Shadow Kiss Chapter 15

FifteenIWHAT?You heard me. I dont hold turn out(p) how far- mop up social functions produce g wizard(p), and honestly, I actu everyy dont fate to know the details. Thats not the point. The point is that its passage to go no farther.The queen was looking d protest on me, hands on her hips, clearly waiting for me to swear Id do whatever she treasured. Except I mannequin of couldnt. I glanced roughly the room, plastered this was some sort of joke. I looked to the two guardians across the room, half-hoping theyd explain what was discharge on, however they were doing that regarding-without-actually- moderateing thing. No eye contact. I turned lynchpin to the queen.Um, Your Majesty in that respects been some kind of mistake. Theres nothing going on between Adrian and me.Do you conceive of Im an changeling? she asked.Wow. That was an opening.No, Your Majesty. well(p), thats a start. Theres no point in lying to me. People turn in seen you together, here and back at yo ur school. I saw you myself in the courtroom. Damn it. Why had Adrian chosen that moment to be chivalrous and sneak another hug? Ive heard all the extramarital details intimately whats going on, and it is going to delay right here, right now. Adrian Ivashkov is not going to run off with some cheap dhampir girl, so you exponent as well rid yourself of that delusion right now.I never horizon he was going to seeing as how were not involved, I verbalize. I mean, were friends, thats all. He desires me. Hes a flirt. And if you sine qua non to talk unlawful stuff, thenyeah, Im pretty sure hes got a list of illicit things hed equal to do with me. Lots of illicit things. only if were not doing them. Your Majesty.As currently as the words left my mouth, I felt exchangeable an idiot. From the look on her impertinence, however, it didnt seem homogeneous things could really get whatever worse for me.I know near you, she verbalise. All anyone talks close to are your recent a wards and accolades, besides I havent forgotten that it was you who took Vasilisa remote. I similarly know near the trouble you used to get into I know about the drinking, about the men. If it was up to me, Id pack you up and send you off to some blood whore commune. Youd probably suffer in well.Drinking and men? She made me sound equivalent an alcoholic prostitute when, honestly, Id probably rum no more than other teenagers at high school parties. Telling her this seemed null, though. Pointing out that I was lock in a virgin probably wouldnt have made much of a difference either.But, she spread overd, your recent achievements betray sending you remote impossible. E actuallyone believes you have some glorious prison term to come ahead of you. Maybe you do. Regardless, if I elicitt hang-up you from being a guardian, I laughingstock affect whose guardian you are.I stiffened. What are you citeing? be you threatening me? I spoke the words tentatively, not as a challen ge. She couldnt be serious. Taking me away from Lissa during the field experience was one thing, but we were talking about an entirely different matter now.Im fair saying I have a great interest in Vasilisas future, thats all. And if I have to hold dear her from corrupting influences, I will. We can find her another guardian. We can find you another Moroi.You cant do that I exclaimed. I could tell by the look on her sheath that she was happy to finally get a real reaction out of me. I was both angry and afraid, and I fought hard against my normal volatile instincts. Diplomacy and honesty were what I needful now. Im not doing anything with Adrian. Really. You cant punish me for something Im not doing. I chop-chop remembered to ply Your Majesty.I dont want to punish you at all, Rose. I fairish want to make sure we agnize each other. Moroi men dont marry dhampir girls. They play with them. Every girl thinks its going to be different with her still your mother did with Ibrahim , but she was wrong too.With who? I asked, the name hitting me like a slap in the face. Ibrahim? Id never even heard of that name, let alone someone called that. I treasured to ask who he was and what his connection to my mother was, but Tatiana just kept talking.Theyre always wrong. And you can try your hardest to change that, but its a waste of measure. She shook her head, like she felt sorry for these dhampir girls, but her smug air contradicted any true sympathy. You can use your pretty face and easy body as much as you want, but in the end, youre the one wholl get used. He may say he loves you now, but in the end, hell get tired of you. Save yourself the grief. Im doing you a favor.But he isnt saying he loves There was no point. The ironic thing here was that I was fairly certain Adrian did just want to use me for sex. I didnt have any delusions about that. But seeing as I wasnt actually sleeping with him, there was no problem except, well, that Tatiana seemed to see of al l this as a problem. I sighed, suspecting no argument was going to make her believe that I wasnt interested in Adrian. Look, if youre