Chapter 22: Let’s swim
Vivian Grey’s POV
He nodded, lips curling with amusement. "They’d hear stories, think I was some ancient relic, and come looking to prove something. Like they thought they could take down an old man." He scoffed under his breath. "Their faces when they realized the truth? Not worth my time anymore."
I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing. The image was too good: towering men yelling curses, expecting to meet some shriveled elder with a cane, only to find a tall, broad-shouldered god staring back at them with all the patience of someone who had done this exact thing a hundred times and was profoundly bored by it. Zaliver probably didn’t even raise his voice. That almost made it funnier.
But underneath the amusement, I could feel the cracks. The things he wasn’t saying. The parts he was holding back.
And I knew I’d keep asking until I found them.
"So, this island, how do you manage to bring things in and out without attracting human attention?" I asked, genuine curiosity bubbling up. I wasn’t trying to escape anymore. Maybe it was the restful sleep I’d had last night, or maybe I was finally starting to accept that I was here for a while. Either way, the question came from real curiosity, not strategy.
Zaliver arched a brow and looked me over, probably wondering if I was fishing for a way to sneak out. But after a beat, he either decided I wasn’t a threat, or he just didn’t think I stood a chance.
"I’ve been alive a long time, long enough to know the right people, or creatures, I guess. When I found this island, I knew it would be home, even before I realized I’d have a pack here. I didn’t want humans ruining it with their pollution or greed, so I had a witch cast a barrier around it. Now no human or supernatural being without my permission can get in."
My eyes narrowed slightly. "But I’ve seen maps. This place doesn’t show up. There’s nothing but water and a few scattered land masses on the edge. How does something this huge stay hidden?"
He smirked. "Because that’s what I want people to see. The barrier makes the island nearly invisible, or appear submerged. The land is a lot bigger than you think, probably as big as Texas. If planes or boats try to get close, they run into a storm, lightning, whirlpools, you name it. The border keeps them away."
I blinked, genuinely impressed. "No wonder this is the one area even the most stubborn explorers and governments won’t go near. Still, that doesn’t explain how you get stuff in and out."
"That," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes, "is for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot."
I pressed my lips together and looked at him. He looked back. Neither of us moved.
"You’re not going to tell me," I said flatly.
"No," he agreed pleasantly.
I turned back to face the road, making a mental note to ask again later when he was either in a better mood or I had better leverage. Probably the latter.
The drive had taken us into a much busier part of the island. Tall, clean buildings rose on either side, almost sterile in their design. The place had the quiet hum of order and purpose.
That reminded me why we were even in this car.
"So, why are we going to the doctor? I’m perfectly fine, in case you hadn’t noticed," I said, a bit defensively.
"You’ll find out in a few minutes," he said casually as he pulled up in front of a sleek white building with four stories and large glass windows. A sign in front read: Laboratory of Experimental Research.
My stomach dropped at the word experimental.
He turned off the car and reached for the door handle. I stared at the building.
"Wait, hold on. I thought you said we were going to a doctor. That place does not look like a hospital," I said, suspicion creeping into my voice.
Zaliver rolled his piercing blue eyes, then stepped out, slamming the door shut behind him. A moment later, he came around to my side and opened my door, waiting silently.
I stayed seated.
He raised a brow.
"I mean it," I warned, unbuckling my seatbelt slowly. "If I get jabbed with anything, anything at all, I’m out. I’ll swim off this island and vanish so fast you’ll think I never existed. You’ll be stuck searching like some deranged version of Finding Nemo, only this time, Daddy never shows up."
I stepped out before he could respond and marched toward the entrance without waiting for his reply.
Behind me came a low, rumbling growl, then a loud crash and the sound of something shattering against stone.
I didn’t look back. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what he’d just destroyed, and honestly, given the morning I’d had, I felt it was deserved.
But when I reached the door, Zaliver was already there, holding it open for me like nothing had happened. I shot him a sideways glance. His expression was perfectly composed. Not a scratch on him.
I decided not to ask.
"Thanks," I muttered, brushing past him.
He walked ahead like he owned the place, which, knowing him, he probably did. The receptionist behind the front desk gawked at him like she couldn’t believe her eyes. I had to resist the urge to wave and say, Yeah, I know. He’s something else.
We passed her without a word. Zaliver punched in codes and moved through restricted doors with ease. I followed closely, a knot forming in my stomach with every staircase we descended.
After one final flight of stairs, we stopped in front of a glossy blue door. A man stood there waiting, dark-skinned, wearing a crisp white lab coat. His face was lined with age, but his wide smile was warm and unhurried, the kind that had clearly put a lot of frightened people at ease over a long career.
He looked at me first, not at Zaliver, and something in his eyes said he already knew exactly who I was and had been waiting for this introduction for some time.
My nerves didn’t disappear. But they settled, just a little.
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