Richelle Mead - Blood Promise

“I don’t understand,” she said. “I’m totally lost. Tell me what’s going on. What can I do?”

Two and a half months. I had to stay here for two and a half months-it seemed like forever. But I’d promised my mom that I would, and I refused to be rash again-particularly with the stakes so high now. Promises. I was drowning in promises. I’d even promised Lissa something.

“Did you mean it before? You want to go with me on my next crazy quest? No matter what?”

“Yes.” There was no uncertainty or hesitation in the word, no wavering in her steady green eyes. Of course, I wondered if she’d feel the same way later when she found out what it was we were going to do.

What could anyone offer a condemned man that would really make a difference in his life?

I’d pondered that earlier, trying to figure out what could get Victor Dashkov to talk. Victor had told Abe there was nothing anyone could offer that would make him give up the information about his brother’s alleged ability to restore Strigoi. Victor was serving a life sentence; no bribe could matter to him anymore. But one thing could, I realized. Freedom. And there was only one way to achieve that.

We were going to have to break Victor Dashkov out of prison.

But I decided not to mention that to Lissa quite yet.

All I knew for now was that I had a fleeting shot at saving Dimitri. Mark had said it was a fairy tale, but I had to take the chance. The question was: how long did I have until Dimitri came to kill me? How long did I have to figure out if the impossible was actually possible? That was the real issue. Because if Dimitri showed up before I had a chance to find the dragon in this story-Victor-things were going to get ugly. Maybe this whole Robert thing was one big lie, but even if it wasn’t… well, the clock was ticking. If Dimitri came for me before I could get to Victor and Robert, I’d have to fight him again. No question. I couldn’t wait for this magical cure. I’d have to kill Dimitri for real this time and lose any chance I might have to bring back my prince. Damn.

It’s a good thing I work well under pressure.