Shadow Kiss Chapter 16

sixteenSO ARE YOU, HE TEASED.Yeah, save I just thought That I was human? Because of the fire marks?Yeah, I admitted. No point in lying.We all bewilder to survive, he said. And dhampirs are right at figuring out ways to.Yeah, unless most of us be bed guardians, I pointed out. particularly men. I still couldnt believe he was a dhampir or that I hadnt spotted it right away. desire ago, dhampirs had been born from humans and Moroi getting together. We were half-vampire, half-human. Over time, Moroi started keeping themselves separate from humans. Humans grew too plentiful and no longer needed Moroi for magic. Moroi now feared theyd become human experiments if ever discovered. So no more dhampirs were be made that way, and in a bizarre genetic twist, dhampirs getting together with dhampirs couldnt make more dhampirs.The further way my race kept reproducing was by dint of Moroi mixing with dhampirs. Normal logic would make you think that a dhampir and a Moroi would make childre n who were ? Moroi. Nope. We came out with perfect dhampir genes, half and half, mixing whatever of the best traits of both races. almost dhampirs came from dhampir women and Moroi men. For centuries, these women had sent their kids off to be raised somewhere else, so that the mothers could go covering fire to being guardians. Thats what exploit had done.Over time, though, some dhampir women had decided they wanted to raise their children themselves. They refused to be guardians and instead banded together in communities. Thats what Dimitris mother had done. Lots of ugly rumors surrounded these women because Moroi men often visited in the hopes of getting cheap sex. Dimitri had told me that a lot of these stories were exaggerated and that most dhampir women werent that easy. The rumors came from the fact that these women were almost always single mothers who had no contact with their kids fathers and because some dhampirs would let Moroi drink beginning during sex. It was a k inky, dirty thing in our culture and was where the nickname for these non-guardian dhampirs had come from ancestry whores. that Id never even out thought about a male blood whore.My foreland was reeling. Most guys who dont want to be guardians just run off, I said. It was rare, but it happened. Guys bailed on guardian drill and disappeared to hide out among humans. It was another disgraceful thing.I didnt want to run off, said Ambrose, verifyming truly cheerful about all this. But I didnt want to fight Strigoi either. So I did this.Beside me, Lissa was stunned. roue whores stayed on the fringes of our world. Having one right in front of her a guy, no less was incredible.This is better than being a guardian? I asked in skepticism.Well, lets train. Guardians spend all their time watching out for others, risking their lives, and habiliment bad shoes. Me? I have great shoes, am currently massaging a pretty girl, and sleep in an awesome bed.I made a face. Lets not talk about where you sleep, okay?And giving blood isnt as bad as you think. I dont give as practically as a feeder, but the highs pretty neat.Lets not talk about that either, I said. No way would I admit that I knew Moroi bites were indeed pretty neat.Fine. But place what you want, my lifes good. He gave me a lopsided smile.But arent people, ilkwell, arent they flirt with to you? They must word thingsOh yes, he agreed. Horrible things. I get called a lot of ugly names. But you hunch where I get the most grief from? Other dhampirs. Moroi tend to leave me alone.Thats because they dont understand what its like to be a guardian, how important it is. It occurred to me, with some unease, that I sounded exactly like my mother. Its what dhampirs are meant to do.Ambrose rose, unkinking his legs and giving me a face full of muscled chest. You sure? How would you like to find out what youre really meant to do? I live someone who might be able to split up you.Ambrose, dont do it, groaned Lissas ma nicurist. That fair sexs crazy.Shes psychic, Eve.Shes not psychic, and you cannot take the Dragomir princess to go analyse her.The queen herself goes to her for advice, he argued back.Thats a mistake too, grumbled Eve.Lissa and I ex mixtured looks. Shed latched onto the word psychic. Psychics and fortune-tellers were generally regarded with the same disbelief as ghosts except that Lissa and I had recently learned that psychic abilities wed previously believed to be fantasy were real part of nub. Hope that she might have stumbled onto another spirit user shot through Lissa.Wed extol to depend a psychic. Can we go? Please? Lissa glanced at a nearby clock. And soon? We have a flight to catch.Eve clearly thought it was a waste of our time, but Ambrose could hardly custody to show us. We regularize our shoes back on and were led out of the massage area. The spa room had been in a snarl of halls behind the front salon, and we soon