Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide (32 page)

Read Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide Online

Authors: Michelle Rowen,Richelle Mead

Tags: #Social Issues, #Dating & Sex, #Emotions & Feelings, #Juvenile Fiction, #Fantasy & Magic, #Fiction, #Horror

BOOK: Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide
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CHAPTER 8
 
Love &friendship
 
ROSE & DIMITRI
 
PRIVATE LESSONS
 
When Rose first meets Dimitri, he’s the one in charge of dragging her and Lissa back to St. Vladimir’s. But he sees her potential as a guardian and steps in to give her extra training to help her catch up. Good thing, too—the alternative would have been her expulsion. It’s not long before Rose starts to realize that Dimitri isn’t just a good-looking jerk with a Russian accent, he’s somebody who supports her, protects her, and is helping her to become who she was meant to be.
Feeling his eyes on me like that made something flutter inside of me—which was stupid, of course. I had no reason to get all goofy, just because the man was too good-looking for his own good.
—Vampire Academy, page 64
 
 
Despite knowing that he’s seven years older and her teacher, she ends up falling for him. The feeling is mutual, but Dimitri takes the age gap—and the potential ramifications of a relationship with an underage student—a bit more seriously. Still, it’s impossible to ignore the attraction between the two, especially when they’re zapped with a lust charm, courtesy of Victor Dashkov. It almost—
almost
—results in the bespelled Rose losing her virginity to Dimitri before they are able to fight back against the charm’s very strong magic.
Q&A WITH RICHELLE MEAD
 
WHAT WAS THE EXACT MOMENT THAT DIMITRI FELL IN LOVE WITH ROSE?
I’m not sure that we can pinpoint the exact moment that Dimitri fell for Rose. It was definitely a gradual thing that crept up on him (and her!). I can say for sure, though, that he was awestruck by her at their very first meeting. Rose throwing herself between Lissa and the guardians, even when she was hopelessly outnumbered, is definitely one of the most powerful scenes in the series. It establishes Rose’s nature right away—both her bravery and intense devotion to those she loves. Dimitri possesses those exact same traits, and I think seeing that in her was definitely a moment when the world stood still for him.
 
It’s magic that never would have worked if there weren’t already feelings on both sides of this forbidden relationship, though. Feelings they need to fight. They’re both set to become Lissa’s guardians, so how can they protect the princess—their first priority as guardians—if they’re too busy protecting each other?
“Rose, I’m seven years older than you. In ten years, that won’t mean so much, but for now, it’s huge. I’m an adult. You’re a child.” Ouch. I flinched. Easier if he’d just punched me.
“ You didn’t seem to think I was a child when you were all over me.”
—Vampire Academy, page 313
 
 
They try to ignore their feelings, but feelings this strong only continue to grow. When Dimitri’s given the opportunity to become Tasha Ozera’s guardian and maybe even the father of her children, Rose is torn apart with jealousy. She tries her best to find love with her friend Mason. But it doesn’t work. What she has with Dimitri is real. And when he declines Tasha’s offer, it just shows that their feelings for each other are impossible to ignore.
Finally, Dimitri’s resistance wears away as he realizes just how deeply he cares about Rose during her traumatic fight against Lissa’s spirit darkness. He comforts her, tells her he loves her, and they finally make love in the privacy of an abandoned cabin in the woods surrounding St. Vlad’s. He promises that they’ll find a way to be together, no matter what, and for a little while—a
very
little while—everything is wonderful and golden between them.
But then Dimitri is attacked and bitten by a Strigoi, and Rose fears that the man she loves has been killed—but it’s even worse than that. He’s been turned into a Strigoi.
ADDICTED TO LOVE
 
