Alternate Ending

Dimitri burst through the door which hit Natalie squarely on the head.

"Ow!" she yelled before falling to the ground. I stood there frozen.

"Roza…Roza are you alright?" he asked clearly worried about me. I could tell he was still thinking about what had happened. I couldn't move, I couldn't answer. All of a sudden he pulled me into a passionate kiss. I snapped out of my trance in a hurry and kissed him back.

I was suddenly pulled into Lissa's body. Her and Christian had escaped and were walking somewhere. I figured Lissa had used some compulsion to convince them to leave her and her new boyfriend alone. I returned to my body.

Then Dimitri stopped kissing me and slid out of my grip. I looked up to see Natalie standing over him with blood all over her mouth. Dimitri was dead. Natalie killed him. I ran as fast as I could, I didn't know what to do. The love of my life was gone and Natalie was there drinking his blood.

I ran into something or someone. I didn't know I was crying so hard I couldn't see.

"Rose what's wrong?" A voice that I knew to be Mason's said. I tried to speak through my tears.

"M-M-Mase…sh-she…k-k-k-killed him!" I managed to murmur.

"Who is she and who did she kill?" He asked hurriedly but soothingly at the same time.

"Nat-Nat-Natalie i-is S-S-Stri-Strig-oii. K-k-killed Di-Di-Di," My voice failed and I sobbed into Mason's chest.

"Belikov?" He asked softly, knowing I would be upset by that seeing as he was my mentor, but there are other reasons that no one else knows. I nodded and sobbed harder. He rubbed circles in my back trying to comfort me. He whispered to me saying that it would be okay.

"Oh, Rose there you are!" A joyful, menacing voice cried, "Aww is little Roza upset that I turned your precious, Guardian Belikov, Strigoi?" Natalie sneered. I suddenly became furious and it must have showed because Natalie laughed before lunging at Mason.

"NO, MASE!" I yelled but it was too late, her teeth were already deep in his neck and she was drinking as quickly as she could, as not to give me a chance to save him. He fell to the ground as she finished draining him of blood.

"Now to find my cousin." She looked at me with a cruel look of joy. I let myself fall into Lissa, I had to find her before Natalie did. She and Christian were in the church attic. Natalie had run in the opposite direction so I had time. I bolted towards the church and didn't stop until I reached the attic.

"Lissa!" I exclaimed. She and Christian gave me a frightened look. I told them my story, but left out what happened between Dimitri and I. They listened contently although I knew exactly how Lissa was feeling.

"We have to leave, NOW!" I finished. Christian nodded and headed toward the door as Lissa and I followed in silence. As we crept down the stairs I knew we were safe until we walked outside, Strigoi couldn't be on Holy land. We were outside now and started to run when I heard a shrill voice behind me.

"Going somewhere?" the voice asked. I turned on a dime, nearly falling over but catching myself.

Oh, Vasilisa how are you? Oh, and Christian Ozera, how wonderful. This will be a very nice lunch, the very last Dragomir and an Ozera; 2 royal Moroi. Or maybe I could spare Ozera and Awaken him. Hmm. Nope, he's lunch." She snickered, "Goodbye!" she lunged at Christian pushing me out of the way. Lissa's emotions sucked me into her body.

I was looking at Christian, crying. Fear, hate, sorrow, anxiety, hurt, love, and death filled me. I got a strange feeling; I wanted to cut myself, to let the pain seep out. I wanted to make it so deep that I would never have to deal with the pain again. I had to get out of her head, before she killed herself. Come on, Rose, this isn't you, this is Lissa. You have to protect her from herself and Natalie! GET OUT! I snapped back into my own reality and Christian was dead. I lunged at Natalie, wanting to kill her for the pain she was making Lissa feel. She blocked me and threw me into the wall. I was about to lunge again while she was walking towards Lissa, when someone behind me restrained me from going anywhere.

"Hey, Rose, say goodbye to your BFF!" She yelled at me then stuck her fangs into Lissa's neck. She screamed in pain, and so did I. I yelled and sobbed, I wanted to die.

"Don't worry, Miss Rosemarie Hathaway, you'll be next but I will be the one to kill you." A smooth voice said. I turned to see him. He pulled my hands in front of me; thankfully otherwise my wrists would probably break.

"No, Dimitri, you aren't like this! You love me and I...I…I love you too. Please Dimitri, please." I pleaded trying to make him remember.

"I don't love you." Ouch! That was a huge smack in the face, "I am going to kill you." another smack. He stuck his fangs in my neck. Everything…went…b…l…a…c…k…