Restless (Element Preservers, #4) by Alycia Linwood Page A

still in front of the door, so I didn't have to worry about any uninvited guests. I squeezed my phone in my hand when yet another call to Adrian went to voicemail. What were the chances that he hadn't had time to watch the damn show?
    Someone knocked on the door and I nearly dropped my phone, hitting my elbow on the desk. The door slid open and Lily poked her head in, her face brightening up when she saw me.
    "Oh thank God you're here." She came in and closed the door.
    "Where would I be? My guards are right in front of the door if you haven't noticed. They are, aren't they?" For someone who had tricked them and run away from them, I surely trusted my guards a lot. At this point I wouldn't even blame them for leaving me unguarded.
    "Don't worry. They're still outside, but you have a tendency to slip away unnoticed." She took a seat in one of the chairs, removing a pin from her hair and letting long black strands to fall freely around her shoulders. "I thought you might be with your boyfriend."
    Heat rose in my cheeks. Did Lily and the others somehow know where Adrian and I had been when we had sex? "Which one? The fake one or the real one?" I said bitterly.
    "The real one." Lily sighed. "I thought you might know where he is."
    "What are you talking about?" I gripped the armrest of my chair, the panic rising inside of me.
    "At the university... " Lily looked down at her hands. "They decided to put up a big screen in the main hall so everyone could watch you on the show. Not only because you're the president, but because you're one of the students. Everyone gathered there so they could watch and Adrian was with them. I don't know the exact details because I wasn't there. Paula told me she was worried because Adrian had stormed off after he saw Ethan and you.... Well, you know what he saw and how it looked."
    I closed my eyes, my breath getting stuck in my chest. Yeah, I knew damn well what everyone thought Ethan and I had been doing. "I'm almost sorry I didn't kill Ethan right there in front of the whole nation."
    "Ah, so it was like I thought, but no one believed me." Lily seemed relieved. "The angle of the camera doesn't go in your favor, though."
    "Fuck." I ran my hand through my hair, getting up. "I need to go talk to him! I need to find him!"
    "Relax. He just needs to cool off. You'll explain everything to him." Lily's dark brown eyes were calm.
    "Yeah, but where did he go? Didn't anyone see him? Does Alan know anything?" I understood that Adrian wanted to be alone, but that meant he didn't have much protection against anyone who tried to kidnap or kill him.
    "No, and Alan is clueless." Lily got up too, putting her hand on my shoulder. "We'll find Adrian. I sent some of my men to look for him."
    "I can't just sit here and wait for the news!" I chewed on my fingernails; something I hadn't done in ages. "I'm going back to the university."
    "Are you sure you're ready? You've lost control today and the next time we might not be lucky enough that no one notices it." A frown line popped out on her forehead. "Did Ethan realize something was wrong with you?"
    "I don't care! I need to find Adrian. His life might be in danger!" I took a deep breath, knowing that it wouldn't help me if I panicked. "And no, I don't think Ethan knows anything, but he might be more persistent now that everyone believes he's my boyfriend."
    "I knew that being a guest on that show was a bad idea. Why didn't you deny your relationship with Ethan? You could have said you two were only dating, not that you're in a serious relationship." Lily was clearly trying to stall me, but I was still planning to leave the office as soon as I felt I was back in control of myself.
    "Well, it's hard to deny something when the president of the country orders you to be a good little girl." I rolled my eyes. "I didn't even get a chance to complain."
    "I didn't know the president would worry about your relationships." She shot me a suspicious look. "Did he say anything