We finally had a lead. Dimitri and I were on one of the court's private planes heading into New York City to bring Jill home. Two days ago Adrian had been able to contact her in a spirit dream for the first time since she had gone missing. He hadn't seen much, it was a scattering of images, the ones that felt newer were of the big apple, after a lot of yelling from me, we had done as little planning as we could get away with, and our small team of guardians and warrior Moroi set off to bring Jill home. Sitting still on the flight how ever was driving more than a few of us crazy, Christian in particular. I kept constantly bouncing my legs up and down next to Dimitri who was leaning back against his head rest with a western in his hands, and Christian kept playing with miniature fire balls in the seat behind me.

Two and a half hours seemed like an eternity to Rose right now. Dimitri finally put a hand on her knee to halt the bouncing.

"Roza, please, I can't read if you keep doing that." He said to me.

"Sorry Comrade, can't help it right now, I'm ready to get on the ground, get Jill and go home"

"I am too, but bouncing around is not going to make the next hour go by any faster."

I knew that he was right, but that didn't make his advice any easier to follow. I spent the time instead thinking about the coming mission and the people around me. Lissa of course, being Queen had to stay at court. There was no way that she could go on some dangerous mission, even if it was to retrieve the only other surviving member of her family. Christian as annoying as I still pretended he was, had become the brother that I had never had. Eddie had insisted he come, there was no way he would let the others go with out him. I had a pretty good idea why Eddie was being so persistent, but neither of us said a word about it. Mia still held onto her youthful looks, but they were marred with worry for their missing friend. Sydney and Adrian, who would have every thought. Those two had been hiding out at court from the alchemists ever since Adrian had broken her out of their horrible re-education center. Showing up at court on a borrowed jet from an academy in California, decked out in their wedding finery had shocked us all. Adrian had insisted on coming incase Jill needed healing, and because she was shadow kissed because of him. Sydney shouldn't have left court at all. The alchemists were still very much after her, they considered her a traitor, an abomination. Her own family had disowned her. Over the past few months stuck pretty much inside all of the time because of the hostility they faced for their marriage, we had become even closer.

"Sparky, I can smell melting plastic, you're going to set the fire alarms off" I told Christian grumpily.

"Sorry" he mumbled releasing the magic. "Rose...?"

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked turning around to face him.

"Never mind, forget about it, we'll talk later."

I let it go, I didn't feel like teasing him right now. I know huge shocker. It was a sign of how anxious I was. Lisa's relationship with Jill had been any thing but sisterly before she was sent off to Palm Springs. Strained and stressful was an understatement, but as soon as we had found out that Jill was missing, she had broke out into full blown big sister mode. She interrogated, she yelled, and she was working on passing laws about family quorums, that would take Jill out of danger. This whole ordeal had made her look at having a sister, illegitimate to not, in a different light. Thank God.

Half an hour left until we landed at JFK. I was staring at Dimitri, I mean let's face it, how could I help that? I still could not get used to the fact that he was right beside me, no longer Stragoi. He finally but his book down and looked at me.

"See something you like?" He was always turning my lines around on me now. I loved it. A huge grin spread over my face.

"Mhm, lots. What do you say you and me go join the mile high club comrade? Take my mind off of this never ending flight"

The look on his face was priceless when Christian piped up behind us.

"God Rose, do you not think about any thing other than food, sex, and killing!?"

"Deal with it, when you have to have first person view, unwillingly through a psychic bond, on your best friends sex life you can complain."

He was making gagging noises now. Some times I REALLY wanted to kill him. I guess the mile high club was out of the question now that my plan had been over heard.

"If I can't have sex, I'm at least going to eat something chocolate" I grumbled at them both while I rummaged in my bag looking for the treats I had stashed. This was the worst permission flight ever. Dimitri went back to his book, Christian finally stopped acting like I was making him physically sick with my words.

