This chapter was done a bit earlier than I expected. So surprise, I guess! Lately, I can no longer write short. So since the chapter was long enough, I decided to post it because it would just be too much otherwise. First of all, I would like to thank all the reviewers for the reached 25th review! Yay! You can't imagine how happy your reviews make me! Please, keep going! Also, I'm gonna need your help with something. You can check it on my Twitter account ( larchi77), it's the photo with lots of text. You can PM me the reply or whatever, there's no emergency, but everything's welcome. Oh, and i hope you didn't get the impresson that I'm already done with the date with Luke. As always, Richelle Mead owns everything, there are spoilers and sorry for mistakes. Hope you enjoy!
The disaster was even in bigger dimensions than I'd first thought. The sand kind of eased the pain, but the hit was so sudden I couldn't breathe in for a few seconds. And then I noticed I'd accidentally hit my glass with my elbow, making the drink spill all over Luke's shirt. It was weird my dress didn't roll up, since the biggest embarrasment ever seemed neccessary to the universe.
Luke got off his chair and reached his hand towards mine to help me get up. Our faces almost crashed and I noticed his lip corners were twitching. Well, I guess I was a pretty funny sight to see.
"You okay?" he asked, still trying not to laugh. I just nodded and looked down, just to realize my dress was actually all dusty with sand. I swept it off with a sigh.
"I'm really sorry. About your shirt... And what I did," I said. He chuckled.
"It's okay. I get it."
But I still felt horrible. Adrian was right, this wasn't a good idea. He probably noticed I was avoiding the kiss. He probably realized how 'over' Eddie I was. Was he hurt? Mad?
"I'm not angry if you want to leave after this..." I said with my voice weirdly squeeking.
"No, actually, I was about to ask you if you want to go home with me to change? A wet shirt can't ruin the party. If you're okay, of course?" he asked. I laughed nervously. He didn't seem one bit upset about this.
"Okay, sure."
We left down the beach towards their house. I had no idea where it was, but Luke told me it wasn't far. Of course, we passed Eddie by the way. He asked if I was okay too, almost laughing too, and I said I was, avoiding his look. Then I quickly explained where I'm going and left before he could start. But I noticed he was avoiding my look too. Did he feel awkward about the kiss, was he jelous...?
I really, really hoped Luke lived close. Ever since I spilled his with a drink, I felt kind of awkward. The conversation died away for the first time in the whole evening. And it was 10.30 pm, which means the murderous sun was shining with its full power. I couldn't work through how Luke could stand it, and look like a model in a wet shirt. Also, my high heels weren't the most appropriate attire for the sand. I kind of stumbled the whole way.
After a few minutes the silence was already killing me. I needed to say something. I didn't even care what. Maybe he really was mad.
"I can't imagine the horrible things you must me thinking about me right now," I sighed. Wow. And I thought I'd reached the edge with Star Wars.
Luke stopped and caught the hold of my hand.
"All I'm thinking is how weird life is to make me fall in love with the only girl I can't get, because she's in love with the only guy she can't get. You're amazing and I'd never think bad about you. And I'm sorry I pushed you into the kiss. I should've realized you weren't ready, since you were head over heels in love with someone else two days ago," he told me. I smiled without really feeling it.
"I shouldn't have said yes. All I want is to get over him, and I'm not going to do that by hurting you," I said.
"Actually, I'm kind of glad you did. I'm really enjoying this date. And I'm not hurt yet. Just tell me: were you using me to make him jelous?" he asked. Huh. I didn't even think of that.
"I didn't mean to. I never planned Eddie to come. But maybe, I guess I kind of subconsciously did try to make him jelous... Do you hate me?" I asked and grimaced. "I really didn't mean to use you," I added. Luke laughed.
"Don't flatter yourself, you could pay me and I still wouldn't hate you. And I honestly enjoyed being used by you. I just don't know what to think about our governmet anymore," he smirked.
"I'm not part of our governmnet!" I exclaimed.
