The rain had ceased, but the wet roads and fog werewinding around the streetlamps of London. Nalia crossed the road, briskly approaching her little flaSquare, the contract with Adrian Lucien in her hand. The steps seemed to weigh on her, and she was making d been tipped over last night, and she was strugglShe could not knock before her younger sister, Mara, opened the door. Her eyes were wide. "Nalia... men came again. They said they know about Dad. They asNalia gulped at the terror that was growing in her chest. She dropped toher knees and embraced Mara. "It's okay. You did fine. Listen, everything would be all right. I promHowever, when she said it, she felt the truth was even more complex. The past was irreversible. Her family could not be taken care of byIt was nine a.m., and Nalia was already seated in the lecture hall taking her Business Administration classes. She atthad jotted on the board, but her thoughts were swamped with the voice of Adrian, with the warmth of his lips, and the phone call that had brought t was.Lita sat down next to her, whispering, you look like a ghost. Spill it.""I... It's nothing." Nalia forced a smile."Nothing?" Lita raised an eyebrow. You have that thousand-yard stare where you think about him. Adrian, right?"Nalia's heart skipped. We... we are only discussing my project. He's funding it. That's all."Lita smirked. "Funding. Right. And what else is he funding, hm? Don't lie. You're practically glowinNalia covered her face with her notes. Her thoughts raced. She could not say everything to Lita yet. Not whether Adrian knows anything about the past of her father. Not about the kiss. Not one of the men who had come in search of her family.When she was out of class, she went through the courtyard to the library. Her purse was squashed aga think.She did not see Adrian till he came out of the columns between the stones.Hello, Nalia, he said, in a deep, repressed tone. Calm. When she saw him,her stomach sank.I... did not expect to see you here, she thought, and was obliged to make her normal.I have business, I have a business, he answered, looking at the library doors. "And I expect you do,Her chest fluttered. "I do. I... I still have to draw up the proposal that I will present tomorrow tThe eyes of Adrian grew a little black. "I'll help. But only if you trust me."Nalia wanted to say no. She wanted to run. She wished to scream at herself that she was attracted to felt herself nod.They had gone into a small, vacant back room of the library. The black clouds that had formed in the night before had made the city wet and shiny, and there was no noise indoors. Dustthrough the tall windows. The walls were covered wAdrian shut the door behind himself. "Sit," he said.Nalia sat on the tip of a piece of wood. Her hands gripped her notes. Her pulse raced.Leaning over the edge of the table,he came nearer. Stronger than you think, you said, he said to himself. She shivered at his voice, which was too close to her.Nalia blinked. "I... I have to do this. For my sister. For myself."He touched her, wiping a strand of hair off her face. She swallowedher saliva in a struggle due to the tension and her heart racing in disbelief. His scar was sticking out in his shirt just below the collarbone, and she knew how close he was.And do you know how dangerous this is? He asked."What is?" she whispered."Being here. Being near me. Knowing what I am."She looked up, calm in spite of the terror in her heart. "I don't care."The world beyond the library disappeared. The two of them had only been. And solely the warmth of his body, the acute odour of his coat, the beat of her own heart.Then her phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:They know you're with him.Nalia's stomach dropped. Her hands shook. Adrian noticed immediately."Stay calm," he said. "Don't move. Don't speak."He touched her lips with a finger before she could question him. It is not the first time I dealt wimy full trust in you.Nalia nodded, unable to speak. Her heart beat was thumping against her ribs as though it were tryingAdrian drew still closer, threateningly nearby. The light struck the scar onhis chest. Her breath hitched."I won't hurt you," he whispered. "I promise, and trust me."She wanted to believe him. She wanted to pull back. She did not want to visit ever again. But she to inconceivably, irresistibly to remain here, in the shade of dangerous things, with him.The door rattled. Footsteps approached.Adrian's hand found hers. His grip isfirm. Protective. Unyielding.You ought to have gone, he said to himself.But Nalia did not move.The first thing, because, like never before, she realized: danger was not something external. It had found her. And it had come with him.
