"Rose, I can find you wherever you are too. Please just drink my blood." Rose shakes her head protesting against doing it.
"Lissa, there is no way I am doing this. You honestly can't be serious. We have a bond already I'm bonded to you, we don't need another one."
"Rose just do it we haven't much time, just drink from my wrist and then I can find you when you need me, like you do for me. Please just do it, I can't loose you I need to know how I can find you if your hurt or in trouble." Rose gives her a look feeling really concerned about doing it, but it's too late as Lissa bites down on her wrist revealing blood to Rose. She holds her wrist out to her waiting for her to take it.
Rose grabs it reluctantly knowing Lissa will just do it again until she drinks from her. She shakes her head in frustration but gives in she moves her mouth over Lissa wrist but pauses.
"I don't think we should be doing this Liss."
She covers the mark on Lissa's wrist with her mouth and starts drinking her blood; a new form of connection coming between the two of them.
A group of three Strigoi start approaching, not close yet but heading in their direction. Rose looks up seeing them, she drops Lissa's hand and panic rises in her.
"Shit"
"What is it Rose?"
"Run, don't stop for anyone. Get to the safe house find the safest room there and stay there until I'm back."
"Rose"
"Lissa just go NOW"
Lissa runs feeling Roses heightened emotions, she runs without looking back feeling terrified the whole time.
Rose grabs her stake from her boots and starts running toward the Strigoi in the centre if the group. She stakes her in the heart but it does go in hard enough, the Strigoi grabs hers and throws her to the ground causing her to bang her head on a metal fence. She picks herself up stake still in her hand and heads for that same one the other two now starting to approach as she gets close to her again she spins back round and forces her stake In to the heart of that Strigoi and kills it.
She stands there for no more than a millisecond and then the other Strigoi pounces on her back, she elbows him trying to knock him off, she kicks back and spins with her stake in hand slashing his face. This gives her enough time to go back to the female Strigoi who was more enthralled with watching the battle than doing it herself and Rose catches her off guard and stakes her in the heart.
As she does the male Strigoi grabs her by her neck twisting her so it is bare and on show for him to drink from. She fights him off slashing him as much as she can with her stake, giving herself enough freedom to move from him.
She realises she is unable to get out of his strong grip so uses her stake unable to see her positioning of it pushes the stake into digging deep to him hoping she could either get out the grip or have killed him. His grip loosens giving her the freedom she needed she kicks him back, making him fall down due to being weakened. She leans over him stake in hand and aims her stake right in the centre killing him just like the other two.
She stands there looking at the three dead bodies lying there, she realises she can't leave them there she in the middle of a park she can only think of one thing she can do so she grabs her phone and starts dialling waiting for a response.
"Hello"
"Hey Sydney, it's Rose."
"What do you need from me this time Rose?" She says sighing slightly knowing Rose only ever calls her if there is something she needs from her.
"I just killed three Strigoi and I can't leave their bodies here. I'm at Asher park. You think you can come dispose of them for me?" She is it in a tone that was rather telling Sydney to do it than asking her.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Sydney hangs up on her and grabs the things that she needed and drives off to where Rose is.
'Rose what is going on? Olive, Dimitri, Eddie and Neil are guarding every part of the house like hawks. Something's gone wrong hasn't it Rose?'
"Oh finally you're here, we have to hurry there are Strigoi everywhere and it's not safe. Rose says seeing Sydney pulling up her potions in hand ready. She goes to each one of them and pours it over their bodies letting them disintegrate.
"That is still awesome, we need to come up with something we can use to bring them down before we kill them." Rose says in awe of the option and the disintegrating bodies.
"Where do I need to take you?" Sydney asks knowing rose would ask her to drop her off somewhere.
"Everyone is at our safe house. Adrian included so I think it's best we go there." She says exaggerating when she says Adrian's name hoping to lure Sydney into coming in and staying.
"I'll drop you off there. I have Carly over I need to spend some time with her."
"We can grab Carly first then all three of us head to the safe house. Just gotta keep a look out for the Strigoi."
The two of team drive the fifteen minutes to Sydney's not really saying much to each other. As they reach the street they notice Strigoi are lurking around her house.
"Evil creatures of the night at 12 o'clock, stay here."
Sydney opens her door ignoring her completely, she says her spell to her self and a fireball appears growing bigger and bigger.
"Shit how'd you learn to do that?" Rose asks coming round to Sydney's side of the car. Both of them walk together toward the house observing the Strigoi who haven't got a clue that they are coming.
"Palm Springs" is all that she responds with a smile on her face, she crouches down and throws the fireball at one of the Strigoi syringing him, reviving a wail as the fire burns him.
"Okay do that again, I' m gonna go round back. Just don't get killed by one of these assholes."
