Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.

So, who saw the TFH trailer yesterday? Ah! That quote! So Just Gah! Anyway, I uploaded a new chapter of Through The Darkness, my post TIS story, if anyone's interested. Also, I'm currently reading Endless Knight by Kresley Cole which is just agonizingly incredible so, if you guys are looking for something to tide you over until November, The Arcana Chronicles is definitely a series you should check out.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's dedicated to one of my guest reviewers. You'll know who you are ;)

I sighed in frustration for the thousandth time this weekend.

Not only was my father in town to check up on Zoe's training—not to mention criticize every decision I make—but he'd brought Ian with him, as well as two other Alchemists I didn't know.

I assumed there was a reason all of these people had been clued in on the details of the Palm Springs assignment, but I had no idea what it was, which was another reason for my frustration. How could I do my job and protect Jill when so many people knew where we were hiding her? That didn't seem to be a concern of my father's though as he stood in Clarence's living room, making small talk with the Alchemists and looking like he owned the mansion he was standing in.

Clarence had been kind enough to allow us use if his home for a little visiting party for the Alchemists while they were here. My father—and Stanton through her email two days ago—had expressed a want for the vampires here to be treated with the utmost respect while he was in town. I'd heard, through Stanton, that a recent meeting with the Moroi Queen hadn't gone so well for the Alchemists, so I figured this little party was their way of saying they just wanted to be friends. If that was the case, though, then I had no idea why they'd sent my father. He might have tried to look the part of the doting Alchemist, but his attitude didn't fool my friends. After meeting him for five minutes Jill had begun giving me pitying looks. Adrian had taken to calling him The Asshole behind his back. Even Eddie's patience looked strained in the face of my father's blatant condescension.

Thankfully, at the moment, his attention was on the two senior Alchemists he'd brought to Palm Springs with him. That didn't, however, save me from Ian's adoring gaze.

"Your father has been taking me under his wing more and more these past few months," he said, placing a hand on my elbow and causing me to turn away from my father and stare down at it. "I have to thank you for that. Ever since we were introduced in St. Louis he's taken a real interest in my work."

I had to bite my lip to keep from gaping at him. I wanted to say, Oh, yeah? Well, that's more interest than he's ever paid me, so you should feel proud of yourself. I stopped myself, barely, feeling disgusted with myself. I was jealous, of Ian! Even though I knew my father was a jerk, one who loved to make me feel bad about my choices—he'd not only criticized my grades and my wardrobe since showing up yesterday, but he'd also questioned why I'd "let myself go"—somehow I still craved his approval and it killed me that he'd given it to this boy I barely even knew.

"I was wondering if you'd—" he began, but I wasn't interested in his conversation.

"Ian," I said, needing a minute alone to calm myself, "would you mind finding me a glass of water? I'd really appreciate it."

Instantly Ian's demeanor changed. He placed his hand on my wrist this time, giving it a light squeeze as he smiled and assured me it would be his pleasure. I nearly rolled my eyes.

Once he was gone I took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing myself to engage him in pointless conversation for the next hour, at least. I reminded myself that, if I was lucky, it was only Ian I'd have to talk to.

"You know," Adrian said, stepping forward and startling me out of my thoughts. He'd been distant all day, for obvious reasons, but now having him close enough that I could hear the ice clinking in his glass was making me dizzy with relief. Everything always seemed easier when Adrian was near. "I'm really not a jealous person," he continued in that easy way he had. "I mean, I was okay with Rose running off with Belikov when we were still dating, and if I ever had a reason to be jealous, that was it. But every time that guy puts his hand on your arm I want to peel back his fingers one by one until they snap."

"Adrian," I admonished. "You can't say things like that. He could come back at any second and hear you. He'd probably think you were trying to attack us and drag me out of here."

"So drag back," Adrian said simply. "You're a big girl and can make your own decisions. You can stay wherever you want and talk to whoever you want."

"It doesn't even matter," I said with a shake of my head, refusing to engage him on this or correct his grammar. "There's no reason for you to be jealous. You know how I feel."

Adrian smirked, his glass clinking again. "Oh, I know how you feel alright. I think you proved perfectly well how you feel about me last night."

