Dimitri's POV in Blood Promise Vampire Academy

Chapter 17

I slid under the covers, next to her sleeping body. Rose opened her and we made eye contact. Something flickered in her eyes but it disappeared as fast it had arrived. She smiled, and I instantly focused my attention towards her delighted expression. She reached her hand towards me.

"You're back. I missed you."

I caught her hand and kissed her palm. "I had things to do." I didn't bother to elaborate.

Her hand brushed my face as she began to rub something off, near my mouth. Most likely to be dried blood. "So I see."

"It's the natural order, Rose. How are you feeling?" The look in her eyes before conveyed that there was something troubling her.

"Better. Except . . ."

"What?" She looked away. What was upsetting her? She has everything here and has nothing to worry about. I asked out of curiosity and concern. Alex's unusual and foolish behaviour has caused me to worry about what Rose would become once awakened. Some part of me believes it's the bond that made Alex so . . . weak. And I hated it. Would Rose be the fearless, malicious killer I hoped to be with forever or vulnerable and human like? I'm very eager to find out . . .

"I was in Lissa's head," She finally managed to stutter. "And . . . I got pushed out."

"Pushed out?"

"Yeah . . . I was seeing through her eyes like I usually do, and then some force . . . I don't know, an invisible hand shoved me out. I've never felt anything like it." I wasn't very familiar with spirit but her being 'pushed out' seemed harmless.

"Maybe it's a new spirit ability. " I suggested.

"Maybe. Except, I've been watching her regularly, and I've never seen her practice or even consider anything like that."

I shrugged and pulled her closer to me. "Being awakened gives you better senses and accessibility to the world. But it doesn't make you omniscient. I don't know why that happened to you."

"Clearly not omniscient, or else Nathan wouldn't want information about her so badly. Why is that? Why are the strigoi fixated on killing the royal lines? We know they've--you've--been doing it, but why? What does it matter? Isn't a victim a victim--especially when plenty of Strigoi used to be royal Moroi?"

An excellent question, really. Something I would love to answer, even if it can be complex or hard to understand by a dhampir. "That requires a complicated answer. A large part of hunting Moroi royalty is fear. In your old world, royalty are held above all others. They get the best guardians, the best protection." I mentally grinned at the thought of killing the last Dragomir and taking control. Oh, how they'd all beg for mercy. "If we can still get to them through that, then what does it say? It means no one is safe. It creates fear, and fear makes people do foolish things. It makes them easier prey."

"That's horrible."

"Prey or--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Prey or predator."

I narrowed my eyes at her, annoyed at the interruption. If she knows, why think it's 'horrible'? She's a dhampir, she won't be able to understand. She doesn't know how it's like, to have power and to be at the top of the food chain.

"There's also a benefit to unraveling Moroi leadership. That creates instability too." I don't know why I was still trying to make her understand. My efforts were fruitless.

"Or maybe they'd be better off with a change of leadership." I stared at her. That was the most unusual but reasonable thing she has said since she's been here. "What's the rest?"