"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.
"It was Lissa, wasn't it?' exclaimed Jill, who undoubtedly knew this relative's sordid history. She was understandably shocked--and a little nervous--but excitement was beginning to stir. "I heard what happened with Dimitri. It's true, isn't it? Lissa can heal Strigoi. She saved him. She saved ...' Jill turned toward Sonya, enthusiasm wavering a little. I wondered what kind of stories she'd heard about Sonya. "She saved you.'
"Lissa didn't do it,' I said. "Another, uh, spirit user did.'
Jill's face lit up. "Adrian?' I'd forgotten about her crush on him.
"No ... someone else. It's not important,' I added hastily. "Sonya's ... well, she's Moroi again. Confused, though. Not quite herself.'
Sonya had been drinking in the sight of her cousin but now turned to me with a wry, knowing smile. "I can speak for myself, Rose.'
"Sorry,' I said.
Emily turned to Sydney and frowned. They'd been introduced, but no more. "Why are you here?' Emily didn't have to say what she really meant. She wanted to know why a human was here. "Are you a feeder?'
"No!' exclaimed Sydney, jumping up from her spot beside me on the loveseat. I had never seen her filled with such outrage and disgust. "Say that again, and I'll walk right out of here! I'm an Alchemist.'
She was met with blank stares, and I pulled Sydney back down. "Easy, girl. I don't think they don't know what Alchemists are.' Secretly, I was glad. When I'd first discovered the Alchemists, I'd felt like I was the last person in the world to find out. It was nice to know others were out of the loop too. Keeping things simple for now, I explained to Emily, "Sydney's been helping us.'
Tears brimmed in Emily's blue eyes as she turned back to her cousin. Emily Mastrano was one of the most stunning women I'd ever met. Even tears were beautiful on her. "It's really you, isn't it? They brought you back to me. Oh God.' Emily rose and walked over to hold her cousin in a deep embrace. "I've missed you so much. I can't believe this.'
I almost felt like crying, too, but sternly reminded myself that we had come with a mission. I knew how startling this all was. We had just turned the Mastrano family's world upside down ... and I was about to complicate things even more. I hated to do it. I wished they could have the time they needed to adjust, to celebrate the miracle of having Sonya back. But the clock at Court--and on my life--was ticking.