She felt it, the fire. It was burning her to her core, encasing her entire body. It was then that she could hear it, the music. It was the music that caused the fire to encase her body. It was sweet and seductive melody that both aroused and haunted her. Her eyes snapped open at the sound. She knew that sound, that voice. It sang to her, called to her. Looking around the room, her eyes widened. There were no lights, only candles that gave a soft glow to the room. She jumped at the feeling on hands on her shoulders. Looking back, she turned and looking right into his eyes.
"I am coming for you mon petite ange," he whispered into her ear. The gruff in his voice made her shiver. "Soon."
Suddenly her eyes widened and she screamed as she felt fangs sink into her neck.
Rose jumped in bed with a scream caught in her throat. She looked around her room wildly, nearly collapsing in relief as she saw the inside of her room at the ski resort. Her skin was covered in sweat, making her body feel hot, so she ripped off the duvet and quietly stepped around Lissa's bed to go to the balcony.
She sat down on one of the seats, hoping that her body would cool quickly. She thought of her dream, and shivered as the images popped into her head of the two years she and Lissa had run away.
"Rose?" Rose jumped at the voice, but she calmed down at the sight of her best friend staring in the doorway. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing."
Rose looked away from her friend, feeling the confusion in the bond. "I had a nightmare," Rose whispered.
Lissa felt confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh Rose," she whispered lightly, coming to sit down next to the brunette. "Do you want to talk about it? Is it the pain? You know I can heal you-."
"I'm fine Lissa," Rose interrupted. "It was just so sudden. I haven't dreamt of what happened for nearly a month."
"You know, you never did tell me why we had to leave so suddenly," Lissa said pushing a blanket into Rose's arms at the sight of a small shiver. She wrapped it around Rose, before continuing, "I just know that you were so heartbroken the first week after we left."
"I don't want to talk about it right now Liss," Rose whispered solemnly looking up at the sky. It was only safe to ski during the day, but some Moroi, like Lissa, preferred to still sleep during the day and be active during the night.
After a few moments of silence, Lissa sighed and got up. "Make sure to get some sleep, the party is tomorrow, or I guess later today." Rose nodded as Lissa went back into their room and drifted into deep thought. Unconsciously she felt her fingers slowly playing with the mark on her neck blade, the one that he had put there. It gave her shivers just to think about it.
This was one of the rare moments that Rose had alone to truly think about everything that had happened. She remembered every second she was in his presence, and she remembered when she had ran away with Lissa after nearly two years. When they had been taken back to the academy, Rose had been surprised when Dimitri Belikov, a Strigoi killing god, had stuck up for her and convinced Kirova to let her stay in the academy. The only condition was that she was to train with him at least once a day, but usually twice a day. They had really grown close during their sessions, almost as if he was the big brother she never had. He protected her and taught her everything she knew, which was why Rose was torn about Tasha Ozera.
Tasha Ozera was the aunt to Christian Ozera, Lissa's boyfriend, and had recently offered for Dimitri to be her guardian and to start a family together. She had never seen Dimitri so happy, but it hurt her to know that she would be losing him. The only one, besides Lissa, who had ever stuck up for her. She wanted Dimitri to be happy, to take the job, but Rose knew that it would mean losing him as a mentor, and maybe as a brother as well.
Then there was Mason, her best friend. Rose knew of the crush that he had on her, and it hurt her that she was never going to be able to return his feelings. She was too damaged by him to return any males feelings for her. She knew she would have to end it too, she couldn't keep pulling Mason along like that.
Finally there was Adrian, the guy she had met at the resort. He was fun and knew how to have a good time, but she didn't really know if a relationship with him was worth the risk of the wrath of him.
Rose sighed and shivered at the cold. She tightened the blanket around her shoulders in order to keep herself warm, but it was slowly becoming useless. Slowly, Rose stood up and walked back into the room, hoping for a few hours of peace.
But peace did not come.
I wanted to cry, I wanted to go into my room and sob until my body ran out of tears. That had been the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me, and I had gone through quite a few embarrassing things within my short life. My own mother, too, my own mother had shouted at me at the party! How could she? She had practically accused me of having sex with every single Moroi man that walked!
I slammed the door to my room shut and ripped the dress off of her body. Only when I had changed and sat down on my bed did I really start to calm down. Although, my peace was soon ruined when someone started knocking on her door.
