Richelle Mead - The Golden Lily

We talked for a long time after the meal was over. The waitress brought us an unsolicited dessert menu when we finished, and I surprised myself by saying, “Wow… I can’t believe how much I want gelato right now. That never happens.” Maybe the sweat and heat had leached my nutrients… or maybe I still had Adrian on the brain.

“I’ve never heard you order dessert,” said Brayden, sliding his menu away. “It’s not too much sugar?”

It was another of those weird statements of his that could be interpreted a number of different ways. Was he judging me? Did he think I shouldn’t have any sugar? I didn’t know, but it was enough for me to close the menu and set it on top of his.

With no other scheduled forms of entertainment for the night, we decided to just go for a walk after dinner. The temperature was down to moderate levels, and it was still light enough out that I wasn’t as concerned about the Warriors of Light jumping out from corners. That didn’t mean I ignored Wolfe’s teachings, however. I still kept an eye on my surroundings, watching for anything suspicious.

We reached a small park that only took up one city block and found a bench in the corner. We sat down on it, watching children play on the opposite side of the lawn while we continued a discussion on bird watching in the Mojave. Brayden put his arm around me as we talked, and eventually, we exhausted the topic and simply sat in comfortable silence.

“Sydney…”

I turned my gaze from the children, surprised at Brayden’s uncertain tone, which was very different from the one he’d just been using to defend the superiority of the mountain bluebird over the western bluebird. There was softness in his eyes now as he looked at me. The evening light made his hazel eyes take on a little more gold than usual but completely hid the green. Too bad.

Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was more intense than the last one, though still a long ways from the epic, all-consuming kisses I’d seen in movies. He did rest his hand on my shoulder this time, gently bringing me a little closer. The kiss also lasted longer than previous ones, and I again tried to let myself go and lose myself in the feel of someone else’s lips.

He was the one who ended it, a bit more abruptly than I would’ve expected. “I-I’m sorry,” he said, looking away. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why not?” I asked. It wasn’t so much that I’d been yearning for the kiss as it was that this seemed exactly like the kind of place you’d want to kiss: a romantic park at sunset.

“We’re in public. It’s kind of vulgar, I suppose.” Vulgar? I wasn’t even sure if we were really all that much in public, seeing as no one was next to us and we were in the shade of some trees. Brayden sighed with dismay. “I guess I just lost control. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s okay,” I said.

It hadn’t seemed like that much of a loss of control, but what did I know? And I wondered if maybe a small loss of control wasn’t such a bad thing. Wasn’t that kind of the basis of passion? I didn’t know that either. The only thing I knew for sure was that this kiss had been a lot like the last one. Nice, but it didn’t blow me away. My heart sank. There was something wrong with me. Everyone was always going on about how socially inept I was. Did it extend to romance as well? Was I so cold that I’d spend my life never feeling anything?

I think Brayden misread my dismay and assumed I was upset with him. He stood up and held out his hand. “Hey, let’s go walk to that tea shop one block over. They’ve got this local painter’s art on display that I think you’ll like. Besides, no calories in tea, right? Better than dessert.”

“Right,” I said. Thinking of the gelato didn’t cheer me up any. The Italian place had had pomegranate, which kind of sounded like the best thing ever. As I stood up, my cell phone rang and startled both of us. “Hello?”

“Sage? It’s me.”

I had no reason to be mad at Adrian, not after what he’d done for me, but somehow I felt irritated by the interruption. I was trying to make the most of this night with Brayden, and Adrian unsettled everything.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Are you still downtown? You need to come over right now.”

“You know I’m out with Brayden,” I said. This was pushy, even for Adrian. “I can’t just drop everything and entertain you.”

“It’s not about me.” It was then that I noticed how hard and serious his voice was. Something tightened in my chest. “It’s about Sonya. She’s missing.”

“SHE WAS LEAVING TOWN,” I reminded him.

“Not until tomorrow.”

He was right, I realized. When we’d spoken to Sonya last night, she’d said two days. “Are you sure she’s really disappeared?” I asked. “Maybe she’s just… out.”

“Belikov’s here, and he’s freaked out. He says she never came home last night.”

I nearly dropped the phone. Last night? Sonya had been gone that long? That was nearly twenty-four hours ago. “How did no one notice until now?” I demanded.

“I don’t know,” said Adrian. “Can you just come over? Please, Sydney?”

I was powerless when he used my first name. It always took everything to an extra level of seriousness-not that this situation needed any particular help. Sonya. Gone for twenty-four hours. For all we knew, she wasn’t even alive if those sword-wielding freaks had caught her.

Brayden’s face was a mix of incredulity and disappointment when I told him I had to leave. “But you just… I mean…” It was a rare moment of speechlessness for him.

“I’m sorry,” I said earnestly. “Especially after being late and ruining the museum. But it’s a family emergency.”

“Your family has an awful lot of emergencies.”

You have no idea , I thought. Instead of saying that, I simply apologized again. “I really am sorry. I…” I nearly said I’d make it up to him, but that was what I’d said when I left the Halloween dance early. Tonight was supposed to have been the makeup date. “I’m just sorry.”

ADRIAN’S PLACE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH that I could’ve reasonably walked, but Brayden insisted on driving me, since dusk was falling. I had no problem accepting.

“Whoa,” said Brayden, when we pulled up to the building. “Nice Mustang.”

“Yeah. It’s a 1967 C-code,” I said automatically. “Great engine. My brother’s. He’s moved it again! I hope he wasn’t out driving anywhere he wasn’t supposed to-whoa. What’s that?”

Brayden looked at where I was staring. “A Jaguar?”

“Obviously.” The sleek, black car was parked just in front of Adrian’s Mustang. “Where’d it come from?”

Brayden had no answer, of course. After more apologies and a promise to get in touch, I left him. There was no pretense of a kiss, not when he was so disappointed in the evening’s outcome and I was too anxious about Sonya. In fact, I forgot all about Brayden as I walked up to the building. I had bigger concerns.

“It’s Clarence’s,” said Adrian, as soon as he answered the door.

“Huh?” I asked.

“The Jag. I figured you’d want to know. He let Belikov drive it over since Sonya left with the rental.” He stepped aside as I entered and shook his head in dismay. “Can you believe it was locked away in his garage the whole time I lived with him? He said he forgot he owned it! And there I was, stuck with the bus.”

I would’ve laughed under almost any other circumstances. But when I saw Dimitri’s face, all humor left me. He was pacing the living room like a trapped animal, radiating frustration and concern.

“I’m an idiot,” he muttered. It was unclear if he was talking to himself or us. “I didn’t realize she was gone last night, and then I spent half the day thinking she was out gardening!”