“Then the whole world will know vampires exist,” said Sydney coolly. “Are you going to let that happen, Dad? Aren’t you worried other weak humans might fall prey to their agenda if the Alchemists don’t help hide them?”
Her father’s expression grew even darker, and he looked as though he wanted to say any number of things to her. Instead, he took a deep breath and turned back to Lissa. “The Alchemists have been very powerful allies to you. You don’t want to see what kind of enemy we’d be.”
“Thank you for the advice.” Lissa looked undaunted, though I saw her aura waver. “Glen?” she asked, directing her attention to one of the guardians at the door. “Would you and your people make sure Mr. Sage and the others are safely escorted off of Court property?”
The guardian swept her a bow and then strode forward, beckoning five other guardians to join of him. “Of course, your majesty.”
The guardians led the protesting Alchemists out of the room, though we could continue to hear them make threats until they were well down the hall. At least, two of them did. Zoe hadn’t said a single word the entire time and had simply watched her sister with wide, troubled eyes. Whether Zoe felt guilty over her role in Sydney’s trip to re-education or was simply in shock over these new developments, I couldn’t say. Beside me, Sydney was shaking. It couldn’t have been easy to see her family hauled out like that. Still holding her hand, I stepped forward as more uneasy silence started to fall.
“Thank you, Lissa. You have no idea—”
Lissa held up her hand to stop me, a hand she then used to rub her forehead, as though she had a headache. “No, Adrian. You have no idea what trouble this may have brought down on me. I’m happy for you, I really am. But for tonight, I’m done talking. I need to sleep on this and the possible fallout. We’ll get you set up with a place to stay and—”
“Hold on a minute.” So help me, my own father stepped forward now, and judging from his expression, it was a wonder he hadn’t been right there to argue with Jared Sage. “You’re saying you’re letting this … this … marriage thing just slide? That you’re treating it as … real?”
Lissa, who really did look exhausted, sighed. “It seems very real to them, Lord Ivashkov, and that’s good enough for me.”
“I thought you were just playing along to get those Alchemists out of here! There’s no way you can act as though this is a legitimate marriage. No civilized Moroi has ever stooped so low in—” My father bit off his own words as he gave Sydney and me a once-over. He swooped toward us with speed the guardians might have admired and had the audacity to grab Sydney’s left hand. “I recognize those! Those are your aunt’s! How dare you! You had the nerve—the sheer audacity—to put a queen’s fortune in jewels on this … this … feeder’s hand!”
I jerked Sydney away from him. “Dad,” I said quietly, “I’ve always made it a rule in my life not to pick fights with children, cute animals, or ignorant old men. I will, however, make an exception for you if you ever touch or insult my wife again.”
“Nathan,” warned my mom, moving to his side. “She’s your daughter-in-law now. Show some semblance of respect.”
Now my dad turned his rage on her. “I will do no such thing! This is preposterous, not to mention insulting. This is—”
“What our son wants,” my mother stated. “And I stand by him.”
I met her eyes and felt a swelling in my chest. I’d never made amends with her after our bad parting. I’d never even made any attempt to acknowledge her many calls and messages. It hadn’t been a lack of love, so much as preoccupation with Sydney, but as I looked at my mother now, I was surprised to see something in her that hadn’t been there before: defiance.
“For God’s sake, Daniella,” my father growled. “Don’t add one more stupid mistake to the list of those you’ve already made. Now, if you want to come home with me tonight, be quiet and—”
“No,” she said, interrupting him again. “I actually don’t want to go home with you, tonight or ever again.”
“You have no idea what you’re saying,” he hissed. “Or what the consequences will be.”
“Actually, Nathan, I understand it all perfectly.”
I looked up at Lissa, who appeared more than a little surprised at this new turn in drama. “Your majesty,” I said. “You mentioned hooking my bride and me up with a place to stay. Any way we could get one for my mother as well?”
Lissa might worry what fallout would come of her actions with the Alchemists, but she had no such fears regarding my father. “Yes,” she said. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
When we finally left for the night, a small crowd had gathered outside the palace. Gossip had spread in just the short time we’d been there, and curious onlookers had shown up, despite the late hour. The wedding clothes spoke legions, and I could see the shock and disbelief on their faces—including Nina’s. I hadn’t expected her to be there. Like my mother, I hadn’t spoken to her since leaving Court, and it was obvious nothing could’ve prepared her for the sight of me with a human bride. She looked so stricken, I worried she might faint. Her hands were squeezed tightly together, and as we passed by, I thought I caught a glimpse of blood on them from where she’d scratched herself.
Not far from her stood Wesley Drozdov, and he, unlike everyone else there, didn’t look shocked. He looked gleeful—maliciously so.
Uneasily, I remembered what I’d told Sydney on the plane, about how it was smooth sailing from here on out. Life at Court’s going to be a breeze, I’d said. With a pang, I wondered if I might have inadvertently lied, and I was glad when she, my mother, and I hurried past the gawkers.
