"Stop tapping your fingers, you're making me uncomfortable."

Christian is being his usual snarky self but I don't feel like playing with him today. I haven't been the same since the night of the restoration, mostly because things haven't settled down yet, and my headache is still an ever present companion.

"Why hasn't he called yet?" I wonder aloud, peeling the cold dish towel off my forehead. Abe promised he'd update me. It's been fourteen hours since Dimitri boarded the plane and I haven't heard from Abe. "He should have made it to Turkey by now."

"But if he doesn't live close to the airport they could still be driving," Lissa says.

Lissa has her head bent over my foot, concentrating on painting my nails red. She wanted to spend today helping me get over this spirit induced headache by pampering me. I have a cold rag for my head and a warm compress wedged between the couch and my back.

It's not helping with the headache but I don't tell her that because it feels nice regardless.

The coffee table is full of sweets and salty snacks for our own version of a picnic. Christian has already eaten most of the chocolate covered cherries. If I felt better I would be fighting him for the last one.

"I'm not sure telling him to trust Abe was the right thing."

"Dimitri is better off with him than here," Christian says and pops the last cherry into his mouth.

"Besides, Abe knows how much Dimitri means to you," Lissa adds.

"He does?"

She blinks. "You met him at the funeral the Belikovas had for Dimitri."

My eyes widen. "Yes… I did." And I wept over the loss of my mentor, people started calling me Dimitri's widow. I bury my face in my hands. "Oh my god, he is going to kill Dimitri."

Lissa and Christian laugh.

"This isn't funny!" I hiss.

"Babe," Lissa says softly. "It's a little funny."

Christian snickers. "He'll give Dimitri the same speech he gave Adrian for sure."

I shudder. Abe's colorful speech to Adrian at St Vladimir's has become a running joke between us. Emptied eye sockets, displaced joints, genital mutilation. Abe could never be accused of lacking imagination.

There's a knock at the door and Serena, Lissa's near guard, pops her head in. "Lord Ivashkov is here."

"Speak of the devil," Lissa says and gives Serena a thumbs up to send Adrian in.

Adrian strides in, pushing his hair to one side. "What were you saying about me?"

Christian smirks. "Just wondering how you get on with Rose's dad."

Adrian pauses, his face paling comically. "Is he at court?" His eyes dart to me. "You put in a good word for me, right?"

I roll my eyes. "He's not here anymore, and I only have nice things to say about you."

Adrian takes a seat next to me on the sofa and puts an arm around my shoulders. "So I'm not doing anything wrong?"

My eyebrows crease. "No?"

He rubs his chin. "Then maybe you can tell me why you left last night without saying anything."

I cringe. I knew I was forgetting something important. Lissa stops painting my nails and looks up.

"I looked for you," he adds in a low voice.

Lissa caps the bottle of polish and stands. "Christian, we need coffees."

He looks confused. He looks at the table. "But we have-"

"We need to go get everyone a drink." She points down at my toes. "Don't walk on them yet."

As soon as the door closes I turn to Adrian. "I'm really sorry about the party, I should have said something before I left."

"Knowing where you were would have been nice. I looked like an idiot in front of my friends because I had no idea where my girlfriend was. Was it really that bad?"

"It's not that. My head still hurts from the other day, and I stepped outside for fresh air and Ambrose found me."

"Ambrose? As in my aunt's… friend" He asked incredulously.

"You know him?"

"We've met. He's a big partier." He gives me a weary look. "Did he take you to a different party then? I would have come with you if you'd told me."

"It wasn't another party." I chew on my lip. "Tatiana accepted a deal to have Dimitri moved away from court last night. It was very discreet, but Ambrose snuck me into the cells to say goodbye."

Adrian's head falls back, he looks up at the ceiling and blows out a puff of air. "I see."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm glad you got to say goodbye." He leans in for a kiss which I gladly give him. I haven't done anything wrong by seeing Dimitri, but I'm happy that Adrian isn't upset. How to cope with your undead ex and your boyfriend at the same time isn't a subject covered in school.

"I'm sorry I left the party."

"I understand. I don't know if Lissa told you this, but I offered to leave court with him, I didn't want him to be executed."

"I know." I give him another kiss. "You're a good person."

"Are you saying my aunt isn't?" He grins.

"Your words, not mine."

He gasps, "I would never, that's my queen!"

We both laugh but it dies quickly. I reach out and squeeze his hand. "Are we okay?"

He nods. "Yeah. We're okay. I just don't always know where I stand with you."

I blink. "I'm your girlfriend."

He gives me a relieved smile. "Yes you are." And then we're kissing again, his fingers tangling in my hair.