"Maybe you're not, but your sister's the Queen. If she's anything like you, I'm moving to Uganda," he said, making me laugh. "But really, I'm not mad. If you agree, I think we should complete this date the way dates should be completed."
I nodded and we continued our path. And no matter how wrong it looked, he let me hold his hand for the rest of the way, because I had so much trouble walking right now. He also explained he can stand the sun because he'd lived here his whole life.
After what I think was about ten minutes we reached the house. It was small and probably old, but looked well kept, judging from the front porch fence that had a few nice groomed flower pots on it, and the garden with some of the biggest vegetables I'd ever seen. The faded white walls had a few stains on them - probably from the weather and children - but even the most paranoied health inspector (or Sydney) would be unable to find dirt or dust anywhere. The probably most adorable part was a small pink bucked and a matching shovel in the sand by the porch's stairs, both made for little children. It looked like Luke had a baby sister.
He found his keys in the time I looked around and unlocked the door. He invited me in with a smile, stroking his hand around the room.
Steps sounded down the stairs and a new face welcomed us. It was a Moroi man in his forties, looking like a brown-eyed older version of Luke.
"Hey, son. You home already?" the man asked. Then his gaze met mine. He gave me a warm smile. "Oh, you brought the girl home too. That's nice."
Luke rolled his eyes with a smile and introduced us: "Jill, this is my beforementioned father who no longer quotes Star Wars, Sam, and dad, this is Jill, my... Friend?"
He looked at me after saying the last word, like he wasn't sure what we were. Neither was I, but I just shrugged and nodded. "Friend," I repeated.
"Well, nice to meet you, Jill," said Sam and shook my hand. I was about to say the same, but then he looked at me straight in the eyes and said: "Are you that Dragomir princess I keep hearing about?"
I blushed and looked down. It happened every single time. Always, ALWAYS!
"Yeah, I am. But it doesn't really matter."
Sam smiled and let go of my hand. "You seem like a nice girl, so I guess it doesn't. But I'm sure you're tired of hearing that," he said. Oh, he had no idea how right he was.
Luke then went up the stairs and almost bumped into a girl comming down.
"Oh, would you look at that, Luke brough his girlfriend home," she scoffed, but not in the mean way. In the way I tease our guys. She was a year or two older than him and very likely his sister. Her hair was in the same golden brown shade, except a bit wavy, and her eyes also stood out. Like me, she was in a dress. I was pretty sure she was also heading somewhere.
"She's not my girlfriend, and don't act like you're not going on a date right now," Luke smirked. Wow, I was right.
The girl rolled her eyes and passed him. She stopped when she met me. "Hi, I'm Amber," she told me. We did the formality things and she seemed really nice. Then she left, Luke finally went to change his shirt and his dad took me to the kitchen, where we talked about being royal and their family and Luke and whatever came up. They were all a really nice family. The kitchen was as clean as the outsides of the house, and the inside was bigger than it seemed. The furniture looked new and well kept and even if they didn't have a dining room, the house was still spacious.
I couldn't help but feeling like a spoiled princess, when I noticed every detail and immediately thought they weren't that good of a family when I saw the size of the house. I didn't mind that, of course. I lived just like that for most of my life and knew there was nothing wrong with it. But my new lifestyle was already affecting me.
A few minutes later Luke came downstairs with a fresh shirt and the youngest member of the family in his lap.
"Jill, last, but not least, meet Nancy," he said. The girl wasn't older than five years and she looked astonishingly lot like her sister, except that her hair was a few shades darker. She was probably the owner of the bucked and shovel I saw outside.
"Are you Luke's friend?" she asked me after I shook her tiny chubby hand.
"Yes," I chuckled. "I'm his friend."
"Then you're my friend too," Nancy said, took a step closer and hugged me. I hugged her back with an emotional smile. I was melting. She was so adorable.
"You must look a lot like your mom," I said.
"Oh, God, don't mention mom," said Luke with that broken voice I already knew. I looked at him and saw his gaze was down, with his hand on his heart, looking like he might start crying. Did I hit something tragic for real this time?
