o_18vdqvms01tdp1ck54q91frg17mg2d.pdf
Before I could open my mouth, I felt her thoughts suddenly shift. They became eager and nervous. She had something she wanted to tell me, something she'd been thinking about intently. So much for pouring my heart out. If she wanted to talk, I wouldn't burden her with my problems, so I pushed them aside and waited for her to speak. "I found something in my research with Ms. Carmack. Something strange…" "Oh?" I asked, instantly curious. Moroi usually developed their specialized element during adolescence. After that, they were put into magic classes specific to that element. But as the only spirit user on record at the moment, Lissa didn't really have a class she could join. Most people believed she just hadn't specialized, but she and Ms. Carmack—the magic teacher at St. Vladimir's—had been meeting independently to learn what they could about spirit. They researched both current and old records, checking for clues that might lead to other spirit users, now that they knew some of the telltale signs: an inability to specialize, mental instability, etc. "I didn't find any confirmed spirit users, but I did find…reports of, um, unexplained phenomena." I blinked in surprise. "What kind of stuff?" I asked, pondering what would count as "unexplained phenomena" for vampires. When she and I had lived with humans, we would have been considered unexplained phenomena. "They're scattered reports…but, like, I read this one about a guy who could make others see things that weren't there. He could get them to believe they were seeing monsters or other people or whatever." "That could be compulsion." "Really powerful compulsion. I couldn't do that, and I'm stronger—or used to be—in it than anyone we know. And that power comes from using spirit…." "So," I finished, "you think this illusion guy must have been a spirit user too." She nodded. "Why not contact him and find out?"
"Because there's no information listed! It's secret. And there are others just as strange. Like someone who could physically drain others. People standing nearby would get weak and lose all their strength. They'd pass out. And there was someone else who could stop things in midair when they were thrown at him." Excitement lit up her features. "He could have been an air user," I pointed out. "Maybe," she said. I could feel the curiosity and excitement swirling through her. She desperately wanted to believe there were others out there like her. I smiled. "Who knew? Moroi have Roswell- and Area 51-type stuff. It's a wonder I'm not being studied somewhere to see if they can figure out the bond." Lissa's speculative mood turned teasing. "I wish I could see into your mind sometimes. I'd like to know how you feel about Mason." "He's my friend," I said stoutly, surprised at the abrupt change in subject. "That's it." She tsked. "You used to flirt—and do other stuff—with any guy you could get your hands on." "Hey!" I said, offended. "I wasn't that bad." "Okay…maybe not. But you don't seem interested in guys anymore." I was interested in guys—well, one guy. "Mason's really nice," she continued. "And crazy about you." "He is," I agreed. I thought about Mason, about that brief moment when I'd thought he was sexy outside Stan's class. Plus, Mason was really funny, and we got along beautifully. He wasn't a bad prospect as far as boyfriends went. "You guys are a lot alike. You're both doing things you shouldn't." I laughed. That was also true. I recalled Mason's eagerness to take on every Strigoi in the world. I might not be ready for that—despite my outburst in the car—but I shared some of his recklessness. It might be time to give him a shot, I thought. Bantering with him was fun, and it
- 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 56 and 57: "Hard to say," I said. Tasha crooke
- 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 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
- Page 106 and 107: "And you think I'm trouble," I mutt
- 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
Before I could open my mouth, I felt her thoughts suddenly shift. They became eager and<br />
nervous. She had something she wanted to tell me, something she'd been thinking about<br />
intently. So much for pouring my heart out. If she wanted to talk, I wouldn't burden her with<br />
my problems, so I pushed them aside and waited for her to speak.<br />
"I found something in my research with Ms. Carmack. Something strange…"<br />
"Oh?" I asked, instantly curious.<br />
Moroi usually developed their specialized element during adolescence. After that, they were put<br />
into magic classes specific to that element. But as the only spirit user on record at the moment,<br />
Lissa didn't really have a class she could join. Most people believed she just hadn't specialized,<br />
but she and Ms. Carmack—the magic teacher at St. Vladimir's—had been meeting<br />
independently to learn what they could about spirit. They researched both current and old<br />
records, checking for clues that might lead to other spirit users, now that they knew some of the<br />
telltale signs: an inability to specialize, mental instability, etc.<br />
"I didn't find any confirmed spirit users, but I did find…reports of, um, unexplained<br />
phenomena."<br />
I blinked in surprise. "What kind of stuff?" I asked, pondering what would count as<br />
"unexplained phenomena" for vampires. When she and I had lived with humans, we would<br />
have been considered unexplained phenomena.<br />
"They're scattered reports…but, like, I read this one about a guy who could make others see<br />
things that weren't there. He could get them to believe they were seeing monsters or other<br />
people or whatever."<br />
"That could be compulsion."<br />
"Really powerful compulsion. I couldn't do that, and I'm stronger—or used to be—in it than<br />
anyone we know. And that power comes from using spirit…."<br />
"So," I finished, "you think this illusion guy must have been a spirit user too." She nodded.<br />
"Why not contact him and find out?"
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