Mad.

That's was the only word I could use to feel about what had happened. I had finally come to a peaceful point in my relationship with Rose. One where I knew we could both be safe and happy. I loved her. Her smile, her hair, her wicked sense of humor. And now I knew that I would never see her in the same way again. I could hear her screams, the way she was pleading with Stan to let her rescue me. Even at the moment of my death, with a striking blond Strigoi poised to suck the lifeblood out of me, she was all I could think about. My beautiful Roza.


I was in unspeakable pain, but at least that meant I was alive. I realized as I felt the wind rushing up against my face, that a Strigoi must be carrying me somewhere. My thoughts flickered to Rose and what she was doing, but I shook my self out of my reverie and focused on the situation at hand. And the best way to get out of it.

It was obvious that they wanted to change me into a Strigoi. They'd missed they're chance to use me as a snack, as I was already almost drained of blood. I craned my neck to see if I was the lone prisoner, or had company. I spotted the body of a Moroi being carried by someone else, but before I could distinguish who it was, the shoulder I was being carried on jolted and I was told to stay still and quiet. Realising that to do so would be in my best interest, I quickly shut up, but that didn't stop my mind from moving at 100 miles an hour.

I knew I had little chance of survival, but I decided that death was almost certainly preferable to becoming Strigoi.

My mind floated back to the conversation I had with Rose almost a lifetime ago on a trip to Missoula. She knew that too, but surely she wouldn't come after me. Not when she knew what I could do to her. She was meant to protect Lissa. But even as I came up with all the reasons why she shouldn't, I just knew she would. My stubborn-headed Rose. I suddenly realised that today was her birthday, and that she could use her age as an excuse to come looking for me. She was free to do what she wanted, and I knew that she would do what both of us needed, wanted, if we were in this situation. She was going to come kill me. Or I was going to kill her, I realised, with my new Strigoi strength and speed. And twisted mind. Either way someone was going to die.

I felt a sharp knock on the head and everything went black.

I woke up in what looked like a small room, just at twilight. As I struggled to turn around I heard muted voices come from the other side of the room. "If I were you I'd value your last moments as a dhampir. It's almost night and the Strigoi will be on their way to change you and your little girlfriend here," said the male human sitting over in the corner next to the door.

I stiffened as they mentioned 'my little girlfriend' and I thought that they had Rose too. I craned my neck and saw Molly lying on the floor, taking small, almost non-existent, breaths. She was one of the Moroi that had been taken last night, and I was confident that I had seen her lying dead on the floor, but here she was. Thanks to my extra hearing I picked them out before anyone else in the room did. The sound of almost silent Strigoi, coming to end my life.