ADAN

Hey, Yena. It’s Adan.

Sorry to text you out of nowhere, but I was hoping we could talk?

He looked at the text and read it back to himself aloud. Saying it in a few different tones. Making sure it sounded casual enough.

She replied almost right away.

How did you get my number?

Adan smiled. He loved when he could predict exactly the way a conversation was about to go.

You don’t remember? You gave it to me a while back. Sorry I never gave you mine.

Then there was a delay.

Yena was thinking. Searching her memory to see if it was possible Adan’s story was true.

He pre-empted a reply with another question.

How are things going with your study abroad plans Yena? I never got to help you with your applications. I wonder if you’d want my help again if you’re still thinking about traveling. Just let me know.

Adan tossed his phone aside on the bed and grabbed a pack of cigarettes out of the nightstand. He had a few minutes before she’d respond. He’d given her a lot to think about, in just a few sentences.

He called down to his wait staff, using the intercom on the wall.

“Bloody Mary,” he said. “And don’t forget this time, no olives. No fucking olives in my breakfast again, okay?”

“Of course, Sir,” came the polite voice on the other end. “Right away.”

Adan went out on his balcony, then, to smoke while he waited. He only got halfway through a single cigarette when the cocktail arrived.

A shaky hand held the beverage out toward him. It looked good.

And tasted even better.

Extra vodka, extra pepper. No celery, and no olives.

And a big, crispy strip of bacon used as a garnish.

Adan slipped the servant a crisp hundred dollar bill and winked at the young man as he scooted away, still looking scared.

The phone started pinging.

Adan sucked down the last of his cigarette. Pulled the bacon out of his beverage and stuffed it into his mouth and headed back inside.

I am going to study abroad, Yena’s text said.

And what kind of help are you talking about? I already did my applications.

Adan wiped his hands clean and took a seat on the bed again.

He wrote back:

That’s great to hear! Which schools did you get into?

He drank his liquid breakfast while waiting to see what she’d say to this.

Lucy had told him about the situation, as far as Yena had told her…

Sounded like the school wasn’t ready to admit Yena yet, because they thought it was too risky. And Nolan was trying to convince them to let her enroll.

The prince probably didn’t want anyone to know she was divorcing him yet, but he was also hoping that when it did happen, the humans might perceive Yena as less of a threat.

Adan shook his head and smiled. He knew his brother so well.

Finally, Yena’s reply came through.

I haven’t been accepted yet. Seems like there are complications. But the School of Fashion Design said they were going to let me in once I had some security arrangements in place.

Adan typed back, Huh. What’s that mean? Want me to look into it for you?

He hoped acting clueless would unnerve her. Since he was the expert on how things worked in the human world.

Before she could reply, he followed up with an offer.

How about we meet up and talk about it, actually? I can also bring a friend of mine to introduce you to – she’s a teacher at SFD and happens to be here visiting! What do you say?

Adan put his phone aside again and drank down the last of the spicy red liquid from his glass.

Then he went to take a shower, knowing that he’d have a reply from Yena waiting for him when he got out. She would tell him yes.

YENA

I sat in bed, cuddling one of my new, very soft pillows, reading and re-reading my whole text thread with Adan, over and over.

It was so hard to know what was what with him.

Sometimes it seemed really clear that he could not be trusted.

But then just talking to him, I don’t know… It felt kind of easy and natural, just like it had before, back when he and I had first met on campus.

Before I knew who he really was.

I was sure that Nolan was right about Adan’s motives, and how he’d meddled in my and Nolan’s relationship, just to mess with Nolan. To undermine him. For political purposes.

I was sure about it, anyway…

But what evidence was there?

I’d never even spoken to another soul about the situation, besides Nolan.

It was no one else’s business, and I knew the prince would only ever talk to me about such things in the confidence of our marriage.

But now, when I thought about it like that… I realized, all I had was Nolan’s word against Adan’s. That’s what it really came down to.

Nolan said that Adan wanted to start a revolution. That he was working on a campaign to destroy Nolan’s image and was just about to declare war.

But when I saw Adan, I didn’t see a warlord.

Maybe he was a very good actor.

And I did remember… that scary look in his eyes, back when he’d tried to kiss me that fateful day.

There was definitely something at play there. Behind those dark and charming eyes.

But was it really as serious as Nolan was thinking?

The truth was that I just didn’t know anything about all that.

But talking to Adan, even though it felt creepy, and like a betrayal to Nolan… it just couldn’t be that big of a deal.

How could my getting college info from Nolan’s brother start a war? I couldn’t think of how the two could be related.

This was innocent enough.

All the guy wanted to do, after all, was introduce me to someone who I’d meet soon anyway. One of my new teachers.

That would been a cool opportunity, no matter what. But it also meant I’d finally have someone from the human school to talk to directly, so I could figure out what was going on with my enrollment.

What possible harm could come from that?

I wasn’t going to tell Adan any of Nolan’s secrets. I wasn’t going to get in the middle of a big power struggle between the two of them.

I still loved Nolan. And I knew it was wrong to talk to his brother behind his back like this. It would hurt him if he found out I’d done it.

But Adan was offering to help me, and it was hard to think about saying no.

This was someone who really knew what he was doing, because he’d had first-hand experience in the human world.

No one else could give me that, and I really needed it.

Finally, I texted him back:

Alright. I’ll meet with you and the professor. Let me know a time and place, and I’ll be there.