Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Seven

I THINK ADRIAN would excite agreed to whatsoeverthing to get his own place. He didnt waste any time in moving his expectantly a(prenominal) possessions all over to Keiths gray apartment, much to Clarences dismay. I had to admit, I felt kind of bad for the old man. Hed enceinte fond of Adrian, and losing him right after lee side was specially tough. Clarence quiesce opened his home and feeder to our assemblage nevertheless ref utilize to believe anything we told him close lee(prenominal) and Strigoi. Even once he accepted Lee was dead, Clarence go on blaming vampire hunters.Shortly after his move, I went to check on Adrian. Word had come to us that the explore party from the Moroi was due to arrive in town that day, and wed decided to meet with them front before transport in Jill and Eddie. Like before, Abe was apparently escorting the new-madecomers, who included Sonya and Jills new roommate. I had the impression t here(predicate) index be others with them solely hadnt hear the details yet.Whoa, I verbalize when Adrian let me into his apartment.Hed totally been on that point a bridge days, except the transition was startling. With the exception of the TV, no(prenominal) of the original furniture remained. It was all different, and even the apartments lay step forward-moving had changed. The decorating scheme was new as well, and the scent of fresh paint hung heavy in the air.Yellow, huh? I asked, staring at the liveness room walls.Its called Goldenrod, he corrected. And its supposed to be cheerful and calming.I started to point reveal that those two traits didnt have the appearance _or_ semblance the like theyd go together but thusly decided against it. The color, slightly obnoxious though it was, solely transformed the living room. Between that and the blinds that had replaced Keiths heavy drapes, the room was now filled with color and light that went a long way to obscure the memory of the battle. I shuddered, recalling it. E ven if the apartment hadnt been needed to buy Adrians help, I wasnt undisput able-bodied I couldve accepted it and stayed here. The memory of Lees death and the two Strigoi womens was too strong.How did you afford new furniture? I asked. The Alchemists had given him the place, but there was no other stipend involved.I sold the old stuff, Adrian said, seeming very pleased by this. That lounger He faltered, a troubled look concisely crossing his features. I wondered if he too could imagine Lees disembodied centre bleeding away in that chair. That recliner was worth a rophy. It was appallingly overpriced, even by my standards. provided I got enough for it to replace the rest. Its used, but what choice did I have?Its nice, I said, running my hand along an overstuffed plaid sofa. It looked nauseated with the walls but appeared to be in good shape. Plus, much like the brightness of the yellow, the clashing furniture helped decline the memories of what had happened. You must ha ve finished with(p) roughly savvy shopping. Im guessing you dont buy a lot of used stuff.Try never, he said. You have no idea the things Ive had to lower myself to. His pleased smile dimmed as he regarded me carefully. How are you holding up?I shrugged. Fine. wherefore wouldnt I be? What happened to me isnt nearly as bad as what Jill went through.He crossed his arms. I dont know. Jill didnt watch a guy die in front of her. And lets not forget that same guy indigenceed to kill you plainly moments before in order to rise again from the dead.Those were things that had unimpeachably been on my mind a lot in the termination week, things that were expiry to take a epoch to get over. Sometimes, I didnt musical note anything at all. Other times, the human cosmoss of what had happened descended on me so swiftly and heavily that I couldnt breathe. Strigoi nightmares had replaced the ones of re-education centers.Im in reality better with it than you might look at, I said slowly , gazing off at nothing particular. Like, its terrible slightly Lee and what he did, but I feel I can get over it in time. Do you know what I relieve cerebration round the most, though?What? asked Adrian gently.The speech seemed to come forth without my constraint. I hadnt expected to say them to anyone, certainly not to him.Lee declareing me I was wasting my life and staying aloof from people. And then, during that last meeting with Keith, he told me that I was naive, that I didnt understand the world. And its true to a certain extent. I mean, not what he said about you guys being evil but well, I was naive. I shouldve been more careful with Jill. I believed the best of Lee when I shouldve been more wary. Im not a fighter like Eddie, but I am an commentator of the world or so I like to signify. But I failed. Im no