The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2)

by Richelle Mead

Adrian’s stamp on the apartment was like light chasing away the gruesome shadows of the past. Sometimes when I was down, Adrian’s personality had a similar effect.

Soulmate

Brayden met my eyes. His were hazel, almost like Eddie’s but with a little green. Not as much green as Adrian’s, of course. No one’s eyes were that amazingly green.

Because it's Adrian

“Really, Sage? A date?” I sighed. “Yes, Adrian. A date.”

Baby, I'm jealous

Why do you care so much anyway?” I finally asked in exasperation. His answer took a long time, which was uncharacteristic. Adrian was usually ready with a dozen witty quips. Maybe he couldn’t decide which one to use. When he finally responded, it was in that usual sarcastic way of his—though the levity sounded a little forced. “Because it’s one of those things I never expected to see in my lifetime,” he told me. “Like a comet. Or world peace. I’m just used to you being single.”

He wants to date you

“What, you don’t think any guy would ever be interested in me?” “Actually,” said Adrian, sounding remarkably serious, “I can imagine lots of guys being interested in you.”

Like... Him???

I feel…” The smile left his face as he faltered for words. “Comfortable around you, I guess.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAADRIAN

“What color is mine?” “Yellow, of course.” “Of course?” “Smart, analytic types usually have yellow. You’ve got a little purple here and there, though.” Even in the dimness, I could see a mischievous spark in his eyes. “That’s what makes you interesting.” “What’s purple mean?” Adrian put his hand on the door. “Gotta go, Sage. Don’t want to keep Dorothy waiting.” “Come on. Tell me what purple is.” I was so curious, I nearly grabbed his arm. He turned the knob. “I will if you want to join us.” “Adrian—

In fact, I was fairly certain there was no one in the entire world quite like Adrian Ivashkov.

You are so right honey

All eyes were on me,

Horrified looks from everyone in the room

“You,” he said breathlessly. “Are amazing. Absolutely, positively, exquisitely amazing.” And then he kissed me.

WHAT??? Her first kiss is not Adrian?

Honestly, a secret part of me was a little disappointed.

YAYYYYY

That was my first kiss?

Wait for Adrian's kiss

You saw them together. I never had a chance. I can’t compare.” “Well, why do you have to?” Part of me also wanted to ask what Rose had to do with this, but Jill had told me numerous times that for Adrian, everything came back to Rose. “Because I wanted her,” Adrian said. “Do you still want her?”

Answer the question Adrian

“Does that guy—that Brendan guy—” “Brayden.” “Does that Brayden guy make you happy?”

ADRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that if the woman I loved was locked away, I’d be doing everything in my power to reach her.

ADRIAN!!!!!!!!!!

“After what he said about me, I can’t stand the thought that you might think less of me.” I was so surprised that I couldn’t muster a response right away. When I did, I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Of course I don’t.” He still wouldn’t look at me, apparently not believing my words. “Adrian.” I laid my hand over his and felt a warm spark of connection. He jerked his head toward me in astonishment. “Nothing he said could change what I think of you. I’ve had my mind made up about you for a long time… and it’s all good.” Adrian looked away from me and down to where my hand covered his. I blushed and pulled away. “Sorry.” I’d probably freaked him out. He glanced back up at me. “Best thing that’s happened to me all day.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“Hey, kids!”

Spelling it's fun!

Every relationship is different. Everyone loves differently.”

And would you believe that what worried Adrian the most was that I would think less of him?” “Actually,” said Sonya softly, “I can very much believe that.”

ME TOO

“Sage?” Adrian appeared in the doorway, and I quickly tried to blink away the tears that had started to fill my eyes. “Yeah?” “You okay?” “Can’t you tell from my aura?” He didn’t answer but instead took the washcloth from me before I dropped it. “Turn,” he commanded. I did, and he dabbed the scrape with it. With him standing so close to me, I could see that his eyes were bloodshot. I could also smell the alcohol on him. Nonetheless, his hand was steadier than mine. Again, he asked, “You okay?” “I’m not the one who had a sword to my throat.” “That’s not the question I asked. Are you hurt anywhere else?” “No,” I said, looking down. “Just maybe… maybe my pride.” “Your pride?” He paused to rinse the washcloth. “What does that have to do with anything?” I looked up but still didn’t meet his eyes. “I can do a lot of things, Adrian. And—at the risk of sounding egotistical—I mean, well, I can do a lot of pretty awesome things that most people can’t.” There was amusement in his voice. “Don’t I know it. You can change a tire in ten minutes while speaking Greek.” “Five minutes,” I said. “But when my life’s on the line—when others’ lives are on the line—what good am I? I can’t fight. I was completely helpless out there. Just like when the Strigoi attacked us and Lee. I can only stand and watch and wait for people like Rose and Dimitri to save me. I… I’m like a storybook damsel in distress.” He finished cleaning my cheek and set the washcloth down. He cupped my face in his hands. “The ...

“You’ve got a lot to say for a drunk guy.” “Oh, Sage. I’ve got a lot to say, drunk or sober.”

Hahahahaha

Unexpectedly, it was from Adrian.

Boy, you've got two boyfriends

Why didn’t I have the same reaction?

BECAUSE YOU LIKE ADRIAN

Yet, as much as I loved eau de coffee, I found myself thinking of the way Adrian’s cologne had smelled at Wolfe’s.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

We need 2 talk. Great, I thought as my heart sank. Could this night be any more of a disaster? I texted back: I’m busy. His response: I’ll be fast. I’m close by. A feeling of dread crept over me: How close? The response was about as bad as I could expect: The parking lot.