Rose creeps round the back uneasy from leaving Sydney on her own but knowing if Carly is still inside she is even more powerless. She spots only one Strigoi at the back she grabs her stake from her boots again and goes slowly toward the unsuspecting Strigoi she sticks the stake right through the back of the Strigoi into the heart and pulls her stake back out.
"The front is clear too" Sydney yells coming nearer to Rose. She pours the potion on that Strigoi not wanting to have a dead Strigoi outside her house.
"Carly" Sydney yells opening the back door.
"Carly where are you?" She says worrying more now not getting a reply.
"Sydney, I'm gonna do a quick check of the house, make sure it is safe okay?" Rose says leaving her alone as she goes to look round room after room.
A loud scream echoes round the house startling both Rose and Sydney. They both rush over to the stairs knowing it came from upstairs.
"Carly, oh please god tell me that is not from a Strigoi." Sydney says to herself.
The door just I front of them opens and Carly comes out wearing a towel. She stops right I front of them frozen seeing Rose gripping a stake and Sydney with a fireball hovering over her hands.
"What are you doing?" She says backing away into the bathroom again. The two of them dispose of their weapons, letting her know they are not gonna hurt her.
"We heard you screaming" Rose says bluntly to her.
"What happened?" Sydney asked taking a kinder approach than Rose.
"Oh I tripped over the edge of the shower; fell face first on the ground." She says pointing to a cut on her face from where she fell.
"Oh thank goodness it was nothing else." Sydney says leaning against the wall. Relive flooding over her.
"Can I get by so I can get dressed?" She says directly to rose making her move out the way next to Sydney.
"So Syd, what was that?" Carly yells from her bedroom.
"Just magic, you know a little fireball. Nothing to worry about."
"And umm your friend with the stake, she's a Dhampir right?" Carly asks already knowing of the world thanks to her upbringing.
"You got it. My names Rose by the way."
"So where are we going to now?" She leaves her room dressed and with a fully packed bag in her hand.
"Wait how'd you know we are going somewhere?" Sydney asks confused how she knows, then adds. "Rose has a safe house, so I think that'd be safer than being here right now."
"I saw a Strigoi earlier. Not long after you left. I guessed they were Strigoi, they fit the description I remember dad warning us of."
"Well they have all been decomposed of of right now. At least the ones here. You two can do your sisterly bonding back at the safe house, for now we really have to get going." Rose says trying to rush the girls out the house.
The girls rush off to Sydney cars all of them agreeing that the neighbourhood was safe right now. All wanting to get to safe ground right now.
"So this is the house, make yourself comfortable here, I don't know how long we will be staying here. Adrian,Jill, Nina, Christian and Lissa are inside staying safe. We have Olive, Dimitri, Eddie and Neil on guard duty around. So you will both be safe here." Rose says to them both as Sydney pulls up round back from the house.
"What about Angeline and Trey? Adrian said they were coming to help." Sydney asks confused why they weren't mentioned.
"Yeah, they are due to come but they haven't arrived yet."
As they walk to the house Rose's face lights up as she sees Dimitri standing on guard out side it.
"Carly this is Dimitri, Dimitri this is Carly" Rose says introducing the two of them.
"Nice to meet you Carly."
"Same to you too Dimitri"
They enter the house seeing Jill sitting on Eddies lap, making out with him and Nina and Adrian shouting at something on the TV.
"Eddie, you know just because the house is safe, doesn't mean you can make out with your girlfriend." Rose says jokingly but startling them all. Jill moves off his lap to the sofa next to him. The four of them all looking in their direction for a split second before turning to the TV again.
Adrian locks eyes with Sydney and then goes up towards her, pulling her close to him and the two of them start kissing each other.
"I'm guessing that's Adrian?" Carly says turning to Rose after getting no introduction before he kissed her sister.
"You guessed it. That's Eddie and Jill the other two practically on top of each other. And then that's Nina." Carly nods in response. "Will you be okay if I leave you with this lot?" Rose asks wanting to go find Lissa.
"Yeah fine, you go do what you need to do. I sure Syd will finish her make out session soon." She says jabbing Sydney in the side slightly trying to get her attention. She moves to go sit next to Jill on the sofa.
Rose leaves the room trusting Carly will be okay and goes looking for Lissa. She rushes round the areas of the house she thought she'd find her but gets no luck. Panic rises worrying incase she didn't get home safe or something had happened to her on the way.
'Basement, stop panicking. I'm okay'
Rose heads down to where the basement is passing through the main room again she sees that they are all sitting talking, laughing and watching the TV again now. She carries on walking to the basement and sees Neil standing on guard out side the door.
