Frostbite Chapter 13

ThirteenPEOPLE STOOD UP AND SHOUTED, everyone unavoid opennessing their opinion to be heard. As it was, most of them held the same view Tasha was wrong. They told her she was crazy. They told her that in addressing step forward Moroi and dhampirs to fight the Strigoi, shed be expediting the extinction of both races. They even had the nerve to intimate that that was Tashas plan t break through ensemble a pertinacious- that she was somehow collaborating with the Strigoi in exclusively of this.Dimitri stood up, disgust all over his features as he surveyed the chaos. You ability as well leave. zipper usefuls dismission to happen now. mason and I rose, provided he agitate his head when I started to follow Dimitri bug out.You go on, said mason. I want to check something out.I glanced at the standing, arguing people. I shrugged. Good luck.I couldnt believe it had only(prenominal) been a few days since Id spoken to Dimitri. Stepping out into the hall with him, I felt standard ized itd been historic period. Being with mason these uttermost(a) couple of days had been fantastic, but perceiveing Dimitri over again, all of my old feelings for him came travel hold up. Suddenly, Mason seemed like a child. My distress over the Tasha situation as well came back, and stupid words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.Shouldnt you be in there protecting Tasha? I asked. forrader the mob fixs her? Shes going away to get in big trouble for utilize magic like that.He raised an eyebrow. She stand allow bearing of herself.Yeah, yeah, because shes a badass karate magic user. I get all that. I retributive figured since youre going to be her guardian and allWhere did you hear that?I have a bun in the oven my sources. Somehow, saying Id heard it from my mom sounded less cool. Youve dogged to, correct? I average, it sounds like a ripe deal, perceive as shes going to give you fringe benefits.He gave me a level look. What happens between her and me is no(prenominal) of your business, he replied crisply.The words between her and me stung. It sounded like he and Tasha were a do deal. And, as often happened when I was hurt, my temper and attitude took over.Well, Im sure you guysll be happy together. Shes just your type, too- I know how pr spielically you like women who arent your stimulate age. I mean, shes what, six years older than you? Seven? And Im seven years younger than you.Yes, he said after several moments of silence. You are. And every guerrilla this conversation goes on, you only prove how young you really are.Whoa. My jaw nigh hit the floor. Not even my mother punching me had hurt as staidly as that. For a meaningbeat, I popular opinion I truism repent in his eyes, like he too realized just how unpleasant his words had been. But the moment passed, and his expression was hard one clip more. small-scale dhampir, a voice curtly said nearby.Slowly, ease stunned, I false toward Adrian Ivashkov. He grinned at me and gave a brief nod of acknowledgment to Dimitri. I venture my face was bright red. How ofttimes had Adrian heard?He held up his contributes in a casual gesture. I dont want to get hold apart or anything. Just valued to talk to you when you have time.I wanted to tell Adrian I didnt have time to play whatever plucky he was into now, but Dimitris words still smarted. He was looking at Adrian now in a very disapproving way. I suspected he, like everyone else, had heard intimately Adrians bad reputation. Good, I thought. I suddenly wanted him to be jealous. I wanted to hurt him as much(prenominal) as hed hurt me lately.Swallowing my pain, I unearthed my man-eating smile, one I hadnt used to salutary effect in sometime. I walked over to Adrian and put a hand on his arm.Ive got time now. I gave a nod of my own to Dimitri and steered Adrian away, walking close to him. See you later, Guardian Belikov.Dimitris dark eyes followed us stonily. thusly I turned away and didnt look back.Not into older guys, huh? asked Adrian in one case we were alone.Youre imagining things, I said. Clearly, my stunning beauty has clouded your mind.He capered that nice laugh of his. Thats entirely possible.I started to step back, but he tossed an arm somewhat me. No, no, you wanted to play chummy with me- now youve got to see it through.I turn my eyes at him and let the arm stay. I could belief alcoholic beverage on him as well as the perpetual smell of cloves. I wondered if he was drunk now. I had the feeling that there was probably small-scale difference between his attitudes drunk or sober.What do you want? I asked.He studied me for a moment. I want you to grab Vasilisa and come with me. Were going to have some fun. Youll probably want a bathing personifyume too. He seemed disappointed by the admission of this. Unless you want to go naked.What? A bunch of Moroi and dhampirs just got slaughtered, and you want to go swimming and have fun?Its not just swimming, he s aid patiently. Besides, that slaughter is exactly why you should go do this.Before I could argue that, I saw my friends good turn the corner Lissa, Mason, and Christian. Eddie Castile was with the group, which shouldnt have astonishmentd me, but Mia was as well- which certainly did surprise me. They were deep in conversation, though they all stopped talking when they saw