You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
I remembered Adrian's arm was still around me. I stepped out of it. "Hey, guys," I said. A<br />
moment of awkwardness hung around us, and I was pretty sure I heard a low chuckle from<br />
Adrian. I beamed at him and then my friends. "Adrian invited us to go swimming."<br />
They stared at me in surprise, and I could almost see the wheels of speculation turning in their<br />
heads. Mason's face darkened a little, but like the others, he said nothing. I stifled a groan.<br />
Adrian took me inviting the others to his secret interlude pretty well. With his easygoing<br />
attitude, I hadn't really expected anything else. Once we had swimsuits, we followed his<br />
directions to a doorway in one of the far wings of the lodge. It held a staircase that led down—<br />
and down and down. I nearly got dizzy as we wound around and around. Electric lights hung in<br />
the walls, but as we went farther, the painted walls changed to carved stone.<br />
When we reached our destination, we discovered Adrian had been right—it wasn't just<br />
swimming. We were in a special spa area of the resort, one used only for the most elite Moroi.<br />
In this case, it was reserved for a bunch of royals I assumed were Adrian's friends. There were<br />
about thirty others, all his age or older, who bore the marks of wealth and elitism.<br />
The spa consisted of a series of hot mineral pools. Maybe once they'd been in a cave or<br />
something, but the lodge builders had long since gotten rid of any sort of rustic surroundings.<br />
The black stone walls and ceiling were as polished and beautiful as anything else in the resort.<br />
It was like being in a cave—a really nice, designer cave. Racks of towels lined the walls, as did<br />
tables full of exotic food. The baths matched the rest of the room's hewn-out décor: stone-lined<br />
pools containing hot water that was heated from some underground source. Steam filled the<br />
room, and a faint, metallic smell hung in the air. Sounds of partygoers laughing and splashing<br />
echoed around us.<br />
"Why is Mia with you?" I asked Lissa softly. We were winding our way through the room,<br />
looking for a pool that wasn't occupied.<br />
"She was talking to Mason when we were getting ready to leave," she returned. She kept her<br />
voice just as quiet. "It seemed mean to just… I don't know … leave her …"<br />
Even I agreed with that. Obvious signs of grief were written all over her face, but Mia seemed<br />
at least momentarily distracted by whatever Mason was telling her.
Change language