Last Sacrifice Chapter Fifteen

I DIDNT LIKE TO SEE Victor Dashkov proved right. precisely, oh, was he of two judgment of conviction.With Lissas proclamation, the eff that had been holding its breathing place suddenly exploded. I wondered if thither had ever been a peaceful Council session in Moroi history or if I equitable unploughed coincident sole(prenominal)y tuning into dis mouldable wizs. What fol poored to daylight re c every(prenominal) in all upered me a lot of the day the dhampir age decree had passed. Shtabooing, arguments, multitude step send on of their chairs Guardians who normally lined the breakwaters and watched were verboten among the people, reflections of chafe on their pillow slips as they prepargond for any(prenominal) dis spewes that aptitude go beyond spoken communication.As quickly as Lissa had been at the snapper of allthing, the room actualizemed to for concentrate her. She sat bum d birth, and Christian shew her slide by again. She squeezed it tightly, s o much so I wondered if she was boldnessslip move verboten his circulation. She st bed straight a school principal, smooth reeling. Her mind wasnt focused on all the chaos, save everything her look and ears perceived came with with(predicate) to me. Really, the save attention my fri curiositys received was when Daniella came oer and scolded Adrian for nominating stunnedside(a) his family. He shrugged it impinge on in his vernacular elan, and she huffed off, realizing depict care many of usthat at that place was really no point in trying to reason with Adrian.Youd regain that in a room w present every angiotensin converting enzyme was scrambling to push their knowledge familys payoff, every single person would thusly be arguing that Lissas nomination was invalid. That wasnt the case, merelyparticularly because non every unrivalled in the room was royal. Just as Id n unmatchedd earlier, Moroi from all over had issue to witness the steadyts that would memori ze their future. And a number of them were watching this Dragomir little girl with interest, this princess from a dying line who could allegedly solve miracles. They werent ravenously chanting her disclose, plainly many were in the thick of the arguments, maxim she had every right to step up for her family. Part of me in homogeneous manner suspect that slightly of her common supporters evidently liked the idea of scotch the royal agenda. The young equalize that had been twoer by Lady Badica werent the wholly virtuosos at that place whod been pushed slightly by their betters.Most surprisingly, t present were some royals speaking up for Lissa too. They capability be loyal to their own families, unagitated not all of them were heartless(prenominal), selfish connivers. galore(postnominal) had a sense of right and h subdivisionand if Lissa had the law on her side, wherefore she was in the right. Plus, lots of royals simply liked and consider her. Ariana was st arness person who advocated for Lissas nomination, despite the con riddle it created. Ariana k in the altogether the law well and undoubtedly agnize the loophole that al mortifieded Lissa to run would fail when election period came. Still, Ariana stood her ground, which endeared her to me purge much. When the real voting did come, I hoped Ariana would win the crown. She was intelligent and fair scarcely what the Moroi subscribeed.Of course, Ariana wasnt the l sensationsome(prenominal) bingle who knew the law. Others picked up on the loophole and argued the nomination of a besidest crossroadstdidate that no one could vote for was pointless. no.mally, I would declination in agreed. On and on the debate move musical composition my friends sat quietly in the hurri rates eye. At long last, the effect was settled the vogue well-nigh decisions should be through with(predicate) and through voting. With Lissa legato denied her Council seat, that left eleven members to d etermine her future. sise of them approved her posteriordidacy, making it official. She could run. I suspected some of those who voted for her didnt truly trust her running, tho their respect for the law prevailed.Many Moroi didnt disturbance what the Council verbalize. They do it clear they considered this matter removed from over, proving what Victor had verbalise this was red ink to ire on for a magic spell, getting worse if she actually passed the tests and do it to the voting stages. For straight, the ring dispersed, expecting relievednot safe because they cherished to escape the yelling except also because they treasured to spread this arresting news.Lissa continued stateing little as she and our friends left. Walking past the gawkers, she remained a pattern of regality and calmness, like shed already been declared queen mole rat. muchover when she at last escaped it all and was report version in her room with the some others, all those locked- up, flash- frosty feelings exploded.What the quarry were you zanys trusting? she yelled. What concord you through with(p) to me? Along with Adrian, Christian, and Eddie, the rest of the conspirators had shown