found ourselves in another maze that was farther back still.Theres no directory here, I said as we walked past closed verges. What are these board for?Everything and anything people will pay money for, he said.Like what?Ah, Rose. Youre such an innocent.We finally reached a entre at the end of the hall. We stepped inside and found a small room that only held a desk. A closed door sat beyond it. A Moroi at the desk looked up, obviously recognizing Ambrose. He walked over to her, and the panelinal got into a quiet argument as he tried to get her to let us in.Lissa turn to me, keeping her voice daft. What do you think?My eyes were on Ambrose. That all that muscles leaving to waste.Forget the blood whore thing already. I mean about this psychic. Do you think weve found another spirit user? she asked eagerly.If a party boy like Adrian can be a spirit user, past a woman who tells the future probably can be too.Ambrose returned to us, grinning. Suzanne was golden to fit you into the schedule onwards your flight. Itll be just a minute while Rhonda finishes up with her current client.Suzanne didnt look very happy about fitting us in, but I didnt have time to ponder that because the inner door opened and an older Moroi man walked out, entranced. He gave Suzanne some cash, nodded at the rest of us, and left. Ambrose stood and made a abundant sweeping motion toward the door.Your turn.Lissa and I walked inside the other room. Ambrose followed and closed the door behind us. It was like travel into someones heart. Everything was red. Plush red carpet, a red velvet couch, velvet brocade wallpaper, and red satin cushions on the floor. school landmark on the cushions was a Moroi in her forties, with curly black-market hair and equally dark eyes. There was a very faint olive cast to her skin, but her overall look was pale, like all Moroi. Her black clothing stood out in stark contrast to the red room, and jewelry the color of my nails gleamed on her be intimate and hands. I expected her to speak in a spooky, m ysterious voice one with an exotic accent but her words sounded blandly American.Please, sit raft. She pointed to some cushions across from her. Ambrose sat on the couch. Whove you brought? she asked him as Lissa and I settled down.Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, and her guardian-to-be, Rose. They need a fast fortune.Why do you always want to rush these things? Rhonda asked.Hey, its not me. They have a plane to catch.Itd be the same if you didnt. Youre always in a rush.I move off my awe of the room plenteous to pay attention to their easy banter and similar hair. atomic number 18 you guys related?This is my aunt, said Ambrose fondly. She adores me. Rhonda rolled her eyes.That was a surprise. Dhampirs rarely had contact with their extended Moroi family, but then, Ambrose was hardly normal. Lissa was intrigued by all of this too, but her interest was different from mine. She was studying Rhonda intently, trying to find any indication that the woman might be a spirit user.Are you a gypsy? I asked.Rhonda made a face and began shuffling some card game. Im Roma, she said. A lot of people call us gypsies, though the term isnt exactly accurate. And really, Im Moroi first. She gave the cards a few more shuffles, then handed them to Lissa. Cut, please.Lissa was still staring, half-hoping she might see an aura. Adrian could sense other spirit users, but she didnt have that skill yet. She cut the cards and handed them back. Rhonda put the deck back together and dealt out trey cards to Lissa.I leaned forward. Cool. They were tarot cards. I didnt live on much about them, only that they supposedly had mystical powers and could tell the future. I didnt believe in that block much more than Id ever believed in religion, but then, until recently, Id never really believed in ghosts, either.The one-third cards were the daydream, the Empress, and the Ace of Cups. Ambrose leaned over my shoulder to peer at the cards. Ooh, he said. Very interesting.Rhonda glanced up at him. H ush. You dont know what youre talking about. She turned back to the cards and tapped the Ace of Cups. Youre on the verge of a new beginning, a rebirth of great power and emotion. Your life will change, but it will be a change that takes you in a direction that, while difficult, will ultimately illuminate the world.Whoa, I said.Rhonda then pointed to the Empress. motive and leadership lie ahead of you, which you will handle with grace and intelligence. The seeds are already in place, though theres an edge of uncertainty an enigmatic set of influences that hang around you like mist. Her attention was on the Moon as she said those words. But my overall impression is that those unknown factors wont deter you from your destiny.Lissas eyes were wide. You can tell that just from the cards?Rhonda shrugged. Its in the cards, yes, but I also have a gift that lets me see forces