Holding true to a promise they once made to each other, Rose travels to Russia to hunt down and kill Dimitri, knowing the man she loved is gone forever, replaced by an evil monster. But when Rose finally finds him, she’s stunned by how similar this Dimitri is to the one she fell in love with—apart from the fangs, red eyes, and cruel demeanor.
Dimitri kidnaps Rose and holds her prisoner at a Strigoi-controlled estate. He’s cold and evil and readily admits to enjoying the act of murder, but there’s something inside him that prevents him from killing Rose. Instead, he wants to awaken her as a Strigoi so they can be together forever. It’s chilling . . . but kind of romantic, too. While Rose is tempted by the idea of being with Dimitri, she’s held back by her strong sense of good and evil. She knows being a Strigoi is wrong and Dimitri isn’t thinking right. But his kiss feels similar to his kisses before—and when he bites her, she quickly becomes addicted to the pleasure his Strigoi endorphins bring her.
Q&A WITH RICHELLE MEAD
 
WAS WRITING THE EVIL STRIGOI VERSION OF DIMITRI FUN FOR YOU AS AN AUTHOR—OR DIFFICULT?
Writing Dimitri as an evil Strigoi was challenging on a lot of levels. First, I simply had to overcome my own difficulties with allowing a character I knew and loved to do bad things! When you write someone long enough, you really get comfortable with that character’s personality. So, it was definitely weird having to portray him in a totally different—and at times, awful—way. From a craft point of view, this was also a difficult writing task because I needed to make Dimitri terrifying and consumed by his monstrous side—while still giving readers a reason to be hopeful for him. If you make a character too evil and too unlikeable, readers will lose faith and stop caring. I needed readers to still love him—but also be a little afraid of him! It was a very tricky balance to manage.
 
She begins to live in a daze, content with her visits from this dark version of Dimitri. He continues to give her the time she needs to make up her mind about becoming Strigoi—with the caveat that he will decide for her . . . soon.
Rose questions his true motives for making her a Strigoi—wanting him to say it’s because he loves her—but he never says the words she wants to hear, words that might possibly have tempted her to make a different decision.
A glimpse in the mirror after a brief and troubled spirit dream with Adrian makes Rose realize that with the bruises over her neck and the fresher wounds where Dimitri has bitten her, she looks like a blood whore. This realization begins to help her slowly pull out of her addiction until she’s finally able to escape, pursued by an obsessed Dimitri at every turn. He refuses to let her run away from him.
Knowing she has no other choice for survival, Rose stakes Dimitri. His body falls into a river and is washed away. She’s grief-stricken that it’s come to this and thinks he’s dead—that she’s killed the man she loves—but Dimitri isn’t quite that easy to kill. She missed his heart—she always did have trouble figuring out where it is.
On her return to St. Vlad’s, she begins to receive love letters from him that promise they’ll be seeing each other again—and next time, she will die.
One of the few downsides to being awakened is that we no longer require sleep; therefore we also no longer dream. It’s a shame, because if I could dream, I know I’d dream about you.
—Spirit Bound, page 11
 
 
FINDING BEAUTY
 
In Russia, Rose heard a rumor about a man who restored a Strigoi to life. It seems impossible—but that’s never stopped Rose before. Driven by the possibility that there’s a way to save Dimitri, she breaks Victor Dashkov out of prison so he’ll lead her to his brother, a spirit user who was responsible for the miracle she heard about.
Q&A WITH RICHELLE MEAD
 
DO YOU FEEL THAT ROSE WAS TOTALLY JUSTIFIED IN WHAT SHE DID TO SAVE DIMITRI—BREAKING BOTH LAWS AND HEARTS? IS ALL FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR?
Rose’s decision to save Dimitri in
Spirit Bound
—and the choices she made to pull it off—was definitely a key moment in the series for her identity and growth as a person. Throughout the entire series, Rose has been shaped by two powerful forces. One is her loyalty to the guardians and the rules they’ve established for her world. The other is her devotion to those she loves and willingness to do anything for them. These two forces clashed frequently in the series, but she was always able to balance them just in time—until
Spirit Bound
. Dimitri’s salvation forced Rose to finally choose where she truly stood, and despite her faith in the guardians, it was her love for others that won out. Once that decision was made, everything else that followed was justified as far as Rose was concerned. She certainly regretted the laws and hearts that were broken along the way, but standing by and abandoning Dimitri was not an option at this point.
 
