Free The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

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     where Adrian had touched me. “Huh? Oh, no. Just, um, trying to rub the taint off.
     In fact . . . I should probably go wash up. Be right back.”
    They seemed to find this a perfectly reasonable idea and didn’t stop me as I hurried
     to the restroom. Free of their concern, I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d dodged two
     bullets here, by not letting the Alchemists know that I was friendly with a vampire
     and also that I was plotting magic with him.
    “Sydney?”
    I was so distracted when walking out of the restroom that I hadn’t noticed Rose standing
     nearby with Dimitri Belikov. They stood arm in arm, smiling at my surprise. I hadn’t
     seen Dimitri tonight, and his black and white guardian attire told me why. He was
     on duty here and had undoubtedly been one of the shadows darting among the trees of
     the greenhouse, keeping a watch on everyone. He must be on a break now because there
     was no way he’d be standing so casually here, even with Rose, otherwise. And really,
     “casual” for Dimitri meant he could still leap into battle at any moment.
    They were a striking couple. His dark-haired, dark-eyed looks matched hers, and they
     were both dazzlingly attractive. It was no wonder Adrian had fallen for her, and I
     felt surprised at how uncomfortable that memory made me. Like Sonya and Mikhail, there
     was a bond of love between Rose and Dimitri that was almost palpable.
    “Are you okay?” asked Rose, eyes kind. “I can’t believe Adrian did that to you.” She
     reconsidered. “Then again, I kind of can believe it.”
    “I’m fine,” I said. “I think the other Alchemists were more appalled than I was.”
     I remembered belatedly that even if Rose and Dimitri knew I knew Adrian from Palm
     Springs, I still couldn’t act too at ease here. I put on my earlier look of outrage.
     “It was still out of line, though.”
    “Propriety’s never been Adrian’s strong suit,” Dimitri observed.
    Rose laughed at the understatement. “If it makes you feel any better, you guys looked
     really good together out there. Made it hard to believe you’re mortal enemies . . .
     or whatever it is Alchemists think.” She gestured to my dress. “You even coordinated.”
    I’d totally forgotten what I was wearing. It was a short-sleeved silk dress, almost
     entirely black save for some splashes of royal blue on the skirt. That was a bolder
     color than I would normally wear, but the black tempered it. Thinking back to Adrian’s
     shades of blue, I realized our palettes had indeed complemented each other.
    You guys looked really good together
    I don’t know what expression I wore, but it made Rose laugh again.
    “Don’t look so panicked,” Rose said, eyes shining. “It was nice seeing a human and
     a Moroi look like they belong together.”
    Belong together.
    Why did she keep saying things like that? Her words were messing with the cool, logical
     demeanor I tried to maintain. I knew she was speaking in that friendly, diplomatic
     way that everyone was pushing so hard for. But as progressive as Rose and Dimitri
     were, I knew even they would be shocked if they knew the truth about Adrian’s feelings
     and that monumental kiss.
    I spent the rest of the reception with a knot of anxiety building within me. Fortunately,
     I didn’t have to hide it. Moroi and Alchemist alike expected me to feel that way.
     In fact, Stanton soon got her own share of “diplomacy” when a middle-aged Moroi guy
     asked her to dance, obviously taking a cue from Adrian’s display of goodwill. Apparently,
     as outrageous as Adrian’s behavior had been, some Moroi thought it had been a smart
     move and decided to follow suit. Stanton could hardly refuse after encouraging me,
     so she took the dance floor with gritted teeth. No one asked Ian to dance, which was
     probably just as well. He didn’t look at all disappointed.
    Adrian stayed away, presumably to gather my spell components. Time ticked down, and
     as the