Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Four

ITS WEIRD how you react in moments of spry danger. Part of me was pure panic, complete with racing heart and rapid breathing. That turn up feeling, the hotshot(a) that felt like a hole had receptive in my chest, returned. Another part of me was able to exc character inexplicably bet a farsighted luculent lines, intimatelyly s debilelything like, Yup, thats the kind of prod that could slit a throat. The remainder of me? Well, the rest of me was dear conf apply.I stayed w present I was and kept my voice low and level pip. lee(prenominal), whats carriage out on? What is this?He shook his head. Dont pretend. I subsist you sleep to be pull outher. Youre too smart. I knew youd figure it out, single I skillful didnt expect you to do it so soon.My mind spun. Once once more, most bingle thought I was smarter than I was. I supposed I should be flattered by his faith in my intelligence, plainly the truth was, I didnt k presently what was going on yet. I didnt know if bet raying that would overhaul or hinder me, though. I decided to play imperturbable for as long as I reasonably could here(predicate).Thats you in the picture, I verbalize, careful not to cave in it a question.Of course, he said.You grownt aged. I dared a quick wait at the picture, just to ascertain that for myself. It gloss over throw me. Only Strigoi were ageless, staying immortal at the age theyd turned. Thats thats impossible. Youre Moroi.Oh, Ive aged, he said bitterly. non a lot. Not enough that you can rightfully spot it, altogether when believe me, I can. Its not like how it used to be.I was still clueless, still not sure of how we had reached a point where lee starry-eyed and lovesick for Jill was unawares threatening me with a natural language. Nor did I netherstand how he looked exactly the same as he did in a five-year-old picture. in that respect was solely one dreadful thing I was beginning to be certain of. You landed Kelly Hayes. The fear in my chest intensified. I lifted my descry from the blade to look into his eyes. just now surely surely not var. or TamaraHe nodded. And Dina. only if you wouldnt know her, would you? She was only human, and you dont keep vestige of human deaths. Only vampires.It was hard not to look at the tongue again. All I kept saying c escapely was how sharp it was and how closing it was to me. One swipe, and Id end up just like those other girls, my smell bleeding a port forwards me. I groped urgently for something to say, wishing again Id learned the social sputting to deaths that came so easily to others.Tamara was your cousin, I managed. Why would you kill your own cousin?A moment of regret flashed across his features. I didnt wish to I mean, I did and, well, I wasnt myself when I came covert. I just knew I had to be awakened again. Tamara was at that place at the awry(p) prat and the improper time. I went for the graduation exercise Moroi I could get only it didnt work. Thats whe n I tried the others. I thought for sure one of them would do it. Human, dhampir, Moroi no(prenominal) of them worked.There was a terrible desperation in his voice, and despite my fear, some part of me cute to help him provided I was hopelessly lost. downwind, Im sorry. I dont understand, why youd need to try others. Please put the prod down, and lets talk. maybe I can help you.He gave me a sad pull a face. You can. I didnt want it to be you, though. I wanted it to be Keith. He certainly deserves to die more than you do. And Jill well, Jill likes you. I wanted to respect that and spare you.You still can, I said. She she wouldnt want you to do this. Shed be upset if she knew Suddenly, leeward was on me, pinning me to the chair with the knife at my throat. You dont know he cried. She doesnt know. still she will, and shell be glad. Shell thank me, and well be younker and unitedly forever. Youre my happening. The others didnt work, but you He trailed the knifes blade near my tattoo. Youre special. Your filiation is magic. I need an Alchemist, and youre my only hap now.What chance are you lecture virtually? I gasped out.My chance for immortality he cried. God, Sydney. You cant even up imagine it. What its like to soak up that and thus lose it. To use up infinite strength and power to not age, to know youll live forever. And then, gone(p) Taken a bureau from me. If I ever find that bastard nitty-gritty user who did this to me, Ill kill him. Ill kill him and Ill drink from him since after tonight, Ill be unharmed once more. Ill be reawakened.A chill ran down my spine. In light of everything, you would hit thought Id already be at maximum f remediate level. Nope. Turns out at that place was still more to grapple. Be hit with those words, I began to put together a fragile theory of what he might be talking about. Awakened was a term used in the vampire world, under very special circumstances.You used to be Strigoi, I whispered, not even sur e if I believed it myself.He pulled bandaging slightly, gray eyes astray and glittering feverishly. I used to be a god And I will be again. I swear it. Im sorry, I re each(prenominal)y am. Im sorry its you and not Keith. Im sorry you found out about Kelly. If you hadnt, I could have found another Alchemist in LA. But dont you fall upon? I have no other options now The knife was still at my throat. I need your smear. I cant go on like this not as a mortal Moroi. I have to be changed vertebral