28. Adrian
Damn weather was cold as balls.
At midday, the sun should be bright overhead, but outside looked dark enough to be evening. He couldn't shake the constant chill even with a hoodie under his jacket. Large white flakes plummeted sideways before the wind swirled them up and blew them right back in his face.
How had he stood outside to smoke for the past five years without a care? How had he accepted being so numb?
Adrian rolled the last cigarette around his tongue—unlit—and looked down at a snow-covered grave. His father’s headstone was newer than most, but it blended in all the same. A forgotten tick in an endless parade of departed souls.
On the other side of the cemetery, towering stone mausoleums and proper headstones rose from the barren field. Here, however, there were only small rectangles laid flat with the earth, some with engravings so worn they could hardly be made out.
He flexed his hand against the cold, mostly healed from the fight and marred by a few additional scars. Vera kicked him out of the salon as soon as she spotted his black eye. Apparently, customers didn’t want to see an ugly stylist—but he knew she only wanted to look out for him, and his body needed the days off to heal.
In the end, he decided to get most of his classwork done from the apartment and hadn’t left in a couple of days. Today, he woke up restless, and although this storm was brutal, a visit to the cemetery was long overdue.
Now that he’d obtained the right information, he didn’t know what to do with it.
The way Jace talked about the ring...it sounded like an heirloom. Meaning that the ring meant more than a tie to the killer; it represented the Yu family itself. That shooting hadn’t been a hit by the Dragons. It had been an assassination.
Family versus family, blood versus blood.
Cortez must’ve become a major threat, not just to Red Dragon, but to the family at the organization’s core. Maybe his son had been his biggest weakness, the ultimate checkmate, or maybe Luke had shown enough potential to be as formidable as his father.
Maybe the shooter thought it best to take Luke’s best friend out of the picture, too, just to be sure. But that boy had a father who actually paid attention, and he paid the price for it. Kassy had been an accident, her death as insignificant as an afterthought.
Maybe there wasn’t any more sense to it than an exercise of power.
He hadn’t expected a valid reason—he knew he wouldn’t feel any sympathy for the one responsible, but this was bigger than he anticipated. Everyone else had come to terms with it, and now it all made sense. Who in their right mind would go up against the Yu’s? Their wealth, combined with a throne of illegal drugs and weapons, meant they were unbeatable.
Knowing was as much of a burden as ignorance.
He puffed out a cloud of vapor that quickly vanished, then removed the placebo cigarette. Maybe it was time to let go, whether he thought he could or not. People cared about him—even a sweet little witch who had no reason to. Surely, he could find purpose in that.
But if he spent any more time in this storm, he’d freeze to death before he got the chance. So he started the long walk back to his apartment.
Movement near the edge of the cemetery caught his attention. A lone figure staggered between graves; head held down as they almost tripped over a headstone. Who would be out walking in this? Chastised by its relentless frenzy, the snow and wind buffeted him forward. Whoever it was, they weren’t his concern.
But something felt off.
He stopped to watch a little longer. It looked like a student, a backpack strapped over their hunched shoulders. Then, a gust of wind roared through the field, and purple hair whipped out of their hat.
Worry sliced through him like a blade, fast and deep.
“Ivory?” he called and took a step closer. Could it be? What on earth would she be doing—and why did she look like that?
His pace quickened. The figure turned toward him, and even from this distance, he recognized those jade eyes. But they were red and swollen, her whole face on the verge of frostbite.
“Fuck,” he hissed, closing the gap between them. “Ivory!”
He grabbed her shoulders as she stared up at him. Then she burst into tears.
“It’s true,” she sniffed.
“Hey,” he murmured, cupping her cheek and wiping away the wetness as it poured out. Shit, she was nearly frozen solid. “Talk to me. What happened? I swear if anyone hurt you—”
She broke out in a sob, unable to form proper words. “He really did it…”
Adrian pulled her face into his neck and tried to warm her up. “I’m here. I’ll keep you safe. Just tell me who did this to you.”
“Jace said—“
He held his breath. That damn son of a bitch. He was going to pay for this.
But Ivory came first. Unzipping his jacket, he drew her into his chest and let her arms slide between the warm layers. “It’s gonna be all right.” He rubbed her back while shielding her from the storm. “Are you hurt? What did he do?”