"What happened?" I asked quietly, feeling horribly sorry.
"She's..." Luke paused and I felt more stupid than ever. How did I do this? In front of sweet little Nancy this time? And with his dad in the room?
Luke continued after what seemed like hours: "At work."
"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe I fell for tis again!" We all laughed, although I think Nancy didn't get it. She just laughed because everyone else did.
Luke soon dragged me out of the house and took me for ice cream. He told me he knows the best stand in town. It meant a bit more walking, but who cares. Ice cream is life.
And so, after what only seemed like minutes, the date slowly came to an end. Luke walked me back to the bar we began our date at because it was close to the hotel. Eddie was still waiting there, turning his head when we came back. Our gazes met for a second, giving me chills.
"Hey, Luke?" I said. He looked at me and I held both of his hands. "Thank you for this. I know I was wrong, but I needed this date to cheer up a bit."
He smiled. "No problem, princess. I told you, I enjoyed more than you did."
"I highly doubt that," I chuckled. Gosh, we were on the verge of an I-love-you-more debate.
"Anyway. Thanks. I'm sorry I messed the first time up, but I think you desserve this..."
I kissed him. It was more like a peck on the lips, but it felt nice. Nothing like Eddie's kiss. Still, it was something I could deal with. But when I opened my eyes, I saw it was way more for Luke. Maybe he wanted a bit more than that. He really fell for me. I was really sorry. And I knew it was our first and last date.
"Hey, thanks. But I get this not working out. You still care about him. You need more time. Alone time," he said. Yeah, just as I thought. He wanted to make sure no more guys would end up like this. I smiled.
"You're right. It's gonna take a while. Really, thanks for not being mad," I said. Trying not to make things worse, I left.
Eddie followed me back to the hotel a minutes later, so that it wouldn't look too weird. He already called me to wait on the staircase.
"Hey, you okay? That fall was pretty nasty," he said. Funny that was the first thing he had to say.
"Yes, I'm fine. I mean, Luke was there to help me," I replied provokingly.
"Mhm, I saw that. He seemed very helpful," he said coldly, with a major sarcastic emphasis on the word helpful. "And he really liked that you decided to help him too," he added more indifferently. Oh, that was low!
Maybe I should stop analysing everything he said.
"Good thing you were watching so carefully. You could see Moroi aren't useless and that I don't need your help or control," I snapped. Okay, maybe I got a bit too into this. Eddie snorted, seeming to agree with my conclusion.
"Jill, I was only there because it's my job. Lissa told me to. And you know anything could happen, I mean, if I'm in my job, no matter what we want, I have to do it, right? Cause-"
"Okay, fine! You already told me that a thousand times! We were just talking!" I exclaimed and speeded up my step. Three things upset me enough in that moment to force me into that reaction: he was completely right, he was very good at keeping his distance, I didn't need a reminder of what had happened yesterday, and all I wanted was him to be as 'helpful' as Luke because I just wanted to feel his touch again... Okay, maybe four things. His mention of 'we' also didn't help. I wanted to be over him. Or at least to talk normally to him.
It was past midnight, and I was in no mood to keep awake, so I went to bed the moment I got into the room. Putting Eddie's dress away was more hurtful than I'd expected. So was laying on my back. I squealed in pain as I hit the mattress.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Eddie asked, pulling his shirt off. I only gave a quick squint and looked away. Why do guys have no shame?
"Yes! It's just, sometimes, you fall on your back, and it hurts you for a while, and-"
I turned the light off and turned away. What on Earth was I babbling about again? This was exactly the kind of tension I was afraid of when he moved in.
"Jill?"
I turned around again, making the cover rustle. "What?" I sighed annoyed. Eddie's face was impossible to read in the weak light of only the lamp on his bed stand.
"You looked beautiful in that dress today," he said so quietly I could barely hear him. A human couldn't. I pulled the cover cover over my head and blocked my mouth to prevent sobbing. It was official: Eddie was trying to kill me.
