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"Hard to say," I said. Tasha crooked me a grin. "You're being modest. I've seen what you guys can do. This is just a hobby I picked up." Dimitri chuckled. "Now you're being modest. You could teach half the classes around here." "Not likely," she said. "It'd be pretty embarrassing to be beaten up by a bunch of teenagers." "I don't think that'd happen," he said. "I seem to remember you doing some damage to Neil Szelsky." Tasha rolled her eyes. "Throwing my drink in his face wasn't actually damage—unless you consider the damage it did to his suit. And we all know how he is about his clothes." They both laughed at some private joke the rest of us weren't in on, but I was only halflistening. I was still intrigued about her role with the Strigoi. The self-control I'd tried to maintain finally slipped. "Did you start learning to fight before or after that happened to your face?" "Rose!" hissed Lissa. But Tasha didn't seem upset. Neither did Christian, and he usually grew uncomfortable when the attack with his parents was brought up. She regarded me with a level, thoughtful look. It reminded me of the one I sometimes got from Dimitri if I did something surprising that he approved of. "After," she said. She didn't lower her gaze or look embarrassed, though I sensed sadness in her. "How much do you know?" I glanced at Christian. "The basics." She nodded. "I knew … I knew what Lucas and Moira had become, but that still didn't prepare me. Mentally, physically, or emotionally. I think if I had to live through it again, I still wouldn't be ready. But after that night, I looked at myself— figuratively—and realized how defenseless I was. I'd spent my whole life expecting guardians to protect me and take care of me.
"And that's not to say the guardians aren't capable. Like I said, you could probably take me in a fight. But they—Lucas and Moira—cut down our two guardians before we realized what had happened. I stalled them from taking Christian— but just barely. If the others hadn't shown up, I'd be dead, and he'd—" She stopped, frowned, and kept going. "I decided that I didn't want to die that way, not without putting up a real fight and doing everything I could to protect myself and those I love. So I learned all sorts of self-defense. And after a while, I didn't really, uh, fit in so well with high society around here. So I moved to Minneapolis and made a living from teaching others." I didn't doubt there were other Moroi living in Minneapolis—though God only knew why—but I could read between the lines. She'd moved there and integrated herself with humans, keeping away from other vampires like Lissa and I had for two years. I started to wonder also if there might have been something else there between the lines. She'd said she'd learned "all sorts of self-defense"—apparently, more than just martial arts. Going along with their offense-defense beliefs, the Moroi didn't think magic should be used as a weapon. Long ago, it had been used that way, and some Moroi still secretly did today. Christian, I knew, was one of them. I suddenly had a good idea of where he might have picked up that kind of thing. Silence fell. It was hard to follow up a sad story like that. But Tasha, I realized, was one of those people who could always lighten a mood. It made me like her even more, and she spent the rest of the time telling us funny stories. She didn't put on airs like a lot of royals did, so she had lots of dirt on everyone. Dimitri knew a lot of the people she spoke of— honestly, how did someone so antisocial seem to know everyone in Moroi and guardian society?—and would occasionally add some small detail. They had us in hysterics until Tasha finally looked at her watch. "Where's the best place a girl can go shopping around here?" she asked. Lissa and I exchanged looks. "Missoula," we said in unison. Tasha sighed. "That's a couple hours away, but if I leave soon, I can probably still get in some time before the stores close. I'm hopelessly behind in Christmas shopping." I groaned. "I'd kill to go shopping."
- Page 6 and 7: And there's one Moroi I want to pro
- Page 8 and 9: By the way, my name's Rose Hathaway
- Page 10 and 11: "No, no," she said hastily. "I'm fi
- Page 12 and 13: down over the years. The older guar
- Page 14 and 15: Suddenly, five hours didn't seem as
- Page 16 and 17: Standing on the driveway, I glanced
- Page 18 and 19: I stared at Arthur's bloody throat.