Rose and Dimitri escorted the three of us to guest housing and had enough tact not to badger us with questions—though I could tell they were eating Rose up. She maintained her self-control admirably until Sydney sat down in the guest-housing lobby as I checked us in. The toe of one of the blue shoes peeped out from under her gown, and Rose couldn’t help herself.
“Those are badass shoes,” she declared. “Is there a story there?”
Sydney smiled at her. “There are lots of stories.”
“Tomorrow, Rose,” I said. “Give us the rest of the night off, and we’ll give you the whole scoop tomorrow. Plus it’ll give you a chance to get us a wedding present. We’re not registered anywhere, but we could seriously use some china and a blender.”
“Lord Ivashkov?” asked the desk attendant, looking embarrassed at having to interrupt us. “I’m actually afraid we’re short on rooms, between renovations and a tourist group from Bulgaria. We don’t have two single rooms, but we do have a larger family suite that would hold your whole group.”
I glanced between Sydney and my mom, both of whom seemed to be keeping their faces extremely neutral. I shrugged. “Well, we are family now.”
Rose and Dimitri bid us farewell once everything was settled, and the three of us made our way up to the suite we’d been given. I unlocked the door and, on impulse, swept Sydney into my arms and carried her inside.
“I know it’s not technically our real home yet,” I said. “But with as many irregularities as we’ve had with this wedding day, I feel like we need to keep some traditions.”
“By all means,” Sydney laughed.
I carefully set her down, and my mother smiled politely. She might have stood up for me and thrown her lot in with us, but I knew her well enough to understand it would take her a while to warm to a human daughter-in-law. “Thank you, Mom,” I said, sweeping her into a hug.
“I thought I’d learned my lessons in prison,” she said. “But it wasn’t until after you left that it all really and truly sunk in. I can’t say this is my ideal situation, but I’d rather make this kind of life with you than not have you at all—or my self-respect.”
I released her from the hug. “I’m proud of you. We’ll make it work. You’ll see. This’ll be great. We’ll be one big happy family.”
The two women in my life seemed a little unsure of
that, but both seemed certain of their love for me, and for now, that had to be good enough. My mother soon found she could hide her discomfort by finding things to criticize about our accommodations, which were every bit as luxurious as my last ones, only bigger. I left her to it and was more than relieved to finally get Sydney away for some privacy.
She sat on our bed and kicked off the blue shoes. “I don’t know which part of this day seems the most unreal.”
I sat beside her. “That’s the thing. It’s all real, especially the most important part: you and me, together forever, our marriage recognized in the eyes of human and Moroi alike.”
“But not happily.” Her smile faded. “Half my family never wants to see me again. And the half that does want to see me … well, I may not be able to see them again.”
“You will,” I said. “I’ll make sure of it.” I was acting more confident than I felt, and I knew she could tell. She’d just cut herself off from her family—from her race—for me, and although I couldn’t entirely relate to what she was going through, I silently vowed to help her through it as much as possible.
“You were right.” She pulled me closer to her. “About us getting protection. Even with all the complications, you made everything work.”
“We made it work, and those complications won’t last. For now, we can sit back and enjoy the rewards.” I spoke gallantly, not giving voice to some of the fears I’d picked up. After seeing the reactions of her father, my father, and even Wesley, I had an uneasy feeling that we wouldn’t be getting the peace she so longed for anytime soon. I refused to show that, though. At least not tonight. “And I have all sorts of rewards in mind. Unless you want to get some sleep.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and brushed her lips against mine. “Depends. Did you stop at the drugstore, along with your trip to the wine store?”
“Stop there? Hell, I bought that place out, Sydney. I’m having no repeats of last time.”
She laughed and let me lay her back on the bed, where I began the exciting, albeit slightly frustrating, process of trying to figure out how to get that elaborate dress off. It turned out to be worth the effort, though, and when we fell asleep in each other’s arms much later, naked except for our wedding rings, I knew it had been worth all the effort. All the trials and ordeals we’d experienced had led to this moment, this perfect moment. We were exactly where we were meant to be.
I was awakened hours later by a knock at the door and my mother’s gentle voice: “Adrian? You have visitors.”
Sydney stirred in my arms, looking beautiful and content as the light of late afternoon spilled in through the blinds, illuminating her features. She was so gorgeous and sexy that I was debating pretending I hadn’t heard my mom, when a second and more forceful knock sounded. “Adrian? Sydney? It’s Rose. We have to talk.”
That brought Sydney around and eliminated whatever romantic morning encounter I might have pulled off. We got dressed and eventually made our way out to the suite’s living room. There, my mother sat with both Rose and Dimitri. I nearly chided Rose for not having been able to wait to hear the stories of all our exciting adventures … but then I noticed her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She and Dimitri exchanged looks. “Jill’s missing.”
“What do you mean Jill’s missing?” I demanded. “She’s still at school. I had a text from her yesterday. She set up our trip.”
“And she’s got all her guardians,” added Sydney. “Eddie’s back, right?”
Rose nodded. “All three dhampirs were there on campus. Angeline was even in her room when she was taken.”
