Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.

Its been a while since I've done one of these, but here it is, the next chapter in the Reading the Books storyline. This one's shorter, but still cute, I think. Hope you guys enjoy!

Eddie flipped the orange book closed and looked up at me with angry eyes. Though I had a pretty good idea who he was angry with and it wasn't me.

"They'd really do that to you?" he demanded.

I sniffed and blinked a few times, hoping no one would notice the moisture gathering in my lashes. Nodding, I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure they would. I'm pretty sure they've already thought about it. But now..." I shot a quick glance to the green eyed boy sitting next to me and then looked back at Eddie with a shrug. "I mean, then. In the book. With everything with Adrian. Yes. They definitely would."

"How could they?" Jill said quietly. "Your own family, I mean."

I tensed up, trying not to imagine my father and sister, telling myself that they wouldn't do what they'd done in the book. That it was just fiction, although I knew better.

"Jill," Adrian said from beside me. His voice was soft, but stern. Letting her know to drop the subject.

Despite the state of emotional confusion I was in, I still looked over at Adrian and smiled my gratitude. My smile was weak, but I knew he understood.

That was the thing. The thing that would have made everything that had happened in the books worth it if our futures had gone down that way. I'm not saying I'm not grateful to Abe for showing them to us, for giving me a heads up on all of this. I am, eternally, which is not a way I'd ever thought I'd feel towards Abe Mazur. But all of the things in the books, the stuff with Adrian... Well, if I had to land myself in reeducation because of them, it would have been worth it to be with him for even just a little while.

When I looked at Adrian though, I knew he didn't feel the same way. His eyes were sad and I knew why. He'd known about reeducation through the books, but he'd only known as much as I had. In this last book, that had changed. Book me had spoken to Keith, who'd been reeducated. And then, after an ambush set up by my father and sister, I'd been hauled in to be "saved" as well. While I felt it was worth it to do what I'd done, to go against the Alchemists and save my friends, Adrian clearly wasn't so sure.

"This won't happen," he said to me quietly, but with all the Moroi in the room, it was no surprise when Lissa seconded the thought.

"It won't," she said. "I promise. I'll... I'll figure something out. Now that we know—"

"It's fine." I shook my head at her. "It hasn't happened. None of it has. Therefore," I said, pointing at the orange book Eddie had set aside, "none of it can happen. Whatever happens from here on out, it won't be what happens in the books."

"No, it will be something entirely different," Rose said, slumping back against Dimitri's shoulder and the couch. "Something we're unprepared for." Then she straightened up and reached for the book on the coffee table between us, the one with the silver cover. "Let's get on with it. I need to know what's going to happen next. Those Alchemist's are crazy if they think—"

"No," I said and threw my hand out in front of me. "No more tonight, please."

"But Sydney," Rose shook her head. "Don't you want to know what they're going to do to you?"

I felt the weight of everything we'd already read pressing down on my shoulders. We'd read four books so far and each one had changed the way I saw my world, but this last one... It changed everything. Even if I felt nothing for Adrian, even if we'd never spoken, never kissed, I still couldn't go back to the Alchemists after reading what they'd done, what they planned to do. And we hadn't even gotten to any specific torture yet. I wasn't sure I could handle reading about my own people, my own family, trying to torture and brainwash me. It was too much.

"Give her a break, guys," Adrian said, sitting up in his seat beside me. He didn't touch me, even though I sort of wished he would. "This isn't easy stuff for her to hear."

Everyone nodded and Rose apologized, though I could tell she wanted nothing more than to grab the book and dive in herself.

"Sage," Adrian said softly and I turned to look into his lovely green eyes. "What are you going to do? You know, now?"

What was I going to do? That was the million dollar question, wasn't it. I'd thought about my options, especially since I started spending more time with Adrian. We'd gone out once, to breakfast and then he showed me around the Moroi Court. But since then we'd been hanging out in my room a lot. Mostly reading, because as the last book progressed there were a lot more private moments that I felt uncomfortable reading in front of the group. But... Well, the more private moments we read about in the book, the more private moments Adrian and I ended up having in real life.

We hadn't done more than make out—we'd only known each other for a week. But still. I was lost when we were together, awash in a sea of emotions I never knew I could feel. This book, the fourth one we'd read, was different from the first three, because instead of just my thoughts, it was filled with Adrian's as well. The chapters alternated between his thoughts and mine and now I knew how Adrian felt while we'd read the first three books. It was addictive. I could read his thoughts all day long.

There was one scene, in a bed and breakfast where we'd... Well, let's just say I'd had read it over a few times after Adrian left for the night because I wasn't able to comprehend all of it when we'd read it together. That chapter, the things he thought and felt about me as we'd done something so intimate, so personal... It did things to me. After we'd read that chapter we'd made out for a long time on my bed. We'd kissed and touched and whispered to each other and that was almost not enough, though we both knew better than to take it any further.

