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The Only Way To Lose A Kingdom Is If Your Power Drops Or..well, If You're Killed." "i'm Sure Volusian Would Love To Help With That." My Minion Walked Near Me, Needing No Horse To Move Swiftly. Upon Hearing His Name, He Said, "i Would Perform The Deed With Great Relish And Much Suffering On Your Part, Mistress." "you Can't Put A Price On That Kind Of Loyalty," I Told Kiyo.

-Richelle Mead

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The Only Way To

Richelle Mead

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The Only Way To Lose A Kingdom Is If Your Power Drops Or..well, If You're Killed." "i'm Sure Volusian Would Love To Help With That." My Minion Walked Near Me, Needing No Horse To Move Swiftly. Upon Hearing His Name, He Said, "i Would Perform The Deed With Great Relish And Much Suffering On Your Part, Mistress." "you Can't Put A Price On That Kind Of Loyalty," I Told Kiyo.

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I Saw Endless Depths Of Brown, The Depths I'd Fallen Into So Many Times. No Red Rings. Dimitri...was Not A Strigoi. And He Was Weeping.

ʺwe Need Someone To Get The Roomʹs Attention,ʺ I Said. ʺsomeone Not Afraid To Make A Spectacle—i Mean, Besides Me, Of Course.ʺ

Itʹs Not Just The Dress Or The Hair. Itʹs You. Youʹre Beautiful. So Beautiful, It Hurts Me.ʺ

Why Not The Bahamas? Or The Corn Palace?

Finn Crossed His Arms And Glared At Volusian. It Was Kind Of A Bold Move, Considering Finn Looked Like A Cartoon Character And Volusian Looked Like He Ate The Souls Of Small Children. For All I Knew, He Probably Did.

Abe's Face Came Back Into Focus. "greetings, Zmey," I Said Weakly. Somehow, Him Being Here Didn't Surprise Me. "nice Of You To Slither On In." He Shook His Head, Wearing A Rueful Smile. "i Think You've Outdone Me When It Comes To Sneaking Around Dark Corners. I Thought You Were On Your Way Back To Montana." "next Time, Make Sure You Write A Few More Details Into Your Bargains. Or Just Pack Me Up And Send Me Back To The U. S. For Real." "oh," He Said, "that's Exactly What I Intend To Do." He Kept Smiling As He Said It, But Somehow, I Had A Feeling He Wasn't Joking.

And Here I Thought You Had A Soft Spot For Reckless Young Girls.

Anyone Who Takes A Hit For Adrian Ivashkov Deserves Some Credit.

Why Are You Hanging Around, Then? Aren't You Worried About Getting Hit?" "aw, You'd Never Hurt Me. My Face Is Too Pretty.

Sage, Aren't You Guys Supposed To Have Uniforms? This Looks Like What You Usually Wear.

From Behind Lissa, I Heard Christian Say, "worst. Timing. Ever." Adrian Studied Lissa And Then Looked At Christain Sprawling On The Bed On The Far Side Of The Suite. "huh," Adrian Said, Letting Himself In. "so That's How You're Going To Fix The Family Problem. Little Dragomirs. Good Idea." Christian Sat Up And Strolled Toward Them. "yeah, That's Exactly It. You're Interrupting Official Council Business.

Family Problems

Who Else Is Going?" I Asked. He Shrugged. "just You And Me." My Mood Promptly Shot Up Past 'cheerful' And Went Straight To 'estatic.' Me And Dimitri. Alone. In A Car. This Might Very Well Be Worth A Surprise Test. "how Far Is It?" Silently, I Begged For It To Be A Really Long Drive. Like, One That Would Take A Week. And Would Involve Us Staying Overnight In Luxury Hotels. Maybe We'd Get Stranded In A Snowbank, And Only Body Heat Would Keep Us Alive. "five Hours" "oh." A Bit Less Than I'd Hoped For. Still, Five Hours Was Better Than Nothing. It Didn't Rule Out The Snowbank Possibility, Either.

A Ghostly Smile Flickered Across His Face. "if You Weren't So Psychotic, You'd Be Fun To Hang Around." "funny, I Feel That Way About You Too." He Didn't Say Anything Else, But The Smile Grew, And He Walked Away.

You're Better Than This. Better Than Whatever It Is You're Going To Do Now.

All That Mattered Was That He Was Adrian, My Adrian. My Match. My Partner In Crime, In The Long Battle I’d Just Signed On For To Right The Wrongs In The Alchemist And Moroi Worlds. Maybe Marcus Was Right That I’d Also Signed Myself Up For Disaster, But I Didn’t Care. In That Moment, It Seemed That As Long As Adrian And I Were Together, There Was No Challenge Too Great For Us.

How Was It That Adrian Ivashkov, Who Never Seemed To Take Anything Seriously Was The Only One Among These "responsible" People Who Paid Attention To Such Small Details? How Was He The Only One To Really Understand The Magnitude Of What I Was Feeling?

Is Hopper Celebrating With You?” “hopper? Why Would—” My Mouth Snapped Shut For A Few Moments. “oh. I, Uh, Kind Of Forgot About Him.

Are You Some Kind Of Mutant Human? Like A Fire User? And I Use Mutant As A Compliment, You Know. I Wouldn’t Think Less Of You.

