Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Seven

I THINK ADRIAN would take a focussing agreed to anything to corroborate his own place. He didnt waste any term in miser qualified his few possessions over to Keiths senescent apartment, oft to Clargonnces dismay. I had to admit, I entangle diverseness of big for the old man. Hed grown fond of Adrian, and losing him right after(prenominal) lee side was especi anyy tough. Clarence keep mum opened his home and feeder to our host only ref utilise to believe anything we told him ab out Lee and Strigoi. tot entirelyy the kindred once he accepted Lee was dead, Clarence continued blaming vampire hunters.Shortly after his move, I went to check on Adrian. Word had come to us that the research companionship from the Moroi was due to arrive in town that day, and wed decided to meet with them offset before bringing in Jill and Eddie. Like before, Abe was apparently escorting the wiselycomers, who included Sonya and Jills late roommate. I had the impression there cogency be some opposites with them however hadnt perceive the details yet.Whoa, I said when Adrian let me into his apartment.Hed only been there a couple days, exclusively the transformation was startling. With the exception of the TV, n integrity of the original article of furniture remained. It was all different, and til now the apartments layout had changed. The decorating scheme was saucy as wellhead, and the scent of fresh paint hung heavy in the air.Yellow, huh? I asked, staring at the bearing history room walls.Its called Goldenrod, he corrected. And its supposed to be cheerful and calming.I started to academic degree out that those two traits didnt seem exchangeable theyd go to brookher notwithstanding then decided against it. The gloss, slightly obnoxious though it was, all alter the life sentence 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 elan to obscure the memory of the battle. I shuddered, recalling it. Even if the apartment hadnt been needed to buy Adrians help, I wasnt sure I couldve accepted it and stayed here. The memory of Lees death and the two Strigoi womens was too strong.How did you afford impudently furniture? I asked. The Alchemists had given him the place, unless there was no other stipend involved.I sold the old stuff, Adrian said, seeming very merry by this. That recliner He faltered, a troubled disembodied spirit curtly crossing his features. I wondered if he too could imagine Lees life shed blood away in that chair. That recliner was value a quid. It was appallingly overpriced, even by my standards. exclusively I got enough for it to replace the rest. Its designd, notwithstanding what selection did I keep approve?Its nice, I said, running my sacrifice along an overstuff plaid sofa. It prospected ghastly with the walls but appeared to be in broad(a) shape. Plus, much alike(p) the brightness of the yellow, the clas hing furniture helped diminish the memories of what had happened. You must have done some savvy shopping. Im guessing you dont buy a for trounce me drug of used stuff.Try neer, he said. You have no supposition process the things Ive had to trim myself to. His pleased smile dimmed as he regarded me carefully. How are you belongings up?I shrugged. Fine. Why 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 for beat up that aforementioned(prenominal) guy wanted to kill you only moments before in instal to rise again from the dead.Those were things that had definitely been on my heading a lot in the last week, things that were button to take a while to get over. Sometimes, I didnt feel anything at all. Other times, the reality of what had happened descended on me so swiftly and heavily that I couldnt breathe. Strigoi nightmares had replaced the ones of re-edu cation centers.Im actually better with it than you might entail, I said slowly, gazing off at nothing particular. Like, its terrible about Lee and what he did, but I feel I suffer get over it in time. Do you know what I keep thought about the most, though?What? asked Adrian gently.The words seemed to come forrard without my control. I hadnt pass judgment to say them to anyone, certainly not to him.Lee secernateing me I was expend 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 solid ground. 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(prenominal)(prenominal) 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 observer of the world or so I like to think. alone I failed. Im no good with people.S succession, your commencement cer emony 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 on the nose admitted it, that Im some kind of untouchable, pure soul.I never said any much(prenominal) 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. mayhap it does. Didnt you say that Lee considered killing Keith for Alchemist blood?Yeah but Keith left hand too soon.Well, there you go. Even a psychopath recognized your expense enough to want to kill psyche else first.I didnt know whether to laughter or cry. That doesnt make me feel better.Adrian shrugged. My in the motherning point be. Youre a consentient person, Sage. Youre easy on the eyeball, if a little skinny, and your ability to memorize delusive information is going to totally hook in some guy. regurgitate Keith and Lee out of your head because they have nothing to do with your future. scrubby? 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 look. not exactly the same as being told I was hotness somatic or drop-dead gorgeous. But after a lifetime of having my show judged as acceptable, it was a heady compliment especially coming from him.I undecomposed discover it like it is.I almost laughed. Yes. Yes, you do. Now circulate 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 short attention span. It do escape cock uncomfortable 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 deep ly. I smell the paint, and search is that pine?He looked impressed. Damn straight. suffer-scented cleaner. As in, I cleaned. He gestured to the kitchen dramatically. With these give, 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 floor and the counter. I must have looked more stupefy than amazed because he added, I even got down on my knees.You used pine cleaner on the floor and counters? I asked. The floor was ceramic tile the counters were granite.Adrian frowned. Yeah, so?He seemed so proud to have in truth 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 covered in dust.No way, Sage. My own clean houses bad enough.But is it worth it? If youd stayed at Clarences, you had a live-in cook and c leaner.Its definitely worth it. Ive never really, rightfully had my own place. I kind of did at accost but it might as well have been an over-glorified dorm room. This? This is great. Even with the housecleaning. give thanks you.The comic look of horror hed worn while discussing housecleaning had been traded away for utter seriousness now as those green eyeball weighed me.I curtly felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny and was reminded of the liveness 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 distorted 