good with people.Sage, your first mistake in all of this is listening to anything Keith Darnell says. The guys an idiot, an asshole, and a dozen other words that arent suitable for a lady like yourself.See? I said. You just admitted it, that Im some kind of untouchable, pure soul.I never said any such thing, he countered. My point is that youre leagues above Keith, and what happened with Lee was dumb, ridiculous bad luck. And remember, none of us saw it coming either. You werent alone. It casts no reflection on you. Or His eyebrows rose. maybe it does. Didnt you say that Lee considered killing Keith for Alchemist blood?Yeah but Keith left too soon.Well, there you go. Even a sociopath recognized your worth enough to want to kill someone else first.I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. That doesnt make me feel better.Adrian shrugged. My earlier point remains. Youre a solid person, Sage. Youre easy on the eye, if a microscopical skinny, and your ability to memorize useless information is going to totally hook in some guy. commit Keith and Lee out of your head because they have nothing to do with your future.Skinny? I asked, hoping I wasnt blushing. I also hoped if I sounded outraged enough, he wouldnt notice how much the other comment had disarmed me. Easy on the eyes. Not exactly the same as being told I was hotness incarnate or expire gorgeous. But after a lifetime of having my appearance judged as acceptable, it was a heady compliment especially coming from him.I just set up it like it is.I almost laughed. Yes. Yes, you do. Now tell me about a different subject, please. Im tired of this one.Sure thing. Adrian infuriated me sometimes, but I had to admit, I loved his pitiful attention span. It made dodging ill-fitting topics so much easier. Or so I thought. Do you smell that?An image of the bodies flashed into my head, and for a moment, all I could think he meant was the smell of decay. Then I sniffed more deeply. I smell the paint, and wait is that pine?He looked impressed. Damn straight. Pine-scented cleaner. As in, I cleaned. He gestured to the kitchen dramatically. With these hands, these hands that dont do manual labor.I stared off into the kitchen. What did you use it on? The cupboards?The cupboards are fine. I cleaned the traumatise and the counter. I must have looked more puzzled than amazed because he added, I even got see on my knees.You used pine cleaner on the floor and counters? I asked. The floor was ceramic roofing tile the counters were granite.Adrian frowned. Yeah, so?He seemed so proud to have actually scrubbed something for once in his life that I couldnt bring myself to tell him pine cleaner was generally only used on wood. I gave him an encouraging smile. Well, it looks great. I need you to come over and clean my new dorm room now. Its cover in dust.No way, Sage. My own housecleanings bad enough.But is it worth it? If youd stayed at Clarences, you had a live-in cook and cleaner.Its definitely worth it. Ive never really, truly had my own place. I kind of did at Court but it might as well have been an over-glorified dorm room. This? This is great. Even with the housec leaning. Thank you.The comic look of horror hed ill-defined while discussing housecleaning had been traded away for utter seriousness now as those green eyes weighed me.I suddenly felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny and was reminded of the spirit dream, where Id questioned if his eyes really were that green in real life.For what? I asked.For this I know you must have twisted some Alchemist arms. I hadnt told him that Id actually passed on taking the place for myself. And for everything else. For not giving up on me, even when I was being a major asshole. And, you know, for that saving my life thing.I looked away. I didnt do anything. That was Eddie and Jill. Theyre the ones who saved you.Not accepted I wouldve been alive for their rescue if you hadnt set that bitch on dismiss. How did you do that?It was nothing, I protested. Just a, uh, chemic chemical reaction from the Alchemist bag of tricks.Those eyes studied me again, weighing the truth of my words. Im not sure he believ ed me, but he let it go. Well, from the look on her face, your aim was right on. And then you got backhanded for it. Anyone who takes a thrill for Adrian Ivashkov deserves some credit.I turned my back to him, tranquillise shy with the praise and nervous about the fire reference and walked over to the window. Yeah, well, you can rest easy that it was a selfish act. You have no idea what a pain it is to file paper employment for a dead Moroi.He laughed, and it was one of the few times Id heard him laugh with genuine humor and warmth and not because of something twisted or sarcastic.Okay, Sage. If you say so. You know, youre a lot spunkier