Compliments You

Because It's Simple, I Love You, And I Don't Want To Keep Pretending Like I Don't. -rose To Dimitri

I Couldn't Recall The Last Time I'd Seen That Much Of Him On Display. It Was Wonderful And Frightening On The Same Time. I Then Said The Stupidest Thing Possible. "you're Not Scared Of Anything." "i'm Scared Of A Lot Of Things. I Was Scared For You" He Released Me, And I Stepped Back. There Was Still Passion And Worry Written All Over Him. "i'm Not Perfect, I'm Not Invulnerable.

Right. Because There’s No Bigger Sign Of Commitment Than A Halloween Dance

You've Always Been My Equal, Roza.

Vampires. Honestly, They're Like Children Sometimes.

At The Same Time, We Both Pulled Back Briefly Still Oh So Close. Everything In The Word Rested On That Moment. "we Can't..." He Told Me. "i Know," I Agreed. Then His Mouth Was On Mine Again, And This Time I Knew There Would Be No Turning Back.

I Lifted The Lid And Found A Piece Of Bread And Some Water—and A Rat That Quickly Darted Off The Tray. Talk About Adding Insult To Injury.

Insult To Injury

Most Fathers Don't Threaten To Disembowel Their Daughter's Boyfriends." "that's Not True. And Anyway, That's Not What I Actually Said. It Was Much Worse.

Adrian Gave Me A Look That Said I Was Wasting His Time. "because Jet Sounds Badass.

Everything's About My Personal Entertainment. The World Is My Stage. Keep It Up- You're Becoming A Star Performer In The Show.

You Fixed Yourself. You Didn’t Need Me.” “no, Sydney.” My Voice Was Ragged. “i Do Need You. You Have No Idea How Much I Need You.

Rose Never Would Have Done Anything Like That,' He Countered. He Paused To Reconsider, And I Could've Sworn There Was A Hint Of A Smile There. 'well At Least Not In Such A Public Setting.'- Dimitri Belikov

Happy Birthday." Adrian Came To A Sudden Halt. The Words Were Soft And Small, Spoken Tentatively, But Easily Discerned By Vampire Ears. Slowly, He Turned Around And Found Jill Mastrano Standing Shyly Before Him.

His Warmth Was All Around Me, As Was His Love, And Again, I Felt That Completeness. I Had That Missing Piece Of My Word Back. The Soul That Complemented Mine. My Match. My Equal. Not Only That, I Had My Life Back -my Own Life. I Would Protect Lissa, I Would Serve, But I Was Finally My Own Person.

Maybe Under All That Guilt And Certainty That He Couldn't Love Again, He Still Wanted Me. I Would Have Liked To Have Found Out. But I Didn't Have The Time. Instead, I Punched Him.

People Have Always Had A Fascination With The Supernatural Going Back To The Beginning Of Time And With Vampires In Particular. This Phenomenon Is Not New.

Ooh. Top Secret Angel Business, Huh? What’re You Going To Do? Dance On A Pinhead? Lobby For National Cute Puppy Day?

Screw You," I Told Him In A Low Voice. "are You Offering?” "from What I've Heard, There Isn't Much To Screw," I Shot Back.

He Leaned Closer To Me And Then Seemed Shocked As He Realized What He Was Doing. "why Would You Do That? Why Would You Do That For Me?

Now Get Some Clothes On Before The Women Around Here Are Driven Into A Frenzy." He Gave Me A Mournful Look. "i'm Afraid That'll Happen With Or Without Clothes, My Dear.

Sure," Said Adrian. "i Bet Going In There And Kicking Down The Door Will Change Their Minds. Take Rose With You, And You Guys'll Make A Really Good Impression.

Look, Sage. I Don't Know Much About Chemistry Or Computer Hacking Or Photosynthery, But This Is Something I've Got A Lot Of Experience With." I Think He Mean Photosynthesis, But I Didn't Correct Him. "use My Knowledge. Don't Let It Go To Waste.

See? Things Are Already Looking Promising.

We're Going On A, Um, Windmill Tour Later This Week." If I'd Wanted To Shut Them All Up, I'd Definitely Succeeded. They All Looked Stunned. Adrian Spoke First. "i'm Going To Assume That Means He's Flying You To Amsterdam On His Private Jet. If So, I'd Like To Come Along. But Not For The Windmills.

We Had Just Paid The Check When Dimitri's Cell Phone Rang. "hello?" He Answered. And Like That, His Face Transformed. That Fierceness I So Associated With Him Softened, And He Practically Glowed. "no, No. It's Always A Good Time For You To Call, Roza." Whatever The Response On The Other End Was, It Made Him Smile.

She Says You're Not Awake Until You're Actually Out Of Bed And Standing Up.

Morning Inspirational

To Thetis, Long Overdue, I Know, But Every Often The Things We Most Desire Come Only After Much Patience And Struggle. That Is A Human Truth, I Think. Even Peleus Knew That. -seth

History Is Important Because It Teaches Us About Past. And By Learning About The Past, Ypu Come To Understand The Present, So That You May Make Educated Decisions About The Future.

Come On,"he Said, Gesturing Toward The Exit. "let's Take A Walk." "where?" "it Doesn't Matter. We Just Need You Calmed Down Or You'll Be In No Shape To Fight." "yeah? Are You Afraid Of My Possibly Insane Dark Side Coming Out?" "no, I'm Afraid Of Your Normal Rose Hathaway Side Coming Out, The One That Isn't Afraid To Jump In Without Thinking When She Believes Something Is Right." I Gave Him A Dry Look. "is There Are A Difference?" "yes. The Second One Scares Me.