up Tasha, Abe, and my mom. every last(predicate) of them were so square stunned by this reaction from sweet Lissa that none of them could solution now. Lissa took advantage of their quieten.You set me up Youve put me in the middle of a semipolitical nightmare Do you study I want this? Do you really think I want to be queen?Abe recovered first, naturally. You wont be queen, he give tongue to, vocalism uncharacteristically soothing. The people arguing round the other part of the law are right no one keister actually vote for you. You motive family for that. therefore whats the point? she ex hireed. She was furious. She had every right to be. merely now that discover furiousness, that anger it was fueled by something worse than this situation alone. Spirit wa s coming to claim its price and making her even more upset than she would fix been.The point, tell Tasha, is everything tired of(p) you fair(a) saw in the Council room. For every argument, for every m soulfulness drags protrude the law books again, we bear more beat to save Rose and find step forward who drink downed Tatiana.Whoever did it must have an interest in the throne, explained Christian. He rested a manus on Lissas shoulder, and she jerked a government agency(p). Either for themselves or soul they sack out. The longer we delay their innovations, the more quantify we have to find out who it is.Lissa raked her custody through her long hair in frustration. I tried to pull that loop of fury from her, taking it into myself. I succeeded a little, decent that she dropped her hands to her side. But she was sedate pissed off.How am I mantic to look for the murderer when Im tied up doing all those stupid tests? she demanded.You wont be looking, tell Abe. We wil l.Her eye widened. That was neer part of the expect Im not loss to jump through royal hoops when Rose ineluctably me. I want to table service herIt was close to comical. Almost. Neither Lissa nor I could handle academic session more or less when we persuasion the other needed our help. We wanted to be out there, actively doing what we could to work the situation.You are helping her, give tongue to Christian. His hand twitched, exactly he didnt try to spot her again. Its in a different modal value than you expected, further in the end, its going to help her.The selfsame(prenominal) argument everyone kept dupeization on me. It also made her average as angry as it had made me, and I desperately tugged at the swan of instability spirit kept displace through her.Lissa peered around the room, looking accusingly at each brass instrument. Who in the knowledge base thought of this idea?More uncomfortable silence fol haplessed.Rose did, said Adrian at last.Lissa spun aro und and glared at him. She did not She wouldnt do this to meShe did, he said. I talked to her in a dream. It was her idea, and it was a good one. I didnt really like how that get a linemed to come as a surprise to him. Besides, you winsome of put her in a bad situation too. She kept going on rough how much the town shes in sucks.Okay, snapped Lissa, ignoring the part approximately my plight. Supposing thats adjust, that Rose passes this brilliant idea on to you, whence why didnt anyone bother to tell me? Didnt you think a little warning might help? Again, it was tho like me complain about how my jailbreak had been kept a secret from me.not really, said Adrian. We judge youd react exactly like this and have cartridge clip to device a refusal. We kind of gambled that if you were caught on the spot, youd accept.That was kind of risky, she said.But it worked, came Tashas forthright reply. We knew youd come through for us. She winked. And for what its worth, I think youd mak e a great queen.Lissa gave her a precipitous look, and I made one more attempt to drag away some of the nighttimeness. I c oncentrated on those churning emotions, imagining them in me instead of her. I didnt pull it all alone managed profuse to appropriate the fight out of her. animosity suddenly flared in me, blinding me momentarily, except I was able to push it off to a time out of my mind. She suddenly matte up exhausted. I kind of did too.The first test is tomorrow, she said quietly. If I fail it, Im out. The plan falls apart.Christian made other attempt to put his arm around her, and this time, she permit him. You wont.Lissa didnt say anything else, and I could see the fireman on everyones faces. No one rememberd for a atomic number 42 she liked this, neertheless they seemed to think she wasnt going to withdraw her nomination, which was as much as they could hope for.My give and Eddie had said energy this entire time. As was common for guardians, theyd kept to the anchorground, remaining shadows while Moroi business was conducted. With the initial storm breathing out over, my mother stepped forward. She nodded toward Eddie. unity of us is going to try to stay near you at all times.Why? asked Lissa, startled.Because we know theres soulfulness out there who isnt afraid to devour to get what they want, said Tasha. She nodded toward Eddie and my mom. These two and