Alright, so I'm trying to put this one shot up again, now that it's a few months after the release of Vampire Academy and that it's been edited by my wonderful sister/beta, DragonGirl323. I had written this a while back to try and get myself back into writing and now that I've finished school for four months, I'm trying to slowly get back into the writing business. Last time, I got absolutely no reviews/favorites or anything, so now I am hoping to get at least a few reviews.
Now, if you have a Facebook page, you can easily go and like my page for updates and some fun pictures/links: (Facebook dot com)/ #! / MortalParalight (remove the spaces and please fill in the blanks that are written there, i.e.. (Facebook dot com) is the address of Facebook)
So please, without further ado, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
PS: This story is for those who have read Last Sacrifice!
Disclaimer = I don't own Vampire Academy!
Bloody Alps
Rose's Point of View
What is the definition of sacrifice? Is it a sacrifice to lose someone dear to you? Is that it? That's what my mind kept asking itself as the bitter cold wrapped itself tightly around my body. Well, that and it continued to replay the events of the day as if on a constant loop. In this specific moment, each particular detail of the day seemed to be flash forwarding so quickly in my mind to the point that it was almost overwhelming. Everything had started off so well, but of course, things don't always go according to plan.
And we definitely learned that the hard way on our trip, didn't we?
It all started a few days ago when my best friend wanted to take a vacation from her duties…
"Come on, Rose. Let's go off somewhere. Christian wants to spend some time away from this place and I can't say I blame him. It's getting really stuffy in here," Lissa explained, pacing around her bedroom with her eyes fixated on mine intently.
"Liss, you're Queen now. What if you're needed during the holidays?" You may ask yourself, when has Rosemarie Hathaway ever been the voice of reason? Well, the simple answer to that is that I became Lissa's guardian when she was elected Queen of the Moroi realm. I took my responsibilities as her protector much more seriously now—not that I didn't in the past. And Lissa noticed that as well, even though sometimes it shocked her more than me.
"It would only be a weekend," she retorted, coming to sit down beside me on her bed. "We would bring as many guardians as needed, and I can have someone cover for me during the weekend." When I still wouldn't budge, Lissa placed a hand on top of mine and tried once more to persuade me. "Please, Rose. I haven't had any time off since the coronation. And I haven't had one break at Lehigh either. It's just been so overwhelming that I think a weekend away would do me some good. Even Queen Tatiana took vacations at one point or another. And it's almost Christmas. Please, Rose? It's just a weekend. If there's an emergency, we'll come straight back," Lissa pleaded, never taking her eyes off of me.
I have to admit, she pointed out some good facts…and sadly, that's exactly how she got me to allow this trip to happen in the first place.
We reserved a small and cozy cabin a few miles up in the mountains close to Court—I may have accepted that we go away for the weekend, but it didn't mean that we had to go too far away. Even Dimitri agreed with our location, which is a first for him in this department. He also agreed that with Sparky coming along, it would be wise to have all of his guardians—which meant three—present so that there would be extra protection not just for Lissa, but Christian as well.
And so, in total, there would be several guardians on hand protecting Lissa and Christian.
I'd say that's pretty good for a weekend out with the Queen.
On that Friday, we drove up to the cabin and met up with the manager of the lot. He owned a few cabins up in the mountains and his add seemed legit enough. Unfortunately, when meeting the man face to face, a peculiar feeling began building within me. There seemed to be something off-putting about his behavior, almost as if he was nervous or was waiting for something…or someone.
Dimitri seemed to sense my unease and noticed the owner's strange behavior as he spoke with Lissa and Christian, eyeing the manager carefully while we paid him for our stay. But there was nothing we could do now without arousing any more suspicion from the other guardians or from the man in question.
This was just a hunch, but I planned to keep a close eye on him.
Unfortunately, he didn't come out much while we were there. I assumed he was hiding out somewhere else during our stay, but that didn't mean that I could put my guard down, especially when it came to Liss and the ones I loved. And so, as we went skating and enjoyed the mountainside, I continued to keep my eyes open for any sign of that mysterious man, but there were no indications that he was anywhere near our location. Technically, it was a good sign. It meant that there wasn't any danger concerning him.
For one full day, there wasn't anyone who wanted to hurt Lissa.
We were free for one full day, which was a relief. I could see the happiness radiating off of Lissa as the day went by, and it simply brought a smile to my face.
I had to keep that smile on her face for as long as possible.
Sadly, on the second day, that's when everything started to go horribly wrong.
During the day, it was perfect. We all decided to hike in the woods in the late afternoon—technically, afternoons are considered mornings for Moroi—followed by a nice sleigh ride throughout the night, which seemed to make both Christian and Lissa happy to spend some romantic time together. And who could argue with that. Lissa had been unbelievably occupied at Lehigh while Christian continued to think about his future, so giving them a little alone time for the weekend was good for them and for their relationship.
