Spirit Bound Chapter Ten

AND ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEMNo, I breathed, plane as I sprang toward the maven closest to mea woman. There appeared to be three Strigoi close to us.Eddie was in motion too, and both(prenominal) of us were trying to shove the Moroi behind us. They didnt need much urging. At the sight of Strigoi, the Moroi had begun to back upcreating sort of a bottleneck. Between Eddies instant reflexes and the Moroi panic, I was pretty legitimate no one had noniced what I already had spotted.Dimitri was among them.No, no, no, I said, this time to myself. Hed warned me. Over and oer, hed said in his permitters that as soon as I was tabu of the safety of the wards, he would be attack for me. Id considerd him and yet seeing the reality of it was a tot every(prenominal)y different thing. It had been three months, but in that instant, a million memories ran with my mind in crystal clear sharpness. My captivity with Dimitri. The way his m forthhso, so warm, despite his cold skinhad kissed mine. T he impression of his fangs pressing into my neck and the sweet bliss that followedHe visualizeed bonny the same too, with that chalky white pallor and red-ringed eyes that so conflicted with the soft, chin-length br deliver hair and new(prenominal)wise gorgeous lines of his mettle. He even had a leather duster on. It had to be a new one, seeing as his previous coat had gotten pretty torn up in our last fight on the bridge. Where did he keep lay downting them?Get out I yelled. My words were to the Moroi, even as my s detract number into the female Strigois meaning. The momentary confusion with all of us in the hall had been more of a damage to her than me. I got a good line of sight on her, and it was clear that she hadnt expected me to be so fast. Id exhausted a lot of Strigoi because theyd underestimated me.Eddie didnt have my luck. He stumbled when Victor shoved past him, allowing the other Strigoia guy bordering the front to backhand Eddie against the palisade. Still, that was the kind of thing we faced all the time, and Eddie responded beautifully. He immediately came back from the hit, and with the Moroi out of the way in a flash, Eddie was able to lunge toward the Strigoi and engage him fully.And me? My aid was on Dimitri.I stepped all over the fallen Strigoi without even looking at her. Dimitri had hovered near the back, sending his minions into the front lines of battle. Maybe it was because I knew Dimitri so nearly, but I suspected he wasnt defeatd that Id take out the one so quickly and that Eddie was giving the other a tough time. I enquiryed Dimitri cared whether they lived or died. They were just distractions for him to possess to me.I told you, said Dimitri, eyes both am employ and sharp. He was watch my every move, each of us subconsciously mirroring the other as we waited for an open up to attack. I told you Id find you.Yeah, I said, trying to ignore the grunts of Eddie and the other Strigoi. Eddie could take him. I knew he could. I got the memos.A ghost of a smile curled up Dimitris lips, showing the fangs that somehow triggered a combine of both longing and loathing in me. Instantly, I shoved those feelings out. Id hesitated before with Dimitri and nearly died because of it. Id refused to let it happen again, and the adrenaline pumping through my system served as a good reminder that this was a do-or-die situation.He make the first move, but I dodged italmost having sensed it coming. That was the problem with us. We knew each other too salutaryknew each others moves too well. Of course, that hardly meant we were an even match. Even in life, hed had more experience than me, and his Strigoi abilities tipped the scale. stock-still here you are, he said, still smiling. Foolishly stepping outside when you should have stayed in the safety of Court. I couldnt believe it when my spies told me.I said nonhing, instead attempting a swipe with my stake. He saw that coming too and sidestepped it. His havin g spies didnt affect meeven in the daytime. He controlled a network of Strigoi and existence a standardised, and Id cognise he had eyes and ears notice Court. The question was How the hell had he gotten into this hotel in the middle of the day? Even with human watchers at the aerodrome or monitoring credit cards as Adrian had done, Dimitri and his Strigoi friends should have had to wait until nightfall to get here.No, not necessarily, I recognize a moment later. Strigoi occasionally had work-arounds. Trucks and vans with dark, completely sealed cabins. Underground entrances. Moroi wanting to casino-jump from the bewitch Hour knew about secret tunnels connecting certain buildings. Dimitri would have turn inn about all this too. If hed been waiting for me to descend outside of wards, he would have done any(prenominal) it took to get to me. I knew better than anyone else how resourceful he was.I also knew he was trying to distract me