"You can go have a rest now, you've been on duty for two days now, thanks Neil." He nods to her and walks off Into the main room.
"Hey Liss, you down here?"
"Rose, yeah come join us."
Rose goes down further Into the room when she comes to the light she sees Lissa and Christian cuddled up, hands interlocked laying on the bed that was down there. Rose takes a seat on the seat hidden in a small corner of the room. Almost laying down in it,must ready to have a break.
"So how many were there?" Lissa asks knowing rose would have had to've fought lots of them on her own.
"Six in total. Three at the park and then got to Sydney's and there were three more there."
"What is with the groups of three? That's all they are doing at the moment, every encounter with them and they are in threes." Christian says confusion in his tone, rethinking back to all the observations he has had from every encounter so far.
"I wish I knew. All I know is they have a plan and are hunting. They aren't even targeting Moroi specifically either. That is why we are all here."
"It's gonna be safe here for too long though right? That's two encounters just today in the area, they are getting closer." In her mind planning where they could go next, which of her safe houses will be best to go to.
"I'll deal with that Lissa, just stay hidden and stay safe that's all you need to do right now."
"You know I can help though Rose." Lissa says annoyed yet again Rose dismisses her ability to help out.
"Are you kidding?" Rose says forgetting Lissa strength. "No of course you're not are you. I'd still rather you stay safe, you are the queen and we can't have you on the front line and getting killed. Stay put got it?" Rose says looking into Lissa's jade green eyes wanting to make sure she understood the importance of her safety.
"Okay but it could help you all out, don't shut me out just to protect me."
"I'm your Dhampir remember that. I'm protecting you, I need you alive and safe to be able to do my job." Rose says using a matter of fact tone, making sure again how important her safety is.
"Dinner has arrived, come up and join us." Jill says yelling down from the top of the basement. The smell of the food wafting down the stairs to them. They all get up to go and get the food.
"Hey Rose wait up a second" Lissa says as they get to the top of the basement grabbing Rose by the wrist pulling her back to her.
"What's on your mind?" Rose asks though already knowing some of it already.
"This isn't like any other attack is it? It all feels different, like they are looking for something. I don't know what or why but it just doesn't feel right." Lissa says confessing the things she keeps feeling.
"Yeah it is strange all of this, but don't worry about it Liss, I'll figure something out. We'll be okay."
"Rose I love you but you have got to stop treating me like I'm going to break, I can survive and I can fight without being killed."
"Okay" Rose says walking away from her not interested in discussing it any further.
As they reach the main room, the smell of pizza wafts round the whole room making Rose incredibly hungry. She spots a few new faces who she guessed were for blood feedings, that was all up to Adrian to organise so she didn't know who they were.
"Ah there is my daughter, I need to speak with you." Abe says sitting upright in a seat his two body guards either side of him.
"What you got for me old man?" Rose says walking closer to him.
"Somewhere private?" He says standing up. Rose walks back out and he follows her down the hall into a empty bedroom.
"What is it that you found out?" She asks feeling anxious over having to be somewhere private to know what he had found.
"It seems the Strigoi are not looking for Moroi." He stops pausing waiting for Rose's reaction.
"That's great right? None of us are in immediate danger."
"However their is a new species that has been found, one that none of us were aware of before. The Strigoi have found out about them and are hunting them, trying to wipe them out."
"Back up old man, you're telling me that there are other forms of Vampire out there?" She says confused, unsure what he is actually telling her.
"They are another half breed. Half Moroi and half well we don't know quite yet. But they have magic, very powerful magic. All untrained and not safe. The Strigoi are winning right now."
"Where can we find them? What can we do to help them?" Rose asks her mind going crazy trying to understand everything.
"They are everywhere Rose. We need to get them protected. Maybe teach them to look after themselves. I'd suggest get Sydney to find them and protect them like you protect Moroi."
"Okay we will see what we can do. Thanks for finding out what you could."
They go back Into the room Abe and his guards leave right the way, he came only to tell Rose what he had found out so had no reason to stay. Rose sits their eating her pizza without even realising it, her mind to focused on what she was just told.
"Roza" Dimitri says placing his hand gently on her shoulder.
"What's wrong Roza?" He asks bending down next to her getting a look at her face seeing her confusion. She grabs his hand pulling them both up. They go into the room she was just in with Abe and tells him the sinews she was just told, making him just as confused.
"Do you want to tell the others?" He asks seeing where Roses head was at that second.
"Tomorrow, I need time to process it." She says just wanting to get some time to let it sink in.
She needs a plan before she talks to the others, she doesn't want to concerns the rest of them, wanting to know her own ideas, solutions and find out more if she could. For that night though with her friends she wants to forget it and just try and relax with them. She would deal with the other problems tomorrow.