Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.

Silver Shadows is out in two days guys! Eeeeek! Actually, I always download book from iBooks so I'll be reading it around 11pm tomorrow night and probably pulling an all-nighter because I have no self control when it comes to Sydrian. I'm just so excited!

I'm sad that I won't be able to find oh this story before SS, but it is almost over and at least I got this chapter done tonight for you guys. Hope you like it and hope it distracts a little from the anticipation. There's a lot going on in this chapter, but a lot of stuff happens that I've been planning since the very beginning of this fic!

"Sydney... You know I want to marry you, right? I can't think of anything I want more than that, but... I don't know if this is the best time."

"Why not?" I asked, my voice strained, the confidence I'd had a moment ago skipping away. "If we're married, if we're family, it will give the Alchemists pause. It will give Lissa a real foothold against them. You know, if she doesn't hand me right over to them for breaking some ancient Moroi law."

"There's no law," he assured me. "I've never even heard of anything like this before, there's no precedent."

"So we set one," I said. My confidence was rising again. It was that easy. Well, not easy, but the decision was. Adrian and I were going to break down barriers between the races. There was no other choice to make.

"Sage... I don't... I just don't think this is the best time to be making such a huge life decision, okay. You need time to cope with everything..."

"I don't have time! I don't have time to deal with things in a healthy, normal way. The Alchemists aren't going to care if my blood is the secret to stopping Strigoi. They wouldn't care if it was the cure for cancer! They want me back so they can fix me, they want to change me and I'm not willing to let them. I'm also not willing to live in fear of them for the rest of my life. So please, Adrian, marry me."

I could see the war of emotions raging within him. He wanted to say yes to me, I could see it in his beautiful green eyes. But I could also see guilt and concern. "Sage... What about what I did?"

I huffed, hating that he wouldn't just say yes to this. I'd never felt so desperate before. It's how I knew I wasn't thinking logically. But, just because I was scared and it wasn't logical, did that mean it was a bad idea? I didn't think so.

"I told you," I said. "I love you and I know you were going through a rough time. I can only imagine what was happening in here." I stepped forward, running a hand through his hair. "Spirit must have sucked." He nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. "And having Nina there... Understanding what no one else did, listening when no one else cared... I get it. I'm not happy about it, but I get it." He pulled me to him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. "The center will hold," I whispered. "Because we will hold it together. It doesn't matter if we're dating or married. It doesn't matter what the Moroi want or what the Alchemists want. It only matters what we want. And I want you. I want you in every way possible."

Adrian pulled back, stroking my hair. There were unshed tears shining in his eyes, a matching set to the ones I could feel in mine. "I love you," he told me, cupping my face. "I just don't want to make another mistake with you."

"This," I said, grabbing his wrists, "us? We could never be a mistake."

All of my confidence was back again. I felt certain in a way that I'd only ever felt about Adrian. He was just watching me. I didn't know if my plan would work the way I wanted. I didn't know if Lissa would kick us out for even considering it, but I knew what I saw in Adrian's eyes. I knew what I felt, what I wanted. And it was exactly what I saw shining down at me from his beautiful, green eyes.

He nodded slowly, never breaking eye contact. "If you're sure this is what you want, then it's what I want."

I smiled and made a big show of rolling my eyes at his answer. "So romantic."

He laughed and jumped up, getting to his knees on the bed. I was still sitting against the head board, smiling, as he took my hand in his.

"Sydney Katherine Sage," he announced in a dramatic voice that still wasn't actually romantic, but it made me laugh, which was what he was going for. "Will you marry me and give me a legal right to have a say in what happens to you... for as long as we both shall live?"

I laughed again and got to my knees too, wrapping my arms around him. "Yes," I whispered, and despite his teasing I could hear the emotion in my own voice. The gravelly sound and the warm pressure behind my eyelids warning me that I was about to cry. "Yes."

We were kissing before I'd even finished speaking. His lips were warm and soft and perfect and I had the odd feeling that he belonged to me now in a way he hadn't before, even if we weren't married yet. Just knowing the intention was there was enough to change everything. I could feel it in the way he kissed me, more intense somehow then he had earlier, but not in a passionate lustful sort of way. Claiming. It was the only way I could describe it. I was his, and he was mine.

"My heart belongs to you," he whispered against the sensitive skin of my throat and I shuddered.

"Adrian..." I murmured, pulling him closer. My hands trailing between us to undo the buttons on my shirt, the one Adrian had given me last night.

