Page 258 of A University of Betrayal

“Good of you to come, though.” Adrian placed the brush in the glass of water, which at that very moment became cloudy, as if fog were spreading through the water. “I wasn’t expecting it anymore.”

“Very optimistic,as always.”

“I’m beingrealistic,”he sighed with raised brows.

“As always,”I replied and took a step further into his atelier.

Adrian had been painting since before I knew him. Back then, when Bastien had brought him here from New York, he hadn’t spoken a word. Camille had told me that, because – fortunately – I hadn’t existed at the time. But when I had been four and he ten, Adrian had started communicating with me for the first time. And it had been through drawing. Otherwise, I would probably never have been able to get closer to him.

At first, it was just drawings. Bastien had taught him, because he was a talented artist himself, which only one person in the estate disliked, and that was the head of the clan.

Nicolaj hadn’t liked the fact that Adrian had painted so much and had argued countless times with Bastien, who had finally made the compromise of training him to balance things out.

“I don’t like it when you stare at my paintings as if they trigger something in you.”

Adrian was now sitting there, leaned back, legs spread, holding more brushes, which he was drying with a black towel.

Only now did I actually manage to concentrate on the painting. It was a winter landscape, not peaceful, but wild and boisterous. A kind of snow flurry between pointed mountains. It looked like Blairville.

“How do you manage to express more feelings with your paintings than with your words?”

Adrian sighed.

Normally no one was allowed in here, no one except me or Bastien. And normally his landscapes were just like his favorite color.

“Let me get straight to the point, because I don’t have time for this.”

Therehe was again. Busy Adrian, never enough time, always something to do. And in fact, I saw less and less of him in his atelier.

I went to the window and looked down at the lake behind our property, which was surrounded by a deep, dark misty forest that stretched all the way to the mountain range of the island.

“As much as I dislike it, I need to ask you a favor.”

Adrianneverasked me for a favor. What made him change that fact?

I turned questioningly to the young man I had grown up with here.

“It’s about your sister.”

Tensely, I turned to face him completely, both hands in my trouser pockets.

Larissa had told me that Adrian’s behavior was getting on her nerves. By now, it was clear to me that Adrian’s nature was her biggest motivation to get better. She was competitive.

“I’m listening?”

Adrian placed a couple of his brushes on the towels he was using as a base for wet materials before reaching for the next ones.

“It’s not that I can’t trust her, it’s just that she spends too much time with the strange smelling girl and the petite blonde Quatura.”

“I’ve already told her that Nicolaj won’t like that.”

“Thatobviouslydoesn’t seem to stop her from socializing with other species.” Adrian sounded like Nicolaj. “I’d like you to keep a better eye on her.”

Great.So it wasthatkind of favor. Long-term and complicated.

Usually,Ientangled people in such matters. Quentin was a good example of this, even if it was curiosity that had driven me into this deal, not the usual pleasure to witness things go downhill.

“And how do you think that will work?”

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