Vampire academy

"They're still on Eighty-three…but their turn is coming. They aren't speeding. They don't want to get pulled over."

He nodded, not looking at me. He most definitelywas speeding.

Giving him a sidelong glance, I replayed tonight's earlier events. In my mind's eye, I could see it all again, the way he'd looked at me and kissed me.

But what had it been?An illusion?A trick? On the way to the car, he'd told me there really had been a compulsion spell in the necklace, a lust one. I had never heard of such a thing, but when I'd asked for more information, he just said it was a type of magic earth users once practiced but never did anymore.

"They're turning, " I said suddenly. "I can't see the road name, but I'll know when we're close."

Dimitri grunted in acknowledgment, and I sank further into my seat.

What had it all meant? Had it meant anything to him? It had definitely meant a lot to me.

«There,» I said about twenty minutes later, indicating the rough road Victor's car had turned off on. It was unpaved gravel, and the SUV gave us an edge over his luxury car.

We drove on in silence, the only sound coming from the crunching of the gravel under the tires. Dust kicked up outside the windows, swirling around us.

"They're turning again."

Farther and farther off the main routes theywent, and we followed the whole time, led by my instructions.

Finally, I felt Victor's car come to a stop.

"They're outside a small cabin, " I said. "They're taking her-"

"Why are you doing this? What's going on?"

Lisa.Cringing and scared. Her feelings had pulled me into her.

"Come, child, " said Victor, moving into the cabin, unsteady on his cane. One of his guardians held the door open. Another pushed Lisa along and settled her into a chair near a small table inside. It was cold in here, especially in the pink dress. Victor sat across from her. When she started to get up, a guardian gave her a warning look. "Do you think I'd seriously hurt you?"

"What did you do to Christian? " she cried, ignoring the question. "Is he dead?

"The Ozera boy?I didn't mean for that to happen. We didn't expect him to be there. We'd hoped to catch you alone, to convince others you'd run away again. We'd made sure rumors already circulated about that."

We?I recalled how the stories had resurfaced this week…from Natalie.

"Now? "He sighed, spreading his hands wide in a helpless gesture. "I don't know. I doubt anyone will co

He hadn't counted on Dimitri figuring out the spell. He'd figured we'd be too busy getting it on all night.

«Why?» asked Lisa. "Why are you doing all this?"

His green eyes widened, reminding her of her father's.

They might be distant relatives, but that jade-green color ran in both the Dragomirs and the Dashkovs.

"I'm surprised you even have to ask, my dear. I need you. I need you to heal me.»

CHAPTER 22

"Heal you?"

Heal him? My thoughts echoed hers.

"You're the only way, " he said patiently. "The only way to cure this disease. I've been watching you for years, waiting until I was certain."

Lisa shook her head. "I can't…no. I can't do anything like that."

"Your healing powers are incredible. No one has any idea just how powerful."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come now, Vasilisa. I know about the raven-Natalie saw you do it. She'd been following you. And I know how you healed Rose."

She realized the pointlessness of denying it. "That…was different. Rose wasn't that hurt. But you…I can't do anything about Sandovsky's Syndrome."

"Notthat hurt? " he laughed. "I'm not talking about her ankle-which was still impressive. I'm talking about the car accident. Because you're right, you know. Rose didn't get 'that hurt. Shedied."

He let the words sink in.

"That's…no. She lived, " Lisa finally managed.

"No. Well, yes, she did. But I read all the reports. There wasno way she should have survived-especially with so many injuries. You healed her. You brought her back. " He sighed, half wistful and half weary. "I'd suspected you could do this for so long, and I tried so hard to repeat it…to see how much you could control…"

Lisa caught on and gasped. "Theanimals. It was you."

"With Natalie's help."

"Why would you do that? How could you?"

"Because I had to know.I have only a few more weeks to live, Vasilisa. If you can truly bring back the dead, then you can cure Sandovsky's. I had to know before I took you away that you could heal at will and not just in moments of panic."

"Why take me at all? " A spark of anger flared up in her. "You're my near-uncle. If you wanted me to do this-if you really think I can… " Her voice and feelings showed me she didn't really entirely believe she could heal him. "Then why kidnap me? Why didn't you just ask?"

"Because it's not a onetime affair.It took a long time to figure out what you are, but I managed to acquire some of the old histories…scrolls kept out of Moroi museums. When I read about how wielding spirit works-"

"Wielding what?"

"Spirit.It's what you've specialized in."

"I haven't specialized in anything! You're crazy."

"Where else do you think these powers of yours have come from? Spirit is another element, one few people have any more."

Lisa's mind was still reeling from the kidnapping and the possible truth that she'd brought me back from the dead. "That doesn't make any sense. Even if it wasn't common, I still would have heard of another element!Or of someone having it."

"No one knows about spirit anymore. It's been forgotten. When people do specialize in it, nobody realizes it. They think the person simply hasn't specialized at all."

"Look, if you're just trying to make me feel- " She abruptly cut herself off. She was angry and afraid, but behind those emotions, her higher reasoning had been processing what he'd said about spirit users and specializing. It now caught up with her. "Oh my God.Vladimir and Ms. Karp."

He gave her a knowing look. "You've known about this all along."

"No! I swear. It's just something Rose was looking into…She said they were like me…. " Lisa was starting to change from a little scared to all scared. The news was too shocking.

"Theyare like you. The books even sayVladimir was 'full of spirit. " Victor seemed to find that fu

Seeing that smile made me want to slap him.

"I thought. . " Lisa still wanted him to be wrong. The idea of not specializing was safer than specializing in some freakish element. "I thought that meant, like, the Holy Spirit."

"So does everyone else, but no. It's something else entirely.An element that's within all of us.A master element that can give you indirect control over the others. " Apparently my theory about her specializing in all the elements wasn't so far off.

She worked hard to get a grip on this news and her own self-control. "That doesn't answer my question.

It doesn't matter if I have this spirit thing or whatever. You didn't have to kidnap me."

"Spirit, as you've seen, can heal physical injuries. Unfortunately, it's only good on acute injuries. Onetime things.Rose's ankle.The accident wounds. For something chronic- say, a genetic disease like Sandovsky's-continual healings are required. Otherwise it will keep coming back. That's what would happen to me. I need you, Vasilisa. I need you to help me fight this and keep it away. So I can live."