"Six hours,' said Dimitri.
"Go left at that second light,' said Sonya. "Now right at the corner.'
Tension built in the car. Everyone was awake now, and my heart raced as we pushed deeper and deeper into suburbia. Which house? Were we close? Was one of these it? It was a fast drive but seemed to stretch forever. We all let out a collective breath when Sonya suddenly pointed.
"There.'
Dimitri pulled into the driveway of a cute brick house with a perfectly trimmed lawn. "Do you know if your relatives still live here?' I asked Sonya.
She said nothing, and I realized we were back to promise territory. Lockdown mode.
So much for progress. "I guess there's only one way to find out,' I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Same plan?'
Earlier, Dimitri and I had discussed who would go and who would stay behind if Sonya got us to the right place. Leaving the brothers behind was a no-brainer. The question had been who would guard them, and we'd decided Dimitri would while Sydney and I went with Sonya to meet her relatives--who were undoubtedly in for a shocking visit.
"Same plan,' agreed Dimitri. "You go to the house. You look less threatening.'
"Hey!'
He smiled. "I said "look.''
But his reasoning made sense. Even at ease, there was something powerful and intimidating about Dimitri. Three women going up to the door would freak these people out less--especially if it turned out Sonya's relatives had moved. Hell, for all I knew, she'd purposely led us to the wrong house.
"Be careful,' Dimitri said, as we got out of the car.
"You too,' I replied. That got me another smile, one a little warmer and deeper.
The feelings that stirred in me flitted away as Sonya, Sydney, and I walked up the sidewalk. My chest tightened. This was it. Or was it? Were we about to reach the conclusion of our journey? Had we really found the last Dragomir, against all odds? Or had I been played from the beginning?
I wasn't the only one who was nervous. I could feel Sydney and Sonya crackling with tension too. We reached the front step. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
Several seconds later, a man answered--and he was Moroi. A promising sign.
He looked at each of our faces, no doubt wondering what a Moroi, a dhampir, and a human were doing at his door. It sounded like the start of a bad joke.
"Can I help you?' he asked.
I was suddenly at a loss. Our plan had covered the big stuff: find Eric's mistress and love child. What we'd say once we actually got there wasn't so clear. I waited for one of my companions to speak up now, but there was no need. The Moroi man's head suddenly whipped to my side as he did a double take.
"Sonya?' he gasped. "Is that you?'
Then, I heard a young female voice behind him call, "Hey, who's here?' Someone squeezed in beside him, someone tall and slim--someone I knew. My breath caught as I stared at waves of unruly light brown hair and light green eyes--eyes that should have tipped me off a long time ago. I couldn't speak.
"Rose,' exclaimed Jill Mastrano. "What are you doing here?'
Chapter Twenty-three
THE FEW SECONDS OF SILENCE that followed seemed to stretch out to eternity. Everyone was confused, each for totally different reasons. Jill's initial surprise had been laced with excitement, but as she stared around from face to face, her smile faded and faded until she looked as bewildered as the rest of us.
"What's going on?' asked a new voice. Moments later, Emily Mastrano appeared beside her daughter. Emily glanced at me and Sydney with curiosity and then gasped when she saw the third member of our group. "Sonya!' Emily jerked Jill back, her face filled with panic. Emily wasn't guardian-fast, but I admired her responsiveness.
"Emily ... ?' Sonya's voice was very small, on the verge of cracking. "It ... it's me ... really me ...'
Emily tried to tug the man inside as well but stopped when she got a good look at Sonya. Like anyone else, Emily had to acknowledge the obvious. Sonya had no Strigoi features. Plus, she was out in broad daylight. Emily faltered and opened her mouth to speak, but her lips couldn't quite manage it. She finally turned to me.
"Rose ... what's going on?'
I was surprised that she would regard me as an authority, both because we'd only met once and because I honestly wasn't sure what was going on either. It took me a few attempts to find my voice. "I think ... I think we should come inside ...'
Emily's gaze fell back on Sonya. Jill tried to push forward to see what all the drama was about, but Emily continued blocking the door, still not totally convinced it was safe. I couldn't blame her. At last, she gave a slow nod and stepped away to give us access.
Sydney's eyes flicked toward the car, where Victor, Robert, and Dimitri were waiting. "What about them?' she asked me.
I hesitated. I wanted Dimitri to be with me to drop the bombshell, but Emily might only be able to handle one thing at a time here. Moroi didn't have to run in royal circles to know who Victor Dashkov was or what he looked like. Our trip to Las Vegas had been proof of that. I shook my head at Sydney. "They can wait.'
We settled into the family's living room and learned the guy who'd answered the door was Emily's husband, John Mastrano. Emily went through the motions of offering us beverages, like this was a perfectly ordinary visit, but the look on her face confirmed she was still in shock. She handed us glasses of water like a robot, her face so pale she might have been Strigoi.
John rested his hand on Emily's once she sat down. He kept giving us wary looks, but for her, he was all affection and concern. "What's going on?' Emily's eyes were still dazed. "I ... don't know. My cousin is here ... but I don't understand how ...' She looked back and forth at me, Sydney, and Sonya. "How is this possible?' Her voice shook.