The Indigo Spell (11 page)

Talking about Adrian made me nervous, but Sabrina probably already knew he existed
if they’d been watching me. “Yeah, she was one, and there’s another in Palm Springs.
I could take you to him and let him heal you.”

Excitement lit Marcus’s features. Sabrina looked at him in horror. “You can’t just
go off with her.” Was that concern or jealousy in her voice?

“Why not?” he asked. “She’s taking a leap of faith with us. We can’t do any less.
Besides, I’m dying to meet a spirit user. The safe house isn’t that far from Palm
Springs. You make sure everything’s in order and then come pick me up later.”

Sabrina didn’t like that, not at all. Maybe I didn’t understand the dynamics of their
group yet, but it was obvious she regarded him as a leader and was insanely protective.
In fact, I suspected her feelings for him were more than professional. They went back
and forth on whether he’d be safe or not, and I listened without a word. All the while,
I wondered if
I’d
be safe heading off with some unknown guy.
Clarence trusted him,
I reminded myself.
And he’s pretty paranoid.
Besides, with Marcus’s wrist out of commission, I could probably take him.

He finally convinced Sabrina to let him go but not before she snarled, “If anything
happens to him, I’m coming after you.” Apparently her hard-core character in the arena
hadn’t been entirely faked.

We parted ways from her, and before long, Marcus and I were on the road to Palm Springs.
I tried to get more information out of him, but he wouldn’t bite. Instead, he kept
complimenting me and saying things that were only one step away from pickup lines.
Judging from the way he’d bantered with Sabrina too, I didn’t think there was anything
particularly special about me. I thought he was just used to women fawning all over
him. He
was
cute, I’d give him that, but it took a lot more than that to win me over.

It was sunset when we pulled up to Adrian’s apartment, and I belatedly wondered if
I should’ve given him some advance warning. Too late now.

We walked up to the door, and I knocked three times. “It’s open,” a voice called from
within. I stepped inside, and Marcus followed.

Adrian was working on an abstract painting of what looked like a crystalline building
from some fantasy world. “Unexpected treat,” he said. His eyes fell on Marcus and
widened. “I’ll be damned. You found him.”

“Thanks to you,” I said.

Adrian glanced over at me. A smile started to form—and then instantly dried up. “What
happened to your face?”

“Oh.” I lightly touched the swollen spot. It still smarted but wasn’t as painful as
it had been earlier. I spoke my next words without thinking. “Marcus hit me.”

I’d never seen Adrian move so fast. Marcus had no chance to react, probably because
he was exhausted from our earlier encounter. Adrian shoved Marcus up against a wall
and—to my complete and utter astonishment—punched Marcus. Adrian had once joked that
he never dirtied his hands, so this was something I never could have prepared myself
for. In fact, if Adrian was going to attack someone, I would’ve expected something
magical and spirit-driven. Yet . . . as I watched him, I could see that anything as
thoughtful as magic was far from Adrian’s mind. He had kicked into primal mode. See
a threat. Go after it. It was yet another surprising—yet fascinating—side of the enigma
that was Adrian Ivashkov.

Marcus quickly got his bearings and responded in kind. He pushed Adrian back, wincing
a little. Even with his injury, he was still strong. “What the hell? Who are you?”

“The guy that’s going to kick your ass for hurting her,” said Adrian.

He tried another punch, but Marcus dodged and managed to land a hit that knocked Adrian
back into one of his easels. When Marcus swung again, Adrian eluded him with a maneuver
that was straight out of Wolfe’s class. I would’ve applauded him if I wasn’t so appalled
by the situation. I knew some girls thought it was sexy to have men fight over them.
Not me.

“You guys, stop!” I cried.

“No one’s going to throw you around and get away with it,” said Adrian.

“What happened with us has nothing to do with you,” retorted Marcus.

“
Everything
about her has to do with me.”

The two circled around each other, waiting for the other to pounce. “Adrian,” I exclaimed.
“It was an accident.”

“Doesn’t look like an accident,” he replied, never taking his eyes off Marcus.

“You should listen to her,” growled Marcus. The easygoing guy I’d met earlier was
gone, but I guess being attacked would do that to you. “It might save you from getting
your pretty face wrecked. How much styling did you have to do to get your hair like
that?”

