"Yeah, but he refuses to cooperate. He doesn't trust me, just like any carrier who doesn't know me." She sighed. "It doesn't surprise me, really."
"Yeah, he didn't look too friendly and I'm sure he doesn't want anyone to expose him." I remembered the way Gary had looked at me when he still believed I was a carrier. He'd have probably tried to kill me if I hadn't worn that bracelet. "But we don't need him, do we?" I looked at Lily. "You can still contact your friends in higher positions in the government, right? They can speak up against the law."
"Sure, but we need more people to complain, so you should release an official statement on behalf of the Element Preservers," Lily said. "It takes some time until the law is implemented, so the complaints will slow it down."
"I guess I can do that." I grinned. "It sounds easier to write a statement than try to figure out how the new taxing system works. Actually, it would be awesome to see everyone's faces when they tried to collect my element and couldn't do it."
"Don't worry. It won't get to that," Lily said, but there was something in her voice that made me think she wasn't so sure in her words.
"I guess the meeting is over," Michael said, getting up.
"Wait," I said, earning myself a glare from Michael. "Do I really have to go to Ethan's party? I want to spend my birthday with people I care about, not with him and a bunch of unknown students. Besides, Ethan is unstable."
"Well, he can't be more unstable than you, can he?" Michael snickered.
I rolled my eyes. "Ethan has to be a spy, or he's just plain crazy. I mean, one moment he acts nice, and the other he's angry and moody, especially if things don't go his way."
"We don't have enough evidence," Lily said. "He could be a normal guy who was pushed into a fake relationship with a girl who he might like and now he's under everyone's scrutiny. It's not easy for him to be in all the news either, but his family is influential, so you won't find any unflattering comments about him in the press."
"So he's simply a guy under a lot of pressure?" I had a hard time believing that, but who was I to do a psychoanalysis on Ethan?
"That doesn't mean you have to trust him. Quite the contrary," Lily said. "I sent a team to follow Ethan, but nothing suspicious popped up."
"And that means I have to go to that party," I concluded, shaking my head. I knew not showing up at the party would be a problem, but I could always tell Ethan to cancel it. "Maybe..."
"No." Lily gave me a sharp look. "I said you'd go no matter what."
"How am I supposed to control myself with tons of drunk students around me? I thought the sole idea of me going to a club gave you an aneurysm." She hadn't wanted me to go the club to find Adrian, so I was a bit peeved that she'd let me go to a club with Ethan.
"Ethan might be more talkative at a party," Lily said, a smug smile on her face. "I guess you'll have to save your strength and stay away from Adrian." She gave Adrian a warning look and focused on me again. "You'll take Kayla and Sinclair with you. Introduce them as your dear friends and don't separate from them."
"You thought of everything, didn't you?" I said through my teeth. Damn it.
"I always do." Lily shrugged. "Paula, Michael, you should go now because we can't all leave at the same time. Don't forget to report to me."
"No problem," Paula said, getting up and putting her bag over her shoulder. "See you soon." She flashed me a smile.
"Bye," Michael said, brushing past Lily and going for the door. Paula followed him out, and the feel of their elements dulled until I couldn't sense them anymore.
"I'm sorry about your birthday party," Lily said, coming over to me and placing her hand on my shoulder. "But if you want something, maybe I can get it for you. You know, as a gift."
I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering what she could give me that was enough payment for the trouble of going to a party with Ethan. "I want to spend some time with Adrian in my office."
Lily gaped at me. "That's impossible! Someone would see him."
"Not during the day," I said. "We could sneak in, change cars like we did to get here. Please, Lily. Only once. For my birthday, as you said. Please!"
Lily looked from Adrian to me, shaking her head. "Fine, but one night only."
"Thanks!" I grinned. "I have a paper due on the day before my birthday, so I could be with Adrian the night before that."
Adrian's eyes widened, a tick starting in his jaw. "That's not what I had in mind for our time together."
