When trying to buy time to find Queen Tatiana’s real killer, Lissa surprisingly finds herself a candidate to become the next queen. As the last Dragomir, she doesn’t fulfill the requirements of having a family and being eligible for votes, but when her half-sister, Jill, is discovered, Lissa is officially in the running and ultimately elected as the new Moroi queen.
DIMITRI BELIKOV
DHAMPIR | Guardian | AGE: 24 | HEIGHT: 6’7”
HAIR: Brown, shoulder length | EYES: Dark brown
NICKNAMES: Dimka, Comrade
FAMILY: Olena, mother; Karolina, Sonja and Viktoria, sisters;
Paul, nephew; Zoya, niece; Yeva, grandmother
And then, suddenly, he was there, charging down the hallway like Death in a cowboy duster.
—Vampire Academy, page 322
Well known among guardians and novices alike as a badass “god,” tall, dark, and gorgeous Russian-born Dimitri prefers to keep to himself, read western novels, and listen to bad eighties music. Some might call him “antisocial,” but it’s more that he’s fiercely private, highly dedicated to his job, and doesn’t easily trust others. Raised in a dhampir commune in Baia, Siberia, Dimitri beat up his abusive Moroi father at age thirteen in order to protect his mother.
He graduated top of his class and became a guardian for his friend, a Moroi lord, who was killed when Dimitri wasn’t on watch. Dimitri was then sent to St. Vladimir’s and became part of the team to find runaways Rose and Lissa and bring them back to the school. He sees potential in Rose and starts to give her extra training sessions to help her catch up on what she’s missed. She’s seven years younger than he is and still underage, so he fights hard against the attraction he feels for her—but it’s a losing battle.
Shortly after Rose and Dimitri finally admit and consummate their love, there’s a Strigoi attack, and Dimitri is bitten and turned into an evil Strigoi. Dimitri heads to Russia to put some distance between him and Rose, but when she tracks him down, he kidnaps and imprisons her. She’s there to fulfill a promise they made to kill each other if they were turned Strigoi, but since being “awakened,” Dimitri has had a change of heart. Now he wants to turn Rose into a Strigoi too, so they can be together forever. She manages to escape after unsuccessfully staking him, but, now obsessed with Rose, Dimitri begins to stalk her.
Dimitri is restored to his former dhampir self when Lissa stakes him with a spirit-charmed silver stake, but he is racked by guilt over what he did as a Strigoi. It’s only thanks to Rose’s stubbornness and love that he pulls through and is able to look toward a bright future together with his Roza.
CHRISTIAN OZERA
MOROI ROYAL | ELEMENT: Fire | Age: 17
HAIR: Black and messy | EYES: Ice blue
FAMILY: Lucas, father; Moira, mother (both deceased); Tasha, aunt
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t bite. Well, at least not in the way you’re afraid of.” He chuckled at his own joke.
—Vampire Academy, page 58
Christian is forced to live in the shadow cast by his parents’ decision to become Strigoi, something that makes him a major social outcast at St. Vladimir’s. Most people are wary he’ll make the same choice one day. And while they’re actually quite wrong about him, he’s not exactly going to be all warm and fuzzy if they’re not willing to do the same. Now he likes to wear all black and views the world around him with a wry and snarky outlook.
Q&A WITH RICHELLE MEAD
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PASSIONATE RESPONSE OF FANS TO THE LOVE TRIANGLE? WHAT DO YOU THINK DIFFERENTIATES TEAM DIMITRI FROM TEAM ADRIAN?
It was a surprise to me how early and how passionately readers began to divide themselves up between Dimitri and Adrian! Even before Adrian was a serious contender for Rose’s heart in the series, he already had a faithful following. It’s really hard to say for sure what makes readers pick one guy over the other. Dimitri (aside from when he’s passing time as an evil vampire) shines as the choice for those who love strong, dependable men. You know he’s always going to be around for Rose, and he dominates any situation he walks into. Even when he’s a Strigoi, he’s still a badass! On the other hand, I think the Adrian fans love his flippant, easy-going nature. Adrian knows how to turn on the romance and charm, and we occasionally get glimpses that maybe—just maybe—he’s not the slacker party boy he so often portrays. Every once in a while, I’ll see someone come to a signing with a “Team Mason” shirt. They’re so sweet, but I always feel a little sad because that’s one romantic choice I can say with certainty is out of the running!
When Lissa finds Christian’s private hideaway in the chapel attic, he tentatively agrees to share it, sparking an attraction between the two that quickly turns to love.
Christian believes Moroi should learn to use their powers defensively against Strigoi. He stands by these words when he uses his fire magic to help his friends escape from the Strigoi in Spokane and later fights side by side with Rose during the attack at the school.
While strong defensively, he constantly questions Lissa’s commitment to him and his worthiness as the princess’s boyfriend. He is quick to jealousy and self-doubt but is a true hero at heart.
ADRIAN IVASHKOV
MOROI ROYAL | ELEMENT: Spirit | AGE: 21 | HAIR: Sable brown, stylishly messy | EYES: Dark emerald green
VICES: Smoking and drinking
FAMILY: Nathan, father; Daniella, mother; Tatiana, great-aunt
“Dreams, dreams. I walk them; I live them. I delude myself with them. It’s a wonder I can spot reality anymore.” The weird sound of his voice made me nervous. I could recognize one of his slightly crazy, spirit-induced lapses. Then he turned from me with a sigh. “I need a drink.”
—Spirit Bound, page 157
Adrian has a reputation. He’s rich, charming, and good-looking—with a bad-boy streak. It’s a lethal combination. That he has a good heart underneath it all is definitely his saving grace.
