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“Yeah,” I say, nodding my head.
“I’m sorry. In my world, these conversations are had freely. Sexuality is something you get very comfortable with when you’ve lived for hundreds of years.” She bites the inside of her cheek, looking nervous about what I’m going to say.
This whole encounter has been entirely too strange. I came here with the expectation that I’d leave declaring this vampire a mortal enemy, but things are shifting. I truly feel like she’s not after Julian and she really wants to get to know me. Am I being naïve?
“I promise I’ll do better at reading the room. Isn’t that the expression?” She smiles. “The last thing I would ever want to do is make you uncomfortable, Marina. I know that Julian loves you and he will spend the rest of your lifetime with you. I just want to be your friend.”
I search her face for any signs she’s full of shit but find none. She seems wholly sincere, even eager for my response. Despite the inherently pessimistic part of me that insists I don’t believe her, the biggest part of me decides to smash the insecurity down and give her the benefit of the doubt. If Julian trusts her, then I will give her this chance.
I smile, hoping it’s a sufficient olive branch. She grabs my hands in hers and squeezes.
“What happened to your lip?” she asks, puckering her mouth in contemplation.
My hand flies to my wound instinctively to hide it. Why? I have nothing to hide. Julian did this. It’s his embarrassment to have, not mine.
Adèle must read into my expression, because her eyes narrow and she leans across the table. “What happened, Marina?”
“It... was an accident,” I lie, and it’s clear by her expression she’s not buying it. Sighing, I tell her as much as I’m willing. “Julian lost his temper at finding Law in my room.”
Her brow raises and she smothers a giggle. “Julian? Our Julian?” she asks, as though this is the furthest thing from a possibility. “I’ve never seen that man so much as jealous. And toward Law of all people? That’s positively ridiculous.”
“Right,” I say, nodding. “He lost it, Addy. I’ve never seen him so angry. Possessive.”
She takes a deep breath. “Yes, well, he’s been out of sorts, I must admit. All the pressure is building on him.” She bites her lower lip. “Don’t punish him too severely, Marina. Vampires... well, our strength gets the best of us at times. Add to that, his feelings for you are overwhelming enough. I know him. This has to be eating him alive today.”
“It should,” I say, looking at the table. “I’d never betray him, and especially not with his brother.”
“Oh, Marina. He doesn’t think that. It’s just the stress of everything coming at him at once. It’s not acceptable behavior, but this is all new to Julian. Your... connection is new.”
I consider what she’s said, and although it doesn’t excuse his behavior, it does explain it to a degree. But her comment about our connection makes me wonder—what does she know? I don’t have a chance to ask before she’s onto the next topic.
“Once we get past all of this nastiness, we’re getting to know each other better.”
For a moment, I forgot why she is here in the first place. What did her father want from Julian? Did he agree to help? Why does he have the key? My mind goes on overdrive thinking about all the mounting questions.
“Adèle, is your father going to help Julian?”
She smiles. “He is.” It’s all she offers, so I press.
“What is he asking for in exchange?” I know it’s a ballsy question, but just a moment ago she was acting like we’re going to be best friends, and best friends talk about everything, right? I might as well put her sincerity to the test.
She scrunches her nose. “At first he was trying to enforce the original marriage arrangement, but both Julian and I told him it was out of the question.”
My heart leaps at the knowledge that Julian refused. I know his heart is mine, but who knows what he’d be willing to do in order to stop Marcellus? If I’m honest, I wouldn’t even be able to blame him. It has to end. At any cost.
“Instead,” she continues, “Julian offered my father the position of his right-hand man in the Council. He also opened up a spot for me,” she says, beaming. “That makes me the first female to serve on the Council, and our family the first ever to have more than one family member serving. It secures us as the next royal family in a sense.”
I smile, elated that Julian is bringing the Council to a more progressive era and even more thrilled that it isn’t going to require my boyfriend to marry Adèle.
“Congratulations,” I say, meaning it wholeheartedly.
She grins. “We’re going to take down the evil that’s plagued my kind, Marina. Julian’s the right Crown to do it.”
“What’s next?” I ask, wanting to hear everything.
“I’m leaving in a month for Raleigh, North Carolina. A human friend of mine is the key to creating a synthetic blood alternative.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. This human friend has already agreed to help?”