"You have to write that paper too. We can help each other." I winked at him. "The night is long."
"Not long enough," Adrian mumbled.
"Well, I can stay awake one night because I can miss only one morning of classes. And I need to get that paper done. I don't have time to do it during the day because I have work to do and I can't focus on anything else. I'm sure you won't do your paper all on your own."
"Right," Adrian drawled.
"Good. I'll make all the necessary arrangements," Lily said. "Adrian, you have to go now. The car is waiting for you."
Adrian got up and reached for me, pressing his lips against mine in a soft kiss.
"Hey, stop it!" Lily snapped. "No touching! There are elements in the building."
"Yeah, we noticed," Adrian said, amusement flickering in his eyes as he went for the door.
"I'm really sorry about your situation, but you'll have to stay away from him." Sadness filled Lily's brown eyes, but I wasn't exactly sure why. Adrian and I would be fine no matter what anyone else thought. We just had to survive my stupid birthday party.
Chapter 17
My heart was thudding loudly in my chest even though I knew there was nothing in my office that I should be afraid of. Still, the darkness wanted to seep into every pore of my being, so I created a small fireball and trapped it inside of a glass box, which worked similarly to Elemenitas balls, and let it bathe my office in a weak reddish glow.
"This is not what I had in mind for our time together," Adrian said for God knew what time, looking around the office. The shadows danced on the walls like they knew our secret, threatening to close over us. Determined to chase away my crazy thoughts, I took Adrian's hand in mine and pulled him over to the desk. He bent his head and placed his lips on mine, sucking gently on my lower lip.
"Better?" I asked, breaking the kiss.
"A little." His lips spread into a smile. I found our bags and took out pillows and blankets, spreading them on the floor.
"Looks like we're having a picnic." Adrian chuckled.
"I guess." I shrugged and sat down cross-legged. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on, but at least it was better than sitting directly on the ground. "I never thought I'd be having a picnic in the office."
"I never thought you'd have an office." He knelt next to me, taking out a box of cookies from his backpack.
I grabbed the pack of drinks and placed them on the floor within our reach. "Me neither."
Adrian dumped our textbooks on the floor like they were trash. I shot him a disapproving look, but that only made him laugh. Piling the books one atop another, I couldn't help but laugh too.
"Why are you laughing?" Adrian grabbed one of the pillows and leaned it on the wall.
"I don't know." I grinned, handing him over another pillow. "I'm amused at how far you're willing to go for me."
"Yeah, about that... " Adrian made a grimace as he lay down on the blankets, his head propped up on the pillows. "I think my fear of floors has just kicked in, so could you come here and make it all better?"
"Aw, my poor baby." I snuggled next to him, resting my head on his chest. I knew he was teasing me, but there was some truth in his words too because the beating of his heart against my ear was loud and erratic. If I could make him forget all the things he'd suffered in the lab, I would do it without thinking. And since I couldn't make miracles happen, I could at least try to give Adrian better memories.
"I missed this." I sighed in content as his hand caressed my hair.
"Me too," he whispered. I traced my finger over the hem of his shirt, observing the steady rise and fall of his chest. It felt so good to touch him, to feel his warm skin under mine. Biting my lip, I looked up into his gray-blue eyes and he smiled at me.
I wanted the moment to last forever, but my phone vibrated, breaking the silence. Adrian was closer to my purse, so he snatched the phone and glanced at the screen. Before I could see who it was, Adrian threw the phone across the room. The phone hit the wall and fell apart.
"Hey!" I punched Adrian in the shoulder. "Why the hell did you do that?"
"I wasn't about to let that jerk ruin our night," he said calmly. I gave him an incredulous look, then realized it must have been Ethan who called. Oh, well. I could always put my phone back together. It wasn't like I hadn't dropped it a million of times before. I pushed myself up and pressed my lips against Adrian’s. He relaxed against me, deepening the kiss.