Later as we drank our hot chocolate around the fireplace, Lissa and Christian were cuddled up, whispering to around one another while Dimitri and I sat close together, when something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. When I turned my gaze toward the window covertly, I caught sight of a figure passing through the dark forest, looking back and forth as if they were afraid of being spotted. Unfortunately, it didn't work in their favor because I was able to see their features clearly with the help of the dim light outside.
And wouldn't you know it, my suspicions were right. It was that sketchy manager from yesterday.
What the hell could he be doing out here? He's not even supposed to be here. And how did he get past the guardians?
Turning my attention back to the fireplace, Dimitri seemed to sense my unease once again and placed a hand gently on my knee. "Are you all right?" he asked, forcing me to lift my head to gaze back into his dark brown irises. To my own shock, this was the only time that his smoldering eyes didn't relax me.
Nodding nonchalantly, I placed my cup on the side table then looked right back at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just gonna check something out for a little while." This may be nothing, but I can't take any chances, not when it came to Lissa's safety.
Standing up, Lissa looked up at me and frowned slightly. "You going out?" she asked, placing her hot chocolate on the ground before standing up to be eye to eye with me.
Grabbing my coat, I smiled softly at her and nodded once. "Yeah, just need to check out something." When Lissa's frown didn't evaporate like I'd hoped, my smile grew and I placed my arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Liss. Don't be so worried. No Strigoi can take down this Hathaway. I'm just gonna be gone for a few minutes. If I'm not back in the next half hour, send a search and rescue party, alright?"
Lissa chuckled lightly and nodded once, looking over at me with a slight smile. It wasn't as big as I'd hoped, but it was better than anything. "Alright, just be careful, okay?" she pleaded, her worry for my safety leaking into her voice.
"Always," I said, winking at her before walking toward the door. Looking over at Dimitri and, I kissed his cheek softly then smiled up at him. "I'll be back in a little while," was the last thing I said to them before walking out of the cabin and meeting up with Anne, Nickolas and Andrea outside.
All three of them turned the moment I walked out, curiosity and confusion plastered on their faces. "I need to borrow you guys for a second."
Leaving Nickolas behind to watch over Lissa, Anne, Andrea and I marched through the deep forest, determined to find out exactly what was happening…well, at least I was.
Stake in hand, we tried to follow the tracks the Moroi man made in the fresh powder already covering the ground, but the falling snow was making it hard for us to see five feet in front of us. At this rate, we would never be able to catch up to the manager before we lost him. Even now, his footprints were beginning to fade.
It was beginning to look like a hopeless chase until voices could be heard, giving us a sign that we were close.
As Anne and Andrea ran to get cover behind a tree, I took refuge behind a large fallen log, peaking up to see three Strigoi talking to the nervous manager close to the cliff side. Thankfully, they weren't looking in our direction, so our covers weren't blown just yet.
"Did you bring it?" a Strigoi with dark brown hair and large muscles asked the small man, his strong voice resonating through the snowy forest.
The Moroi man cringed at the large Strigoi's tone and nodded once, reaching into his coat pocket and retrieving an item that made my eyes widen in complete shock. A silver stake… Where the hell did he get that?! And what was he planning to do with—
Oh no…
The larger Strigoi smiled and clapped his hands together once, smirking down at the Moroi man. "Perfect. Now, do what you must do so we can attack. I'm growing tired of waiting…"
A smaller Strigoi with sandy blond hair and a leather jacket placed his hand on the large man's shoulder and said, "Lucas, be patient. We will drain her soon enough," forcing my eyes to widen even further.
They were after Lissa, just like any Strigoi out there. And they were using this Moroi man to break the barriers in order to kill the Queen.
Well, they weren't gonna get near her. Not if I had anything to say about it.
Looking over at Andrea, I signaled her to go back to the cabin to warn Dimitri and she dipped her head hesitantly, obviously not liking the fact that we were outnumbered against these Strigoi. Nodding confidently, Andrea bit her lip and ran back to the cabin, leaving Anne and I to face off against these undead vampires.
Turning my attention back to the disaster in front of us, Lucas sighed and went up to the Moroi man, grabbing his collar and yanking him forward, smirking down at the Moroi cruelly. "Well, according to Dean, I have to remain patient. But I don't have to be patient for long. Get this ward destroyed so I can go eat," Lucas ordered, releasing the man and pushing him a few feet back, enjoying the torment on the manager's face.
The manager's arm shook as he gripped the stake in his hand, he looked Lucas straight in the eyes and stuttered, "And you'll give me eternal life if I do…?"
So that's what he wanted… He just wanted to be a damned scum. It's not all that shocking, though. More often than not, Moroi and humans will do a Strigoi's bidding just to become one of the undead, only to be killed later on.
"We said we would, didn't we?" a black haired Strigoi retorted, his tone of voice indicating humor and impatience. Unfortunately, it sounded like the Strigoi wouldn't be giving the man what he wanted…
The Moroi man didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary and walked up to the ward, stake shaking in his frail hand. It was like this empty promise was fueling him on and made him forget about his own fears. Lifting the stake above his head, he slammed it down and impaled the ward forcefully, making it light up and shatter like a mirror, evaporating moments after like it never existed.
