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The flight wasfrom the middle of Siberia to the middle of Montana wasn’t easy I flew from Novosibirsk to Moscow to Amsterdahts Five different airports A lot of running around It was exhausting, yet when I handed over et back into the US in Seattle, I felt a strange surge of e Russia, I had thought Abe ht co oing back now, aren’t you?" he asked at the airport "To the school? You aren’t going to get off at one of your stops and disappear?"

I s back to St Vladimir’s"

"And you’ll stay there?" he pressed He didn’t quite look as dangerous as he had in Baia, but I could see a glint of hardness in his eyes

My s to happen I don’t have a place there anymore"

"Rose-"

I held up a hand to stop hih No after-school specials You said you were hired to get me back there

It isn’t your job to say what I do after that" At least, I hoped not Whoever wanted me back had to be someone at the Academy I’d be there soon

They had won Abe’s services were no longer required

Despite his victory, he didn’t look happy about relinquishing hed "You need to go through security, or you’ll ht"

I nodded "Thanks for" What exactly? His help? " For everything"

I started to turn away, but he touched ?"

Most ofhad been scattered around Russia One of the other Alchemists had located shoes, jeans, and a sweater, but otherwise, I inging it until I got back to the US "I don’t really need anything else," I told hiuardians, he uardian took off his coat and handed it over The guy was lanky, but the coat was still too big for me

"No, I don’t need-"

"Take it," ordered Abe

I took it, and then tothe scarf from around his neck It was one of his nicer ones, too: cashmere, woven with an array of brilliant colors, more suited to the Caribbean than here or Montana I started to protest this as well, but the look on his face silencedif I’d ever see hi he wouldn’t tell me anyway

When I finally landed in Missoula thirty hours later, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to fly in a plane anytime soon-as in, like, the next five years

Maybe ten Without any luggage, getting out of the airport was easy Abe had sent word ahead of et uardians at St Vladimir’s, seemed a likely choice Or maybe it would be iven moment, and suddenly, I really, really wanted to see her She would be a logical choice too

So it ith so for rin spread over my face, and I picked up the pace I threwboth of us "I have never been happier to see you in htly and then let ly "The dreams never do justice to real life, little dha" I’d cleaned up after the ordeal with the Strigoi, and Oksana had continued healing me in spite of my protests-even the bruises on my neck, which she had never asked about I didn’t want anyone else to know about those

"And you look" I studied him He was dressed as nicely as always, with a three-quarter-length wool coat and green scarf that matched his eyes

His dark brown hair had that crafted messiness he liked, but his face-ah, well As I’d noted before, Siood punches on hied with bruises Nonetheless, thinking about hi he’d done well, none of the flaws eous"

"Liar," he said

"Couldn’t Lissa have healed that black eye away?"

"It’s a badge of honor Makes e awaits"

"Why’d they send you?" I asked as alked toward the parking lot "You are sober, aren’t you?"

Adrian didn’t dignify that with an answer "Well, the school has no official responsibility to you, seeing as you’re a dropout and everything So they weren’t really obligated to coet you None of your other friends can leave ca out So I borrowed a car, and here I am"

His words sparked mixed reactions in me I was touched that he’d taken the trouble to come out here but was bothered by the part about the school having no responsibility to one back and forth in thinking of St Vladimir’s as home yet, in the most technical terms, it truly wasn’t anymore I would just be a visitor

As we settled into the drive, Adrian caughtpsychic shon, I hadn’t delved much into Lissa’s mind Oksana had healedEven though I’d acco and falling still haunted ht about Avery bonding Siather, it sounds like Sio Everyone thought it was athe truth"

"She kept her powers hidden like the rest of you," I mused "And then Reed died later?"

"Well, that’s the weird thing," said Adrian, frowning "No one can really tell when he died I mean, he’s royal He’s been paet out of him-which wasn’t much, since they’re all pretty messed up now-it sounds like Avery ht him back"

"Just like with Lissa," I said, recalling Siht "Avery wanted to kill her, bring her back, and bond her But why Lissa of all people?"

"My guess? Because she’s a spirit user Now that spirit’s not a secret anymore, it was only a matter of time before Avery heard about Lissa andLissa would increase her oer As it was, she was sucking up a lot of energy from those other two" Adrian shook his head "I wasn’t kidding about sensing that spirit all the way across campus The amounts Avery had to wield to compel so many people, ering"

I stared off at the freeway ahead of us, considering the consequences of Avery’s actions "And that’s why Reed was so ht He and Si by using spirit Just like I do with Lissa"

"Yeah, except you were nothing like these guys It wasn’t so obvious with Siht face-but both of thee All three of the and Avery screae?"

"Ito be institutionalized for the rest of their lives"

"Frohast

"Partly," he agreed "Avery was throwing all that power at us, and e threw it back and then some well, I think it was like an overload to theirhow Reed and Sie was probably set for this With Avery too"

"Mark was right," I murmured

"Who?"

"The other shadow-kissed guy I ht be able to heal the darkness away from each other someday It takes a careful balance of power between the spirit user and the shadow-kissed I still don’t fully get it, but I’ Avery’s little circle of three wouldn’t have been able to handle that kind of balancing act I don’t think bonding to more than one person is healthy"

"Huh" Adrian didn’t say anything for a while and sihed "Man, I can’t believe you found another spirit user and shadow-kissed person It’s like finding a needle in a haystack, but that kind of thing always happens to you I can’t wait to hear the rest of what you’ve been doing"

I looked away and rested lass "It’s actually not very interesting"

None of the Academy officials knew about my role in the shoith Avery So it wasn’t like anyone questionedAdrian and Lissa a lot of questions Spirit was still such a new phenomenon that no one knehat to think of what had happened Avery and her bondmates had been taken away for help, and her father had already gone on a tened ot iven a list of where I’d stay and what I could and couldn’t do I proo," I told Adrian iured"

"Thank you for coot to leave you-"

He waved offme You’re back; that’s what counts I’ve been patient this long-I can hold out a little longer"

I held his eyes for a s that suddenly bubbled up withinAdrian a quick sot a lot of strange looks when I went to Lissa’s dorht after classes had ended, so student traffic was pretty busy with people rushing in or out to get somewhere Yet, when I passed by, silence fell and people stoppedIt reminded me of when Lissa and I had been returned to school after running away We’d been h the cafeteria and had received similar treatination, but it seemed worse this time The looks more shocked The silence heavier Last time, I think people had believed we’d run off as some sort of prank This time, no one really knehy I’d left I’d come out of the school’s attack a hero, only to drop out and disappear I think sohost

Ignoring the gossip and opinions of others was so I had a lot of practice with, and I sprinted past the onlookers without a backward glance, taking the stairs two at a tis as I walked down her hall It seemed silly, but I wanted to be surprised I just wanted to open s as to how she was feeling or what she was thinking I knocked on the door

Adrian had said seeingin her head was nothing like being near her in reality The door opened, and it was like an apparition er descended fro, and after all this ti this

Her hand went to her mouth, and she stared at me wide-eyed I think she felt the sa of"soon" No doubt I seemed like a phantom to her, too

And with that reunion it was like I was e from a cave-one I’d been in for alht of day When Dimitri had turned, I’d felt like I’d lost part of one Now, seeing her I began to think o on after all I didn’t feel 100 percent whole yet, but her presence filled up that es

A world of questions and confusion hung in the silence between us In spite of everything we’d been through with Avery, there was still a lot of unresolved business from when I had first left the school For the first tirounds, I felt afraid Afraid that Lissa would reject me or scream at me for what I’d done

Instead, she drew"I knew it," she said She was already choking on her sobs "I knew you’d come back"