{BOOK 1/3 of The Triumvariate Trilogy}
Adaline was living a normal life moving from military camp to camp as she tried to help anyone in need. Everyone needed her medical advice for she was the best doctor in the country.
But when the Grisha of Rav...
"I wanted to talk to you about something." She whispered. The room was intensely silent and the shake in her voice was obvious.
"Go ahead." He said, spinning her around once.
Ups! Tento obrázek porušuje naše pokyny k obsahu. Před publikováním ho, prosím, buď odstraň, nebo nahraď jiným.
She put her hand back on his shoulder and they continued to waltz. "I appreciate your help with Baghra. I really do. But I don't belong here." She said. "You should stop wasting your time." She repeated what she had already told him. "And why are we dancing anyway?"
"Can't I dance with whom I want now?" He asked, amusingly.
Adaline had never assumed that she would be standing so close to him without her heart beating out of her chest, and with the consequences of her power to think about, it felt surreal. "Why me?" She asked, looking straight at him.
The Darkling considered to reply to her question but asked another one. "Didn't you find a gift in your room?" He asked as they started walking hand-in-hand towards the left to continue dancing.
"What?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing together.
The Darkling grew confused. Freya had told him that it would have been done by the time the ball arrived. What had happened? He sighed instead. Somehow, he couldn't show his anger out around her.
"Your body isn't draining our energy anymore." He pointed out just when the music stopped. "That's progress." He leaned close to her face. "That's belonging." He whispered near her ear and pulled back quickly when he saw her shiver.
The dance floor started to clear out and without knowing that she was doing so, Adaline walked towards the doors that would lead her to the main hall. Her heart was beating very quickly but it was for a different reason.
Had she really danced with him? Had she really accepted him into her life that she didn't mind him touching her? Adaline rubbed her fingers through her hair, pulling it back. She hated wearing her dress. It did not help with her breathing.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maxwell leaning against a pillar. He was looking at someone and when she followed his sight, she came back to reality. She walked over to him and shoved him. "Adaline!" He shouted, clearly frightened. Her plan had worked.
Adaline broke out laughing. "You should see your face right now!"
"What are you doing?" He asked, holding onto his chest.
"What are you doing? Go ask her for a dance!"
He looked between her and Irina, who was talking to another Grisha. "What if she-"
Adaline put a finger to her lips. "Go." She beckoned.
Ups! Tento obrázek porušuje naše pokyny k obsahu. Před publikováním ho, prosím, buď odstraň, nebo nahraď jiným.
When the next song started to play, Adaline ensured that Maxwell and Irina were on the dance floor. She had decided to head back to her room when a group of people blocked her way as they made their way into the hall. Struggling to get out, she decided to stay for a while.
But without knowing what was happening, she was dragged onto the dance floor along with the crowd. She was standing in front of someone. "You look great in white!"
Adaline rolled her eyes once they faced each other. Of course, it was him. "Stefan."