Before I could get it all the way off his phone rang, startling us both. I sat back, breathing heavy, and looked out the window, realizing for the first time that it was evening. Adrian glanced down at the phone and held it up for me to see it was Rose calling. Adrian and I had been in our own world today, but one look at that phone had propelled us back into the real world.

It was time to get to work. Time to create a future for ourselves.

###

The meeting with Lissa and the others wasn't so much about getting anything done, as much as it was about getting everyone up to speed, which frustrated me a little.

"Benedict is on his way," she said, sitting on the arm of one of the couches in her living quarters, "but he won't be here for another hour or so."

Benedict, or Benny as Adrian had taken to calling him, was a recovered Strigoi but it didn't seem he'd taken too kindly to the sun since his return to the mortal world. He was old, very old, and stuck with the old ways. Which meant he only liked to travel after sunset. Still, he was only needed for one part of our experiment, one we'd already confirmed when I'd been bitten by a Strigoi. In the meantime, Sonya—who'd wrapped me in a hug the moment I stepped through the door—was taking blood samples from me for the lab to see if they could find anything. I wasn't so sure they'd be able to find anything since it was human magic in my blood, but trying couldn't hurt so I let her.

"I hope it doesn't freak you out too much, Sydney, but Benedict is going to have to taste your blood," Lissa went on, looking apologetic. "I wish there was another way..."

"No, it's fine," I assured her. "I want to help with this."

She smiled and handed the floor over to Sonya who was talking about the progress they'd made in singling out why the spirit magic in Olive's blood prevented Neil from being turned. Of course, that's when Olive herself, along with her sister Nina entered the room. They quickly apologized for being late, Olive rushing to Neil's side. Nina glanced around, her eyes darting to Adrian and then to me beside him. Her eyes were wide, and I wasn't sure if it was because she was surprised to see me, or scared that I would attack her somehow in front of all of these people.

Lissa called for a break about a half hour later, saying she'd call us back once Benny arrived. Adrian started to lead me out of the room, when Lissa and Rose approached us.

"Sydney," Rose smiled. "Are you doing alright? I hope Henry didn't frighten you too much this morning."

It took me a moment to realize she was referring to the personal guardian Lissa had assigned to me. He'd been sitting in the lobby when Adrian and I returned from getting breakfast, but he hadn't followed us when we made our way to the palace this evening. It seemed Rose had called him off permanently. "No, no. I just felt more comfortable without him."

"Of course," Lissa said. "We'll make sure he's there if you need him, but if you feel more comfortable with Adrian or one of us, then he'll back off. He's to do as you say from now on."

"Thank you." I smiled at them, but it was quickly wiped away by Lissa's next words.

"I've spoken to the Alchemists." I felt Adrian tense beside me. Rose must have seen it too because she looked at him with a grimace. But Lissa kept going, unfazed. "They aren't happy, but they seem to believe that I didn't organize the 'kidnapping' as they're referring to it. I've convinced them to give us a few days while we work on the vaccine, but they are coming. I can't stop them without causing a huge incident."

"So cause one!" Adrian growled. "They aren't touching her again."

"It's not that simple, Adrian," Rose said, defending her friend, before turning to me. "Sydney, you know I'd never hand you over to them, but they refuse to listen—"

"It's fine," I told them both. Adrian was still fuming, but he closed his mouth when I cut a look in his direction. "I have a plan anyway. I don't know if it will work, but I'm hoping for the best."

"What plan?" Lissa asked. I just shook my head, promising I'd let them know once it was all in place. I felt guilty for not telling them, but I couldn't take the chance they'd be upset about Adrian and I. Lissa was honorable, and would help us afterward, I was almost certain, but if she found out beforehand... There was no telling what she'd do to protect her people.

Adrian and I headed outside after that. He said he needed to go pick something up from his parent's house, and he wanted to find Eddie and Jill so I didn't have to go and risk running into his dad. He'd texted Jill and she'd said she'd meet us for dinner at the same diner we'd gotten breakfast. I didn't mind seeing Nathan, but I did want to spend some time with Eddie and Jill. I also wanted to tell them about me and Adrian. Our engagement may have been a way to outsmart the Alchemists, but it was still an engagement and it was still exciting.

I paused once we were heading away from the palace, glancing over at Nina where she was waiting for Olive to finish talking with Neil. Adrian followed my gaze and his jaw tightened just a little, just enough to let me know he was uncomfortable seeing her. It's what caused me to squeeze his arm and say, "Give me a minute."