than when I first met you.Really? entirely the adjectives in the world at your disposable, and you pick spunky? Banter I could handle. So long as I focused on that, I didnt have to think about the meaning behind the words or how my heartbeat had increased just a little. Just so you know, youre a little more stable than when I met you.He came ov er to stand by me. Well, dont tell anyone, but I think acquire away from Court was a good thing. This weather sucks, but Palm Springs might be good for me it and all the wonders it contains. You guys. Art classes. Pine cleaner.I couldnt help a grin and looked up at him. Id been half-joking, but it was true he had changed remarkably since wed met. There was still a hurting man inside, one who bore the scars of what Rose and Dimitri had done to him, but I could see the signs of healing. He was steadier and stronger, and if he could just continue to hold the course, with no more crises for a while, a remarkable transformation might truly happen.It took several seconds of silence for me to realize that Id been staring at him while my mind spun out its thoughts. And, actually, he was staring at me, with a look of wonder.My God, Sage. Your eyes. How have I never noticed them?That uncomfortable feeling was spreading over me again. What about them?The color, he breathed. When you stand in the light. Theyre amazing like melt gold. I could paint those He reached toward me but then pulled back. Theyre beautiful. Youre beautiful.Something in the way he was looking at me froze me up and made my stomach do flip-flops, though I couldnt quite articulate wherefore. I only knew that he looked as though he was seeing me for the very first time and it panic-struck me. Id been able to brush off his easy, joking compliments, but this intensity was something different altogether, something I didnt know how to react to. When he looked at me like this, I believed that he thought my eyes were beautiful that I was beautiful. It was more than I was ready for. Flustered, I took a step backward, out of the sunlight, needing to get away from the energy of his gaze. Id heard spirit could send him off on supernatural tangents but had no clue if thats what this was. I was saved from my rachitic attempts to muster a witty comment when a knock at the door made twain of us jump.Adrian bl inked, and some of that rapture faded. His lips twisted into one of his sly smiles, and it was as though nothing eldritch had happened.Showtime, huh?I nodded, reeling with a confusing mix of relief, nervousness, and excitement. Except, I wasnt entirely sure if those feelings were from Adrian or our impending visitors. All I knew was that suddenly, I was able to breathe more easily than I had a few moments ago.He walked across the living room and opened the door with a flourish. Abe swept in, resplendent in a gray and yellow suit that coordinated bafflingly well with Adrians paint job. A wide grin stony-broke out over the older Morois face.Adrian, Sydney so lovely to see you again. I believe one of you already knows this young lady? He moved past us, revealing a lean dhampir girl with chromatic hair and big blue eyes filled with suspicion.Hello, Angeline, I said.When theyd told me Angeline Dawes was going to be Jills new roommate, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing Id ever heard. Angeline was one of the Keepers, that separatist group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans who lived in the wilds of West Virginia. They wanted nothing to do with the civilization of any of our races and had a number of bizarre customs, not the least of which was their abominable tolerance for interracial romance.Later, when Id thought about it, I decided Angeline might not be such a bad choice. She was the same age as Jill, possibly giving Jill a closer connection than I could manage. Angeline, while not trained the way a guardian like Eddie was, still could hold her own in a fight. If anyone came for Jill, theyd have their work cut out for them getting through Angeline. And with the aversion Angelines people had toward tainted Moroi, she would have no reason to further the politics of some rival faction.As I studied her and her threadbare clothes, I wondered, though, just how well she was going to lodge to being away from the Keepers. She wore a cocky look on her face that Id seen when visiting her community, but here it was underscored with some nervousness as she took in Adrians place. After living in the woods her entire life, this venial apartment with its TV and plaid sofa was probably the height of modern luxury.Angeline, said Abe. This is Adrian Ivashkov.Adrian extended his hand, turn of events on that natural charm. A pleasure.She took his hand after a moments hesitation. Nice to meet you, she said in her odd