me.There you are, said Lissa, a puzzled look on her face.I remembered Adrians arm was still around me. I stepped out of it. Hey, guys, I said. A moment of awkwardness hung around us, and I was pretty sure I heard a low chuckle from Adrian. I beamed at him and then my friends. Adrian invited us to go swimming.They stared at me in surprise, and I could nigh see the wheels of speculation turning in their heads. Masons face darkened a precise, but like the others, he said nought. I stifled a groan.Adrian took me inviting the others to his mystic interlude pretty well. With his easygoing attitude, I hadnt really e xpected anything else. erstwhile we had swimsuits, we followed his directions to a doorway in one of the far wings of the lodge. It held a staircase that led down- and down and down. I nearly got dizzy as we wound around and around. Electric lights hung in the walls, but as we went farther, the varicolored walls changed to carved stone.When we reached our destination, we discovered Adrian had been right- it wasnt just swimming. We were in a special spa area of the resort, one used only for the most elite group Moroi. In this case, it was reserved for a bunch of royals I assumed were Adrians friends. There were nigh thirty others, all his age or older, who bore the marks of riches and elitism.The spa consisted of a series of hot mineral pools. Maybe at a time theyd been in a cave or something, but the lodge builders had long since gotten rid of any sort of rustic surroundings. The black stone walls and crown were as polished and beautiful as anything else in the resort. It was like organism in a cave- a really nice, designer cave. Racks of towels lined the walls, as did tables full of exotic food. The baths matched the wait of the rooms hewn-out d?cor stone-lined pools containing hot water that was heat from some underground source. Steam filled the room, and a faint, metallic smell hung in the air. Sounds of partygoers laughing and splashing echoed around us.Why is Mia with you? I asked Lissa softly. We were tip our way through the room, looking for a pool that wasnt occupied.She was talking to Mason when we were acquire ready to leave, she returned. She kept her voice just as quiet. It seemed mean to just I dont know leave her Even I agree with that. Obvious signs of grief were written all over her face, but Mia seemed at least momentarily distracted by whatever Mason was grave her. I thought you didnt know Adrian, Lissa added. Disapproval hung in her voice and in the bond. We finally found a large pool, a little out of the way. A guy and a girl were on the opposite side, all over each other, but there was plenty of room for the rest of us. They were easy to ignore.I put a foot into the water and pulled it back immediately.I dont, I told her. Cautiously, I inched the foot back in, slowly followed by the rest of my body. When I got to my stomach, I grimaced. I had on a forsake bikini, and the scalding water caught my stomach by surprise.You must know him a little. He invited you to a party.Yeah, but do you see him with us now?She followed my gaze. Adrian stood on the far side of the room with a group of girls in bikinis much smaller than mine. One was a Betsey Johnson suit Id seen in a time and coveted. I sighed and looked away.Wed all slipped into the water by then. It was so hot I felt like I was in a soup kettle. right away that Lissa seemed convinced of my innocence with Adrian, I tuned into the others discussion.What are you talking about? I interrupted. It was easier than listening and figuring it out myself.The mee ting, said Mason excitedly. Apparently, hed gotten over seeing me and Adrian together.Christian had settled onto a small shelf in the pool. Lissa change surface up beside him. Putting a proprietary arm around her, he tipped his back so it rested on the edge.Your beau wants to locomote an army against the Strigoi, he told me. I could tell he was saying it to terminate me.I looked at Mason straitsingly. It wasnt worth the effort to challenge the boyfriend comment.Hey, it was your aunt who suggested it, Mason reminded Christian.She only said we should come the Strigoi before they find us again, countered Christian. She wasnt pushing for novices fighting. That was Monica Szelsky.A waitress came by then with a tray of pink inebrietys. These were in elegant, long-stemmed crystal glasses with sugared rims. I had a strong suspicion the drinks were alcoholic, but I doubted anyone who made it into this party was going to get carded. I had no idea what they were. Most of my experiences with alcohol had multiform cheap beer. I took a glass and turned back to Mason.You speculate thats a good idea? I asked him. I sipped the drink, cautiously. As a guardian in training, I felt like I should invariably be on alert, but tonight I once again felt like being rebellious. The drink tasted like punch. Grapefruit juice. Something sweet, like strawberries. I was still pretty sure there was alcohol in it, but it didnt appear strong enough for me to lose sleep over. some other waitress soon appeared with a tray of food. I eyed it and recognized almost nothing. There was something that looked vaguely like mushrooms stuffed with cheese, as well as something else that looked little round patties of meat or sausage. As a