Blood Promise Chapter Seventeen

Convincing them to release a Strigoi- scattericularly when we had him trapped-wasnt easy. My questioning hadnt f completely upon sense to them either, tho theyd g wholeness a great with it. permitting a Strigoi go? That was re eithery crazy-even for the unpromised. They exchanged uneasy glances with one another, and I wondered if theyd disobey. In the end, my severity and authority won disc e realw present. They compulsioned me as their leader and put their reliance in my actions-no matter how insane they reckoned.Of course, once we did let the Strigoi go, we had the new line of reverse of making sure he actu onlyy went. At first, he scoop outed to assault again, and then, realizing hed likely get overwhelmed, he fin completelyy skulked lot. He gave us one last menacing attend to as he disappeared into the mysteriousness. I didnt judge macrocosm taken down by a group of teenagers had make a kitty for his self-esteem. He gave me in item a look of hatred, and I sh uddered at the idea of him k in a flashing my name. thither was no liaison to be done ab extinct it now I could only hope my scheme had a chance of working.Denis and the others got over me letting the Strigoi go once we do a hardly a(prenominal) other kills that week. We fell into a routine, investigating clubs and hard parts of townspeople, relying on my senses to tell us when danger was near. It was funny to me how a lot the group soon began to rely on my leadership. They claimed they indispensabilityed no part of the guardians rules and authority, notwithstanding they responded surprisingly well to me telling them what to do.Well, more or less. any once in a while, Id see a bit of that cark recklessness. One of them would try to play hero, underestimate a Strigoi, or go in without the rest of us. Artur nearly ended up with a misfortune that way. As the largest of all of us, hed gotten a bit cocky and was at that placefore caught off guard when a Strigoi threw him into a wall. It had been a sobering moment for all of us. For a a couple of(prenominal) agonizing moments, Id feared Artur was dead-and that it was my fault as their leader. One of Sydneys Alchemists had uprise-though Id do sure not to be around, lest Abe find me-and had treated Artur. The qat give tongue to Artur would be fine with rough bed rest, humbleing he had to fall by the ship canalide hunt for a while. It was hard for him to do-and I had to yell at him when he tried to fol broken in us one iniquity, reminding him of all their friends who had died forward because of such(prenominal) dopeyity.Out in the human world, dhampirs tended to obtain on human schedules. directly I put myself on a nocturnal schedule, just wish well Id been on at the Academy. The others followed suit, except for Tamara, since she had a day job. I didnt want to be asleep during the time Strigoi prowled the streets. I had called Sydney each time we unexpended a kill, and word had to be getting around in the Strigoi partnership that aboutone was doing a lot of damage. And if the Strigoi wed released had carried my message, some of those Strigoi could specifically survey looking for for me.As days passed, our kills dropped a small(a), making me think the Strigoi were indeed macrocosm cautious now. I couldnt decide if that was a good or harmful thing, save I urged the others to be extra careful. They were beginning to revere me as a goddess, but I took no satisfaction in their adoration. My nerve centre nevertheless ached from all that had happened with Lissa and Dimitri. I wrapped myself up in my task, essay only to think of working the Strigoi community to get closer to Dimitri. scarce when we werent out hunting Strigoi, I had a lot of downtime with nothing to do.And so I un bustn visiting Lissa.Id cognize there were a lot of kids- corresponding Mia-who lived at theRoyal romancebecause their parents had jobs there. I didnt quite realize how more there were , though. Avery naturally knew them all, and to no ones strike (at least(prenominal) not mine), approximately of them were spoiled and rich.The rest of Lissas visit had been a series of other functions and ceremonious parties. The more she listened to royal Moroi talk business, the more it irritated her. She apothegm the very(prenominal) abuses of power shed noted to begin with, the same unfair way of distributing guardians like they were property. The arguable issue of whether Moroi should learn to fight along nerve the guardians was also silent a hot topic. Most of the people Lissa ran into at butterfly