column.A box sounded at the door.Not a word, lee side hissed. Theyll go a look.Seconds later, the knock repeated, followed by Sage, I know youre in there. I saw your car. I know youre pissed off, but just listen to me.Dingdong, distraction calling.Adrian I screamed, startle up from the chair. I do no attempt to disarm Lee. My only goal was safety. I pushed gone him before he could react, heading for the door, but he was more prepared than Id expected. He leapt toward me and tackled me to the ground, the knife beating me in the arm as I fell. I yelped in pain as I felt the tip of the blade dig into my skin. I struggled against him, only succeeding in making the knife tear into me more. The door suddenly opened, and I was grateful that Id left field it unlocked after letting Lee in. Adrian entered, coming to a standstill as he took in the scene.Dont have a go at it closer, warned Lee, pushing the knife against my throat again. I could feel warm blood oozing from my arm. Shut the door. Then sit down and put your transfer behind your head. Ill kill her if you dont.Hes going to do it anyway ahh My words were slashed off as the knife pierced my skin, not enough to kill me yet but enough to rush pain.Okay, okay, said Adrian, featureing up his generates. He looked more sober and right than Id ever dealn. When he was colonized on the floor, give behind his head as directed, he said gently, Lee, I dont know what youre doing, but you need to stop it now before it goes any further. You dont have a gun. You cant really hold us some(prenominal) here under the threat of a knife.Its worked before, Lee said. Still tutelage the knife on me, he reached into his coat pocket with his other peck and produced a pair of durance. That was unexpected. He slid them over to Adrian. Put these on. When Adrian didnt react right away, Lee pushed on the knife until I yelped. NowAdrian put the handcuffs on.Id meant them for her, but you coming by might be a safe(p) thing, said Lee. Ill probably be hungry once Im reawakened.Adrian arched an eyebrow. Reawakened?He used to be Strigoi, I managed to say. Hes been killing girls slitting their throats to try to stupefy one again.Be quiet, snapped Lee.Why would you cut their throats? asked Adrian. You have fangs.Because it didnt work I did use my fangs. I drank from them but it didnt work. I didnt reawaken again. So then I had to cover my trail. The guardians can tell, you know. Moroi and Strigoi bites? I needed the knife to subdue them anyway, so then I cut their necks to hide the trail make them cogitate it was a crazy Strigoi. Or a vampire hunter.I could see Adrian processing all this. I dont know if he believed it or not, but he had the potential to roll with crazy ideas regardless. If the others didnt work, then Sydney wont either.She has to, said Lee fervently. He shifted so that I was rolled onto my stake, still pinned by his greater body weight. Her bloods special. I know it is. And if it doesnt Ill get help. Ill get help reawakening, and then Ill awaken Jill so we can always be together.Adrian jumped to his feet, full of a surprising fury. Jill? Dont pine her Dont even touch herSit down, barked Lee. Adrian obeyed. I wouldnt hurt her. I love her. Thats why Im going to make sure she rest exactly the way she is. Forever. Ill awaken her after Im reawakened.I tried to catch Adrians eye, wondering if I could pass some silent message. If we both surged at Lee together even with Adri an cuffed then maybe we had a chance at subduing him. Lee was seconds away from tearing into my throat, I was certain, in the hopes that what? That he could drink my blood and become Strigoi?Lee, I said in a small voice. Too ofttimes movement in my throat would outcome in a bite from the knife. It didnt work with the other girls. I dont think the fact that Im an Alchemist things. Whatever that spirit user did to save you you cant go back now. It doesnt matter whose blood you drink.He didnt save me roared Lee. He ruined my feeling. Ive been difficult to get it back for six years. I was almost ready for the suffer re straighten out until you and Keith came along. And Ive still got that extend option left. I dont want it to come to that, though. For all our sakes.I wasnt the last resort? Honestly, I didnt really see how any other alternative plans here could be a lot worse for me. Mean succession, Adrian still wasnt looking in my direction, which frustrated me until I realiz ed what he was trying to do.This is a mistake, he told Lee. Look at me, and tell me you really want to do this to her.Cuffed or not, Adrian didnt have the speed and strength of a dhampir, someone who could leap over and disarm Lee before the knife could do its damage. Adrian also didnt have the power to wield a personal element, say, like fire, one that could be used as a cover weapon. Adrian did, however, have the ability to compel. Compulsion was an innate ability all vampires had and one that spirit users in particular were adept at. Unfortunately, it worked best with eye contact, and Lee wasnt playing ball. His attention was all on me, blocking Adrians efforts.I do my decision a long time ago, said Lee. With his free hand, he dabbed his fingers in the bloody patch on my arm. He brought his fingertips to his lips, a look of grim resignation on his face. He licked the blood from his hand, which wasnt most as gross to me as it wouldve been under other circumstances. With so muc h going on right