I had to admit, sitting in the same room as Nina for the past half hour was uncomfortable. But that was why I needed to talk to her. I didn't want to avoid her, or the problem, forever. I needed to get it out in the open before it bottled up inside me and turned sour. Adrian was uncomfortable too, and I knew it wasn't because he wanted or didn't want Nina. It was because he didn't want me to have to be around Nina. But that wasn't something he should have to worry about. So I took a deep breath and walked over.

Nina's jaw dropped a little when she noticed me step up beside her. Then she inhaled slowly, but kept quiet, bracing herself for whatever I was about to say to her.

It wasn't until I was standing right in front of her that I realized I had no idea what to say. So I just blurted what was on my mind. "It wasn't your fault."

Her gray eyes went wide and her mouth opened and closed a few times without actually saying anything.

"What happened between you and Adrian," I said, quietly. "He told me. He said you two..." I faltered and I saw her wince, "that you talked about me. He said... He said other things happened too, but that you talked about me. That you helped him find me."

"I didn't," she was quick to say. "I just encouraged him not to give up. But from everything he told me, he wouldn't have. I don't think he ever would have given up on you." She pushed her hair away from her face, nervously, but smiled a little. "I'm glad you're okay. I know I don't know you, but Adrian..." She shrugged. "I'm just glad you're alright now and that you're safe."

For the first time I really stopped to look at Nina. I'd seen her months ago, back when I'd come to Court with Adrian. She hadn't made much of an impression on me because I was busy thinking of other things. Mostly I'd just thought she was a pretty girl who had a crush on Adrian. But she was also brave for rescuing her sister. And, looking at her now, she was also nice, maybe even a little selfless. I had no doubt a girl like this would have been able to win Adrian over easily at one point in his life. I knew, without a doubt, that he loved me and Adrian was not the kind of man to love lightly. But Nina, with her glowing gray eyes that held all of the darkness I knew Adrian's eyes sometimes held, possibly could have given me a run for my money if she'd really been set on it. A part of me felt jealous, because she could share something so intimate with Adrian, something so few people really understood. But that wasn't her fault any more than my being locked away had been her fault. She wasn't actively pursuing Adrian. There was no reason for me to be jealous. So I pushed all of that down and followed her gaze over to her sister and Neil.

"How has she been doing?"

Nina seemed surprised I would even care, but then she smiled and shook her head. "Better, I think. She still has nightmares. She won't tell me about them. I think... I think she tells Neil. Is it bad that I'm jealous of him?"

"No," I shook my head. "I don't think so. She's your sister. I know what it's like to want to be able to talk to your sister. But maybe she just needs time."

Nina nodded. "I hope so. We're okay and all, but she never wants to discuss what it was like, what happened. I don't want to push her, but I want her to know I love her and am here for her whenever she needs me to be." She paused and inhaled sharply. "I don't know what being a... a Strigoi for all those months could do to a person."

"I happen to know a couple of recovered Strigoi who are doing really well these days." I smiled. "And I think a lot of that has to do with them having people who love them around for support. If Olive's found that with Neil, it can't hurt her to have someone else around who loves her. It can only make her stronger to have the both of you there."

Nina sighed, casting a sideways glance at her sister. Olive was talking animatedly, waving her hand around while she spoke, a small smile turning up one corner of her lips. "I know. I just hope he's in it for the right reasons."

I almost laughed. "I can't say I know Neil extremely well, but I know him well enough to say that he's definitely in it for the right reasons. He's all about honor and duty and loyalty. I don't think he'd mess with Olive that way."

Nina gave me a small smile. "That's what Adrian told me about him. That he's too honorable to do something like that. And after what he did to test that tattoo, I guess I have to admit he's brave, if nothing else."

"You should get to know him," I told her. "He's not a bad guy. I actually like him a lot more than I ever thought I would. And the tattoo thing? He was brave to test it out, but he did it out of loyalty to his people. He's trying to do the right thing so no one else has to end up like Olive."

Nina shot another glance towards Olive and Neil, nodding a little. "Yeah, that's what Olive keeps saying. She's really far gone over him. I know he's a good guy, I just worry."

I gave her a smile. "That because you're a good sister."

She smiled back and said, "I can see why Adrian likes you so much. Most girls would have had my head for what happened. But here you are, complimenting me and giving me advice about my sister."

"I told you. What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't know what was going on and Adrian didn't tell you right away. We've discussed it and it's in the past. Now I'd like us to all be able to move forward as friends."

