“It’s fine.”

His eyes searched mine for the truth. Before things got awkward, I spun on my heels and left him standing there. No one seemed to notice that Vlad and I had both been missing except Kris, who looked at me questioningly. I gave her a tiny head shake.

Later that evening, as Hawke and Lincoln were thanking Jane and Kristov for their hospitality, I pulled Kris into a tight hug. It was heavier than any hug we had ever had. I remained like that for a long while, knowing that this was probably the last time I would ever see her. Once the tree had been burned down, I would run away with Adrian as a fugitive, leaving this part of my life behind. There was no one I would miss more than my best friend. Kris seemed to pick up on how strangely I was acting. Her eyes questioned me once I let go. I didn’t have an explanation for her, so I simply gave her a meek smile. Vlad was nowhere to be seen, probably in his father’s office working on files, which was fine by me because somehow I felt that if he had seen that hug, he would’ve been able to guess that it was a good-bye.

I locked myself in my room for most of the next day, preparing myself mentally and physically for what Adrian and I were going to do tomorrow. Neither Lincoln nor Hawke pushed me to go to any other activities in the schedule; it seemed that they agreed that me being home was the best way to keep me safe for now. I wasn’t sure what excuse they had given the officials, but I didn’t really care. I had other things to focus on.

My partner in crime, however, had a different idea. He showed up at my door around seven o’clock in the evening with a crazy idea. “I think we should celebrate it.”

“Celebrate what, exactly?” Both Lincoln and Hawke had received a phone call about an hour ago and left after telling me to stay put. Their words were less harsh than back when I had thought they were my real parents, but it was an order nonetheless.

“Our freedom.”

I blew out a heavy, “Hmm,” and walked to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. “Yeah, no. I don’t want to celebrate anything when we have yet to accomplish it.”

“Oh come on, Montgomery. Let’s hit Royal Bar or Isles of the Blessed.”

“Nope.” I drank then put the glass on the kitchen island.

“Fine. Then let’s do whatever you have in mind.”

“Err, nope.” I moved to the couch and sat with a sigh. “Adrian, why are you here?”

His expression turned serious as he took the empty seat beside me. “I heard you went to dinner with Vlad again.”

He wasn’t exactly wrong. “And?”