Vampire Academy Chapter 1

ONEI FELT HER FEAR BEFORE I heard her screams.Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me come to the fore of my own dream, which had had something to do with a beach and some hot guy rubbing suntan oil on me. Images hers, non mine tumbled by dint of my mind fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the misrepresented metal of a car. The pictures wrapped around me, suffocating me, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasnt my dream.I woke up, strands of long, dark hair sticking to my fore sharpen.Lissa lay in her bed, thrashing and screaming. I bolted come come to the fore of mine, quickly crossing the few feet that separated us.Liss, I said, shaking her. Liss, wake up.Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers. Andre, she moaned. Oh God.I helped her sit up. Liss, you arent in that location anymore. Wake up.After a few moments, her eye flutte exit open, and in the dim lighting, I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take oer. Her insane breath ing slowed, and she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair.Its okay, I told her gently. Everythings okay.I had that dream.Yeah. I know.We sat like that for some(prenominal) minutes, not saying anything else. When I felt her emotions calm down, I leaned over to the nightstand between our beds and turned on the lamp. It glowed dimly, only when neither of us really ask much to see by. Attracted by the light, our housemates cat, Oscar, leapt up onto the sill of the open window. He gave me a wide berth animals dont like dhampirs, for whatever reason yet jumped onto the bed and rubbed his head against Lissa, purring softly. Animals didnt have a problem with Moroi, and they all loved Lissa in particular. Smiling, she scratched his chin, and I felt her calm further.When did we last do a feeding? I asked, poring over her face. Her fair skin was paler than usual. Dark circles hung under her eyes, and there was an air of frailty virtually her. School had been hectic this week, and I couldnt remember the last time Id wedded her blood. Its been like?more than two days, hasnt it? Three? Why didnt you say anything?She shrugged and wouldnt meet my eyes. You were busy. I didnt want to Screw that, I said, shifting into a better position. No wonder she seemed so woebegone. Oscar, not wanting me any closer, leapt down and returned to the window, where he could watch at a safe distance. rise on. Lets do this.Rose Come on. Itll provoke you feel better.I tilted my head and tossed my hair back, baring my neck. I cut her hesitate, but the sight of my neck and what it offered proved too powerful. A hungry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she normally kept hidden while living among humans. Those fangs contrasted oddly with the rest of her features. With her pretty face and pale fairish hair, she looked more like an angel than a vampire.As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with a mix of fear and anticipation. I always hated feeling the latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldnt shake.Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief twinkling of pain. Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my dust. It was better than any of the measure Id been d pull backk or high. Better than sex or so I imagined, since Id never done it. It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping me up and promising everything would be right in the world. On and on it went. The chemicals in her saliva triggered an endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was.Then, regretfully, it was over. It had taken less than a minute.She pulled back, wiping her hand crossways her lips as she examine me. You okay?I?yeah. I lay back on the bed, dizzy from the blood loss. I just need to sleep it off. Im fine.Her pale, jade-green eyes watched me with concern. She stood up. Im passing game to get you something to eat.My protests came awkwardly to my lips, and she left before I could get out a sentence. The buzz from her bite had lessened as soon as she stony-broke the connection, but some of it let off lingered in my veins, and I felt a goofy smile cross my lips. Turning my head, I glanced up at Oscar, still sitting in the window.You dont know what youre missing, I told him.His attention was on something outside. Hunkering down into a crouch, he puffed out his jet-b deficiency fur. His tail started twitching.My smile faded, and I forced myself to sit up. The world spun, and I waited for it to right itself before trying to stand. When I managed it, the dizziness set in again and this time refused to leave. withal, I felt okay enough to stumble to the window and peer out with Oscar. He eyed me warily, scooted over a little, and then returned to whatever had held his attention.A warm piece of cake unseasonably warm for a Portland fall played wi th my hair as I leaned out. The s directt was dark and relatively quiet. It was three in the morning, just about