"Adrian!" I complained, but couldn't stop the small flicker at the corner of my mouth.

"You don't like him, how is he not getting the hint? You've basically been giving him one word answers for the last twenty minutes," he said, thankfully turning the subject away from our dream date last night. "He either knows you don't want to talk and simply doesn't care, or he thinks you are terrible at small talk."

"I don't know," I sighed. "He's annoying. I don't want to be mean, but how else do I get my point across. Honestly, I don't know why he's so into me. I've barely spent any time with him." Well, there was the time in St. Louis, but I hadn't really led him on all that much. I'd been mostly friendly. Aside from that dress I'd worn.

Adrian smiled adoringly at me and my heart fluttered. "Sydney, when are you going to see how incredible you are? It's a cute trait, don't get me wrong, but you're smarter than that." When I rolled my eyes he went on. "You are a beautiful, confident, intelligent young woman. There's no reason anyone wouldn't like you. Maybe he doesn't see what I see, maybe he can't see the way you shine, but he can't be stupid enough not to notice a good thing when he sees one."

I smiled up at him, wishing it was just the two of us here, wishing my father wasn't in the same house as us, the same state, even. I wanted to wrap my arms around Adrian's neck and kiss him until we were both out of breath. At least my father seemed to have wandered outside with the other Alchemists—maybe to escape the dark interior of Clarence's living room, or maybe so he could criticize my friends without being overheard. Either way I didn't care as long as he stayed out there for a while.

Adrian closed the remaining distance between us, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. "You are the most radiant woman in this room, Sydney."

I surprised myself, and him I suspect, by laughing. Hard. "I'm the only woman in this room," I said through my laughter. "Unless you want to count the fifteen year olds." I threw a glance over at Jill and Angeline, joking around with Eddie and Neil on the couch. Zoe was sitting in a high backed chair not far away from the others, clearly annoyed she hadn't been included when the senior Alchemists went to talk.

Despite my sister's sour expression as she stared out the window, I couldn't shake the smile Adrian's words brought to my face, even when I saw Ian coming back with drinks in his hand. I did, however, manage to pull my hand away from Adrian before Ian noticed.

Ian approached us cautiously, taking in Adrian standing so close and me with a huge grin on my face. He handed me one of the glasses of water and extended his hand gingerly in Adrian's direction. "Mr. Ivashkov. So... nice to see you again."

His tone was coldly polite, the perfect Alchemist voice. Adrian gave him a friendly smile, regardless of the way he hesitated over the word nice.

"You, too," he said, taking Ian's hand. The two had some sort of male stare down; Adrian smiling and Ian's thin lips tightly pressed together into what almost appeared to be a smile. Ian pulled back quickly and turned to me. I watched as Adrian's eyes went slightly unfocused, studying Ian's aura.

"Sydney?" Ian said, for what must have been the second time judging by his tone.

I spun to look at him. "I'm sorry, Ian," I said as politely as possible, when all I really wanted to do was sigh in frustration. "I was thinking about some paperwork I need to get finished."

He smiled, seeming relived, and I realized he had caught me staring at Adrian. He'd probably thought I was under Moroi compulsion or something. "I know what a hard worker you are, Sydney, and that you probably have a lot to keep you busy, but I was hoping to steal you away for a few hours tomorrow. We're only here for one more day and I thought we could spend some time together."

Ian shot a glance toward Adrian and I swore it looked almost triumphant. Like Ian was trying to assert a claim on me or something. Adrian just sipped his drink and ignored the look.

"Tomorrow's Monday. I have school," I said, hoping he wouldn't look past that flimsy excuse.

Ian laughed. "Such a stickler for the rules," he said, still smiling. "I love that about you."

This, it seemed, Adrian couldn't ignore. An ugly snort escaped him, and he started choking on his gin. I had to admit, Ian's statement was kind of funny. I was the very opposite of a stickler for rules. I'd broken every rule in the book, and some that had never before needed to be written down! Ian was just proving how little he actually knew me.

"I'm okay," Adrian coughed, his voice thick and raspy. "Just went down the wrong pipe." He straightened and bit his lip to keep from smiling. Not that it mattered. Ian wasn't looking at him. He was still entirely focused on me.