"So, what's your paper about?" I asked, getting a confused look from Adrian.
"It's... umm, about something." A frown line creased his brow.
"Great." I rolled my eyes, reaching for my book. Settling myself in the crook of his arm, I opened the first page and inhaled the delicious smell of a new book.
"It doesn't look like you ever opened it." He snatched the book out of my hand, turning it upside down.
"Give it back!" I groaned. "We need to turn in those papers tomorrow."
"Don't worry. We'll finish the stupid papers, just not now." He set the book aside. "The best papers are those written at the last moment. Besides, I'm not inspired right now to write meaningless bullshit that our professor likes."
"Yeah, well, that's what you say." I feigned indignation, but the corners of my lips quirked up. If Lily's and my plan worked, next year we'd listen to a little bit less of crap at the universities.
"You know, we never really talked about your chance of getting the fourth element," Adrian suddenly said, and I tensed.
"I won't accept the earth element if that means someone will have to suffer because of me." I swallowed past the lump that formed in my throat. Just the sole thought of being trapped in a room for months made my skin crawl. "And I don't want to hope for a miracle because that seems pointless."
Adrian found my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine, squeezing a little. "Alright then. It's your choice."
"We'll think about it when it happens. Not now." I wasn't sure whether I'd ever get the element I needed, so I didn't want to get Adrian's hopes up for no reason. Hell, we didn't even know if having all four elements would solve our touching problem. "Hey, I just realized I forgot to ask Lily what happened with that dead guy," I said, hoping to divert Adrian's attention to something else. We weren't here to think about how doomed our relationship was.
"Didn't she tell you?" He frowned.
"Nope."
"Strange. I could have sworn she mentioned it during our meeting. Maybe you came too late to hear it."
"And? What did she say?" I looked up at him expectantly.
"The guy was a rich businessman and the police thinks that someone was hired to kill him. No one even came to ask me anything, which is a surprise," he said. "Maybe they know who did it and don't want to tell since the murderer is a carrier."
"Huh." That was indeed strange. But if the murderer was from a family who wanted everyone to believe they had a pure element, of course they'd pay to cover it up.
"We should be glad they didn't try to blame me for everything." He flashed me a smile. "I wouldn't be able to help you from a jail."
"True." I rolled over and grabbed my book, holding it over my head and squinting at it because I could barely discern the words. As I tried to find the best angle to get some light on the pages, Adrian snapped the book shut. I yelped and dropped the book, which landed on my nose. While I was trying to get the book off my face Adrian got on top of me, his whole body shaking with laughter.
I looked up into his gray-blue eyes as he bent down to place a soft kiss on my nose. Somewhere in the distance I heard the book thudding to the floor. My fire rose from within me, trying to break free and pushing air and water out of its way. My fingers curled in Adrian's shirt and I pulled him down to me, so his body was pressed against mine.
Coldness seeped into my skin, spreading through me and filling every part of my body. Goosebumps rose on my arms and I shivered, but the biting cold didn't hurt me at all. A moan escaped my lips as I arched my back under another wave of delicious coldness. Adrian collapsed on top of me, gasping for breath. Somehow he found the strength to push himself up and roll off me, breaking the contact between us.
The coldness left me in a second and my fire slammed into me, convulsing my body. I stared at the ceiling, unable to move. When the fire settled down, I turned my head and found myself face to face with Adrian. He was still trying to catch his breath, but his lips spread into a smile. It was amazing what our elements could do. For some reason element sharing felt more personal than anything I'd ever experienced.
Adrian's smile faded and worry filled his eyes. "How are you feeling? I didn't want to weaken you."
"I'm fine," I said, my voice slightly hoarse. "I think I'm strong enough to handle this." And I prayed that my disease wouldn't go all crazy on me tomorrow.