were of the old- nurture mentality Let guardians fight and Moroi appease protected. by and byward(prenominal) see the results of that policy-and the successes that had happened when people like Christian and I tried to change it-hearing the selfishness among the Moroi elite enraged Lissa.She welcomed her escapes from these events whenever she could, anxious to run wi ld with Avery. Avery was always able to find people to hang out with and attend parties of a often different nature than Tatianas. Stifling Court politics never came up at these parties, but there were dormant plenty of other things to drag Lissas mood down.In particular, Lissa felt her guilt, anger, and falling off over me spiraling deeper and deeper. Shed seen attendly of spirits effects on her moods to recognize capableness warning signs, though she hadnt been actively using spirit while on this trip. Regardless of the moods cause, she still continued to do her beat out to seek confusion and drown her depression.Watch it, warned Avery one evening. She and Lissa were at a party the night before they had to fly tail end to the Academy. A lot of those who lived at Court had permanent housing, and this party was at the town house of some Szelsky who served as an aide on a committee Lissa didnt know.Lissa didnt really know their military either, but that didnt matter, save t hat his parents were out of town.Watch what? asked Lissa, staring around the sights. The town house had a courtyard out adventure, lit up by tiki torches and strings of twinkling lights.There were beverages and food in full force, and some Moroi guy had a guitar out and was laborious to impress undersized girls with his harmonyal skills-which were no(prenominal)xistent. In fact, his music was so awful that he might work spy a new way to kill Strigoi. He was cute replete, though, that his admirers didnt seem to care what he played.This, utter Avery, pointing at Lissas martini. Are you keeping lede of how many of those youre taking down?Not from what I can tell, say Adrian. He was sprawled on a lounge chair close, a crispen in his own pass by.Lissa felt a bit amateur compared to them. period Avery was still her wild and flirtatious self, she didnt suck in the crazed or stupid air of someone completely trashed. Lissa didnt know how much the other girl had been intoxi cation, but it was presumably a lot since Avery always had a drink in hand. Likewise, Adrian never seemed to be without a beverage, the effects of which intimatelyly laid- patronage him out. Lissa supposed they had a lot more experience than her. Shed gone low-key over the years.Im fine, lied Lissa, who was watching her surroundings spin a little and seriously contemplating joining some girls dancing on a knock rump a loanblend the courtyard.Averys lips quirked into a smile, though her eye showed a bit of worry. Sure. only if dont get sick or anything. That kind of thing gets around, and the last thing we need is everyone knowing that the Dragomir girl cant hold her liquor. Your family has a fierce composition to maintain.Lissa downed the drink. Somehow, I doubt alcohol consumption is part of my familys illustrious ancestry.Avery pushed Adrian over and lay down next to him on the lounge chair. Hey, youd be surprised. In ten years, this group will be your peers on the council . And youll be onerous to pass some resolution, and theyll be like, ?Remember that time she got trashed and threw up at that party?Lissa and Adrian both laughed at that. Lissa didnt think she was going to get sick, but like everything else, she would worry about it later. The bright point of all this was that drinking was helping numb the memories of what had happened earlier in the day. Tatiana had introduced her to her future guardians a flavor guy named Grant and the young lady, who was named Serena. They had been nice overflowing, but their parallels to Dimitri and me had been overwhelming. Taking them on had seemed like a betrayal to us, yet Lissa had simply nodded and thanked Tatiana.Later, Lissa had learned that Serena had in the beginning been lined up to be the guardian for a girl shed known her entire life. The girl wasnt royal, but sometimes, depending on guardian numbers, even non-royals got depute guardians-though never more than one. When positions for Lissas prot ection unfastened up, however, Tatiana had pulled Serena from the job with her friend. Serena had smiled and told Lissa it didnt matter. Duty came first, she tell, and she was blessed to serve her. still Lissa felt bad, knowing it had to have been hard