Chapter I – Rose

It had been a week since he had said those four words. Those four words that hat shattered my heart. Those four words that made me realize that I couldn't stay here. There were so many memories. A constant reminder of what we were, and what we could never be. So here I was on top of a tree a few feet away from the main gate. I found a branch that stuck out over the gate, and waited. Before I knew it, midnight came around and the guardians switched off guard duty. This was my chance. I quickly got my duffle bag that had my stake, clothes and shoes. I jumped. I hit the ground and put my hands out to steady myself, pushing off with my legs and moved into the only protection I had. The forest. After I was certain I was far away enough not to be heard, I pulled out my phone and called Adrian. He was a royal, good-looking young moroi, who had an extreme crush on me, and would do everything for me.

He picked up after the third ring. "Hey little Dhampir are you out yet?"

"Yeah I'm out. Where the hell are you?" I asked annoyed.

"Calm down, I'm on my way. I had something to take care of first. I'll see you in a few minutes. Meet me at the end of the main road".

As I made my way through the forest, to the end of the road, all I could think of was the life I was leaving behind. Would they notice I was gone? Would they come look for me? Or more importantly would he look for me? NO! I couldn't let myself think of him. He didn't care about me anymore. He probably never did.

When I finally got to the main road, I saw Adrian in an extremely expensive looking car. I didn't question it; I just wanted to get the hell away from there.

"So where are we going?" curiosity getting the best of me.

"There's a town about 20 minutes away, I'm guessing you haven't eaten, so we will just grab something to eat and then meet up with someone who will help you", He said nervously.

"Adrian who are we going to meet?"

I didn't even have a chance to yell at him. I was suddenly pulled into Lissa's head. I had a spiritual connection with her ever since she had saved me from a car accident, where her parents and brother died. First we didn't knew where it came from, but sooner we found out it was Vasilise Dragomir or Lissa as she is being called. She had an almost forgotten magical power called spirit. She can heal plants, animals and even humans. I died in the accident, but she pulled be back from the dead and made me shadow-kissed, which mean we have a one-way connection where I can hear her thoughts or even be in her head. She was now the last Dragomir from the royal moroi family and I was her shadow-kissed guardian. I had sworn my life to protect her, and now I left her again.

She was in her room with. Holy crap. Dimitri.

"I know how you feel, but you have to understand, where she's coming from, Dimitri. This is hard on her. She loves you and you just pushed her away", she said in a soothing tone. She heard what had happened at the church and what he had said to me. Love fades, mine has. It was still crystal clear in my head. Christian Ozera, Lissa's also royal boyfriend, wasn't there with her. He was to pissed on Dimitri. We didn't have the best friendship but I knew he cared for me like a sister, and he hated seeing me being hurt. Even though he never would admit that. It hurt knowing, that no one had yet to discover, that I was gone. I pushed the thought out of my head. I shouldn't care. That part of my life was over. I pulled out of her head and promised to never check in on them again. If they didn't care about me, I wouldn't care about them.

Love fade. Mine has.

When I was back in the car, I looked over at Adrian, waiting for him to tell me whom we were going to meet. Of course he didn't say a thing.

"Adrian who the hell is going to help us?" I asked

"Little Dhampir, don't be mad but he's the only person who can help us"

"Just tell me who it is Adrian," I practically yelled

"Abe Mazure" he whispered

"Shit."

Abe is my newly discovered father. I meet him for the first time in Russia, when I had left St. Vladimir. I had left the school, so I could find Dimitri, who was made to a strigoi against his will, and kill him. It was a promise we had made a long time ago. We promised each other, that if one of us ever were made to a strigoi, we would find each other and take away the evil, immortal life. Strigoi were vampires like Moroi, but unlike moroi they killed every time they drank blood, and that was what made them immortal, only burning them, cutting of their head or stacking them with a charmed silver stake could kill them. I find out that Abe was my father, when I returned to St. Vladimir.

Even though he is my father and had helped me to get safe home from Russia, he wasn't a man I would trust, and I will certainly not lay my life in his hands!