Outside of the command room, Alex asked me, not for the first time, "Are you sure about this?" taking my hand and putting on my index finger the fairy ring that would allow me to communicate with them telepathically if need be. I hadn't bothered to tell them that I would not be using it, however. I had no intention of calling if this went south.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. Our plan-my plan, really-was crazy, a suicide mission, at least according to many of the other guardians.
Guardians protected Moroi, the vampires who didn't kill when they fed. It was for this reason that the Shadowhunters held an uneasy alliance with them. The Shadowhunters considered themselves the protectors of the human race, killing off any Downworlder who harmed humans. They worked directly with the Alchemists, who helped cover for them-and us- with humans. Before the Accords, Shadowhunters weren't particularly helpful in defending the Moroi. That's where we came in, the guardians. The guardians are all dhampirs, the product of Moroi and humans-well, that was a long time ago. Now dhampirs were born of Moroi relations with other dhampirs. Since we're much more hardy than the Moroi , we dedicate our lives to protecting them, even now, with the Accords.
Which is why they sanctioned this raid. My best friend, Lissa, had been taken by Dimitri, my Strigoi ex-lover and love of my life. Ordinarily, guardians would call such a Moroi a lost cause. But Lissa was the last Dragomir, and the Queen had taken a special interest in her. It was also for this reason that a few Shadowhunters had been allowed to join us.
The guardians and the Shadowhunters would swell upon the Strigoi in the outer rooms while I made my way to the inner chamber, which our intel had told us was where Dimitri would be. Of course. He would be waiting for me, likely with a few guards. These I could easily dispatch, as well he knew. They were for show. He wanted me there and knew I would come.
In my inner jacket pocket, the stake I meant to use on Dimitri weighed heavily. I had marked it with the rune I saw in my dream, and trusting that it would work, meant to restore Dimitri to his human state. Of course, the older guardians would never have approved of such a plan, which is why they hadn't been told. They would not have believed it was worth the risk and would rather have him killed. Only a few people knew, and Alex was one of them. He was also a Shadowhunter.
He dropped my hand and began pacing around the room, his hands clasped behind his back, Alex said, "Okay. So. Let's go over this again-"
I sighed, aggravated, and raked my hands through my hair in frustration. I knew the plan. It was my damn plan.
Chastised, Alex leaned himself against the wall, looked at me, and added hurriedly, "Just humor me, Rose." Briefly, I felt a tiny twinge of guilt for my reaction as I looked at him. He was clearly wrecked with nerves.
I rehashed most of the plan, stopping after telling him that I would fight my way back to Dimitri.
He tilted his head, eyes boring into me, "Then?" He knew I hated this part. And he was going to make me say it anyway.
Instead of falling into that trap, I feigned ignorance and went for my old standby- a joke. "Then I'll go Buffy on his ass."
Ignoring the joke, Alex pressed on, "You're going to tell Dimitri that you changed your mind, that you want to be turned. That should give you a distraction." I had to give him credit. He didn't flinch as he said this, despite his ongoing flirtations with me.
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall across from Alex. "It won't work."
I stared at me, exasperated and all but shouted, "Rose! We agreed on this!" He wasn't wrong. I had agreed to this, but that was only to get the plan moving. I hated inaction and every minute spent arguing was another minute my best friend was bait for a Strigoi. Dimitri. Although I'd stabbed and thought I killed him before, it had just about killed me, physically and emotionally, and I didn't know if I could do it again.
He continued, voice raised, "Remind me again why that is. What happened to him being so adamant about it in Siberia?" I flinched. Few people knew about that , and I hated thinking of it. And he knew it. Which pissed me off.
Instead of voicing any such opinion, I glared at him and said sarcastically, "Well I did almost kill him in Siberia. Maybe he's a little butthurt over that."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, probably to regain his composure. "If he does agree or doesn't really isn't important. You just want him to let his guard down long enough-"
I pushed off of the wall, irritated. "Dimitri never lets his guard down."
Alex, fed up with my resistance, all but shouted at me, "Then what the hell is your version of this plan, Rose, since you obviously don't like mine?"
I glared at him, trying to practice some self-control. Dimitri would be proud. Dimitri. We didn't have time for this. My eyes left his face and stared the wall. Alex, seeing the change in my face, seemed to calm down, but remained quiet. When my reply came, it was bitter, "I'll try that. He'll probably laugh. Then we'll fight. If I'm lucky, I'll get the opportunity to stake him. If I'm not..." I let my voice trail off.
His brow furrowed and his eyes showed worry. "If things start to go bad, use your ring, and we'll find you."
Rather than argue, I gave a weak, "Yea" in response, my eyes focused on a spot on the wall.