Blood Promise Chapter Nineteen

For close toone who had preached to Denis ab come off of the closet impulse control, I wasnt saddle horse a real good example. Once left alone in the suite, I continued nerve-racking ein truththing possible to nonplus out-emphasis on the try take up.Nathan had acted ilk keeping a prisoner was a rare thing, merely from what I could read, this place had been built to hold people in. The portal and window remained impassible, no field of study how hard I beat at them or threw objects against them. I didnt bother with the chair this conviction and quite used one of the living rooms end tables, hoping it would carry some extra heft. It didnt. When that didnt work, I actu wholey move entering random codes into the doors keypad. Also useless.Fin only wheny, exhausted, I collapsed onto the leather sofa and tried to assess my options. The process didnt sign very tenacious. I was trapped in a house full of Strigoi. Okay, I didnt know that for surely, scarce I knew there were at least three here, which was far too many for me. Dimitri had refer red-faced to this place as an estate, which I didnt find comforting. Estates were big. The fact that I appeared to be on the fourth floor was proof of that. A big place meant that there could be lots of room for lots of vampires.The one comfort I had was that Strigoi didnt cooperate very well. Finding large groups of them working to stringher was rare. Id observed it a couple of times-the labialize on the Academy macrocosm one such occasion. Theyd come then because the schools wards had dropped, and that had been a big tolerable incentive for the Strigoi to unite. Even when they did try to work together, the unions were usually absolutely-lived. The friction Id observed between Dimitri and Nathan was proof of that.Dimitri.I closed my eyeball. Dimitri was the reason I was here. Id come to promiscuous him from this state of living death and had promptly failed, exclusively as hed said.Now, it appeared I competency be on the verge of joining him. Yeah, good job, Rose. I shivered, attempt to imagine myself as one of them. Red rings around my pupils. Tanned skin gone pale. I couldnt picture it, and I supposed Id never have to actually see myself if it happened. Strigoi cast no reflections. It would pack doing my hair a real pain in the ass.The scariest change of all would be within, the loss of my linkup to my soul. Both Dimitri and Nathan had been cruel and antagonistic. Even if I hadnt been around to start the fight, it likely wouldnt have taken long for them to find some other reason to turn on each other. I was combative, but it was endlessly driven by some passion for others. Strigoi fought because they relished the businessshed. I didnt call for to be like that, seeking consanguinity and violence because I en jubilateed it.I didnt want to believe that of Dimitri either, but his actions had already branded him as a Strigoi. I also knew what he had to have been eating thi s whole time to survive. Strigoi could go longer without blood than Moroi, but it had been oer a month since he was turned. There was no question he had fed, and Strigoi around al agencys killed their victims to eat. I couldnt picture that of Dimitri non the man Id known.I opened my eyes. The topic of feeding had brought my eat to mind. Pizza and brownies. Two of the most perfect sustenances on the planet. The pizza had long gone cold during my safety valve efforts, but as I stared at the plate, both it and the brownie looked delicious. If the outside light was any indication, it hadnt been a full twenty-four hours since Dimitri had caught me, but it was getting pretty close. That was a long time to go without food, and I wanted to eat that pizza badly, cold or not. I didnt really want to starve to death.Of course, I didnt want to become Strigoi either, but this situation was quickly running away from what I wanted. Starvation took a long time, and I suspected Dimitri was right hed turn me long forward I had a get hold to truly starve. Id have to find some other way to die-God, not that I wanted that at all-and in the meantime, I decided I might as well keep up my peculiarity on the feeble chance I might be able to thresh.Once the decision was made, I gobbled nap the food in about three minutes. I had no idea who Strigoi hired to do their cooking-hell, Strigoi couldnt even eat regular food, unlike Moroi-but it was fantastic. Some wry expound of me noted that Id been given food that required no silverware.They really had thought of every possible way I might get my accomplishs on a weapon. My mouth was full of my exist giant bite of brownie when the door all at once opened. Inna slipped deftly at heart, the door shutting almost conterminously.Son of a bitch Or at least I tried to say that through my mouthful of food. While Id been debating whether to eat or not, I should have been staking out the door. Dimitri had said Inna would check in on me. I should have been time lag to overtake her. Instead, shed gotten in while I wasnt paying attention. Once again, Id slipped up.Just like when she was around Dimitri and Nathan, Inna made very slight eye contact. She held a pile of clothes in her arms and paused in front of me, place them out. Uncertain, I took them from her and set them beside me on the couch.Um, thanks, I said.Pointing at the empty tray, she actually glanced up at me shyly, a question in her brown