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No, I decided. There were no similarities. Lissa's dark feelings were magic-based. Mine were<br />
stress-based. Besides, I felt fine right now.<br />
Seeing her watching me, I tried to remember where we'd left off in the conversation. "Maybe<br />
you'll eventually find a way to make it work. I mean, if Adrian could find a way to use spirit<br />
and doesn't need meds …"<br />
She suddenly laughed. "You don't know, do you?"<br />
"What?"<br />
"That Adrian does medicate himself."<br />
"He does? But he said—" I groaned. "Of course he does. The cigarettes. The drinking. God<br />
only knows what else."<br />
She nodded. "Yup. He's almost always got something in his system."<br />
"But probably not at night…which is why he can poke his head into my dreams."<br />
"Man, I wish I could do that," she sighed.<br />
"Maybe you'll learn someday. Just don't become an alcoholic in the process."<br />
"I won't," she assured me. "But I will learn. None of the other spirit users could do it, Rose—<br />
well, aside from St. Vladimir. I'll learn like he did. I'm going to learn to use it—and I won't let<br />
it hurt me."<br />
I smiled and touched her hand. I had absolute faith in her. "I know."<br />
We talked for most of the evening. When the time came for my usual practice with Dimitri, I<br />
parted ways with her. As I walked away, I pondered something that had been bothering me.<br />
Although the attacking groups of Strigoi had had many more members, the guardians felt<br />
confident Isaiah had been their leader. That didn't mean there wouldn't be other threats in the<br />
future, but they felt it'd be a while before his followers regrouped.<br />
But I couldn't help thinking about the list I'd seen in the tunnel in Spokane, the one that had<br />
listed royal families by size. And Isaiah had mentioned the Dragomirs by name. He knew they
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