beyond what ordinary people can perceive.She shuffled the cards again and then handed them to me to cut. I did, and she flipped three more over. The Nine of Swords, the Sun, and the Ace of Swords. The Sun card was upside down.Now, I knew nothing about this stuff, but I immediately got the niping I was about to get a raw deal compared to Lissa. The Empress card had shown a woman in a long dress, with stars on her head. The Moon had shown a full idle with two dogs below it, and the Ace of Cups had shown a bejeweled chalice filled with flowers.Meanwhile, my Nine of Swords showed a woman son of a bitch in front of a wall of swords, and the Ace of Swords was a boring hand holding a plain iron sword. The Sun at least looked cheerful. It had what looked like an angel riding a innocence horse, with a brilliant sun shining above.Shouldnt that be flipped right-side up? I asked.No, she said, eyes on the cards. later on several moments of heavy silence, she said, You will destroy that which is undead.I waited about thirty seconds for her to continue, but she didnt. Wait, thats it?She nodded. Thats what the cards say to me.I pointed at them. Seems like theyve got a little bit more to say than that. You gave Lissa a on the whole encyclopedia worth of information And I already know Im going to kill the undead. Thats my job. Bad enough Id gotten a minuscule fortune. It was also totally unoriginal.Rhonda shrugged, as though that were some sort of explanation.I started to say that shed better not even think about charging me for that crap reading when there was a salving knock at the door. It opened, and to my surprise, Dimitri stuck his head inside. His eyes fell on Lissa and me. Ah, they said you were in here. He walked in and noticed Rhonda. To my further surprise, he gave her a low nod of respect and said very politely, Im blasphemous to interrupt, but I need to bring these two to their flight.Rhonda examined him but not in a checking-him-out broad of way. It was more like he was mystery she wanted to figure out. Theres nothing to apologize for. But by chance youve got time fo r a reading of your own?With our similar views on religion, I expected Dimitri to tell her he had no time for her scam-artist fortune-telling. Yet the look on his face stayed serious, and he finally nodded, sitting down beside me, letting me smell the sweet scent of leather and aftershave. Thank you. His words were still perfectly polite.Ill be brief. Rhonda was already shuffling up my useless cards. In record time, she had them ready for cutting and had dealt out three cards in front of Dimitri. The Knight of Rods, the Wheel of endangerment, and the Five of Cups. I couldnt get a feel for these. The Knight of Rods was what it sounded like, a man on horseback with a long wooden spear. The Wheel of helping was a circle with strange symbols floating in the clouds. The Five of Cups showed five knocked-over cups spilling some kind of fluent out while a man stood with his back to them.Her eyes flicked over the cards, looked at Dimitri, then looked back at the cards. Her expression was blank. You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can. She pointed to the Wheel of Fortune card. The wheel is turning, always turning.The reading wasnt as good as Lissas, but hed gotten a hell of a lot more than me. Lissa elbowed me in a silent warning to be quiet, which startled me at first. Without even realizing it, Id opened my mouth to protest. I shut it and glowered.Dimitris face was dark and thoughtful as he stared at the cards. I didnt know if he knew anything about this stuff, but he was staring at the images as though they really held all the secrets of the world. At last, he gave Rhonda another respectful nod. Thank you.She nodded back, and then the three of us rose to catch our flight. Ambrose told us the readings were on him and that hed settle up with Suzanne afterward. It was worth it, he told me. Worth it to see you think twice about your fate.I scoffed. No offense, but those cards didnt make me think much about anything. Like everything else, this j ust made him laugh.We were about to leave Suzannes little waiting room when Lissa unawares dashed back to Rhondas open doorway. I followed after her.Um, excuse me, Lissa said.Rhonda looked up from more shuffling, her face troubled. Yes?This is going to sound weird, butum, could you tell me what element you specialized in?I could feel Lissa holding her breath. She so, so wanted Rhonda to say she hadnt specialized, which was often the sign of having spirit. There was still so much to learn, and Lissa loved the ideas of conclusion others who could teach her and she especially loved the idea of someone teaching her to foretell the future.Air, said Rhonda. A soft breezed rustled through our hair to prove the point. Why?Lissa let go of her breath, disappointment washing over me through her link. No reason. Thank you again.