They were one step closer to getting to Lissa. I couldn't let that happen.
Just as I was about to stand up and charge in to kill those bastards, the dark haired vampire walked up to the Moroi and smirked devilishly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well done, Edward. You're not as worthless as we thought," he said, forcing me to grip my stake harder as he seemed to play with his…food. It made me sick.
"Marcus, let's not play with our food," Dean said, smiling devilishly nonetheless as he approached Edward. The Moroi man began to cower under Marcus' touch as all three Strigoi encircled this pathetic wimp.
Edward cowered under the stares of the hungry Strigoi and began shaking in fright, the stake falling to his feet. Looking from one Strigoi to the other, he fiddled with his hands and stuttered, "W…what about giving me immortality…? I…I gave you what you wanted…"
Lucas chuckled and grabbed Edward's nape firmly, forcing the Moroi to gasp and start clawing at the Strigoi's hand frantically. "We did say that, yes. But see, here's what you need to know about our kind. We lie," he said before grabbing the man's head with both hands and twisting it, forcing a cracking sound to resonate throughout the forest, then sank his fangs into Edward's broken neck, drinking his blood in large gulps.
That was it. I couldn't take any more of their sadistic games.
My mind and body began to respond without my comprehension. Standing up, I heard Anne mutter something to me, but I wasn't listening anymore. I had immediately switched to guardian mode and there was no one that could stop me. The Strigoi turned around as soon as they heard the movement, dropping Edward's limp body to the snowy ground to focus all of their attention on me. Rushing up to Dean, I dodged his punch and slammed my stake into his chest easily, letting my protectiveness for Lissa fuel me to look emptily in his widened eyes as he fell limp seconds later. Obviously, he hadn't been very good in battle.
Anne ran up behind me to offer backup and took on a defensive stance with her stake raised, ready to attack at any moment. But just as I pulled my stake from the dead Strigoi's body, Lucas charged me, sending us both crashing to the snowy ground. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Marcus charge Anne, leaving both of us to fight our own Strigoi. Unfortunately, my stake got knocked out of my hand and landed with a soft thud out of my reach.
Don't worry. You don't need Anne to help. You can beat these guys blindfolded, my mind screamed at me, boosting my confidence as the Strigoi on top of me continued to try and get a hit on me.
Lucas tried to bite me on many attempts, but with each try, I pushed him back, finally succeeding in throwing him off of me and rolling away from him, quickly regaining my feet. He growled as he straightened up and dug his fingers into the snowy ground, his eyes menacing as they stared me down.
"You interrupted my dinner," Lucas snarled, never taking his infuriated gaze off of me.
"Like your pal said before, you shouldn't have been playing with your food," I retorted sarcastically, looking out of the corner of my eye for my stake. Spotting it moments later, I looked back at Lucas and saw him preparing himself to lunge right at me, building his strength so that his attack could be even stronger than ever.
"Why, you insolent little brat!" he growled, springing at me with murderous intent.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to have the brains to take me off guard, and even with his enhanced speed I was able to move to the side just in the nick of time. Landing a kick directly in the middle of his back, I rolled out of the way and reached for my stake, gripping it tightly in my left hand. Lucas snarled once more and ran up to me, reaching out to try and grab my neck, only to grab thin air when I moved out of the way once more.
The only thing that worked against me was that he reached out with his free hand and grabbed the back of my coat, threatening to pull me down with him on the ground. Without thinking, I removed my coat swiftly, watching with smug satisfaction as he sailed backwards, and shivered as the cold gripped me. Lucas regained his footing and snarled down at my coat in his hand before tossing it to the side.
"You're really starting to become a pain in my ass, dhampir," the Strigoi said in a deep voice, his hands clenching into fists as his anger surfaced once more.
"Yeah, yeah. Nothing I've never heard before," I answered, letting my gaze briefly wander to Anne and her battle.
Luckily, my fellow guardian seemed to be handling things well. Marcus appeared to have a few wounds here and there while Anne herself didn't have a scratch on her. Her stake was stained with his blood and, as they attacked one another, it always seemed as though Anne had the upper hand.
Once I was done with this petty Strigoi, I'd help her finish Marcus off. But for now, I needed to finish dealing with Lucas. Lissa's life was on the line.
Unfortunately, the moment my eyes diverted from my target to examine my comrade's own battle, Lucas seemed to have vanished from my sight. Gritting my teeth at my mistake, I looked around wildly, trying to find him, but he was nowhere in sight. Had he already gone to try and kill Lissa? If he had, I had to—
When Lucas' attack came, my body didn't react in time. He charged at me from behind, wrapping his muscled arms around my upper body to keep me bound against him. "I'm sick of your smart ass attitude," he said, his sentence ending in an animal like growl. A slight fear began to eat me as he gripped me tighter and his lips came down close to my neck, his cold breath washing over my skin along with the horribly chilly temperature. "Since you ruined my meal, I guess I'll make do with what I have at my disposal," were his last words before his hunger took over and he sunk his fangs into my struggling body, forcing a gasp to erupt from my parted lips as the endorphins began to work their way through my system.