"Surely you can take a day off," he said gently. "Or even the afternoon. We could spend some quality time together."

The smile on Ian's face was making me feel nauseous. "Uh, I really can't," I said slowly, desperately racking my brain for an excuse. "My history teacher has me helping her with a project..."

Ian's smile, which had stayed firmly in place throughout Adrian's coughing fit, finally fell. It turned into a frown and his brow creased to match. "Sydney, I appreciate that you work so hard on your appearance and reputation here, but I hope you remember that this is just a cover. It's not your mission to go out of your way to get good grades. You just need to be able to pass, not excel."

Now he sounded like Zoe. And who was he to tell me my mission, anyway? He'd only just found about about it a few days ago. I took a deep breath and then told him what I hoped would be enough to get him off my back. "I know I don't need to excel in order to get the job done, Ian, but I do it anyway because it makes things much easier here at Amberwood. The administration responds better when one of its best students is asking for something. And I like to be the best, it's what's gotten me this far and it will get me further. I don't have time to spend fraternizing. My soul focus is on this mission and in being the very best I can be."

Adrian smiled, but Ian couldn't see. He was staring at me wide eyed, clearly not expecting that reaction. "Oh," was all he managed to say.

I smiled at him, hoping to soften the blow. "It's a lovely offer, Ian, really. It's just not something I'm interested in right now. I need to focus." My stomach turned, but I said my next words anyway. "You never know what sort of trouble these creatures will get themselves into, or when. I really need to stay on my toes."

Ian smiled weakly, recomposing himself, but Adrian... The look on Adrian's face undid me. He'd been smiling this entire time and he wasn't exactly not smiling now, but he didn't look happy. In fact, he looked quite troubled. I knew he wouldn't like my use of the word creature, but really, what choice did I have? And he knew that. I knew he knew that with Ian and my dad here I needed to be extra cautious, which really just meant extra rude to him and the rest of my friends. It was unfair, of course, but there was nothing to be done for it. When he met my eyes I tried to smile an apology as best I could, and he nodded, but I could tell it still really bothered him. I'd have to call him later and make sure he was alright.

"I guess you're right," Ian was saying, pulling my focus away from Adrian's crushed expression. "Once again. Always the diligent little worker." His saccharin smile made me sick to my stomach. "That's what I love about you."

It must have been a combination of my use of the word creatures and Ian's use of the word love, but whatever it was, it set Adrian's jaw in a tense line that looked sharp enough to cut glass if we had a piece to test it on.

"Diligent little worker," Adrian barked out in a peel of laughter that sent shivers down my spine, and not for the usual reasons. "Now that's romantic!"

"Adrian," I hissed, trying to get his attention, but he was completely focused on Ian. At least no one was paying us any attention over here.

"What'd you plan on doing on your date, if she'd said yes? Giving her a box of crayons and a pat on the head?" He stepped closer to Ian in his rage, causing the now terrified Alchemist to back up. "She's a woman, not a child. She deserves your respect, not your condescension. She deserves to be loved and treated like a goddess. Worshipped." His laugh was sharp, sharper than his tongue. "I bet you wouldn't know anything about that though. Making a woman lose control doesn't seem like a skill you'd have." His lovely green eyes narrowed to slits as he stared Ian down, all rational thought seemingly gone from his as he said his next words. "I've had the pleasure of feeling Sydney's nails dig into my back while she comes undone around me and it's not a feeling you will ever know, so stop pretending you have a connection to her. You don't."

"Adrian!" I shrieked, appalled not only by his words, but by his utter lack of concern when he'd said them. Ian's eyes widened as he glanced from Adrian to me, deducing how much of Adrian's statement was true.

"Syd-Sydney?" He spluttered, still scared of Adrian, but not enough to hide his obvious disgust at the thought of me with a vampire. "That—he's not—Tell me he's lying."

The truth must have been in my eyes, plain as day, because Ian teetered back another step, looking nauseous.

"You've... let this thing defile you." He made the sign against evil on his shoulder, tracing a small cross on the sleeve of his button down.

Adrian finally looked properly concerned with Ian being privy to such delicate information, his eyes widening. "Ian. Look at me."

