“That’d be remedial work for you,” he said confidently. “And there are always guardian tattooists around here. What else do you need?”

“I can get you whatever it is,” Abe assured me.

“I’d need–”

I stopped, and the world reeled. I can get you whatever it is.Yes, he probably could. Abe Mazur was a man who could get all sorts of things, even the ingredients to a potential Strigoi‑protection tattoo.

Ingredients that would be nearly identical to the ones used in a regular Alchemist tattoo.

They were out of my reach but not Abe’s. He probably wouldn’t even need to use any illicit channels. He’d once smuggled C4 into Court, after all. I knew he had Alchemist contacts and could make a good case for why the Moroi needed to do this experiment. The Alchemists would certainly support it. Really, though, it didn’t matter if Abe got the ingredients through legitimate or shady means. What mattered was that he could get what I needed without it actually being linked to me and a personal project to crack Alchemist compulsion.

“I can get you a list of things,” I said as casually as I could. “We should double it, though. In case I make a mistake.” Adrian met my eyes, and I could tell he’d picked up on what I was thinking.

Rose scoffed. “Have you ever made a mistake in your life?”

“Remains to be seen,” I murmured. I stifled a yawn. “Get me some paper, and I’ll write you a list.” I couldn’t hide my next yawn.

Sonya looked at me in sympathy. “Let poor Sydney go to bed. She’s not on our schedule. We can’t expect her to do this on no sleep, and we don’t even have what we need yet.”

Lissa looked mortified. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Sydney. I wasn’t thinking.”

I logged into an Alchemist database on my phone in order to find the ingredient list. Lissa called for another servant while I wrote out what I’d need. As we waited, Christian asked, “Who are you going to give the tattoo to?”

Silence fell. “Me,” said Rose at last. “It should be a dhampir. We’ve got the strongest bodies to handle something like that, and besides, if it works, we’re more likely to run into Strigoi.”

“You’re too valuable to the queen,” said Neil. “I’ll do it, in case something goes wrong.”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” said Adrian hotly.

Rose ignored him and glared at Neil. “ I’ll  do it. No one else is going to risk themselves for this.”

“What’s your blood type?” I asked, looking between them. I turned to Olive. “And yours?”

“Don’t get her involved,” warned Neil.

“O positive,” said Olive defiantly.

“B negative,” said Rose.

Neil shot frustrated glances to both of them. “A positive.”

“You win,” I told Neil. I honestly thought a Moroi receiver would be best, but I had a feeling none of them would budge on that. Standard blood‑typing rules seemed like a safe bet, though.

Rose’s hurt expression implied I’d purposely betrayed her. Olive, excited for Neil, hurried over to his side. He puffed up with pride at her attention, and the scientist in Sonya decided she had no more patience for drama. “Fine. Neil gets it. Now for God’s sake, get Sydney over to guest housing.”

“I’ll go too,” said Adrian. He yawned, and I was pretty sure it was faked. “I’ve been around humans too long.”

“You aren’t staying at your parents’ place?” asked Lissa.

Adrian scoffed. “Not if my dad’s there. I actually want peace and quiet.”

Lissa’s servant arrived, and Rose decided to accompany us, thinking she was the only one I was truly comfortable with. As we were walking out, Nina hurried up and caught Adrian’s sleeve. I was close enough that I could hear her, despite her lowered voice.

“I was hoping we could talk some more,” she told him. “Do you think you’ll have time tomorrow?”

Adrian put on the gallant smile most women received. “Sounds great, but I don’t know if I’ll have a chance. I think they expect me to work. It’s such a pain being responsible.”

Rose overheard. “Oh, yeah. So inconvenient, helping with a major breakthrough in Moroi life. Poor, poor Adrian.”

Adrian winked at Nina. “I’ll let you know.”

We left, but not before I saw the longing in Nina’s eyes. Even I could guess her intentions.

Guest housing was in one of the other venerable buildings, and we cut through a courtyard to get there. Light snow was falling, and I tugged my coat around me tightly. Adrian didn’t complain, but he looked a little blue when we reached the building’s lobby. It was run like a hotel, and Rose took it upon herself to arrange our rooms. I lingered on the far side of the lobby, and Adrian strolled over.

“You have no idea how cute you look with all those snowflakes in your hair,” he murmured.

“And you look cute with hypothermia. I hope to God you can get a real coat while you’re here.”

He grinned. “You’ll have to warm me up later. You know I was just playing it up for Nina, right? There’s only one girl for me, but around here, I have to act like there’s a dozen.”

“Only one dozen?” I asked.

“Hey,” Rose called to us. “You’ve got a room with a view on the second floor, Adrian. Sydney–what’s going to make you feel better about creatures of the night? Easy escape on the first floor or distance on the second?”

“Second,” I said, face neutral. “I’ll climb out the window if I need to.”

She led us upstairs and wished Adrian a good night. I received a personal escort to my room, and she looked around it with approval. “Same thing they’d give a royal. Is it okay?”

I wandered around, taking in the enormous suite with its sleek furniture and state‑of‑the‑art entertainment center. “Uh, yeah. I’d say so.”

“I know how weird this must be,” she said kindly. “But we’re doing big things here. At least that’s what everyone says.”

“They’re right,” I said. “And after rooming with Jill and fleeing authorities with you, this is kind of a non‑event.”

That got me one of her brilliant smiles. I was struck by how beautiful she was and couldn’t help a pang of insecurity as I recalled that Adrian had once been so close to her–romantically and physically. Quickly, I pushed those worries aside. The past was done. I had no doubts about Adrian. Rose left with more assurances and urged me to let her know if I needed anything. When she finally took off, I settled into unpacking. Five minutes later, Adrian showed up at my door.

“Damn,” he said, kicking it shut. He grabbed hold of me and pushed me against the wall. “You have no idea what I’ve gone through today.”

I put my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer. “Actually, I have a pretty good idea,” I said, just before I met his lips in a crushing kiss.

There was an urgency in him that answered my own, and all the tightly wound tension I’d carried today exploded between us. He ran his hands over my body and then caught hold of one of my legs and hiked it up beside his hip. My blood burned within me, and I no longer felt even the least bit tired.

As sexy as an against‑the‑wall make‑out session was, we eventually retired to my bed, which gave us both easier access to clothes, skin . . .

I sat beside him on the bed and helped him take off my sweater. “Who knew that escape plan number seventy‑one would end up being ‘Vacation at Moroi Court.’”

He laughed and then brought his lips to the nape of my neck, making me shiver. “Well, why not? No Zoe . . . no Alchemists . . . no time constraints.” He trailed his lips to my shoulder and gently pushed the bra strap down. “We have a lot of freedom, Sage, and a lot of privacy.”

I couldn’t help a small gasp as his skilled lips continued their exploration. I closed my eyes and sank down into the bed, drawing him to me. This could be it, I realized. What I’d been preparing for. We finally had a very real chance to have sex without detection or interruption. It was heady. When were we going to get a chance to do this again?