eyes. Seeing her straight on, I was surprised at how pretty she was. She might even have been younger than me, and I wondered how shed ended up being forced to work here. catch her query, I nodded.Thanks.She picked the tray up and waited a moment. I wasnt sure why then it occurred to me she must be waiting to see if I wanted anything else. I was pretty sure the combination to the lock wouldnt translate very well. I shrugged and waved her off, my mind spinning as I watched her approach the door. I should wait for her to open the door and then jump her, I thought. Immediately, a gut reaction sprang up in me, hesitation at striking out at an innocent. Another thought squashed that one Its me or her. I tensed.Inna press herself close to the door as she punched in the combination, effectively blocking my view. Judging by how long she was punching in numbers, the code appeared to be pretty long. The door clicked open, and I braced myself to act. Then-I decided against it at the last moment.For all I knew, there could be an army of Strigoi out there. If I was going to use Inna to escape, I probably only had one opportunity. I needed to take aim it count. So, instead of leaping up, I shifted s gently so that I could see beyond her. She was vindicatory as fast as before, slipping out as soon as the door unlocked. and in that moment, I caught a glimpse of a short corridor and what looked like another heavy door.Interesting. Double doors on my prison. If I did follow her, that would prevent me from ma king an immediate escape. She could simply wait by the other locked door, holding out until Strigoi stickerup showed up. That made things more difficult, but understanding the setup at least gave me a spark of hope. I scantily needed to encipher out what to do with this information, provided I hadnt screwed myself by not acting now. For all I knew, Dimitri was about to move in and turn me into a Strigoi.I sighed. Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri.Looking tear, I took the time to actually see what shed brought me. My menstruum attire wasnt bothering me, but if I stayed here lots longer, my jeans and T-shirt were going to get pretty gross. care Tamara, someone wanted to dress me up.The clothes Inna had brought were all dresses and all in my size. A red silk sheath. A long-sleeved, form-fitting knit dress edged in sitin. An empire-waist, ankle-length chiffon gown.Oh, great. Im a doll.Digging deeper into the stack, I discovered there were a few nightshirts and nightgowns tucked in there-a s well as some underwear and bras. All of those were satin and silk. The most perfunctory item in the whole lot was a forest-green sweater dress, but even it was made of the cottonyest cashmere.I held it up, trying to imagine myself making a daring escape in it. Nope. With a shake of my walk, I heedlessly tossed all of the clothes onto the floor. Looked like Id be wearing grungy clothes for a while.I paced around after that, turning over futile escape plans that Id already spun around in my head a million times. In walking, I realized how tired I was. Aside from the blackout when Dimitri had ca-ca me, I hadnt slept in over a day. Deciding how to handle this was like deciding how to deal with the food. allow down my guard or not? I needed strength, but each concession I made put me more at risk.At last, I gave in, and as I lay down on the massive bed, an idea suddenly occurred to me. I wasnt totally without help. If Adrian came to visit me in my calmness, I could tell him what had happened. True, Id told him to stay away last time, but hed never listened to me before. why should this time be any contrary? I focused on him as hard as I could while I waited for sleep to come, as though my thoughts might act as some sort of bat signal and line up him.It didnt work. There was no visit in my dreams, and when I woke up, I was surprised at just how frequently that hurt me. Despite Adrians infatuation with Avery, I couldnt help but recall how kind hed been to Jill the last time I saw them. He was worried about Lissa, too, and hed displayed none of his usual carefree bravado. Hed been serious and well, sweet. A lump formed in my throat. Even if I had no romantic interest in him, Id tranquil treated him badly. Id lost both our friendship and any chance of calling for help through him.The soft rustling of paper snapped me from my musings and I jerked upright. Someone was in the living room, his lynchpin to me as he sat on the couch, and it took me only a moment to recognize who. Dimitri.What are you doing here? I asked, climbing out of bed. In my groggy state, I hadnt even registered the nausea.Waiting for you to wake up, he said, not bothering to turn around. He was overly confident in my inability to inflict damage-as well he should have been.Sounds kind of boring.I walked into the living room, moving myself far to the side of him and leaning against the wall. I crossed my arms over my chest, again taking comfort in that meaningless protective posture.Not so boring. I had company.He glanced over at me and held up a book. A western. I conceptualise that shocked me almost as much as his altered appearance. There was something so normal about it all. Hed loved western novels when he was a dhampir, and Id often teased him about wanting to be a cowboy. Somehow, Id imagined that hobby would go away when he turned. Irrationally hopeful, I studied his face as though