“Wait … did Angeline see it happen?” I asked.
“No,” said Dimitri. “That’s what’s so strange. Angeline went to bed with Jill in the room … and woke up with her gone.”
“She didn’t hear or see anything. Jill just disappeared like magic.” Rose snapped her fingers for effect. “Angeline feels terrible.”
I felt a tightness in my chest, and the room reeled. Jill … missing? It wasn’t possible. Not after everything I’d done for her. I’d brought her back to life! This couldn’t be happening. There was some mistake. Eddie wouldn’t have let this happen.
You see? asked Aunt Tatiana. I told you there’d never be peace for you. One way or another, there’ll always be something to torment you. Good thing you have me to help you.
Sydney sank into a chair, hands clasped in her lap. “Angeline feels terrible? I feel terrible! Jill was my first responsibility, the whole reason for me going out there! If I hadn’t left—”
“Don’t start that,” I warned, putting my arm around her. It was as much to comfort me as her. “Because you didn’t leave. You were taken. This is in no way your fault.” I turned back to the others, trying desperately to make sense of this. If I could think logically, I wouldn’t panic. “We have to find her. Do you have any leads?”
“Not yet, but we have people scouring every inch of that place like crazy, looking for some clue.” Rose sighed in dismay. “She was only a month away from coming back here.”
“Well, we’ll go help,” I said. “Get us on a flight out there.” Sydney nodded eagerly.
“Are you guys crazy?” asked Rose. “Don’t answer that. Look, you aren’t going anywhere. There’s nothing out there you can do right now.”
“Plus, that protection you fought for so hard last night doesn’t extend past Court,” Dimitri reminded us. “You need to stay here—for your own safety—until more precautions are in place. That, and we don’t want any unnecessary attention going toward Jill.” He looked over at my mom. “That means, Lady Ivashkov, that what you’ve just heard cannot leave this room. No one can know Jill’s gone, because as long as she’s missing, we can’t prove she’s alive or dead. And if we can’t prove that—”
“Then you can’t prove the queen has one living relative,” Sydney finished.
I hadn’t been quick enough to think that far ahead. I was still stuck on Jill—Jill, my sweet, compassionate Jill—missing without a trace. Now, I suddenly grasped the other consequences.
“The vote hasn’t happened yet,” I murmured. “The vote to change the law.”
“Exactly,” said Rose, her face grim. “And if word of Jill’s disappearance gets out, Lissa could lose her throne.”
ONE
I FELT HER FEAR BEFORE I heard her screams.
Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me out of my own dream, which had had something to do with a beach and some hot guy rubbing suntan oil on me. Images—hers, not mine—tumbled through my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the twisted metal of a car. The pictures wrapped around me, suffocating me, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasn’t my dream.
I woke up, strands of long, dark hair sticking to my forehead.
Lissa lay in her bed, thrashing and screaming. I bolted out of mine, quickly crossing the few feet that separated us.
“Liss,” I said, shaking her. “Liss, wake up.”
Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers. “Andre,” she moaned. “Oh God.”
I helped her sit up. “Liss, you aren’t there anymore. Wake up.”
After a few moments, her eyes fl uttered open, and in the dim lighting, I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take over. Her frantic breathing slowed, and she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair.
“It’s okay,” I told her gently. “Everything’s okay.”
“I had that dream.”
“Yeah. I know.”
We sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything else. When I felt her emotions calm down, I leaned over to the nightstand between our beds and turned on the lamp. It glowed dimly, but neither of us really needed much to see by. Attracted by the light, our housemate’s cat, Oscar, leapt up onto the sill of the open window.
He gave me a wide berth—animals don’t like dhampirs, for w
hatever reason—but jumped onto the bed and rubbed his head against Lissa, purring softly. Animals didn’t have a problem with Moroi, and they all loved Lissa in particular. Smiling, she scratched his chin, and I felt her calm further.
“When did we last do a feeding?” I asked, studying her face. Her fair skin was paler than usual. Dark circles hung under her eyes, and there was an air of frailty about her. School had been hectic this week, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d given her blood. “It’s been like … more than two days, hasn’t it? Three? Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shrugged and wouldn’t meet my eyes. “You were busy. I didn’t want to—”
“Screw that,” I said, shifting into a better position. No wonder she seemed so weak. Oscar, not wanting me any closer, leapt down and returned to the window, where he could watch at a safe distance. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
“Rose—”
“Come on. It’ll make you feel better.”
I tilted my head and tossed my hair back, baring my neck. I saw her hesitate, but the sight of my neck and what it offered proved too powerful. A hungry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she normally kept hidden while living among humans. Those fangs contrasted oddly with the rest of her features. With her pretty face and pale blond hair, she looked more like an angel than a vampire.
As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with a mix of fear and anticipation. I always hated feeling the latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldn’t shake.
Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief flare of pain. Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my body. It was better than any of the times I’d been drunk or high. Better than sex—or so I imagined, since I’d never done it. It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping me up and promising everything would be right in the world. On and on it went. The chemicals in her saliva triggered an endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was.