the only time a college campus settled down, at least somewhat. The house in which wed rented a room for the past eight months sat on a residential street with old, mismatched houses. Across the road, a streetlight flickered, nearly ready to burn out. It still cast enough light for me to make out the shapes of cars and buildings. In our own yard, I could see the silhouettes of trees and bushes.And a man watching me.I jerked back in surprise. A figure stood by a tree in the yard, about thirty feet away, where he could easily see through the window. He was close enough that I probably could have thrown something and eat up him. He was certainly close enough that he could have seen what Lissa and I had just done.The shadows cover him so well that even with my heightened sight, I couldnt make out any of his features, save for his height. He was tall. Really tall. He stood t here for just a moment, barely discernible, and then stepped back, disappearing into the shadows cast by the trees on the farthest side of the yard. I was pretty sure I saw someone else move nearby and join him before the blackness swallowed them both.Whoever these figures were, Oscar didnt like them. Not enumeration me, he usually got along with most people, growing upset only when someone posed an immediate danger. The guy outside hadnt done anything threatening to Oscar, but the cat had sensed something, something that put him on edge.Something similar to what he always sensed in me.Icy fear raced through me, almost but not quite eradicating the lovely bliss of Lissas bite. Backing up from the window, I jerked on a pair of jeans that I found on the floor, nearly falling over in the process. Once they were on, I grabbed my coat and Lissas, along with our wallets. Shoving my feet into the first shoes I saw, I headed out the door.Downstairs, I found her in the cramped kitchen, r ummaging through the refrigerator. One of our housemates, Jeremy, sat at the table, hand on his forehead as he stared sadly at a calculus book. Lissa regarded me with surprise.You shouldnt be up.We have to go. Now.Her eyes widened, and then a moment later, understanding clicked in. Are you?really? Are you sure? I nodded. I couldnt explain how I knew for sure. I just did.Jeremy watched us curiously. Whats wrong?An idea came to mind. Liss, get his car keys.He looked back and forth between us. What are you Lissa unhesitatingly walked over to him. Her fear poured into me through our psychic bond, but there was something else too her complete faith that I would take care of everything, that we would be safe. Like always, I hoped I was worthy of that kind of trust.She smiled broadly and gazed directly into his eyes. For a moment, Jeremy just stared, still confused, and then I saw the thrall seize him. His eyes glazed over, and he regarded her adoringly.We need to borrow your car, she sai d in a gentle voice. Where are your keys?He smiled, and I shivered. I had a high resistance to compulsion, but I could still feel its effects when it was tell at another person. That, and Id been taught my entire life that using it was wrong. Reaching into his pocket, Jeremy handed over a set of keys hanging on a large red key chain.Thank you, said Lissa. And where is it parked?Down the street, he said dreamily. At the corner. By Brown. Four blocks away.Thank you, she repeated, backing up. As soon as we leave, I want you to go back to studying. Forget you ever saw us tonight.He nodded obligingly. I got the impression he would have walked off a cliff for her right then if shed asked. All humans were susceptible to compulsion, but Jeremy appeared weaker than most. That came in handy right now.Come on, I told her. Weve got to move.We stepped outside, heading toward the corner hed named. I was still dizzy from the bite and kept stumbling, unable to move as quickly as I wanted. Lissa ha d to catch hold of me a few times to stop me from falling. All the time, that anxiety rushed into me from her mind. I tried my best to ignore it I had my own fears to deal with.Rose?what are we going to do if they catch us? she whispered.They wont, I said fiercely. I wont let them.But if theyve found us They found us before. They didnt catch us then. Well just push back over to the train station and go to L.A. Theyll lose the trail.I made it sound artless. I always did, even though there was nothing simple about being on the run from the people wed grown up with. Wed been doing it for two years, hiding wherever we could and just trying to finish high school. Our elderberry bush year had just started, and living on a college campus had seemed safe. We were so close to freedom.She said nothing more, and I felt her faith in me surge up once more. This was the way it had always been between us. I was the one who took action, who made sure things happened sometimes recklessly so. Sh e was the more reasonable one, the one who thought things out and researched them extensively before acting. Both styles had their uses, but at the moment, recklessness was called for. We didnt have time to hesitate.Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and wed or rather, Id responded appropriately. Id chucked my book at our teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadnt known what those words meant, but Id known how to prepare a moving target.Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.Do you hear that? she asked suddenly.It took me a few seconds to pick up what her sharper senses already had. Footsteps, moving fast. I grimaced. We had two more blocks to go.Weve got to run for it, I said, catching hold of her arm.But you cant Run.It took every ounce of my willpower not to pass out on the sidewalk. My bod y didnt want to run after losing blood or while still metabolizing the effects of her saliva. But I ordered my muscles to stop their bitching and clung to Lissa as our feet pounded against the concrete. Normally I could have outrun her without any extra effort particularly since she was barefoot but tonight, she was all that held me upright.The pursuing footsteps grew louder, closer. Black stars danced before my eyes. Ahead of us, I could make out Jeremys green Honda. Oh God, if we could just make it Ten feet from the car, a man stepped directly into our path. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. It was him, the guy Id seen across the street watching me. He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as Id figured, probably six-six or six-seven. And under different circumstances say, when he wasnt safe guardianship up our desperate escape I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brownness hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark bro wn eyes. A long brown coat-a duster, I thought it was called.But his hotness was irrelevant now. He was only an obstacle keeping Lissa and me away from the car and our freedom. The footsteps bum us slowed, and I knew our pursuers had caught up. Off to the sides, I detected more movement, more people closing in. God. Theyd sent almost a dozen guardians to retrieve us. I couldnt believe it. The queen herself didnt travel with that many.Panicked and not entirely in control of my higher reasoning, I acted out of instinct. I pressed up to Lissa, keeping her behind me and away from the man who appeared to be the leader.Leave her alone, I growled. Dont touch her.His face was unreadable, but he held out his hands in what was apparently supposititious to be some sort of calming gesture, like I was a rabid animal he was planning to sedate.Im not going to He took a step forward. Too close.I attacked him, leaping out in an offensive maneuver I hadnt used in two years, not since Lissa and I h ad run away. The move was stupid, another reaction born of instinct and fear. And it was hopeless. He was a skilled guardian, not a novice who hadnt finished his training. He also wasnt weak and on the verge of passing out.And man, was he fast. Id forgotten how fast guardians could be, how they could move and strike like cobras. He knocked me off as though brushing away a fly, and his hands slammed into me and sent me backwards. I dont think he meant to strike that hard probably just intended to keep me away but my lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond. Unable to catch my footing, I started to fall, heading straight toward the sidewalk at a twisted angle, hip-first. It was going to hurt. A lot.Only it didnt.Just as quickly as hed blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm, keeping me upright. When Id steadied myself, I noticed he was staring at me or, more precisely, at my neck. Still disoriented, I didnt get it right away. Then, slowly, my free hand r eached up to the side of my throat and lightly touched the wound Lissa had made earlier. When I pulled my fingers back, I saw slick, dark blood on my skin. Embarrassed, I shook my hair so that it fell forward around my face. My hair was thick and long and completely covered my neck. Id grown it out for precisely this reason.The guys dark eyes lingered on the now-covered bite a moment longer and then met mine. I returned his look defiantly and quickly jerked out of his hold. He let me go, though I knew he could have restrained me all night if hed wanted. Fighting the nauseating dizziness, I backed toward Lissa again, tonic myself for another attack. Suddenly, her hand caught hold of mine. Rose, she said quietly. Dont.Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind, approach path across through the bond. It wasnt exactly compulsion she wouldnt use that on me but it was effectual, as was the fact that we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tenseness left my body, and I sagged in defeat.Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Lissa. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which strike me considering his height. My name is Dimitri Belikov, he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. Ive come to take you back to St. Vladimirs Academy, Princess.