Huh, tears instead of kissing goodnight. This is not how I imagined this vacation.
The next day was dedicated to packing, because we were leaving the day after. Eddie was - although I had no idea how he did that - done when I woke up. Maybe to have an excuse to get away. Things between us were, mildly said, awkward and tensed. But before he managed to run off, Adrian came to visit. I knew why.
"How did it go last night?" he asked before even comming through the door. "Wow, you must've really loved the hair," he added. I was so worn out last night I didn't even undo it. Now the messy braid was just a messier version of its original self.
"Oh yeah, it went great. She has so much to tell you," Eddie said with that sarcastic tone again. I never knew that side of him.
"Or, Eddie can tell you too, since he was there," I hissed. Adrian gazed from one to another, thorn between being amused and feeling sorry for both of us. It must have been an interesting scene to see.
"I told you, it was my job!" he exclaimed.
"Well, I don't know what you're getting so upset about or why you keep starting this! I told you I get it! Are you that jelous?" I asked and caught him unprepared. His eyes almost popped out. It took him a few seconds to answer.
"No, I'm not jelous. I just find it a bit weird that you kiss me one day and him another, especially since you leaned so far back you fell off that chair at first," he said.
"Well, sorry for trying to get over you after you gave me no choice about it! You kissed me! And then you turned me away! You keep saying it yourself, you're 'just a guardian'! It's your job to protect me. So do it, and don't get involved in my life if you keep pushing yourself out of it! And yeah, I was trying to get over you with Luke. Now I know I made a mistake. It was too soon. And I'm done with that. But everyone knows your mistake was bigger than mine," I said bitterly. Eddie gave me a small sad smile. He always smiled when he was supposed to have a fiery reaction, another damn adorable thing on him that drove me crazy.
"You're right," he said quietly and left the room. Again, he didn't slam the door. He never slammed the door! He was always so calm when he was supposed to get angry about things like that!
"What the fuck was that?" I exclaimed. Adrian shrugged.
"I have no idea. Sometimes I just can't figure him out. He actually calmed down at this, he wasn't even boiling on the inside, you know that?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yup. I know. Is he being serious? Like, I save his life, it's like I just shot down the entire Royal Army. Now, I give him a dosen of heartbreaking truthful lessons about what an idiot he's being, and he smiles like he's on crack and leaves, gently closing the door?! He could've at least slammed the door. He could have that kind of respect for me if he cares so much!" I shouted.
"Maybe he's afraid that, if he'd slam, he'd pull the door knob out, because, I mean, he has been training his whole life. That's where you can notice it," Adrian said. He sounded very sure, but he was just trying out options that would calm me down.
"He has more respect for the door than me..." I cried and leaned my head on Adrian's shoulder. He hugged me.
"No, he just doesn't want you to pay for the damage. He's only looking out for you."
I laughed. I couldn't stop laughing.
"I think this is what happened to him," Adrian commented. "By the way, you kissed two guys in two days?"
I shrugged and stepped on my fingers to kiss his cheek.
"Three guys in three days." He laughed.
"Seriously, Jailbait, you get more like me every day."
Adrian left and I brought the suitcases on. They were folded into one of the closets and I hoped I'd never see them again when we came and I pushed them in. I hated packing, especially when in rage. Of course my clothes were in the suitcases, so that's when I used them, but packing still sucks. Fortunately, most of my clothes weren't very delicate and sensitive, because this wouldn't end well for them otherwise. The way I folded things in this mood would kill them if they were alive. And I honestly wanted to rip that gorgeous dress apart.
Some time later, after about half way through, a knock on the door stopped me from venting my anger on the clothes. I took a breath to calm down. It surprisingly worked, so I walked towards the door and opened it up. It was Trey, only wearing his pyamas bottom.
"Oh, hi. Come in," I said. He followed me with a devastated expression that almost made me laugh. He looked like a sad puppy, especially with his big brown eyes.