Good God," I Said. "this Is The Most Stereotypical Vampire Food Ever." "only If It Was Raw. What Do You Think?" "it's Good," I Said Reluctantly. Who Knew That Bacon Would Have Made All The Difference? "really Good. I Think You Have A Promising Future As A Housewife While Lissa Works And Makes Millions Of Dollars." "funny, That's Exactly My Dream.

I Know How Devastated You Must Be To Miss Me, But Leave A Message, And I'll Try To Ease Your Agony

We Cannot Road Trip To Paris.

Maybe You're Graduating From Fireballs To Lightning Bolts," Adrian Suggested. "i Bet It'd Be A Lot Like Throwing Ninja Stars. Except, Well, You Could Incinerate People.

Setting Out Around Midnight, I Couldn't Help Shaking My Head, "we're The Goddamned Hottest Vampire Hunters Ever." I Muttered.

Rose? Is That You?" I Peered Behind Him. Lissa. "what Are You Doing Here?" "what Are You Doing Here?" She Asked "ladies, Ladies" He Said Teasingly. "no Need To Fight Over Me." I Glared. "we're Not.

Do You Think That's, Like, Real Bacon?" I Whispered To Sydney And Dimitri. "and Not Like Squirrel Or Something?" "looks Real To Me," Said Dimitri. "i'd Say So Too", Said Sydney "though, I Guarantee It's From Their Own Pigs And Not A Grocery Store." Dimitri Laughed At Whatever Expression Crossed My Face. "i Always Love Seeing What Worries You. Strigoi? No. Questionable Food? Yes.

A Strange, Warm Feeling Swirled In My Chest, And For A Brief Moment, When I Looked At Him, I Saw...safety

What?" I Asked Uneasily. "why Are You Looking At Me Like That?" He Shook His Head, The Smile Rueful Now. "because Sometimes, A Person Can Get So Caught Up In The Details That They Miss The Whole. It's Not Just The Dress Or The Hair. It's You. You're Beautiful. So Beautiful, It Hurts Me.

It Was A Nephilim.” “a Nephi-what?” Asked Hugh, Startled. “isn’t That A Character On Sesame Street?” Peter Spoke Up For The First Time.

Not True,” Said Adrian. “all Guys Mean The Same Thing When They Want To ‘get To Know A Girl Better.’ You’re A Wellbred Young Lady, So I Understand Why You’d Be Too Innocent To Understand. Good Thing You’ve Got Me Here To Interpret.

Angeline Made A Few More Attempts To Break Away, But When It Became Clear She Couldn't, Those Around Us Began Whistling And Cheering. A Few Moments Later, That Dark And Furious Look Vanished From Angeline's Face, Replaced By Resignation. I Eyed Her Warily, Not About To Let Down My Guard. "fine," She Said. "i Guess It's Okay. Go Ahead." "huh? What's Okay?" I Demanded. "it's Okay If You Marry My Brother." (next Chapter) "it's Not Funny!" "you're Right,"agreed Sydney, Laughing Hysterically. "it's Not Funny. It's Hilarious.

You Two Are A Match Made In Heaven. Or Somewhere.

Dimitri: "i Also Have A Feeling Your Mother's Going To Have One Ugly Conversation With Me." Rose: "you're About To Go Face Down Strigoi, And My Mother's The One You're Scared Of?" Dimitri: "she's A Force To Be Reckoned With. Where Do You Think You Got It From?" Rose: "it's A Wonder You Bother With Me Then." Dimitri: "you're Worth It, Believe Me.

I'm Backing Down Now. I Really Do Love You. That's Why I'm Doing This.

Vampire Academy

His Eyes, I’d Long Since Discovered, Could Be As Eloquent And Expressive As His Pen. The Messages They Sent Me Now Hardly Seemed Decent For A Public Setting.

There Were Drinks And Food In Full Force, And Some Moroi Guy Had A Guitar Out And Was Trying To Impress Girls With His Musical Skills—which Were Nonexistent. In Fact, His Music Was So Awful That He Might Have Discovered A New Way To Kill Strigoi.

Adrian Sighed. "i Knew You Staying Out Of Trouble Was Too Good To Be True.

Too Good To Be True

No One Was Normal, Not Really.

Rose Was So Full Of Life And Passion That Sometimes She Seemed More Human Than I Was.

You Can't Force Love, I Realized. It's There Or It Isn't. If It's Not There, You've Got To Be Able To Admit It. If It Is There, You've Got To Do Whatever It Takes To Protect The Ones You Love.

Eddie Was Intensely Dedicated Too. Adrian Sometimes Called Him Mini-dimitri

And Hey, If I Keep Loving You, Maybe You'll Eventually Crack And Love Me Too.

I Like You Being The Sinner You Are. -adrian Ivashkov

People Often Ask Where I Get My Inspiration From, And I Always Say I Have No Good Answer Because, Well, Inspiration Comes From Everywhere: People, Places, Memories.

Moroi Shied From The Sunlight But As I Watched Sydney, I Knew Without A Doubt That Humans Had Been Made For The Sun.