I might see some radical change, like maybe hed turned back to the way hed be en while I slept. Maybe the last month and a one-half had been a dream.Nope. Red eyes and a hard expression looked back at me. My hopes shattered.You slept for a long time, he added. I dared a quick look at the window. tout ensemble black. It was nighttime. Damn. Id only wanted a two-hour power nap. And you ate.The amusement in his voice grated at me. Yeah, well, Im a lolly for pepperoni. What do you want?He placed a bookmark in the book and set it on the table. To see you.Really? I thought your only goal was to make me one of the living dead.He didnt acknowledge that, which was a bit frustrating. I hated tone of voiceing like what I had to say was being cut. Instead, he tried to get me to sit down. bent you tired of always standing?I just woke up. Besides, if I offer spend an hour tossing furniture around, a little standing isnt that big a deal.I didnt know why I was throwing out my usual witty quips. Honestly, considering the situation, I should have just ignored him. I shoul d have stayed silent instead of playing into this game. I guess I kind of hoped that if I made the jokes I used to, Id get some kind of response from the old Dimitri. I crush a sigh. There I was again, forgetting Dimitris own lessons. Strigoi were not the people they used to be.Sittings not that big a deal either, he replied. I told you before, Im not going to hurt you.?Hurt is kind of a subjective term. Then, in a sudden decision to seem fearless, I walked over and sat in the armchair across from him. knowing now?He tilted his head, and a few pieces of brown hair escaped from where hed pulled it back in a small ponytail. You still stay beautiful, even after sleeping and fighting. His eyes flicked down to the clothes Id tossed on the floor. You dont like any of them?Im not here to play dress-up with you. Designer clothes arent going to suddenly get me on board with joining the Strigoi club.He gave me a long, penetrating stare. wherefore dont you trust me?I stared back, only my st are was one of disbelief. How can you ask that? You abducted me. You kill innocent people to survive. You arent the same.Im better, I told you. And as for innocent He shrugged. No ones really innocent. Besides, the world is made up of predators and prey. Those who are strong capture those who are weak. Its part of the natural order. You used to be into that, if I remember correctly. I looked away. Back at school, my favorite non-guardian class had been biology. Id loved reading about animal behavior, about the survival of the fittest. Dimitri had been my alpha male, the strongest of all the other competitors.Its different, I said.But not in the way you presuppose. Why should drinking blood be so strange to you? Youve seen Moroi do it. Youve let Moroi do it.I flinched, not really wanting to lodge on how I used to let Lissa drink from me while we lived among humans. I certainly didnt want to think about the rush of endorphins that had come with that and how Id nearly become an addi ct.They dont kill.Theyre missing out. Its incredible, he breathed. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. To drink the blood of another to watch the life fade from them and feel it pour into you its the greatest experience in the world.Listening to him talk about killing others increased my nausea. Its hurtle and wrong.It happened so fast that I didnt have any time to react. Dimitri leapt out and grabbed me, pulling me to him and spreading me out on the couch.With his arm still wrapped around me, he positioned himself so that he was half beside me and half on top. I was too stunned to move.No, its not. And thats where you have to trust me. Youd love it. I want to be with you, Rose. Really be with you. Were free of the rules that others put on us. We can be together now-the strongest of the strong, taking everything we want. We can eventually be as strong as Galina. We could have a place just like this, all our own.While his bare skin was still cold, the press of the res t of his body against mine was warm. The red in his eyes practically gleamed while this close, and as he spoke, I saw the fangs in his mouth. I was used to seeing fangs on Moroi, but on him it was sickening. I briefly toyed with the idea of trying to work shift free but promptly dismissed it. If Dimitri wanted to hold me down, I would stay down.I dont want any of this, I said.Dont you want me? he asked with a wicked smile. You wanted me once.No, I said, knowing I lied.What do you want then? To go back to the Academy? To serve Moroi who will throw you into danger without a second thought? If you wanted that kind of life, why did you come here?I came to free you.I am free, he responded. And if youd really intended to kill me, you would have. He shifted slightly, resting his face close to my neck. You couldnt.I messed up. It wont happen again.Suppose that were true. Suppose you were able to kill me now. Suppose you were even able to escape. What then? go out you go back home? Will y ou return to Lissa and let her continue bleeding spirits darkness into you?I dont know, I replied stiffly. And it was the truth. My plans had never gone past finding him.It will consume you, you know. As long as she continues to use her magic, no matter how far away you go, youll always feel the side effects. At least as long as shes alive.I stiffened in his arms and moved my