“At least I brush my hair,” said Adrian.

Marcus lunged forward—but not directly at Adrian. He grabbed a painting off an easel
and used it as a weapon. Adrian again managed a dodge, but the painting didn’t fare
so well. The canvas tore, and Marcus tossed it aside, ready for the next advance.

Adrian spared the canvas a brief glance. “Now you’ve really pissed me off.”

“Enough!” Something told me they weren’t going to listen to reason. This required
direct intervention. I stalked across the room and pushed myself between them.

“Sydney, get out of the way,” ordered Adrian.

“Yeah,” agreed Marcus. “For once he’s got something worthwhile to say.”

“No!” I held out my hands to separate them. “Both of you back off—
now
!” My voice rang through the apartment, and I refused to budge. “Back. Off,” I repeated.

“Sydney. . . .” Adrian’s voice was a little more uncertain than when he’d told me
to get out of the way.

I looked back and forth between them, giving each guy a healthy glare. “Adrian, it
really was an accident. Marcus, this is the guy who’s going to help you, so show some
respect.”

This, more than anything, seemed to derail them.

“Wait,” said Adrian. “Did you say ‘help’?”

Marcus was equally flabbergasted. “
This
asshole is the spirit user?”

“You’re both acting like idiots,” I scolded. The next time I had nothing to do, I’d
have to get a book on testosterone-driven behavior. This was out of my league. “Adrian,
can we talk somewhere in private? Like the bedroom?”

Adrian agreed, but not before giving Marcus one last menacing look. I told Marcus
to stay where he was and hoped he wouldn’t take off or call in someone else with a
gun. Adrian followed me to his bedroom and shut the door behind us.

“You know,” he said, “under normal circumstances, you inviting me to the bedroom would
be the highlight of my day.”

I crossed my arms and sat on the bed. I did so out of simple fatigue, but a moment
later, I was struck by what I was doing.
This is where Adrian sleeps. I’m touching the covers he’s wrapped in every night.
What does he wear? Does he wear anything?

I jumped up.

“It really was an accident,” I told him. “Marcus thought I was there to abduct him.”

Adrian, having no such hang-ups with the bed, sat down. He winced, probably from the
blow to the stomach. “If someone like you showed up to abduct me, I’d let you.”

Even when he was in pain, it never stopped with him. “I’m serious. It was just instinct,
and he apologized over and over in the car once he realized who I was.”

That got his attention. “He knew you?”

I gave him a recap of my day in Santa Barbara. He listened avidly, nodding along,
his expression shifting back and forth between intrigue and surprise.

“I didn’t realize when I brought him back here that you’d inflict more damage,” I
said, once I’d finished the story.

“I was defending your honor.” Adrian gave me that devil-may-care smile that always
managed to both infuriate and captivate me. “Pretty manly, huh?”

“Very,” I said dryly. I didn’t like violence, but him doing something so out of character
for me actually
was
kind of incredible. Not that I’d ever tell him that. “You did Wolfe proud. Do you
think you can manage not to have any more ‘manly’ displays while he’s here? Please?”

Adrian shook his head, still smiling. “I’ve said over and over, I’d do anything for
you. I just keep hoping it’ll be something like, ‘Adrian, let’s go hot tubbing’ or
‘Adrian, take me out for fondue.’”

“Well, sometimes we have to—did you say fondue?” Sometimes it was impossible to follow
Adrian’s train of thought. “Why in the world would I ever say that?”

He shrugged. “I like fondue.”

I didn’t even know what to say about that. This whole day was getting more and more
exhausting. “I’m sorry I’m not asking for something as glamorous as melted cheese.
But for now, I need to find out about Marcus and his group—and the tattoo.”

Adrian recognized the situation’s severity. He stood up and gently touched the lily
on my cheek. “I don’t trust him. He could be using you. But then . . . I don’t like
the idea of this controlling you either.”

“That makes two of us,” I admitted, losing some of my earlier toughness.

He traced the line of my cheek for a few breathless moments and then dropped his hand.
“It might be worth helping him to get some answers.”

“Will you promise not to get in any more fights? Please?”

“I promise,” he said. “So long as he doesn’t start one.”

