Chapter Four
I felt myself being gently pulled; into another world, another life; pulled into somebody else's dreams. I was well enough at the moment to recognize it as a spirit dream. The world came into focus around me and I was pleasantly surprised to see I was in Adrian's bedroom.
"Sydney," Adrian said, breathless, "Finally."
I turned around to face him with a genuine smile on my face. I was really happy to see him. He started toward me but stopped mid-stride, a look of horror plastered on his handsome face.
"Who…" He choked, "Who did that to you?" He was looking at my neck; my wrists; my face. I lifted a hand to my throat, feeling the dried blood there. I caught sight of my wrist as I glanced down. It was raw and chafed, cut jaggedly as I'd thought it would be. My shirt was caked with dried blood, and wrinkled beyond help, as were my pants. I wondered how my hair must look. I sighed.
"I hate that you're seeing me this way." I said. His worry marred the joy I felt at seeing him.
"Sydney, I have to know what's going on in there. You wouldn't tell me the whole truth just so you could spare my feelings. I know you." He said, sounding frustrated and desperate at the same time, "This is the only way to know; by seeing you as you are with my own eyes."
"Does it bother you?" I asked quietly, "Seeing me this way?"
He closed the distance between us and took me in his arms.
"Of course it bothers me. I can't stand seeing you hurt; wishing it could be me instead of you."
"Please don't feel that way." I begged, "They hurt me because I defy them. I won't let them break me. I won't let them take you away from me, even if it's the last thing I ever do. I won't let them brainwash me into forgetting what I believe in."
I clung to him, wishing I didn't have to say what I was thinking, but I knew I needed to be honest.
"I imagine it'll only get worse from now on. They saw me use magic, but for good reason. No way was I going to let that vampire bite me again."
I felt him stiffen beneath me. "What vampire?" He ground out.
Shrugging, I said, "Some Strigoi they have locked up. They called it phase three. They use him for when the first two phases don't work."
He'd gone completely rigid now. "They let a Strigoi near you? They let him bite you? You could've been killed!"
I shrugged again. I knew that all too well. "I stabbed him with a plastic spoon." I offered.
He released his breath on a weary laugh. "Of course you did, Sage. Always doing the impossible."
He pulled back and cupped my face, rubbing his thumb gently over the tender part of my cheek where the Strigoi had hit me. It had to be a nasty looking bruise.
"I'm getting you out of there, Sage. We all are. Just hold on a little longer."
He sounded desperate and I wanted to believe him but I just couldn't see how he could burst into a secure Alchemist facility and bust me out. I smiled anyway, trying to be strong for him.
"Okay." I agreed, "So what's your plan then?"
"It was easier to come up with then I thought it'd be." He said, looking thoughtful, "Actually, Jackie helped a lot."
"Ms. Terwilliger?" I asked, surprised.
He nodded and went on to explain how they planned to break me out. Ms. Terwilliger, with the help of her coven, would use magic and spells. Adrian would use his Spirit abilities and they'd even enlisted the help of Rose Hathaway and – shockingly – her father, Abe Mazur. Those last two made me nervous. If I knew anything of the two, there may be damage involved. Maybe an explosion of some sort. It also made me nervous for another reason. A more pressing reason. With the Alchemists and vampires trying to mend the gap between them, the Alchemists might see Rose and Abe's involvement as a direct slap in the face; an insult even. And with Rose working so closely with the Queen, it could cause an even greater rift than ever before between the two groups.
"I don't know that it's a good idea involving Rose and Abe." I said, voicing my concerns, "Even you being involved is a bad idea. What will it mean for the Moroi and Alchemist relationship?"
"You think I care about any of that?" Adrian asked, raising his perfect eye brows, "All I care about is getting you the hell out of there safely. The rest can be dealt with when the time comes."
I wasn't convinced. "Just please run it by Rose. Think about it, okay? What about Queen Vasilisa? Think of the position it could put her in."
He faltered, but it still wasn't enough to change his mind, I knew.
"You never stop amazing me, Sydney. Always looking out for other people; even now when you need someone to look out for you more than ever before." He sighed, but agreed, "I'll run it by Rose; she can talk to Lissa. But there's nothing you can say or do to change my mind about being part of the rescue team, Sage." He grinned, looking devilishly handsome, "Besides, who better than me to be the knight in shining armor who rescues you from your tower in the sky?"
"I've really missed you." I said, smiling.
We talked more about meaningless things, just enjoying one another's company. I finally convinced him to change my appearance to one more suitable and less disgusting, and he agreed under once condition: I must comply with full disclosure upon every visit we'd have from here on out. I promised immediately.
"Are they finally letting you sleep?" He asked, "You've been here a while."
"I think they sedated me after I stabbed that Strigoi."
"I'd much rather have you here anyway." He whispered in my ear.
I stared up into his green eyes, wishing I could stay in his arms forever. An overwhelming urge to kiss him burned through me and I threw my arms around his neck, putting my lips to his, kissing him feverishly. I felt everything in that kiss; his love, his fear, his anger, his compassion. It grounded me and reminded me why I had to keep fighting for him – for us. It gave me strength and for the first time I believed that maybe, just maybe, I could come out on top of this.
"I love you, Sydney."
I didn't know what the Alchemists had planned for me when I awoke, but if I knew anything at all, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I loved Adrian more than anything.
"I love you too." I whispered, "So much."
