Richelle Mead, author of the fantastic Vampire Academy series, has just posted the first chapter of Blood Promise, the fourth book in the six book series! We absolutely LOVE the Vampire Academy series (just see our reviews for Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss), and have been salivating over the release book 4! Blood Promise hits shelves on August 25, 2009.

Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Chapter One is online HERE.

For more about Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books, check the author’s website HERE. Richelle also runs a great blog, which you can read HERE.