face away. Whats that mean? Are you going to join Nathan and hunt her down?What happens to her is no concern of mine, he said. You are. If you were awakened, Lissa would no longer be a threat to you. Youd be free.The bond would break.And what would happen to her? Shed be left alone.Like I said, thats no concern of mine. Being with you is.Yeah? Well, I dont want to be with you.He turned my face toward him so that we were looking at each other again. Once more, I had that weird feeling of being with Dimitri and not with Dimitri. Love and fear.He narrowed his eyes. I dont believe you.Believe what you want. I dont want you anymore.His lips quirked into one of those scary, smirking smiles. Youre lying. I can tell. Ive always been able to.Its the truth. I wanted you before. I dont want you now.If I unploughed maxim it, it would be true.He moved closer to me, and I froze. If I shifted even half an inch, our lips would touch. My exterior my power, yes, thats different. Better. But otherwise, Im the same, Roza. My essence hasnt changed. The connection between us hasnt changed. You just cant see it yet.Everythings changed. With his lips so close, all I kept thinking about was that brief, passionate kiss hed given me the last time he was here. No, no, no. Dont think about that.If Im so different, then why dont I force you into an awakening? Why am I giving you the choice?A snappy retort was on my lips, but then it died. That was an excellent question. Why was he giving me the choice? Strigoi didnt give their victims choices. They killed mercilessly and took what they wanted. If Dimitri truly wante d me to join him, then he should have turned me as soon as he had me. More than a day had passed, and hed showered me with luxury. Why? If he turned me, I had no doubt that Id become as twisted as him.It would make everything a lot simpler.He continued when I remained silent. And if Im so different, then why did you kiss me back earlier?I still didnt know what to say, and it made his smile grow. No answer. You know Im right.His lips suddenly comprise mine again. I made a small sound of protest and tried vainly to escape his embrace. He was too strong, and after a moment, I didnt want to escape. That same sensation as before flooded me. His lips were cold, but the kiss burned between us. Fire and ice. And he was right-I did kiss him back.Desperately, that rational part of me screamed that this was wrong. Last time, hed broken the kiss before too much could happen. Not this time.And as we continued kiss now, that rational voice in me grew smaller and smaller. The part of me that wou ld always love Dimitri took over, exulting in the way his body felt up against mine, the way he wound my hair around one of his hands, letting the fingers get tangled up. His other hand slid up the back of my shirt, cold against my warm skin. I pushed myself closer to him and felt the pressure of the kiss increase as his own desire picked up.Then, in the midst of it all, my tongue lightly brushed against the sharp point of one of his fangs. It was like a bucket of cold water tossed upon me. With as much strength as I could muster, I jerked my head away, pulling out of the kiss. I could only guess that his guard had been momentarily down, allowing me that small escape.My breathing was heavy, my whole body still wanting him. My mind, however, was the part of me in control-for now, at least. God, what had I been doing? Its not the Dimitri you knew. Its not him. Id been kissing a monster. But my body wasnt so sure.No, I murmured, surprised by how pathetic and pleading I sounded. No. We cant do this.Are you sure? he asked. His hand was still in my hair, and he forcibly turned my head so that I was face-to-face with him again. You didnt seem to mind. Everything can be just like it was before like it was in the confine You certainly wanted it thenThe cabinNo, I repeated. I dont want that.He pressed his lips against my strikingness and then made a surprisingly gentle trail of kisses down to my neck. Again, I felt my bodys eager for him, and I hated myself for the weakness.What about this? he asked, his voice barely a whisper. Do you want this?Wh-I felt it. The sharp bite of teeth into my skin as he closed his mouth down on my neck. For half an instant, it was agonizing. Painful and horrible.And then, just like that, the pain disappeared. A rush of bliss and joy poured through me. It was so sweet. I had never felt so wonderful in my life.It reminded me a little of how it had been when Lissa drank from me. That had been amazing, but this this was ten times better. A hundred times better. The rush from a Strigoi bite was great than that of a Morois. It was like being in love for the first time, filled with that all consuming, joyous feeling.When he pulled away, it felt like all the happiness and wonder in the world had vanished. He ran a hand over his mouth, and I stared at him wide-eyed. My initial instinct was to ask why hed stopped, but then, slowly, I reached inside myself to fight past the blissful daze that his bite had sent me into.Why what My words slurred a little. You said it would be my choiceIt still is, he said. His own eyes were wide, his breathing heavy too. Hed been just as affected as me. Im not doing this to awaken you, Roza. A bite like this wont turn you. This well, this is just for funThen, his mouth moved back to my neck to drink again, and I lost track of the world.