with talking.And strangest of all, he keep, you didnt come alone. You brought Moroi. Youve of all time taken risks with your own life, but I didnt expect you to be so hasty with theirs.Something occurred to me then. Aside from the faint hum of the casino on the other end of the hallway and the sounds of our fight, everything else was silent. We were missing an important noise. Say, like, the alarm from a fire door.Lissa I yelled. Get the hell out of here Get them all out of here.She should have known better. They all should have known better. That door led to the upper floorsand outdoors. The sun was still out. It didnt matter if the alarm brought hotel guarantor down on us. Hell, that might scare the Strigoi off. What mattered was that the Moroi fled to safety.But a quick check of my bond told me the problem. Lissa was frozen. Stunned. Shed abruptly seen who I was fighting, and the shock of it was too much. Knowing Dimitri was a Strigoi was one thing. Seeing itreally, really seeing itwell, that was different. I knew from personal experience. Even after organism prepared, his appearance still unnerved me. She was blindsided, unable to think or move.It completely took me a heartbeat to assess her feelings, but in a fight with a Strigoi, a single second could be the difference between life and death. Dimitris chatter had worked, and although I watched him and thought I had my guard up, he got through and shoved me against the wall, hands pinning my arms so painfully that I befogged my grip on the stake.He put his face right up to mine, so close that our foreheads touched. Roza he murmured. His breath was warm and sweet against my skin. It seemed like it should have smelled like death or decay, but it didnt. wherefore? Why did you have to be so difficult? We could have spent eternity togetherMy heart thundered in my chest. I was afraid, terrified of the death that I knew had to be seconds away. And at the same time, I was modify with sorrow over having lost him. Seeing the features of his face, hea ring that same accented voice that even now wrapped around me like velvet I matte my heart breaking all over again. Why? Why had this happened to us? Why was the universe so cruel?I managed to flip the teddy again, once more shutting out the fact that this was Dimitri. We were predator and preyand I was in risk of being eaten.Sorry, I said through gritted teeth, shoving hardand failingto break his grip. My eternity doesnt involve being part of the undead mafia.I know, he said. I could have express there was sadness in his face but later convinced myself I must have imagined it. Eternity will be nonsocial without you.A piercing shriek suddenly rang in my ears. Both of us winced. Noises intended to startle humans were hell on sensitive hearing like we had. Yet I couldnt help but feel relief. The fire door. Finally, those idiotsand yes, I had no qualms about calling my friends idiots when they were acting that wayhad leftfield the building. I felt sunlight through the bond and t ook comfort in that as Dimitris fangs neared the artery that would spill the lifes blood from my neck.I fancyd the alarm would distract him, but he was too good. I struggled once more, hoping I could use surprise on him, but it was to no avail. What did surprise him was Eddies stake plunging into the side of his stomach.Dimitri snarled in pain and let go of me, momenting on Eddie. Eddies face was hard, unblinking. If seeing Dimitri fazed him, my friend didnt show it. For all I knew, Eddie wasnt even registering this as Dimitri. Probably all he saw was a Strigoi. It was the way we were trained. See monsters, not mess.Dimitris attention was off me for the moment. He wanted to draw out my death. Eddie was simply an annoyance he inevitable to rid us of so that he could continue the game.Eddie and Dimitri engaged in a dance kindred to the one Id been in with Dimitri earlier, except that Eddie didnt know Dimitris moves like I did. So Eddie wasnt able to completely block Dimitri grab bing him by the shoulder and shoving him to the wall. The maneuver had been intended to crush Eddies skull, but Eddie managed to shift enough so that it was his body that took the brunt of the impact. It still hurt, but he was alive.All of this took place in milliseconds. And in those fleeting moments, my perspective shifted. When Dimitri had been looming over me, about to bite me, I had managed to overcome that impulse to think of him as Dimitri, the person Id once known and love. Continually forced into a victim position, with my life about to end, I had kept kicking myself into fight-fight-fight mode.Now, watching soul else battle Dimitri seeing Eddies stake snake out at him well, suddenly, I lost that sedate objectivity. I remembered why Id come here. I remembered what wed just learned from Robert.Fragile. It was still all so fragile. Id sworn to myself that if we reached a moment where Dimitri was about to kill me and I hadnt