I sighed and got up to answer it, not surprised when I saw Dimitri standing there with concern in his eyes. I let him in and he walked in, neither of us saying anything.
After moments of silence, I said, "My life is a disaster."
"It's not a disaster," he said automatically.
"Did you follow me from the party?" He nodded his head and I felt even more humiliated. "I might as well have been working a corner as far as she was concerned," I snapped.
"She's just looking out for you Roza," he said as he sat down next to my.
"She's overacting!"
"Sometimes mothers are supposed to be overprotective, Roza, it's just the way they are and your mother is no different," he replied calmly. I wanted to groan. How did he always make it seem like I was a child with his reasoning?
We sat there, for a few minutes, shrouded in silence. "Have you thought about it?" I asked lightly.
Dimitri gave me a confused look. "About your mother and you?"
I shook my head. "No, about Tasha's offer." He stayed silent. "I think you should take it," I finally whispered. "It's a really good chance for you."
He sighed lightly and wrapped his strong arm around my shoulders. "I don't know Roza, I want to, but there's still so much left for me to do at the academy."
My stomach tightened. "You shouldn't have to worry so much about me, not like this," I told him. "You can have a family, don't you want that?"
"I do, but I don't think now is the right time. I do have feelings for Tasha, but I can't rush them or force them, that wouldn't be fair to her, or me. Love isn't something that can develop after a few weeks of rekindling, Roza, she and I just need more time." At his words I thought about Mason.
Suddenly, I got up from my spot on my bed and slipped into a pair of black boots.
"Where are you going?" He asked in confusion.
I slipped on a black jacket and looked back at him. "To break someone's heart," I answered sadly. "You're right, about love, and I don't love Mason, not the way he wants me to. I can't hold him back like this."
Dimitri gave me a small smile. He got up from the bed and hugged me tightly. "You'll be a great guardian one day, Roza, and I'm not leaving until I make sure that that is what you will be."
I nodded and left my room, trusting that he would let himself out, and I made my way towards Mason's room. When I came face to face with his door, I started to feel even more nervous. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Rose?" I frowned. It wasn't Mason who had answered the door, but his roommate Shane. "What's up?"
"Is Mason in there?" I asked.
Shane shook his head. "I thought he was with you."
"What? I haven't seen him all day."
Shane frowned in confusion. "He was throwing some stuff in a bag earlier. I thought you guys were running off for some crazy romantic getaway or something." Shane yawned tiredly, reminding me of how 'late' it really was for them. It was nearly noon (midnight).
"Thanks Shane," I muttered before leaving. Why would Mason pack a bag? Where would he had gone? I took the elevator down to the lobby of the resort, thinking that maybe he had just gone camping with Eddie or something. I asked a few of the guardians, but none of them had seen anything, until I got to a guy named Alan.
I asked him if he had seen Mason and he nodded, but he didn't know where he was now. "I let him and Eddie Castile and, what's her name, the Rinaldi girl, out through the north gate and didn't see them after." My jaw dropped. He had just let them out!
"Why would you do that?" I demanded.
He shrugged. "They asked me to." He looked directly at me and it was then that I saw it, the happy glazed look in his eyes. Compulsion. Mia had compelled them out of the resort. Oh god, I thought.
Quickly, I got a map of the resort and looked at what was around the North gate. There wasn't much, but there was a small highway that led to a town a little ways a way. When I saw the name, my heart sunk. Spokane, the town where the Strigoi had been gathering, the one I had told Mason about after Dimitri told me.
I felt sick as the information sank in. I needed to tell someone, but then, what would be in store for Mason or Eddie or Mia? Eddie and Mason could get expelled and Mia suspended. No, this was my fault, I had to get them before anyone found out, but how the hell was I supposed to get out and stop them?
My mind when towards the only Moroi I really trusted, besides Lissa, and I ran across the resort to get to his room. I scrambled at the door and knocked on it hurriedly. When Christian finally opened the door, looking tired and grumpy, I could see that I had awoken him.
"Rose? Look, if you're here to apologize for Lissa-," he started, but I rolled my eyes and pushed my way inside the room.
"This has nothing to do with Lissa." Quickly I explained to him what had happened. "I would go myself, but-."
"But you can't get out without knocking some heads," he finished with a sigh. "Holy shit." He quickly got changed into his own clothing and went out to the North gate with me. I had tried to coach him on what do, but he quickly snapped at me saying that he didn't need any help with his compulsion.