- Page 20 and 21: TWO DIMITRI MADE ONE PHONE CALL, an
- Page 22 and 23: I hesitated. Guardians, as a genera
- Page 24 and 25: I faltered. I'd tangled briefly wit
- Page 26 and 27: "I thought you were taking your Qua
- Page 28 and 29: There was an intensely sensual note
- Page 30 and 31: THREE THE LOBBY OF MY DORM was abuz
- Page 32 and 33: who want to go. With everyone in on
- Page 34 and 35: Since he wasn't wearing a coat, I k
- Page 36 and 37: them—it was a man with blond hair
- Page 38 and 39: "You ever tried to feed those littl
- Page 40 and 41: FOUR I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. JANINE
- Page 42 and 43: incapable of having the imagination
- Page 44 and 45: "So, Guardian Hathaway," I began. "
- Page 46 and 47: "Coddle?" I asked. This woman had n
- Page 48 and 49: His eyes sparkled. "I can't believe
- Page 50 and 51: "Only to those who bring it to you
- Page 52 and 53: FIVE I HAD NO IDEA WHAT Dimitri was
- Page 54 and 55: observed before, though, Strigoi we
- Page 58 and 59: "Me too," said Lissa. "Maybe we cou
- Page 60 and 61: "Russian's weird," In Russian, the
- Page 62 and 63: He'd technically been up all of the
- Page 64 and 65: women often had short-term affairs
- Page 66 and 67: make sure she doesn't have a concus
- Page 68 and 69: SEVEN I ANGRILY PUSHED THROUGH THE
- Page 70 and 71: Mia saw my hesitation, and it was l
- Page 72 and 73: "Whatever. I can tell when you're l
- Page 74 and 75: Before I could open my mouth, I fel
- Page 76 and 77: had been a long time since I'd kiss
- Page 78 and 79: EIGHT CHRISTIAN WAS KISSING HER, AN
- Page 80 and 81: "The truth, huh? No one wants to he
- Page 82 and 83: He rolled his eyes, still smiling.
- Page 84 and 85: "Look at me," he ordered. "Dimitri
- Page 86 and 87: shouting. "I swear, sometimes it's
- Page 88 and 89: NINE I DIDN'T SEE DIMITRI FOR a whi
- Page 90 and 91: Christian were chatting on in their
- Page 92 and 93: I honestly couldn't believe we were
- Page 94 and 95: "Good." She opened her mouth, and I
- Page 96 and 97: "I'm really tired," I repeated. I c
- Page 98 and 99: TEN THE SKI TRIP COULDN'T HAVE come
- Page 100 and 101: Inside, all sorts of arrangements h
- Page 102 and 103: "Ah," he said triumphantly. "She fi
- Page 104 and 105: leather dress shoes he wore indicat
"And that's not to say the guardians aren't capable. Like I said, you could probably take me in a<br />
fight. But they—Lucas and Moira—cut down our two guardians before we realized what had<br />
happened. I stalled them from taking Christian— but just barely. If the others hadn't shown up,<br />
I'd be dead, and he'd—" She stopped, frowned, and kept going. "I decided that I didn't want to<br />
die that way, not without putting up a real fight and doing everything I could to protect myself<br />
and those I love. So I learned all sorts of self-defense. And after a while, I didn't really, uh, fit<br />
in so well with high society around here. So I moved to Minneapolis and made a living from<br />
teaching others."<br />
I didn't doubt there were other Moroi living in Minneapolis—though God only knew why—but<br />
I could read between the lines. She'd moved there and integrated herself with humans, keeping<br />
away from other vampires like Lissa and I had for two years. I started to wonder also if there<br />
might have been something else there between the lines. She'd said she'd learned "all sorts of<br />
self-defense"—apparently, more than just martial arts. Going along with their offense-defense<br />
beliefs, the Moroi didn't think magic should be used as a weapon. Long ago, it had been used<br />
that way, and some Moroi still secretly did today. Christian, I knew, was one of them. I<br />
suddenly had a good idea of where he might have picked up that kind of thing.<br />
Silence fell. It was hard to follow up a sad story like that. But Tasha, I realized, was one of<br />
those people who could always lighten a mood. It made me like her even more, and she spent<br />
the rest of the time telling us funny stories. She didn't put on airs like a lot of royals did, so she<br />
had lots of dirt on everyone. Dimitri knew a lot of the people she spoke of— honestly, how did<br />
someone so antisocial seem to know everyone in Moroi and guardian society?—and would<br />
occasionally add some small detail. They had us in hysterics until Tasha finally looked at her<br />
watch.<br />
"Where's the best place a girl can go shopping around here?" she asked.<br />
Lissa and I exchanged looks. "Missoula," we said in unison.<br />
Tasha sighed. "That's a couple hours away, but if I leave soon, I can probably still get in some<br />
time before the stores close. I'm hopelessly behind in Christmas shopping."<br />
I groaned. "I'd kill to go shopping."
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