I knew things were going fast with Adrian. I barely knew what I was doing, but he made everything seem possible and that made me want him even more. I'd never felt I could do things, be more than what my father carved out for me, but Adrian made me feel like I could be so much more than an Alchemist. He actually asked me about my interests and told me I'd figure out a way to go to college if I really wanted, because "you can figure out anything, Sage."

"Sydney?" Adrian asked again, pulling me from my thoughts. I dipped my face forward to let my hair cover my burning cheeks. I was almost embarrassed by how much I thought about him sometimes.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I don't know if I can go back now, knowing what I do. I don't think I could anyway."

"It's dangerous," Rose agreed.

Lissa made a small hmm sound and we all turned to her, noticing the frown on her face. "If you stay here they'll probably accuse us of kidnapping you or something." She shrugged. "They didn't want you coming here in the first place."

"Yes," Abe said. He'd been casually reclined against an arm chair, but now he sat up straight, stroking his goatee. "Good thing someone has contacts inside the Alchemist organization."

"What are you talking about, old man?" Rose demanded.

"Nothing much," Abe smiled, leaning back into the chair like he didn't have a care in the world. "Just that I took care of getting you here." His lips twitched even higher on one side as he looked at me. "And I may have set up a false assignment for you in Russia directly after this. As far as the Alchemists are concerned, you boarded a plane yesterday evening and aren't expected back for some time."

"What?" I was flabbergasted that he'd even bother, but then I remembered this was Abe and narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "Why would you do that?"

Abe's lips twitched again. "You'll see after you finish the last two books. But Sydney, I hope you're seriously considering what to do next. I've gotten you off the Alchemist radar for the time being, but it's up to you what you do with that time and after."

I couldn't believe Abe had done something like that. Now I wondered what happened in the next books that made him so helpful. I could only imagine it wasn't anything good and the way the books had been going, I was certain it wasn't.

"Well," I said, once I'd processed everything. "You saved me from having to either go back home or go on the run. Thank you."

"Yeah," Adrian said with an appreciative nod, but he looked just as confused as I felt. "Thanks."

"You two seem so shocked that I'd do something nice." Abe couldn't even bother pretending to be upset by that, but his smile was real, not the knowing one he usually wore.

"I just never saw it coming," Adrian said. "Abe Mazur doing something nice for someone who wasn't directly related to him."

"You know what I never saw coming?" Rose laughed loudly. "You and Sydney going at it like a couple of rabbits."

"Rose!" I hissed, completely mortified when everyone around us started snickering. How could she bring something like that up? Really? How? We'd been careful not to read any of those parts publicly.

"What?" she asked. "Like I was going to let you guys read me half a story. I snuck off last night and read the book myself."

Dimitri, who was sitting beside her, just shook his head, but I was furious she'd invade my privacy like that. I was also highly embarrassed knowing she'd read about private moments between Adrian and I.

"That's like reading someone's diary!" I said. "You can't just—" But before I could finish, I felt Adrian's fingers clasp mine and turned to look at him. He looked more amused by my anger than angry himself. "Tell me you don't care that she read all of... that without our consent," I demanded.

"Oh, I care," he said softly, weaving our fingers together. "But I'm more interested in the fact that we have more time to get to know each other."

Christian snorted. "I'm sure you are."

Adrian made a rude gesture in his direction, but never took his eyes off of me. "Come on," he said, using our interlocked fingers to pull me to my feet. "We all need a break. I'm taking you to dinner."

My stomach flipped, looking into his smiling green eyes. The idea of dinner, of anything, with Adrian made me forget how upset I was with Rose. That was, until she spoke.

"You guys have a good time," she said with a smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I swiveled to glare at her. "And don't you read any more without us."

She rolled her eyes, but agreed. "I promise."

Adrian said goodnight to everyone and dragged me out into the hallway. We only made it twenty feet before he pulled me into a dark room and pressed me up against the wall. I was startled for a moment, but then his lips descended on mine and I was in sheer bliss. His lips were warm and soft and inviting and I tugged him closer, hungry for him.

After a few moments he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine. "I've needed to do that since we finished that book."

"It's not going to happen," I said, stroking his hair. "I won't let them catch on, not until I know how to stop them."

"I know," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "We'll beat them, now that we know what to expect. I promise you won't end up like that." After a few more minutes, a few more stolen kisses in the dark, Adrian straightened up and smiled. "How about we get dinner and talk about something besides the books? I've learned a lot about you in the past week, Sage, but I want more."

I grinned, feeling happy and excited and nervous all at the same time. "Me too," I said, leaning up to kiss him one more time, before I turned to leave the room, Adrian beside me.