“I’ll have him promise too.” I just hoped their “manly” natures wouldn’t get the better
of them. As I ruminated on this, something I’d nearly forgotten about tumbled to the
forefront of my mind. “Oh . . . Adrian, I’ve got one more favor to ask you. A big
one.”

“Fondue?” he asked hopefully.

“No. It’s about Ms. Terwilliger’s sister. . . .”

I told him what I’d learned. The amusement in his face faded and turned to disbelief.
“You just mention this now?” he exclaimed when I finished. “That some soul-sucking
witch might be after you?”

“She doesn’t know I exist.” I felt surprisingly defensive. “And I’m the only one who
can help, at least according to Ms. Terwilliger. She thinks I’m some super-investigator.”

“Well, you do have that Sherlock Holmes thing going for you,” he said. His joking
didn’t last; he was too upset. “But you still should’ve told me! You could’ve called.”

“I was kind of busy with Marcus.”

“Then your priorities are off. This is a
lot
more important than his band of Merry Men. If we need to take out some evil sorceress
before she gets to you, then of course I’ll help.” He hesitated. “With one condition.”

I eyed him warily. “What’s that?”

“Let me heal you too.”

I jerked backward, almost more shocked than if he’d suggested hitting me again. “No!
Absolutely not! I don’t need it. I’m in better shape than him.”

“You want to go back to Amberwood with that on your face? You’re not going to be able
to hide that, Sage. And if Castile sees it, he really will come after Marcus.” Adrian
crossed his arms defiantly. “That’s my price.”

He was bluffing, and I knew it. Maybe it was egotistical, but I knew he wasn’t going
to let me go into a dangerous situation without him. He did, however, have a point.
I still hadn’t seen the mark Marcus had left, but I didn’t want to explain it back
at school. And yes, there was a good chance Eddie would want to hunt down my assailant.
Being beat up by an avenging dhampir might make working with Marcus difficult.

Yet . . . how could I agree? At least the magic I used was on my terms. And although
my tattoo had trace amounts of vampire magic, I took comfort in knowing it was tied
to the “normal” four elements, the ones we understood. Spirit was still an unknown
entity, with abilities that continually surprised us. How could I subject myself to
rogue vampire magic?

Guessing my inner turmoil, Adrian’s face softened. “I do this all the time. It’s an
easy spell. No surprises.”

“Maybe,” I said reluctantly. “But each time you use spirit, you’re more likely to
go crazy.”

“Already crazy about you, Sage.”

At least this was familiar territory. “You said you wouldn’t bring that up.”

He simply regarded me without comment. Finally, I threw my arms up. “Fine,” I said,
with more boldness than I felt. “Just get it over with.”

Adrian didn’t waste any time. Stepping forward, he reached out and rested his hand
on my cheek once more. My breath caught and my heart rate went up. It would be so,
so easy for him to pull me to him and kiss me again. A tingling warmth spread over
my skin, and for a moment, I thought it was just my normal reaction to him. No, I
realized. It was the magic. His eyes locked onto mine, and for the space of a heartbeat,
we were suspended in time. Then he removed his hand and stepped away.

“Done,” he said. “Was that so bad?”

No, it hadn’t been bad at all. The throbbing pain was gone. All that was left was
the constant inner voice nagging me that what had just happened was wrong. That same
voice tried to tell me that Adrian had left a taint behind . . . but that was hard
to believe from him. I released the breath I’d been holding.

“Thank you,” I said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He gave me one of those small smiles. “Oh, believe me, I did.”

A moment of awkward silence hung between us. I cleared my throat. “Well. We should
get back out to Marcus. Maybe we’ll have time for dinner before Sabrina shows up,
and you guys can patch things over.”

“I doubt even a moonlight stroll would fix things between us.”

His words reminded me of something else I’d meant to bring up when he got back to
town, something that had taken a very low priority. “Your coat—you never took it back
after the wedding. It’s in my car.”

He waved dismissively. “Keep it. I’ve got others.”

“What am I going to do with a wool coat?” I asked. “Especially here in Palm Springs?”

“Sleep with it,” he suggested. “Think of me.”

I put my hands on my hips and tried to stare him down, which wasn’t easy since he
was so tall. That, and because his words suddenly returned me to the disorienting
feeling I’d had sitting on his bed. “You said you weren’t going to bring up any romantic
stuff around me.”