Frostbite PROLOGUE

Like always, this book couldnt throw been written without the religious service and frequent of my patrons and family. In particular, I need to thank my IM Counseling Team Caitlin, David, Jay, Jackie, and Kat. You guys logged more late-night online hours than I stooge til at once dismay to count. I couldnt stupefy gotten through this book and the rest of this years craziness without you.Thanks also to my agent, Jim McCarthy, who has moved heaven, earth, and deadlines to help me finish what I need to. Im glad youve got my back. And finally, many thanks to Jessica Rothenberg and Ben Schrank at Razorbill for their continued support and hard work.For Kat Richardson, who is very wise.PROLOGUETHINGS DIE. BUT THEY DONT always stop consonant dead. Believe me, I know.Theres a backwash of vampires on this earth who argon literally the pass dead. Theyre called Strigoi, and if youre not already having nightmares about them, you should be. Theyre strong, theyre fast, and they kill wit hout forbearance or hesitation. Theyre immortal, toowhich human body of cook ups them a bitch to destroy. There are only three ways to do it a silver s enquire through the heart, decapitation, and setting them on fire. N unmatched of those is easy to pull off, however its better than having no options at all.There are also tidy vampires walking the world. Theyre called Moroi. Theyre a active, and they possess the implausibly cool power to wield magic in each of the four elements earth, air, water, and fire. (Well, most Moroi can do this exactly Ill explain more about the exceptions later). They dont authentically use the magic for much anymore, which is kind of sad. Itd be a great weapon, but the Moroi strongly view magic should only be utilize peacefully. Its one of the biggest rules in their society. Moroi are also usually tall and slim, and they cant handle a lot of sunlight. But they do start superhuman senses that make up for it sight, smell, and hearing.Both kinds of vampires need blood. Thats what makes them vampires, I guess. Moroi dont kill to take it, however. Instead, they halt military personnel around who willingly donate small amounts. They volunteer because vampire bites contain endorphins that feel factually, really good and can render addictive. I know this from personal experience. These humans are called feeders and are essentially vampire-bite junkies.Still, retention feeders around is better than the way the Strigoi do things, because, as you might expect, they kill for their blood. I think they desire it. If a Moroi kills a victim while drinking, he or she will turn into a Strigoi. whatsoever Moroi do this by choice, giving up their magic and their morals for immortality. Strigoi can also be created by force. If a Strigoi drinks blood from a victim and then makes that person drink Strigoi blood in return, surfaceyou bugger off a new Strigoi. This can happen to anyone Moroi, human, or dhampir.Dhampir.Thats what I am. Dh ampirs are half-human, half-Moroi. I analogous to think we got the trounce traits of both races. Im strong and sturdy, like humans are. I can also go out in the sun as much as I want. But, like the Moroi, I have really good senses and fast reflexes. The result is that dhampirs make the ultimate body followswhich is what most of us are. Were called guardians.Ive spent my good life training to cheer Moroi from Strigoi. I have a whole set of special classes and practices I take at St. Vladimirs Academy, a private school for Moroi and dhampirs. I know how to use all sorts of weapons and can land some pretty mean kicks. Ive beaten up guys twice my sizeboth in and out of class. And really, guys are pretty much the only ones I beat up, since there are very few girls in any of my classes. Because while dhampirs inherit all sorts of great traits, theres one thing we didnt get. Dhampirs cant have children with new(prenominal) dhampirs. Dont consume me why. Its not like Im a geneticist or anything. Humans and Moroi getting together will always make more dhampirs thats where we came from in the first place. But that doesnt happen so much anymore Moroi tend to stay away from humans. Through another weird genetic fluke, however, Moroi and dhampirs mixing will create dhampir children. I know, I know its crazy. Youd think youd get a baby thats three-quarters vampire, right? Nope. Half human, half Moroi.Most of these dhampirs are born from Moroi men and dhampir women getting together. Moroi women stick to having Moroi babies. What this usually means is that Moroi men have flings with dhampir women and then take off. This leaves a lot of single dhampir mothers, and thats why not as many of them become guardians. Theyd rather stress on raising their children.As a result, only the guys and a handful of girls are left to become guardians. But those who choose to protect Moroi are serious about their jobs. Dhampirs need Moroi to keep having kids. We have to protect them. Pl us, its justwell, its the honorable thing to do. Strigoi are evil and unnatural. It isnt right for them to prey on the innocent. Dhampirs who train to be guardians have this drilled into them from the time they can walk. Strigoi are evil. Moroi must be protected. Guardians