Blood Promise Page 0,159

years of working outdoors had weathered her skin.

"Welcome back, Rose," she said, standing up at my approach. She certainly didn't hug me, and her manner was businesslike, but the fact that she used my first name was a generous gesture for her. That, and I thought I saw a small spark of relief and happiness in her eyes. "Let's go to my office."

I'd never been there. Any disciplinary issues I had with the guardians were usually addressed in committee. Unsurprisingly, the office was spotless, everything arranged with military efficiency. We sat on opposite sides of her desk, and I braced myself for an interrogation.

"Rose," she said, leaning toward me. "I'm going to be blunt with you. I'm not going to give you lectures or demand any explanations. Honestly, since you aren't my student anymore, I don't have the right to ask or tell you anything."

It was like what Adrian had said. "You can lecture," I told her. "I've always respected you and want to hear what you have to say."

The ghost of a smile flashed on her face. "All right, here it is. You screwed up."

"Wow. You weren't kidding about bluntness."

"The reasons don't matter. You shouldn't have left. You shouldn't have dropped out. Your education and training are too valuable-no matter how much you think you know-and you are too talented to risk throwing away your future."

I almost laughed. "To tell you the truth? I'm not sure what my future is anymore."

"Which is why you need to graduate."

"But I dropped out."

She snorted. "Then drop back in!"

"I-what? How?"

"With paperwork. Just like everything else in the world."

To be honest, I hadn't known what I'd do once I got back here. My immediate concern was Lissa-to be with her and make sure she was okay. I knew I couldn't officially be her guardian anymore, but I'd figured once we were together, no one could stop her from hanging out with a friend. I'd be her hired bodyguard, so to speak, kind of like what Abe had. And in the meantime, I'd bum around campus like Adrian.

But to enroll again? "I... I missed a month. Maybe more." My days were scattered. It was the first week of May, and I'd left near the end of March, on my birthday.

What was that? Five weeks? Almost six? "You missed two years and managed to catch up. I have faith in you. And even if you have trouble, graduating with low grades is better than not graduating at all."

I tried to imagine myself back in this world. Had it really only been a little over a month? Classes... day-to-day intrigue... how could I just go back to that? How could I return to that life after seeing the way Dimitri's family lived, after being with Dimitri and losing him-again.

Would he have said he loved me? "I don't know what to say," I told Alberta. "This is kind of a lot to take in."

"Well, you should decide quickly. The sooner you're back in class, the better."

"They'll really let me?" That was the part I found a little unbelievable.

"I'll let you," she said. "No way am I letting someone like you get away. And now that Lazar is gone... well, things are crazy around here. No one's going to give me much trouble in filing the paperwork." Her wry smile slipped a little. "And if they do give us any trouble... I've been made to understand that you have a benefactor who can pull a few favors to smooth everything over."

"A benefactor," I repeated flatly. "A benefactor who wears flashy scarves and gold jewelry?"

She shrugged. "No one I know. Don't even know his name-only that he'll threaten to withhold a considerable donation to the school if you aren't let back in. If you want in."

Yeah. Deals and blackmail. I was pretty sure I knew who my benefactor was. "Give me some time to think about it. I'll decide soon-I promise."

She frowned, thoughtful, and then gave a sharp nod. "All right."

We both stood up, and she walked me toward the building's entrance. I glanced over at her. "Hey, if I do graduate... do you think there's ever any way I could be in line to be Lissa's guardian officially again? I know they've already picked out people for her and that I'm in, ah, a bit of disgrace."

We stopped by the outer doors, and Alberta rested a hand on her hip. "I don't know. We can certainly try. The situation's gotten a lot more complicated."

"Yeah, I know," I said sadly,