AJDHDHHDHHDHDFSJDGYEUSHXBX

“Sage,” he said. “What are you wearing?” I sighed and stared down at the dress. “I know. It’s red. Don’t start. I’m tired of hearing about it.” “Funny,” he said. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of looking at it.”

JESUS H CHRIST

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve decided I don’t like him.” “Because he’s too smart?” I said. I remembered Jill and Eddie’s earlier comments. “And unmemorable?” “Nah. I just think you can do better.”

I KNOW I CAN TREAT YOU BETTER THAN HE CAN

He had been staring at the cross, but now he lifted his gaze to meet mine. Some emotion I couldn’t quite read played over his features. It was almost like he’d just discovered something, something troubling to him. He took a deep breath and, his hand still holding mine, pulled me toward him. His green eyes were dark in the candlelight but somehow just as enthralling. His fingers tightened on mine, and I felt warmth spread throughout me. “Sage—”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“He shouldn’t have said that,” repeated Adrian, eerily serious. He leaned his face toward mine. “I don’t care if he’s not the emotional type or the complimentary type or what. No one can look at you in this dress, in all that fire and gold, and start talking about anachronisms. If I were him, I would have said, ‘You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth.’”

ADRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“You’re still drunk,” I said, putting my hand on the door knob. He tilted his head to the side, still watching me in that same, disconcerting way. “Some things are true, drunk or sober. You should know that. You deal in facts all the time.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “No is no.”

Ícone feminista

I didn’t know why, but some part of me knew Adrian would never, ever harm me.

I know why

You need me? You yell. You want to leave? We go. I’ll get you out of here, no matter what.” Something clenched in my chest, and for a moment, the whole world narrowed down to the green of his eyes. “Thank you.”

THEY ARE SO CUTE

out of it—which is probably why I’m even more obsessed with it. Ever had that happen? Once you can’t have something, you want it that much more.” “Yes,” he said bitterly. “It happens all the time.”

ADRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!

“Sydney,” he said, voice formal, “I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

YESSSSSSSSSSS

BECAUSE THIS DAY couldn’t get any weirder, I decided to stop by Adrian’s.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

“You… you went a day without smoking?” “Almost a week, actually,” he said. “So you can eat the whole thing if you want.” “Why on earth would you do that?” I asked.

Because he likes you

“But… why? Why would you want to do that?” “Why?” he asked. “Because it was the closest I could get to doing this.” He reached out and pulled me to him, one hand on my waist and the other behind my neck. He tipped my head up and lowered his lips to mine. I closed my eyes and melted as my whole body was consumed in that kiss. I was nothing. I was everything. Chills ran over my skin, and fire burned inside me. His body pressed closer to mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips were warmer and softer than anything I could have ever imagined, yet fierce and powerful at the same time. Mine responded hungrily, and I tightened my hold on him. His fingers slid down the back of my neck, tracing its shape, and every place they touched was electric. But perhaps the best part of all was that I, Sydney Katherine Sage, guilty of constantly analyzing the world around me, well, I stopped thinking. And it was glorious.

AKDBDJSBHDJBHIAHHDHHDJDJSYIERBF

And what about Rose? Aren’t you madly in love with her?” Adrian looked way too calm for this situation. “Maybe I was once. But it’s been… what, nearly three months? And honestly, I haven’t thought much about her in a while. Yeah, I’m still hurt and feel kind of used, but… really, she’s not the one I’m always thinking about anymore. I don’t see her face when I go to sleep. I don’t wonder about—” “No!” I backed up even further. “I don’t want to hear this. I’m not going to listen to any more.” With a few swift steps, Adrian stood in front of me again. The wall was only a couple inches behind me, and I had nowhere to go. He made no threatening moves, but he did clasp my hands and hold them to his chest while leaning down to me. “No, you will listen. For once, you’re going to hear something that doesn’t fit into your neat, compartmentalized world of order and logic and reason. Because this isn’t reasonable. If you’re terrified, believe me—this scares the hell out of me, too. You asked about Rose? I tried to be a better person for her—but it was to impress her, to get her to want me. But when I’m around you, I want to be better because… well, because it feels right. Because I want to. You make me want to become something greater than myself. I want to excel. You inspire me in every act, every word, every glance. I look at you, and you’re like… like light made into flesh. I said it on Halloween and meant every word: you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking thi...

ADRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Adrian—” “And I know, Sage,” he continued, his eyes filled with fire. “I know how you guys feel about us. I’m not stupid, and believe me, I’ve tried to get you out of my head. But there isn’t enough liquor or art or any other distraction in the world to do it. I had to stop going to Wolfe’s because it was too hard being that close to you, even if it was all just pretend fighting. I couldn’t stand the touching. It was agonizing because it meant something to me—and I knew it meant nothing to you. I kept telling myself to stay away altogether, and then I’d find excuses… like the car… anything to be around you again. Hayden was an asshole, but at least as long as you were involved with him, I had a reason to keep my distance.”

ADRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

We’re too different. We’re not meant to be… like this. Like anything.” “None of us are meant to be or do anything,” he said. “We decide what we’re going to be. You told me once that there are no victims here, that we all have the power to choose what we want.” “Don’t try to use my own words against me,” I warned. “Why?” he asked, a slight smile on his lips. “They were damned good ones. You’re not a victim. You’re not a captive to that lily. You can be what you want. You can choose what you want.” “You’re right.” I slipped away, finding no resistance from him at all. “And I don’t choose you. That’s what you’re missing in all of this.” Adrian stilled. His smile dropped. “I don’t believe you.”

I don't believe her either

“Let me guess. Because I kissed you back?” That kiss had made me feel more alive than I had in weeks, and I had a feeling he knew that. He shook his head. “No. Because there’s no one else out there who understands you like I do.”

YES ADRIAN