"Sydney, wake up."
I open my eyes. My cage was the same as it has been the past few hours, days, I'm not sure anymore. Same dark walls. Same shackles. Same disgusting smells. I try to grit my teeth against the voice that thunders in my head now; had been haunting me for days since they captured him-
Adrian.
The pain radiates from my stomach and I shake with the weight of it. I feel cold. Everywhere. I can't breath. My breathes are ragged pains clawing their way up my throat and through my mouth; but that isn't what I am concerned about. Who I am terrified for.
Adrian.
I slide further along the steel shackles trying to find a weakness but I know there is none. I can't see anything besides blurred shapes in the dark room. I bite down on my lip as fire rips through my chest, effectively cutting off my movements. I am breathing heavily and I know I have to find Adrian. That's all that matters-
"You're well enough to move, hmm?" a cold voice smiles down at me. I recognize it. I wish I don't.
"Where's Adrian?" I grind out through clenched teeth.
"Oh, he's just fine. He's positively yummy, isn't he?" another voice, a higher, girlier voice, drawled this time. "He's going to be positively stunning."
My head snaps up at her words. I look up at my captors for the first time and feel the tendrils of fear lick their way through my belly.
"No…" Please, I silently left out. "What do you want? I'll give you anything! Don't do this!"
Their smiles were both parts glee and cruelty rolled together in one sadistic shape. I have to swallow and look away, knowing I am caught in their web now. But what else can I do?
It is Adrian.
"Bring him in." the male Strigoi calls. I keep my head lowered as my eyes widen. I can't let them see my hope, my despair, my anguish, my everything coming down the hallway.
I let my eyelids flicker shut for a moment-
"I wasn't sure you'd make it," Adrian smiles.
"And miss all of this?" I look around his apartment. It is currently decked out for New Years Eve with black, white, and purple streamers everywhere. The purple is our inside joke, of course. Ever since he told me about my aura reacting to his touch, I started wearing pieces of purple. Whenever I do, Adrian's eyes get really dark and my aura smolders a little bit brighter.
A win-win, I'd say.
Adrian is now looking at me with a look I couldn't describe; it is a mixture of annoyance and satisfaction. I huff.
"What, Adrian?"
"Your dress," he replies, simply.
I raise an eyebrow looking down to my black cocktail dress. It ends above my knees, clings in all the right places(according to Jill), and has little flecks of gold to keep it from being too boring.
I picked it out specifically for him.
"What's wrong with it? Did I get a stain on it?"
"No, I'm just not sure how long you'll stay in it…" He whispers near my ear as my knees threaten to drop. Adrian still has that effect even after-
"Wake up, Miss Sage."
I am biting my lip so hard it started to bleed. The memories are the worst. I wonder if one can drive themselves crazy with memories. I'm starting to believe so.
Adrian, Adrian, Adrian
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
Sydney. Keep your focus on the present
He's no good to you dead
"Don't you want to say hello?" the male Strigoi laughs. My head is still bowed. I refuse to look up. I can tell he's loving this. The drama, the angst, our love for each other, knowing he might be the one to tear us apart for each other.
Over my dead fucking body, pal
"Go on, get in there," the female pushs someone into my cage.
It's no longer my cell. It has become my cage.
I refuse to look, I can't I can't I can't
I look.
Adrian is right in front of me. He's still a Moroi and I want to cry. I want to cry, I want to laugh, I want to break my shackles and run to him. He looks dirty and skinny and scared but his eyes are emerald fire as he meets my gaze head on. He has no red rings. I feel it in my soul like a freight train, like I haven't eaten for days and his face is food that I've found waiting for me. I drink him in and I can tell he's doing the same. I take in that he's unharmed, that he's angry, but then I look closer.
They've been drinking from him.
I hear a scream, an inhuman cry. I realize it's mine.
The female Strigoi saunters forward and picks up his head, bending it backward to an awkward angle. Adrian groans. I snarl.
"Don't you dare touch him," I wrestle against my chains but it's no use; I know it's no use.
"Like I said, precious." She ran a finger down his marked throat.
"And you're just an ugly slut with a bad drug habit," Adrian grinds out. He gasps as she jabs her finger into his neck.
"Language, tsk, tsk." She licks the blood off her index finger; I look away. "You'll make an interesting Strigoi."
"Stop playing with the food," the male rolls his eyes and walks over to me. He grabs my hair and I cringe away from his touch. "Oh, for fuck's sake."
He slaps me. Hard. My face is burning, my ears are ringing, the room is spinning. I can't help the tears from spilling over my cheeks.
"SAG-" I hear Adrian roar, but I can't do much else besides blink my eyes. The pain has overtaken my senses; nothing else matters.
"Are you willing to cooperate?"
"I…"
"Yes, or no, Miss Sage. My patience is quite thin, I assure you."
NO "Yes," I whisper. "Whatever you need, just please, leave Adrian alone."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he laughs. "He's a Royal, you see. And we've been trying to change one for ages. What irony that you just happened to set one in my lap, Miss Sage."
"Remind me why I need to see my father again today?"
"Because he needs to know you're a good citizen, that you are an adult, that you're responsible now?"