southern accent. She studied him for a few more seconds. You look too pretty to be useful.I gasped in spite of myself. Adrian chuckled and shook her hand.Truer words were never spoken, he said.Abe glanced over at me. I probably had a look of terror on my face because I was already imagining the damage control Id have to do with Angeline saying or doing something completely wrong at Amberwood.Sydney will undoubtedly want to debrief you on what to expect before you develop school, said Abe diplomatically.Undoubtedly, I repeated.Adrian had s tepped away from Angeline but was still grinning. Let Jailbait do it. Better yet, let Castile. Itll be good for him.Abe shut the door but not before I got a glimpse behind him to the empty hallway. Its not just the two of you, is it? I asked. I heard there were others. Sonyas one, right?Abe nodded. Theyll be right up. Theyre parking the car. Street parkings terrible some here.Adrian looked over at me, hit by revelation. Hey, do I inherit Keiths car too? horror-struck not, I said. It belonged to his dad. He took it back. Adrians face fell.Abe stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled casually around the living room. Angeline remained where she was. I think she was still sizing up the situation.Ah, yes, mused Abe. The late, great Mr. Darnell. That boys really been beset with tragedy, hasnt he? Such a hard life. He paused and turned to Adrian. But you, at least, seem to have benefited from his downfall.Hey, said Adrian. I earned this, so dont give me any grief about bailing on Cla rence. I know you wanted me to stay there for some weird reason but And you did, said Abe simply.Adrian frowned. Huh?You did exactly what I wanted. Id suspected something odd was going on with Clarence Donahue, that he might be selling his blood. Id hoped keeping you on hand would uncover the plot. Abe stroked his raise in that mastermind way of his. Of course, I had no idea Mr. Darnell was involved. Nor did I expect you and young Sydney to aggroup up to unravel it all.Id hardly go that far, I said dryly. A strange thought occurred to me. Why would you care if Keith and Clarence were selling vampire blood? I mean, we Alchemists have reasons for not wanting that but wherefore would you feel that way?A surprised glint flashed in Adrians eyes, followed by insight. He eyed Abe carefully. Maybe because he doesnt want the competition.My jaw nearly dropped open. It was no secret to anyone, Alchemist or Moroi, that Abe Mazur trafficked in illegal goods. That he might be moving large a mounts of vampire blood to willing humans had never occurred to me. But as I studied him longer, I realized it should have.Now, now, said Abe, never breaking a sweat, no need to bring up unpleasant topics.Unpleasant? I exclaimed. If youre involved in anything that Abe held up a hand to stop me. Enough, please. Because if that sentence ends with you saying youll talk to the Alchemists, then by all means, lets get them out here and discuss all sorts of mysteries. Say, for example, like how Mr. Darnell lost his eye.I froze.Strigoi took it, said Adrian impatiently.Oh, come now, said Abe, a smile twisting his lips. My faith in you was just being restored. Since when do Strigoi do such preciseness maiming? Very artful maiming, I might add. Not that anyone probably ever noticed. Wasted talent, I tell you.What are you saying? asked Adrian aghast. It wasnt Strigoi? Are you saying someone cut his eye out on determination? Are you saying that you Words failed him, and he simply looked back and forth between me and Abe. Thats it, isnt it? Your devils bargain. But why?I cringed as three sets of eyes stared at me, but there was no way I could acknowledge what Adrian was starting to put together. Maybe I could have told him if we were alone. Maybe. But I couldnt tell him while Abe looked so smug and certainly not with an outsider like Angeline standing there.I couldnt tell Adrian how Id install my sister Carly a few years ago, after a date with Keith. It was when hed still been living with us and just before she went off to college. She hadnt wanted to go out with him, but our father loved Keith and had insisted. Keith was his prospering boy and could do no wrong.Keith believed that too, which was why he hadnt been able to take no for an answer when he and Carly were alone. Shed come to me afterward, creeping into my bedroom late at night and sobbing while Id held her.My instant reaction was to tell our parents, but Carly had been too afraid especially of our father. I was young and nearly as scared as she was, ready to agree with whatever she wanted. Carly had made me promise I wouldnt tell our parents, so I sank my efforts into assuring her that it wasnt her fault. The whole time, she told me, Keith had kept telling her how beautiful she was and