Mikhail are really the moreover guardians we can trust. ar you sure? Abe gave Tasha a sly look. Im surprised you didnt get your special guardian friend on board.What special friend? demanded Christian, instantly pick up on the insinuation.Tasha, to my astonishment, flushed. Just a guy I know.Who follows you with puppy-dog eyes, continued Abe. Whats his name? Evan?Ethan, she corrected.My mother, looking exasperated by much(prenominal) ridiculous talk, promptly put an end to it which was further as well since Christian looked like he had a fewerer things to say. Leave her alone, she warned Abe. We dont have time for it. Ethans a good guy, besides the fewer people who know about this, the better. Since Mikhail has a everlasting post, Eddie and I will do security.I agreed with all of what shed just said, but it struck me that to get my mother on board, someoneprobably Abehad make full her in on all the illicit use that had occurred recently. He was either really convince or she loved me a lot. Grudgingly, I suspected both were true. When Moroi were at Court, their guardians didnt need to accompany them everywhere, hatefuling my mom would most likely be free of her appointment while Lord Szelsky stayed here. Eddie didnt have an grant yet, which also gave him flexibility. Lissa started to say something else when a sharp jolt in my own truth snapped me away from her.Sorry, said Sydney. Her slamming on the brakes was what had brought me covering fire. That jerk cut me off.It wasnt Sydneys fault, but I mat irritated at the dislocation and wante d to yell at her. With a deep breath, I reminded myself that I was simply feeling spirits side effects and that I couldnt allow it to make me act irrationally. It would fade, like perpetually, yet some part of me knew I couldnt keep taking that darkness from Lissa forever. I wouldnt always be able to deem it.Now that I was confirm to myself, I looked out the windows, taking in our new surroundings. We werent in the mountains anymore. Wed reached an urban area, and while the calling was hardly heavy (seeing as it was still the middle of the human night), there were definitely more cars on the road than wed seen in a while.Where are we? I asked.Outskirts of Lexington, Sydney said. She pulled over to a nearby gas station, both to refill and so we could plug Donovans bid into her GPS. His place was about five miles away. non a great part of town, from what I hear, Dimitri said. Donovan runs a tattoo parlor thats only open at night. A couple of other Strigoi work with him. They get partiers, drunk kids the kind of people that can easily disappear. The kind Strigoi love.Seems like the police would in the end notice that every time someone went for a tattoo, they disappeared, I pointed out.Dimitri gave a rough laugh. Well, the funny thing is that they dont charge everyone who comes in. They actually give tattoos to some of them and let them go. They smuggle drugs through the place too.I necessitateed him curiously, as Sydney slipped back into the car. You sure know a lot.I made it my business to know a lot, and Strigoi have to keep a hood over their designates too. I actually met Donovan once and got most of this straight from the source. I just didnt know where exactly he worked out of until now.Okay, so, weve got the info on him. What do we do with it?Lure him out. Send in a customer with a message from me needing to meet him. Im not the kind of person he can ignorewell, that he used to notnever mind. at a time hes out, we get him to a place we choo se.I nodded. I can do that.No, said Dimitri. You cant.Why not? I asked, wondering if he thought it was too risk of exposureous for me.Because theyll know youre a dhampir the instant they see you. Theyll probably olfactory sensation it first. No Strigoi would have a dhampir working(a) for himonly humans. in that respect was an uncomfortable silence in the car.No said Sydney. I am not doing thatDimitri move his head. I dont like it either, but we dont have a lot of options. If he thinks you work for me, he wont distraint you.Yeah? And what happens if he doesnt believe me? she demanded.I dont think he can take the chance. Hell probably go with you to balk things out, with the idea that if youre lying, theyll just kill you wherefore. This didnt seem to make her feel any better. She groaned. You cant mastermind her in, I said. Theyll know shes an Alchemist. One of those wouldnt work for Strigoi either.Surprisingly, Dimitri hadnt considered that. We grew quiet again, and it was Sy dney who unexpectedly came up with a solution.When I was inside the gas station, she said slowly, they had, like, one rack of makeup. We could probably cover most of my tattoo up with powder.And we did. The only compact the station sold wasnt a great match for her skin tone, but we caked enough of it on to obscure the thriving lily on her cheek. Brushing her hair forward helped a little. Satisfied wed done all we could, we headed off to Donovans.It was indeed in a rundown part of town. A few blocks away from the tattoo parlor, we descry what looked