The catch was that the Jacobsons weren't allowed to put any necklaces in the pot. This was my punishment for wanting to be with Caleb so much, my freaking significant and fiancé.Caleb got the full understanding of the rules, too, and hummed a noise of annoyance. "This is ridiculous. You can't expect me to sit back and watch as every guy in the place fights for a dance with my significant. You all act as though you don't know how the imprints work!" he bellowed. "You know that my body will rebel against this."
"Yes, and it's very good practice for you," Paulo stated. "You need to learn to share her, however uncomfortable that may be."
"Would you share your wife?" Caleb growled.
"No, I wouldn't," Paulo growled back, "but I'm not married to the Visionary either."
"This is bull." Caleb grabbed my arm, gently even in his anger, and started to take me to the door.
"You will adhere to the rules, Caleb," we heard from behind us. We turned to find Haddock, stoic as ever. "It's important that you do this."
Haddock had been awfully quiet throughout it all. I cocked my head at him, but he just looked at me. I switched my gaze to Donald, who seemed ever so happy with the turnout of things. Then to Paulo, who was watching us all as if a fight would break out any second.
"We will follow the rules," I told them and brought Caleb with me and I opened the door with a bang.
"Like hell we'll follow the rules," Caleb rumbled as we made our way. He pulled me to a stop. "I'm not going to sit there while they pawn you off to the highest bidder!"
"They've got something up their sleeve," I told him in a whisper. "I know it. This is our chance to figure it all out and end this with the Watsons for good."
"All the more reason not to do it. I'm not going to knowingly put you in danger."
We could have stood there all night and argued, so I took his hand and led the way to my room. When we got there and I flipped on the light, I was stunned. There were gorgeous dresses lining the walls on racks. One dress, a cream one that made me sigh at its gorgeousness, was laid out on my bed. And near the armoire was a table lined with jewelry.
I turned away from it all and pulled Caleb down to kiss me. He sighed at first, but soon kissed me like I wanted. He probably thought I was trying to distract him with kisses, but I wasn’t.
I pulled back a little and leaned my head against his. "Thank you for what you did for Ruth."
"She helped us," he reasoned through a ragged breath. "It was the right thing to do." He let out a long telling breath. "Ok, fine. I know that you have to do this, but I don’t have to like it and I'm not going to pretend like I do."
"Deal," I said in gratitude. "I'll get Rodney to sit with you."
"You mean hold my arms so that I don't pummel anyone," he half joked.
"Yep," I answered. This time he was one who kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, thankful that he was here and mine.
Twenty Four
After Caleb left to get dressed, I took a long hot bath, because I had a lot of time to kill. Caleb needed to go and see his father. I was left to my own devices so I soaked in the ostentatious tub with bubbles up to my neck until the water turned cold.
After that, I did my hair and makeup before coming to stand over the dress on the bed. That Gran had awesome taste and this dress was no exception. I slipped it on. I just had a feeling that no one was coming to help me dress today. It fit like it was made for me and when I zipped up the side. I tried to ignore the designer label, but Dolce was Dolce.
The dress was beautiful, but long and heavy feeling. I'd never been a fan of long dresses and apparently, the beauty of the gown had no effect on that fact. It rubbed my legs and ankles in a way that I knew was going to affect me all night.
I looked the dressing table over. Yes, the dressing table. The room the council had stuck me in was extravagant beyond belief and reason. As were the necklaces that lay before me. To choose, to choose… It wasn't easy. I had no idea who gave what necklace and the necklace of my choice held my fate for the night's escort. I was going to be stuck with some other guy for the whole night because of one of those beautiful necklaces. And of course, Jacobsons weren't allowed to offer necklaces to me. I had to 'spread the courtesy' they'd said. Though I belonged to the Jacobsons, I shouldn't show favor to that clan. And the necklaces; it seemed wrong that the council was using something so beautiful and elegant to so blatantly piss Caleb off.
I pondered the events of the week so far and collected everything so I could put myself together and try to be ready for what had to be tonight. Tonight was the night and the Watsons were going down. So I started off with Caleb.