I tried to fight against the endorphins with all my might as I plunged my stake into Lucas' side, making him scream against my neck. This may be the only sort of pain I could inflict on him in my state, but I would not go down without a fight. Sadly, seeing as he had the upper hand, Lucas could easily do a lot more damage to me. He gripped my left shoulder and wrenched it back in one swift motion, forcing a moaned gasp to escape from my throat as he kept his fangs embedded in my neck.
My arm was completely useless now as the Strigoi took large gulps of my blood and began to drain me.
His surroundings didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was killing me and enjoying his dinner. And I couldn't do anything. My body had now succumbed to the wonderful sensations the endorphins were creating and I began to relax against his hold, admitting defeat against this inevitable death with a stupefied smile on my face.
This was it. This was how I was going to die…well, permanently die, at the hands of a Strigoi. At least I was going to meet my end in battle…just like it was meant to be. They come first. The guardian mantra kept ringing through my mind as Lucas continued to drink my blood, almost enjoying my death.
But his feast was cut short. "Lucas!" a faint voice resonated throughout the area, a small part of me recognizing Marcus' voice through the euphoria. "Come and help me!" The other Strigoi's screams ran through the forest, forcing my holder to remove his teeth from my neck and letting me slump in his hold, my vision blurring from the blood loss.
Lucas growled in frustration at being interrupted and released me, causing my body to slump to the ground. My right arm fell limply over the cliff as my face buried itself in the snow, my half closed eyes focusing on Anne and the two Strigoi around her. Lucas went up behind her and gripped her head just as she was about to attack, twisting it to the side as a terrifying crack was barely heard, killing her instantly.
I knew it was my fault that she was dead. She had followed me on this ridiculous quest to protect Lissa and Anne had died because of my correct hunch. Unfortunately, I wasn't able continue my mental torment or keep my eyes open long enough to see what they would do to her. Death was beckoning me once again, inviting me to walk into his embrace and be taken by the darkness again to leave those I loved behind. But even though my heart weighed heavily in my chest because of the turn of events, I knew that my best friend would be in good hands. Dimitri would take good care of her and Christian. Unfortunately, seeing as Anne was dead and I was about to die, the others wouldn't be ready for the oncoming attack. In a sense, I had failed.
I'm sorry, Liss… I'm sorry I couldn't stop them… were my last thoughts as my eyes closed, letting my body succumb to the gripping winter weather as the darkness overpowered me.
Dimitri's Point of View
As I paced around the small room, the wait continued to eat its way through me. Roza should have been back to report to me by now. It had been nearly forty-five minutes. We knew Rose had said to send a search party if she hadn't returned in half an hour, but I wanted to give her more time… What could be taking them so long? She was only supposed to go verify something outside.
But apparently, I wasn't the only one who was worrying.
"Where's Rose? Shouldn't she have been back by now?" Vasilisa wondered, turning her gaze from myself to Mr. Ozera before beginning to fiddle with her fingernails nervously. Christian placed his hand on top of Lissa's to try and calm her, but anyone could see that it did nothing to appease her worry.
"I'm sure she's alright. Everyone knows that she can handle herself," Christian explained, planting a soft kiss upon the Queen's forehead before placing his free hand on her back, rubbing it gently to try and calm her. "You know Rose. She's always doing everything she can to make sure you're—"
Just as my charge was about to finish his sentence, Guardian Konstansse barged into the room, out of breath and panicked. The instant that our faces met, my worry increased ten fold. Something was wrong.
"Guardian Belikov, we need to call for reinforcements. Strigoi have broken the wards and they're coming this way," Andrea explained, walking over to us panic-stricken. "Guardian Hathaway and Stanson have stayed behind to try and stall them until back up arrived." My eyes nearly widened when she said that Rose stayed behind. How could she have stayed there with just one guardian helping her?!
"How many Strigoi are there?" I asked, grabbing my coat before making my way over to Andrea, stake at my waist as Guardian Anton called the guardians at Court to let them know of the situation. If there were Strigoi on their way to attack the Queen, we needed more guardians to come to our aid.
"And what do you mean Rose stayed there?" Lissa asked, instantly rising from the couch to stand close to us. Christian followed and stood behind her, watching all of us intently as his worry for Rose flared again. Their connection resembled a lot like a brother and a sister: both of them were worried about one another.
For the moment, we both decided to ignore the Queen's distress as Rose's safety pressed on the forefront of my mind. "Guardian Konstansse, how many Strigoi are there? We need to go now, otherwise they'll be at an advantage," I demanded urgently, my guardian instincts coming forth.