But Lissa is the one who must ultimately wield the spirit-charmed stake and restore Dimitri to his former dhampir self—although he’s guilt-ridden and nearly destroyed by the knowledge of what he’s done as a Strigoi. The thought of seeing Rose, facing what he did to her in Russia, is too much for him to bear, and he avoids her at all costs.
But Rose is stubborn and won’t give up on him. Even though she’s now dating Adrian, she refuses to let Dimitri go—but his repeated rejection wears at her confidence that he still loves her.
When Rose is accused of murdering Queen Tatiana, Dimitri can’t turn his back on Rose any longer. While he continues to fight his true feelings, his duty calls him to step up and help the woman who has been there for him at every turn. He assists in Rose’s escape from Court and tries to keep her safe, but her plans veer elsewhere—toward the search for the missing Dragomir. Dimitri goes along for the ride—what other choice does he have when dealing with Rose logic?—and the more time they spend together, the more he sees it’s impossible to ignore how much he loves her.
But Dimitri’s guilt over being Strigoi continues to torture him. One night he loses control of himself, and his bloodlust takes over as he slaughters a Strigoi. It’s only Rose who’s able to pull him back. She makes him try to see beauty in the world again—and he does. He sees it in her.
“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’ve found something beautiful. One thing that’s beautiful.”
—Last Sacrifice, pages 255–256
 
 
When they give in to their passion for each other and make love again, Rose knows the only thing stopping them from being together is Dimitri’s guilt. If he can’t love himself, it’s impossible for him to truly love Rose. She insists that before she can be with him for real, he has to forgive himself once and for all.
But then Rose gets shot in the chest while trying to save Lissa’s life—and Dimitri automatically chooses to protect Rose over Lissa. In that moment, it’s finally clear to them both that they’re meant to be together now and always.
ROSE & ADRIAN
 
THE WARRIOR AND THEBAD BOY
 
It only takes one look at the bruised and sweaty—but
gorgeous
—Rose Hathaway for Adrian Ivashkov to be smitten by the girl he nicknames “little dhampir.” In the beginning, Rose believes he’s only pursuing her for the same reason other Moroi guys pursue dhampir girls—for sex. But despite his royal, rich-kid trappings, Adrian’s deeper than that.
And Adrian has a special ability to help him spend more time with Rose. Because he’s a spirit user, he can dream-walk through Rose’s dreams. He’s also able to see auras and smartly pinpoints that Rose’s dark moods are directly related to her taking Lissa’s spirit darkness away and absorbing it into herself.
He is continually intrigued and amused by Rose’s brash, tough-chick exterior and falls hard for her, willing to do pretty much anything she asks of him, even funding her trip to Russia to try to kill Dimitri after he’s turned into a Strigoi. He does it because he knows it will help Rose heal and finally let go of Dimitri . . . and maybe give him a chance.
Q&A WITH RICHELLE MEAD
 
HOW DID ADRIAN FIRST DISCOVER HIS SPIRIT MAGIC?
When we first meet Adrian, he doesn’t even really know what his magic is called or that it might be bigger than he realizes. Adrian’s had a mixed history of both belonging and being an outsider. He can easily fit into any social situation and always stands out as the life of a party. People love him, and he’s always invited to the hottest, most popular events. At the same time, there’s a part of Adrian that always feels a little different, and that’s why we often see him put on this lazy, wacky persona that Rose finds so infuriating. That’s Adrian’s way of coping. So, when he initially thought he had no element and then later realized he had bizarre and unknown powers, he pretty much accepted that as par for his life. It was just one more way in which he didn’t quite fit in with everyone else. It wasn’t until he met Lissa (and other spirit users) that he began to realize he wasn’t weird. He was special. That’s gone a long way to change his attitudes about himself and the world (though not done much to change his crazy partying nature… yet).

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