"I need your help with something," he said. I gave a slight nod, waiting for him to say it. It was surprising, because never in my life Trey had asked me for help.
"Do you think Angeline really cares about me?" he asked in a hoarse, tired voice. My eyes widened. Why on Earth...?
"It doesn't really feel like she does. You saw the way she treated that Luke guy. And... She keeps checking them all out... I don't mind her being free and all, she's her own person, but does she even care? Is she serious about us? Cause I am, I love her more than anything, I gave up my life for her, so if she doesn't feel the same, I want to know now. Sometimes I feel like she does... But right now, we were watching TV in bed, and there was a volleyball game on, where some guys took their shirts off, and she started telling me all excited how hot they are! You know her backgrounds better than I do. What, is she going to love me or dump me in three days?" he exclaimed with clear hope on his face that I'd say it's the first one. I really was about to say it.
"Trust me, she loves you just as much. But you gotta deal with the fact that she's from a completely different enviroment. She doesn't know loyalty like you do. Her dad married a 20-year-old while still being married to her mother, and she was okay with it. Her brother gave a girl a bracelet and thought they were engaged. She spent most of her life in a cave. Why do you think she didn't bother to break up with Eddie before making out with you? She never knew it was wrong!"
And just like that, all of Trey's hopes were shattered. The effect was worse than if I said she's on the verge of breaking up with him.
"So she'll stay with me, but she might cheat on me and feel like she did the absolute right thing," he said slowly. I nodded.
"Pretty much, yeah."
Trey leaned back and gazed off like an empty shell, trying to process what he just found out.
"But don't get too scared, she's making obvious progress. Look, people fall in love, get their hearts broken and move on. If you're lucky, you found the one you'll be with forever. But you gotta take them the way they are. If you love her, accept her. She'll adapt to our life soon, but never completely, because that's the way she is. And if you love her, if she's the one for you, then you love that about her too," I said. Trey looked at me for a few seconds. Then he said: "Can I ask you something? And please, don't get insulted." I nodded and gave him an expectant look. Don't get insulted? That's never a compliment.
"How can you tell me something that amazing, and your love life is where it is?" he asked. I laughed. He sounded so much like what Sydney told me a few days ago. Maybe they were on to something.
"Ask Eddie about it," I replied.
Then Trey left me to pack again. Luckily I calmed down a bit since the last time. At least the rest of my clothes survived the rage.
I was actually done sooner than I'd expected. Most of my friends were at the beach again, but I just wanted a day for myself. What happened between me and Eddie finally came behind me completely, now, when all the excitement about Luke was over. Of course he was right, I still cared. It's only been a few days! And it was going to take so long... But I had to get over him. People fall in love, get their hearts broken and move on. My own words rang in my head. Eddie couldn't be the one. How could he be? He didn't want me.
But after him, I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else. I mean, everyone knew what happened the last timw I tried. Oh, gosh, I didn't want to think about that. I needed time, that was true. And I needed to think about it as little as possible.
Suddenly, I felt like something hit my head. Maybe a hammer in my brain. No, but the pain wasn't inside my head. Literally, like something hit me. The room spunn around me. I squealed and crouched down, holding my head. If it was really a hit, it'd be enough to make me faint. But nothing happened to me, which is exactly why it was weird. It only took a minute or two to stop.
I realized I'd been standing in the middle of the room for about half an hour when it started. Was I on my feet for two long? Was I that out of shape? Probably not, but I sat down just in case.
The door jerkily opened. At first, I thought it was Eddie, who could probably tell me something clever about my sudden headaches. And I already missed him.
But no, it was Angeline, as I should've assumed the moment she practised her old habit of breaking in.
"Have you seen Trey?" she asked. "I've looked everywhere, I've asked everyone, but no one knows. He told me he's going to the bathroom, but no one's in the bathroom for that long. And I should've known when he left through the door, while we have a bathroom in our room."