on both girls-and terribly unfair. But there it was again an unfair awaitder of power with no one to really keep it in line. deviation that encounter, Lissa had cursed her own meekness. If she hadnt had the courage to follow me, she vista, she should have at least put her foot down and demanded that Tatiana give her my mother instead. Then Serena could have gone back to her friend, and thered be one friendship still remaining intact in the world.The martini simultaneously seemed to numb the pain and make her find worse, which honestly do no sense to Lissa. Whatever, she thought.And when she caught a glimpse of a server passing by, she waved him over to order more.Hey, can I-Ambrose?She stared in surprise at the guy standing b efore her. If thered been a swimsuit schedule for hottest dhampir guys, this one would have been the cover model (aside from Dimitri-but then, I was biased). This guys name was Ambrose, and she and I had met him on our trip there together. He had deeply convert pelt and well-formed muscles underneath his gray button-down shirt. He was a particular oddity at Court, a dhampir whod rejected guardian service and performed all sorts of tasks here, like giving massages and-if rumor was true-having romantic encounters with the queen. That one still do me cringe, and Id run into some pretty disgusting things in my life.Princess Dragomir, he say, ostentation her one of his perfect white grins. An unexpected surprise.How have you been? she asked, genuinely apt to see him.Good, good. I have the best job in the world, afterward all. And you?Great, she replied.Ambrose pa utilize, eyeing her. He didnt drop that gorgeous grin, but Lissa could tell he didnt hold up with her. She could see t he disapproval in his incline. Avery accusing her of drinking too much was one thing. But some pretty dhampir servant? Unaccep skirt. Lissas demeanor grew cold, and she held out her glass.I need another martini, she tell, her vocalise as haughty as that of any perfect royal.He sensed the change in her, and his companionate smile rancid to one of polite indifference. Right away. He gave her a small bow and headed off to the bar.Jeez, said Avery, watching admiringly as he walked away. Why didnt you introduce us to your friend?Hes not my friend, snapped Lissa. Hes nobody.Agreed, said Adrian, putting an arm around Avery. Why look elsewhere when youve got the best right here? If I hadnt known any better, Id have sworn there was a hint of legitimate jealousy underneath his b take a chance tone. Didnt I go out of my way to bring you to breakfast with my aunt?Avery gave him a lazy smile. Thats a good start. Youve still got a ways to go to impress me, Ivashkov. Her gaze drifted over Lissas head and turned surprised. Hey, Jailbaits here.Mia, with Jill in tow, came striding through the garden, indifferent to the shocked looks she received. The two of them were clearly out of place.Hey, said Mia when she reached Lissas group. My dad just got called away, and I have to go with him. Ive got to give Jill back.No problem, said Lissa automatically, though she clearly wasnt happy about Jill being there. Lissa still kept wondering if Christian had some special interest in her. Everything okay?Yeah, just business.Mia made her farewells to everyone and left the party as right away as shed come, rolling her eyes at the other royals sneers and shock as she passed.Lissa turned her attention to Jill, who had sat gingerly in a nearby chair and was staring around her in wonder. Hows it been? Did you have fun with Mia?Jill turned back to Lissa, face brightening. Oh yeah. Shes really great. Shes done so much work with water. Its crazy And she taught me a few fighting moves, too. I can sick a right scratch off although not very hard.Ambrose returned then with Lissas drink. He gave it to her wordlessly and softened a bit when he truism Jill. You want anything?She shook her head. No, thanks.Adrian was watching Jill carefully. You okay here? Do you want me to take you back to guest housing? Like before, his intentions werent romantic in the least. He seemed to regard her as a little sister, which I thought was cute. I hadnt thought him capable of that kind of protective behavior.She shook her head again. Its okay. I dont want you to have to leave unless Her facet grew worried. Do you want me to go?Nah, said Adrian. Its nice to have someone responsible around in the midst of all this madness. You should get yourself some food, if youre hungry.Youre so motherly, teased Avery, let out my thoughts.For whatever reason, Lissa took