Shadow Kiss Chapter 12

TWELVEIF YOUD ASKED ME six months ago, I would befuddle express t present was no fashion Id be keen to run into Mia Rinaldi at the Royal Court. She was a year younger than me and had held a grudge against Lissa since freshman year a grudge so big that Mia had departed to great extremes to make life miserable for us. Shed d i a good job. Jesse and Ralfs rumors nigh me had been a result of her efforts. however thence Mia had gone with us to Spokane and been captured by the Strigoi. And, entirely like for Christian and Eddie, that had permuted everything. Shed stopn the same horrors the rest of us had. In fact, she was the only one of my friends who had witnessed Masons death and me killing Strigoi. She had even saved my life then by using her water magic to temporarily drown one of the Strigoi. In the great Moroi argument ab place whether or non they should learn to bear on with the guardians, she was firmly on the fighting side.I hadnt seen Mia in almost a month, ever sin ce Masons funeral. In studying her, I felt like itd been a year. I had always thought Mia looked like a doll. She was short comp atomic number 18d to most Moroi and had young, round-cheeked features. The fact that shed always curled her hair in perfect ringlets had sort of reinforced that image. notwithstanding today, she hadnt gone to nearly that much trouble. Her golden blond hair was pulled into a ponytail, its only curl coming from a slight, natural waviness. She wore no makeup, and her face showed signs of having been clear a lot. Her skin looked chapped from the wind, and she had a very, very faint tan almost unheard of for Moroi, with their aversion to sunlight. For the first time ever, she actuall(a)y looked her age.She laughed at my shock. father on, it hasnt been that long. You look like you dont even recognize me.I almost dont. We hugged, and again, it was hard to suppose that shed once plotted ways to ruin my life. Or that Id broken her nose. What ar you doing here ?She beckoned us out the door. We were just about to leave. Ill explain everything.We went to a neighboring building. It wasnt like a mall or anything, only if it did have a few businesses that the Moroi who worked and visited here needed a handful of restaurants, few small stores, and forwardices that offered all sorts of services. There was also a hot chocolate shop, and that was where Mia led us.A coffee shop seems like an ordinary thing, solely I r arely got to go to them. Sitting in a public place (or semi-public) with friends, not worrying about school it was great. It reminded me of when Lissa and I had been on our own, when our entire lives hadnt been contained within a school and its rules.My dad works here now, she told us. And so now I live here.Moroi children rarely lived with their parents. They were sent off to places like St. Vladimirs, where they could grow up safely. What about school? I asked.There arent many kids here, tho there are any(prenominal). Most o f them are rich and have personal tutors. My dad pulled some strings and set it up so that I can go to them for different subjects. So Im settle down studying the same things, just in a different way. Its actually pretty cool. Less teacher time but much homework.Youve been doing more than that, said Eddie. Unless your classes are outside. Hed noticed the same things I had, and in looking at her hands as they held her latte, I could now see calluses.She wiggled her fingers. I made friends with some of the guardians here. Theyve been showing me a few things.Thats risky, said Christian, though he sounded like he approved. Since theres still a debate about Moroi fighting.You mean about Moroi fighting with magic, she corrected. Thats whats controversial. No ones really talking about Moroi fighting hand-to-hand.Well, they are, I said. Its just been overshadowed by the magic controversy.Its not illegal, she said primly. And until it is, Im going to keep doing it. You think with all the events and meetings that go on around here that anyone even notices what someone like me does? Mias family, in addition to being non-royal, was also pretty lower class not that there was anything wrong with that, but she had to feel the effects of that around here.Still, I found her whole situation cheering. Mia seemed happier and more disseminate than she had during the entire time Id know her. She seemed free. Christian spoke my thoughts before I could.Youve changed, he said.Weve all changed, she corrected. Especially you, Rose. I cant quite explain it.I dont think theres any way the v of us couldnt have changed, Christian pointed out. A moment later he corrected himself. Four of us.We all fell silent, thoughts of Mason weighing us down. universe with Christian, Eddie, and Mia stirred up that grief I always tried to hide, and I could see from their faces that they continually fought the same