o_18vdqvms01tdp1ck54q91frg17mg2d.pdf

Bam! Punched again.
"What?"
"Hmm? Oh. She's…interested in him." By my mother's tone, it was clear that romantic matters
actually held no interest for her. "She's willing to have dhampir children, so it's possible they
might eventually make an, um, arrangement if he were her guardian."
Oh. My. God.
Time froze.
My heart stopped beating.
I realized my mother was waiting for a response. She was leaning against my desk, watching
me. She might be able to hunt down Strigoi, but she was oblivious to my feelings.
"Is … is he going to do it? Be her guardian?" I asked weakly.
My mom shrugged. "I don't think he's agreed to it yet, but of course he will. It's a great
opportunity."
"Of course," I echoed. Why would Dimitri turn down the chance to be a guardian to a friend of
his and to have a baby?
I think my mom said something else after that, but I didn't hear it. I didn't hear anything. I kept
thinking about Dimitri leaving the Academy, leaving me. I thought about the way he and Tasha
had gotten along with each other so well. And then, after those recollections, my imagination
started improvising future scenarios. Tasha and Dimitri together. Touching. Kissing. Naked.
Other things …
I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second and then opened them.
"I'm really tired."
My mom stopped mid-sentence. I had no idea what she'd been saying before I interrupted her.