Adrians responsible comment personally, like he was directly slamming her. I didnt think that was the case at all, but she wasnt rea lly thinking all that clearly. Deciding she wanted some food herself, she got up and wandered over to the table in the courtyards garden that had trays of appetizers on it. Well, it had earlier. Now the table was being used by the dancing girls Lissa had noticed before. Someone had cleared space by moving all the trays of food to the ground. Lissa leaned over and picked up a miniskirt sandwich, watching the girls and wondering how they could find any sort of beat in that royal guys horrible music.One of the girls spotted Lissa and grinned. She extended a hand. Hey, come on up.Lissa had met her once but couldnt recall her name. Dancing suddenly seemed like a great idea. Lissa finished the sandwich and, drink in hand, allowed herself to be pulled up. This got a few cheers from people gathered around. Lissa discovered that the crappy music was irrelevant and tack together herself getting into it. Her and the other girls moves varied from overtly inner to mockeries of disco. It was al l fun, and Lissa wondered if Avery would claim this would haunt her in ten years too.After a while, she and the others actually attempted some synchronized moves. They started by swaying their weaponry in the air and then moved on to some chorus line kicks. Those kicks proved disastrous. A misstep-Lissa was wearing heels-suddenly sent her over the tables edge. She helpless the drink and nearly collapsed before a pair of arms caught her and kept her upright. My hero, she muttered. Then she got a good look at her saviors face. Aaron?Lissas ex-boyfriend-and the first guy shed ever slept with-looked down at her with a smile and released her once he seemed certain she could stand. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, Aaron was handsome in a surfer kind of way. I couldnt help but wonder what would have happened if Mia had seen him. She, Aaron, and Lissa had once been involved in a triangle worthy of any soap opera.What are you doing here? We thought you disappeared, Lissa said. Aaron had left th e Academy a few months ago.Im going to school out in New Hampshire, he replied. Were here visiting family.Well, its great to see you, said Lissa. Things hadnt ended well between them, but in her current state, she meant her words. Shed had enough booze to think it was great to see everyone at the party.You too, he said. You look amazing.His words struck her more than she would have expected, credibly because everyone else here had implied that she looked trashed and irresponsible. And breakup or no, she couldnt help but recall how agreeable shed once plant him. Honestly, she still found him attractive. She just didnt love him anymore.You should hinderance in touch, she said. Let us know whats going on. For a moment, she wondered if she should have said that, in light of having a boyfriend. Then she dismissed her worries. There was nothing wrong with hanging out with other guys-particularly since Christian hadnt cared enough to come with her on this trip.Id like that, Aaron said. There was something in his eyes she found pleasurably disconcerting. I dont suppose, though, that I could get a goodbye caress, seeing as I rescued you and all?The idea was preposterous-then, after a moment, Lissa laughed. What did it matter? Christian was the one she loved, and a kiss between friends would mean nothing. Looking up, she let Aaron lean down and cup her face. Their lips met, and there was no denying it The kiss lasted a bit longer than a friendly one. When it ended, Lissa found herself smiling like a dazed schoolgirl-which, technically, she was.See you around, she said, heading back toward her friends.Avery wore a chastising look, but it wasnt over Aaron and the kiss. Are you crazy? You nearly broke your leg. You cant do that kind of thing.Youre supposed to be the fun one, pointed out Lissa. It wasnt a big deal.Fun isnt the same as stupid, Avery retorted, face serious. You cant go do stupid shit like that. I think we should get you rest home.Im fine, said Lissa. She stubbornly looked away from Avery and instead focused on some guys who were doing shots of tequila. They were having some sort of competition-and half of them looked ready to pass out.Define ?fine, said Adrian wryly. Yet he looked concerned too.Im fine, Lissa repeated. Her gaze snapped back to Avery. I didnt get distress at all. Shed expected grief about Aaron and was surprised they hadnt given it to her-which made it even