how shed left him no choice, that it was impossible for him to take his eyes off of her. I finally convinced her that shed done nothing wrong, that she hadnt led him on but she still held me to my promise to stay silent.It was one of the biggest regrets of my life. Id hated my silence but not nearly as much as I hated Keith for thinking he could rape someone as fragrance and gentle as Carly and get away with it. It wasnt until much later, when I had my first assignment and met Abe Mazur, that Id realized there were other ways Keith might pay that would allow me to keep my promise to her. So, Id made my deal with the devil, not caring that it bound me or that I was stooping to barbaric levels of reven ge. Abe had staged a fake Strigoi fervidness and cut out one of Keiths eyes earlier this year. In return, Id become Abes sort-of retainer Alchemist. It was part of what had goaded me to help Rose with her jail break. I was in his debt.In some ways, I reflected bitterly, maybe Id done Keith a favor. With only one eye left, maybe he wouldnt find it so impossible to keep it off uninterested young women in the future.No, I certainly couldnt tell Adrian any of that, but he was still looking at me, a million questions on his face as he try to embodiment out what in the world would have reduced me to hiring Abe as a hit man.Laurels words suddenly rang back to me. You know, you can be scary as hell sometimes.I swallowed. Remember when you asked me to consider you?Yes said Adrian.I need you to do the same for me.Long moments followed. I couldnt bring myself to look at Abe because I knew hed be smirking.Spunky was kind of an understatement, Adrian said. After what felt like forever, he sl owly nodded. Okay. I do trust you, Sage. I trust that you have good reasons for the things you do.There was no snark, no sarcasm. He was pestilent earnest, and for a moment, I wondered how I could have earned his trust so intently. I had a weird flash to the moments just before Abe had arrived, when Adrian had spoken of painting me and my feelings had been a jumble.Thank you, I said.What, demanded Angeline, are you guys talk about?Nothing of interest, I assure you, said Abe, who was really enjoying this all too much. Life lessons, sheath development, unpaid debts. That sort of thing.Unpaid? I surprised myself by taking a step forward and fixing him with a glare. Ive paid that debt a hundred times over. I dont owe you anything anymore. My loyalty is only to the Alchemists now. Not you. Were finished.Abe was still smiling, but he wavered slightly. I think my standing up for myself had caught him off-guard. Well, that remains to be ah. More knocking.Heres the rest of our party. He hurried to the door.Adrian took a few steps toward me. Not bad, Sage. I think you just scared old man Mazur.I felt a smile of my own begin to form. I dont know about that, but it felt kind of good.You should backtalk people more often, he said. We grinned at each other, and as he regarded me fondly, I felt that same queasy feeling return. He probably wasnt experiencing that exact sensation, but there was an easy, bright mood about him. Rare and very appealing. He nodded toward where Abe was opening the door. Its Sonya.Spirit users could sense each other when they were close enough, even behind closed doors. And sure enough, when the door opened, Sonya Karp strode in like a queen, tall and elegant. With her red hair swept into a bun, the Moroi cleaning lady could have been Angelines older sister. Sonya smiled at us all, though I couldnt help a shiver as I thought back to the first time Id met her. She hadnt been nearly so pretty or handsome then. Shed been red-eyed and trying to ki ll us.Sonya was a Strigoi whod been restored back to a Moroi, which really made her the ideal choice to work with Adrian on figuring out how to use spirit to prevent people from being turned.Sonya hugged Adrian and was walking over to me when someone else appeared in the doorway. In retrospect, I shouldnt have been surprised at who it was. After all, if we wanted to figure out what special spirit magic in Lee had stopped him from being turned again, then we needed all the data possible. And if one restored Strigoi was good, then two were better.Adrian paled and went perfectly still as he stared at the newcomer, and in that moment, all my high hopes for him came crashing down. Earlier, Id been certain that if Adrian could just stay away from his past and any traumatic events, hed be able to find a purpose and steady himself. Well, it looked like his past had ground him, and if this didnt qualify as a traumatic event, I didnt know what did.Adrians new research partner stepped through the door, and I knew the uneasy peace wed just established in Palm Springs was about to shatter. Dimitri Belikov had arrived.