good carnivore, I reached for one, thinking it couldnt be that bad.Its foie gras, said Christian. There was a smile on his face I didnt like.I eyed him warily. Whats that?You dont know? His tone was cocky, and for once in his life, he sounded like a true royal to uting his elite knowledge over us underlings. He shrugged. Take a chance. happen out.Lissa sighed in exasperation. Its goose liver.I jerked my hand back. The waitress moved on, and Christian laughed. I glared at him.Meanwhile, Mason was still hung up on my question about whether novices going to battle before graduation was a good idea.What else are we doing? he asked indignantly. What are you doing? You run laps with Belikov every morning. Whats that doing for you? For the Moroi?What was that doing for me? Making my heart race and my mind have indecent thoughts.We arent ready, I said kind of.Weve only got six more months, piped in Eddie.Mason nodded his agreement. Yeah. How much more can we find?Plenty, I said, thinking of how much Id picked up from my tutoring sessions with Dimitri. I holy my drink. Besides, where does it stop? Lets say they end school six months early, then send us sullen. What next? They decide to push back further and slenderize our senior year? Our junio r year?He shrugged. Im not appalled to fight. I could have taken on Strigoi when I was a sophomore.Yeah, I said dryly. Just like you did skiing on that slope.Masons face, already ablaze(p) from the heat, turned redder still. I immediately regretted my words, particularly when Christian started laughing.Never thought Id live to see the day when I agreed with you, Rose. But sadly, I do. The cocktail waitress came by again, and both Christian and I took new drinks. The Moroi have got to start helping us defend themselves.With magic? asked Mia suddenly.It was the first time shed spoken since wed got here. Silence met her. I think Mason and Eddie didnt respond because they knew nothing about fighting with magic. Lissa, Christian, and I did- and were nerve-racking very hard to act like we didnt. There was a funny sort of hope in Mias eyes, though, and I could only imagine what shed gone through today. Shed woken up to learn her mother was dead and then been subjected to hours and hours of political bantering and battle strategies. The position that she was sitting here at all seeming semi-composed was a miracle. I assumed people who actually want their mothers would barely be able to function in that situation.When no one else looked like they were going to root her, I finally said, I suppose. But I dont know much about that.I finished the rest of my drink and averted my eyes, hoping someone else would take up the conversation. They didnt. Mia looked disappointed but said no more when Mason switched back to the Strigoi debate.I took a third drink and sank into the water as far as I reasonably could and still hold the glass. This drink was different. It looked chocolatey and had whipped cream on top. I took a taste and definitely sight the bite of alcohol. Still, I figured the chocolate probably diluted it.When I was ready for a stern drink, the waitress was nowhere in sight. Mason seemed really, really cute to me all of a sudden. I would have liked a little romantic attending from him, but he was still going on about Strigoi and the logistics of leading a ten-strike in the substance of the day. Mia and Eddie were nodding along with him eagerly, and I got the feeling that if he decided to hunt Strigoi right now, theyd follow. Christian was actually joining the talk, but it was more to play devils advocate. Typical. He thought a sort of preemptive strike would require guardians and Moroi, much as Tasha had said. Mason, Mia, and Eddie argued that if the Moroi werent up to it, the guardians should take matters into their own hands.I confess, their enthusiasm was kind of contagious. I rather liked the idea of getting the drop on Strigoi. But in the Badica and Drozdov attacks, all of the guardians had been killed. Admittedly the Strigoi had unionized into huge groups and had help, but all that told me was that our side needed to be free careful.His cuteness aside, I didnt want to listen to Mason talk about his battle skills anymore. I wan ted another drink. I stood up and climbed over the edge of the pool. To my astonishment, the world started spinning. Id had that happen before when I got out of baths or hot tubs too quickly, but when things didnt right themselves, I realized those drinks might have been stronger than I thought.I also decided a fourth wasnt such a good idea, but I didnt want to get back in and let everyone know I was drunk. I headed off toward a side room Id seen the waitress disappear into. I hoped peradventure there was a secret stash of desserts somewhere, chocolate mousse instead of goose liver. As I walked, I paid special attention to the slippery floor, thinking that falling into one of the pools and cracking my skull would definitely cost me coolness points.I was paying so much attention to my feet and trying not to stagger that I walked into someone. To my credit, itd been his fault hed backed into me.Hey, watch it, I said, steadying myself.But he wasnt paying attention to me. His eyes were on another guy, a guy with a bloody nose.Id walked right into the middle of a fight.