We end up kissing for a long time and Adrian ends up on top of me, my back pressed into the couch and his fingers brushing against the waistline of my jeans. It feels nice, the way he tugs at my hair, sucking on his bottom lip, his tongue sliding against my own.

"Relax, little dhampir," he murmurs as he presses a kiss behind my ear. It sends a delightful shiver through me and I relax my shoulders.

The door swings open and we pull apart, Adrian sighing dramatically. Christian strides in carrying four iced coffees in a cup carrier and a paper bag. "Oh good, you two made up." He passes a drink to Adrian and me each.

I take a sip and grimace. Caramel. Definitely not my drink. Adrian silently gives me his - my - cup of mocha.

"Where's Lissa?"

Christian takes a huge bite of his croissant and talks with his mouth full. "Royal guard found her and pulled her away for an emergency meeting."

"That doesn't sound good."

Adrian adds, "My dad wasn't in a good mood this morning, which is nothing new, but he was more tense than usual."

"Tatiana made the deal at the masquerade last night, it would have been behind the council's back," I say.

Christian asks. "Abe went to the masquerade?"

Adrian's eyebrows shoot up. "Abe is taking Dimitri?"

"Uh, yeah, did I not mention that? Anyway, that's what Ambrose told me, but I didn't see him there."

"I didn't either," Adrian adds tonelessly.

Christian flops down on one of the recliner chairs. "I'm surprised he went unnoticed. I bet he was dressed like a peacock. What animal were you, Rose?"

His comment strikes me as odd, because he's right. Abe is always the most colorfully dressed person in the room, and last night, at an event when people are encouraged to dress outrageously, he wore a black tux. Perhaps he dressed down to stand out for once, instead of the other way around.

Adrian answers for me, "Not everyone does the animal thing anymore, I got her a floral mask."

Christian's lips turn down, he seems disappointed in that answer and I smirk. I know he was hoping Adrian would give him a setup for a joke at my expense. "Tasha went as an eagle. I tried to talk her out of it, the mask looked awful."

"It did have a long beak," I say and Christian snickers.

I glance at Adrian, whose eyes are unfocused. He snaps back into the room and gives me a reassuring smile but it doesn't reach his eyes. "I have to get going. I'm going to be late."

"I didn't know you had plans today."

He presses a perfunctory kiss to my forehead. "I'm working on a project. It's a surprise."

My eyebrows hike up. "A surprise for me or a surprise in general?"

This brings the light back to his eyes. "For you. It will be ready in a few days if I stop getting distracted by you. Will you be in your room this time if I come looking for you tonight?"

It always amazed me that Adrian's demeanor could change so quickly, like he's balancing on the edge of feeling powerful emotions at each end of the spectrum at any given moment and he has to choose which to focus his energy on. Lissa could be like that at times too.

I cringe again. "Tell me you didn't leave the party to find me."

He gives me a cheeky grin. "I did and I'll come around again tonight."

"You know we have these great things called cell phones."

"If I remember how to use one I'll call you." He kisses me again and only pulls away when Christian makes gagging noises.

Adrian leaves, shaking his iced coffee on his way out. Christian tips his own drink in my direction. "So you're not going to do anything?"

I shrug. "I'm going to find out where Abe stays when he's at court. Maybe one of his cronies is still here and can give me answers."

"I was talking about Adrian."

The coffee cup pauses on my lips. "I don't follow."

"I thought if Liss was successful restoring Dimitri, and she was, you would cut Adrian loose then. So what are you doing with him?"

I give him a blank stare. "Nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed. And Adrian can read your aura, so why string him along?"

I guess I'm going to find Abe's place right now, since I won't sit here and take the fourth degree from Chrsitian. I pull on my socks and slide back into my sneakers. "Has Adrian said anything to you?" I ask with a bite.

"No, but-"

"Then are you suddenly a mind reader too?"

"Lissa would be nice and tell you what you want to hear, but I'm telling you the truth. If you want to keep Adrian, you have to swear off Dimitri for good."

I snatch my drink and walk out of the room, throwing "This is none of your business, Ozera," over my shoulder on the way out.

As I'm leaving the building, I send texts separately to Abe and Janine asking for his address at court. Janine responds almost right away, giving his address but asking why I want it.

I deflect by sending back: Spend a lot of time there?

Mom: Be serious, Rosemarie. I'm in Lithuania.

Me: When did you go to Lithuania?

Mom: I've been posted here with Lord Szelzky for three months, aside from going to your qualifier.

"Thanks for the life update, Janine," I mutter aloud. I head to the address she sent, which is past the palace, where Lissa is stuck in that meeting.

The house is easy to find. Most accommodations at court are apartments or condos, and as luxurious as they are, we're limited on space in a community that's supposed to be hidden from human eyes. There are few houses at court, and Abe owns one of them, despite the fact he's rarely here.