believe this. I believe this.And theres one Moroi I want to protect more than anyone in the world my best friend, Lissa. Shes a Moroi princess. The Moroi have twelve royal families, and shes the only one left in hersthe Dragomirs. But theres something else that makes Lissa special, aside from her being my best friend.Remember when I said every Moroi wields one of the four elements? Well, it turns out Lissa wields one no one even knew existed until recently feeling. For years, we thought she just wasnt going to develop her magical abilities. Then strange things started misfortune around her. For example, all vampires have an ability called compulsion that lets them force their will on others. Strigoi have it real ly strongly. Its weaker in Moroi, and its also forbidden. Lissa, however, has it almost as much as a Strigoi. She can bat her eyelashes, and multitude will do what she wants.But thats not even the coolest thing she can do.I said former that dead things dont always stay dead. Well, Im one of them. Dont worryIm not like the Strigoi. But I did die once. (I dont propose it.) It happened when the car I was riding in slid off the road. The accident killed me, Lissas parents, and her brother. Yet, somewhere in the chaoswithout even realizing itLissa used spirit to bring me back. We didnt know about this for a long time. In fact, we didnt even know spirit existed at all.Unfortunately, it turned out that one person did know about spirit before we did. passkey Dashkov, a dying Moroi prince, found out about Lissas powers and inflexible he wanted to lock her up and make her his own personal healerfor the rest of her life. When I realized someone was stalking her, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I broke us out of school to run off and live among humans. It was funbut also kind of nerve-wrackingto always be on the run. We got away with this for two years until the authorities at St. Vladimirs hunted us down and dragged us back a few months ago.That was when Victor made his real move, kidnapping her and torturing her until she gave into his demands. In the process, he took some pretty extreme mea genuineslike zapping me and Dimitri, my mentor, with a lust spell. (Ill get to him later). Victor also exploited the way spirit was starting to make Lissa mentally unstable. But even that wasnt as bad as what he did to his own daughter Natalie. He went so far as to encourage her to turn into a Strigoi to help cover his escape. She ended up getting staked. Even when captured later on the fact, Victor didnt seem to display too much guilt over what hed asked her to do. Makes me think I wasnt abstracted out on growing up without a father.Still, I now have to protect Lissa from Strigoi and Moroi. solely a few officials know about what she can do, but Im sure there are other Victors out there who would want to use her. Fortunately, I have an extra weapon to help me guard her. Somewhere during my healing in the car accident, spirit forged a psychic bond amongst her and me. I can see and feel what she experiences. (It only works one way, though. She cant feel me.) The bond helps me keep an eye on her and know when shes in trouble, although sometimes, its weird having another person inside your head. Were pretty sure there are lots of other things spirit can do, but we dont know what they are yet.In the meantime, Im trying to be the best guardian I can be. Running away put me backside in my training, so I have to take extra classes to make up for lost time. Theres zip in the world I want more than to keep Lissa safe. Unfortunately, Ive got two things that complicate my training now and then. One is that I sometimes act before I think. Im getting better at avoiding this, but when something sets me off, I tend to punch first and then find out who I actually despatch later. When it comes to those I care about being in dangerwell, rules seem optional.The other problem in my life is Dimitri. Hes the one who killed Natalie, and hes a total badass. Hes also pretty good-looking. Okaymore than good-looking. Hes hotlike, the kind of hot that makes you stop walking on the street and get touch on by traffic. But, like I said, hes my instructor. And hes twenty-four. Both of those are reasons why I shouldnt have fallen for him. But, honestly, the most important reason is that he and I will be Lissas guardians when she graduates. If he and I are checking each other out, then that means we arent looking out for her.I havent had much luck in getting over him, and Im pretty sure he still feels the akin about me. Part of what makes it so difficult is that he and I got pretty hot and heavy when we got hit with the lust spell. Victor had wan ted to distract us while he kidnapped Lissa, and it had worked. Id been ready to give up my virginity, and Dimitri had been ready to take it. At the last minute, we broke the spell, but those memories are always with me and make it kind of hard to focus on combat moves sometimes.By the way, my names Rose Hathaway. Im seventeen years old, training to protect and kill vampires, in love with a completely unsuitable guy, and have a best friend whose weird magic could drive her crazy.Hey, no one said high school was easy.