"There were three when they drained the Moroi man, but there might be more of them around. They seemed to be ready to ambush the place," Andrea explained, forcing my protective side to surface at the thought of my Roza battling these undead creatures with only one other guardian. Mind you, I had complete confidence in both of them, but things could end badly if these Strigoi are older than your average evil undead vampire. "They're after the Queen."
"Then we better leave now before they attack," I stated before looking over at Stacy. "Guardian Anton, when back up arrives, have them survey the area and see if there are any more Strigoi out there. Until then, stay here with Vasilisa, Christian and Guardian Konstansse. I'll gather the remaining guardians and help Guardian Hathaway. If we're not back in the next ten minutes, take them to the car and return to Court."
As my feet began to quickly carry me out of the cabin, a frail hand caught my wrist, making me stop in my tracks and turn to face the Queen. Her expression was more than worried; it held fear. "Whatever you do, bring them back, alright?" It was easy to identify the underlying message behind her statement. She was worried about the other guardians, but most of all, she wanted me to bring Roza back to us, whatever it took.
Nodding solemnly at her, I took off into the snowy forest with four guardians hot on my tail, determined to exterminate these Strigoi before they could hurt my Roza.
Two Strigoi bombarded us the instant we entered the forest.
Obviously, they'd been attempting to attack the cabin head on, now that the wards were down.
Unfortunately, the problem wasn't in disposing of them. They tried putting up a fight, but to no avail. We were four guardians against two undead creatures. They stood no chance. But what bothered me the most was the spattering of blood that my kill had on his pale lips. Whose blood was it? My heart started pounding at the thought of my Roza's blood being on this vermin's lips, but I reminded myself to remain calm. There was no evidence to prove that it was hers. Andrea explained earlier that the Moroi man we had met yesterday had been drained, so this could easily be his.
But…why did I suddenly have this sinking feeling form in the pit of my stomach…? And why didn't it go away?
As we left the Strigoi's bodies where they were, we walked further into the forest, only to find nothing. No more Strigoi came our way. Had they all regrouped and decided to attack the cabin at different angles? If this was an ambush, then they would try to attack this area from every possible direction to achieve their goals.
Turning my attention to the guardians behind me, I pointed to three of them and said, "Go back to the cabin. If there are only two here, they may want to attack the cabin directly, and they won't have enough guardians to help them until reinforcements arrive." Both guardians nodded and began running back toward Lissa and Christian's location.
Now, it was just me and Guardian Rustile.
"Nickolas, we're going to see if we can get to Rose's location. If she's still out here, she may be fighting some Strigoi and needs help." Nick nodded and took his stake out as a security measure, keeping it poised at the ready just in case.
Taking my own out of its hold, we began marching deeper into the snowy forest and, after a few moments of trudging through the thick snow, something caught my eye and made me stop dead in my tracks. A bloody silver stake was sticking up out of the thick snow, the red substance distinctively contrasting with the white snow. As I walked over to it, my hand reached out and touched the cold metal, the sinking feeling in my stomach only growing stronger by the second.
This was Rose's stake. Her initials that were carved into the instrument shone in the moonlight and were tinged with dried blood.
Yanking the stake out of the ground, I placed it in my duster pocket, my worry increasing by the second. What could have happened here? Was this a Strigoi's blood or my Roza's? And where was she? I looked around, hoping to find some indication about which path to take, and found nothing but the snow that continued to fall on our bodies.
For some reason, my heart tugged from within me, forcing my body to turn slightly to the left. Was Roza in this direction?
Guardian Rustile ran behind me as we both charged forward, my heart the only lead at the moment. Worry and fear began to grip me as we approached a cliff side, finding someone leaning back against a tree trunk, but not able to see their face. Instantly, my heart began to swell, thinking that it could be Rose's body lying there, and I raced over to the tree, being utterly disappointed when I discovered it was the bloodless body of the Moroi man who sold us the cabin.
The man's eyes were completely void of life, except for a lingering reflection of terror. It was as if he was somehow taken by surprise or didn't get the wish he wanted. This man was obviously killed by the Strigoi, considering the two puncture marks in his cold neck.
Straightening up, I scanned the area, knowing that there was nothing that could be done for this man now, and looked around before instantly hearing Nickolas' melancholic tone. "Dimitri," was the only word he said, but it spoke magnitudes.
Rushing over to him, we both stood in front of Anne's broken body, her lifeless eyes simply staring at us. Just from looking at her, anyone could notice the disfigured twist in her neck, indicating that it had been broken, and the two savage puncture marks visible on her pale skin. The Strigoi seemed to have had a horribly large snack tonight…
We lost an important guardian tonight. Hopefully, we hadn't lost another one… We couldn't lose another one.
Where was my Roza…?
"We have to find Rose. If the Strigoi were able to take Anne down, then it's possible they hurt Rose in the process," I said, looking around desperately as the sinking feeling continued to grip me tighter than ever. I had to think rationally. If Anne was killed in this cruel manner, Rose may have been hurt, or worse. And in this weather, if she is badly hurt, then she may be freezing to death as we speak. "Nickolas, why don't you—" The minute my eyes locked onto his face, my sentence was cut off completely.