I nearly snickered at his first try on the guard on duty, but it wasn't working. I started to become impatient and knocked the guardian on duty out. So much for the whole not making a scene, I thought to myself.
"Shit," Christian said, "you just assaulted a guardian." I rolled my eyes and went to walk through the gate, but before I could close it, Christian slipped through.
"What are you doing?" I demanded.
"I'm going with you," he stated calmly.
"What? No you're not! You don't need to get in any trouble over this."
Christian rolled his eyes. "Rose, he saw my face, when he wakes up he's going to tell so I'm going to get in trouble anyway!" He yelled back. I groaned before agreeing.
We started walking along the highway until some poor old couple stopped and gave us a lift. I was a little nervous about hitchhiking, but it was better for us, especially Christian. The sun had really started to take its toll on him.
The couple let us off in Spokane, and made sure to direct us to the nearest phone so that we could "call our parents". Only, when we got out I groaned in pain. Lissa was pulling at the bond, I could feel her anger and frustration and it was consuming her.
"Rose?" Christian asked in alarm. "What's wrong?"
"Lissa," I whispered before I got pulled into her head.
She was glaring at a group of guardians. "I now you want to protect them, but we need to know where they are." Oh god, it was Dimitri. He was kneeling in front of her (in our room) and was asking her questions about the five of us. Shit, I had hoped for more time, the sun had just barely begun to set.
"I told you," Lissa snapped. "I don't know. I don't know what happened." I could feel the frustration rolling off of her in waves. She was not only frustrated at Dimitri, but at Christian and me, why had we left without telling her? I knew it had been smart not to involve her with any of this.
It was my mother who spoke next. "I can't believe they wouldn't have told you where they were going. Especially with your bond."
"It only works one way," Lissa snapped back. "You both know that."
Dimitri sighed and raked a hand through his shoulder length hair. "Are you sure there's nothing? Nothing at all you can tell us? They're nowhere in town. The man at the bus station hadn't seen them. We need something, anything to go on."
Man at the bus station? Huh, guess it was luck that the couple had been nice enough to drive Christian and me all the way to Spokane.
"Don't you think if I knew, I'd tell you? You don't think I'm worried about them too? I have no idea where they are. None. And why'd they even leave, it doesn't make any sense either. Especially why they'd go with Mia, of all people!"
I was snapped out of it by Christian shaking my shoulder. "Rose? You okay?"
I nodded my head and looked ahead of us. We were in a plaza like area with quite a few people in it, for the time of day it was. "You think if we acted like Strigoi they would just appear and stake us?"
Christian snorted at that and shook his head. We walked through the plaza and searched everywhere with no sign of them. The sun had already started to set and I was getting more nervous by the second. "What if they already went back?" He asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know, maybe we're just in the wrong place?"
Christian put his hand out to stop me from walking. I grunted and glared in frustration. "Oh my god, what I wouldn't give to have a camera right now." He pointed and I followed his finger until I saw what he saw, my mouth dropped. They were all huddled around a table in the food court, and they looked absolutely miserable.
When Christian started laughing, I smacked him upside the head, making him grunt. "Come on," I glared, stalking towards the table. Thank god, it looked like their little mission had ended in a failure. None of them noticed me until I slapped Eddie upside the head much like I had with Christian.
"Ouch!" He yelped before looking up. Immediately his face paled. "R-Rose? What are you doing here?"
"Are you three fucking out of your minds?" I snapped quietly, trying not to draw attention to us. "You could have gotten killed, not to mention how much trouble we're all in back at the resort!"
"How the hell did you find us?" Mason asked, glancing around at the setting sun.
"You aren't exactly masterminds Mason," I snapped back. "It's a good thing that you apparently didn't find anything on this pointless little stunt of yours."
"Stunt? It isn't pointless," Mia growled at me. "Why are you so against this? Isn't killing Strigoi what you're training for in the first place? They killed my mother, and the guardians did shit about it." She suddenly got quiet. "Besides, there weren't any in the tunnels, probably none in the entire city."
I rolled my eyes, but calmed down. I could understand Mia's need for revenge, but this way was the stupidest way to achieve that revenge. "Come on, we're going home," I said.
Mason stood up and faced me, I really hated how he was taller than me. "We are doing one last search of the city, Rose, even you can't stop us from doing that."
