ONCE MARCUS FINALLY ACCEPTED that I wasn't going, he wished me well, though he still wore that stunned expression. He'd planned on abandoning the car at the station but handed the keys over to me as a parting gift. I watched him walk away and wondered if I'd made a mistake. Then I thought of green, green eyes and all the work Adrian and I had to do together. This was the right choice . . . I just hoped I wasn't too late.
He still wasn't answering my calls. Did he hate me? Or was he holed up somewhere, depressed and drinking away his sorrows? I fished his note out of my purse, wondering what I'd find. Knowing Adrian, I'd expected some long, flowery expression of love. Instead, all I found was a long series of numbers.
The numbers meant nothing to me. I studied them for a while in the car, applying a few common codes I knew. No answer appeared, though I wasn't entirely surprised. Codes and complex mathematics weren't exactly Adrian's style. But then, why had he left the note? Obviously, he assumed I could decipher it.
I held the note far away from me, hoping something visual would reveal itself. It did. As I looked at the numbers again, I saw a natural break in the middle of them, in a format that looked familiar. I entered the two sets of numbers into the latitude and longitude screen of my GPS. A moment later, it turned up an address in Malibu. Southern California. Was that a coincidence?
Without even thinking twice, I pulled out of the train station's parking lot and headed toward the coast. It was entirely possible I was about to waste two and a half hours (five, if you counted the round trip), but I didn't think so. There are no coincidences.
It felt like the longest drive of my life. My hands tightly clenched the wheel the entire time. I was eager yet terrified. When I was only a few miles from the address, I began to see signs for the Getty Villa. For a few seconds, I was confused. The Getty Center was a very famous museum, but it was closer to Los Angeles. I didn't understand the connection or why I had ended up in Malibu. Nonetheless, I dutifully followed the directions and ended up in the Villa's guest parking lot.
When I reached the entrance, I received my answers. The Villa was a sister museum to the Getty Center, one that specialized in ancient Greek and Roman art. In fact, a good part of the Getty Villa was set up like some ancient temple, complete with pillars surrounding courtyards filled with gardens, fountains, and statues. Admission was free but required a reservation. Things were slow today, and I quickly rectified the problem by making an online reservation on my phone.
When I stepped inside, I nearly forgot why I was there - but only for a heartbeat. The museum was a dream come true for a lover of classics like me. Room after room focusing on the ancient world. Jewelry statues, clothes . . . it was as if I'd entered a time machine. The scholar in me longed to study and read about each exhibit in detail. The rest of me, with a racing heart and barely contained excitement, only briefly stopped in each room, just long enough to search and move on.
After looking in almost all the interior areas, I stepped into the outer peristyle. My breath caught. It was a huge outdoor garden built around a pool that had to be at least two hundred feet long. Statues and fountains dotted the pool's surface, and the whole space was surrounded in gorgeously manicured trees and other plants. The sun, warm despite the December day, shone down on everything, and the air hummed with birdsong, splashing water, and soft conversation. Tourists milled around, stopping to admire the sights or take pictures. None of them mattered, though - not when I finally found the person I was looking for.
He sat at the opposite end of the garden from where I'd entered, on the pool's far edge. His back was to me, but I would have known him anywhere. I approached with trepidation, still churning with that odd mix of fear and eagerness. The closer I got, the more detailed his features became. The tall, lean body. The chestnut glints that the sun brought out in his dark hair. When I finally reached the pool's end, I came to a stop just behind him, not daring to go farther.
"Sage," he said, without looking up. "Figured you'd be south of the border by now."
"No, you didn't," I said. "You never would've given me the note or come all the way out here. You knew I wouldn't leave."
He looked up at me at last, squinting in the bright sun. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't leave. I hoped you wouldn't leave. Jill and I debated it forever. What'd you think of my sweet use of latitude and longitude? Pretty brilliant, huh?"
"Genius," I said, trying to hold back my smile. Some of my fear faded. We were back in familiar, easy territory again. Just Adrian and me. "You took a risk I'd know what those numbers meant. You could've been sitting out here all day."
"Nah." Adrian stood up and took a step toward me. "You're a smart girl. I knew you'd figure it out."
"Not that smart." The closer he came, the more my heart began to race again. "It took me a long time to figure some things out." I gestured around us. "And how is it possible that you knew this place existed, but I didn't?"
His fingertips traced the edge of my cheek, and suddenly, the warmth of the sunshine felt like nothing compared to the heat of that touch. "It was easy," he said, holding me in his gaze. "I had to start my search somewhere, so I typed 'ancient Rome' and 'California' into my phone. This was like the first hit."
"What search?" I asked.
He smiled. "The search for some place more romantic than Pies and Stuff."