Nina nodded, holding out a hand. "Friends," she said with an easy smile. "And I promise I'll keep my hands off your boyfriend from now on."

Her bluntness surprised me, though her causal tone made me laugh. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that."

"What are friends for." She shrugged and turned to look at Olive and Neil again, but they'd disappeared somewhere behind the row of trees next to the walkway. "Where did they go now?" she asked no one in particular. "I swear, I've never seen Olive act this way with anyone before. She never used to run off with boys."

"And I've never seen Neil pay a girl any attention before he met Olive. Sounds like they're really into each other."

She sighed and started off for where she'd last seen Olive. "Yeah. Now if I could ever get them away from each other. See you later, Sydney!" she threw over her shoulder.

"Good talk?" Adrian asked when I walked back over to him. He'd waited, watching me as I spoke to Nina.

"Very good," I smiled at him and he grinned back.

"You are remarkable," he said.

"She's pretty great, too," I said, my smile falling. "I can see how... something like that could happen."

"She's a good person," he agreed. "But you are my favorite person." It wasn't the words so much as the tone that brought my smile back, full force.

We went and met Eddie and Jill and Adrian ran to his dad's while we ordered dinner. It was great getting to spend time with them. I'd missed them while I was away, but I was practically counting the minutes until Adrian came back. It was why I noticed he'd been gone for longer than he should have been. He'd told me to go ahead and tell Jill, so she distracted me with her whispered shrieks of congratulations, but still. Where was Adrian?

It wasn't until the bell chimed when he pushed through the door of the diner that I truly relaxed. He slipped a piece of paper into his pocket as he sat down.

"Did everything go alright?" I asked, while Eddie and Jill talked across from us in the booth. They were so cute together and I was glad to see Eddie wasn't running from their relationship anymore. They weren't technically in one, but it was coming. I could see it in their smiles.

"Everything's fine," Adrian assured me, squeezing my hand under the table as he spoke. "I just needed to take care of something."

"What kind of something?"

Adrian just shook his head and grinned. "The kind of something that's a surprise, so eat and don't worry about it."

Of course, his being secretive just made me want to figure out the secret that much more, but I let it go and just let myself enjoy the company. Something I hadn't truly done since I'd been abducted.

###

After dinner we still had a few minutes to kill before the meeting so Adrian convinced me I should practice my magic a little.

"It'll be good for you, Sage," he said, tugging me out into a lonely grove of trees on the outskirts of the campus-like Court. "You haven't used it in months."

I agreed with him. We were halfway into the thick stand of trees when we saw red bands of flame undulating through the branches.

"What is that?" I asked, squeezing Adrian's hand tighter. I knew it was flames, probably some Moroi fire user practicing his skills, seeing as Lissa was still fighting to pass the law saying that Moroi could use their magic to fight against Strigoi if they wanted. But still, that kind if power was startling to see, especially when I didn't know or trust the person wielding it.

Suddenly the flames dissolved, melting away into the night and an irritated cry of "Dammit!" cane to us through the trees. Adrian straightened up at the voice.

"Christian?" he called, tugging me closer. Sure enough, once we entered the clearing, Christian Ozera was sitting there on a charred tree stump. He glanced over at us with a frown.

"Adrian? Sydney? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be meeting Lissa."

"We had a few minutes so we..." Adrian trailed off, glancing at me. He nodded slowly, telling me I should trust Christian, that I should tell him about my magic. I was scared, but after seeing Christian's display of flames I suddenly had the urge to summon my own. It had been a long time, and I could feel the magic building beneath my skin, waiting for me to let it out. Slowly, I took a deep breath and smiled.

"I want to show you something," I told Christian and walked further into the clearing.

"Come on, Pyro," Adrian said, following me. "Sydney's about to blow your mind."

Christian looked uncomfortable and more than a little confused. "Um..."

"Not like that, you perv," Adrian interjected. "Just come here and stay quiet, alright. She needs to concentrate."

Whatever Christian thought of us, he shrugged and followed, sitting down quietly when I sat cross legged on the grass.

"After our accident, you held that fireball for a half hour, maybe a little more," Adrian said from beside me. "Try it again. See how long you last."

Christian startled at Adrian's words, and startled even more when I turned my hand out, palm up, letting a flame grow and grow until it was sitting there, half a foot above the grass, twisting and burning as I concentrated. Creating it was as easy as it had ever been, but maintaining it was a little more difficult, and getting progressively harder as the minutes passed. Finally, I released the magic, sinking back into the grass, feeling good, but a little tired from all of the exertion.