learned more about saving Strigoi, I would do it. I would kill him. And this was my chance. Between Eddie and me, we could take Dimitri down. We could end this evil state, just as hed once wanted.Yet less than a half(prenominal) hour ago, Id been given a small piece of hope that a Strigoi could be saved. True, that part about a spirit user doing it was absurd, but Victor had believed. And if someone like him had believedI couldnt do it. Dimitri couldnt die. Not yet.I shot out with my stake, a hard strike that raked the silver point against the back of Dimitris head. He let out a roar of rage and managed to turn and push me off while still fending Eddie away. Dimitri was that good. But Eddies stake was getting closer to Dimitris heart, and my friends gaze was unwavering, mark on his kill.Dimitris attention flitted between the two of us, and in one small lapseonly half a breath longI saw Eddie get his stake in the zone, ready to take a shot at Dimitris heart. A shot that looked like it might succeed where mine had failed.And that w as why, in one smooth motion, I struck out with my stake, swiping it across Dimitris face and knocking Eddies arm aside as I did. It was a beautiful face. I abhord to mar it but knew Dimitri would heal. As I made that attack, I pushed past him, shoving into Eddie so that he and I stumbled toward the fire door that was still wow its warning. Eddies stony face registered surprise, and for a moment we were deadlocked me pushing him to the door and him pushing back toward Dimitri. I saw the hesitation, though. The positioning was off, and Eddie was on the verge of shoving me into a Strigoi, which his training wouldnt allow.Dimitri was already seizing the opportunity, though. His hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, trying to jerk me back. Eddie caught hold of my arm and pulled me forward. I cried out in surprise and pain. It felt like they were going to rip me in two. Dimitri was by far the strongest, but even stuck in the middle, my weight play a role, and I lent my force to Edd ies, which helped us gain some ground. Still, it was slow going. Like pass in honey. For each step I managed forward, Dimitri dragged me back.But Eddie and I were making slowand very, very painfulprogress toward the wailing door. A few moments later, I heard the clatter of feet and voices. Security, grunted Eddie, giving me a tug.Shit, I said.You cant win, Dimitri hissed. Hed managed to get both hands on my shoulders now and was overpowering us.Oh yeah? Were about to have the astray-cut Luxor Attack Squad here.Were about to have a pile of bodies here. Humans, he said dismissively.Those humans reached us. Im not sure what their impressions were. Some guy attacking teenagers? They shouted about us all letting go and facing them, directions the three of us ignored in our epic tug-of-war match. Then they must have rigid hands on Dimitri. He was still gripping me, but his hold slackened enough that one wide pull from Eddie and a near-leap on my part broke me free. Eddie and I didnt even look back, though the hostage guards were now shouting at us too.They werent the only ones shouting. Just before I pushed open the door, I heard Dimitri calling to me. There was laughter in his voice. Its not over, Roza. Do you really think theres anyplace you can go in this world where I cant find you? The same warning, always the same warning.I did my best to ignore the fear those words inspired. Eddie and I burst into smoggy desert air, as well as sunshine that was still hanging in there, despite being early evening. We were in the Luxors park lotwhich wasnt crowded enough for us to hide in. With no spoken communication, he and I tore off toward the busy Strip, knowing our physical abilities would surpass those of any human pursuers and let us get lost in the mobs of heap.It worked. I never saw how many followed us. My guess was the security staff were devoting their attention to the tall guy killing people in their hotel. The voices shouting after us faded, and Eddie and I eventually slowed to a stop in front of New York-New York, and again, without even talking, we immediately turned inside the hotel. It had a twisted layout and was more crowded than the Luxor, and we easily blended in until we could find an empty spot of wall on the far side of the hotels casino.The run had been hard even for us, and it took us a moment to stopover our breath as we stood there. I knew things were serious when Eddie finally turned on me, and anger lit his features. Eddie was always the picture of calm and control, ever since his first abduction by Strigoi last year. It had toughened him, made him more determined to face any challenge. But oh, was he mad at me now.What the hell was that? exclaimed Eddie. You let him goI put on my best tough face, but he seemed to be outdoing me today. What, did you miss the part where I was slashing him with my stake?I had his heart I had a shot, and