And you know,you really have made your point with Aaron and Mia. You don't have to keep him around to keep hanging out with the royals.”
"Why do I keep getting the feeling you don't like him anymore?”
"I like him okay—which is about as much as you like him. And I don't think you should get hot and sweaty with people you only like 'okay'.“
Lissa widened her eyes in pretend astonishment. "Is this Rose Hathaway talking? Have you reformed? Or do you have someone you like 'more than okay'?”
"Hey" I said uncomfortably, "I'm just looking out for you.That, and I never noticed how boring Aaron is before.”
She scoffed. "You think everyone's boring.”
"Christian isn't.

Okay?Okay?" People in the hall stared at us. I realized I was practically shouting. "He's out of his mind. He set Ralf on fire. I thought we decided you weren't going to see him anymore.”
"You decided, Rose. Not me." There was an edge in her voice I hadn't heard in a while.
"What's going on here? Are you guys…you know?…”
"No!" she insisted. "I told you that already.God." She shot me a look of disgust. "Not everyone thinks—and acts—like you.”
I flinched at the words.

It's only their fight club, Liss," I said, having no need for her side of the conversation, "Nothing's going on. They're going to talk punches and kicking and other boring stuff."
Well, actually that stuff was pretty sweet, but I wasn't about to glorify Christian and Mia hanging out.
"Maybe now nothing's going on," she growled, staring stonily ahead. "But who knows what could happen? They spend time together, practice some physical moves, one thing leads to another—"
"That's ridiculous," I said. "That kind of stuff isn't romantic at all."
Another lie, seeing as that was exactly how my relationship with Dimitri had begun. Again, best not to mention that.

Why the hell would I bring you?" she exclaimed. All her anger turned at his presumption. It was a sign of her agitation that she'd sworn.
"Because," he said, face calm, "I can teach you how to stake a Strigoi."
"THE HELL YOU CAN," I said aloud to no one.

Plus, you're the last Dragomir. You're always going to be in the spotlight. Who’s she? Just another Ivashkov. There are tons of them.'
'Probably because all the guys like Adrian and have all sorts of illegitimate children.'
'Adrian doesn’t have any children.'
'That we know of,' I said mysteriously.

The door opened, and it was
like an apparition materializing before me, some sort of heavenly messenger descended from above.
I’d never been away from her for this long, and after all this time, part of me wondered if I was
imagining this.
Her hand went to her mouth, and she stared at me wide-eyed. I think she felt the same way-and she
hadn’t even had warning of my visit. She’d just been told I was coming “soon.” No doubt I seemed
like a phantom to her, too.
And with that reunion… it was like I was emerging from a cave-one I’d been in for almost five
weeks-into the bright light of day. When Dimitri had turned, I’d felt like I’d lost part of my soul. When
I’d left Lissa, another piece had gone. Now, seeing her… I began to think maybe my soul might be
able to heal. Maybe I could go on after all. I didn’t feel 100 percent whole yet, but her presence filled
up that missing part of me. I felt more like myself than I had in ages.
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 time since I’d set foot on the Academy’s grounds, I felt afraid. Afraid that Lissa would
reject me or scream at me for what I’d done.
Instead, she drew me into a giant hug. “I knew it,” she said. She was already choking on her sobs. “I
knew you’d come back.