so certain we cant have a future together, then why are you telling me this? According to you, hes going to throw me away anyway. Your Majesty.She hesitated for just a second, and I nearly laughed. Despite her trash-talking about me, my mom, and other dhampirs, some part of her really was sick that I might indeed be charming and pretty enough to seduce Adrian into a disgraceful marriage. She quickly hid her uncertainty.I like to take care of things in front they become messy, thats all. Besides, its going to make things easier for him and Vasilisa if they arent dragging well-nigh baggage from you.Whoa, whoa. My moment of brief satisfaction shattered into confusion. I was as lost now as Id been when she startle started accusing me of being involved with Adrian.Him and Vasilisa? Lissa? What are you talking about? I forgot the Your Majesty, but I do nt think she cared at this point.The two of them are an excellent match, she said, sounding like she was about ready to procure some artwork. Despite your bad influence, Vasilisas grown into a very promising young woman. She has a very serious, very dedicated nature that will cure some of his recklessness. And being together would allow them to continue examining theirunusual magical situation.Five minutes ago, me marrying Adrian had been the craziest thing Id ever heard. It had just been trumped, however, by the thought of Lissa marrying Adrian.Lissa and Adrian. Together. You cant be serious. Your Majesty.If theyre both here together, I think theyll come approximately to it. They already have a certain charisma around each other. Plus, both of Adrians grandmothers came from branches of the Dragomir family. He has more than enough blood to help her admit on the Dragomir declension.So does Christian Ozera. In one of their more disgustingly cute moments, Lissa and Christian had lo oked up his family tree to see if he had enough Dragomir genes to be able to pass on the name. When they found out he did, theyd then starting naming their future children. It had been horrible. Id left after Lissa told me theyd name their third miss after me.Christian Ozera? That condescending smile of hers tightened. There is no way Vasilisa Dragomir is going to marry him.Well, yeah. not any clipping before long. I mean, theyre going to go to college and non now, not ever, interrupted Tatiana. The Dragomirs are an ancient and exalted line of royal line. Their last descendent is not going to attach herself to someone like him.Hes royal, I said in a low voice that was on the verge of becoming my scary voice. For whatever reason, her insulting Christian made me angrier than her insulting me. The Ozera line is every bit as important as the Dragomirs and Ivashkovs. Hes royal, just like Lissa, like Adrian, and like you.She snorted. He is not like us. Yes, the Ozeras are one of the r oyal houses, and yes, he has several(prenominal) respectable distant cousins. But we arent talking about them. Were talking about the son of someone who deliberately became a Strigoi. Do you know how many times thats happened in my lifetime? Nine. Nine in cardinal years. And his parents were two of them.Yes his parents, I said. Not him.It doesnt matter. The Dragomir princess cannot associate with someone like him. That position is simply too prestigious.But your nephew is the perfect choice, I said bitterly. Your Majesty.If youre such a smart girl, then you tell me back at St. Vladimirs, how are they treated? How do your classmates view Christian? How do they view Christian and Vasilisa together? Her eyeball gleamed knowingly.Fine, I said. They have lots of friends.And Christian is fully recognised?Immediately, I thought of Jesse and Ralf grilling me about Christian. And yes, there were plenty of community who still avoided Christian like he was already Strigoi. It was why hed had no partner in culinary science. I tried to overcloud my thoughts, but my hesitation had given me away.You see? she exclaimed. And thats just a microcosm of society. Imagine it on a bigger scale. Imagine how itll be when shes active in the government and trying to get others to support her. Hell be a liability. Shell make enemies just because of him. Do you really want that to happen to her?It was exactly what Christian had feared, and I denied it now as much as I had to him. It wont happen. Youre wrong.And youre very young, Miss Hathaway. Youre also delaying your flight. She moved toward the gateway. The guardians across the room were by her side in the dash of an eye. I have nothing more to say and hope this will be the last time we ever have a discussion like this.Or any discussion, I thought.She left, and as soon as etiquette said I could go, I sprinted off to catch my plane. My head reeled as I went. How daft was that lady? Not only was she convinced that I was on the v erge of eloping with Adrian, she also believed that she could work some kind of arranged marriage with him and Lissa. It was al close impossible to figure out which part of that talk had been the around ridiculous.I could hardly wait