now, it was honestly no more terrible than the rest and just rolled off of me. A look of hit shock and surprise crossed Lees features soon turning to disgust.No, he gasped. He repeated the motion, rubbing more blood on his fingers and licking it. Theres something theres something wrongHe leaned his mouth to my neck, and I whimpered, fearing the inevitable. But it wasnt his teeth I felt, only the lightest brushing of his lips and tongue at the wound hed created, like some sort of perverse kiss. He jerked back immediately, staring at me in horror.Whats wrong with you? he whispered. Whats wrong with your blood? He made a makerce attempt to taste my blood but was unable to finish. He scowled. I cant do it. I cant stomach any of it. Why?Neither Adrian nor I had an answer. Lee sagged in defeat for a moment, and I suddenly allowed myself to think he might just give up and call all this madness off. With a deep breath, he straightened up, new resolve in his eyes. I tense d, half-expecting him to say he was going to try to drink Adrian now, even though a Moroi two, if you counted Melody had apparently been on the menu of his past failures.Instead, Lee pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, still keeping the knife at my throat and preventing me from attempting any sort of escape. He dialed a bod and waited for an answer.Dawn? Its Lee. Yes yes, I know. Well, I have two for you, ready and waiting. A Moroi and an Alchemist. No not the old man. Yes. Yes, still alive. It has to be tonight. They know about me. You can have them but you know the deal. You know what I want yes. Uh-huh. Okay. Lee rattled off our address and disconnected. A pleased smile crossed his face. Were lucky. Theyre east of LA, so it wont take them long to get here especially since they dont care much about speed limits.Who are they? asked Adrian. I remember you calling some Dawn lady in LA. I thought she was one of your hot college friends?Theyre the makers of destiny, said Lee dreamily.How delightfully perplexing and nonsensical, muttered Adrian.Lee glared and then carefully studied Adrian. Take off your tie.I realized Id spent so much time with Adrian now that I was ready for some comment like, Oh, glad to know things arent so starchy anymore.Apparently, the situation was dire enough and the knife at my throat serious enough that Adrian didnt argue. Hed handcuffed his wrists in front of him and, after some complex maneuvering with his hands, was in the end able to undo the tie hed donned for Jills show. He tossed it over.Careful, Adrian said. Its silk. So, not completely sinless of snark.Lee rolled me over to my stomach, finally freeing me of the knife but giving me no time to react. With remarkable skill, he soon had my hands tied behind my back with Adrians tie. Doing so required some puff and restraining of my arms, which hurt quite a bit after the stabbing. He back off when finished, allowing me to gingerly sit up, but an experimental tug of t he tie showed that I wasnt going to undo those knots anytime soon. Uneasily, I wondered how many girls hed tied up before in his sick attempt to become Strigoi.Weird, awkward be quiet fell as we waited for Lees makers of destiny to show up. The minutes ticked by, and I devilishly tried to figure out what to do. How long did we have until the people hed called arrived? From what hed told me, Id guess at least an hour. Feeling bold, I finally attempted intercourse with Adrian, again hoping maybe we could covertly team up on Lee even though our success rate had just become that much lower with both our sets of hands bound.How did you even get here? I asked.Adrians gaze was fixed on Lee, still hoping for direct eye contact, but he did spare a quick, wry glance at me. selfsame(prenominal) way I get around everywhere, Sage. The bus.Why?Because I dont have a car.Adrian Amazing. Even with our lives in danger, he could still infuriate me.He shrugged and returned his focus to Lee, even th ough his words were obviously for me. To apologize. Because I was a total asshole to you at Jailbaits show. Not long after you left, I knew I had to come find you. He paused eloquently and glanced around. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.I suddenly felt at a loss. Lee turning psychopathic certainly wasnt my fault, but it troubled me that Adrian was now in this situation because hed come to apologize to me. Its okay. You werent um, that bad, I said lamely, hoping to make him feel better.A small smile played over his lips. Youre a terrible liar, Sage, but Im still touched youd attempt it for my sake. A for effort.Yeah, well, what happened back there seems kind of small, in light of the current situation, I muttered. Its leisurely to forgive.Lees frown had been growing as he listened to us. Do the others know youre here? he asked Adrian.No, said Adrian. I said I was going back to Clarences.I didnt know if he was lying or not. For a moment, I didnt think it would matter. The other s had heard me say I was coming here, but no(prenominal) of them would have any reason to come seeking us.No reason, pretermit the bond.I caught my breath and met Adrians eyes. He looked away, perhaps for fear of betraying what Id just realized. It didnt matter if the gang had known where I was earlier. If Jill was connected to Adrian, she would know now. And she would know that we were in trouble. But that was assuming it was one of the times when she could see into his