"14 minutes," Adrian said when the fireball finally flicked out. "I guess that old witch was right. You lost half your magic when you lost your virginity."

"Whoa, whoa," Christian said. "Let's just stay away from talk of... that, please. And let's go back to the you-can-summon-fireballs part."

I rolled my eyes. "Just because I can't maintain the flames for as long as I used to doesn't necessarily have anything to do with my virginity," I told him. "I've been locked away for months. I just need to practice." Then I turned to Christian. He still looked confused, but way more interested in me than he'd ever been. "I'm a witch," I said simply, unsure of how else to say it.

He took it in stride. "Like a real one? Pointy hat and stuff?"

"No hats," I smiled. "Though I did get a pretty cool cloak when I joined my coven."

His blue eyes went wide and his grin was practically splitting his face in two. Adrian laughed at his expression. "Totally awesome, right?"

"Yeah," Christian nodded still grinning. "Can you show me some more?"

So I did. I showed him a few more tricks with fire, since I knew he'd appreciate that. Then I showed him a couple of non-fire related spells I could remember. Simple things that didn't use a lot of power. I was already feeling drained and would need a bottle of orange juice or something once we got back.

Christian didn't seem to mind the little things. "So there are actually witches? Like a secret society of them? No way."

"You live in a secret society of vampires," I said with a shrug. "What makes it any different?"

He shook his head. "How could no one have ever heard of them? Someone would know."

"Had you ever heard of the Alchemists before Rose told you about Sydney?" Adrian asked.

"Well, no, but..." He bit his lip. "Alright, okay. Fine. But still, this is like total conspiracy theory stuff. Have you told Lissa yet?"

"Not yet," I shook my head. "I... I plan on doing it soon, I just didn't know how she'd take it."

He met my eyes and then glanced at Adrian sitting beside me. Very close beside me. His eyes skimmed to our hands, which had become tangled together on the grass at some point as we talked, but he didn't say anything about it. "I'm not sure I'd tell her just yet, if I were you," he said. "I mean, I'm not telling you to keep it a secret from her, but... She's really dealing with a lot right now." Then a thought seemed to occur to him and he tilted his head to the side. "What about the Alchemists? Do they know? I know you're worried about them coming after you. If you told them wouldn't they—"

"They'd come after me more," I told him. "They don't know about witches any more than Moroi do. If they found out, they'd come after me. They'd want answers."

"Okay." Christian blew out a breath. "So we can't tell them, then. But this..." he shook his head and glanced between me and Adrian again. "It's huge." Then his eyes went wide. "Oh! That's why."

"Why what?" Adrian asked.

"Why you think her blood will work for the vaccine. She's human, but her magic... How does it work? Moroi can only use one of the elements, but you can do a bunch of different spells, right? How does it work?"

I started to explain how complicated it was, when Adrian's phone buzzed. He jumped to his feet, pulling me up beside him. "Benny's here. Time to go."

Christian got up too, walking back with us. "You're so finishing that explanation sometime soon," he said with a smile. "And I want to see you do more than just make a floating fireball. Can you use it as a weapon? Like if you needed to?"

"Yeah," I grinned, remembering practicing in the desert with Adrian and Ms. Terwilliger. "We can meet up again tomorrow if you want. I really need the practice."

Christian smirked. "Because of the virginity thing?"

"Shut up!" Adrian and I both hissed at the same time, but Christian just laughed and outpaced up as we headed back to the palace.

###

"This is Sydney," Sonya introduced me to the man sitting before me. "It's her blood you'll be testing. We already know Strigoi weren't able to drink from her, but we'd like to test it again."

Benny who hadn't even glanced at me since Adrian and I entered the room, looked up at me, like he'd finally deemed me worthy of his notice. "A witch," he smiled. "Good to meet you. I've never been so close to a witch without... well. It's never been such a pleasant experience."

I froze. He knew what I was. And he'd blurted it out in front of everyone. I turned to shoot a panicked look at Adrian, but he was already handling the problem.

"Witch?" he laughed. "Is that what you guys used to call Alchemists back in your day? I guess it's sort of fitting, what with all their weird chemistry stuff and all."

Benny stared at him and then looked back to me. Between my expression and Adrian's quick excuse, he must have figured it out because he smiled in apology. "Yes. Of course. I always forget that title."