It's a two-story white brick colonial with ivy crawling up the sides and at least partially covering most of the windows. There are no lights on and I don't hear anyone shuffling in the house when I knock on the door.

Gravel shifts under my feet as I make a second lap around the house. I curse under my breath. It was a long shot, but the more time that passes by the more uneasy I feel.

I pull out my phone and try calling Abe's number one more time. Dial tone. The number used to work when he first gave it to me, but I haven't called him in weeks. The mobster changed his number and didn't tell me.

When I circle back to the front of the house a moroi woman is standing on the walkway, watching me. I stand up straighter and push my shoulders back. I probably look like a creeper going around to burgle moroi homes.

She hasn't moved her gaze from me.

"I was, uh, just looking for my fa-friend. I was supposed to meet him here."

"Rosemarie." She closes the distance. She's in her mid twenties with striking blonde, almost silver hair, and eyes that are equally as striking, like storm clouds after a lightning strike. She has a large build for a moroi woman, she's not supermodel thin but broad shouldered and muscular, that much is obvious even through her light blue blouse.

She looks like she's supposed to be here.

I ask "Do you know Abe?"

"You mean Ibrahim Mazur."

"Yes."

"Your father."

"I- yes. Can you get me in contact with him?"

"Boreís na milás elliniká?"

"I'm sorry?"

She nods. "Kalós." She pulls out a cellphone and hits speed dial. She speaks to the person on the other line rapidly in that unfamiliar language. It's definitely not Turkish, I've listened to Abe and Pavel enough to know that. She holds the phone out to me. "Your father, as requested."

I press the phone to my ear but keep an eye on Abe's associate. "Old man, you said you'd give me updates. There better be a good reason the phone number I have for you doesn't work anymore."

He chuckles. "I didn't mean to make you worry. Things are going fine."

I pace to the end of the walkway so I can have some privacy. The moroi woman stares off into the distance. She doesn't shuffle her feet, pick her nails or do anything as she waits, she remains still as a statue.

"I want to know how Dimitri is doing, I want to speak to him."

Abe's response is swift and self assured. "He's sleeping right now, it was a long journey for him and I'm sure he needs more time to recover from the state he was in. Physically, he's fine."

I chew on my lip.

"I can tell that you're worried," Abe says. "Why?"

I sigh. "Don't talk about shit that's in the past, okay? Don't give him the same lecture you gave Adrian. It wouldn't be fair to him and really, there's nothing to be lectured about. Whatever you saw in Baia, that was just grief, you know? He didn't do anything wrong when I was at the academy, he was my mentor, that's it."

He doesn't say anything right away and anxiety spikes. "Abe."

"I'm here."

"Leave Dimitri alone."

He laughs. "He's my guardian now. I'll be seeing him every day."

"You know what I mean."

"Dimitri is safe here, you have nothing to worry about. I have to go now, it was a long trip for me as well." The line closes with a click. I glance at the screen and will the phone number to imprint on my mind so I can call him again. 011 +30 69 7668 3425.

I hand the phone back to… "What's your name?" I ask.

She purses her lips. The lines around her mouth indicate she does that a lot, or maybe she's a smoker. "Call me Ana."

"How long have you worked for Abe?"

She narrows her eyes at me, like she's offended by the question. "Expect to hear from us soon." She lets herself into the house and closes the door behind her without another word.

Adrian sleeps in my bed that night. We didn't do anything beyond kissing, but it was nice to have him close without other people around. Once I'm able to shake him awake, he rubs the sleep from his eyes and gets dressed to work on his project again.

"Give me a clue?" I ask, leaning up to his lips suggestively.

"You're going to love it," he says and wraps me in a hug for a kiss. "I won't see you tonight. Tatiana called for a family meeting."

I nod. I got the gist from Lissa's head. Tatiana was criticized heavily by the council for making a decision to override their vote behind their back, and she has to put out fires, so to speak.

After he leaves I head to the outdoor track to run laps. I try to keep Dimitri off my mind, but I want another update. He should be rested by now. I dial the number I memorized for Abe yesterday. It goes straight to voicemail, but at least this number rings.

I tried calling it two more times without luck. Maybe I memorized it incorrectly. Maybe I'm calling in the middle of their night and he silenced his phone.

I seek out Ambrose next. He knew the guardian that boarded the plane with Abe and Dimitri. In hindsight, I should have gotten that guardian's name.

I know Ambrose picks up shifts at the spa, so I start there. I can't get back there without an appointment, but I am able to walk into the office suites connected to the spa without being stopped. I retrace my steps to the room Ambrose took Lissa and I to when we met his aunt Rhonda, the tarot reading witch.