Sydney Had Been Horrified To Discover My Home Library Consisted Of A Bartending Dictionary And An Old Copy Of Esquire, And At Her Pleading, I'd Promised To Read Something More Substantial. I Was Trying To Think Deep Thoughts As I Read Gatsby, But Mostly I Wanted To Throw Some Parties.

Whether It's Simply Some Fierce Animal Joining Of Mates Or A Sublime Merging Of Souls, She Is Mine, And I Am Hers.

(men Without Ambition Are Boring) And That Attitude, Mistress, Is Why The Females Of Your Kind Continue To Struggle For Equality. And Why They Continue To Fail.

If You're Strigoi," The Boy Interrupted Loudly, "then Why Don't You Have Horns? My Friend Jeffrey Said Strigoi Have Horns." Dimitri's Eyes Fell Not On The Boy But On Me For A Moment. Again, That Spark Of Knowing Shot Between Us. Then, Face Smooth And Serious, Dimitri Turned To The Boy And Answered, "strigoi Don't Have Horns. And Even If They Did, It Wouldn't Matter Because I'm Not A Strigoi.

Emerald Green Eyes Studied Us From A Face That Could Have Been Sculpted By One Of The Classical Artists I So Admired. Shocked, I Dismissed The Comparison As Soon As It Popped Into My Head. This Was A Vampire, After All. It Was Ridiculous To Admire Him The Way I Would Some Hot Human Guy.

He Was Hiding From His Problems In A Bottle, Something That Went Against Every Piece Of My Nature. Me? I Couldnʹt Let My Problems Win Without A Fight.

I'd Never Expected My First Time To Be In A Cabin In The Woods, But I Realized The Place Didn't Matter. The Person Did. With Someone You Loved, You Could Be Anywhere, And It Would Be Incredible. Being In The Most Luxurious Bed In The World Wouldn't Matter If You Were With Someone You Didn't Love.

For Every Bad Thing In Life, There Are More Good Things To Tip The Balance.

Books Were A Lot Less Messy Than Orgasms.

I Don't Know. This College Would Probably Have The Same Problem The Last One Did." I Frowned. "what's That?" "homework." "adrian," Growled His Father. "it's Okay," Said Adrian Breezily. He Rested His Arm Casually On The Table. "i Don't Really Need A Job Or Extra Money. After Rose And I Get Married, The Kids And I'll Just Live Off Of Her Guardian Paycheck.

‎keep Your Love, I Have No Use For It Anymore.

He Shook His Head In Mock Sympathy. "i Tell You, Sage. Sometimes I Think I Am The One Who Needs To Take Out The Restraining Order On You.

Good God. Men Everywhere.

Melbourne, I Always Knew You'd Need To Learn About This Kind Of Thing. I 'd Just Kind Of Hoped You'd Learn It On A Real Guy.

I Gave Him A Smile That I Hoped Was As Dazzling As One Of His. "i Realized I'm In Love." Marcus, Startled, Looked Around As Though He Expected To See My Object D'amour In The Car With Us. "and You Just Realized This? Did You Just Have Some Sort Of Vision?" "didn't Need To," I Said, Thinking Of Wolfe's Ill-fated Trip To The Orkneys. "it's Always Been Right In Front Of Me.

A Year. We'd Known Each Other Only A Year, But We'd Lived A Lifetime In It.

Adrian, I'm On A Date. Why Are You Here? On My Car?

You Will Lose What You Value Most, So Treasure It While You Can.

Wheel Of Fortune

Avery Worries About Her, Too, So Lissa's In Good Hands. Avery's Pretty Amazing." I Gave Him A Scathing Look. "amazing? Do You Like Her Or Something?" I Hadn't Forgotten Avery's Comment About Leaving The Door Unlocked For Him. "of Course I Like Her. She's A Great Person." "no, I Mean Like. Not Like." "oh, I See," He Said, Rolling His Eyes. "we're Dealing With Elementary School Definitions Of 'like'.

Different Time, Different Place,” I Said. “things Can Change. People Can Change.

If Not For Me Being Stoned And Clinging To A Taco, It Would Have Been Terribly Romantic.

We're Pieces On A Gameboard, Dr. March, And Some Of Us Are More Powerful Than Others. You. Me. Her. We're The Ones The Gods Want. We're The Ones They're Fighting Over.

Okay. Now You Have To Move Your Arms And Legs.” “i Know How To Make A Snow Angel.” “then Do It! Otherwise, You’re More Like A Chalk Outline At A Police Crime Scene.

I Felt The Need To Clarify We Were There For The Self Defense Class, In Case He Also Taught About Dog Breeding Or Riding The High Seas.

Rose,” He Said, Forcibly Trying To Keep A Serious Tone, “i Can Think Of Many Words To Describe You, Sexy And Hot Being At The Top Of The List. You Know What’s Not On The List? Sane.

Naptime,ʺ Said Christian, Leading Her Toward The Bed. ʺi Still Need A Shower.ʺ ʺsleep First. Shower Later.ʺ He Pulled Back The Covers. ʺiʹll Sleep With You.ʺ ʺsleep Or Sleep?ʺ She Asked Dryly, Sliding Gratefully Into Bed. ʺreal Sleep. You Need It.ʺ He Crawled In Beside Her, Spooning Against Her And Resting His Face On Her Shoulder. ʺof Course, Afterward, If You Want To Conduct Any Official Council Business...ʺ ʺi Swear, If You Say ‘little Dragomirs,ʹ You Can Sleep In The Hall.