Ian took another step back, ignoring Adrian, who was desperate to catch his eye. "You've ruined yourself," he whispered hoarsely, his voice grating. "Even if the creature forced himself on you, there's no coming back—"

"Ian!" Adrian snapped, grabbing the frightened boy's collar and forcing him to look into his too green eyes. With a terrified glance around the room I realized that my father was, thankfully, still no where to be found and no one else was paying us any attention, but it felt like a million years had passed before Adrian finally began compelling Ian to forget.

"Sydney has never been inappropriate with me or any other vampire in her care. She's strictly professional in her actions towards us, never getting closer than necessary. I'm drunk," he said, raising his glass as if Ian could see it passed the compulsion, "I made a disgusting joke and Sydney chastised me for it. You two are going to go chat with her sister now to get away from me. But," he added, almost as if he couldn't help it. "You are going to keep your hands to yourself. Sydney's not interested in your advances and you respect that."

Ian nodded, looking dazed as he turned to face me. "I respect that," he repeated. He was so out of it even his words slurred together.

I nodded, managing a weak smile for him. "Will you give me a moment to freshen up? I'll come find you in a few minutes."

"Of course," he nodded, still looking a little out of it, but not enough that anyone would assume something was wrong. Once he was gone I dragged Adrian from the room, fury bubbling up inside me.

"What the hell is your problem?" I hissed once we were secluded in the kitchen.

"I don't know," Adrian shook his head, regret etching his expression. "That guy just makes me so angry. And he was acting like he had some kind of right to you because he's human. I just wanted him to know that you're mine."

"I'm yours?" I repeated, feeling oddly offended by his tone. It wasn't that I didn't think of Adrian as mine, but the possessiveness he was displaying wasn't something I liked to see from him.

He seemed to understand, his shoulders slumping as he ran a hand over his face. "You know what I mean, Sage. You're my girlfriend. I love you. It's hard to listen to another guy try to put the moves on you." He smirked. "Even if he is terrible at it."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter how good he is at putting the moves on me, Adrian. I'm not going to leave you just because some guy—a guy I don't even like—is hitting on me. I don't care if he's human or an Alchemist or an alien. I want to be with you. Although I might change my mind about that if you keep pulling this alpha male rivalry act," I added pointedly, my gaze hard.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He took a step closer, pulling me to his chest. I melted into his touch, my anger fizzling at his warmth. "I know I was wrong. I won't ever do it again. I could have gotten you in real trouble just now and that's the last thing I'd ever want to do, even if you picked him over me."

"Which I wouldn't," I said, inwardly cringing at just the thought of Ian embracing me this way.

"I know," Adrian whispered. "But I don't want you to think that I'm holding this over your head or anything. If you wanted to leave me I'd be devastated, but I'd still protect you. Always."

I lifted my head from his chest, gazing up into his glittering green eyes. "Well, I'll always want you, so you won't have to worry about it." I smirked. "I want you right now, actually. Especially after all that talk about nails digging into backs and coming undone."

He groaned, letting his forehead fall against my shoulder. "I'd kill to feel your nails on my skin right now. But it would probably be for the best to steer clear of each other, at least for the rest of the night. Thanks to me and my big mouth."

I chuckled, giving him a quick squeeze before resigning myself to going back out to mingle with Ian and my sister. "I'll tell you," I said to Adrian as I made my way out of the kitchen, "I might not like the jealously in such huge doses, but it did kind of turn me on a little."

One eyebrow raised, he smirked. "Well then I guess I'll have to use it sparingly from now on." He stepped forward to grab my wrist before I made it to the door, pulling me in for a long, burning kiss. When he released me his emerald eyes flamed with all of the passion I'd felt in his kiss. "I dare anyone to try to kiss you like that. To make your insides boil until you can't physically stand the ache anymore. I can see it in your eyes," he whispered roughly. "You know there's no one else for you, just as well as I know there will only ever be you for me."

The briefest sigh of contentment passed through me at his words and I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his ear. "Always," I breathed, delighting in the shudder that rolled through his body.

I went back out to make an appearance with my fellow Alchemists, but my heart was back in that room with Adrian. Along with my fantasies.