"You'd have to give up everything, " I warned. "No healing, no matter how cute and cuddly the animal.
And no more compulsion to dazzle the royals."
She nodded seriously. "I can do it. Will that make you feel better?"
"Yeah, but I'd feel even better if you stopped magicand went back to hanging out with Natalie."
"I know, I knowBut I can't stop, not now at least."
I couldn't get her to budge on that-yet-but knowing that she would avoid using her powers relieved me.
"All right, " I said, picking up my backpack. I was late for practice.Again. "You can keep playing with the brat pack, so long as you keep the 'other stuff' in check. " I hesitated. "And you know,you really have made your point with Aaron and Mia. You don't have to keep him around to keep hanging out with the royals."
"Why do I keep getting the feeling you don't like him anymore?"
"I like him okay-which is about as much as you like him. And I don't think you should get hot and sweaty with people you only like 'okay'"
Lisa widened her eyes in pretend astonishment. "Is this Rose Hathaway talking? Have you reformed?
Or doyou have someone you like 'more than okay'?"
«Hey» I said uncomfortably, "I'm just looking out for you.That, and I never noticed how boring Aaron is before."
She scoffed. "You think everyone's boring."
"Christian isn't."
It slipped out before I could stop it. She quit smiling. "He's ajerk. He just stopped talking to me for no reason one day " She crossed her arms. "And don't you hate him anyway?"
"I can still hate him and think he's interesting."
But I was also starting to think that I might have made a big mistake about Christian. He was creepy and dark and liked to set people on fire, true. On the other hand, he was smart and funny-in a twisted way-and somehow had a calming effect on Lisa.
But I'd messed it all up. I'd let my anger and jealousy get the best of me and ended up separating them. If I'd let him go to her in the garden that night, maybe she wouldn't have gotten upset and cut herself. Maybe they'd be together now, away from all the school politics.
Fate must have been thinking the same thing, because five minutes after I left Lisa, I passed Christian walking across the quad. Our eyes locked for a moment before we passed each other. I nearly kept walking.Nearly. Taking a deep breath, I came to a stop.
"Wait…Christian. " I called out to him. Damn, I was so late for training. Dimitri was going to kill me.
Christian spun around to face me, hands stuffed in the pockets of his long black coat, his posture slumped and uncaring.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the books. " He didn't say anything. "The ones you gave to Mason."
"Oh, I thought you meant the other books."
Smartass. "Aren't you going to ask what they were for?"
"Your business.Just figured you were bored being suspended."
"I'd have to be pretty bored for that."
He didn't laugh at my joke. "What do you want, Rose? I've got places to be."
I knew he was lying, but my sarcasm no longer seemed as funny as usual. "I want you to, uh, hang out with Lisa again."
"Are youserious? " He studied me closely, suspicion all over him. "After what you said to me?"
"Yeah, well…Didn't Mason tell you?…"
Christian's lips turned up into a sneer. "He told me something."
"And?"
"And I don't want to hear it from Mason. " His sneer cranked up when I glared. "You sent him to apologize for you. Step up and do it yourself."
"You're a jerk, " I informed him.
"Yeah.And you're a liar. I want to see you eat your pride."
"I've been eating my pride for two weeks, " I growled.
Shrugging, he turned around and started to walk away.
«Wait!» I called, putting my hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked back at me. "All right, all right.
I lied about how she felt. She never said any of that stuff about you, okay? Shelikes you. I made it up becauseI don't like you."
"And yet you want me to talk to her."
When the next words left my lips, I could barely believe it. "I think…you might be…good for her."
We stared at each other for several heavy moments. His smirk dried up a little. Not much surprised him. This did.
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that? " he finally asked.
I almost punched him in the face. "Will you stop it already? I want you to hang out with her again."
"No."
"Look, I told you, I lied-"
"It's not that. It'sher. You think I can talk to her now? She's Princess Lisa again. " Venom dripped off his words. "I can't go near her, not when she's surrounded by all those royals."
"You'reroyal too, " I said, more to myself than him. I kept forgetting the Ozeras were one of the twelve families.
"Doesn't mean much in a family full of Strigoi, huh?"
"Butyou're not-wait. That's why she connects to you, " I realized with a start.
"Because I'm going to become a Strigoi? " he asked snidely.
"No…because you lost your parents too. Both of you saw them die."
"She saw hers die. I saw mine murdered."
I flinched. "I know. I'm sorry, it must have been…well, I don't have any idea what it was like."
Those crystal-blue eyes went unfocused. "It was like seeing an army of Deathinvade my house."
"You mean…your parents?"
He shook his head. "The guardians who came to kill them. I mean, my parents were scary, yeah, but they still looked like my parents-a little paler, I guess.Some red in their eyes. But they walked and talked the same way. I didn't know anything was wrong with them, but my aunt did. She was watching me when they came for me."
"Were they going to convert you? " I'd forgotten my original mission here, too caught up in the story.
"You were really little."
"I think they were going to keep me until I was older,then turn me. Aunt Tasha wouldn't let them take me. They tried to reason with her, convert her too, but when she wouldn't listen, they tried to take her by force. She fought them-got really messed up-and then the guardians showed up. " His eyes drifted back to me. He smiled, but there was no happiness in it. "Like Isaid, an army of Death. I think you're crazy, Rose, but if you turn out like the rest of them, you're going to be able to do some serious damage one day. Even I won't mess with you."
I felt horrible. He'd had a miserable life, and I'd taken away one of the few good things in it. "Christian, I'm sorry for screwing things up between you and Lisa. It was stupid. She wanted to be with you. I think she still does now. If you could just-"
"I told you, I can't."
"I'm worried about her. She's into all this royal stuff because she thinks it's going to get back at Mia-she's doing it for me."
"And you aren't grateful? " The sarcasm returned.
"I'm worried. She can't handle playing all these catty political games. It isn't good for her, but she won't listen to me. I could…I could use help."
"Shecould use help. Hey, don't look so surprised-I know there's something funny going on with her.
And I'm not even talking about the wrist thing."
I jumped. "Did she tell you?… " Why not? She'd told him everything else.
"She didn't need to, " he said. "I've got eyes. " I must have looked pathetic, because he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, if I catch Lisa alone…I'll try to talk to her. But honestly…if you really want to help her…well, I know I'm supposed to be all anti-establishment, but you might get the best help talking to somebody else.Kirova.Your guardian guy. I don't know.Someone who knows something.