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“Don’t let them talk to each other,” he warned the guardian who escorted me to the back of the plane. “Five minutes together, and they’ll come up with an escape plan.” I shot him a haughty look and stormed off down the aisle. Never mind the fact we had been planning escape.
“She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential—” “Wild and disrespectful?” I interrupted. “Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?” “Guardian Belikov is the princess’s guardian now,” said Kirova. “Her sanctioned guardian.” “You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?”
I honestly couldn’t believe he was still around. The guy was so freaking old, he should have retired. Or died.
If you want to be with her, then you need to work for it. You have your lessons. You have me. Use us or don’t.
Lissa had always attended mass regularly. Not me. I had a standing arrangement with God: I’d agree to believe in him—barely—so long as he let me sleep in on Sundays.
No matter what happened in our world, a few basic truths about vampires remained the same. Moroi were alive; Strigoi were undead. Moroi were mortal; Strigoi were immortal. Moroi were born; Strigoi were made.
“I wasn’t aware you had any religious needs.” “I found Jesus while I was gone.” “Isn’t your mother an atheist?” she asked skeptically. “And my dad’s probably Muslim. But I’ve moved on to my own path. You shouldn’t keep me from it.”
“So tell me this: suppose you manage to kidnap her again and take her off to the mall. While you’re there, a Strigoi comes at you. What will you do?” “Depends on what store we’re in.” He looked at me. “Fine. I’ll stab him with a silver stake.”
“Screw you,” I told him in a low voice. “Are you offering?” “From what I’ve heard, there isn’t much to screw,” I shot back. “Wow,” he said mockingly. “You have changed. Last I remembered, you weren’t too picky about who you got naked with.” “And the last I remember, the only people you ever saw naked were on the Internet.”
“Do you know the rules about male and female interactions around here?” “Yes, sir.” “Then I suggest you get out of here as fast as you can before I turn you over to someone who will punish you accordingly. If I ever see you like this again”—Dimitri pointed to where I cowered, half-dressed, on the couch—“I will be the one to punish you. And it will hurt. A lot. Do you understand?”
“Not just that. I’m talking about the stupidity of getting in that kind of situation in the first place.” “I get in that kind of situation all the time, Comrade. It’s not a big deal.” Anger replaced my fear. I didn’t like being treated like a child. “Stop calling me that. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” “Sure I do. I had to do a report on Russia and the R.S.S.R. last year.” “U.S.S.R.
I didn’t want to admit it to anyone—not to Lissa, not even to myself— but some days, I lived for those smiles. They lit up his face. “Gorgeous” no longer adequately described him.
“I’m supposed to take you back to your dorm,” Dimitri told me drily. “You weren’t about to just start a fight, were you?” “Of course not,” I said, my eyes still staring at the empty doorway Mia had disappeared through. “I don’t start fights where people can see them.” “Rose,” groaned Lissa.
“I saw the dress.” “Did you like it?” He didn’t answer. I took that as a yes. “Am I going to endanger my reputation if I wear it to the dance?” When he spoke, I could barely hear him. “You’ll endanger the school.”
Lip gloss, the kind I liked. I’d complained to him a number of times how I was running out, but I’d never thought he was paying attention. “How’d you manage to buy this? I saw you the whole time at the mall.” “Guardian secrets.” “What’s this for? For my first day?” “No,” he said simply. “Because I thought it would make you happy.”
“I’ve never seen anything like you two. Always so worried about each other. I get her thing—some kind of weird guardian hang-up—but you’re just the same.” “She’s my friend.” “I guess it’s that simple. I wouldn’t know.”
Sometimes I find peace there, but not often. I find more peace with you.”
“Did you? Did you want me?” His words came out thickly. “Yes, Roza. I did want you. I still do. I wish . . . we could be together.” “Then why did you lie to me?”
“No. If I let myself love you, I won’t throw myself in front of her. I’ll throw myself in front of you.”