His gaze was off somewhere past my shoulder, but it was what his eyes held that frightened me the most. It was horror.
And so, I turned my head in the direction he was looking and found myself frozen in place, just staring at the shape a few feet away from me.
My Roza was crumpled on the edge of the cliff, her right arm dangling off the edge and her head barely turned to the side, just on the edge of falling off the rocky border. Her left arm was bent in an unnatural position on her back, obviously dislocated and broken either from impact or because of the Strigoi attack. It seemed as though she had been lying like this for a long time, seeing as the falling snow was covering most of her body.
But what worried me the most were the two puncture marks on her neck and the blood that had run down from the wound…and the fact that she didn't seem conscious.
"Rose!" I exclaimed, rushing over to my love and kneeling beside her body, turning her over and holding her protectively in my arms, looking down at her frail but beautiful face.
She was so pale…and her lips were blue, indicating that the cold had dropped her body temperature drastically. She wasn't wearing her coat, but when doing a quick look around, I spotted her ripped jacket a few feet away, an arm of the blue garment still visible from under the snow. Since she wasn't wearing anything but her shirt, the cold must have gripped her tighter than ever…
"Rose, wake up! Please, Roza! Wake up!" No matter how hard I shook her, my beloved didn't wake up. Placing two fingers against the underside of her jaw, a very small heart beat pulsed against my fingers, telling me that she was alive, but barely. Looking back at Nickolas, who was looking over Anne's body, I gripped my Roza tighter to my body, hoping that my body warmth would help her somehow. "Nickolas, Rose is still alive. Take Anne's body and go back to the cabin. I'll be right behind you," I stated, standing up and trying to wrap my jacket around Rose's body as much as possible to keep her warm.
Nickolas nodded and took Anne in his arms as we both rushed back into the forest, desperate to get my Roza the help she needed to survive.
In a few minutes, the cabin was in our proximity. There were three black cars surrounding the driveway and many Strigoi bodies lying on the snowy ground.
Obviously, back up had arrived.
No guardians seemed to be hurt, but we couldn't judge a book by its cover. There could be some casualties around the cabin out of view. But at the moment, it didn't matter what we lost and who we killed. All that mattered was getting Roza to a hospital so she could be saved.
And we needed to get her out of this weather as soon as possible.
"Dimitri?!" Lissa's voice carried its way through the forest, forcing my head to turn in her direction, only to see her running toward me with Christian hot on her trail. Once she was close enough to fully take me in, her green eyes widened once they landed on Rose's pale face against my chest. A large gasp escaped her lips once the Queen saw the puncture marks on Rose's neck and her gaze instantly landed on my own again. "What happened out there?! Is she going to be all right?!" the Queen demanded, her worry and fear for Roza's safety rising as the seconds ticked by.
"She will be if we get her to a hospital in time." Turning my attention to Nickolas behind me, I said, "Go inside and talk to the other guardians about what we saw. They need to be informed about that man and Anne's fate."
Nickolas nodded and rushed toward the cabin, never looking back as he securely escorted Anne's frail body inside. "Are there any more Strigoi in the area?" I asked as the rest of us ran toward the black cars.
I quickly climbed inside one of the large passenger vans and laid Rose flat on one of the back seats to keep her levelled. Lissa and Christian stood by the entrance of the van and kept a close eye on Rose as I reached around the front seat, turned the vehicle on and ignited the heat to maximum. Even then, it would take a few minutes before the van was warm enough to bring up Rose's temperature.
"No, the other guardians took care of them all…" Lissa explained, never taking her eyes off of Rose as I rested her head on my lap, fanning her hair around my knees so her neck would be exposed, and placed my duster on top of her to give her some kind of warmth while the engine warmed up. "I'll go and get her a blanket or something," she said before dashing off toward the cabin, leaving Christian with me.
He came into the car, closing the door behind him to keep the warmth in, and crouched beside Rose's legs, bringing his hands up above her body. "I'll try and warm her up. It'll be quicker than the car heater," he explained before his hands radiated a small amount of heat downward to Rose's body. He was using his specialty on my beloved to try and warm her up. Of course, Christian had to be careful as to not burn us unintentionally, but he seemed to have a good handle on his ability, which didn't worry me at all.
"Thank you. We need to get her to a hospital soon. Once Vasilisa returns, I'll ask her to take my place so we can be on our way. At this rate, it seems as though Rose has lost a lot of blood and may have hypothermia," I explained, simply doing a basic examination of Roza's body and the scene in which we found her.
Luckily, Vasilisa rushed back with two blankets just a few moments later, determined to do whatever it took to help Rose.
The instant that the Queen came back, I asked that she switched places with me—which she gladly agreed to do—and I went up to the driver's seat, then gunned it toward the nearest hospital.
The only thought that ran through my mind as I raced away from the cabin was a Russian prayer for my Roza, begging any God out there that she would make it.
Please, Roza. Make it through. Do it for me.
