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“Emilia.”

“Reyna Emilia Romulus,” Adrian took my hand again, that spark returning, but this time as more of a dull pulse of electricity. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life. Not even the wonders ofOlympus can compare to your beauty.”

“Did you just compare me to a mountain?” I asked, chuckling lightly as I spoke. I’d been given my fair share of compliments over the years, but this was a new one.

Adrian’s smirk split, giving me an easy, amused once over. “A very beautiful mountain. But yes.”

A small snort caught in the back of my throat. “You might want to work on your compliments, then.”

Adrian hummed and I broke eye contact. The break allowed me to sneak a quick peek at our surroundings. Music was still drifting through the room and there was a healthy dose of chatter, but the volume was considerably lower. Everyone was focused on us. I even spotted Rose over Adrian’s shoulder looking at us curiously.

I looked back up to Adrian, who was seemingly content to stare at me with an intense expression. I lowered my voice a few notches and asked, “What do you want?”

Adrian’s eyes narrowed for a beat then relaxed, like I’d shocked but amused him at the same time. Then he ran his hand down the lapel of his jacket, seemingly doing his mighty best to appear sheepish. I didn’t think he had a sheepish bone in his body. “I have to want something to speak to you?”

“Not necessarily,” I said, shaking my head lightly. “But you’ve made no effort to speak to me before now. And you looked like you were on a mission when you walked over here.”

Adrian nodded once at me, then pulled at the collar of his suit. His eyes bounced to the same people I’d looked at a moment prior. When his gaze swung back to me he said, “How about we step outside? Take a momentof privacy.”

I let him stew for a second, considering. “Okay. But that’ll cause some chatter.”

Adrian smirked. “I’m counting on it.”

I laughed lightly, then motioned at Adrian for him to lead the way. Instead, he stepped up next to me and hovered his hand over my back, but not touching. That somehow made the sparks worse, the negative space in between our bodies more electric.

Adrian and I walked outside, to the same patio from months ago where Lukas had commanded the sea and Adrian had turned all that water into clouds.

“How are the gardens?” I asked, right as we stepped outside. “Not too water-logged I hope.”

Adrian’s head fell back an inch while he barked a laugh. “Of course you saw that. They’re fine. So is the barrier, by the way.”

“Well, that’s good. I’m not going to pretend I know how your power works,” I said. I was settled with my humanity, unlike my father. Any feelings I had towards the gods’ power tended toward curiosity. “But I imagine that had something to do with her being away from the sea for so long.”

“Daphne told me how smart you are. But anyone with half a mind could see that,” Adrian said, and even that compliment sent a traitorous shiver over my skin. “What you’ve done with the charities you work with is impressive.”

“I didn’t know you were paying attention,” I quipped.

Adrian smirked at me, but didn’t comment. He led me to a railing right next to the border, and he leaned against it casually, crossing his arms over his chest. His suit was so well-tailored, it framed his strong arms to apoint that the move looked like it could burst the seams.

I'd never seen him in anything but a suit. Which cultivated a sick urge to see him without it.

“It’s warm out,” I said casually, testing him. “You could lose the jacket.”

My own dress had an exposed neckline, with the straps falling over my shoulders, and the weather was just on the right side of warm.

Adrian looked at me with another one of those deep expressions, then unbuttoned his jacket and shed it in one clean move. Before I could blink, he leaned close and wrapped it around my shoulders.

I was so distracted by the rich, warm sent of his clothes that I sputtered, “Oh, I wasn’t saying that I—I’m not cold.”

“I know,” Adrian said, adjusting the sleeves of his shirt at the wrist. “But if you agree to what I’m about to ask, that,” he nodded at the jacket draped over my shoulders, “is step one.”

“What do you mean?”

Adrian turned to me, leaning an elbow on the railing and bending down so he was closer to eye level. Well, as much as he could. “I’m going to cut right to the chase. I’m dealing with a bit of unrest at the moment.”

He paused, searching my face for something. He wouldn’t find anything. I stayed far away from that.

“And as a part of that, I have been looking for ways to help improve my reputation.”