Chapter 18
"Did you finish your paper?" Paula asked as we walked down a busy street, followed by my guards. Even though I wasn't looking forward to my birthday party, I still wanted to do something normal, so going shopping with Paula for a party dress seemed like a great idea. My mood certainly improved after we'd visited a couple of stores.
"Yep, but it's mostly gibberish I wrote an hour before the dawn." And knowing my professor, he'd be delighted and think I'd spent days working on that paper. I'd even written half of Adrian's paper because he fell asleep while trying to come up with a good line.
"I'm glad you were inspired," Paula said, rubbing her wrist. Since we were in public, I'd given Paula a real element-blocking bracelet. I didn't want anyone to follow us and I didn't want to go after her element if my disease decided that last night was too much. Besides, Alan could bribe a carrier to check if Paula had an element, so it was better that no one could feel her element. She was safe at the university since no one could sneak in uninvited without being seen, but outside the university anything could happen.
"Me too. I don't want to lose 50 points." I entered one small shop, careful not to hit anything with my shopping bags.
"I have a presentation in two weeks." Paula sighed. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to concentrate on Morgan's laws when all I want to do is research magic disease."
"I have no idea what Morgan's laws are." I picked up a black badge with an icy heart drawn on it. Huge red letters written across of it said 'I love ice'. I studied the badge, chewing on my lip.
"Are you going to buy that?" Paula could barely contain herself from laughing.
"Sure I am." I fished my wallet out of my purse and handed a dollar bill to the sales clerk. I wondered how Adrian would react when I showed him the badge. Slipping the badge into my purse to hide it from prying eyes, I strode for the door. I stopped in the middle of the street, looking for my guards.
"What's wrong?" Paula asked, her blue-green eyes quickly scanning our surroundings.
"I think we are being followed," I said, trying to concentrate on the elements around me without triggering my disease. "I could swear the same element is lingering nearby no matter where we go."
"Are you sure?" Paula lowered her voice. "The street is full of people. It could be a slightly different element or someone who went to the same stores as we did."
"I don't know." I found my phone and sent a message to my guards. If they came too close to me, we could alert whoever it was that was following us that we were onto him, so we had to be careful. One of the guards nodded at me and the two of them whispered something to each other. Unfortunately, they weren't carriers, so they couldn't feel elements. God, I wished Adrian was here.
He'd be able to tell elements apart without any trouble, maybe even recognize the element if he had seen that person before.
I stopped in front of a large window, pretending to look at something. The element came closer too, but just as I was trying to isolate it and get a better feel of it, my guard brushed his shoulder against mine and broke my concentration, the nearness of his element pushing everything else away.
"You should go inside," he said.
I swore under my breath and entered the store. My guard had ruined everything! I was almost a hundred percent sure that our follower was watching us from somewhere because he couldn't have tracked us without a clear visual. Now he or she knew my guards were suspicious.
"What if Ethan hired someone again?" Paula asked, a nervous undertone in her voice.
"Maybe." I could feel the element coming closer and my pulse sped up. If I didn't get out of the store and away from all the elements, I was going to snap. My control wasn't the best, especially after an element exchange, and my anxiety only worsened things.
"We could go out through the back door," Paula said. The element was just across the street and coming toward us. My mouth went dry and I had trouble swallowing. That water was coming for me. I just knew it.
I grabbed Paula's hand and we started running toward the other end of the store, bumping into people on our away, our shopping bags hitting our legs. My guards came running after us, a stunned look on their faces. I knew they wanted to do something for me, but I couldn't describe the person to them, only the element. If we stopped and waited for our follower to come, it would be too suspicious and we'd reveal the secret that one of us was a carrier.
"I called the driver," the guard yelled. "The car is waiting for you in the alley."
Thank God my guards had a speed-dial button for emergencies, but my heart was still in my throat as we made our way to the back door. The elements in the building blurred around me, begging me to come and taste them. I blinked, trying to clear my vision from images of seas, deserts and clouds, even though I knew that wouldn't help.
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