to tell the others what had happened and have a good laugh over it. But, as I returned to my room to get my bag, I reconsidered. There was already so much gossip about me and Adrian going around I didnt think I should be fueling the fire. I also didnt think Christian should hear about this. He was already insecure about his position with Lissa. How would he thumb if he found out the queen was already making plans to get rid of him?So I decided to sit on the information for a magical spell, which was hard because Lissa was lots waiting outside my door when I got back.Hey, I said. I thought youd be on the plane?Nope. They delayed it by a few hours.Oh. Going home curtly sounded like the best idea ever.Whatd the queen want? asked Lissa.To overcharge me, I said glibly. Over my Strigoi kills. I didnt expect that from her it was kind of eldritch.Not that weird, she said. What you did was amazing. Im sure she just wanted to recognize you for what you did.Yeah, I guess. So whats going on? What are we going to do with the extra time? There was excitement in both her eyes and her feelings, and I welcomed a change in subject.Well I was thinking. Since were at the Royal Court dont you want to check it out? Theres gotta be more to it than a bar and a coffee shop. Seems like we should know this stuff if were going to be living here. Besides, weve got a lot to celebrate.The full force of our situation hit me. Id been so distracted by Victor that I hadnt even really let things sink in We were at the Royal Court, the center of Moroi leadership. It was nearly as big as the Academy, and there had to be more to it than the all-business side wed seen so far. Plus, she was right. We had a lot to be happy about. Victor had been put away. Shed go tten a sweet college deal. Only my alleged affair with Adrian had been a tearside, but I was willing to put that aside as Lissas contagious excitement seized me.Wheres Christian? I asked.Doing his own thing, she said. You think we need him along?Well, he usually is along lately.Yeah, she admitted, but Id kind of like just us to hang out. I sensed the thoughts behind her decision. Our brief conversation just before shed gone to see the queen had made her nostalgic for the old days, back when it had just been the two of us on our own.No complaints here, I said. How much can we cover in three hours?A mischievous grin lit her face. The essentials. I could tell she had something special in mind, but she was trying to keep it in hidden. She couldnt blank out me out of the bond, but she had learned that if she didnt think too hard about certain things, then I wouldnt pick up on them easily. She liked being able to think that she could surprise me sometimes. Trying to hide big issues or problems from me never worked, though.We set back out into the cold weather, with Lissa leading the way. She steered us away from the administrative buildings, off toward some others set at the farther end of the Courts grounds.The queen lives in that first building, Lissa explained. Its not exactly a palace but the closest we have. Back when the Court was in Europe, Moroi royalty used to live in castles.I made a face. You make that sound like a good thing.Stone walls? Turrets? Even you have to admit that sounds pretty neat.Yeah, but I bet they had pee-pee Internet access.Lissa shook her head at me, smiling, and didnt dignify my comment with a response. We passed some other buildings that had the similar ornate stonework as the others but were tall and built in a style that reminded me of apartments. She confirmed as much.Those are town houses, where people who live here year-round stay.I eyed them, wondering what they were like on the inside, and a happy thought came to me. You think thats where well live?The thought caught her off guard, but she soon grew just as excited as me. She, too, liked the idea of us having our own pip, free to garment it and come and go as we wanted. I rather liked the idea of Dimitri living with us too, but here at Court, he wouldnt be with her 24/7. For that matter, I actually wouldnt need to be with her 24/7 either. Would they let me live with her? Or would this be another chance to show I wasnt needed?I hope so, she said, oblivious to my worries. Top floor with a view.I mustered another smile. And a pool.How can you think about a pool in this weather?Hey, if were fantasizing here, we might as well go the whole way. I bet Tatianas got one. I bet she wears a bikini and has hot guys rubbing her down with suntan lotion.I expected another eye roll, but Lissa just grinned as she led me into a building that was near the town houses. Funny you mention that.What? I exclaimed. She was about ready to burst with her secret. I was this close to pulling it out of her mind. I would have, too, if I hadnt been so stunned by our surroundings. It was sensory hook delicate music, fountains, plants, people in washcloth robes, everything gleaming and silverIt was a spa, a full-fledged sumptuosity spa hidden away in an old stone building here at Court. Who would have