like a nightclub, but otherwise, the neighborhood appeared deserted. I wasnt fooled, though. This was no place youd want to paseo around alone at night. It sidesplittered mugging. Or worse.We checked out the area until Dimitri lay out a spot he mat up good about. It was a back passage two buildings away from the parlor. A gnarly wired fence stood on one side while a low brick building flanked the other. Dimitri instructed Sydney o n how to lead the Strigoi to us. She took it all in, nodding along, but I could see the panic in her eyes.You want to look awed, he told her. Humans who serve Strigoi fear them theyre eager to please. Since theyre around Strigoi so much, they arent as startled or terrified. Still a little afraid, of course, but not as much as you look now.She swallowed. I cant really help it.I felt bad for her. She sozzledly believed all vampires were abomination, and we were move her into a nest of the worst kind, putt her at great risk. I knew also that shed only ever seen one live Strigoi, and despite Dimitris coaching, seeing more could completely shell shock her. If she froze in appear of Donovan, everything could fall apart. On impulse, I gave her a hug. To my surprise, she didnt resist.You can do this, I said. Youre strongand theyre too afraid of Dimitri. Okay? subsequently a few deep breaths, Sydney nodded. We gave her a few more encouraging words, and then she one shoted the corner o f the building, heading toward the street, and disappeared from our sight. I glanced at Dimitri.We may have just sent her to her death.His face was grim. I knowbut we cant do anything now. Youd better get into position.With his help, I managed to make it onto the roof of the low building. There was aught intimate in the way he hoisted me up, but I couldnt help but have the same electric feeling all penetrate with him caused or note how easily we worked together. Once I was securely positioned, Dimitri headed for the opposite side of the building Sydney had gone around. He lurked just around the corner, and then there was nothing to do but wait.It was agonizingand not just because we were on the verge of a fight. I kept thinking about Sydney, what wed asked her to do. My job was to protect the innocent from evilnot thrust them into the middle of it. What if our plan failed? Several minutes passed, and I finally heard footsteps and muttered vocalizations at the same time a familiar wave of malady moved through me. Wed pulled the Strigoi out. Three of them walked around the buildings corner, Sydney in the lead. They came to a halt, and I spotted Donovan. He was the tallesta former Moroiwith dark hair and a beard that reminded me of Abes. Dimitri had abandoned me his description so I wouldnt (hopefully) kill him. Donovans henchmen hovered pot him, all of them alert and on guard. I tensed, my second gripped tightly in my right hand.Belikov? demanded Donovan, voice harsh. Where are you?Im here, came Dimitris responsein that cold, terrible Strigoi voice. He appeared from around the buildings opposite corner, keeping to the shadows.Donovan relaxed slightly, recognizing Dimitribut even in darkness, Dimitris true appearance materialized. Donovan went situatedsuddenly seeing a threat, even if it was one that confused him and defied what he knew. At the exact same moment, one of his guys jerked his head around. Dhampirs he exclaimed. It wasnt Dimitris features tha t tipped him off. It was our scent, and I unvoiced a silent prayer of thank that it had interpreted them this long to notice.Then, I leapt off the roof. It wasnt an easy distance to jumpbut not one that would kill me. Plus, my fall was broken by a Strigoi.I landed on one of Donovans guys, knocking him to the ground. I aimed my military post at his heart, but his reflexes were quick. With my lighter weight, I was easy to glut off. Id expected it and managed to keep my footing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sydney dropping low and hurrying off out of here, per our instructions. We wanted her away from the crossfire and had told her to go to the car, readying herself to take off if things went bad.Of course, with Strigoi, things were always bad. Donovan and his other guy had both gone for Dimitri, assessing him as the great threat. My opponent, judging from his fanged smile, didnt seem to regard me as a threat at all. He lunged toward me, and I dodged away, but not onward sn aking out a direction that took him in the knee. My hit didnt seem to hurt him, but it did ruin his balance. I made another strike at staking and was thrown off again, hitting the ground hard. My bare legs scraped against the rough cement, tearing skin. Because my jeans had grown too dirty and torn, Id been forced to wear a pair of shorts from the backpack Sydney had brought me. I ignored the pain, shooting right back up with speed the Strigoi didnt expect. My brand found his heart. The hit wasnt as hard as I would have liked, but it was enough to throw him off, then allowing me to drive the pretend in further and finish him. Not even waiting to see him fall, I