If Your Eyes Weren't Open, You Wouldn't Know The Difference Between Dreaming And Waking.

Well, If The Excitement's Over, I Think I'll Take A Bath.' 'wow. The Harsh Lifestyle Of A Succubus. I Wish I Had Your Job.' 'hey, Our Side's Always Recruiting. You Might Need To Be A Little Prettier To Be An Incubus, Though. And A Little More Charming.' 'untrue. Mortal Women Go For Jerks. I See It All The Time.' 'touché.

I Nodded. "yup. What I Did Was Tantamount To Treason In Their Eyes." "i Don't Know What 'tantamount' Means, But It Sounds Pretty Serious.

Everyone Wanted What She Couldn't Have.

If It Makes You Feel Any Better, You’re Not As Bad As Keith. He Was Here Earlier Today And Was So Nervous, He Literally Kept Looking Over His Shoulder.” Lee Paused Thoughtfully. “i Think It Might Have Been Because Adrian Kept Laughing Like A Mad Scientist At Those Old Black-and-white Movies He Was Watching.

Black And White

Even I Make Mistakes." I Put On My Brash, Overconfident Face. "i Know It's Hard To Believe—kind Of Surprises Me Myself—but I Guess It Has To Happen. It's Probably Some Kind Of Karmic Way To Balance Out The Universe. Otherwise, It Wouldn't Be Fair To Have One Person So Full Of Awesomeness.

I, Had An Excellent Instructor. One That You Currently Have Locked Up. If You Want To Talk About Skills Going To Waste, Then Go Look In Your Own Jail.

What Were You Thinking?" I Demanded Once We Were Moving To The Music. I Was Trying To Ignore His Hands. "do You Know How Much Trouble You May Have Gotten Me In?" Adrian Grinned. "nah. They All Feel Bad For You. You'll Achieve Martyrdom After Dancing With A Mean, Wicked Vampire. Job Security With The Alchemists.

The Greatest Changes In History Have Come When People Were Able To Shake Off What Others Told Them To Do.

Lure Him Out. Send In A 'customer' With A Message From Me Needing To Meet Him. I'm Not The Kind Of Person He Can Ignore-well, That He Used To Not-never Mind. Once He's Out, We Can Get Him To A Place We Choose." I Nodded. "i Can Do That." "no," Said Dimitri. "you Can't." "why Not?" I Asked, Wondering If He Thought It Was Too Dangerous For Me. "because They'll Know You're A Dhampir The Instant They See You. They'll Probably Smell It First. No Strigoi Would Have A Dhampir Working For Him-only Humans." There Was An Uncomfortable Silence In The Car. "no!" Said Sydney. "i Am Not Doing That!

Fiery And Sweet, All At The Same Time. A Flame In The Dark, Lighting My Way.

For A Moment, I Was Captivated As I Studied Them Side By Side. My Mother: The Perfect Picture Of Guardian Excellence And Decorum. My Father: Always Capable Of Achieving His Goals, No Matter How Twisted The Means. Uneasily, I Began To Understand How I’d Inherited My Bizarre Personality.

Get Up Guys. We’ve Got A Visit To Pay.” “what Are You Talking About?” “i Am Not Hanging Out With Blake Lazar Again.

Don't Worry, Little Dhampir. You Might Be Surrounded By Clouds, But You'll Always Be Like Sunshine To Me.

If You Want Some Advice—which I'm Sure You Don't—you Guys Should Lay Off On The Magic. Christian Still Thinks You're Moving In On Lissa." "what?" He Asked In Mock Astonishment. "doesn't He Know My Heart Belongs To You?" "it Does Not. And No, He's Still Worried About It, Despite What I've Told Him." "you Know, I Bet If We Started Making Out Right Now, It Would Make Him Feel Better." "if You Touch Me," I Said Pleasantly, "i'll Provide You With The Opportunity To See If You Can Heal Yourself. Then We'd See How Badass You Really Are.

Too Bad You Got So Bogged Down In Books. You've Got The Spirit Of A Warrior.

Rose You Can't Go." This Time The Sadness In Lissa's Voice Was Mirrored Though The Bond, Flooding Into Me. "it's Not That Dimitri Didn't Ask To See You. He Asked Specifically Not To See You.

Is It Possible To Specialize In More Than One Element?" She Laughed And Shook Her Head. "no. Too Much Power. No One Could Handle All That Magic, Not Without Losing Her Mind." Oh. Great.

I Steeled Myself For The Next Response. I Knew It Was Going To Be One Of The Zen Life Lessons. [...] Instead He Kissed Me.

I'm Not Really Qualified To Install A Security System," Said Dimitri. "really? There's Something You Can't Do?" Adrian's Voice Was So Soft That I Could Barely Hear Him, And He Was Sitting Right Next To Me.

Security Systems

Not Into Older Guys, Huh?" Asked Adrian Once We Were Alone. "you're Imagining Things," I Said. "clearly, My Stunning Beauty Has Clouded Your Mind.

Adrian Might Be Brash And Impertinent, But He Knew How To Move. Maybe Dance Lessons Had Been Part Of Growing Up In An Elite Tier Of Moroi Society. Or Maybe He Was Just Naturally Skilled At Using His Body. That Kiss Has Certainly Show A Fair Amount Of Talent.