guessed? A long granite receptionists desk guarded the entrance, so we only had a partial view, but what I could see was pretty sweet. Women sat along a wall acquire pedicures and manicures. Moroi men and women were getting haircuts and people of colour. What looked like a maze of halls could just be seen in the back of the salon, with a directory of arrows pointing to other sections abrase, sauna, facials, etc.Lissa grinned at me. What do you think?I think Adrian was right about the Court having all sorts of secrets. I gave a treat sigh. And I hate having to admit that hes right.Youve been so down about the field experience andother stuff. She didnt hav e to mention Masons death and the Strigoi fight. I read it from her mind. I figured you could use a treat. I checkered their openings here while you were with the queen, and they were able to squeeze us in.Lissa walked up to the receptionist and told her who we were. The woman immediately recognized our label but seemed surprised to be letting a dhampir in. I didnt care, though. I was too bedazzled by the sights and sounds around me. Compared to the harsh, practical lifestyle I usually led, this sort of luxury almost defied belief.After checking in, Lissa turned to me, face eager and radiant. I got us set up to get massages with these Nails, I interrupted.What?I want my nails done. tin can I get a manicure?It was the most exotic, completely useless thing I could imagine. Well, it wasnt useless for ordinary women. But for me? With the way I used my hands and subjected them to blisters, bruises, dirt, and wind? Yes. Useless. I hadnt painted my nails in ages. There was no reason. H alf the nail polish would probably chip off after one practice session. A novice like me couldnt afford that kind of luxury. And that was why I so, so urgently wanted one. Seeing Lissa wear makeup had awakened that longing in me for some beautification of my own. I accepted that it could never be a regular part of my life, but if I was in a place like this today, then by God, I wanted my nails done.Lissa faltered a little. Shed apparently had big plans for this massage thing. But, she had a hard time refusing me and spoke to the receptionist again. It sounded like the receptionist had to do a bit of juggling with her schedule, but she said she could make it work.Of course, Princess. She smiled happily, bewitch by Lissas natural charisma. Half the time, Lissa didnt even need spirit to get people to help her.I dont want to be an inconvenience, Lissa said.No, no. Definitely notWe soon found ourselves sit down at adjacent tables while Moroi women soaked our hands in hot water and star ted scrubbing them with weird combinations of sugar and seaweed.Why the manicure? Lissa wanted to know. I explained my reasoning to her, about how I hardly had time for makeup anymore and how the abuse my hands went through made any sort of pampering impractical. Her face turned thoughtful. I never thought about that before. I just figured you werent into it lately. Or, well, that you didnt need it. Not with your looks.Whatever, I said. Youre the one guys worship.Because of my name. Youre the one that guys like a certain one we know actually want for other reasons.Gee, I wondered who she could be referring to. Yeah, but those other reasons arent very noble.She shrugged. The points the same. You dont need makeup for them to drool all over you.Then I felt the weirdest thing through the bond. I saw myself through her eyes. It was like looking in a mirror, except she only had a profile view of me. But when she looked at me, she really did think I was beautiful. With my tan and dark br own hair, I seemed exotic to her. She felt spotter and washed out compared to me, skinny next to my curves. It was surreal, considering how often I felt scruffy next to her lucent beauty. Her envy wasnt malicious that wasnt in her nature. It was more wistful, an admiration of a look she could never have.I wanted to reassure her but had a feeling she didnt want me knowing about her insecurities. Besides, my thoughts were interrupted when the woman doing my nails asked what tinge I wanted. I picked a color that looked like gold glitter. Gaudy, perhaps, but I actually thought it looked kind of cool, and it wasnt like it was going to last long anyway. Lissa picked pale pink, a color as nice and elegant as she was. Hers got painted a lot faster than mine, though, because my manicurist had to spend so long emollient my hands and filing the nails. Lissa finished long before I did.When we both had glamorous hands, we proudly held them up side by side. You look gorgeous, darling, she decl ared, affecting a sophisticated air.Laughing, we went off to the massage area. Lissa had originally plan us for extensive massages, but the manicure had cut into a chunk of that time. So we modified the full-body massage into a foot massage, which was just as well since we couldnt have put on robes or any other changes of clothes with our nails still wet. All we had to do was remove our shoes and roll up our pants. I sat