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I remembered Adrian's arm was still around me. I stepped out of it. "Hey, guys," I said. A moment of awkwardness hung around us, and I was pretty sure I heard a low chuckle from Adrian. I beamed at him and then my friends. "Adrian invited us to go swimming." They stared at me in surprise, and I could almost see the wheels of speculation turning in their heads. Mason's face darkened a little, but like the others, he said nothing. I stifled a groan. Adrian took me inviting the others to his secret interlude pretty well. With his easygoing attitude, I hadn't really expected anything else. Once we had swimsuits, we followed his directions to a doorway in one of the far wings of the lodge. It held a staircase that led down— and down and down. I nearly got dizzy as we wound around and around. Electric lights hung in the walls, but as we went farther, the painted walls changed to carved stone. When we reached our destination, we discovered Adrian had been right—it wasn't just swimming. We were in a special spa area of the resort, one used only for the most elite Moroi. In this case, it was reserved for a bunch of royals I assumed were Adrian's friends. There were about thirty others, all his age or older, who bore the marks of wealth and elitism. The spa consisted of a series of hot mineral pools. Maybe once they'd been in a cave or something, but the lodge builders had long since gotten rid of any sort of rustic surroundings. The black stone walls and ceiling were as polished and beautiful as anything else in the resort. It was like being in a cave—a really nice, designer cave. Racks of towels lined the walls, as did tables full of exotic food. The baths matched the rest of the room's hewn-out décor: stone-lined pools containing hot water that was heated from some underground source. Steam filled the room, and a faint, metallic smell hung in the air. Sounds of partygoers laughing and splashing echoed around us. "Why is Mia with you?" I asked Lissa softly. We were winding our way through the room, looking for a pool that wasn't occupied. "She was talking to Mason when we were getting ready to leave," she returned. She kept her voice just as quiet. "It seemed mean to just… I don't know … leave her …" Even I agreed with that. Obvious signs of grief were written all over her face, but Mia seemed at least momentarily distracted by whatever Mason was telling her.
"I thought you didn't know Adrian," Lissa added. Disapproval hung in her voice and in the bond. We finally found a large pool, a little out of the way. A guy and a girl were on the opposite side, all over each other, but there was plenty of room for the rest of us. They were easy to ignore. I put a foot into the water and pulled it back immediately. "I don't," I told her. Cautiously, I inched the foot back in, slowly followed by the rest of my body. When I got to my stomach, I grimaced. I had on a maroon bikini, and the scalding water caught my stomach by surprise. "You must know him a little. He invited you to a party." "Yeah, but do you see him with us now?" She followed my gaze. Adrian stood on the far side of the room with a group of girls in bikinis much smaller than mine. One was a Betsey Johnson suit I'd seen in a magazine and coveted. I sighed and looked away. We'd all slipped into the water by then. It was so hot I felt like I was in a soup kettle. Now that Lissa seemed convinced of my innocence with Adrian, I tuned into the others' discussion. "What are you talking about?" I interrupted. It was easier than listening and figuring it out myself. "The meeting," said Mason excitedly. Apparently, he'd gotten over seeing me and Adrian together. Christian had settled onto a small shelf in the pool. Lissa curled up beside him. Putting a proprietary arm around her, he tipped his back so it rested on the edge. "Your boyfriend wants to lead an army against the Strigoi," he told me. I could tell he was saying it to provoke me.
- Page 84 and 85: "Look at me," he ordered. "Dimitri
- Page 86 and 87: shouting. "I swear, sometimes it's
- Page 88 and 89: NINE I DIDN'T SEE DIMITRI FOR a whi
- Page 90 and 91: Christian were chatting on in their
- Page 92 and 93: I honestly couldn't believe we were
- Page 94 and 95: "Good." She opened her mouth, and I
- Page 96 and 97: "I'm really tired," I repeated. I c
- Page 98 and 99: TEN THE SKI TRIP COULDN'T HAVE come
- Page 100 and 101: Inside, all sorts of arrangements h
- Page 102 and 103: "Ah," he said triumphantly. "She fi
- Page 104 and 105: leather dress shoes he wore indicat
- Page 106 and 107: "And you think I'm trouble," I mutt
- Page 108 and 109: get a couple of guys to tell everyo
- Page 110 and 111: ELEVEN LISSA WAS UP AND GONE before
- Page 112 and 113: Even I wouldn't want her face burne
- Page 114 and 115: I looked between both their faces.
