Back in my room, I went online to research St. Vladimir but turned up nothing useful. Damn it. Mason had skimmed the books in the library and said there was little there. What did that leave me with? I had no way of learning more about that dusty old saint.
Or did I? What had Christian said that first day with Lisa?
Over there, we have an old box full of the writings of the blessed and crazy St. Vladimir.
The storage room above the chapel.It had the writings. Christian had pointed them out. I needed to look at them, but how? I couldn't ask the priest. How would he react if he found out students were going up there? It'd put an end to Christian's lair. But maybe…maybe Christian himself could help.
It was Sunday, though, and I wouldn't see him until tomorrow afternoon. Even then, I didn't know if I'd get a chance to talk to him alone.
While heading out to practice later, I stopped in the dorm's kitchen to grab a granola bar. As I did, I passed a couple of novice guys, Miles and Anthony. Miles whistled when he saw me.
"How's it been going, Rose?You getting lonely?Want some company?"
Anthony laughed. "I can't bite you, but I can give you something else you want."
I had to pass through the doorway they stood in to get outside. Glaring, I pushed past, but Miles caught me around the waist, his hand sliding down to my butt.
"Get your hands off my ass before I break your face, " I told him, jerking away. In doing so, I only bumped into Anthony.
"Come on, " Anthony said, "I thought you didn't have a problem taking on two guys at the same time."
A new voice spoke up. "If you guys don't walk away right now,I'll take both of you on. " Mason.My hero.
"You're so full of it, Ashford, " said Miles. He was the bigger of the two and left me to go square off with Mason. Anthony backed off from me, more interested in whether or not there'd be a fight. There was so much testosterone in the air, I felt like I needed a gas mask.
"Are you doing her too? " Miles asked Mason. "You don't want to share?"
"Say one more word about her, and I'll rip your head off."
"Why? She's just a cheap blood-"
Mason punched him. It didn't rip Miles' head off or even cause anything to break or bleed, but it looked like it hurt. His eyes widened, and he lunged toward Mason. The sound of doors opening in the hall caused everyone to freeze. Novices got in a lot of trouble for fighting.
"Probably some guardians coming. "Mason grinned. "You want them to know you were beating up on a girl?"
Miles and Anthony exchanged glances. "Come on, " Anthony said. "Let's go. We don't have time for this."
Miles reluctantly followed. "I'll find you later, Ashford."
When they were gone, I turned on Mason. "'Beat up on a girl'?"
"You're welcome, " he said drily.
"I didn't need your help."
"Sure. You were doing just fine on your own."
"They caught me off guard, that's all. I could have dealt with them eventually."
"Look, don't take being pissed off at them out on me."
"I just don't like being treated like…a girl."
"Youare a girl. And I was just trying to help."
I looked at him and saw the earnestness on his face. He meant well. No point in being a bitch to him when I had so many other people to hate lately.
"Well…thanks. Sorry I snapped at you."
We talked a little bit, and I managed to get him to spill some more school gossip. He had noticed Lisa's rise in status but didn't seem to find it strange. As I talked to him, I noticed the adoring look he always got around me spread across his face. It made me sad to have him feel that way about me.Guilty, even.
How hard would it be, I wondered, to go out with him? He was nice, funny, and reasonably good-looking. We got along. Why did I get caught up in so many messes with other guys when I had a perfectly sweet one here who wanted me? Why couldn't I just return his feelings?
The answer came to me before I'd even finished asking myself the question. I couldn't be Mason's girlfriend because when I imagined someone holding me and whispering dirty things in my ear, he had a Russian accent.
Mason continued watching meadmiringly, oblivious to what was going on in my head. And seeing that adoration, I suddenly realized how I could use it to my advantage.
Feeling a little guilty, I shifted my conversation to a more flirty style and watched Mason's glow increase. I leaned beside him on the wall so our arms just touched and gave him a lazy smile. "You know, I still don't approve of your whole hero thing, but you did scare them. That was almost worth it."
"But you don't approve?"
I trailed fingers up his arm. "No. I mean, it's hot in principle but not in practice."
He laughed. "The hell it isn't. " He caught hold of my hand and gave me a knowing look. "Sometimes you need to be saved. I think you like being saved sometimes and just can't admit it."
"And I thinkyou get off on saving people and just can't admit it."
"I don't think you know what gets me off. Saving damsels like you is just the honorable thing to do, " he declared loftily.
I repressed the urge to smack him over the use ofdamsels. "Then prove it. Do me a favor just because it's 'the right thing to do. "
«Sure,» he said immediately. "Name it."
"I need you to get a message to Christian Ozera."
His eagerness faltered. "What the-? You aren't serious."
"Yes.Completely."
"Rose…I can't talk to him. You know that."
"I thought you said you'd help. I thought you said helping 'damsels' is the honorable thing to do."
"I don't really see howhonor's involved here. " I gave him the most smoldering look I could manage. He caved. "What do you want me to tell him?"
"Tell him I need St. Vladimir's books.The ones in storage. He needs to sneak them to me soon. Tell him it's for Lisa. And tell him…tell him I lied the night of the reception. " I hesitated. "Tell him I'm sorry."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It doesn't have to. Just do it. Please? " I turned on the beauty queen smile again.
With hasty assurances that he'd see what he could do, he left for lunch, and I went off to practice.
CHAPTER 15
Mason delivered.
He found me the next day before school. He was carrying a box of books.
"I got them, " he said. "Hurry and take them before you get in trouble for talking to me."
He handed them over, and I grunted. They were heavy. "Christian gave you these?"
"Yeah.Managed to talk to him without anyone noticing.He's got kind of an attitude, did you ever notice that?"
"Yeah, I noticed. " I rewarded Mason with a smile that he ate up. "Thanks. This means a lot."
I hauled the loot up to my room, fully aware of how weird it was that someone who hated to study as much as I did was about to get buried in dusty crap from the fourteenth century. When I opened the first book, though, I saw that these must be reprints of reprints of reprints, probably because anything that old would have long since fallen apart.
Sifting through the books, I discovered they fell into three categories: books written by people after St. Vladimir had died, books written by other people when he was still alive, and one diary of sorts written by him. What had Mason said about primary and secondary sources? Those last two groups were the ones I wanted.
Whoever had reprinted these had reworded the books enough so that I didn't have to read Ye Olde English or anything. Or rather, Russian, I supposed. St. Vladimir had lived in the old country.
Today I healed the mother of Sava who has long since suffered from sharp pains within her stomach. Her malady is now gone, but God has not allowed me to do such a thing lightly. I am weak and dizzy, and the madness is trying to leak into my head. I thank God every day for shadow-kissed Anna, for without her, I would surely not be able to endure.