I glared back. "No, but maybe the guardians will when I call them."
Mason took a step back, looking as if he had been slapped. "You would really sell us out like that?" He asked in a hurt voice.
"This isn't about selling you out Mason, this is about getting back alive."
"So what, you think we're defenseless?" Mia asked. "You think we'd get killed right away."
Oh god, "Yes." Mason sighed and glared at me with hate in his eyes making me flinch.
Christian held up his hands. "Look guys, we didn't come here to get you in trouble or anything, we just came because we wanted to make sure you were okay. Rose, let's just get a look at the tunnels, I picked up a time schedule while we were looking, the next bus back to town doesn't even leave for another hour. Another hour and the sun would have set, we would be sitting ducks.
Everyone looked at me. I sighed, "Fine, but we are leaving on that bus." Everyone nodded and Eddie and Mason and Mia started leading us the tunnels that they had found. The pulled us into the entrance and held up a flashlight.
"See," Mia said, "There's nothing here." I nodded and kept walking until black writing caught my attention. It was odd, the walls being painted some sort of green color. I paused and took a flashlight to look at it. It was a list of letters.
D
B
C
O
T
D
V
L
D
Z
S
I
I frowned in confusion. Some of the letters had "X"'s next to them and lines through them. Looking at the letters, a realization dawned on me and I felt sick. Oh my god. "We need to leave," I stated looking at Mason's watch. Shit, the sun had probably already set.
"Rose, what's wrong?" Christian asked.
I just shook my head and pushed him to leave. "I'll explain later, but we have to leave now!" Mason must've seen that I as kidding because he nodded and started leading us out of the tunnels. We came out of an unfamiliar place and I cursed.
"How do we get to the bus station from here?" Mia asked. I wanted to slap her. We had been in such a rush that we had exited through a different exit then the one we came in.
"Come on," I said. "Forget the bus, we need to get cover somehow." We walked through the night at a quick pace, keeping our eyes opened. It wasn't until I heard someone scream that I turned around. My eyes widened when I saw a man holding Mia by the throat.
The man was tall, pale, but didn't have red eyes. I frowned. Humans? "Well, well, well, look who we have here fellows." I took notice of the three other humans that were now surrounding us. Suddenly a large white van pulled up on the street next to us. "Get in the van, and she," he gestured to Mia, "doesn't get hurt." I growled at him. He just smirked towards me. "Feisty little thing, aren't you?" He asked. "John, why don't you shut her up?" I gasped as something smacked my head. I heard someone yell out something, but as I fell to my knees, I sunk in unconsciousness.
"Come to me mon petite ange," a voice whispered out to me. "Come to me." The voice was soothing, calling to me. His figure was shrouded in darkness, but his voice made me step closer and closer to him. "Mon petite ange," he whispered into my ear. Strong arms pulled into a solid surface and I felt fire dancing across my skin. "I am coming for you mon petite ange, soon, and we shall be together again."
My eyes fluttered shut as I felt his breath on my skin. "E-E-," I moaned out. He started to hum a soft tune in my ears making me slump into his form.
"Soon mon petite," he whispered.
My head hurt as I was pulled out of my dream. I had jumped up so fast that my head spun, making me see black spots across my vision. I went to rub my head, but something had bond my hands together. I groaned in place and looked down. My hands were tied to a chair by zip ties.
Looking around the unfamiliar room, I saw that it was a pure white room with no windows or doors that I could see, with fluorescent bulbs flickering every now and then.
Suddenly, images rushed through me and my eyes widened. The humans. Oh god.
"So Sleeping Beauty awakens." My eyes snapped to the voice that had said it and immediately the blood drained from my face. It was a Strigoi. I felt sick to my stomach; a real, live, Strigoi. I looked to my side and saw Mason and Eddie sitting right next to me, but Christian and Mia were sitting across from us. "I'm so sorry that you missed the introductions sweetheart," the Strigoi cooed. "I am Isaiah." He walked to me and smirked. "You just missed it also, your friends seem quite sincere on not turning."
My eyes widened. They wanted Christian and Mia to turn?
Christian growled weakly. "I'd rather die first," he snapped.
Isaiah sighed and waved his hand. "It is easy to be so brave when you aren't hungry. Go a few days, and these three right here will look better than a thanksgiving feast." Christian just continued to glare. "What? Don't believe me?" Isaiah smirked. "Then let me prove it."
