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common and a lot less cool than it sounded. Besides, after living among humans and elected
leaders, I didn't think much of stiff royals. Still, I'd gotten permission to go because everyone
else would be there. It was a chance to hang out with actual people for a change and not stay
locked in my dorm room. A little freedom was definitely worth the pain of sitting through a few
boring speeches.
I didn't stay to chat with Lissa after school like I usually did. Dimitri had stuck to his promise
about extra trainings, and I was trying to stick to mine. I now had two additional hours of
practice with him, one before and one after school. The more I watched him in action, the more
I understood the badass-god reputation. He clearly knew a lot—his six molnija marks proved as
much—and I burned to have him teach me what he knew.
When I arrived at the gym, I noticed he was wearing a T-shirt and loose running pants, as
opposed to his usual jeans. It was a good look for him. Really good. Stop looking, I
immediately told myself.
He positioned me so that we stood facing each other on the mat and crossed his arms. "What's
the first problem you'll run into when facing a Strigoi?”
"They're immortal?”
"Think of something more basic.”
More basic than that? I considered. "They could be bigger than me. And stronger.”
Most Strigoi—unless they'd been human first—had the same height as their Moroi cousins.
Strigoi also had better strength, reflexes, and senses than dhampirs. That's why guardians
trained so hard; we had a "learning curve" to compensate for.
Dimitri nodded. "That makes it difficult but not impossible. You can usually use a person's
extra height and weight against them.”
He turned and demonstrated several maneuvers, pointing out where to move and how to strike
someone. Going through the motions with him, I gained some insight into why I took such a
regular beating in group practice. I absorbed his techniques quickly and couldn't wait to
actually use them. Near the end of our time together, he let me try.