Lissa's Point of View
I hadn't left Rose's side—at least, as fewer times as possible—since she was admitted five days ago.
Luckily, we'd gotten to her just in time. The doctors said that, if she had stayed any longer in the snow, the hypothermia would have killed her along with the lack of blood. And now, Rose's condition didn't seem to change. To keep her stable, the doctors even had to put my best friend in a comatose state. They said that it was supposed to help her heal faster and such, but it just looked horrible…
It looked as if she was already gone.
Even now, looking at my sister's pale face with her left arm strapped in a sling, it was almost impossible to get the image of Rose's immobile body resting against my lap in the car… Dimitri had to take the wheel and someone needed to keep Rose's head elevated while we drove. I was more than happy to take his place to try and help my best friend as much as possible, but it was horrible to look down at Rose's horrifyingly pale face and not fear the worst. Sure, Christian was doing his best to use his fire element to keep her warm, but it wasn't enough. She was still at Death's door…
Even now, the only indication that she was alive was the slight rise and fall of her chest and the constant oxygen flowing into her mouth from the oxygen mask.
There was only one time that I had seen her so lifeless, and I was hoping never to see her this way again.
But now, seeing her motionless on the bed in front of me, it only brought back all the times that I nearly lost her, that she was so far from my reach that I couldn't keep her with me. The accident that killed my family, the Strigoi attack in Spokane, when she left to go kill Dimitri, the moment Tasha shot her and the spirits nearly took her away for good…and now this.
There were so many times that I nearly lost my sister, and this time, I couldn't heal her.
Nothing seemed to work. No matter how hard I tried to force the magic to run from me to her, nothing would come. The pills I was taking to control my depression during my reign were once again blocking my magic. As much as I wanted to, there was nothing that I could do.
But it wasn't for lack of trying.
Even knowing that my power was pushed down thanks to these medications, it didn't stop me from trying to heal Rose enough so that she could wake up. If only you could open your eyes… I thought while squeezing her hand softly, looking down at her pale face.
This was probably how every royal felt when their guardians fell in battle or were lying in the hospital, unsure if they would wake up or not. They blamed themselves for what happened to their guardian even though they were only upholding their oath in protecting them. I was doing the same, but this was different. Rose was my best friend and sister since we were in kindergarten. We'd seen each other at our best and at our worst. Seeing her like this, it just…it felt as though a part of me was gradually dying.
If I could heal her, then that feeling would go away, if only for the time being.
"Hey," my boyfriend's voice rang through the room, forcing me out of my melancholic internal torment and turning my attention toward him as he approached me, Dimitri following right behind him, like any good guardian would. "How is she?" Christian asked as he came to sit beside me in one of the empty chairs. Dimitri stood on the other side of the bed, looking down at the girl he loved with longing and sadness clearly written on his face.
Looking over at Christian momentarily, I turned my attention back to Rose's hand within both of mine and squeezed it a little tighter, hoping desperately that she could feel our presence near her.
Shaking my head, I looked back at Christian with the same melancholic expression I've had for days. "Still the same… The doctors have tried to bring her fever down, but they're not sure when she'll wake up. I just wish I could do something, even heal her. It's maddening to sit here and just watch her stay so still…" I explained, slowly turning my attention back to my sister. There wasn't one day that I didn't pray that she would wake up and things would return to the way they were.
Christian placed his hand on my arm carefully, which made me turn my head and gaze into his blue eyes. "You're doing everything you can with what you have, Liss, and Rose knows that," he said, trying to lift my spirits, if only slightly. "She might not be awake, but she can probably feel you here. It's the same with Dimitri and me. We're probably all helping her by simply being close to her, to give her positive support so that she'll pull through this. And that's all we can do at the moment."
Sighing, I glanced up at Dimitri for just a moment before looking down at Rose. "I know, I just wish that there was more I could do to help her," I stated sadly, once more wishing with all my might that my healing powers would work to give Rose some minimalistic chance to wake up.
Out of nowhere, a familiar sensation passed from my stomach up to my arm, then quickly passing from my hand and into Rose's. Frowning down at my hands, nothing looked out of the ordinary. When I looked back at Rose's face, nothing had changed. She was still breathing semi-regularly and her eyes were still closed.
I'd probably just imagined it… It had been days since I had a good night's sleep, so the fatigue was probably taking its toll on me.
Sighing, I leaned against Christian's shoulder momentarily before I felt a slight pressure form itself around my hand. My eyes went down to my hand around Rose's and widened immediately.
Her fingers were twitching. Rose's hand was slowly opening and closing around my own. It was the first sign of life that we'd seen in days. Had my power somehow forced itself against the effect of the pills and helped Rose?
Leaning slowly toward Rose's face, hope began to blossom within me as her hand continued to squeeze my own with the small amount of strength she had. "Rose?" I asked barely above a whisper, wishing with all my might that she could open her eyes.
Come on, Rose… You can do it.
