"He's asking about Ms. Kar--Sonya?' I murmured. She hadn't been my teacher for a long time. I might as well call her Sonya now.
"Yeah,' said Sydney, eyes still on Dimitri. "He's asking--er, telling--this person to locate someone else and see if he can find Sonya. This person ...' She paused to listen again. "This person he's asking about sounds like he knows a lot of people in the area she was last seen in.'
I knew "people' in this context meant "Strigoi.' Dimitri had risen quickly in their ranks, asserting his will and power over others. Most Strigoi operated solo, rarely working in groups, but even the lone ones recognized threats and more dominant Strigoi. Dimitri was working his contacts, just as he'd said earlier. If any Strigoi had heard about his transformation--and believed it--they wouldn't have been able to pass the news quickly, not with their disorganization. As it was, Dimitri was already having to play leapfrog to find sources who knew other sources who might know Sonya's location.
Dimitri grew loud and angry again, his voice becoming--if possible--more sinister. I suddenly felt trapped, and even Sydney looked scared now. She swallowed.
"He's telling this guy that if he doesn't get answers by tomorrow night, Dimitri's going to find him and rip him apart and ...' Sydney didn't bother finishing. Her eyes were wide. "Use your imagination. It's pretty terrible.' I decided then that I was kind of glad I hadn't heard all of the conversation in English.
When Dimitri finished the call and returned Sydney's phone, that mask of malice melted from his face. Once again, he was my Dimitri, Dimitri the dhampir. Dejection and despair radiated off him, and he slumped against the cafe's wall, staring upward into the sky. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to calm himself, seize control of the emotions that had to be warring within him. He'd just done something that might give us clues we needed ... but it had been at a terrible cost to himself. My fingers twitched. I wanted to put a comforting arm around him or at least pat his shoulder so he'd know he wasn't alone. But, I held back, suspecting he wouldn't like it.
At last, he turned his gaze back to us. He'd regained his control--at least on the outside. "I've sent someone to ask about her,' he said wearily. "It might not work out. Strigoi are hardly the type to keep a database. But they do occasionally keep an eye on one another, if only for their own self-preservation. We'll find out soon if there are any hits.'
"I ... wow. Thank you,'I said, fumbling at the words. I knew he needed no thanks, but it felt necessary to me.
He nodded. "We should get back to the Keepers ... unless you think this is a safe place to stay?'
"I'd rather stay off civilized radar,' said Sydney, moving toward the truck. "Besides, I want my car keys back.'
The ride back felt ten times longer. Dimitri's mood filled up the whole cabin, almost suffocating us with its despair. Even Sydney could feel it. She'd let him drive again, and I couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. Would the road distract him from his Strigoi torment? Or would his agony distract him from the road and put us off in a ditch? Fortunately, we made it back safe and sound and found two of the Keepers waiting for us in the lot, a Moroi woman and a human guy who both looked fierce. I still couldn't shake the strangeness of both races being battle-ready. I wondered if these two were a couple.
Back in the camp, we found the communal bonfire ablaze and people sitting out around it, some eating and some just socializing. I'd learned at breakfast that the fire was always there for those who wanted to bond but that plenty of families kept to their own households as well.
We went back to Raymond's house, but only Sarah and Joshua were there. She was cleaning up dishes, and he sat restlessly in a chair. As soon as he caught sight of me at the door, he sprang up, radiant smile on high-beam again.
"Rose! You're back. We were starting to worry ... I mean, not that anything had happened to you--not with your skills--but that maybe you'd just left us.'
"Not without our car,' said Sydney, placing the truck keys on the table. The CR-Vs were sitting there already, and relief flooded her face as she snatched them up.
Sarah offered us leftovers, which we declined, having stocked up on snack food at Rubysville's gas station. "Well,' she said, "if you're not going to eat, you might as well join the others out at the fire. Jess McHale might sing tonight if they can get her to drink enough, and drunk or sober, that woman has the finest voice I've ever heard.'
I briefly met Dimitri and Sydney's eyes. I admit, I was a little curious to see how this wilderness group partied it up, even though moonshine and folk songs weren't really my first choice of entertainment. Dimitri still wore that haunted look from the phone call.
I had a suspicion he would have been content to isolate himself in our room, but when Sydney said she'd go to the fire, his response came automatically: "I'll go too.' I knew instantly what he was doing. His Strigoi days tormented him. Talking to Strigoi tormented him. And maybe--no, certainly--he wanted to hide away and try to block it all out, but he was Dimitri. Dimitri protected those who needed it, and even if listening to fireside songs wasn't exactly life-threatening, it was still a semi-dangerous situation for a civilian like Sydney. He couldn't allow that. Plus, he knew Sydney would feel safer with both of us nearby.
I started to say I'd join them, but Joshua spoke before I could. "Do you still want to see my cave? There's a little light left outside. You'll get a better view that way than if we have to use a torch.'
I'd forgotten about my last conversation with Joshua and started to decline his offer. But then, something flashed in Dimitri's eyes, something disapproving. So. He didn't want me going off with some young, good-looking guy. Was it legitimate concern about the Keepers? Was it jealousy? No, surely not the latter. We'd established--many, many times--that Dimitri wanted no romantic connection with me. He'd even stood up for Adrian earlier. Was this some kind of ex-boyfriend thing? Back in Rubysville, I'd believed Dimitri and I could be friends, but that wouldn't happen if he thought he could control me and my love life. I'd known girls with exes like that. I wouldn't be one. I could hang out with whomever I wanted.