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was one of the ruling Moroi, and as much as the idea of roving bands of Strigoi scared her, she<br />
wanted to do her part.<br />
"You should do it," I said softly. I also liked the idea of her defying Christian.<br />
Lissa met my eyes and smiled. She knew what I had sensed. A moment later, she turned to<br />
Christian. "You should join your aunt."<br />
Christian opened his mouth to protest. If not for the horribleness of the situation, seeing Lissa<br />
order him around would have been funny. He was always stubborn and difficult; those who<br />
tried to push him didn't succeed. Watching his face, I saw the same realization I'd had about<br />
Lissa come over him. He liked seeing her strong too. He pressed his lips together in a grimace.<br />
"Okay." He caught her hand, and the two of them walked off toward the front.<br />
Mason and I sat down. Just before things started, Dimitri sat down on the other side of me, hair<br />
tied behind his neck and the leather coat draping around him as he settled in the chair. I glanced<br />
at him in surprise but said nothing. There were few guardians at this gathering; most were too<br />
busy doing damage control. It would figure. There I was, stuck between both of my men.<br />
The meeting kicked off shortly thereafter. Everyone was eager to talk about how they thought<br />
the Moroi should be saved, but really, two theories got the most attention.<br />
"The answer's all around us," said one royal, once he'd been given leave to speak. He stood by<br />
his chair and looked around the room. "Here. In places like this lodge. And St. Vladimir's. We<br />
send our children to safe places, places where they have safety in numbers and can be easily<br />
guarded. And look how many of us made it here, children and adults alike. Why don't we live<br />
this way all the time?"<br />
"Plenty of us already do," someone shouted back.<br />
The man waved that off. "A couple of families here and there. Or a town with a large Moroi<br />
population. But those Moroi are still decentralized. Most don't pool their resources—their<br />
guardians, their magic. If we could emulate this model…" He spread his hands out. "… we'd<br />
never have to worry about Strigoi again."
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