Last Sacrifice (6)

by Richelle Mead

  In a very bad breach of guardian protocol, he caught a hold of my hand and pulled me toward him. ʺAnd?ʺ he asked, wrapping me in an embrace.

  ʺI think sheʹd ask, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?ʹʺ

  ʺWhatʹs the answer?ʺ His warmth was all around me, as was his love, and again, I felt that completeness. I had that missing piece of my world back. The soul that complemented mine. My match. My equal. Not only that, I had my life back—my own life. I would protect Lissa, I would serve, but I was finally my own person.

  ʺI donʹt know,ʺ I said, leaning against his chest. ʺBut I think itʹs going to be good.ʺ

  First and foremost, thank you to all of the loyal and enthusiastic readers around the world who have accompanied Rose and me throughout the series. I couldnʹt have made this journey without you and hope youʹll continue to enjoy the many Moroi and dhampir adventures to come.

  Thank you also to all of the friends and family who have supported me—especially my husband, who continually amazes me with his patience, love, and ability to live with the ups and downs of a ʺcreative type.ʺ A special shout-out also goes to Jesse McGatha for creating the forest riddle, something I could never have come up with, let alone solve.

  And as always, Iʹm grateful to the publishing folks who work behind the scenes to make these books happen: Jim McCarthy—my agent, occasional therapist, and non-stop advocate; Lauren Abramo, who keeps finding more countries Iʹve never heard of to send Rose to; Jessica Rothenberg and Ben Schrank, editors extraordinaire whom Iʹm pretty sure forego food and sleep to perfect these books; and publicist Casey McIntyre, who organizes my tours and interviews, with great care to arrange them around my hair appointments.

  A final thanks to all the others who work on this series at Penguin Books, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, and my international publishers. There are far too many of you to list, but all of you are essential in telling Roseʹs story. Thank you.

  VAMPIRE ACADEMY novels by Richelle Mead:

  Vampire Academy

  Frostbite

  Shadow Kiss

  Blood Promise

  Spirit Bound

  Last Sacrifice

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  Acknowledgements