“I was hoping we could talk some more,” she told him. “Do you think you’ll have time tomorrow?”
Adrian put on the gallant smile most women received. “Sounds great, but I don’t know if I’ll have a chance. I think they expect me to work. It’s such a pain being responsible.”
Rose overheard. “Oh, yeah. So inconvenient, helping with a major breakthrough in Moroi life. Poor, poor Adrian.”
Adrian winked at Nina. “I’ll let you know.”
We left, but not before I saw the longing in Nina’s eyes. Even I could guess her intentions.
Guest housing was in one of the other venerable buildings, and we cut through a courtyard to get there. Light snow was falling, and I tugged my coat around me tightly. Adrian didn’t complain, but he looked a little blue when we reached the building’s lobby. It was run like a hotel, and Rose took it upon herself to arrange our rooms. I lingered on the far side of the lobby, and Adrian strolled over.
“You have no idea how cute you look with all those snowflakes in your hair,” he murmured.
“And you look cute with hypothermia. I hope to God you can get a real coat while you’re here.”
He grinned. “You’ll have to warm me up later. You know I was just playing it up for Nina, right? There’s only one girl for me, but around here, I have to act like there’s a dozen.”
“Only one dozen?” I asked.
“Hey,” Rose called to us. “You’ve got a room with a view on the second floor, Adrian. Sydney–what’s going to make you feel better about creatures of the night? Easy escape on the first floor or distance on the second?”
“Second,” I said, face neutral. “I’ll climb out the window if I need to.”
She led us upstairs and wished Adrian a good night. I received a personal escort to my room, and she looked around it with approval. “Same thing they’d give a royal. Is it okay?”
I wandered around, taking in the enormous suite with its sleek furniture and state‑of‑the‑art entertainment center. “Uh, yeah. I’d say so.”
“I know how weird this must be,” she said kindly. “But we’re doing big things here. At least that’s what everyone says.”
“They’re right,” I said. “And after rooming with Jill and fleeing authorities with you, this is kind of a non‑event.”
That got me one of her brilliant smiles. I was struck by how beautiful she was and couldn’t help a pang of insecurity as I recalled that Adrian had once been so close to her–romantically and physically. Quickly, I pushed those worries aside. The past was done. I had no doubts about Adrian. Rose left with more assurances and urged me to let her know if I needed anything. When she finally took off, I settled into unpacking. Five minutes later, Adrian showed up at my door.
“Damn,” he said, kicking it shut. He grabbed hold of me and pushed me against the wall. “You have no idea what I’ve gone through today.”
I put my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer. “Actually, I have a pretty good idea,” I said, just before I met his lips in a crushing kiss.
There was an urgency in him that answered my own, and all the tightly wound tension I’d carried today exploded between us. He ran his hands over my body and then caught hold of one of my legs and hiked it up beside his hip. My blood burned within me, and I no longer felt even the least bit tired.
As sexy as an against‑the‑wall make‑out session was, we eventually retired to my bed, which gave us both easier access to clothes, skin . . .
I sat beside him on the bed and helped him take off my sweater. “Who knew that escape plan number seventy‑one would end up being ‘Vacation at Moroi Court.’”
He laughed and then brought his lips to the nape of my neck, making me shiver. “Well, why not? No Zoe . . . no Alchemists . . . no time constraints.” He trailed his lips to my shoulder and gently pushed the bra strap down. “We have a lot of freedom, Sage, and a lot of privacy.”
I couldn’t help a small gasp as his skilled lips continued their exploration. I closed my eyes and sank down into the bed, drawing him to me. This could be it, I realized. What I’d been preparing for. We finally had a very real chance to have sex without detection or interruption. It was heady. When were we going to get a chance to do this again?
And yet, as his touch continued to drive me wild, some old, frightened instinct held me back. What was I waiting for? Why was I still afraid? I wanted him, and I loved him, yet some part of me still kept hesitating. It was maddening, especially since my body was screaming for Adrian to rip my clothes off. I opened my eyes and found him looking at me.
“It’s okay,” he said, guessing my thoughts.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Nothing’s wrong with you.”
“I want this. I really do. I just feel like I’m waiting for something.”
“Then wait.” The kindness and patience in his green eyes–mingled with unquestionable desire–made my heart ache.
“I just hate to waste this room and this night,” I admitted.
He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. “Who said we’re wasting anything?” He stretched his body out alongside mine and leaned in for another kiss. “Maybe we’re not doing it, but believe me, Sage, there are plenty of other ways to pass the time.”
CHAPTER 15
ADRIAN
I SLEPT WITH SYDNEY THAT NIGHT–in the literal sense, not the sexual one.
And it was glorious. I hadn’t thought I could feel such joy over something so simple. For so long, I’d wished we could have more time together, that I could just drink her in and not be pressured by everything conspiring against us. Here it was.
It was also a little torturous at times. It made yesterday’s travel tension seem downright easy. Even in a T‑shirt and flannel pajama pants, she was agonizingly sexy. As she lay wrapped in my arms, sleeping with her head against my chest, I found myself thinking a lot about the thin fabric of her shirt and how there was nothing on underneath it. I thought a lot about what it’d be like to remove those clothes. I thought a lot about what I’d do after that. I loved her for her beautiful soul and desired her for her beautiful body. There was nothing sordid about it. It was nature.
As a result, sleep didn’t come easy for me. My earlier nap probably didn’t help matters. When I wasn’t fantasizing about Sydney, my mind wandered to our mission here and the potentially crackpot idea of using Olive’s blood to make an Alchemist‑like tattoo for Neil. Everyone was looking to Sydney and me to pull it off. I was pretty sure the spirit‑infused blood wouldn’t hurt Neil, so, much like Sydney’s own experimental tattoo, there’d probably be no harm done in trying. After all, we were out of options for the blood. It was as good an idea as any and really didn’t bother me.
What did bother me was my rapidly decreasing grasp of spirit. When Sonya had asked me about sensing what was in the vial, I’d had to lie. She was one of the best spirit users at reading truth but had thankfully been too distracted to notice. Because the thing was, I hadn’t been able to read anything off of it. I knew there had to be spirit in the blood, based on her and Lissa’s observations, but I could no longer sense it. I could no longer see auras either, and although I’d made no healing attempts, I could guess those results too.
Jill’s revelation about the bond had been a slap in the face. Spirit’s disappearance had always hovered as a real possibility, but I’d never thought too much about the consequences with her. She’d explained that although she still sensed we were connected, it felt as though there was a curtain between us that blocked my mind coming through to her. That wasn’t exactly a bad thing. It meant my life was private again and that she would be protected from any of spirit’s darkness seeping into her.