Adrian stretches in the car seat next to me, groaning and sounding generally annoyed. I didn't know Nathan Ivashkov personally but according to Adrian he wasn't getting a World's Greatest Dad mug anytime soon.
"If that's the reason, Sage, turn this vehicle around pronto. I can use without the family drama."
"And because you want to know about your mom?" I say, quietly and carefully.
Adrian stiffens, then sighs. "I knew I invited you for a reason. My own personal guardian angel. To keep me from listening to my demons. Which I do do, frequently."
He was grinning at me now. I stare straight ahead to ignore him but I was biting my cheek to keep from returning his grin. He was too contagious.
"I'm so glad you were forthcoming earlier, however," the Strigoi grins, his smile an oil spill of evil and darkness. "You saved yourself a lot of trouble."
"Are you done with the interrogation act yet?" the female whines. My fists clench. I want to kill her for touching Adrian, for hurting him.
The male smirks. "Just about. Let's leave them."
"But I-"
"Leave them."
"Fine," she huffs, and turns to follow him out.
"Wait," Adrian whispers. His voice is broken. So, so broken. Like he's been screaming for days.
"Our deal. Do you still agree to it?"
The male's eyebrows rose above his red eyes. "Of course, little Royal."
Adrian's only response is to clench his jaw and bow his head as the cage door shut behind him. On us.
—-
He was standing exactly where I left him. I wasn't sure if he'd still be there; I wasn't sure of anything at all. What were we anymore? Could he love me after all of the horrible things I said to him?
"Adrian."
His shoulders tensed at the sound of my voice but he didn't turn around. I wanted to cry or break something, I wanted to run up to him and shake him. I didn't do any of those things.
"Adrian, please…"
"What, Sage?" He still didn't turn around. "Did you come back to remind me again how wrong we are for each other?"
I wasn't sure what to say. Why did I come back? What was I doing here? Did I think Adrian was wrong for me?
No.
"No, Adrian, I want to talk. I feel horrible.."
He laughed, loudly. "I can imagine. You feel bad about interrupting someone, Sage. This must be eating you up with guilt."
My anger peaked. "Adrian, enough. I came here to apologize to you." I took a deep breath. "You shocked me."
He turned around at that. "I shocked you? Jesus, Sage, it's only a one year anniversary party…."
—-
Sydney
Sydney, open your eyes
No. No, I didn't want to. But I have to. I have to see the eyes that belong to the voice. The planes of his face, the lips that shape the words that follow. I have to see his nose, perfect and straight, crinkling when he smiles. I don't want to see any of this; I need to see all of this.
I open my eyes. He's right in front of me.
Adrian.
He is touching my shoulder. I'm on fire, licking heat all the way from my shoulder to my finger tips, I wish that I was unchained like he is. I want to touch him. Everywhere. But I am shackled. I laugh shakily but it sounds more like a sob. Appropriate.
He's lifting my hair off of my right shoulder, lifting it over my back and laying it over my left shoulder. I still haven't stopped taking in his face. His hands are so warm, hot. So hot. This cage feels too warm. My breathes aren't coming fast enough, the air is too thin, but I don't care. I have Adrian finally.
"Sage," he whispers gently brushing his fingertips across the skin of my cheekbones.
It is agony being shackled
His lips whisper across mine and I die once, twice, then I'm awake and we're pressed against each other, his hands in my hair teeth nipping at our lips. My arms are straight behind me as I stand on my knees letting him devour me, heart and soul. I think about his lips bruising mine, his hands, his beautiful, long, artist fingers, currently crushing my shirt and begging me to be impossibly closer than I already am.
But I can't
My head gets in the way and I pull away, gasping for breath.
"Adrian-stop-wait," I don't want to ask but I have to know. "What deal did you make with the Strigoi?"
Adrian's eyes freeze, like a thin sheet of ice has suddenly covered them. I can't break through the surface or see what he's hiding. He's completely closed off.
"Don't do this, Sage," he whispers. "Not now."
"Don't do what?" my voice is garbled. I realize I'm crying. When did that happen?
"Adrian what have you done?"
"What needed to be done, Sage." He meets me squarely and suddenly I'm frightened of this Adrian. He seems confident, so sure of his decision. I want to scream and rattle him to his core. His decision to do what?!
"Adrian, ple-"
"Sage, we don't have much time. Just promise me one thing."
My eyes get wide. I don't say a word.
"Sydney Sage, no matter what happens to me, promise me, you will come after me and stop me. You will help kill me."
My throat is clogged; my throat is dry. My eyes are too wet. I can't speak, I can't think. I just hear screams; I just feel grief and rage.
"No," I barely whisper.
"Yes," Adrian says, firmly. "I trust only you to get it done. You're strong, Sydney. You're smart. I love you. You can do this for me."
"Adrian… What have you done?"
He glances behind me. "I saved everyone."
"Are you two quite finished?"
I round on the voice. My chest is heaving with the pressure of the unknown; but I know. I know I know I know. Adrian just links his fingers with mine as he whispers to me, "Promise me."
I latch my eyes onto his face again and I know I have no choice now.
"I promise," I whisper, tugging on his fingers.
"Adrian, I love you."
"I love you, too, Sage."