"Your hair,' repeated Dimitri. His eyes were wide, almost awestruck. "Your hair is beautiful.'
I didn't think so, not in its current state. Of course, considering we were in a dark alley filled with bodies, the choices were kind of limited. "You see? You're not one of them. Strigoi don't see beauty. Only death. You found something beautiful. One thing that's beautiful.'
Hesitantly, nervously, he ran his fingers along the strands I'd touched earlier. "But is it enough?'
"It is for now.' I pressed a kiss to his forehead and helped him stand. "It is for now.'
Chapter Sixteen
CONSIDERING SYDNEY DESTROYED dead bodies on a regular basis, it was kind of surprising that she was so shocked by our post-fight appearances. Maybe dead Strigoi were just objects to her. Dimitri and I were real live people, and we were a mess.
"I hope you guys don't stain the car,' she said, once the bodies were disposed of and we were on our way. I think it was her best attempt at a joke, in an effort to cover up her discomfort over our torn and bloody clothes.
"Are we going to Paris?' I asked, turning to look back at Dimitri.
"Paris?' asked Sydney, startled.
"Not yet,' said Dimitri, leaning his head back against the seat. He was back to looking like a controlled guardian. All signs of his earlier breakdown were gone, and I had no intention of giving away what had happened before we'd fetched Sydney. So small ... yet so monumental. And very private. For now, he mostly looked tired. "We should wait until daytime. We had to go for Donovan now, but if Sonya's got a house, she's probably there all the time. Safer for us in daylight.'
"How do you know he wasn't lying?' asked Sydney. She was driving with no real destination, merely getting us out of the neighborhood as fast as possible and before people reported screams and the sounds of fighting.
I thought back to the terror on Donovan's face and shivered. "I don't think he was lying.'
Sydney didn't ask any more questions, except about which direction she should drive. Dimitri suggested we find another hotel so that we could clean up and get some rest before tomorrow's task. Fortunately, Lexington had a much broader selection of hotels than our last town. We didn't go for luxury, but the large, modern-looking place we chose was part of a chain, clean and stylish. Sydney checked us in and then led us inside through a side door, so as not to startle any guests who might be up in the middle of the night.
We got one room with two double beds. No one commented on it, but I think we all shared a need to stay together after our earlier Strigoi encounter. Dimitri was much more of a mess than me, thanks to his mutilation of Donovan, so I sent him to shower first.
"You did great,' I told Sydney as we waited. I sat on the floor (which was much cleaner than the last room's) so that I wouldn't wreck the beds. "That was really brave of you.'
She crooked me a smile. "Typical. You get beat up and nearly killed, but I'm the one you're praising?'
"Hey, I do this all the time. Going in there alone like you did ... well, it was pretty hardcore. And I'm not that beat up.'
I was brushing off my injuries, just as Dimitri would. Sydney, eyeing me, knew it too. My legs were scraped more than I'd realized, the skin torn and bleeding from where I'd fallen on the cement. One of my ankles was complaining over the roof-jump, and I had a number of cuts and bruises scattered over the rest of me. I had no clue where most had come from.
Sydney shook her head. "How you guys don't catch gangrene more often is beyond me.' We both knew why, though. It was part of the natural resistance I'd been born with as a dhampir, getting the best of both races' traits. Moroi were actually pretty healthy too, though they sometimes caught diseases unique to their race. Victor was an example. He had a chronic disease and had once forced Lissa to heal him. Her magic had restored him to full health at the time, but the illness was slowly creeping back.
I showered after Dimitri finished, and then Sydney forced her first aid kit on both of us. When we were bandaged and disinfected to her satisfaction, she got out her laptop and pulled up a map of Paris, Kentucky. The three of us huddled around the screen.
"Lots of creeks and rivers,' she mused, scrolling around. "Not much in the way of lakes.'
I pointed. "Do you think that's it?' It was a tiny body of water, marked APPLEWOOD POND.
"Maybe. Ah, there's another pond. That could be a suspect too or--oh! Right here?' She tapped the screen on another body of water, a bit bigger than the ponds: MARTIN LAKE.
Dimitri sat back and ran a hand over his eyes as he yawned. "That looks like the most likely option. If not, I don't think it'll take long to drive around the other ones.'
"That's your plan?' asked Sydney. "Just drive around and look for a blue house?'
I exchanged glances with Dimitri and shrugged. Sydney might be showing her bravery on this trip, but I knew her idea of "a plan' was a little different from ours. Hers were structured, well-thought out, and had a clear purpose. Also, details.
"It's more solid than most of our plans,' I said at last.
The sun was going to be up in another hour or so. I was restless to go after Sonya, but Dimitri insisted sleep until midday. He took one bed, and Sydney and I shared the other. I didn't really think I needed the rest he claimed, but my body disagreed. I fell asleep almost instantly.
And like always lately, I eventually was pulled into a spirit dream. I hoped it was Adrian, coming to finish our last conversation. Instead, the conservatory materialized around me, complete with harp and cushioned furniture. I sighed and faced the Brothers Dashkov.
"Great,' I said. "Another conference call. I have really got to start blocking your number.'