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My anger and snarkiness dried up. The Drozdovs. The Badicas. Suddenly, everything that had happened this morning seemed incredibly trivial. How could I have stood there arguing with Dimitri about romances that might or might not be happening when he and the other guardians were trying to protect us? "What'd you find out?" I asked quietly. "We've managed to track some of the Strigoi," he said. "Or at least the humans with them. There were witnesses who lived nearby who spotted a few of the cars the group used. The plates were all from different states—the group appears to have split up, probably to make it harder for us. But one of the witnesses did catch one plate number. It's registered to an address in Spokane." "Spokane?" I asked incredulously. "Spokane, Washington? Who makes Spokane their hideout?" I'd been there once. It was about as boring as every other backwoods northwest city. "Strigoi, apparently," he said, deadpan. "The address was fake, but other evidence shows they really are there. There's a kind of shopping plaza that has some underground tunnels. There've been Strigoi sightings around that area." "Then …" I frowned. "Are you going to go after them? Is somebody going to? I mean, this is what Tasha's been saying all along…. If we know where they are …" He shook his head. "The guardians can't do anything without permission from higher up. That's not going to happen anytime soon." I sighed. "Because the Moroi talk too much." "They're being cautious," he said. I felt myself getting worked up again. "Come on. Even you can't want to be careful on this one. You actually know where Strigoi are hiding out. Strigoi who massacred children. Don't you want to go after them when they don't expect it?" I sounded like Mason now. "It's not that easy," he said. "We answer to the Guardian Council and the Moroi government. We can't just run off and act on impulse. And anyway, we don't know everything yet. You should never walk into any situation without knowing all the details."
"Zen life lessons again," I sighed. I ran a hand through my hair, tucking it behind my ears. "Why'd you tell me this, anyway? This is guardian stuff. Not the kind of thing you let novices in on." He considered his words, and his expression softened. He always looked amazing, but I liked him best like this. "I've said a few things…the other day and today…that I shouldn't have. Things that insulted your age. You're seventeen…but you're capable of handling and processing the same things those much older than you do." My chest grew light and fluttery. "Really?" He nodded. "You're still really young in a lot of ways— and act young—but the only way to really change that is to treat you like an adult. I need to do that more. I know you'll take this information and understand how important it is and keep it to yourself." I didn't love being told I acted young, but I liked the idea that he would talk to me like an equal. "Dimka," came a voice. Tasha Ozera walked up to us. She smiled when she saw me. "Hello, Rose." There went my mood. "Hey," I said flatly. She placed a hand on Dimitri's forearm, sliding her fingers over the leather of his coat. I eyed those fingers angrily. How dare they touch him? "You've got that look," she told him. "What look?" he asked. The stern look he'd worn with me vanished. There was a small, knowing smile on his lips. Almost a playful one. "That look that says you're going to be on duty all day." "Really? I have a look like that?" There was a teasing, mocking tone to his voice. She nodded. "When does your shift technically end?" Dimitri actually looked—I swear—sheepish. "An hour ago."
- Page 108 and 109: get a couple of guys to tell everyo
- Page 110 and 111: ELEVEN LISSA WAS UP AND GONE before
- Page 112 and 113: Even I wouldn't want her face burne
- Page 114 and 115: I looked between both their faces.
- Page 116 and 117: could look up and see the stars spi
- Page 118 and 119: Adrian leaned against the porch's r
- Page 120 and 121: TWELVE I WAS OUT OF BED in a flash.
- Page 122 and 123: My mother flipped through some pape
- Page 124 and 125: I moved in front of her and placed
- Page 126 and 127: was one of the ruling Moroi, and as
- Page 128 and 129: was pulled back into a ponytail, co
- Page 130 and 131: Tasha shrugged. "If that's what it
- Page 132 and 133: "I have my sources." Somehow, sayin
- Page 134 and 135: I remembered Adrian's arm was still
- Page 136 and 137: I looked at Mason questioningly. It
- Page 138 and 139: attle strategies. The fact that she
- Page 140 and 141: FOURTEEN TWO GUYS I'D NEVER MET bef
- Page 142 and 143: The guy clenched his fists and look
- Page 144 and 145: "My boyfriend," I said. "Sort of."
- Page 146 and 147: "Hey yourself, cousin," he returned
- Page 148 and 149: "It's okay," he said. "I have a goo
- Page 150 and 151: "I'm just telling you the truth." "
- Page 152 and 153: FIFTEEN I WAS TRYING TO PAINT my to
- Page 154 and 155: "I'm returning these." I hoisted th
- Page 156 and 157: The rest of us just sort of stared.
- Page 160 and 161: "You can't keep doing this," she gr
- Page 162 and 163: He stopped walking. "We could go."
- Page 164 and 165: I was kissing Mason, but in my head
- Page 166 and 167: SIXTEEN LISSA FOUND ME LATER IN the
- Page 168 and 169: She eyed me. "How much do you know?
- Page 170 and 171: along with their blood, but they di
- Page 172 and 173: Intrigued gazes turned her way agai
- Page 174 and 175: He laughed. "Of course you are. I c
- Page 176 and 177: SEVENTEEN WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE
- Page 178 and 179: there, and several people had witne
- Page 180 and 181: spreading rumors about her? I'd had
- Page 182 and 183: EIGHTEEN THE HIGH HEELS WERE STARTI
- Page 184 and 185: Someone, say, like Mia. I wasn't th
- Page 186 and 187: the guardians hadn't done anything
- Page 188 and 189: to get to town fast, and I prayed C
- Page 190 and 191: Dimitri sighed and leaned back on h
- Page 192 and 193: "No, but the school's guardians can
- Page 194 and 195: T D V L D Z S I Some had lines and
- Page 196 and 197: We turned and walked down a narrow
- Page 198 and 199: NINETEEN I HATE BEING POWERLESS. AN
- Page 200 and 201: each other's gaze for several momen
- Page 202 and 203: framed his face and stood out again
- Page 204 and 205: Isaiah smoothed his shirt—not tha
- Page 206 and 207: "Rose!" exclaimed Mason. I ignored
"Zen life lessons again," I sighed. I ran a hand through my hair, tucking it behind my ears.<br />
"Why'd you tell me this, anyway? This is guardian stuff. Not the kind of thing you let novices<br />
in on."<br />
He considered his words, and his expression softened. He always looked amazing, but I liked<br />
him best like this. "I've said a few things…the other day and today…that I shouldn't have.<br />
Things that insulted your age. You're seventeen…but you're capable of handling and processing<br />
the same things those much older than you do."<br />
My chest grew light and fluttery. "Really?"<br />
He nodded. "You're still really young in a lot of ways— and act young—but the only way to<br />
really change that is to treat you like an adult. I need to do that more. I know you'll take this<br />
information and understand how important it is and keep it to yourself."<br />
I didn't love being told I acted young, but I liked the idea that he would talk to me like an equal.<br />
"Dimka," came a voice. Tasha Ozera walked up to us. She smiled when she saw me. "Hello,<br />
Rose."<br />
There went my mood. "Hey," I said flatly.<br />
She placed a hand on Dimitri's forearm, sliding her fingers over the leather of his coat. I eyed<br />
those fingers angrily. How dare they touch him?<br />
"You've got that look," she told him.<br />
"What look?" he asked. The stern look he'd worn with me vanished. There was a small,<br />
knowing smile on his lips. Almost a playful one.<br />
"That look that says you're going to be on duty all day."<br />
"Really? I have a look like that?" There was a teasing, mocking tone to his voice.<br />
She nodded. "When does your shift technically end?"<br />
Dimitri actually looked—I swear—sheepish. "An hour ago."
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