Abe’s sternness gave way to momentary amusement. “Oh, Rose. You are young. You’ve barely lived. Everyone thinks their first love is the only one they’ll ever have.”

This guy was really pissing me off, but I gained enough control to decide I wasn’t going to punch him. At least, I didn’t think so. I backed up a little, toward the building. “I’m not going to play your game here. And you can tell whoever you’re working for that I’m not playing theirs either and that I’m not going back.” One way or another, whether it was to hunt Dimitri or live with his family, I was staying in Russia. “You’re going to have to box me up and ship me there.”

Not that I wanted to give Abe any ideas. I suspected he could do it if he wanted. Damn it. Who was behind this? Who would want to find me badly enough to send this guy after me? Weirder still, whoever it was was someone who cared enough about me to attempt reason. If Abe had actually wanted to abduct me, he already would have. He could have done it the night he brought me to Baia. All he would have had to do was keep driving to the nearest airport. I eventually needed to figure this out, but first I needed to get away from Abe.

I backed up further. “I’m leaving, and you can’t stop me. And don’t spy on me anymore. This ends now.”

Abe studied me for several seconds, his dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully. I could practically see the wheels of plots and world domination spinning in his head. At last he said, so quietly I could hardly hear him, “It won’t end with them, though.”

“Who?”

He pointed at the door. “Viktoria and Rolan.”

“What are you getting at?”

“You know what I’m getting at. She thinks she’s in love with him. He knows she’ll be back in school tomorrow. Tonight’s his last chance with her, and he won’t waste it. There are lots of bedrooms in there. They’re probably in one right now.”

I tried to control my breathing. “Then I’ll go tell her mother.”

“It’ll be too late. She’d never find them in time, and tomorrow, Viktoria will be on her way to school-and he’ll have no interest anymore. What can her mother do after the fact? Ground her?”

I was getting angry, largely because I had a feeling he was right. “Fine. Then I’ll drag her off myself.”

“That’ll never happen. She wants to do this. She won’t leave with you. Even if she did, she’d just find him again.”

I eyed him. “Enough. You’re obviously hinting at something, so just get on with it.”

He smiled, apparently pleased at my astuteness-or maybe my bluntness. “If you want to save her, you’ve got to go through him. Through Rolan.”

I scoffed. “Not likely. The only way he’d leave her alone is if I offered to take her place.” And hey, friendship only went so far.

“Not if I talk to him.”

“What are you going to do, give him a talk on morality and sway him with reason?”

“Oh, I’ll sway him, all right. But believe me, I won’t do it with reason-well, at least not the kind you’re thinking of. If I tell him to leave her alone, he’ll leave her alone. For good.”

I stepped backward without realizing it and hit the wall. Abe looked scary as hell. Zmey. I didn’t doubt his words at all. He could get Rolan to leave Viktoria alone. In fact, he probably wouldn’t even use his dhampirs. Abe could deliver enough terror-and probably a good punch-to make it happen.

“Why would you do that for me?” I asked.

“As a sign of good faith. Promise to leave Baia, and I’ll deal with him.” His eyes gleamed. Both of us could feel the net closing around me.

“That’s your tactic now? You’re offering me a trade? My leaving isn’t really worth you scaring some Moroi asshole.”

The net grew tighter. “Isn’t it, Rose?”

Frantically, I thought about what to do. Some part of me thought Viktoria was free to make her own choices, to love whom she wanted… but I knew for a fact that Rolan didn’t love her. She was a conquest for him, as shown by his willingness to go after me-and Sonya, apparently. What would happen to Viktoria? Would she become like the rest of the women here? Would she be the next Belikov to have a baby? Even if she had no intentions of becoming a guardian, this wasn’t the right path for her. Karolina had declined to join the guardians and now lived a respectable life with her kids and a job that-if not exciting-was steady and allowed her to keep her dignity. I couldn’t let Viktoria turn down a road that could ruin the rest of her life. I couldn’t let that happen to Dimitri’s sister.

Dimitri…

I knew him. I knew his protective nature. He would never let anything happen to those he cared about. I hated the thought of that blood whore den, but I still would have run in to get her-because that was what Dimitri would have done. But I didn’t know if I’d find her there in time. I knew, however, that Abe could-and that he could keep Rolan away forever. And so, I spoke without fully understanding the consequences of my words.

“I’ll leave Baia.”

CHAPTER 15

Abe glanced over at one of his guardians and gave a swift nod. The man instantly walked away. “It’s done,” Abe said.

“Just like that?” I asked in disbelief.

His lips quirked into a smile. “Rolan knows who I am. He knows who works for me. Once Pavel makes my… ah, wishes known, that will be the end of it.”

I shivered, knowing Abe spoke the truth. Considering what a smartass I’d been to Abe this whole time, it really was a wonder I hadn’t had my feet set in cement and been tossed into the ocean. “So why aren’t you forcefully dragging me out of here?”

“I never like to make anyone do anything they don’t want to. Even Rolan. It’s much easier if people simply see reason and do what I ask them to, without the use of force.”

“And by ‘see reason,’ you mean, ‘blackmail,’” I said, thinking of what I’d just agreed to.

“We made a trade,” he said. “That’s all. Don’t forget your end of the bargain. You promised to leave here, and you don’t seem like the type to go back on your word.”

“I don’t.”

“Rose!”

Viktoria suddenly appeared at the door. Wow, that was fast. Pavel was calmly dragging her by her arm. Her hair was mussed, and a dress strap was slipping from her shoulder. Her face was a mixture of incredulity and anger. “What did you do? That guy came and told Rolan to get out of here and never see me again! And then… Rolan agreed. He just left.”

I found it slightly funny that Viktoria immediately blamed me for this. True, I was responsible, but Abe was standing right there. It wasn’t a secret who his employees were. Nonetheless, I defended my actions.

“He was using you,” I said.

There were tears in Viktoria’s brown eyes. “He loves me.”

“If he loves you, then why did he hit on me as soon as your back was turned?”

“He did not!”

“He’s the one who got Sonya pregnant.”

Even in the alley’s dim lighting, I saw her face pale. “That’s a lie.”

I threw up my hands. “Why would I make that up? He wanted to make plans with me as soon as you were out of town!”

“If he did,” she said, voice shaking, “it was because you led him on.”

I gaped. Beside me, Abe listened quietly, a smug look on his face. He was so self-satisfied and probably thought he was being proven right. I wanted to punch him, but Viktoria was my concern.

“How can you think that? I’m your friend!” I told her.

“If you were my friend, you wouldn’t be acting like this. You wouldn’t try to stand in my way. You act like you loved my brother, but there’s no way you could have-no way you really understand love!”

Didn’t understand love? Was she crazy? If she only knew what I’d sacrificed for Dimitri, what I’d done to be where I was now… all for love. She was the one who couldn’t understand. Love wasn’t a fling in a back room at a party. It was something you lived and died for. My emotions surged, that darkness welling up within me that made me want to lash out in return for her horrible accusation. It was only through the strongest of efforts that I remembered she was already hurting, that she only said the things she did because she was confused and upset.