Vampire academy

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires-the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir; she is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's-but their world is

"No. If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you.”

I moved toward him again, needing to touch him and kiss him and do so many other things.

"Are you drunk?" he asked, holding his hand out in a warding gesture.

"Don't I wish." I

Getting up to the staff wing of the dorm wasn't hard, since they wanted to keep me inside tonight. I didn't know where his room was, but it didn't matter. Something was pulling me to him, urging me closer. An instinct pushed me toward one of the doors, and I beat the living daylights out of it.

After a few moments, he opened it, brown eyes widening when he saw me.

"Rose?”

"Let me in. It's Lissa.”

He immediately stepped aside for me. I'd apparently caught him in bed, because the covers were peeled back on one side and only a small tableside lamp shone in the darkness. Plus, he wore only cotton pajama bottoms; his chest— which I'd never seen before, and wow, did it look great—was bare. The ends of his dark hair curled near his chin and appeared damp, like he'd taken a shower not so long ago.

"What's wrong?”

"It makes you look all depressed. And you're too hot in that dress to look depressed. Come on, there's Eddie.”

actually bought it in honor of you doing so well on your first day as an official guardian. He saw you and Lissa looking at it.”

"Wow." It was all I could say. "I don't think I did that good of a job.”

"I do.”

Grinning, I placed the necklace back in the box and set it on a nearby table. "You did say 'presents,' right? Like more than one?”

He laughed outright, and the sound wrapped around me like a caress. God, I loved the sound of his laugh. "This is from me.”

He handed me a small, plain bag. Puzzled and excited, I opened it up. Lip gloss, the kind I liked. I'd complained to him a number of times how I was running out, but I'd never thought he was paying attention.

"How'd you manage to buy this? I saw you the whole time at the mall.”

"Guardian secrets.”

"What's this for? For my first day?”

"No," he said simply. "Because I thought it would make you happy.”

Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you.”

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar. That's your department. And Rose's.”

"We don't—”

"Exaggerate stories about people's families? Say that you hate me? Pretend to be friends with people you think are stupid? Date a guy you don't like?”

"I like him.”

"Like or like?”

"Oh, there's a difference?”

"Yes. Like is when you date a big, blond moron and laugh at his stupid jokes.”

Then, out of nowhere, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was hot and fast and furious, an outpouring of the rage and passion and longing that Christian always kept locked inside of him. Lissa had never been kissed like that, and I felt her respond to it, respond to him—how he made her feel so much more alive than Aaron or anyone else could.

Christian pulled back from the kiss but still kept his face next to hers.

"That's what you do with someone you like.”

Lissa's heart pounded with both anger and desire. "Well, I don't like or like you. And I think you and Mia are both lying about Andre. Aaron would never make up anything like that.”

"That's because Aaron doesn't say anything that requires words of more than one syllable.”

"Are you doing her too?" Miles asked Mason. "You don't want to share?”

"Say one more word about her, and I'll rip your head off.”

"Why? She's just a cheap blood—”

Mason punched him.

Reluctantly, I followed him. He led me out toward the other side of the garden. "We may need to add an extra training on self-control," he noted.

"I have plenty of self contr—hey!”

And that," I said, finally making my appearance, "is why he should be ruling instead of that bitch of a queen. He got robbed.”