It was like my life consisted of ongoing attacks from the royal families. First, Lissa and I had gone through hell with Victor and Natalie Dashkov, and then there was the incident with Avery Lazar. Now I was forced to deal with this psychopath? Wasn't it bad enough I had to deal with Christian and Adrian on a daily basis?
The second that Jessica flung herself at me I jumped from my position on the couch. I wasn't sure what made her think that she could even stand a chance in a fight against me, but the idea was humorous. When she reached me, she stuck out her fist in was supposed to be a punch. I quickly grabbed it and pushed it away from my face.
I didn't want to fight with her. That would just put me right back in jail.
She tried to kick me, but I dodged her foot. She went in for another punch, but I grabbed her arm and kept a firm grip. She tried to shake me off, but it was no use. I was stronger and quicker than her. My fingernails dug into her wrist as I pulled her towards Adrian's door.
"Let go of me," she hissed.
"Get out of here." I shoved her hard out of the room.
"This isn't over," she said, and only moments later a plant—that Adrian had worked very hard to restore to life—started bursting to extreme height. All of a sudden, it became too large for the base that was containing it, and the ceramic pot shattered.
Earth user. Frightening.
I slammed the door shut as Adrian tipped his head back in laughter. "I'm glad you think it's so funny, Adrian."
Adrian walked behind me, and I thought he was going to sit down in the living room. Instead, I felt him standing behind me as he placed his hands on my hips, pulling me into him. Just like that, our fight was over. That's usually how things worked for Adrian and I. We didn't stay mad at each other for too long.
Adrian nuzzled his face into my hair. "You fought over me," he whispered into my ear, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I felt his hot breath on my skin, and I began to smile as well.
"That was hardly a fight," I murmured.
His face moved down as he placed a gentle kiss to my neck. A wave of pleasure washed through me. "You were defensive," he said alluringly. He kissed me again at the top of my collarbone. "Possessive. It was hot."
His touch mixed many emotions within me. I wanted to give in, just melt into him like a popsicle. I turned around quickly, knowing that if I allowed him one more kiss than I would have caved. "You're drunk," I told him.
He grabbed onto my hands and laced his fingers with mine. "No."
"I can smell the alcohol on you."
"Doesn't matter," he gave up. His voice was low and seductive, sending satisfying shivers throughout my body. I wanted to just wrap myself in his arms and get lost in him. But I knew I had business to take care of.
"I can't." It didn't sound so confident.
"I think you can, Little Dhampir." His hands moved from my hips and began to tug on the hem of my shirt, as if asking for permission to take it off. With a lot of effort I pushed myself away from him.
"I really can't," I said. "Not right now. I have to go talk to somebody first."
Adrian's body didn't change, but his next words were hard. "Belikov?"
Just saying his name reminded me of the scene in the hallway, and my stomach clenched. On top of everything else, I had to figure out what that was all about. Even worse, I had to figure out where Dimitri and I stood.
He didn't desert me when I had my breakdown, so that could mean that he still cared. Although, it could also be that he would feel guilty if he ran away. I hated the feeling I got when he referred to us as a team. I had been so happy to hear the word our come out of his mouth. And that was worng. I was with Adrian.
I made my decision.
"No," I assured him. "I have to go talk to Mikhail."
His face relaxed. "Alright. Will you come back afterwards?" His face had softened again, and I could see the lust burning in his emerald eyes.
"Most likely. But if not, I expect you'll be in my dreams." I crushed my lips to his, but pulled away before things could get too heated.
It took a lot of sleuthing to find Mikhail. I had to stay hidden because I didn't have Lissa with m, making it ten times more difficult to locate him. But, after jumping into several shadows when other guardians walked by, I finally reached his guardian post. I gave him my phony story about Dimitri and I, and he agreed to help. He told me that all he would have to do is go talk to an authority and he could have at least a week off. I figured I would need more than a week, but we'd deal with that when it came down to it.
As I snuck back to Adrian's room, that pang I felt when Jessica was around returned to me. Moments later, I heard voices around the corner of the building I was next to.
"…attacked her?" A familiar male voice sounded angry. I wasn't sure who it was that was speaking, though I knew the voice well.
"She knew something was up." That one was Jessica, and she sounded shameful.
They were talking about me. So that little witch did have something up her sleeves. There were some serious issues with her that I had to figure out. I'd make sure to get that after saving the freaking world.
"Did you really think you could even touch her? I told you what she did to Jesse." That voice. So proverbial. It was on the tip of my tongue, but it wasn't registering.
"Rose?" I jumped at Christian's hushed tone.
"Sh!" I scolded. But when I tuned my hearing back to Jessica and The Voice, I didn't hear anything and the sharp pain decreased. They must have turned a corner or something.
"Rose, what's going on?" Christian asked only inches behind me.
"Jessica Voda is fucking psycho. You know that right?" I'm not sure that was the answer he was looking for, but it was the only thing I could say to describe what was going on, because I really wasn't sure what she was up to.
Christian gave a lazy shrug. "You're just jealous because she's got the hots for your ex."
It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. My ex? I didn't really have an ex-boyfriend, unless that's what you considered Mason. I knew that wasn't what he was talking about, though. And I was pretty sure he wasn't referring to Dimitri because—
Oh. Adrian. I forgot that he and I had hit Splits-ville—at least to them we have.
