level of perfection. Fitting into these size four khakis had been a triumph this morning. Now, looking at Sonya’s slender build, I felt enormous by comparison. I suddenly regretted my comment about drinking a can of pop, even if it had succeeded in distracting Adrian. I supposed I could rest easy knowing that him skipping cigarettes for a day was impossible. I’d never be called to pay up on my sugary wager.
“We should probably get to work. We’re losing time.” That was Dimitri, getting us back on track.
“Right,” said Adrian. “This is five minutes of valuable research wasted. Up for more fun, Castile? I know how much you love sitting around.” Because they were trying to find something special about Dimitri, Sonya and Adrian would often sit the two dhampirs side by side and study their auras in fine detail. Their hope was that Dimitri’s Strigoi conversion had left some sign that would help explain the immunity to being turned again. It was a valid idea, though not something that someone as active as Eddie enjoyed.
He didn’t complain, of course. Eddie wore a look as tough and determined as Dimitri. “Tell me what you need.”
“We want to do another aura study,” said Sonya. Looked like poor Eddie would be doing some more sitting around. “Last time we focused on any sign of spirit. This time, we want to show both of you some pictures and see if they trigger any color changes in your auras.” I nodded in approval. A lot of psychological experiments attempted similar techniques, though they usually monitored physiological responses instead of mystical auras.
“I still say it’s a waste,” said Adrian. “They’re both dhampirs, but that doesn’t mean we can assume any different reactions they have are because Belikov was a Strigoi. Everyone’s unique. Everyone’s going to respond differently to pictures of kittens or spiders. My old man? He hates kittens.”
“Who could hate kittens?” asked Eddie.
Adrian made a face. “He’s allergic.”
“Adrian,” said Sonya. “We’ve already been over this. I respect your opinion but still think we can learn a lot.” I was actually impressed that Adrian had an opinion. So far, I’d kind of felt like he was just going along with everything Sonya and Dimitri told him to do and that he didn’t give these experiments much thought. And, although I wasn’t familiar with the auras that surrounded all living creatures, I could understand his point that individual differences would throw off their research.
“All data is useful in this case,” said Dimitri. “Especially since we haven’t found anything so far. We know there’s something different about former Strigoi. We can’t rule out any chance to observe it.”
Adrian’s lips tightened, and he made no further protest. Maybe it was because he felt overruled, but I had a feeling it was because he just didn’t want to engage with Dimitri.
With the attention off me, I settled into the living room with a book and tried to stay awake. They didn’t need me. I’d simply come to keep Eddie company. Occasionally, I’d check the others’ progress. Dimitri and Eddie watched as Sonya flipped through different images on her laptop. In turn, Adrian and Sonya watched the dhampirs closely and made notes on paper. I almost wished I could see the bands of color and light and wondered if there really were any noticeable differences. Studying Eddie and Dimitri, I sometimes would notice a change in facial expression when particularly cute or horrific images showed up on the screen, but for the most part their work remained a mystery to me.
Curious, I walked over to Sonya when they were about halfway through. “What do you see?” I asked in a low voice.
“Colors,” she said. “Shining around all living things. Eddie and Dimitri have different colors, but they have the same reactions.” She changed the picture on the screen to one of a factory spilling black smoke into an otherwise clear sky. “Neither of them like this. Their auras dim and turn troubled.” She flipped to the next image, a smile on her lips. Three kittens appeared on the screen. “And now they warm up. Affection is very easy to spot in an aura. So far, they react in normal ways. There’s no sign in Dimitri’s aura that he’s different from Eddie.” I returned to the couch.
After a couple of hours, Sonya called a halt. “I think we’ve seen what we needed to. Thank you, Eddie.”
“Happy to help,” he said, rising from his chair and stretching. He seemed relieved both that it was over and that it had involved something slightly more interesting than staring off into space. He was active and energetic, and didn’t like captivity.
“Although… we’ve got a few other ideas,” she added. “Do you think you guys can power through a little longer?” Naturally, she asked just as I was yawning.
Eddie regarded me with sympathy. “I’ll stay, but you don’t have to. Go sleep. I’ll get a ride home.”
“No, no,” I said, stifling a second yawn. “I don’t mind. What are your other ideas?”
“I was hoping to do something similar with Eddie and Dimitri,” she explained. “Except this time, we’d use sounds instead of images. Then I’d like to see how they respond to direct contact with spirit.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” I said, not really sure what that last one would entail. “Go for it. I’ll wait.”
Sonya glanced around and seemed to notice I wasn’t the only one who looked tired. “Maybe we should get some food first.” Eddie brightened up at that.
“I’ll go,” I offered. It was a sign of my progress that vampires talking about “food” no longer made me hyperventilate. I knew she didn’t mean blood, not if the dhampirs and I were being involved. Besides, there was no feeder around. Feeders were humans who willingly gave blood to Moroi for the high it produced. Everyone here knew better than to even joke about that around me. “There’s a good Thai carryout place a few blocks away.”
“I’ll help,” said Adrian eagerly.
“
Sonya and I took everyone’s orders and set out. I didn’t really feel like I needed help, but I supposed carrying food for five people-even for a few blocks-could get unwieldy. I soon learned she had other motives for coming along, though.
“It feels good to get outside and stretch my legs,” she said. It was early evening, with significantly less sun and heat-a condition the Moroi loved. We walked along a side street leading toward downtown, lined with cute apartments and small businesses. All around us, huge palm trees loomed, providing an interesting contrast to the eclectic urban setting. “I’ve been cooped up there all day.”
I smiled at her. “And here I thought Adrian was the only one who got cabin fever from the work you guys do.”
“He just complains the most,” she explained. “Which is kind of funny since he also probably gets out the most, between his classes and his cigarette breaks.” I’d nearly forgotten about the two art classes Adrian was taking at a local college. He usually kept his latest projects on display, but there’d been none in the living room lately. I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I missed them. I might give him a hard time, but sometimes those artistic glimpses into the way he thought were fascinating.
Sonya gave me a brief recap of her wedding plans as we walked the short distance to the Thai restaurant. Her relationship with dhampir Mikhail Tanner was kind of epic on a lot of levels, I supposed. First, dhampirs and Moroi didn’t generally get involved in serious relationships. Usually, they were just casual affairs that resulted in the reproduction of more dhampirs. In addition to the scandal of even being involved, Mikhail had actually wanted to hunt down Sonya when she was a Strigoi to free her from that twisted state. Rose had attempted the same with Dimitri, believing death was better than being a Strigoi. Mikhail had failed, but their love had remained steadfast enough through the ordeal that when she’d defied the odds and been restored, they’d immediately gotten back together. I couldn’t even begin to imagine love like that.
“We’re still deciding on flowers,” she continued. “Hydrangeas or lilies. I’m guessing I know what your vote is for.”
“Actually, I’d say hydrangeas. I’m around too many lilies already.”
She laughed at that and suddenly knelt near a flower bed filled with gladiolas. “More than you know. There are lilies sleeping in this bed.”
“They’re out of season,” I pointed out.
“Nothing’s ever out of season.” Sonya glanced around covertly and then rested her fingers on the earth. Moments later, dark green shoots appeared, growing taller and taller until a red trumpet lily opened up on top. “Ah. Red. Alchemists ones are white-oh, are you okay?”
I had backed up so far on the sidewalk that I’d nearly walked into the street. “You… you shouldn’t do that. Someone might see.”