more surprising when it came from another source.You kissed that guy exclaimed Jill, leaning forward. Her face was aghast, and she displayed none of her usual reticence.It was nothing, said Lissa, who was irked to have Jill reprimanding her of all people. Certainly none of your business.But youre with Christian How could you do that to him?Relax, Jailbait, said Avery. A drunken kiss is nothing compared to a drunken fall. God knows Ive kissed plenty of guys drunk.And yet, I remain unkissed tonight, mused Adrian, with a shake of his head.It doesnt matter. Jill was really worked up. Shed grown to like and respect Christian. You cheated on him.With those words, Jill might as well have practiced her right hook on Lissa. I did not Lissa exclaimed. Dont drag your crush on him into this and create by mental act things that arent there.I didnt imagine that kiss, said Jill, flushing.That kiss is the least of our worries, sighed Avery. Im serious-just let it go for now, you guys. Well talk in the morning.But- began Jill.You heard her. Let it go, a new voice growled. Reed Lazar had appeared out of nowhere and was looming over Jill, face as hard and scary as ever.Jills eyes went wide. Im just telling the integrity I had to admire her courage here, considering her normally timid nature.Youre pissing everyone off, said Reed, leaning closer and clenching his fists. And youre pissing me off. I was pretty sure this was the most Id ever heard him say. I tended to kind of think of him as a caveman, stringing three-word sentences together.Whoa. Adrian leapt up and rushed to Jills side. You need to let this go. What, are you going to start a fight with some girl?Reed turned his gleaming on Adrian. Stay out of this.The hell I will Youre crazy.If anyone had asked me to make up a list of people most likely to risk a fight in defense of a ladys honor, Adrian Ivashkov would have been low on that list. Yet there he stood, face hard and hand sitting protectively on Jills shoulder. I was in awe. And impressed.Reed, cried Avery. She too had uprise and now stood on Jills other side. She didnt mean anything. Back off.The two siblings stood there, eyes locked in some kind of silent showdown. Avery wore the harshest look Id ever seen on her, and at last, he glowered and stepped back. Fine. Whatever.The group stared in amazement as he walked abruptly away. The music was so loud that only a few of the partygoers had overhead the argument.They stopped and stared, and Avery looked embarrassed as she sank back in her chair. Adrian still stood by Jill. What the hell was that? Adrian demanded.I dont know, Avery admitted. He gets weird and overprotective sometimes. She gave Jill an justificatory smile. Im really sorry.Adrian shook his head. I think its time for us to go. evening in her drunken state, Lissa had to agree. The confrontation with Reed had shocked her into soberness, and she was suddenly anxiously evaluating her actions tonight. The glittering lights and fancy cocktails of the party had lost their charm. The drunken antics of the other royals seemed incapable and stupid. She had a feeling she might regret this party tomorrow.Once back in my own head, I felt fear set in. Okay. Something was very wrong with Lissa, and no one else seemed to notice it-well, not to the extent they should have. Adrian and Avery did seem concerned, but I had the feeling they were blaming her behavior on the drinking. Lissa was still reminding me a lot of how shed been when wed first returned to St. Vladimirs, when spirit had been seizing her and messing with her mind.Except I knew enough about myself now to realize that my anger and fixation on large(p) Strigoi was being influenced by spirits dark side too. That meant I was draining it away from her. It should have been leaving Lissa, not building up. So what was wrong with her? Where was this short-tempered, crazy, and jealous persona coming from? Was spirits darkness simply growing in forcefulness so that it spread to both of us? Were we splitting it? Rose?Huh? I glanced up from where Id been staring blankly at the TV. Denis was looking down at me, his cell phone in his hand.Tamara had to work late. Shes ready to go now, butHe nodded toward the window. The sun was almost down, the sky purple, with only a little orange on the horizon. Tamara worked within walking distance, and while there probably wasnt any real danger, I didnt want her out alone after sunset. I stood up. Come on, well go get her. To Lev and Artur I said, You guys can stay here.Denis and I walked th e half-mile to the small