I gave Christian a hearty laugh. "Yeah, because I care if she goes after Adrian." I did. "The reason I don't like her is because she attacked me, Idiot."
He raised his eyebrows. "Rose, are you sure about that? Last time I checked, she was actually helping us with your case. She didn't even know you and she was trying to set you free. Maybe you shouldn't be so harsh."
"That's really rich coming from you, Christian. What with your winner personality and all. Besides, somebody aiming their fist at your face is not really something you can imagine. Even if I do see ghosts."
"That doesn't explain why she was trying to help you out then," Christian said, completely brushing off my insult.
"Well, I can tell you one thing: she sure as hell wasn't doing it for me. Probably just to get closer to Adrian. She's definitely up to something. I'm just glad we're getting out of here soon, so she won't have time to execute her assault."
"I think you're being a bit dramatic."
That really pissed me off. Why was it hard to believe that someone was after me? It's not like it would be the first time it's happened. "Whatever. I'd like to hear you tell me that after she ends up in an insane asylum."
Just like Avery Lazar.
Christian shook his head, wearing that sinister smirk of his. "I've got to go." I sneered, turning away from him and heading to Adrian's place.
When I knocked on Adrian's door, I could tell that he was surprised to see me. "Little Dhampir," he grinned. "you came back."
He stepped to the side and made a sweeping gesture with his arm, inviting me in. I didn't hesitate. "Tonight is probably our last night together," I explained with a sigh.
I was not looking forward to leaving Adrian. He had been my rock in this whole situation, and I hated to think about what it would be like to be away from him for a few weeks, with the possibility of never kissing him again.
I knew that he would be busting his ass to prove me innocent, and I hoped that his efforts would be enough to free me in the end. Lissa, Christian, Eddie and Mikhail would all be away from Court, so it would be difficult for them to investigate. But Adrian still had Abe, Tasha and my mother. They were intelligent enough to pull it off, I was sure.
Adrian pulled me into his arms, squeezing me tightly. I could tell he was thinking about the same things I was. I stood wrapped in his embrace for several minutes, just basking in the comfort of his presence. It was just a hug, but it held so many emotions that were too unbearable to speak.
Love. Fear. Hope.
And the soothing circles that he was rubbing on my back contained something more. Longing. I thought back to where we had been before I left and every bone and muscle in my body began to tingle. Adrian was gorgeous and sweet. And I loved him.
And at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be with him once more.
"Let's make the most of it," I said softly.
Adrian pushed me away lightly, searching my face to make sure I was serious. And I was. Dead serious. Apparently, my features confirmed such, because after only a few seconds, a wide grin spread across his face.
Last time Adrian and I had sex, I was full of butterflies and my nerves were on high alert. Adrian had a lot of experience, I knew that. He had probably slept with dozens of other girls, while the only other person I had ever made love to was Dimitri. And that was only once.
But when I was with Dimitri, I realized that it didn't matter where you were, or how good you were. It was the person you were with.
I'm pretty sure Adrian came to the same conclusion last time. For once, it wasn't about the quality. Adrian and I had been bursting with love and passion, and that was all we needed to make it memorable. Adrian didn't care that I wasn't wild or knowledgeable.
He touched me, held me, and looked at me as if I were the most beautiful girl in the world. The only girl in the world.
Adrian brought his mouth down to mine, and our lips met with such fierce lust that either of us could have detonated at any moment.
I pushed Adrian farther back into his room, kicking the door shut behind me. He was wearing this goofy grin that made my heart flip. He was so gorgeous and I felt that if I was without his touch for even a second longer, I would pass out or something equally as horrible.
I threw myself into Adrian, making him stumble back a little, but he didn't seem to mind. His lips were making contact with my skin instantly. He trailed hungry kisses from my mouth all the way down to my shoulder, ending just above my breast. I couldn't help but let out a soft moan as his lips worked magic.
His hands moved to my waist as he pulled my shirt over my head. I balled his shirt in my hands, preparing to rip it if it did not come off within the next five seconds.
"C—condom?" I stuttered, my mind disoriented. He sighed in frustration, and at first I thought it was because he didn't have any. The thought vanished from my mind as quickly as it had appeared. Why in the world wouldn't Adrian Ivashkov have a huge stash?
Neither of us were eager to separate our bodies, but I really was not in the mood to get pregnant, so we ripped ourselves away from one another. We were both breathing heavily, and he held up a finger telling me that he would be right back as he went to his room.
I heard a drawer open, and he was back in a flash. He had a handful of condoms. I raised my eyebrows at him. Could anybody really go that long? He responded a seductive grin that was so amazing, it hurt.
"When are your parents going to be home?" I asked nervously. That would be just what we needed. Daniella and Nathan Ivashkov to walk in on their son having sex with the potential murdered of a family member.
"Don't worry about it, Little Dhampir," was all he had time to get out before I was pressed against him once more.
The need that was burning within me was so strong and demanding. It took over every part of my body and mind. I pushed Adrian onto the soft couch and climbed on top of him. In no time, all of our clothes were off and I was taken on the ride of my life.
Here you guys go! Sorry I haven't updated it too recently. I was suffering from minor writers block. I still kind of am, and I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter.
Please review and tell me what you think. Your reviews mean a lot to me, and the more I get the faster I update!