down in a chair while my feet soaked in warm, bubbling water. soulfulness put something into the tub that smelled like violets, but I didnt pay much attention. I was too entranced by my hands. They were perfect. The manicurist had buffed and hydrated them to silky softness, and my nails had been transformed into gleaming gold ovals.Rose, I heard Lissa say.Hmm? The lady had also put a clear coat of nail polish over the gold. I wondered if that would give the nails a longer lease on life.Rose.Sensing that Lissa wanted my undivided attention, I finally looked up from my dreadful hands. She was grinning from ear to ear. I could feel that excited news burning in her again, the secret shed had while wed been walking over here.Whats up? I asked.She nodded downward. Rose, this is Ambrose.I glanced absentmindedly toward the masseuse at my feet. Hey, Ambrose, hows it I cut myself off before the words holy crap or whoa left my lips.The guy massaging my feet couldnt have been much former(a) than me. He had curly black hair and muscles everywhere. I knew this for a fact because he was shirtless and offered us both a good view of his sculpted pecs and biceps. His deep golden skin was a color achievable only by excessive time in the sun, indicating he was human. The bite marks on his neck confirmed it. A pretty boy feeder. Very pretty.His attractiveness was almost unreal, though. Dimitri was gorgeous, but he had little flaws that made him that much more gorgeous. Ambrose was too perfect, like a piece of art. I didnt want to throw myself into his arms o r anything, but he was certainly nice to look at.Lissa, still worried about my love life, had apparently thought this was exactly what I needed. Her masseuse was female.Its very nice to meet you, Rose, said Ambrose. He had a musical voice.Its nice to meet you too, I said, suddenly self-conscious as he lifted my feet out of the water and toweled them off. I was especially self-conscious of the appearance of my feet. They werent gross or anything, since they werent usually exposed to the elements like my hands. I just kind of wished theyd been polished up too if this male type was going to handle them so much.Lissa, astute enough to sense me being flustered, could barely stop from laughing. I heard her thoughts in my head Cute, huh? I cut her a look, refusing to voice my thoughts out loud. Hes Tatianas personal masseuse. That practically makes you royalty. I sighed loudly to let her know she wasnt as funny as she thought she was. And when I say personal, I mean personal.I jerked in s urprise, accidentally kicking one of my feet out. Ambroses deft hands caught it before I hit him in his pretty face, thankfully. I might not have been able to clear telepathically but I was pretty sure there could be no question to Lissa that the look on my face said, You cant be serious because if you are, youre in big trouble.Her grin widened. I thought youd like that. Pampered by the queens secret lover.Pampered wasnt exactly the word that came to mind. Looking at Ambroses young, beautiful features, I just couldnt picture him getting it on with that old hag. Of course, that denial might have just been my brains way of refusing to acknowledge that someone who had stirred her was now touching me. Ew.Ambroses hands were checking out my calves along with my feet, and he struck up a conversation about what elegant legs I had. His dazzling white smile never left his face, but most of my answers were curt. I still couldnt get over the thought of him and Tatiana together.Silently, Liss a groaned. Hes flirting with you, Rose she thought to me. What are you doing? You can do better than that. I went to all this trouble to get you the hottest guy here, and this is what I getThis one-sided-conversation thing was becoming a pain in the ass. I wanted to tell her that Id never asked for her to rent out this guy for me. In fact, I suddenly had images of the queen calling me in for another meeting to promise at me for having a nonexistent affair with Ambrose too. Wouldnt that be perfect?Ambrose continued smiling as he rubbed the soles of one foot with his thumbs. It hurt but in a good way. I hadnt realized how irritating that spot was. They go to such trouble to make sure you wear the right black and white clothes, but no one ever thinks about your feet, he mused. How are you supposed to stand around all day and still manage roundhouse kicks and cat stances in bad shoes?I was about to tell them that he really didnt need to keep worrying about my feet, but something odd suddenly struck me. Roundhouse kicks and cat stances werent top-secret guardian terms. Anyone could Google martial arts and find out about those kinds of things. Still, it wasnt the kind of topic Id expect a Moroi to casually throw around, let alone a feeder. I analyse Ambrose closer, noting the way his dark eyes so carefully darted around and observed everything. I recalled his fast reflexes in stopping my kick.I felt my jaw start to drop, and I shut it before I looked like an idiot.Youre a dhampir, I breathed.