richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

I crossed my arms, trying to put on a look of total guardian fierceness. "I want you to break the
spell. Finish it off.”
"What do you mean?”
"The spell you did on me and Dimitri.”
"That spell is done. It burned itself out.”
I shook my head. "No. I keep thinking about him. I keep wanting to…”
He smiled knowingly when I didn't finish. "My dear, that was already there, long before I set
that up.”
"It wasn't like this. Not this bad.”
"Maybe not consciously. But everything else…the attraction—physical and mental—was
already in you. And in him. It wouldn't have worked otherwise. The spell didn't really add
anything new—it just removed inhibitions and strengthened the feelings you already had for
each other.”
"You're lying. He said he didn't feel that way about me.”
"He's lying. I tell you, the spell wouldn't have worked otherwise, and honestly, he should have
known better. He had no right to let himself feel that way. You can be forgiven for a
schoolgirl's crush. But him? He should have demonstrated more control in hiding his feelings.
Natalie saw it and told me. After just a few observations of my own, it was obvious to me too.
It gave me the perfect chance to distract you both. I keyed the necklace's charm for each of you,
and you two did the rest.”
"You're a sick bastard, doing that to me and him. And to Lissa.”
"I have no regrets about what I did with her," he declared, leaning against the wall. "I'd do it
again if I could. Believe what you want, I love my people. What I wanted to do was in their best
interest. Now? Hard to say. They have no leader, no real leader. There's no one worthy, really."
He cocked his head toward me, considering. "Vasilisa actually might have been such a one—if
she could ever have found it within herself to believe in something and overcome the influence