It Was A Lame Excuse, And I Knew That Wasn't The Reason He Was Canceling. If He Wanted To Avoid Me, I Would Have Preferred He Made Up Something About How He And The Other Guardians Had To Up Moroi Security Or Practice Top-secret Ninja Moves.

Eerily, The Coronation Was Kind Of A Reverse Of Tatianaʹs Funeral. What Was The Old Saying? The Queen Is Dead. Long Live The Queen

That Was Sydney Sage," Said Lissa. "i Thought They Were All In West Virginia. Why Isn't She With Rose?" "that," Said Abe Darkly, "is An Excellent Question." "because They Were Apparently Kidnapping Jill Mastrano In Detroit," Said Christian. "which Is Weird. But Not The Craziest Thing I Can Think Of Rose Doing.

Even Christian—the Poster Child For "smartass"—looked Grim.

...hot Pink With A Star Done In Rainbow Rhinestones On The Front. It Was God-awful. I Bought It.

How Do You Know If A Demon Is Lying? His Lips Are Moving.

Adrian Opened His Mouth, Undoubtedly Ready With Some Inappropriate And Mocking Comment. Lissa Gave Him A Sharp Headshake That Kept Him Quiet. "aren't There Any, I Don't Know, Sleeveless Options?" The Saleswoman's Eyes Widened. "no One Has Ever Worn Straps To A Funeral. It Wouldn't Be Right." "what About Shorts?" Asked Adrian. "are They Okay If They're With A Tie? Because That's What I Was Gonna Go With." The Woman Looked Horrified.

As Long As We’re Together, That’s How We’ll Be. No Trembling. No Faltering. We’re Unstoppable.

Study's Overrated. Just Find Someone Smart To Copy Off. -adrian To Lissa

Adrian Stood There Leaning Against The Doorframe, Watching Me With His Heart In His Eyes. In My Chest, My Own Heart Was Breaking. On My Cheek, The Lily Reminded Me Who I Was.

Come On Outside When Youʹre Done,ʺ I Told Her. ʺitʹs Like The Barbecue Of The Damned. Except . . . Thereʹs No Grill.

Since When Do We Even Play Games?” “since When Don’t We Play Games? Games Of Life, Games Of Death. Games Of Love, Of Hope, Of Chance, Of Despair, And Of All The Myriad Wonders In Between.” I Rolled My Eyes At The Newcomer. “hello, Carter.

Hey Show Some Respect. They’re Real People With Names. Carla And Krissy” He Frowned. “or Was It Missy?

I Looked Around At Us All: Me In My Nightgown, Kiyo Bare-chested, Dorian In His Extravagant Robes, And Tim In His Native Getup. God, I Muttered, Standing Up, We All Look Like The Village People.

We All Screw Up. Everyone Makes Mistakes. That’s What She Did. It Was Bad Judgment, That’s All. You Don’t Cut Off The People You Love For Mistakes Like That.

I'm Sorry." "be Sorry You Lied," He Said, Pressing A Kiss To My Forehead. "don't Be Sorry You Loved Him. That's Part Of You, Part You Have To Let Go, Yeah, But Still Something That's Made You Who You Are.

I’m Not A Violent Person, Sydney. Not At All. I’ll Make Love Over War Any Day. But I Swear, If They’d Hurt You—” “they Didn’t,” I Said Firmly. I Refused To Let Him Know How Scared I’d Been Because I Was Afraid He Might Go After Them. “i’m Fine. You Came To The Rescue.” A Smile Played At His Lips. “something Tells Me You Would’ve Rescued Yourself.” And Like That, The Smile Vanished. “but Spirit Would’ve Been A Lot More Effective Than A Branch.” “your Treejitsu Was Very Effective.

Are You Kidding? He's Arrogant, Sarcastic, Likes To Intimidate People, And—oh." Okay. Maybe She Had A Point.

This Isn't A Christmas Special! This Is My Life. In The Real World, Miracles And Goodness Just Don't Happen.

We Take What What We Can Get.

Life, Unfortunately, Doesn't Seem To Care What We Want.

If You Touch Me, I Said Pleasantly, "i'll Provide You With The Ability To See If You Can Heal Yourself. Then We'd See How Bad Ass You Really Are."

I Used To Think You Were Weak And Just Didn't Fight Back ... But Now, Honestly, I Think You're Actually Pretty Tough. It Takes A Hell Of A Lot Of Strength To Not Complain And Lash Out.

...and Motioned Me Toward A Spot Next To A Middle-aged Moroi In A Very Formal And Very Designer Black Suit. The Suit Screamed, I'm Sorry The Queen Is Dead, And I'm Going To Look Fashionable While Showing My Grief

There's A Guy Chasing Me!" I Called As I Headed Out The Door.

The Truth, Huh? No One Wants To Hear The Truth. The Truth Is Never Sexy. But You... You Are Too Goddamned Sexy To Be Real. -christian To Lissa

Your Truths Are Worse Than Your Lies.

Then, His Struggles Stopped. His Eyes Stared At Me, Stunned, And His Lips Parted, Almost Into A Smile, Albeit A Grisly And Pained One. "that’s What I Was Supposed To Say..." He Gasped Out. Those Were His Last Words.

I’m Not Dangerous,” I Breathed. He Brought His Face Toward Mine. “you Are To Me.” And Somehow, Against All Reason, We Were Kissing.

