Recap:

"Ok, Ms Hathaway, the account's all set. 500 thousand dollars, ready to go." My eyes bugged out of their sockets before I could control my reaction. I composed my face thanked her. She handed me a credit card and told me to have a nice day.

It will be a nice day when I get to see Adrian again. Then I can kick his ass.

Chapter 3

Nails

Two days later I was on a plane to Russia. Lyn had finally managed to persuade me to let her come along. Don't ask, I was kind of out of it when she asked. And no, she didn't use compulsion; I was just feeling kind of off. I hadn't told Lyn about the ghosts just yet, but they were annoying the hell out of me. Not just giving me a headache, but a stomach ache too. I put my hand to my head as more black shapes flitted down the aisle.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I heard was Adrian's voice calling me. "Little dhampir! I am graced with your beauty after days without it." I rolled my eyes and smiled as Adrian kissed my hand. We were at a kids playground, red slide and swings and flying foxes. I sat on one of the swings and Adrian sat next to me.

"Adrian, if you're going to do that every time I fall asleep, I'm gonna deliberately keep you out." I warned, looking at him with a serious look on my face. He looked shocked.

"How could you? How could you take the bane of my existence from me? My one and only? The love of my life? My-" He rambled on until I laughed.

"God, if you shut up I can die happy." I didn't let him respond and instead changed the subject. "Never mind. Since when am I Mrs Ivashkov?" He smiled a guilty smile and made a show of hiding his face from me. "You have a sick sense of humor, Adrian Ivashkov." I growled playfully, pushing him lightly.

He turned back to me with a look like a puppy makes when its owner catches it digging up the garden. Guilty, but hard to stay mad at. I sighed angrily and his grin came back full force. I rested my elbow on my knee and held my cheek in my hand, looking away from him.

"Rose. . ." I looked back at Adrian who now wore a look of complete confusion. He reached out and grabbed my hand, studying my fingers. I looked down, curious as to what he was looking at. I gasped at what I saw. The part of my fingernail that was usually pink was a shade of sky blue. Nothing like nail polish.

I looked up and met Adrian's confused face. His emerald green eyes held mine until he looked back at my fingernails. I remembered when I asked him to use compulsion on me; that need to kiss him over-riding every other need in my entire body. I shook my head, ridding it of the memory, and looking back to the mystery in front of me.

I was aware that Adrian was still holding my hand; his skin was warm against mine.

That was the last thought I had before I was back on the plane, Lyn shaking my shoulder like she had last time. I blinked and turned to her and she pointed to the food cart in the aisle. Surprisingly, I wasn't hungry. I frowned and tried to remember the last time I'd eaten. It had to have been about 5 hours ago. I shook my head, Lyn raised her eyebrows, but said nothing of it as she got her crappy little flight meal.

"You really should eat something." She said, but I paid her no mind, instead looking at my fingernails. They were exactly the same as in the dream. I studied them for a few minutes before Lyn noticed. She'd finished her meal and was leaning back in her chair when she saw them. Her eyes bugged out of their sockets and she grabbed onto my hands for a better look. I waited as patiently as possible for her to stop gawking at them.

About ten minutes passed before she swallowed thickly and gave me my hands back. I rubbed my wrists while looking at her, eyebrows raised. She started muttering to herself. I only got a few words. "So long. . . rare. . . be possible. . . lucky. . . tell her." Her eyes shifted and met my gaze before she told me that she'd explain when we landed.

Suddenly the long flight to Siberia felt that much longer.

Yes, I know its short -filler chapter.