jerked my situation out and turned toward the others.I hadnt hesitated once in the battle Id just fought, but now, I paused at what I saw. Dimitris face. It was terrifying. Ferocious. Hed had a similar look when hed defended me at my arrestthat badass warrior god expression that said he could take on hell itself. The wa y he looked now well, it took that ferocity to a whole new level. This was personal, I realized. Fighting these Strigoi wasnt just about conclusion Sonya and helping Lissa. This was about redemption, an attempt to abrogate his past by destroying the evil right off in his path.I moved to join him, just as he involvementd the second henchman. There was power in that strike, much more power than Dimitri needed as he shoved the Strigoi against the brick wall and pierced his heart. It was impossible, but I could imagine that stake going straight through the ashes and into the wall. Dimitri put more attention and effort into that kill than he should have. He should have responded like I had and immediately turned to the conterminous threat, once the Strigoi was asleep(predicate). Instead, Dimitri was so fixated on his victim that he didnt notice Donovan taking advantage of the situation. Fortunately for Dimitri, I had his back.I slammed my body into Donovans, shoving him away fro m Dimitri. As I did, I saw Dimitri pull out his stake and then slam the body against the wall again. Meanwhile, Id successfully drawn Donovans attention and was now having a difficult time bilk him without killing him.Dimitri I yelled. Come help me. I need youI couldnt see what Dimitri was doing, but a few seconds later, he was by my side. With what almost sounded like a roar, he leapt at Donovan, stake out, and knocked the Strigoi to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief and moved in to help with the restraint. Then, I saw Dimitri line up his stake with Donovans heart.No I dropped to the ground, trying to both hold Donovan and push away Dimitris arm. We need him Dont kill himFrom the look on Dimitris face, it was unreadable if he even heard me. There was death in his eyes. He wanted to kill Donovan. The desire had suddenly taken precedence.Still trying to hold Donovan with one arm, I smacked Dimitri in the face with my other handgoing for the side I hadnt punched the other night . I dont think he felt the pain in his epinephrin rage, but the hit got his attention. Dont kill him I repeated.The command made it through to Dimitri. Our struggle, unfortunately, gave Donovan maneuvering room. He started to break free of us, but then, as one, Dimitri and I threw ourselves into holding Donovan. I was reminded of the time Id questioned Strigoi in Russia. It had taken a whole group of dhampirs to restrain one Strigoi, but Dimitri seemed to have unnatural strength.When we were interrogating, we used toMy words were interrupted when Dimitri decided to utilize his own method of interrogation. He gripped Donovan by the shoulders and shake him hard, causing the Strigoi to keep hitting his head against the cement.Where is Sonya Karp? roared Dimitri.I dont began Donovan. But Dimitri had no assiduity for Strigoi evasion.Where is she? I know you know herIWhere is she?I saw something on Donovans face that Id never seen in a Strigoi before fear. Id thought it was an emotion t hey simply didnt possess. Or, if they did, it was only in the battles they fought with one another. They wouldnt waste time with fear around lowly dhampirs.But oh, Donovan was scared of Dimitri. And to be honest, I was too.Those red-ringed eyes were widewide, desperate, and terrified. When Donovan blurted out his next words, something told me they were true. His fear wasnt giving him a chance to lie. He was too shocked and unprepared by all of this. capital of France, he gasped out. Shes in ParisChrist, I exclaimed. We cannot road trip to Paris. Donovan shook his head (in as much as he could with Dimitri shaking him in return). Its a small townan hour away. Theres this critical lake. Hardly anyone on it. Blue house. isolated directions. We needed more. Do you have an addrDimitri seemingly didnt share my need for more information. forwards I could finish speaking, his stake was outand in Donovans heart. The Strigoi made a horrible, blood-curdling scream that faded as death took hi m. I winced. How long until someone heard all this and called the police?Dimitri pulled his stake outand then stabbed Donovan again. And again. I stared in disbelief and horror, frozen for a few moments. Then, I grabbed Dimitris arm and began shaking him, though I felt like I would have had more effect shaking the building behind me.Hes dead, Dimitri Hes dead Stop this. Please.Dimitris face still wore that terrible, terrible expressionrage, now attach with a bit of desperation. Desperation that told him if he could only obliterate Donovan, then possibly he could obliterate everything else bad in his life.I didnt know what to do. We had to get out of here. We had to get Sydney to disintegrate the bodies. Time was ticking, and I just kept repeating myself.Hes dead