The door is already slightly ajar and I hear someone moving about. I push the door open and call out "Hello, Rhonda? Ambrose?" No one is in the room, but there's a door leading to another room that's also ajar.

I call out again and Rhonda rounds the corner.

She's unmistakable, with her blown out black curls paired with wide, gold hooped earrings.

Her expression brightens when she sees me. "Rose, dearest!"

"You remember me."

"Of course I do, I've been thinking of you. I was just heartbroken when I read your fate in the cards. I hear it all worked out in the end." There's no trace of false sincerity in her voice and something inside me relaxes.

"About that, I was here to see Ambrose."

"Oh. I haven't seen him today but that child is always busy." She gestures to the padded cushions on the floor. "Take a seat."

I glance to the doorway that leads back out to the office suites. "I should go."

"Ambrose usually comes to see me for lunch, he'll be here any minute," she says, more persistent this time.

Rhonda sits on one of the cushions and I copy her. The room is dimly lit with pillar candles in groups of three of varying heights and a turkish lantern which casts a soothing glow on everything. There's an incense stick burning which on a normal day would be fine but today it's noxious. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

She frowns and I notice the soft green of her eyes, like an evergreen in winter. "Are you in pain?" she asks.

"I have a headache - scratch that. Migraine."

One delicate eyebrow arches up like this piques her interest. "How long?"

"A few days."

"Have you taken anything for it?"

"Some aspirin."

She clicks her tongue disapprovingly. She stands and walks over to a small kitchenette station with a kettle and mugs. "You children drink too many of those iced coffees and dehydrate yourselves. That doesn't do anything to help with migraines."

She seems too young to be calling anyone a child, but I suppose she looks after Ambrose. A smile tugs at my lips. "We all need some caffeine to get through the day."

She passes me a steaming mug with tea that smells like mint and something else. I thank her and hold onto the mug but I want to let it cool before I sip it. For some reason it reminds me of Dimitri and the hot cocoa he made for me, or Lissa helping me relax yesterday. The simple act of being cared for. My heart twinges.

"This is good for head pains. And there's no caffeine, I get the feeling you get enough of that. Shall I read the cards again?"

"Only if it's good news."

She grins. "Then I'll pull the cards and if it's bad I'll stay silent."

"Can't argue with that logic."

She starts shuffling the cards. The dimly lit room is comforting, warm and soft.

Rhonda looks serene. She sees me looking at her and smiles. "I can see the resemblance between you and Ambrose," I say. I take a sip of tea. It tastes like mint, raspberry, and something I can't identify.

Her fingers pause over the cards and her smile grows sad. "Actually, he takes after his parents."

I want to ask her about that but just then Ambrose strides into the room. He does a double take when he sees me but recovers with a casual grin. He holds up a hand. "Before you ask, I don't know anything about Belikov, but I'm sure he's fine."

"I-" I come up short, the questions dying on my tongue. I take another sip of the tea.

Ambrose smirks. "My aunt makes the best tea. What's your poison this time?"

"I gave her a brew for her headache."

"Oh. Oh."

The cards in front of me sway. I look up and the wallpaper is swaying too. Triangles of light from the turkish lantern dance on the ceiling. Ambrose and Rhonda start whispering to each other and I blink rapidly, trying to refocus my gaze.

It feels like that time I tried weed at Jesse Zekols' dorm party, and I was pretty sure that weed was laced with something else.

"What's wrong? You look pale."

I stand but then I'm swaying too. I'm about to stumble when Rhonda grabs my arm and rights me.

"The migraine is getting worse. I'm going to try and… sleep it off…"

"Dear you're mumbling, I don't understand what you just said. Come with me, you can rest your head here."

The backs of my legs hit a couch and I collapse back on it. My legs are lifted for me and I let my head fall on the armrest.

The lantern has windows of stained glass that throw reds, greens and ocean blues across the room. I focus on a spot of deep red on the ceiling.

It spins and spins, then the circle opens up, blooming outward with an eruption of petals of the same color. In the periphery, I see flowers blooming from spinning points on the ceiling, covering my field of vision.

I look at Rhonda and Ambrose, who have a variety of flowers laced in their dark curls. She's looking up with teary eyes like she can see the flowers too. Ambrose swallows thickly.

The flowers sway and spin, and they keep multiplying. My entire body feels like it's vibrating, even the couch is not steady beneath me. The room even smells more fragrant than it did before. I shut my eyes to the psychosis and hope to sleep it off, and I'm vaguely aware that the sharp pain of my headache has gone away.

I feel gentle hands smooth down my hair as I slip away into sleep. Rhonda whispers in a choked voice, "Panemorfi."