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FOURTEEN

I CONTINUED SPYING ON LISSA over the next couple of days, feeling uilty each time She’d always hated it when I did by accident, and now I did it on purpose

Steadily, I watched as she reintegrated herself into the royal power players one by one She couldn’t do group co one person alone was just as effective, if slower And really, a lot didn’t need to be coain Many weren’t as shallow as they seemed; they remembered Lissa and liked her for who she was They flocked to her, and now, a month and a half after our return to the Acade this rise to faainst Mia and Jesse

Oneready for breakfast She’d spent the last twentyshe hadn’t done in a while Natalie, sitting on the bed in their room, watched the process with curiosity When Lissa moved on to oing to watch ato co, but her friend Erin had the personality of dry wall

"Can’t I’ to help Camille bleach Carly’s hair"

"You sure spend a lot of tiuess" Lissa dabbed er

"I thought you didn’t like theed my mind"

"They sure seem to like you a lot now I mean, not that anyone wouldn’t like you, but once you ca you too I heard the, because they’re Mia’s friends too, but isn’t it weird howto see what you want to do before theyRose nohich is really crazy Not that I believe any of that stuff about her, but I never would have thought it was possible - "

Underneath Natalie’s ra was the seed of suspicion, and Lissa picked up on it Natalie probably never would have dreamed of compulsion, but Lissa couldn’t risk innocent questions turning into soby Erin’s after all I bet Carly’s hair won’t take that long"

The offer derailed Natalie’s train of thought "Really? Oh , that would be great She was telling me how sad she was that you’re not around as much anymore, and I told her"

On it went Lissa continued her compulsion and return to popularity I watched it all quietly, alorrying, even though her efforts were starting to reduce the stares and gossip aboutto backfire," I whispered to her in church one day "So questions"

"Stop being so melodramatic Power shifts all the time around here"

"Not like this"

"You don’t thinkpersonality could do this on its own?"

"Of course I do, but if Christian spotted it right away, then someone else will - "

My words were interrupted when two guys farther down the pew suddenly exploded into snickers Glancing up, I saw the to hide their snore the the priest would start up soon But Lissa returned their looks, and a sudden fierceness flashed across her face She didn’t say a word, but their saze

"Tell her you’re sorry," she told them "And make sure she believes it"

A izing to iveness I couldn’t believe it She’d used compulsion in public - in church, of all places And on two people at the same tiies, but Lissa wasn’t finished

"That’s the best you can do?" she snapped

Their eyes widened in alarered her

"Liss," I said quickly, touching her aries"

Her face still radiated disapproval, but she finally nodded The guys slumped in relief

Yikes I’d never felt so relieved to have a service start Through the bond, I felt a sort of dark satisfaction co from Lissa It was uncharacteristic for her, and I didn’t like it

Needing to distractbehavior, I studied other people as I so often did Nearby, Christian openly watched Lissa, a troubled look on his face When he saw me, he scowled and turned away

Di every corner for danger His attention was turned inward, his expression almost pained I still didn’t knohy he ca

In the front, the priest was talking about St Vladi, and he was truly gifted by God When he touched them, the crippled walked, and the blind could see Where he walked, flowers blooetcripples and blind people?

I’d forgotten all about St Vladi people back from the dead, and it had res had distracted ht about the saint or his "shadow-kissed" guardian - and their bond - in a while How could I have overlooked this? Ms Karp, I realized, wasn’t the only other Moroi who could heal like Lissa Vladiathered to his and hear hi, I stared at Lissa She gave et a chance to elaborate - I don’t even know if I could have formed the words - because I hisked back to my prison almost as soon as I stood up at the end of the service

Back in my room, I went online to research St Vladi useful Damn it Mason had skimmed the books in the library and said there was little there What did that leavemore about that dusty old saint

Or did I? What had Christian said that first day with Lissa?

Over there, we have an old box full of the writings of the blessed and crazy St Vladie roos Christian had pointed them out I needed to look at them, but how? I couldn’t ask the priest Hoould he react if he found out students were going up there? It’d put an end to Christian’s lair But maybemaybe Christian hih, and I wouldn’t see him until toet a chance to talk to hi out to practice later, I stopped in the dorranola bar As I did, I passed a couple of novice guys, Miles and Anthony Miles whistled when he sawlonely? Want sohed "I can’t bite you, but I can give you soh the doorway they stood in to get outside Glaring, I pushed past, but Miles caughtdown to my butt

"Get your hands offaway In doing so, I only bumped into Anthony

"Coht you didn’t have a probleuys at the sauys don’t walk away right now, I’ll take both of you on" Mason My hero