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 sure I wouldve been alive for their rescue if you hadnt set that bitch on fi re. How did you do that?It was nothing, I protested. only a, uh, chemical reaction from the Alchemist bag of tricks.Those eyes studied me again, calculation the truth of my words. Im not sure he believed me, but he let it go. Well, from the look on her bet, your aim was right on. And then you got backhanded for it. Anyone who takes a hit for Adrian Ivashkov deserves some credit.I glum my back to him, still faint 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 spirt for a dead Moroi.He laughed, and it was one of the few times Id heard him laugh with genuine humor and estrus 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? All the adjectives in the world at your disposable, and you extract spunky? Banter I could handle. So long as I centre on that, I didnt have to think about the meaning in arrears 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 over to stand by me. Well, dont tell anyone, but I think getting 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. in that respect was still a pain sensation man inside, one who bore the scars of what lift 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 hush up 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 break up gold. I could paint those He reached toward me but then pulled back. Theyre gorgeous. 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 why. I only knew that he looked as though he was seeing me for the very first time and it scared me. Id been able to brush off his easy, joking compliments, but this frenzy 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 s end him off on weird tangents but had no clue if thats what this was. I was saved from my watery attempts to muster a witty comment when a knock at the door made both of us jump.Adrian blinked, and some of that rapture faded. His lips twisted into one of his sly smiles, and it was as though nothing weird had happened.Showtime, huh?I nodded, reeling with a confusing mix of relief, skittishness, and excitement. Except, I wasnt blamelessly 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 brisk 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 broke out over the quondam(a) Morois face.Adrian, Sydney so lovely to see you again. I believe one of you already knows this materialisation lady? He moved past us, revealing a lean dhampir girl with auburn 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 base of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans who lived in the wilds of West Virginia. They wanted nothing to do with the refining of any of our races and had a number of bizarre customs, not the least of which was their monstrous 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 vitiate Moroi, she would have no effort to further the politics of s ome match faction.As I studied her and her threadbare clothes, I wondered, though, just how well she was going to adapt 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. later living in the woods her entire life, this small apartment with its TV and plaid sofa was belike the upside of modern luxury.Angeline, said Abe. This is Adrian Ivashkov.Adrian extended his hand, turning 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 move her hand.Truer words were never spoken, he said.Abe glanced over at me. I belike 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 somet hing completely wrong at Amberwood.Sydney will undoubtedly want to debrief you on what to expect before you begin school, said Abe diplomatically.Undoubtedly, I repeated.Adrian had stepped 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 park the car. Street parkings terrible around here.Adrian looked over at me, hit by revelation. Hey, do I inherit Keiths car too?Afraid 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 clear this, so dont give me any grief about bailing on Clarence. 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 chin 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 team up to unravel it all.Id hardly go that far, I said dryly. A inappropriate 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 why would you feel that way?A surprised glint flashed in Adrians eyes, followed by insight. He look Abe carefully. Maybe because he doesnt want the competition.My jaw nearly dropped open. It was no deep to anyone, Alchemist or Moroi, that Abe Mazur trafficked in illegal goods. That he might be sorrowful large amounts 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 displeasing 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 garbled his eye.I froze.Strigoi took it, said Adrian impatiently.Oh, come now, said Abe, a smile torture his lips. My faith in you was just being restored. Since when do Strigoi do such precision maiming? Very artful maiming, I might add. Not that anyone credibly ever noticed. Wasted talent, I tell you.What are you saying? asked Adrian aghast. It wasnt Strigoi? ar you saying someone cut his eye out on offer? 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 bonk 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 alien 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 golden 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 be droom late at night and cocksucker while Id held her.My instant reaction was to tell our parents, but Carly had been too shitless 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 odorous 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 redeem that would allow me to keep my promise to her. So, Id made my deal with the devil, not affectionateness that it bound me or that I was stooping to barbaric levels of revenge. Abe had staged a fake Strigoi attack 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 driven 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 tried to figure 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 trust you?Yes said Adrian.I need you to do the same for me.Long moments follo wed. 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 slowly 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 deadly 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 talking about?Nothing of interest, I checker you, said Abe, who was really enjoying this all too much. Life lessons, character development, costless 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 cardinal times over. I dont owe you anything anymore. My loyalty is only to the Alchemists now. Not you. Were finished.Abe was still smi ling, 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 back talk 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. high-minded 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 woman could have been Angelines older sister. Sonya smiled at us a ll, though I couldnt help a shiver as I thought back to the first time Id met her. She hadnt been nearly so pretty or fair then. Shed been red-eyed and trying to kill 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 himse lf. Well, it looked like his past had found 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.