o_18vdqvms59ejr2105d16v1lb03m.pdf

"Sure," I shrugged. "Now and then.”
"You didn't join any teams?”
"Too much work. If I'd wanted to practice that much, I'd have stayed here.”
He gave me an exasperated look. "You'll never be able to really protect the princess if you don't
hone your skills. You'll always be lacking.”
"I'll be able to protect her," I said fiercely.
"You have no guarantees of being assigned to her, you know—for your field experience or after
you graduate." Dimitri's voice was low and unapologetic. They hadn't given me a warm and
fuzzy mentor. "No one wants to waste the bond— but no one's going to give her an inadequate
guardian either. If you want to be with her, then you need to work for it. You have your lessons.
You have me. Use us or don't. You're an ideal choice to guard Vasilisa when you both
graduate—if you can prove you're worthy. I hope you will.”
"Lissa, call her Lissa," I corrected. She hated her full name, much preferring the Americanized
nickname.
He walked away, and suddenly, I didn't feel like such a badass anymore.
By now, I'd burned up a lot of time leaving class. Most everyone else had long since sprinted
inside the commons for lunch, eager to maximize their social time. I'd almost made it back
there myself when a voice under the door's overhang called to me.
"Rose?”
Peering in the voice's direction, I caught sight of Victor Dashkov, his kind face smiling at me as
he leaned on a cane near the building's wall. His two guardians stood nearby at a polite
distance.
"Mr. Dash—er, Your Highness. Hi.”
I caught myself just in time, having nearly forgotten Moroi royal terms. I hadn't used them
while living among humans. The Moroi chose their rulers from among twelve royal families.