Wow, he really gave her an amazing excuse. Bathroom. But I didn't expect him to run off. He seemed pretty okay with everything when he left. I quickly gave Angeline a recap of his visit. Her jaw dropped more with my every word.
"Trey has doubts about me? About my love for him?" she asked with her voice shaking. I nodded and smiled sympathetically.
"But I never knew I'm doing anything wrong..." she whispered. I nodded again. "That's what I told him too."
I've seriously never seen Angeline so down. Trey was way wrong, she really did care about him. And she had no idea about our life.
"Look, he'll calm down. He probably just needs some time to work things through. Then he'll pop out and everything will be fine," I told her. She nodded and put a brave smile on. Then I told her about my date with Luke.
And then someone else broke in. Someone who never broke in.
Sydney.
"Jill, where's Adrian?" she asked with an urgent voice. Angeline laughed.
"In the bathroom maybe. I'm sure Christian will be missing in five minutes."
As hilarious it would be otherwise, I didn't feel like laughing.
"That's what happened!" I exclaimed. Something had hit him in the head. I'd felt the consequences. Now I reached for his thoughts. Silence. I couldn't get to him. It wasn't like the blockade he'd made three days ago, because I'd felt him back then. This time, it was like he's not even on the other side. The bond broke. Like when I freaked out because of the effects. Something was seriously wrong. And it was terrifying.
Sydney explained what even happened so she didn't know where Adrian was. He finally explained what'd happened the first time I lost the bond on this vacation, like he promised he would. He told Sydney the whole truth, including the excessive spirit use, and she got upset. She told me they actually had a pretty major fight. In the end he left from the beach. Sydney thought it was in the other direction of the shore, but then she went to look for him and couldn't find him there. He also wasn't in the hotel. She was afraid he maybe used spirit again and that it was too much. Now, putting the pieces together, I realized something had to happen to him. Trey was probably with him. But we stil didn't know where any of them is.
We got the rest of our friends together and told them what'd happened. They both weren't seen in the hotel since the morning. Also, a few guardians on the island were missing. The ones that were supposed to fix the wards a few days ago. No one thought that was a coincidence. We were all immediately sent back to our rooms, except that Rose and Dimitri went with Lissa and Christian, Angeline and Eddie came to me and Neil and Olive were safe anyway.
I was really worried, more about Adrian and Trey, because the ones of us who were still here were safe with all the protection anyway. I still couldn't reach Adrian. That also meant I couldn't locate him. I'd rather go look for them and help somehow, but I was no use until I knew where they are. I could only get myself in trouble too.
Lissa guaranteed us that someone already contacted the guardian headquarters at the Court. They'd send a group of guardians to search for them and the guardians here would help them. We literally had nothing to worry about.
But the air was still heavy with panic. No one knew what happened. And I was stuck in the room with Eddie until we found out.
Sydney joined us in the room a few minutes after we were sent up. She honestly looked like she was about to cry. It wasn't easy for me too, and they had a fight the last time she saw Adrian.
We were just waiting there for a while, each of us lost in their own worries. It took an hour or two. Then Eddie got a call that the guardians have arrived. By helicopter or something like that, because there's no other way they'd make it so quickly. Eddie had to join them.
"Do not leave this room by any condition. We don't know who has them or what they want. Stay here, unless you're attacked," he ordered us with a tense, urgent voice. Then he left us alone, going so far in his paranoia that he locked the door.
I don't think it was five seconds, when suddenly something in the back of my head hurt. Like I had a bump. In the same place as before. I felt my look distance away as a different picture popped into my sight. It dissapeared almost immediately, but it came back soon. Just for a second again.
"Are we really gonna-" Angeline started saying.
"Shut up!" I exclaimed. I had a reason to be this raw. I needed a few seconds of peace. The bond was comming back.
I actually finished this chapter because I thought it was a pretty good cliff hanger ;) sorry about that, just had to. I hope the next chapter's comming soon, it should be, because I should write what's going to happen next in one piece, like I usually do with scenes like this. Anyway, let me know what you think!