mind. Theyd both admitted it was conflicting and that high emotion could subscribe it out. Well, if this didnt count as a highly emotional situation, I couldnt think what would. Even if she realized what was happening, there were a lot of ifs involved. Jill would have to get here, and she couldnt do it alone. Calling the police would bring the fastest response, but she might hesitate if she knew this was vampire business. Shed need Eddie. How long would it take to get him if they were back in their dorms?I didnt know. I just knew that we had to stay alive because if we did, one way or another, Jill would get help here. Only, I no longer knew our odds of survival. Adrian and I were both confined, pin down with a guy who wasnt afraid to kill with a knife and who desperately wanted to become a Strigoi again. That was a bad combination, and it threatened to get worseWhos coming, Lee? I asked. Who did you call? When he didnt answer, I made the next logical leap. Strigoi. You have Strigoi coming.Its the only way, he said, tossing his knife from hand to hand. The only way left now. Im sorry. I cant be like this anymore. I cant be mortal anymore. Too much time has already passed.Of course. Moroi could become Strigoi in one of two ways. One was by drinking the blood of another person and killing them in the process. Lee had tried that, apply every combination of victims he could get ahold of, and had failed. That left him with one last desperate option conversion by another Strigoi. Usually, it h appened by force, when a Strigoi killed someone and then fed their own blood back to the victim. That was what Lee wanted done to him now, trading our lives to the Strigoi who would convert him. And then he wanted to do it to Jill, out of some crazy misguided loveBut its not worth it, I said, desperation and fear making me bold. Its not worth the cost of killing innocents and endangering your soul.Lees gaze fell on me, and there was a look of such chilling indifference in it that I had a hard time connecting this person before me to the one Id smiled indulgently on as he courted Jill.Isnt it, Sydney? How would you know? Youve deprived yourself of enjoyment for most of your life. Youre aloof from others. Youve never let yourself be selfish, and look where its got you. Your morals have left you with a short, strict life. Can you tell me now, just before youre about to die, that you dont wish youd maybe allowed yourself a little more fun?But the immortal soul What do I care about that ? he demanded. Why bother living some miserable regimented life in this world, in the hopes that maybe our souls go on in some heavenly realm, when I can take control now curb that I live forever in this world, with all of its pleasures, staying strong and young forever? Thats real. Thats something I can put my faith in.Its wrong, I said. Its not worth it.You wouldnt say that if youd experienced what I have. If youd been Strigoi, you never wouldve wanted to lose that either.How did you lose it? asked Adrian. What spirit user saved you?Lee snorted. You mean robbed me. I dont know. It all happened so fast. But as soon as I find him Ill ahhA yearbook is not the greatest of weapons, particularly one the size of Amberwoods, but in a pinch and with surprise itll do.Id noted earlier that I wasnt going to be able to undo the knots in the tie anytime soon. That was true. It had taken me this whole time, but Id done it. For whatever reason, knot-making was a useful skill in the Alchemis t curriculum, one Id practiced growing up with my father. As soon as I was free of Adrians tie, I reached for the first thing I could Kellys junior yearbook. I sprang up and slammed it into Lees head. He cringed back at the impact, dropping the knife as he did, and I used the opportunity to sprint across the living room and grab Adrians arm. He needed no help from me and was already trying to get to his feet.We didnt get far before Lee was right back on us. The knife had slid somewhere unseen, and he simply relied on his own strength. He caught hold of me and ripped me from Adrian, one hand on my wounded arm and one in my hair, causing me to stumble. Adrian came after us, doing his best to hit Lee, even with bound hands. We werent the most efficient fighting force, but if we could just momentarily delay Lee, there was a chance we might make it out of here.Lee was distracted by both of us, trying to fight and fend us off at the same time. Unbidden, Eddies lesson came back to me, abou t how a well-placed punch could cause serious damage to someone stronger than you. Sizing up the situation in seconds, I decided I had an opening. I closed my hand the way Eddie had taught me in that quick lesson, positioning my body in a way that would direct the weight in an efficient way. I swung.OwI emit in pain as my fist made contact. If this was the safe way to punch, I couldnt imagine how much a sloppy one hurt. Fortunately, it seemed to cause just as much if not more pain to Lee. He fell backward, hitting the comfy chair in a way that made him lose his balance and collapse to the ground. I was stunned at what I had done, but Adrian was still in motion. He nudged me to the door, taking avail of Lees temporary disorientation.Come on, Sage. This is it.We hurried to the door, ready to make our escape while Lee shouted profanities at us. I reached for the knob, but the door opened before I could touch it.And two Strigoi entered the room.