The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 10i

Christophe brings us two glasses, but I ask for a large jug as well. I can tell Adrian is intrigued. I take the jug and slowly pour the water out onto my hand. The water falls out of the jug, but it stops in midair as if there is an invisible, round glass above my palm. After there is enough water, I put down the jug and focus on manipulating the shape of the water. I force the molecules to slow down, lowering the temperature to zero degrees Celsius exactly. This way, I can easily make it shift between liquid and solid thereby transforming it into an impressive array of designs.

At first, the ice becomes a small sphere, the easiest shape to form. Then it morphs into a something more complex, a large multifaceted ice crystal. The crystal reforms into a new shape each time it melts and freezes, creating a rather bedazzling magic trick. Adrian's eyes brighten like the sun as the trick becomes increasingly elaborate. For my finale, I concentrate hard on the details and mentally reform the water into the shape of a swan. After the shape is steady, I force the water to freeze completely, forming a nearly perfect ice sculpture. "I've been practicing this a lot lately."

"As I said – remarkable." Adrian takes out his cellphone and presses a button. Classical music starts playing over unseen speakers. He holds his hand out for me as an invitation. "Dance with me."

I rise up from my chair and gladly place my hand in his. He leads me away from the table, and we stand just outside the canopy. My arms wrap around Adrian's neck, and he holds me intimately around the waist. We sway to the music, and our eyes never leave each other. "What is this song called?" I ask.

"Nocturne by Chopin," he answers.

"It's enchanting." I close my eyes as the inspiring music captivates me. With my ear against Adrian's strong chest, I can hear his heart pounding like a metronome to the beat of the song. Halfway through the song, he decides to turn things up a notch. It is nearly impossible to stand let alone dance in these shoes, but Adrian leads me in such a way that makes everything feel instinctive. He slowly spins and dips me every minute or so, and I laugh at how nimble I am with his guidance. "Adrian, there's something that bothers me."

"What is it?"

"Suppose it turns out that William Ashcroft is not my biological father. What then?" I ask. Adrian explores the idea in his mind. "I would lose all value to your father, and you would have no reason to protect me anymore."

"If anything, that would be the ideal outcome." He replies. "If William isn't your father, then you would lose all political value. My father would have no more interest in you, and neither would the Ashcrofts. You would be free, and by extension, so would I. We could do whatever we want to do."

"And Alex could return?" I ask, and Adrian nods. "And what about you and me? What would we be exactly?"

Adrian seizes my chin, leans down, and kisses me more fervently than I have ever been kissed in my life. His lips feel like satin against mine as his tongue gently caresses me. The kiss is deep and thorough as though Adrian has been waiting for ages to release this pent up need, finally betraying his true feelings about me. Just like that day at Brown's Social, I feel as though the rest of the world slows to a standstill. And I wouldn't care if it never resumed.

An unwelcomed snowflake intrudes on our date and lands on my head. I ignore the first one, but then another comes. I force myself to pull away from Adrian, silently cursing Leon for not doing his job right. "Leon must be getting exhausted." I whisper. We both turn to look at him, and sure enough, Leon does look as though he could use a break.

"Let's go back inside." Adrian says. Our bodyguards escort us back to Adrian's apartment. Once inside, Adrian thanks the four men and dismisses them for the night. He smoothly slips Leon a small wad of cash for outstanding service. Leon deserves it.

I slip off my shoes and breathe a giant sigh of relief. I saunter around the dark room a bit when I stop at the piano. "Do you play that?" I ask.

"Yes." Adrian answers. I grin – stupid question.

"Play me something." I request. He sits down at the bench, and his fingers dance elegantly across the keys with the same mastery that his legs did on the roof. The song is melancholy at first, but it becomes exciting and lively by the end. When he raises his hands off the ivories in a grand finale, I applaud appreciatively. "Wow, that was beautiful! What is that piece called?"

"That was Romeo and Juliet by Tchaikovsky. It is a very difficult piece; it took me forever to master."

"You're very talented."

"No, I'm not. I've just been alive for a really long time." Adrian stands up and reaches for my face. He is about to pick up where we left off, but I put my finger over his lips and step back slightly. "What's wrong?"

I lick my lips and gaze at him seductively. "Do you think I'm the kind of girl who would sleep with a man on the first date?"

Adrian grins. "I know that you don't care about following convention."

"Well in this case, I am a little old-fashioned. I'm not a power hungry status-digger, and I'm not going to be number seventy-one so easily. If you want to be with me, then you're going to have to earn me." And with that, I leave my crown prince and head for the glass staircase. "Good night, Shang Highness."