I was awakened hours later by a knock at the door and my mother’s gentle voice: “Adrian? You have visitors.”
Sydney stirred in my arms, looking beautiful and content as the light of late afternoon spilled in through the blinds, illuminating her features. She was so gorgeous and sexy that I was debating pretending I hadn’t heard my mom, when a second and more forceful knock sounded. “Adrian? Sydney? It’s Rose. We have to talk.”
That brought Sydney around and eliminated whatever romantic morning encounter I might have pulled off. We got dressed and eventually made our way out to the suite’s living room. There, my mother sat with both Rose and Dimitri. I nearly chided Rose for not having been able to wait to hear the stories of all our exciting adventures . . . but then I noticed her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She and Dimitri exchanged looks. “Jill’s missing.”
“What do you mean Jill’s missing?” I demanded. “She’s still at school. I had a text from her yesterday. She set up our trip.”
“And she’s got all her guardians,” added Sydney. “Eddie’s back, right?”
Rose nodded. “All three dhampirs were there on campus. Angeline was even in her room when she was taken.”
“Wait . . . did Angeline see it happen?” I asked.
“No,” said Dimitri. “That’s what’s so strange. Angeline went to bed with Jill in the room . . . and woke up with her gone.”
“She didn’t hear or see anything. Jill just disappeared like magic.” Rose snapped her fingers for effect. “Angeline feels terrible.”
I felt a tightness in my chest, and the room reeled. Jill . . . missing? It wasn’t possible. Not after everything I’d done for her. I’d brought her back to life! This couldn’t be happening. There was some mistake. Eddie wouldn’t have let this happen.
You see? asked Aunt Tatiana. I told you there’d never be peace for you. One way or another, there’ll always be something to torment you. Good thing you have me to help you.
Sydney sank into a chair, hands clasped in her lap. “Angeline feels terrible? I feel terrible! Jill was my first responsibility, the whole reason for me going out there! If I hadn’t left—”
“Don’t start that,” I warned, putting my arm around her. It was as much to comfort me as her. “Because you didn’t leave. You were taken. This is in no way your fault.” I turned back to the others, trying desperately to make sense of this. If I could think logically, I wouldn’t panic. “We have to find her. Do you have any leads?”
“Not yet, but we have people scouring every inch of that place like crazy, looking for some clue.” Rose sighed in dismay. “She was only a month away from coming back here.”
“Well, we’ll go help,” I said. “Get us on a flight out there.” Sydney nodded eagerly.
“Are you guys crazy?” asked Rose. “Don’t answer that. Look, you aren’t going anywhere. There’s nothing out there you can do right now.”
“Plus, that protection you fought for so hard last night doesn’t extend past Court,” Dimitri reminded us. “You need to stay here—for your own safety—until more precautions are in place. That, and we don’t want any unnecessary attention going toward Jill.” He looked over at my mom. “That means, Lady Ivashkov, that what you’ve just heard cannot leave this room. No one can know Jill’s gone, because as long as she’s missing, we can’t prove she’s alive or dead. And if we can’t prove that—”
“Then you can’t prove the queen has one living relative,” Sydney finished.
I hadn’t been quick enough to think that far ahead. I was still stuck on Jill—Jill, my sweet, compassionate Jill—missing without a trace. Now, I suddenly grasped the other consequences.
“The vote hasn’t happened yet,” I murmured. “The vote to change the law.”
“Exactly,” said Rose, her face grim. “And if word of Jill’s disappearance gets out, Lissa could lose her throne.”