~ Chapter 1 – Attacked ~
The black dots were expanding and I knew this was the end. I had lived a long life, Dimitri and I both had. Being a guardian was a lifetime commitment, this was something ingrained in many of us from the moment we were in diapers. When Dimitri turned 65, the age that the guardian council determined we would be "unfit" for further duty, we realized that wasn't true. Very few guardians lived long enough to reach retirement. The day Dimitri turned 65 was a day I will never forget. It's a day I was able to relieve some of my anxiety and be comforted by the fact that he had made it. Now he would always be safe. Dimitri and free time don't exactly mix, so he was teaching moroi martial arts and self-defense during the day. When I watched him, I became more grateful that 65 was the age of retirement. He was still in excellent shape, but his reflexes weren't what they used to be. I was just a month from my 65th birthday and I had honestly thought I would make it. Dimitri and I had been making plans to visit his sisters, their children, and their grandchildren. We had been thinking about going back to St. Vladimir's to visit it for a week. We had been talking about finally experiencing the things that normal couples experience. As I lay on the ground, I felt irrationally guilty that I was taking that away from Dimitri.
47 years. Dimitri and I had spent 47 years together. Those years were filled with more happiness and love than any one person had the right to feel. We were the deadliest guardians out there and it had been years since we were just "that dhampir couple." We had believed our love could beat anything.
As the red-ringed eyes got closer to me, I knew that I wouldn't survive this, but that didn't mean our love had been defeated. I would always be with Dimitri. I guess I didn't realize that until I was facing death itself.
I stood my ground, stake in hand. I had a reputation that was known even amongst the Strigoi. The Strigoi craved my blood just as the craved the blood of the moroi. As I looked around, I knew I wasn't going to survive this, but I sure as hell was going to take as many Strigoi with me as possible. I took a deep breath, prepared for the fight.
It was difficult to believe this had happened. We had been taking a walk, just like we did almost every day. The two on-duty guardians had spread out, one walking slightly ahead of us and one the equivalent distance behind us. I had been teasing Lissa about how pretty soon she was going to be a grandma... again. Neither of us could believe her youngest girl was having a baby. Lissa had spent practically two decades repopulating the Dragomir line. Her family was huge. Huge! She had nine kids. It's true that she had two sets of twins, but nine kids is a lot. Sometimes it gives me a headache if I think about it too much.
Her youngest daughter, Layla, recently got married to an Ivashkov that had enough Dragomir blood to carry on the name. That was just a coincidence though, much like Christian and Lissa had been. She fell head over heels in love with Ben Ivashkov, much to Adrian's delight. Adrian didn't know Ben all that well, but he said she had made a "quality choice." Layla got pregnant not long after their wedding at only 22 years old. My jokes of "like mother, like daughter" fell on deaf ears.
"You're getting old," I teased Lissa. "Who knows maybe you'll be a great grandmother soon."
"I'm younger than you are," Lissa said sticking her tongue out at me.
"I've spent my whole life working out though. That's like negative years," I said jokingly. In truth, Lissa did look older than me, but my age was definitely starting to show. My body had long since started resenting me for the vigorous work I do everyday. "And hey at least I'm not a wrinkly old grandmother."
"I do not have wrinkles!" Lissa said as if I had sincerely offended her. She actually had what she referred to as "laugh lines" around her forehead, mouth, and eyes. It was a sore subject for her and she adamantly denied it every time someone pointed them out.
I couldn't help the laughter that erupted out of me. It was too easy to get to her sometimes. "Sure you do," I teased.
"Speaking of grandmothers," she said clearly changing the subject.
I was about to shoot out one of my typical snarky comments when I felt the nausea signifying Strigoi. I had been exceptionally grateful when I had not lost the ability to sense Strigoi when the bond was broken. It was one of the few convenient things about being shadow-kissed. I could live without the ghosts, but being able to sense Strigoi had endlessly aided me in keeping Lissa safe. The moment I muttered the word "Strigoi," the two younger guardians didn't hesitate to get Lissa to safety. I didn't watch where they were taking her, I knew they would protect her.
I quickly counted the Strigoi around me. There were seven. Seven to one. I've faced worse odds, but never without my loyal and loving husband by my side. Together Dimitri and I could face an army, but alone, I knew I wasn't going to make it. I wondered if Lissa had been their goal or if they had been trying to find me. I immediately dismissed the thought. I knew most Strigoi had heard of me, but I doubted that I mattered that much to them.
None of us moved. We were almost sizing each other up. I half hoped that a herd of guardians would swoop in to the rescue like they so often did, but I doubted they would. They would definitely be more preoccupied with getting the wards up before there is a full-blown attack on their hands. A slight twitch in a Strigoi's finger was the only warning I got before one of them threw themselves at me. I managed to take down two Strigoi before one had me pinned. I barely had the energy to fight against them and with every attempt at freeing myself, I lost more energy. I had gotten beaten up pretty badly. I had to have broken a rib or two and there was definitely something wrong with my knee. I saw black spots that were obscuring my vision. Looking into the Strigoi's red-rimmed eyes, I knew they weren't going to turn me. I was too old to be of value to them. The black dots converged until that's all I saw. Then the images started. As I laid on my back, I literally saw my life flash before my eyes.