My prayers were suddenly answered when a small groan escaped Rose's lips and her eyes opened ever so slightly, glancing up at the white ceiling before turning her attention to me, trying desperately to open her eyes even more to see me. A large smile spread across my face and Dimitri's expression brightened instantly as his love turned her head and looked up at him slowly.
Christian instantly got up and smiled at me. "I'll go get the nurse," he said before walking away.
But, at the moment, I didn't care about anything else.
Rose was awake. She was all right.
My sister was alive.
It was difficult for Rose to speak around the oxygen mask, so she saved her strength until the nurse arrived moments later, Christian by her side. As the nurse removed the oxygen mask from my sister's face and replaced it with a small tube hanging under her nose, the nurse took Rose's levels and noted them on her small note pad before walking away to get the doctor.
Christian smiled as he stood beside me, looking down at Rose as she took in her surroundings. "Where am I…?" As Rose set her eyes on Dimitri, she smirked a little and said, "Are you my doctor…? If so, I won't mind the needles so much…" she admitted with a small smirk.
A short but heartfelt laugh escaped from Dimitri as he cupped his love's cheek, smiling down at her. "No, I'm not. But a doctor will be here shortly to look you over," he said, stroking Rose's cheek with his thumb gently. Rose smiled, her features all but relaxed as he kept his touches gentle. "How are you feeling, Roza?"
"Like I've just been run over by a truck multiple times and cooked alive…" Rose admitted, looking over at me with a small smile on her face. "So I guess you were right… This does consist as an emergency…"
A small chuckle escaped my lips as I took her hand again and squeezed it ever so slightly, never taking my eyes off of her. "I did say that if there was an emergency, we'd come back, didn't I?"
"And I told you a while back that no Strigoi could take down this Hathaway… Remember…?" Rose retorted with a small smile, making me smirk as we earned a small chuckle from Rose, which instantly turned into a coughing fit. The smirk instantly disappeared from my face and I stood up, standing beside Rose's head and helping her lean back in a more comfortable position. Rose's coughing seemed to dissipate once she was repositioned and she turned her gaze back to mine, thanking me quietly for the help.
I couldn't believe it. My best friend was up and joking around. She was alive… It may take her a while to heal, but she would be all right.
My sister would be just fine in the end. She wasn't leaving us. I wouldn't lose her again, not this time.
Rose's Point of View
I'd been trudging through the snow for what seemed like an eternity.
Clutching my dislocated arm, I focused on the road ahead, trying desperately to return to the cabin before the cold would take me over once more. My eyesight was poor and my body felt as though it would cave in on itself from the lack of blood.
I never thought I would get out of this incessant forest, but suddenly, life seemed to seep into me from out of nowhere and a small light formed itself directly in front of me, leading me straight to the cabin door.
Upon pushing my way weakly through it, that's when my eyes opened to my reality and I woke up in the hospital room, surrounded by those I loved.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew that Lissa had healed me back at the hospital. And I couldn't help but worry that the darkness would take her over. How much power had she used to heal me? And how would it affect her later on?
Maybe she didn't care. Maybe Liss would rather sacrifice her mentality than let me die at the hands of any Strigoi.
Come to think of it, the word brings a sense of thoughtfulness, doesn't it? When you think of the word 'sacrifice', most people believe that it is when you lose someone you care for. But let me tell you something: true sacrifice isn't a loss; it's a victory all in its own. I was ready to die to protect my sister, her boyfriend, and my own love. I was more than ready to throw everything away so that my family could live.
But Lissa saved me. She sacrificed a part of herself so that I could have a…what was it, third, fourth chance?
I suppose this means that, in a sense, God didn't want me and the Devil didn't either.
So, in the end, our sacrifices weren't in vain.
For Lissa, she demonstrated that she would go through Hell just to keep me here, no matter what the cost. And in my case, this battle taught me that, even though the shadow-kissed bond was shattered, I was only human. Well, half-human anyway. My body and mind weren't invincible. I could still die a normal death…whatever normal meant in our lives. At the time, my mind hadn't comprehended that when I foolishly barged into action without letting Dimitri come with me. It still continued to think that my soul could avoid the hands of Death. But now I understood clearly. Maybe my life had not been taken in this fight, but I did lose something that needed to be lost: my overconfidence.
It needed to be repeated that I'm not invincible. I don't have the shadow kissed bond anymore, which gives me a vulnerability that I didn't possess before. But that's the wonderful part: it makes me like everyone else. It helps me not only to develop my skills as a guardian, but also to connect with Lissa in a way that we couldn't before. This experience has also given me a chance to further improve—mentally and physically—so that I can defeat any opponent that wants to hurt the ones I love.
So, to sum it all up, this vacation has helped me realize that true sacrifice isn't a loss. It's a victory.
And for those I love, I will sacrifice.
I will win.
So what did you all think? Did it live up to Richelle Mead's books? Would you read any of the other stories or one shots I've written about Vampire Academy? Leave me your personal opinion in some REVIEWS!
Mortal-paralight