Caleb's blowup hadn't helped things. I couldn't blame him one bit though. As a matter of fact, I was bursting with pride as he let the council have it about all the hypocrisy they were spewing our way. Of course, them carting him off to the 'dungeon' wasn't exactly how we planned things either.
And my subsequent jailbreak and threatening of the guards was just the cherry on top of this crazy sundae.
I had no idea what I was doing. The way everyone looked at me and spoke to me; everyone was afraid to look me in the eye or touch me for fear that I'd read or reach something about their past. Or future. Power is an odd thing. It's destructive, it's addictive, it's idiotic at times, but it's also strangely beautiful how the chaos just flows around it. The beat of the human heart thrives for it, but not this heart.
I was ready to be done with this week. I wanted to marry my Caleb. And despite the fact that the council tried to call our bluff and marry us the first day, luckily Peter was a quick thinker. I wanted to marry him, but not because someone told me I had to. I know I was so against marriage before, but I couldn’t even remember why. And the age thing? Blah. It meant nothing now. I was so ready to be everything for the man I loved and it wasn't just to escape the Visionary stuff. I just genuinely looked forward to learning how to be a couple, on our own, with no distractions, with Caleb.Gosh, the look of pride on Peter's face…watching Caleb turn red and defend my honor…Caleb's powerful arms twitching and moving to protect me… Even now I could feel the ache in my chest, of both pride and want. The councils' stupid rules and traditions had me away from Caleb too much and I was already feeling the withdrawal again.
I steeled myself, raised my chin, swiped the tear that escaped and chastised myself for letting it. I picked the keychain up from the dresser and rubbed the cool, smooth surface of the obsidian. I was the Visionary, I was everything they said I was and more, I could feel it, and I was about to use their words against them. They were about to see that things were going to change. I was not to be put on display and worshipped and passed around like some trinket or commodity. I was me and I had my family behind me.
Defiance of the way things are is the only way to embrace what's coming. The council had been worshipped and revered too long for a bunch of coots with nothing to do but get manicures and live underground. And the Aces needed to learn that complacency was acceptance, even if you wanted to believe otherwise.
And we were not going to accept it anymore.
So, I put the keychain down and chose my necklace. It was beautiful and matched my dress so perfectly with its cream leaves, intricate gold filigree and moonstone. I wondered who it belonged to and who I would be stuck with for the night. I slipped it on, placing the gold shawl around my neck to cover it as instructed. I checked my mascara for smears and then opened my door to reveal my guard, Rodney.
"Are you ready to go, milady?" he jested.
"No," I said as I took his arm and let him guide me. "No, absolutely not."
"Don’t worry. I'll keep one hand on Caleb at all times," he said. So he knew exactly what tonight was about. "He won't like it tonight, but he'll be ok. He just has to learn to share," he said and winked.
"Ha ha. This is a stupid tradition- I'm sorry, I'm not trying to offend, it just is. What is the purpose of this? The council doesn't even know me. How do they know how I would react to other clans? I planned to be sociable, as I have been since we got here," I sulked. "They didn't have to go to extremes and make out like this was the only way to spread me around."
"I don't know, Maggie. We haven't had a Visionary in any of our times before. We're all going on what the council says is customary."
"I know," I said pointedly. "That's what scares me most."
"We're here," he stated the obvious and stopped at the doors. "You'll be great. Just be the sweet, chatty girl I know you are and dazzle them with a smile. I guarantee you'll have them eating out of your little Visionary palm."
"Thanks," I said sincerely. "Really. Doing all this without Caleb feels wrong, but with you here, it makes it bearable at least."
"It is my honor and pleasure." I grimaced at the Visionary worship and he caught it. "Maggie. It is my honor and pleasure, Maggie. You're family and Caleb is like a brother to me. I'd do anything for him, including," he opened the big double doors to a room full of anxious people, "escorting his girl to another guy," he said wryly and smiled.
I looked out over the sea of faces. Even the married Aces wanted a night with the Visionary. It was status and bragging rights and a glance at the coots table told me they were enjoying the show. Though, I tried not to, I glanced at Caleb. I almost lost it as my heart jumped violently, but Rodney pulled his arm around me and though I knew it would break 'protocol', I hugged him. I heard a few gasps, but didn't even look their way as my eyes stayed locked on my significant.