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"Don't do that," I told him, knocking his hand away.
"Then what are you doing in here?" he asked.
I gestured around me. "I'm lost."
He peered at me. "Are you drunk?"
"No. Of course not...but ..." The nausea had settled a little, but I still didn't feel right. "I think I should sit down."
He took my arm. "Well, don't do it in here. Someone might get the wrong idea. Let's go somewhere quiet."
He steered me off into a different room, and I looked around with interest. It was a massage area. Several Moroi lay back on tables and were getting back and foot massages from hotel staff. The oil they used smelled like rosemary and lavender. Under any other circumstances, a massage would have sounded great, but lying on my stomach seemed like the worst idea just now.
I sat down on the carpeted floor, leaning back against the wall. Adrian walked away and returned with a glass of water. Sitting down as well, he handed it to me.
"Drink this. It'll help."
"I told you, I'm not drunk," I mumbled. But I downed the water anyway.
"Uh-huh." He smiled at me. "You did nice work with that fight. Who was the other guy that helped you?"
"My boyfriend," I said. "Sort of."
"Mia was right. You do have a lot of guys in your life."
"It's not like that."
"Okay." He was still smiling. "Where's Vasilisa? I figured she'd be attached to you."
"She's with her boyfriend." I studied him.
"What's with the tone? Jealous? You want him for yourself?"
"God, no. I just don't like him."
"Does he treat her badly?" he asked.
"No," I admitted. "He adores her. He's just kind of a jerk."
Adrian was clearly enjoying this. "Ah, you are jealous. Does she spend more time with him than you?"
I ignored that. "Why do you keep asking about her? Are you interested in her?"
He laughed. "Rest easy, I'm not interested in her in the same way I am you."
"But you are interested."
"I just want to talk to her."
He left to fetch me more water. "Feeling better?" he asked, handing the glass to me. It was crystal and intricately carved. It seemed too fancy for plain water.
"Yeah ... I didn't think those drinks were that strong."
"That's the beauty of them," he chuckled. "And speaking of beauty ... that's a great color on you."
I shifted. I might not have been showing as much skin as those other girls, but I was showing more than I really wanted to with Adrian. Or was I? There was something weird about him. His arrogant manner annoyed me...but I still liked being around him. Maybe the smartass in me recognized a kindred spirit.
Somewhere in the back of my drunken mind, a light clicked on. But I couldn't quite get to it. I drank more water.
"You haven't had a cigarette in, like, ten minutes," I pointed out, wanting to change the subject.
He made a face. "No smoking in here."
"I'm sure you've made up for it in punch."
His smile returned. "Well, some of us can hold our liquor. You aren't going to be sick, are you?"
I still felt tipsy but no longer nauseous. "No."
"Good."
I thought back to when I'd dreamed about him. It had been just a dream, but it had stuck with me, particularly the talk about me being surrounded in darkness. I wanted to ask him about it... even though I knew it was stupid. It had been my dream, not his.
"Adrian..."
He turned his green eyes on me. "Yes, darling?"
I couldn't bring myself to ask. "Never mind."
He started to retort, then tilted his head toward the door. "Ah, here she comes."
"Who- "
Lissa stepped into the room, eyes scanning around. When she spotted us, I saw relief break over her. I couldn't feel it, though. Intoxicants like alcohol numbed the bond. It was another reason I shouldn't have taken such a stupid chance tonight.
"There you are," she said, kneeling beside me. Glancing at Adrian, she gave him a nod. "Hey."
"Hey yourself, cousin," he returned, using the family terms royals sometimes used around each other.
"You okay?" Lissa asked me. "When I saw how drunk you were, I thought you might have fallen in somewhere and drowned."
"I'm not- " I gave up trying to deny it. "I'm fine."
Adrian's usual expression had turned serious as he studied Lissa. It again reminded me of the dream. "How'd you find her?"
Lissa gave him a puzzled look. "I, um, checked all the rooms."
"Oh." He looked disappointed. "I thought you might have used your bond."
Both she and I stared.
"How do you know about that?" I demanded. Only a few people at school knew about it. Adrian had spoken about it as casually as he might have my hair color.
"Hey, I can't reveal all my secrets, can I?" he asked mysteriously. "And besides, there's a certain way you two act around each other ... it's hard to explain. It's pretty cool... all the old myths are true."
Lissa regarded him warily. "The bond only works one way. Rose can sense what I'm feeling and thinking, but I can't do it back to her."
"Ah." We sat in silence a few moments, and I drank more water. Adrian spoke again. "What'd you specialize in anyway, cousin?"
She looked embarrassed. We both knew it was important to keep her spirit powers secret from others who might abuse her healing, but her cover story of not having specialized always bothered her.
"I haven't," she said.
"Do they think you're going to? Late bloomer?"
"No."
"You're probably higher in the other elements, though, right? Just not strong enough to really master any?" He reached out to pat her shoulder in an exaggerated show of comfort.
"Yeah, how'd you- "
The instant his fingers touched her, she gasped. It was as though a bolt of lightning had struck her. The strangest look crossed her face. Even drunk, I felt the flood of joy that came pouring through the bond. She stared at Adrian in wonder. His eyes were locked onto hers too. I didn't understand why they were looking at each other like that, but it bothered me.
"Hey," I said. "Stop that. I told you, she has a boyfriend."
"I know," he said, still watching her. A small smile turned his lips. "We need to have a chat someday, cousin."
"Yes," she agreed.