- Page 116 and 117: could look up and see the stars spi
- Page 118 and 119: Adrian leaned against the porch's r
- Page 120 and 121: TWELVE I WAS OUT OF BED in a flash.
- Page 122 and 123: My mother flipped through some pape
- Page 124 and 125: I moved in front of her and placed
- Page 126 and 127: was one of the ruling Moroi, and as
- Page 128 and 129: was pulled back into a ponytail, co
- Page 130 and 131: Tasha shrugged. "If that's what it
- Page 132 and 133: "I have my sources." Somehow, sayin
- Page 136 and 137: I looked at Mason questioningly. It
- Page 138 and 139: attle strategies. The fact that she
- Page 140 and 141: FOURTEEN TWO GUYS I'D NEVER MET bef
- Page 142 and 143: The guy clenched his fists and look
- Page 144 and 145: "My boyfriend," I said. "Sort of."
- Page 146 and 147: "Hey yourself, cousin," he returned
- Page 148 and 149: "It's okay," he said. "I have a goo
- Page 150 and 151: "I'm just telling you the truth." "
- Page 152 and 153: FIFTEEN I WAS TRYING TO PAINT my to
- Page 154 and 155: "I'm returning these." I hoisted th
- Page 156 and 157: The rest of us just sort of stared.
- Page 158 and 159: My anger and snarkiness dried up. T
- Page 160 and 161: "You can't keep doing this," she gr
- Page 162 and 163: He stopped walking. "We could go."
- Page 164 and 165: I was kissing Mason, but in my head
- Page 166 and 167: SIXTEEN LISSA FOUND ME LATER IN the
- Page 168 and 169: She eyed me. "How much do you know?
- Page 170 and 171: along with their blood, but they di
- Page 172 and 173: Intrigued gazes turned her way agai
- Page 174 and 175: He laughed. "Of course you are. I c
- Page 176 and 177: SEVENTEEN WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE
- Page 178 and 179: there, and several people had witne
- Page 180 and 181: spreading rumors about her? I'd had
- Page 182 and 183: EIGHTEEN THE HIGH HEELS WERE STARTI
"I thought you didn't know Adrian," Lissa added. Disapproval hung in her voice and in the<br />
bond. We finally found a large pool, a little out of the way. A guy and a girl were on the<br />
opposite side, all over each other, but there was plenty of room for the rest of us. They were<br />
easy to ignore.<br />
I put a foot into the water and pulled it back immediately.<br />
"I don't," I told her. Cautiously, I inched the foot back in, slowly followed by the rest of my<br />
body. When I got to my stomach, I grimaced. I had on a maroon bikini, and the scalding water<br />
caught my stomach by surprise.<br />
"You must know him a little. He invited you to a party."<br />
"Yeah, but do you see him with us now?"<br />
She followed my gaze. Adrian stood on the far side of the room with a group of girls in bikinis<br />
much smaller than mine. One was a Betsey Johnson suit I'd seen in a magazine and coveted. I<br />
sighed and looked away.<br />
We'd all slipped into the water by then. It was so hot I felt like I was in a soup kettle. Now that<br />
Lissa seemed convinced of my innocence with Adrian, I tuned into the others' discussion.<br />
"What are you talking about?" I interrupted. It was easier than listening and figuring it out<br />
myself.<br />
"The meeting," said Mason excitedly. Apparently, he'd gotten over seeing me and Adrian<br />
together.<br />
Christian had settled onto a small shelf in the pool. Lissa curled up beside him. Putting a<br />
proprietary arm around her, he tipped his back so it rested on the edge.<br />
"Your boyfriend wants to lead an army against the Strigoi," he told me. I could tell he was<br />
saying it to provoke me.
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