Adrian tipped my face up toward his and kissed me. Like always, the world around me stopped moving. No, the world became Adrian, only Adrian. Kissing him was as mind-blowing as ever, full of that same passion and need I had never believed I'd feel. But today, there was even more to it. I no longer had any doubt about whether this was wrong or right. It was a culmination of a long journey . . . or maybe the beginning of one.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. I didn't care that we were out in public. I didn't care that he was Moroi. All that mattered was that he was Adrian, my Adrian. My match. My partner in crime, in the long battle I'd just signed on for to right the wrongs in the Alchemist and Moroi worlds. Maybe Marcus was right that I'd also signed myself up for disaster, but I didn't care. In that moment, it seemed that as long as Adrian and I were together, there was no challenge too great for us.
I don't know how long we stood there kissing. Like I said, the world around me was gone. Time had stopped. I was awash in the feel of Adrian's body against mine, in his scent, and in the taste of his lips. That was all that mattered right now, and I found myself thinking of our unfinished business in the dream.
When we finally broke the kiss - much too soon, as far as I was concerned - we still stayed locked in an embrace. The sound of giggling caused me to glance to the side, where two small children were laughing and pointing at us. Seeing me watching them, they scurried away. I turned back to Adrian, wanting to melt away with happiness as I looked up into his eyes.
"This is a lot better than loving from afar," I told him.
He brushed some hair from my face and gazed into my eyes. "What changed your mind? I mean, I knew you'd never be able to stay away from me, but I won't lie . . . you had me scared there for a little while."
I leaned against his chest. "It was a combination of things, really. Some surprisingly good advice from Jill. One of Wolfe's charming anecdotes - I have to tell you about his kitchen, by the way. Plus, I kept thinking about when we were on the table."
Adrian shifted just enough so that we could look at each other again. It was one of those rare moments where he was completely floored. "Let me get this straight. The future of our relationship hinged on advice from a fifteen-year-old girl, a probably untrue story from a one-eyed Chihuahua trainer, and me unromantically - yet skillfully - kissing you on top of silverware and china?"
"Yup," I said after a few moments of thought.
"That's all it took, huh? And here I thought winning you over was going to be hard." He grew serious again and pressed a light kiss to my forehead. "What happens now?"
"Now we check out this awesome museum you've lured me to. You're going to love Etruscan art."
That roguish smile I adored returned. "I'm sure I will. But what about the future? What are we going to do about us - about this?"
I caught hold of his hands, still keeping him close. "Since when are you worried about consequences or the future?"
"Me? Never." He considered. "Well, that is, as long as you're with me, I'm not worried. But I know you like to worry about those kinds of things."
"I wouldn't say I like' to," I corrected. A soft breeze ruffled his hair, and I resisted the urge to brush it back into place. If I did, I was pretty sure we'd start kissing again, and I supposed I should first be responsible and answer his questions.
"Are we going to run off to the Keepers?" he suggested.
"Of course not," I scoffed. "That'd be cowardly and immature. And you'd never survive without hair gel - though you might like their moonshine."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"We're going to keep all of this secret."
He chuckled. "That's not cowardly?"
"It's exciting and daring," I said. "Manly and brave, even. I figured you'd be into that."
"Sage." He laughed. "I'm into anything, so long as you're with me. But is it going to be enough? I'm not completely oblivious to consequences, you know. I get how dangerous this is for you, especially if you keep questioning the Alchemists. And I also know you're still worried about Jill watching us."
Right. Jill. Jill, who was probably witnessing all of this right now, whether she wanted to or not. Was she happy for his happiness? Was she filled with the joy of our love? Or was this excruciatingly uncomfortable for her?
"The three of us will find a way to cope," I said at last. I couldn't think much more about it right now or I probably would start freaking out. "And as for the Alchemists . . . we'll just have to be careful. They don't follow me everywhere, and like you said, I'm with you half the time anyway." I just hoped that was enough. It had to be.
And then the kissing started again. There was no avoiding it, not when we were together like this, far away from the real world of our normal lives. The setting was too perfect. He was too perfect, despite being one of the most imperfect people I knew. And honestly, we'd wasted far too much time with doubts and games. The one thing you learn from constantly having your life in danger is that you'd better not waste it. Even Marcus had admitted that in the arcade.
Adrian and I spent the rest of the day at the Villa, most of it kissing in the gardens, though I did convince him to check out some of the artifacts inside. Maybe I was in love, but I was still me, after all. When things finally closed down for the evening, we had dinner at a beachside fondue restaurant and lingered there for a long time afterward, keeping close to each other and watching the waxing moon shine on the ocean.
I was caught up in watching the crashing waves when I felt Adrian's lips brush my cheek. "Whatever happened to the dragon?"
I mustered my primmest tone. "He has a name, you know."
Adrian pulled back and gave me a curious look. "I didn't know, actually. What'd you decide on?"
"Hopper." When Adrian laughed, I added, "Best rabbit ever. He'd be proud to know his name is being passed on."
"Yes, I'm sure he would. Did you name the Mustang too?"
"I think you mean the Ivashkinator."
He stared at me in wonder. "I told you I loved you, right?"
"Yes," I assured him. "Many times."
