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perfumes back in the box—then stopped. Of course I'd return them…but there was no harm in<br />
sniffing the rest before I did.<br />
Once more, I started pulling out bottle after bottle. Some I just sniffed the cap of; others I<br />
sprayed in the air. Serendipity. Dolce & Gabbana. Shalimar. Daisy. Note after note hit me:<br />
rose, violet, sandalwood, orange, vanilla, orchid …<br />
By the time I was finished, my nose barely worked anymore. All of these had been designed for<br />
humans. They had a weaker sense of smell than vampires and even dhampirs, so these scents<br />
were extra strong. I had a new appreciation for what Adrian had meant about only a splash of<br />
perfume being necessary. If all these bottles were making me dizzy, I could only imagine what<br />
a Moroi would smell. The sensory overload wasn't really helping the headache I'd woken up<br />
with either.<br />
I packed up the perfume for real this time, stopping only when I came to a certain kind that I<br />
really liked. I hesitated, holding the little box in my hand. Then, I took the red bottle out and resniffed<br />
it. It was a crisp, sweet fragrance. There was some kind of fruit—but not a candied or<br />
sugary fruit. I racked my brain for a scent I'd once smelled on a girl I knew in my dorm. She'd<br />
told me the name. It was like a cherry…but sharper. Currant, that's what it was. And here it was<br />
in this perfume, mixed with some florals: lily of the valley and others I couldn't identify.<br />
Whatever the blend, something about it appealed to me. Sweet—but not too sweet. I read the<br />
box, looking for the name. Amor Amor.<br />
"Fitting," I muttered, seeing how many love problems I seemed to have lately. But I kept the<br />
perfume anyway and repacked the rest.<br />
Hoisting the box up in my arms, I took it down to the front desk and acquired some packing<br />
tape to reseal it. I also got directions to Adrian's room. Apparently, the Ivashkovs practically<br />
had their own wing. It wasn't too far from Tasha's room.<br />
Feeling like a delivery girl, I walked down the hall and stopped in front of his door. Before I<br />
could manage to knock, it opened up, and Adrian stood before me. He looked as surprised as I<br />
felt.<br />
"Little dhampir," he said cordially. "Didn't expect to see you here."
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