Then, His Struggles Stopped. His Eyes Stared

Me? I Didn’t Believe In Hopeless.

The Only Thing Better Than Imagining Dimitri Carrying Me In His Arms Was Imagining Him Shirtless While Carrying Me In His Arms.

Happy Birthday." Adrian Came To A Sudden Halt. The Words Were Soft And Small, Spoken Tentatively, But Easily Discerned By Vampire Ears. Slowly, He Turned Around And Found Jill Mastrano Standing Shyly Before Him.

Seth Laughed When He Saw Me. “hey,” I Said, Poking Him With My Foot, “be Nice.” “i Think This Is The First Time I’ve Ever Seen You Look Anything Less Than…” He Paused, Playing With Word Choice. “well-planned.” “why, You Silver-tongued Romantic Devil. That Is The Look I Usually Go For. Other Women Go For Sexy Or Chic Or Beautiful. But Me? Well-planned All The Way.” “you Know What I Mean. Besides, Unplanned Isn’t A Bad Look For You. Not Bad At All.” His Voice Sounded Deliciously Low And Dangerous, And Something Ignited Between Us As We Held Each Other’s Eyes.

Lure Him Out. Send In A 'customer' With A Message From Me Needing To Meet Him. I'm Not The Kind Of Person He Can Ignore-well, That He Used To Not-never Mind. Once He's Out, We Can Get Him To A Place We Choose." I Nodded. "i Can Do That." "no," Said Dimitri. "you Can't." "why Not?" I Asked, Wondering If He Thought It Was Too Dangerous For Me. "because They'll Know You're A Dhampir The Instant They See You. They'll Probably Smell It First. No Strigoi Would Have A Dhampir Working For Him-only Humans." There Was An Uncomfortable Silence In The Car. "no!" Said Sydney. "i Am Not Doing That!