battle.Conversation eventually turned toward all of us catching up on what had happen ed here and at the Academy. Yet I kept thinking about how Mia had said that I had changed more than the others. All I could think about was how out of control Id felt lately, how half the time my actions and feelings didnt seem like my own. Sitting there, it almost seemed like Mia was controlled by all of her commanding traits now and I was controlled by my negative ones. Conversations with Adrian replayed through my decimal point, reminding me about how I supposedly had such a dark, dark aura.Maybe thinking about him summoned him, but he and Lissa eventually joined us. Their bar was credibly in the same building, I realized. Id been blocking her out and not paying much attention. Adrian hadnt completely gotten her drunk, thankfully, but shed agreed to two drinks. I could feel a slight buzz through the bond and had to carefully shield it out.She was as surprised as wed been to see Mia but gave her a warm welcome and wanted to catch up. Id heard most of this already, so I just lis tened and drank my chai. No coffee for me. Most guardians drank it the way Moroi drank blood, but I wouldnt touch the stuff.Howd your thing with the queen go? Christian asked Lissa at one point.Not so mischievous, she said. I mean, not great either. But she didnt yell at me or humiliate me, so thats a start.Stop being modest, said Adrian, putting his arm around her. Princess Dragomir totally stood her ground. You should have seen it. Lissa laughed.I dont suppose she mentioned why she decided to let us come to the trial? Christian asked stiffly. He didnt look very happy about the bonding that was winning place here or about Adrians arm.Lissas laughter faded, but she was still smiling. Adrian did it.What? Christian and I asked together.Adrian, looking very pleased with himself, stayed quiet for a change and let Lissa do the talking. He convinced her that we needed to be here. He apparently harassed her until she gave in.Its called persuasion, not harassment, Adrian said. Lissa laug hed again.My own words about the queen came covering to haunt me. Whos she? Just another Ivashkov. There are a ton of them. There were indeed. I eyed Adrian.How closely are you guys related? The answer popped into my head from Lissas. Shes your aunt.Great-aunt. And Im her favorite great nephew. Well, Im her only great nephew, but thats not important. Id still be her favorite, he said.Unbelievable, said Christian.Ill second that, I said.None of you appreciate me. wherefore is it so hard to believe that I could make a real contribution in these dark times? Adrian stood up. He was trying to sound outraged, but the smirk on his face indicated that he still found all of this pretty funny. My cigarettes and I are going outside. At least they show me respect.As soon as he left, Christian asked Lissa, Were you getting drunk with him?Im not drunk. I only had two drinks, she said. Since when did you get all conservative?Since Adrian became a bad influence.Come on He helped us get here. No o ne else was able to do it. He didnt have to, but he did. And you and Rose are sitting there, still acting like hes the most evil person on the planet. That wasnt exactly true. I was mostly sitting there like I had been hit in the head, still too dumbstruck to react.Yeah, and Im sure he did it out of the kindness of his heart, muttered Christian.Why else would he do it?Oh, gee, I wonder.Lissas eyes widened. You think he did it for me? You think theres something going on with us? You guys drink together, practice magic together, and go to elitist events together. What would you think?Mia and Eddie looked like they wanted to be somewhere else. I was scratch to share the feeling.Anger burned through Lissa, hitting me like a wave of heat. She was utterly outraged. Her fury didnt even have that much to do with Adrian, really. She was more upset at the thought of Christian not trusting her. And as for him, I needed no psychic powers to understand how he was feeling. He wasnt grabby simply because she was hanging out with Adrian. Christian was still suspicious that Adrian had the kind of influence to pull this off for her. It was just like what Jesse and Ralf had described, about how the right connections could open the right doors connections that Christian didnt have.I kneed Christians leg, hoping hed get the hint that he really should stop talking before things got worse. Lissas anger was intensifying, muddled with embarrassment as she began to motion herself and wonder if she had been getting too close to Adrian. The whole thing was ridiculous.Christian, for the love of God. If Adrian did this for anyone, it was because of me and his crazy obsession. He bragged awhile ago that he could do it, and I didnt believe it. I turned to Lissa. I needed to get her calm and diffuse those dark feelings that