She shook her head and clutched the fabric of his hoodie in her hands. “I’m okay.”
“Oh, Iv,” he muttered, holding her tight. How could he have let anything happen to her? Why had he been so focused on his own issues and left her to deal with hers alone? “I’m sorry,” he whispered, rocking her back and forth as he stroked her icy hair. “I should have been there.”
She shook her head again and pulled away to look at him. “No, it’s my fault. I—” Her expression wilted, lips quivering as she raised her hand to trace his black eye. “You’re the one who got hurt. He did this to get to me.”
What?
“No, this had nothing to do with you, sweetheart,” he reassured, pressing her hand to his cheek and warming her fingertips. “I promise I’m the one who provoked him. This was my fault.”
Her face twisted. “Then did Nia and Caspian really—?”
“It had nothing to do with them either.” Hell, what had she heard? “I’ll explain, I promise, but after we get you warm and safe, okay?”
She searched his eyes, lingering over his bruise, and then nodded. “I just want to stay here a little longer.”
“Okay,” he said. “You’re going to be okay.” Her head fell to his chest, and she drew her first steady breath. At least that calmed her down. He let her relax, stroking her hair down to her back and focusing on the puff of hot breath on his skin.
She felt so good. Her heart beat against his, arms wrapped around his back, and sweet face nuzzled into his neck. So much better than anything he’d felt in the past five years.
“I’ve wanted to hold you for so long,” he admitted quietly.
Her arms tightened, and he tried not to wince at the pain lingering in his left side.
“Why didn’t you?” Her question sunk into him like barbed wire, so much more painful than the cracked rib.
“Because I’m a damn fool.” He buried his face in her hair. “Because I knew once I did, I’d never be able to let go.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to let go. Not ever.”
“I won’t,” he whispered back.
???
Anger boiled like hot lava under his skin. The next time he saw Jace, there would be no talking. No discussions, not even a chance for a snarky insult.
He was going to ground that scumbag to a pulp.
“So that’s why I thought it was my fault,” Ivory finished, blowing on her cup of steamed milk and taking a delicate sip.
Adrian set his mug on the table, resisting the urge to chase down Jace right this minute.
Before leaving the cemetery, Ivory asked who he was going to visit and then made him stop at Luke’s grave despite his insistence on getting inside. They paid their respects, and while they walked, he explained everything from the beginning. Everything about his dad, the shooting, and the dragon tile, including his fight with Jace.
Back at his apartment, she’d finished recounting the events that sent her spiraling. Color returned to her face, and now she sat snuggled on the couch against his side, warm and happy—just the way she should be. He’d held fast to his promise and hadn’t let her more than an arm’s distance away since their embrace in the graveyard.
“Do you really think he has the same ring as the shooter?” she asked after a pause. “Could it have been Jace who…”
He shook his head. “I doubt it. But there’s probably more of those rings for different family members. Besides, Jace would have been in middle school when it happened, and while I’m sure he had access to a gun, he’d have to be a real prodigy to pull it off and not get caught.”
Ivory snorted, then caught herself. “Sorry—it’s not—nothing about this is funny.” She sighed and looked away as her fingers circled the mug. “I don’t see Jace being any kind of prodigy.”
He wished he could laugh with her and take the whole thing as a cruel joke, but right now, all he wanted to do was teach the son of bitch a well-deserved lesson. Forcing himself to exhale, he rubbed at the permanent furrow in his brow. “As much as I want to storm over there and rip him into shreds, and as much as I wanted to get the bottom of my fucked up life history, I need you to know something.”
Turning to face her, he took the mug out of her hands and set it down. “None of that is worth putting your safety at risk.”
She met his eyes, the corner of her lips pulling into a frown he wished he could kiss away. “I was perfectly fine—”
“You weren’t.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her precious face. “Jace acted out of line because I provoked him, and you got hurt.” If fate hadn’t led them to each other in that graveyard, she could have ended up in a far worse situation. “I was trying to get this all taken care of before we got too involved. I didn’t want my issues to become yours, but it’s clear to me now that it’s too late.”
Her hand circled his wrist, warm and reassuring as she kept his hand pressed to her face. “So what now? I can’t ask you to abandon your search. Not when you’ve gotten so close.”
He sighed and pulled her against him, bringing his lips to her forehead. “Sweetheart, I have to stop. We both know it.”