He drinks and smokes a lot and is usually in some state of inebriation. This self-medication is his primary method of dealing with the dangerous side effects of spirit, the element he wields. Adrian and Lissa work together to learn the secrets of the powerful magic they share. But because of his use of spirit, Adrian has moments of madness, sometimes babbling incoherently before he gets himself together. On the surface, he’s fine and breezy. Inside, he’s desperately afraid he’s going insane.
While he has no problem with girls wanting him, he decides that
he
wants Rose—and not just for a fling, for real. He pursues her, even in her dreams, and finally convinces her to give him a chance, though not until after Dimitri turns Strigoi. But Rose and Adrian’s romance is to be short-lived. Try as she might, Rose can never fully return his affections—her heart belongs to Dimitri. And Adrian’s left angry and hurt when she cheats on him with Dimitri after her true love is restored to life as a dhampir.
Still, despite her betrayal, Rose assures Adrian that he has the potential to be a true hero someday. He’s not quite as convinced.
MASON ASHFORD
DHAMPIR | Novice guardian | AGE: 17 | HAIR: Red | EYES: Blue
To my annoyance, he laughed. “How do you not know where the heart is? Especially considering how many of them you’ve broken.”
—Frostbite, page 46
Rose’s good friend Mason harbors a not-so-secret crush on the beautiful dhampir. While she thinks he’s cute and one of the funniest guys she knows, she doesn’t exactly reciprocate his romantic interest. However, she decides to give him a chance during the school’s trip to the ski lodge. He’d definitely be good boyfriend material, and she’s still stinging from the thought that Dimitri might be leaving the school (and her) to be with Tasha.
It becomes clear fairly soon that since her heart is elsewhere, it would be better if they were just friends. But before Rose can break things off with him, she realizes that the reckless, risk-seeking Mason has taken off to hunt Strigoi with Eddie and Mia.
Rose goes after them, concerned for her friends, but shortly after she finds them, the group is kidnapped by Strigoi. She and Mason work together to escape, but when Mason returns to save her from the clutches of a Strigoi, it grabs him and breaks his neck, killing him instantly.
Mason’s sad and restless spirit returns to St. Vladimir’s, sending the already grief-stricken Rose into a panic. At first, Rose can’t figure out why Mason is back or if he’s even really there at all. Part of her suspects that maybe she’s just seeing things . . . It could be that her guilt over Mason’s death is causing her to have visions or that Lissa’s spirit darkness is beginning to overwhelm her. Eventually, Rose realizes that Mason is truly visiting her. On several occasions, he even tries to get a message across, but it’s difficult for him. When he finally is able to say a few words (
“They’re . . . coming . . . ”
), they’re enough to warn Rose that the wards around the school have been tampered with, allowing Strigoi to pass over them and attack.
Just before Mason’s finally able to move on from this world and find peace, he confirms to Rose that Dimitri has been turned into a Strigoi.
EDISON “EDDIE” CASTILE
DHAMPIR | Novice guardian | AGE: 17
HAIR: Sandy blond, messy | EYES: Hazel
“This is . . . well, it’s something that could ruin everything for you. Get you in big trouble. I can’t do that to you.”
That half smile vanished. “It doesn’t matter,” he said fiercely. “If you need me, I’ll do it. No matter what it is.”
—Spirit Bound, page 104
Best friends with Mason, Eddie is a friendly and funny dhampir who is training to become a guardian at St. Vlad’s. But things begin to change for him when he goes with Mia and Mason to hunt Strigoi in Spokane. After they’re kidnapped, he’s repeatedly fed on by a Strigoi. He becomes dazed and weakened from the endorphins and loss of blood. When Mason is killed, Eddie feels a great deal of blame for not being able to save his friend. He never fully recovers from this tragedy.
Eddie is also one of the kidnapped victims taken during the Strigoi attack on the school but is later rescued from the caves. His harsh experiences make him a very serious and determined guardian and a loyal friend who will help Rose without question. When asked, he goes with her and Lissa to break Victor Dashkov out of prison in Alaska. He then continues with them on their quest to Vegas to find Robert Doru, only later becoming angry when he realizes the reason behind it all is to try to save Dimitri. To Eddie, Strigoi are supposed to be killed, not saved.
Regardless, Eddie’s first impulse is to protect his friends, so when an attempt is made on Lissa’s life at Court, Eddie ends up staking the person responsible. But because the individual in question is a Moroi, not a Strigoi, he finds himself in very hot water.
JANINE HATHAWAY
DHAMPIR | Guardian | AGE: 37 | | HEIGHT: 5’ |
HAIR: Cropped, curly auburn | EYES: Brown | FAMILY: Rose, daughter
“So, what?” I asked. “This is your way of making up for maternal negligence?”
“This is my way of making you get rid of that chip on your shoulder. You’ve had nothing but attitude for me since I arrived. You want to fight?” Her fist shot out and connected with my arm. “Then we’ll fight.”
—Frostbite, pages 79–80
A guardian with a stellar reputation, the Scottish-born Janine is dwarfed by most dhampirs but holds her own in a fight and has the
molnija
marks to prove it. While she has excelled at being a guardian, she hasn’t always been the best mother. And Rose feels a great deal of resentment toward the woman she feels abandoned her to the Academy’s care and only gave birth to her in the first place in order to help replenish the well of potential guardians.
While she might not be winning any “Mother of the Year” competitions, Janine feels great affection for her daughter, and their relationship begins to improve after Rose returns to St. Vladimir’s. There is strong evidence that Janine didn’t just have a child to further the dhampir race but that she was actually in love with Abe at the time of Rose’s conception. For Christmas, Janine gives Rose a gift that was once given to her by Abe—a
nazar
, an eye-like pendant meant to protect anyone who wears it.