you stopped meSecurity was coming. We didnt have time. We had to get out of ther e, and we couldnt let them see us do the killing.I dont think any of them are left to report seeing anything, Eddie replied evenly. He seemed to be trying to regain his composure. Dimitri left a pile of corpses there. You know it. People died because you wouldnt let me stake him.I flinched, realizing Eddie was right. It should have ended there. I hadnt gotten a good look at the number of security guards. How many had died? It wasnt relevant. Only the fact that innocent people had died mattered. Even one was too many. And it was my fault.My silence caused Eddie to press his advantage. How could you of all people forget that lesson? I know he used to be your instructorused to be. But hes not the same. They drilled that into us over and over. Dont hesitate. Dont think of him as a real person.I love him, I blurted out, without meaning to. Eddie hadnt known. Only a handful of people knew about my romantic relationship with Dimitri and what had happened in Siberia.What? Eddie exclaimed wi th a gasp. His outrage had transformed to shock.Dimitri hes more than my instructorEddie continued staring at me for several heavy seconds. Was, he said at last.Huh?He was more than your instructor. You loved him. Eddies momentary confusion was gone. He was back to hard guardian now, no sympathy. Im sorry, but its in the past, whatever was between you. You have to know that. The person you loved is gone. The guy we just saw? Not the same.I slowly shook my head. I I know. I know its not him. I know hes a monster, but we can save him if we can do what Robert was telling us about.Eddies eyes widened, and for a moment, he was dumbstruck. Thats what this is about? Rose, thats ridiculous You cant believe that. Strigoi are dead. Theyre gone to us. Robert and Victor were feeding you a luck of crap.Now I grew surprised. Then why are you even here? Why have you stuck with us?He threw his hands up in exasperation. Because youre my friend. I stayed with you through all of this breaking out Vic tor, earshot to his crazy brother because I knew you needed me. You all did, to help keep you safe. I thought you had a real reason for getting Victor outand that you were going to return him. Does it sound crazy? Yeah, but thats normal for you. Youve always had good reasons for what you do. He sighed. But this this is crossing a line. Letting Strigoi go in order to chase some ideasome idea that couldnt possibly workis ten generation worse than what we did with Victor. A hundred times worse. Every day Dimitri walks the world is another day that people are going to die.I collapsed against the wall and closed my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach. Eddie was right. I had screwed up. Id promised myself that I would kill Dimitri if I faced him before we could pursue Roberts solution. It all should have ended today but I had choked up. Again.I opened my eyes and straightened up, needing to find a new purpose before I burst into tears in the middle of this casino. We have to find the others . Theyre out there unprotected.It was probably the only thing that could have stopped Eddies scolding just then. Instinctual duty kicked in. Protect Moroi.Can you tell where Lissas at?My bond had kept me connected to her during our escape, but I hadnt allowed myself any deeper probing than confirming she was alive and okay. I expanded the link a little further now. Across the street. At MGM. Id seen the ginormous hotel when we ran into this one but hadnt realized Lissa was there. Now I could feel her, hiding out in a crowd like us, excite but not injured. I would have rather she and the others opted to hang out in the sun, but intelligence had driven her to the shelter of walls.Eddie and I spoke no more about Dimitri as we headed out and cover the busy road. The sky was turning peach, but I still felt secure out there. removed more secure than in the Luxors hallway. With the bond, I could always find Lissa, and without any hesitation, I led Eddie through MGMs twists and turnshon estly, the layout of these places just got more and more confusinguntil we saw Lissa and Adrian standing near a row of one-armed bandit machines. He was smoking. She spotted me, sprinted over, and threw her arms around me.Oh my God. I was so scared. I didnt know what had happened to you guys. I hate that one-way bond.I forced a smile for her. Were fine.In a bruised kind of way, mused Adrian, strolling over. I didnt doubt it. In the adrenaline of a fight, it was easy to not notice injuries and pain. Later, when the battle lust faded, you started to realize just what youd put your body through.I was so grateful to see Lissa okay that I missed what Eddie had already noticed. You guys, where are Victor and Robert?Lissas happy face crumpled, and even Adrian looked grim. Damn it, I said, needing no explanation.Lissa nodded, eyes wide and distraught. We lost them.