“No.” She pulled away. “I’m not going to let you do that. You can’t give up because of me.” Her words were as sincere as her undaunted expression, the same one she wore so many moons ago when he tried to walk away from her—and failed.
Conflicting desires warred inside him. On one hand, abandoning his quest for revenge would feel worse than getting punched by Jace. But he’d take it if that would protect Ivory.
“We just have to be more cautious,” she continued, barreling ahead. “Before you say anything, I’m not making this out to be a glorified hero mission or pretending it’s a movie where the good guys are guaranteed to win. But I can’t live with the guilt of holding you back. I know there’s a risk. I know I’ll need to let you do all the work. Just pretend like I’m only here when you need me.”
He leaned into the couch and dropped his hand to her waist, playing with the hem of her shirt. “First of all, I would never treat you that way.” He switched to drawing small circles on the soft skin on her hip. “And second, if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have had a future to look forward to. The things I’d be willing to do out of disregard for my own life aren’t something I’m proud of.”
“There has to be a middle ground,” she argued, reaching for the free hand on his lap. He let her take it, much like he’d let her take almost anything if she asked. Her fingertips tenderly traced around his nicked rings.
“We don’t have to come up with an answer tonight. Being smart means taking a step back and giving it proper thought.” He wove his fingers between hers. No more unnecessary risks.
“All right.” She leaned into his shoulder, eyes fixed on their hands. “As long as we find a way.”
“I’ll try. But I’m serious, Iv.” He turned her chin to face him. “No matter what plan we come up with, the moment you tell me to stop, I will. I’m counting on you to say something before I go too far.”
She nodded. “I will.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.” She began to roll her eyes but stopped halfway and bit her lip.
He pulled it free and ran his thumb along her jaw. “Good.”
She held her breath, perfectly still under his touch. Perfectly obedient. Perfect in every way and then some. Dipping his head so their noses brushed, he inhaled her taste and let it tingle on the tip of his tongue. Let it override everything else on his mind until there was only Ivory. Then he closed the gap. Her lips melted like sprinkled sugar, sweeter than he remembered.
Fingers twisting into his hoodie, she pulled him closer as he deepened the kiss. This time, it wasn’t rough or crazed but passionate and scorching, leaving a brand that cut to the very core. There was no part of her that didn’t belong to him. No crime against her that would go unanswered. No hole in her heart that he wouldn’t fill.
Her spine arched, and he pulled her onto his lap, pushing his fingers under her shirt and stretching them against her stomach. She shuddered underneath his touch.
He chuckled, leaving a sharp nip on her lips. “Next time you try to roll your eyes, I won’t let you get away with it. You’re lucky all I want is to enjoy being next to you until we have a proper discussion.”
She sighed and snuggled into him after a few more lingering kisses. “And when will that be?”
“Soon,” he answered. Things were already so different with her, but he still wanted to do it right. He always went over rules and limits before getting involved.
The light from outside had grown even darker. Outside, the snow started to drift against the porch door. “Hey,” he said, breaking their momentary silence. “I don’t think I’ll be able to drive you to the dorms in this storm.”
“I know,” she replied. “I don’t want to go back anyway, not yet. Is it okay if—” She paused, then hid her face.
“You’re more than welcome to stay here if you’d like,” he offered, answering her half-spoken question. As if he’d let her stay anywhere else.
“Thanks,” she hummed, a smile peeking out as she looked at him through her lashes.
“In that case, let me put some food together,” he offered. “Did you eat lunch?”
“No,” she mumbled. “But I can cook. It’s the least I can do for letting me stay the night. What do you have on hand?”
“I’m cooking,” he affirmed in a tone that left no room for argument. “Let me take care of you for a change. Besides, you enjoy being taken care of.”
“No,” she protested, voice muffled in his arm as she shrunk into him. “I’m the one who enjoys taking care of others , remember?”
He knew all too well how insistent she could be. “I never said you didn’t, but if you spend all your energy watching over everyone else, who’s there to watch over you?”
She huffed, then stretched out and put her legs up on the couch. “Okay, fine. I should plug my phone in and see if I missed anything important. Do you have an extra charger?”
“Yeah, let me grab it.” He started to get up, but her weight kept him from moving more than an inch. He smiled. “In a few minutes.”
She groaned, snuggling into him again. “Yeah. In a few minutes.”