Why On Earth Would You Buy A Car Like This If You Can't Drive A Stick? There Are Dozens Of Cars--new Cars--that Have Automatic Transmission. It'd Be A Million Times Easier." Adrian Shrugged. "i Like The Color. It Matches My Living Room.

I Thought Alchemists Avoided Alcohol The Same Way They Do Primary Colors.

She Might Be Unarmed, But Rose Hathaway Was In Possession Of Many Weapons.

ʺwhere Is It?ʺ I Asked. ʺlexington, Kentucky.ʺ ʺoh For Godʹs Sake,ʺ I Moaned. ʺwhy Not The Bahamas? Or The Corn Palace?ʺ Dimitri Tried To Hide A Smile. It Might Have Been At My Expense, But If Iʹd Lightened His Mood, I Was Grateful. ʺif We Leave Right Now, We Can Reach Him Before Morning.ʺ I Glanced Around. ʺtough Choice. Leave All This For Electricity And Plumbing?ʺ Now Sydney Grinned. ʺand No More Marriage Proposals.ʺ ʺand Weʹll Probably Have To Fight Strigoi,ʺ Added Dimitri. I Jumped To My Feet. ʺhow Soon Can We Go?ʺ

Rose, I'm An Addict With No Work Ethic Who Is Likely Going To Go Insane. I'm Not Like You. I'm Not A Super-hero." "not Yet," I Said.

Janine Hathaway Offered To Be My Guardian, " Said Lissa Suddenly. "janine Hathaway?" Tatiana's Eyebrows Rose Nearly To Her Hairline. "i'm Sure She Has Other Commitments. No, We've Got Much Better Choices." A Better Choice Than Janine Hathaway? Not Likely. Before Dimitri, My Mother Had Been The Gold Standard By Which I Measured All Badassedness.

Hey, If You'd Wanted To Avoid 'this,' You Shouldn't Have Lured Me Last Night. Now It's Too Late. You Might As Well Avoid The Long, Drawn-out Pain And Get It Over With Quickly. Sort Of Like Taking Off A Band-aid. Or Cutting Off A Limb." "wow, Who Says There's No Romance Left In The World?

She Stared At Me With Concern A Few Moments Longer And Then Relaxed A Little. "okay. But If You Need Anything—" "i Know, I Know. Call On The Love Phone.

Adrian's New Research Partner Stepped Through The Door, And I Knew The Uneasy Peace We'd Just Established In Palm Springs Was About To Shatter. Dimitri Belikov Had Arrived.

I Can Understand Bitchiness In Any Language.

Mistress, I Have Never Asked Anything Of You In My Servitude. But Now, I Beg You This: Do Not Make Me Keep Passing These Adolescent Sentiments Back And Forth All Night.

Now I See Some Family Resemblance. I Was Starting To Wonder If Jill Was Adopted, But You Two Kind Of Look Like Each Other." "so Does Our Mailman Back In North Dakota," Said Adrian.

You And I Have Never Liked Each Other, Rose. If I’ve Got To Kill Someone, It Might As Well Be You.

You Can Think Whatever You Want, Do Whatever You Want. I'm Going To Just Go On Loving You, Even If It's Hopeless.

Yeah, I Was At The Masquerade Of The Damned.

He Looked Up At Me With Angelic Eyes. "doing What?" "you Know What. You're Luring Me In. You Know I Can't Resist-

I Stared. "canadian Satanists? You're Sending Me To A Group Of Canadian Satanists?

Also, I Didn’t Trust Any Guy Who Used More Styling Products Than I Did.

I Get In That Kind Of Situation All The Time, Comrade. It's Not A Big Deal." Anger Replaced My Fear. I Didn't Like Being Treated Like A Child. "stop Calling Me That. You Don't Even Know What You're Talking About." "sure I Do. I Had To Do A Report On The R.s.s.r. Last Year.

Oh, Hey. This Looks Promising. " We Came To A Stop Before A High, Barbwire Fence With An Enormous Private Property--no Unauthorized Personnel Allowed Sign On It. The Lettering Was Red, Apparently To Emphasize How Serious They Were. Personally, I Would Have Added A Skull And Crossbones To Really Drive The Message Home.

I Wanted To Bring Lissa Back, And I Wanted To Return To Adrian's Arms Again, Return To His Lips And All This Life... "hathaway! Good God, Do I Have To Hose You Down?

She Is Mine, And I Am Hers.

Abe Swept In, Resplendent In A Gray And Yellow Suit That Coordinated Bafflingly Well With Adrian's Paint Job.

We Had An Endless Supply Of Topics, Both Of Us Eager To Put Forth All We Knew On Anything And Everything. Most Of The Meal Was Spent Discussing The Intricacies Of The Organic Certification Process. It Was Pretty Awesome.

Anything And Everything

Really, It's My Fault. It Was There. A Hundred Times There. How Often Did I See It? I Knew. It Kept Happening. Over And Over, You'd Say You Were Through With Him...and Over And Over, I'd Believe It...no Matter What My Eyes Showed Me. No Matter What My Heart Told Me. My. Fault.

Do You Know Anything About Silent Films?" "sure," I Said. "the First Ones Were Developed In The Late Nineteenth Century And Sometimes Had Live Musical Accompaniment, Though It Wasn't Until The 1920s That Sound Became Truly Incorporated Into Films, Eventually Making Silent Ones Obsolete In Cinema.

