richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

"Do you?" I hoped I could stall her with talking, just like in the movies. I also hoped my
questions would hide how utterly and completely terrified I was. "Do you understand? God,
Natalie. You…you turned. Just because he told you to?”
"My father's a great man," she replied. "He's going to save the Moroi from the Strigoi.”
"Are you insane?" I cried. I was backing up again and suddenly hit the wall. My nails dug into
it, as though I could dig my way through. "You are a Strigoi.”
She shrugged, almost seeming like the old Natalie. "I had to do it to get him out of here before
the others came. One Strigoi to save all of the Moroi. It's worth it, worth giving up the sun and
the magic.”
"But you'll want to kill Moroi! You won't be able to help it.”
"He'll help me stay in control. If not, then they'll have to kill me." She reached out and grabbed
my shoulders, and I shuddered at how casually she talked about her own death. It was almost as
casual as the way she was no doubt contemplating my death.
"You are insane. You can't love him that much. You can't really—”
She threw me into a wall again, and as my body collapsed in a heap on the floor, I had a feeling
I wouldn't be getting up this time. Victor had told her not to kill me…but there was a look in
her eyes, a look that said she wanted to. She wanted to feed off me; the hunger was there. It was
the Strigoi way. I shouldn't have talked to her, I realized. I'd hesitated, just as Dimitri had
warned.
And then, suddenly, he was there, charging down the hallway like Death in a cowboy duster.
Natalie spun around. She was fast, so fast. But Dimitri was fast too and avoided her attack, a
look of pure power and strength on his face. With an eerie fascination, I watched them move,
circling each other like partners in a deadly dance. She was stronger than him, clearly, but she
was also a fresh Strigoi. Gaining superpowers doesn't mean you know how to use them.
Dimitri, however, knew how to use the ones he had. After both giving and receiving some
vicious hits, he made his move. The silver stake flashed in his hand like a streak of lightning,