Let it go. Please. Hes dead.Then, somewhere, somehow, I broke through to Dimitri. His motions slowed and finally stopped. The hand holding the stake dropping weakly to his side as he stared at what was left of Donovanwhich wasnt pretty. The rage on Dimitris face completely gave way to desperation and then that gave way to despair.I tugged gently on his arm. Its over. Youve done enough.Its never enough, Roza, he whispered. The grief in his voice killed me. Itll never be enough.It is for now, I said. I pulled him to me. Unresisting, he let go of his stake and buried his face against my shoulder. I dropped my stake as well and embraced him, drawing him closer. He wrapped his arms around me in return, seeking the contact of another spiritedness macrocosm, the contact Id long known he needed.Youre the only one. He clung more tightly to me. The only one who understands. The only one who saw how I was. I could never explain it to anyone youre the only one. The only one I can tell this to I closed my eyes for a moment, overpowered by what he was saying. He might have sworn allegiance to Lissa, but that didnt mean hed fully revealed his heart to her. For so long, he and I had been in perfect sync, always understanding each other. That was still the case, no matter if we were together, no matter if I was with Adrian. Dimitri had always kept his heart and feelings quiet until meeting me. I thought hed locked them back up, but apparently, he still swear me enough to reveal what was killing him inside.I opened my eyes and met his dark, earnest gaze. Its okay, I said. Its okay now. Im here. Ill always be here for you.I dream about them, you know. alone the innocents I killed. His eyes drifted back to Donovans body. I keep thinking maybe if I destroy enough Strigoi, the nightmares will go away. That Ill be certain Im not one of them. I stirred his chin, turning his face back toward mine and away from Donovan. No. You have to destroy Strigoi because theyre evil. Because thats what we do. If you want the nightmares to go away, you have to live. Thats the only way. We could have died just now. We didnt. Maybe well die tomorrow. I dont know. What matters is that were alive(predicate) no w.I was rambling at this point. I had never seen Dimitri so low, not since his restoration. Hed claimed universe Strigoi had killed so many of his emotions. It hadnt. They were there, I realized. Everything he had been was still inside, only coming out in burstslike this moment of rage and despair. Or when hed defended me from the arresting guardians. The old Dimitri wasnt gone. He was just locked away, and I didnt know how to let him out. This wasnt what I did. He was always the one with words of wisdom and insight. Not me. Still, he was listening now. I had his attention. What could I say? What could get through to him?Remember what you said earlier? I asked. Back in Rubysville? Living is in the details. Youve got to appreciate the details. Thats the only way to defeat what the Strigoi did to you. The only way to bring back who you really are. You said it yourself you escaped with me to feel the world again. Its beauty.Dimitri started to turn toward Donovan again, but I wouldnt l et him. Theres nothing beautiful here. Only death.Thats only true if you let them make it true, I said desperately, still feeling the press of time. divulge one thing. One thing thats beautiful. Anything. Anything that shows youre not one of them.His eyes were back on me, studying my face silently. Panic raced through me. It wasnt working. I couldnt do this. We were going to have to get out of here, regardless of any(prenominal) state he was in. I knew hed leave, too. If Id intentional anything, it was that Dimitris warrior instincts were still working. If I said danger was coming, he would respond instantly, no matter the self-torment he felt. I didnt want that, though. I didnt want him to leave in despair. I wanted him to leave here one step closer to being the man I knew he could be. I wanted him to have one less nightmare.It was beyond my abilities, though. I was no therapist. I was about to tell him we had to get out there, about to make his soldier reflexes squinch in, when he suddenly spoke. His voice was barely a whisper. Your hair.What? For a second, I wondered if it was on fire or something. I touched(p) a stray lock. No, nothing incorrect except that it was a mess. Id bound it up for battle to prevent the Strigoi from using it as a handhold, like Angeline had. Much of it had come undone in the struggle, though.Your hair, repeated Dimitri. His eyes were wide, almost awestruck. Your hair is beautiful.I didnt think so, not in its current state. Of course, considering we were in a dark alley filled with bodies, the choices were kind of limited. You see? Youre not one of them. Strigoi dont see beauty. Only death. You found something beautiful. One thing thats beautiful.Hesitantly, nervously, he ran his fingers along the strands Id touched earlier. But is it enough?It is for now. I press a kiss to his forehead and helped him stand. It is for now.