You Were Totally Unprepared For Her.” “that's For Damned Sure.

Carter Leaned Toward Me And Brushed The Hair Away From The Side Of My Face. "don't Look Down Then," He Whispered.

Mmm. O Positive, My Favorite.

Wait. You Think I'm Going To Die? That's Why You Slept With Me?

This Dress Makes Me Look Fat," I Told Jasmine As We Stood Near The Back Of The Crowd And Watched The Last Minute Preperations Fall Into Place. She Glanced Over At Me And My Efforts To Rearrange The Folds Of My Long, Gauzy Dress. "your Pregnant," She Stated. "everything's Supposed To Make You Look Fat." I Scowled. "i Think The Correct Reponse Was 'no It Doesn't.

Sydney Sighed And Stood Up, Smoothing Her Rumpled Clothes With Dismay. ʺi Need A Coffee Shop Or Something.ʺ ʺi Think I Saw One In A Cave Down The Road,ʺ I Said. That Almost Got A Smile From Her

Look Who's Calling The Cauldron Black." "kettle. It’s A Kettle. Get Your Metaphors Right." "that Wasn’t A Metaphor. It Was A, You Know..." He Stared Off Into Space, Blinking. "one Of Those Things That’s Symbolic Of Another Thing. But Isn’t The Same Thing. Just Like It." "you Mean A Metaphor?" "no! It’s Like A Story...like...a Proverb! That’s It." "i’m Pretty Sure That Wasn’t A Proverb. Maybe It Was An Analogy." "i Don’t Think So.

It Is Terrifying,” Said Adrian. “and Weird, For Lack Of A Better Word. And Part Of You Knows… Well, Part Of You Knows Something’s Not Right. That Your Thinking’s Not Right. But What Do You About That? All We Can Go On Is What We Think, How We See The World. If You Can’t Trust Your Own Mind, What Can You Trust? What Other People Tell You?

I Figured I Could Read More Than Five Pages Tonight Since I'd Been Deprived For The Last Couple Of Days. When I Finished The Fifteenth, I Discovered I Was Three Pages From The Next Chapter. Might As Well End With A Clean Break. After I Was Done, I Sighed And Leaned Back, Feeling Decadent And Spent. Pure Bliss. Books Were A Lot Less Messy Than Orgasms.

Um, Thanks,” She Said. It Was Nice To See One Woman Finally Immune To That Accent. That Wasn’t To Say Rose Wasn’t A Sucker For Accents. She Just Preferred Hers From The Other Side Of Europe.

I Also Have A Feeling Your Mother’s Going To Have A Very Ugly Conversation With Me." – Dimitri

Nothing Happened Here, Okay? None Of This Did.” His Eyebrows Rose. “really? Because I Could Have Sworn That Something Happened When My Hand Was Between Your—” “no!” - Dorian And Eugenie

How?" I Demanded. "how Could You Have Screwed This One Up?" "when I Got In, They Said The Manager Was On The Phone And Would Be A Few Minutes. So, I Sat Down And Ordered A Drink." This Time, I Did Lean My Forehead Against The Steering Wheel. "what Did You Order?" "a Martini." "a Martini." I Lifted My Head. "you Ordered A Martini Before A Job Interview." "it's A Bar, Sage. I Figured They'd Be Cool With It.

I'm Not Worthy Of That," I Said. I Might Be Human Now, But I Understand How Powerful A Heavenly Creature Carter Was. "i Don't Deserve That Much Regard." He Reached Out And Tipped My Chin Up. "you Do, Georgina. And If You Don't Believe Me Now, Then Strive To Be. Live You Life. Be Kind. Love Those You Know. Love Those You Don't Know. Be Worthy Of Your Soul." A Tear Escaped, Rolling Down My Cheek And Probably Messing Up My Mortal Mascara. "thank You, Carter. Thank You For Everything.

You Kill Me, Rose," He Said Melodramatically. "every Day Is Agony Without You. Empty. Alone. I Pine For You, Wondering If You're Even Still Alive.

Besides, I Could Hardly Complain To The Administration That I Was Being Forced To Learn Magic.

Like I Said Before, I Don't Know How Helpful Inez Will Be, " She Explained. "she's Very Eccentric And Controlled By Her Whims. If She Likes You, She Might Tell You Something. If She Doesn't, Well..." Ms. Terwilliger Shrugged. "then Maybe We'll Have Time For Photo Ops." "score," Said Adrian. When I Shot Him A Look, He Added Quickly, "but Of Course She'll Like You.

ʺwho′s A Spirit User?ʺ Said Robert. ʺformer Spirit User,ʺ Said Victor, ʺshe Became A Strigoi To Get Away From It.ʺ ʺyes . . . Always A Lure To That . . . Kill To Live, Live To Kill. Immortality And Freedom From These Chains, But Oh, What A Loss . . .ʺ Said Robert.

Yeah According To My- Hey, Are You Staring At My Chest? -rose To Adrian

My Death Will Not Be Penciled On Someone's Calendar.

But What Are Loyalty And Caring Really Worth?" "to Me? Everything.

Turning Away, I Stared At The Long Road Winding Off Ahead Of Me. I Sighed. This Trip Might Take Awhile. "then Start Walking, Rose," I Muttered To Myself. I Set Off, Off To Kill The Man I Loved.

Morois Are Born..but Strigois Are Made..!

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