"Good." Adrian pulled me closer. "Just making sure, Miss 'I'm a Quick Study'"
I groaned. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"Live it down? Hell, I'm going to hold you to it."
I suspected Marcus's car was stolen, so we left it in Malibu. Adrian drove me back to the dorm and kissed me goodbye, promising to call me first thing in the morning. It was hard to let him go, even though I knew I was being silly to think I couldn't go without him for twelve hours. I walked into my dorm like I was dancing on air, my lips still burning from his kisses.
It was crazy, I knew, attempting to have a relationship with him. Scratch that. It was going to be perilous - enough so that some of my euphoria dimmed as that realization hit me. I'd talked a good game with him, trying to ease his fears, but I knew the truth. Trying to figure out secrets within the Alchemists was going to be difficult enough, and my tattoo still wasn't secure. What I had going on with Adrian had raised the stakes exponentially, but that was one of those risks I gladly accepted.
"Miss Melrose."
Mrs. Weathers's cool voice snapped me back to reality with a jolt. I came to a halt in the middle of the dorm's lobby and looked over at her. She stood up from her desk and strolled over.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"It's midnight."
I looked at a clock, surprised to see she was right. "Yes, ma'am."
"Even though winter break is here, you're still registered in the dorm until tomorrow, which means you're still subject to the rules. It's after curfew."
The only thing I could manage was stating the obvious. "Yes, it is, ma'am."
Mrs. Weathers waited, as though she were hoping I'd say more. "Were you . . . doing another assignment for Ms. Terwilliger?" There was an almost comically desperate look on her face. "I didn't receive notification, but surely she can retroactively fix things."
I realized then that Mrs. Weathers didn't want me to be in trouble. She was hoping I had some reason for breaking the rules, some reason that I could avoid punishment. I knew I could've lied and said I'd been helping Ms. Terwilliger. I knew Ms. Terwilliger would even back me up. But I couldn't do it. It seemed wrong to taint my day with Adrian with a lie. And really, I had broken the rules.
"No," I told Mrs. Weathers. "I wasn't with her. I was just . . . out."
Mrs. Weathers waited a few moments more and then bit her lip with resignation. "Very well then. You know the rules. You'll have to serve a detention - once classes start again."
I nodded solemnly. "Yes, ma'am. I understand."
She looked as though she was still hoping I'd correct the situation. I had nothing to offer her and turned to walk away. "Oh, I nearly forgot!" she called. "I was too astonished by this . . . transgression." She turned back into the efficient dorm matron I knew. "Please let me know if your cousin will be staying with you in your room or if she needs her own."
I blinked in confusion. "Why would Angeline be staying with me?"
"Not her. Your other cousin."
I started to say I didn't have another cousin, but some warning voice inside me told me to neither deny nor confirm her words. I had no idea what was going on, but all my alarms were saying that something was definitely about to happen. Whatever it was, I needed to keep my options open.
"She had all the appropriate paperwork," explained Mrs. Weathers. "So I just let her into your room since it's only for the night."
I swallowed. "I see. Can I, um, let you know after break?"
"Certainly." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "And we'll discuss your detention then too."
"Yes, ma'am," I said.
I went upstairs, a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.
Who was waiting in my room? Who in the world was part of my imaginary family now?
As it turned out, it was someone from my real family.
When I unlocked the door, I found Zoe sitting on my bed. Her face lit up when she saw me, and she sprang forward to grab me in a fierce embrace.
"Sydney!" she exclaimed. "I was so worried you weren't coming back tonight."
"Of course I was," I said stiffly. I was so shocked that I could barely return her hug. "What are you doing here?"
She pulled back and looked up at me with a big grin. There was no anger in her, not even the wariness she'd had in St. Louis. She was full of joy, truly happy to see me. I didn't know why she was here, but hope began to blossom within me that we'd finally get our reconciliation.
Until she spoke.
"They gave me a field position! I'm assigned here." She turned her face, showing me a golden lily tattoo on her cheek. My heart nearly stopped. "I'm officially an Alchemist now. Well, a junior one. I've got a lot to learn, so they thought it'd be best if I was with you."
"I see," I said. The room was spinning. Zoe. Zoe was here - and she was an Alchemist, one who would be staying with me.
Her exuberant expression became a little perplexed. "And I guess you were telling Stanton something about needing Alchemist backup? That it was really hard being around so many Moroi by yourself?"
I tried to smile but couldn't. "Something like that." I'd urged Stanton to take action, and she had. It just wasn't the kind I'd expected.
Zoe's enthusiasm returned. "Well, you aren't alone now. I'm here for you, not that you probably even need me. You don't ever get into any trouble."
No, I just had a romance going on with a vampire, was on the verge of joining a coven, and was investigating secrets no one wanted me to know about. No trouble at all.
How in the world was I going to hide all that from her?
Zoe hugged me again. "Oh, Sydney! This is going to be great," she exclaimed. "We're going to be together all the time!"