It wasn't that I didn't want to tell everyone, it was just that I wasn't sure how they'd take it. Jill and Eddie knew and they thought it was cool. Neil, as well. Adrian and I had even tested our boundaries by telling Christian. I trusted Christian not to tell, but even he had warned we might want to wait a little longer before dropping the news on Lissa. But as Benny sat back down at the table and uncorked the vial of my blood, ready to taste it, I felt overwhelmed. If we didn't explain my being a witch then these people had no hope of learning how to create a vaccine. They might be able to use my blood to create another tattoo, maybe, but they wouldn't understand it. They'd be dealing with something beyond them.

No. They needed to know the truth about why my blood was special. This project was too important to hold back something so vital to our success.

"Wait!" I said, squeezing my eyes shut in my nervousness.

"Sage?" Adrian was giving me a look, but I ignored him.

"My blood," I said slowly.

Rose came over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Sydney. No one will hurt you, I promise." Sonya was nodding beside her.

"No, that's not it," I said, shaking my head. "It's... It's why my blood is capable of repulsing Strigoi that's the problem."

"Which is?" Lissa asked. She looked patient and kind, waiting for me to explain.

"It's because... It's..."

Benny was, surprisingly, the one who helped me out. "It's because she's a witch, like I said."

I glanced over at him and he smiled. "Yes," I said, inhaling deeply. "Yes, that's why."

Sonya's mouth dropped open, but Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, even Olive and Nina just looked confused. "What do you mean?" Lissa asked.

"She means she's a witch," Adrian shrugged. "An adorable blonde witch. Like Samantha from Bewitched," he joked. "Belikov's got to know what that one is. He is, like, a hundred, right?"

Dimitri, to his credit, didn't even look exasperated by Adrian's comment. "Is that how you found out where Sonya was? Magic?" he asked quietly and I nodded. "I always thought it was odd how you just suddenly knew. I guess that explains it."

"I don't understand..." That was Rose. "Why didn't you tell me? That seems like something you should have told me."

I shrugged. "I didn't know, at first. I only found out in September. And then... well, there were other things to worry about. And I wasn't exactly comfortable with being able to use magic. It took me a long time to adjust."

"But you can use magic," Lissa said. Her head turned to the side much the same way her boyfriend's had. "Is it some sort of spell? Is that why Strigoi can't bite you?"

I tried to explain the best I could, how and why human magic worked. As I was speaking Benny tasted the vial of my blood, gagging it up and spitting it out, just like we'd all known he would.

"The witch's blood is even worse than the dhampir's," he said with a curse, sucking down a bottle of water.

"But is it bad to everyone?" Sonya asked, curiously. "Maybe your magic makes your blood unappealing as a defense mechanism."

"No, it doesn't," Adrian said, and then froze. "I mean, I don't think that's how it works."

"Yeah, none of the witches I've met have said anything about my blood being repulsive to Moroi. Just Strigoi," I tried to recover. Adrian had only tasted my blood once, quickly, but it was enough to know he'd enjoyed it.

Sonya looked between Adrian and I, a small, non-judgmental smile playing on her lips. "Yes, of course. Someone would have said something if that was true. Mind if we do a quick test just to be sure?"

I told her it was fine, though I knew she knew Adrian was telling the truth. I knew she knew about me and Adrian. Not only was Sonya a spirit user who could read auras, she also knew the two of us and had already had her suspicions about our relationship. But, she smiled kindly and said she'd have someone test the blood just to make sure.

By the time we got out of there it was late, for human time anyway. Adrian 'volunteered' to walk me back to my room. On the way he took my hand, rubbing circles into my skin with his thumb.

"Mmm. I can't wait to get back to the room," I said, using all of my willpower not to let myself collapse onto his shoulder. I'd had some orange juice at the palace, but I still felt completely exhausted from my magical workout earlier.

"You tired?" he asked, opening the door to guest housing. He had to let go of my hand when we walked inside, but I reminded myself that we'd be in my room soon enough.

"Exhausted," I told him.

"We have an early day tomorrow," he said, though he wouldn't tell me what he'd planned. Just that it was part of the surprise."So we should get some sleep." But the look in his eyes as we entered our room was not the look of someone who wanted to sleep. Which was good, because I wasn't ready to sleep yet, either.

I bit my lip, grinning up at him as I crawled onto the bed. "I'm not sure I can sleep just yet. Think you could help me with that?"

I'd barely gotten the words out before Adrian was kissing me senseless.