office where Tamara worked. She did assorted clerical tasks, like file and copying, and thered apparently been some project that kept her there late tonight. We met her at the door and walked back to the apartment without incident, talk animatedly about our hunting plans for the evening. When we reached Tamaras building, I heard a strange wailing across the street. We all turned, and Denis chuckled.Good God, its that crazy woman again, I muttered.Tamara didnt live in a bad part of town but, as in any city, there were homeless people and panhandlers. The woman we watched was almost as ancient as Yeva, and she regularly walked up and down the street, muttering to herself. Today, she lay on her back on the sidewalk, making strange noises while waving her limbs like a turtle.Is she hurt? I asked.Nope. Just crazy, said Denis. He and Tamara turned to go inside, but some soft part of me couldnt abandon her. I sighed.Ill be right in.The street was quiet (aside from the old lady) and I cut across without fear of traffic. Reaching the woman, I held out my hand to help her out, trying not to think about how dirty hers was. Like Denis had said, she merely appeared to be in crazy mode today. She wasnt hurt shed apparently just resolved to lie down. I shuddered. I tossed the word crazy around a lot when it came to Lissa and me, but this was truly crazy. I really, really hoped spirit never took us this far. The homeless lady looked surprised at the help but took my hand and began talking excitedly in Russian. When she tried to hug me in gratitude, I stepped back and held up my hands in the international back off signal.She did indeed back off but continued chatting happily. She grabbed the sides of her long coat and held them out like a ball-room skirt and began spinning around and singing. I laughed, surprised that in my grim world, this would cheer me up. I started to cross back over to Tamaras place.The old woman stopped dancing and began talkin g happily to me again.Sorry, I have to go, I told her. It didnt seem to register.Then she froze mid-sentence. Her expression gave me warning only half a millisecond before my sickness did. In one fluid motion, I spun around to face what was lavatory me, pulling my transfix out as I moved. There was a Strigoi there, tall and imposing, having sneaked up while I was distracted.Stupid, stupid. Id refused to let Tamara walk home alone, but Id never even considered danger right outside my NoI wasnt sure if I said the word or thought it. It didnt matter. The only thing that mattered just then was what my eyes saw before me. Or, rather, what my eyes thought they saw. Because surely, surely, I had to be imagining this. It couldnt be real. Not after all this time.Dimitri.I knew him instantly, even though hed changed. I think in a crowd of a million people, I would have recognize him. The connection between us would allow nothing else. And after being deprived of him for so long, I drank i n every feature. The dark, chin-length hair, worn emancipate tonight and curling slightly around his face. The familiar set of lips, quirked now in an amused yet chilling smile. He even wore the white he always wore, the long leather coat that could have come straight out of a cowboy movie.And then there were the Strigoi features. His dark eyes-the eyes I loved-ringed in red. The pale, pale, death-white skin. In life, his complexion had been as tanned as mine, thanks to so much time outdoors. If he opened his mouth, I knew Id see fangs.My whole assessment took place in the eye blink of an eye. Id reacted fast when Id felt him-faster than hed probably expected. I still had the element of surprise, my stake poised and ready. It was perfectly lined up with his heart. I could tell, then and there, that I could make the hit faster than he could defend. ButThe eyes. Oh God, the eyes.Even with that disgust red ring around his pupils, his eyes still reminded me of the Dimitri Id known. The look in his eyes-the soulless, malicious gleam-that was nothing like him. But there was just enough resemblance to stir my heart, to overwhelm my senses and feelings. My stake was ready. All I had to do was keep swinging to make the kill. I had momentum on my sideBut I couldnt. I just needed a few more seconds, a few more seconds to drink him in before I killed him. And thats when he spoke.Roza. His voice had that same wonderful lowness, the same underline it was all just colder. You forgot my first lesson Dont hesitate.I just barely saw his fist striking out toward my head and then I saw nothing at all.