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His anger diminished, replaced by that burning need to prove himself—the need he and I both<br />
shared. Lissa and Christian looked at him like he was crazy, but I knew nothing we said would<br />
stop him.<br />
"You guys want to come with us?" I asked Lissa and Christian.<br />
Lissa shook her head. "We can't. We have to go to this luncheon being hosted by the Contas."<br />
Christian groaned. "Well, you have to go."<br />
She elbowed him. "So do you. The invitation said I get to bring a guest. Besides, this is just a<br />
warm-up for the big one."<br />
"Which one is that?" asked Mason.<br />
"Priscilla Voda's huge dinner," sighed Christian. Seeing him look so pained made me smile.<br />
"The queen's best friend. All the snobbiest royals will be there, and I'll have to wear a suit."<br />
Mason flashed me a grin. His earlier antagonism was gone. "Skiing's sounding better and better,<br />
huh? Less of a dress code."<br />
We left the Moroi behind and went outside. Mason couldn't compete with me in the same way<br />
he had yesterday; his movements were slow and awkward. Still, he did remarkably well when<br />
one considered everything. The injury wasn't as bad as we'd feared, but he had the prudence to<br />
stick to extremely easy runs.<br />
The full moon hung in the blankness, a glowing sphere of silvery white. The electric lights<br />
overpowered most of its illumination on the ground, but here and there, in the shadows, the<br />
moon just barely managed to cast its glow. I wished it were bright enough to reveal the<br />
surrounding mountain range, but those peaks stayed shrouded in darkness. I'd forgotten to look<br />
at them when it was light out earlier.<br />
The runs were super simple for me, but I stayed with Mason and only occasionally teased him<br />
about how his remedial skiing was putting me to sleep. Boring runs or no, it was just nice to be<br />
outside with my friends, and the activity stirred my blood enough to warm me against the chill<br />
air. The light posts lit up the snow, turning it into a vast sea of white, the flakes' crystals<br />
sparkling faintly. And if I managed to turn away and block the lights from my field of vision, I
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