and babies being born without their back markings. I couldn’t stand by and let the clan down. I pushed aside my skepticism and asked her what I should do.”

“And she told you to get the painting,” Megan said.

“Yes. She told me that Connor was appraising it. So I reached out to John with the address and number that Mia had given me and tried to get him to sell me the painting. I used the alias so that he couldn’t trace it back to our clan. I had no idea who John Baker was and if he knew what the painting represented.”

He took a sip of coffee. “Of course we already know that John shot down my attempts to buy the painting. And then a month later Mia contacted me and said that I needed to go to the museum and see the painting as soon as possible. That’s when I started researching the museum and saw that the painting was going to be part of a special exhibit and found Megan’s name as being associated with it. I also reached out to the museum director and talked about a large donation if I could see the exhibit, and she invited me to the gala that was going to kick off the exhibit. And I took the cash from my personal account and planned on visiting John to convince him to sell me the painting.”

“Did you meet with Mia again?” Tessa said.

“No.”

“And you didn’t have a way to contact her?” Eric asked.

Adam frowned. “I did and I tried to reach out to her. When I hadn’t heard from her, I moved forward with my plans to try to build a truce with the Wallace clan, thinking they would want to break the curse as well. I almost lost my life because of that mistake.”

“And you didn’t hear from Mia again?” Marcus asked.

“I did. When she finally called me, Mia was tense. Said things had gotten dangerous and that we needed to meet. That she needed to bring someone to me. Someone who needed the clan’s protection.”

Color drained from Tessa’s face. “Lily.”

“She didn’t tell me who it was, but the timing is too much of a coincidence. It had to be her. But I was attacked before we could meet. So now we know what happened. That for some reason Mia was trying to help us. To help Lily.”

“That would explain why she was so angry when she saw you were alive on the video. She must have thought you stopped working with her, lied to her when she was risking her own life to help you and the clan,” Tessa said.

“So Mia is one of the good guys,” Megan said.

“Except we don’t know if Mia is still a good guy,” Marcus said. “She has been on her own for over a year. Thinking that Adam was dead and not knowing who to trust. And let’s not forget, we don’t know why she joined the Templars to begin with. She had to believe in what they were doing at some point.”

Tessa tapped her fingers on the table. “Marcus has a point. Over a year ago she hid Lily away. We have to assume that was from the Templars or the witches so that they couldn’t take advantage of her or worse. But we don’t know what she’s willing to do now.”

Adam nodded. “Which is why I’m going to try to reach out to her. See if we get a response. We used to meet in a chat group online. I’ll see if I can get her to respond to me. In the meantime, I think we bring the other clans up to speed on the Templars and witches so that they aren’t caught off guard if an attack from either is imminent.”

They finished breakfast and Adam remained in the empty dining room and stared at the bottom of his coffee cup. He finally felt like he wasn’t standing at the precipice of a dark hole. That he could move forward with his clan and family. But something still weighed on him.

Hadn’t he planned to tell Tessa that the clan had to take priority? That he couldn’t think right now about what he had started to feel for her?

So why was he upset that she gave him an out?

He remembered what it was like running the clan and the business. Never a moment for himself. Always putting others in front of his needs and wants. Hell, he wasn’t a saint; he was a realist. He saw how dysfunctional the clan had been during his father’s leadership or lack thereof. He’d banned his own brother for the well-being of the clan.

He didn’t have time for a relationship. Not with the curse. Not with the witches and Templars breathing down their necks. And not with the uncertainty of what was to come.

Although his heart (and dragon) didn’t want a list of reasons why Tessa couldn’t be a part of his life.

But he had to be Adam again. To step into his role of protector even if that meant giving up his own happiness to keep everyone he loved safe.

Chapter 43