richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

Twenty-Three
I'D NEVER HAD SO MUCH trouble staying out of Lissa's head before, but then, we'd never
been through anything like this together either. The strength of her thoughts and feelings kept
trying to pull me in as I hurried through the forest.
Running through the brush and woods, Christian and I moved farther and farther from the
cabin. Man, how I wished Lissa had stayed back there. I would have loved to see the raid
through her eyes. But that was behind us now, and as I ran, Dimitri's push on laps and stamina
paid off. She wasn't moving very quickly, and I could feel the distance closing between us,
giving me a more precise idea of her location. Likewise, Christian couldn't keep up with me. I
started to slow for him but soon realized the foolishness of that.
So did he. "Go," he gasped out, waving me on.
When I reached a point close enough to her that I thought she could hear me, I called out her
name, hoping to get her to turn around. Instead, what answered me was a set of howls— a soft
canine baying.
Psi-hounds. Of course. Victor had said he hunted with them; he could control those beasts. I
suddenly understood why no one at school recalled sending psi-hounds after Lissa and me in
Chicago . The Academy hadn't arranged that; Victor had.
A minute later, I reached a clearing where Lissa cringed, back against a tree. From her looks
and bond feelings, she should have fainted long ago. Only the barest scraps of willpower kept
her hanging on. Wide-eyed and pale, she stared in horror at the four psi-hounds cornering her.
Noticing the full sunlight, it occurred to me that she and Christian had another obstacle to
contend with out here.
"Hey," I yelled at the hounds, trying to draw them toward me. Victor must have sent them to
trap her, but I hoped they'd sense and respond to another threat—especially a dhampir. Psihounds
didn't like us any better than other animals did.