We were finally on the ground. Luggage in hand, waiting for the lady working at the rental company to bring around the suv that we had reserved. It turns out that we were incredibly lucky, part of the crown's holdings included a swanky five bedroom town home on Park Avenue. We went straight there, unpacking and settling in to our temporary housing. I would have to let Lissa know how absolutely amazing this place was. I made a point to send her several selfies from different places in the house. All of us settled in around the dining table where a map of the city was laid out. We had only one confirmed location from the spirit dream that Adrian had managed, and it was right out size of our window. Central Park. That's where we would start.

We had decided it was best for Sydney and Adrian to stay inside and out of the public eye during our visit. The last thing we needed was to deal with the alchemists along with what ever other mess we would come across.

We all geared up, stakes as well as pistols. Never could be too careful, we didn't know exactly what we would be dealing with here. That night not long before sun set we set out through the park, our first night here was supposed to be observation. Then sun went down and I had the oddest feeling that we were being followed. The Stragoi alarm I had when I was shadow kissed was gone, but I knew something was off, as did the rest of the guardians in our group. When all of the sudden there were three Stragoi standing in front of us on the shadowy path.

"Belikov, did you honestly not think I would know the second you showed your face in my city?" The dark haired one said. He had some kind of Eastern European accent, one that I couldn't place, and was much less hot than Dimitri's Russian if I was being completely honest. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw the pain in Dimitri's eyes. This was some one he knew. Not as a Stragoi, but as a living Moroi.

"Ivan, i wasn't expecting you so soon."

"You should know better than that. How long have we known each other Dimka? I've heard a lot about your little... Savior? Here."

Dimitri stepped in front of me. I wasn't having any of that, Ivan Zeklos or not, I could take care of my self. Stragoi Ivan was a dick. He kept ranting.

"Hey asshole, if you're done with your little speech there, I have shit to do." I said stepping back into place beside Dimitri.

"Oh feisty. We might have to keep her around for a while."

Dimitri did not raise his voice, he didn't even speak, quicker than I could blink his steak was in his hand and so were the rest of ours. I heard a yelp as Christian set little fires on the backs of the two henchmen, Eddie and I rushed in for the kills as Dimitri and Ivan squared off. I think we all understood that this was a fight that only he could fight. Dimitri had told me that Ivan was dead. I guess to him he was, thinking aback to the memorial I had attended in Bia in Dimitri's honor.

They were bantering back and fourth in Russian. Of course the Stragoi would know Russian.

"Translation please any one" I mumbled with my stake still in my hand, never taking my eyes off of the scene in front of me. Dimitri was observing his former friend and charge closely.

"They're talking about why we have come to the city. Ivan claims that he knows where Jill is. Dimitri hasn't said any thing to confirm it. He is saying something about a witch, and a warlock. I don't know I can't catch all of it they're talking too fast." Christian mutters.

He knows something about Jill. Interrogation time. I step forward just as Ivan's back is towards me, and I pounce on him, sticking my stake right to his throat, Dimitri seeing me start to move moves in closer with his godly speed. Stake positioned right over Ivan's heart.

"Tell us what you know dirt bag, and I might be nice enough to just let him stake you. No pain involved." And I pressed the point of my stake harder into his throat. "In English this time"

Turns out he didn't really know all that much just rumors of some witch holding a girl here in the city. He had heard it at a party, thrown by a warlock here in the city after he told us the names, I had an idea.

"Now Ivan, be a good boy and run along. If you really want to continue this, we'll be back here in let's say two nights huh?" I said slapping his cheek a little too hard. I was however looking straight at Dimitri as I said the words. His eyes flashed. He knew what I wanted to do, or at least try to do. As long as Ivan backed off right now and went crawling back into the hole he came out of, I was going to ask Adrian to try to restore him. He didn't need to speak to tell me he was all for my plan I saw it in his eyes. I guess it worked, after his buddies were gone Ivan sped off into the darkness, as soon as the steaks were removed from him.

We had to go change. We were going to a party. I was going to make this warlock talk if it was the last thing I did in my entire life.

Watch out Magnus Bane, here we come.