could cause so much trouble for her when they ran out of control. Liss, you might not be wasted exactly, but you need to chill out for an hour before having this conve rsation. Youre going to say something as stupid as Christian, and Ill be the one who has to deal with the mess like always.Id gotten worked up and expected someone to tell me how bitchy I sounded. Instead, Lissa relaxed and offered Christian a smile. Yeah, we should definitely talk about this later. A lots kind of happened today.He hesitated, then nodded. Yeah. Sorry I jumped all over you. He returned her smile, fight patched up.So, Lissa asked Mia, who have you met here?I stared at them in amazement, but no one seemed to notice. Id fixed their fight, and thered been no acknowledgment. No Thank you, Rose, for pointing out how idiotic were being. It was bad enough I had to endure their romance day after day, with no consideration for how I felt. Now I was salvaging their relationship, and they didnt even realize it.Ill be right underpin, I said, interrupting Mias description of some of the other teenagers here. I was afraid if I sat there, I was going to say something Id regret or maybe break a chair. Where had this rage come from?I went outside, hoping a gulp of cold air would calm me down. Instead, I got a face full of clove smoke.Dont start in about the smoking, warned Adrian. He was leaning against the buildings brick wall. You didnt have to come outside. You knew I was here.Thats actually why Im here. Well, that, and I felt like I was going to go crazy if I stayed inside another minute.He tilted his head to look at my face. His eyebrows shot up. You arent kidding, are you? What happened? You were fine a few minutes ago.I paced across the ground in look of him. I dont know. I was fine. Then Christian and Lissa started having this stupid argument over you. It was weird. They were the ones who were mad and then I ended up madder than both of them.Wait. They were rivalry over me?Yes. I just said that. Werent you paying attention?Hey, dont snap at me. I havent done anything to you.I crossed my arms over my chest. Christians jealous because you hang around Lissa so much.Were studying spirit, said Adrian. Hes welcome to join in.Yeah, well, no one ever said love was reasonable. Seeing you come back together kind of set him off. And then he got upset because you pulled rank with the queen for Lissa.I didnt do it for her. I did it for all of you but, well, you especially.I came to a have in front of him. I didnt believe you. That you could do it.He grinned. Guess you should have listened to my family history in that dream after all.I guess. I just thoughtI couldnt finish. Id thought Dimitri would be the one who came through for me, the one who despite what he said could make almost anything happen. But he hadnt. horizon what? Adrian prompted.Nothing. With much effort, I managed to utter the next words. Thank you for helping us.Oh my God, he said. A kind word from Rose Hathaway. I can die a happy man.What are you saying? That Im normally an ungrateful bitch?He just looked at me.Hey Not cool.Maybe you could redeem yourself with a hug.I glared.A small one? he begged.With a sigh, I walked over and put one arm around Adrian, leaning my head lightly against his arm. Thanks, Adrian.We stood like that for a heartbeat. I felt none of the crazy electricity or connection I did with Dimitri, but I had to admit that Lissa had been right about something. Adrian was annoying and tyrannical at times, but he really wasnt the bastard I often made him out to be.The doors opened, and Lissa and the others stepped outside. They understandably looked surprised, but I didnt care just then. Besides, they probably all thought I was pregnant with Adrians love child, so what did it matter? I backed away.Heading out? I asked.Yeah, Mias got more important things to do than hang out with us, joked Christian.Hey, I just told my dad Id meet him. Ill see you guys before I leave. She started to walk away, then abruptly turned around. God, Im so out of it. She reached into her coat pocket and handed me a folded piece of paper. This is half the r eason I found you guys. One of the court clerks wanted me to give this to you.Thanks, I said, puzzled. She headed off to see her dad while the rest of us strolled back to our accommodations.I slowed my pace as I opened the note, wondering who in the world here would want to contact me.Rose,I was so happy to hear about your arrival. Im sure itll make tomorrows proceedings that much more entertaining. Ive been curious for quite some time about how Vasilisa is doing, and your romantic escapades are always an amusing diversion. I cant wait to share them in the courtroom tomorrow.Best,V.D.Whos it from? asked Eddie, coming up beside me. I in haste folded it up and shoved it into my pocket. No one, I replied.No one indeed.V. D.Victor Dashkov.