handsome face of Adrian Ivashkov. Adrian was a Moroi, the queen's great-nephew, and someone I'd left behind in my old life when I took off on this suicide mission. He had beautiful emerald-green eyes that made most girls swoon, particularly since they were paired with stylishly messy brown hair. He was also kind of in love with me and the reason I had so much money on this trip. I'd sweet talked him out of it.
"True," I admitted. "I suppose I should be grateful you only show up about once a week."
He grinned and sat down backward in one of the slatted wooden chairs. He was tall, like most Moroi, with a leanly muscled build. Moroi guys never got too bulky. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Rose. Don't want you to take me for granted."
"We're in no danger of that; don't worry."
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me where you are?"
"Nope."
Aside from Lissa, Adrian was the only other known living spirit user, and among his talents was the ability to show up in my dreams-often uninvited-and talk to me. I took it as a blessing that his powers never actually let him know where I was.
"You kill me, Rose," he said melodramatically. "Every day is agony without you. Empty. Alone. I pine for you, wondering if you're even still alive."
He spoke in an exaggerated, silly sort of way that was characteristic of him. Adrian rarely took things seriously and always had a flippant edge.
Spirit also had a tendency to make people unstable, and while he fought it, he wasn't unaffected. Underneath that melodrama, though, I sensed a kernel of truth. No matter how shallow an appearance he gave off, he really did care about me.
I crossed my arms. "Well, I'm still alive, clearly. So I guess you can let me go back to sleep."
"How many times have I told you? You are asleep."
"And yet I inexplicably feel exhausted talking to you."
This made him laugh. "Oh, I do so miss you." That smile faded. "She misses you too."
I stiffened. She. He didn't even need to say her name. There was no question as to whom he was talking about.
Lissa.
Even saying her name in my mind caused me pain, particularly after seeing her last night. Choosing between Lissa and Dimitri had been the hardest decision of my life, and time passing hadn't made it any easier. I might have chosen him, but being away from her was like having an arm cut off, particularly because the bond ensured we were never truly apart.
Adrian gave me a canny look, like he could guess my thoughts. "Do you go see her?"
"No," I said, refusing to acknowledge that I'd just seen her last night. Let him think I was truly free of all that. "That's not my life anymore."
"Right. Your life is all about dangerous vigilante missions."
"You wouldn't understand anything that isn't drinking, smoking, or womanizing."
He shook his head. "You're the only one I want, Rose."
Unfortunately, I believed him. It would have been easier for both of us if he could find someone else. "Well, you can keep feeling that way, but you're going to have to keep waiting."
"Much longer?"
He asked me this all the time, and every time, I emphasized how long it would be and how he was wasting his time. Thinking of Sydney's possible lead, I hesitated tonight. "I don't know."
Hope blossomed on Adrian's face. "That's the most optimistic thing you've told me so far."
"Don't read too much into it. 'I don't know' could be one day or one year. Or never."
His mischievous grin returned, and even I had to admit it was cute. "I'm going to hope it's one day."
Thinking of Sydney brought a question to my mind. "Hey, have you ever heard of the Alchemists?"
"Sure," he said.
Typical. "Of course you have."
"Why? Did you run into them?"
"Kind of."
"What'd you do?"
"Why do you think I did anything?"
He laughed. "Alchemists only show up when trouble happens, and you bring trouble wherever you go. Be careful, though. They're religious nuts."
"That's kind of extreme," I said. Sydney's faith didn't seem to be anything bad.
"Just don't let them convert you." He winked. "I like you being the sinner you are."
I started to tell him that Sydney probably thought I was beyond all salvation, but he ended the dream, sending me back to sleep.
Except, instead of returning to my own dreams, I woke up. Around me, the train hummed comfortingly as we sped through the Russian countryside. My reading lamp was still on, its light