He walked over to us and eyed each of us.
The scenarios were rushing through my head, and I thought back to my dreams. No, I couldn't, I couldn't say anything. I would only be trapped again if I said anything.
"Awe, what's the matter sweetheart? Feeling a little queasy?" Isaiah chuckled as he walked over to me. His pale fingers curled into my hair and roughly pulled my head back, making me grunt in pain. Oh god, I suddenly realized how little of my neck my sweater covered. If it was pushed back anymore, he would see the mark.
I stiffened as I felt his fingers trace the curve of my neck and, against my minds wishes, I gasped as his hand got closer to the mark. This made Isaiah smirk. "My, my, you want to be fed off of, don't you?" He chuckled pulling my sweater away. Suddenly, his hand froze. I squeezed my eyes shut as I knew what he had found. He had found the mark.
He was silent for a few moments.
"My God," he whispered, tracing the symbol on my neck. Slowly, I opened my eyes. He let go of my hair and stumbled back a few steps. The others were looking at me in confusion, not seeing or understanding what Isaiah saw. "It's you."
I looked down at my feet after seeing the look in Isaiah's eyes. He genuinely looked frightened for a moment. I would be to if I had damaged what belonged to him.
Before I could react, Isaiah reached over snapped the flex-cuffs off of me. I tried to use this to kick or punch him, but he easily blocked my weakened attacks and dragged me towards a door that had been behind me. I heard the others yell out for me, but Isaiah clamped his one hand around my mouth and his other around my torso, keeping me immobilized.
I was still weak from being knocking out, but I still struggled within his grasp. He led me up the stairs and into a parlor room before kicking down another door and pushing me into it. I fell the ground and rushed to get up.
"You will stay here," he growled, "While I make some phone calls. Oh, and don't try escaping. The glass is practically bulletproof and I will know if you leave the room." He slammed the door shut, making me flinch at the sound. I heard the sounds of something locking, and sure enough, when I rushed to open the door, I found that it was locked.
I turned around to look at the room. It was a large room with a large bed and a vanity on its sides. There was a bookshelf on the right side of the room right next to the only window. Immediately, I ran to it and pulled the curtains from it. It was still night, but that didn't stop me from trying to open it.
It wouldn't. I then tried to break it with a chair by the vanity.
That didn't work either.
I slammed on it with my fists, but the damn window wouldn't budge. Tears of frustration stung my eyes as I screamed, collapsing onto the floor. I wasn't an idiot. I knew who Isaiah was calling, or at least who would find out I was here. I wrapped my arms around my knees as I tried to keep it all together.
I don't know how long I just sat there, but the next thing I knew, a beam of sunlight hit my face. I flinched at the sudden light and looked out of the window. The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon. How long had we been here?
How long before he was here?
Suddenly the door slammed open, making me jump. In walked Isaiah and another female Strigoi. She was medium height with striking red hair. She was holding a bag of some sort and looked at me in curiosity. "Is that-?" She asked.
"Yes," Isaiah answered immediately. "It is her Elena." I scrambled to my feet and scooted closer to the window, to the sunlight. While it was still weak, I was hoping it was enough to stop them from coming near me. Isaiah just rolled his eyes and sped over to me, pushed me away from the window, and pushed the curtains back, before I could even blink. He hissed lightly, and I watched as the burns from his skin slowly started to heal. "Get her washed up and dressed Elena," Isaiah ordered. "I do not know how long it will be until he gets the message."
Elena's eyes sparkled. "Of course." I watched Isaiah as he left the room, leaving only me and this Elena. She smiled, in a sarcastic way, and walked over to the bed, putting the bag down. "There is a bathroom in here," she pointed to a door. "Take a shower and freshen up, we have to make you look presentable for when he gets here."
"And if I refuse?" I demanded crossing my arms. Hey, I might be in deep shit, but I would still go down Rose-Hathaway-Style.
Elena smirked. "If you don't do it on your one, then I will compel you to be still and I will wash you. Now, which one will you prefer?" She offered the bag to me.
I glared at her, but took the bag and stalked into the bathroom. I didn't take much care in scrubbing my body. I just wanted to be done as soon as possible. It wasn't until I exited that I realized that Elena had been in my room. She had taken my old clothes, leaving only the thing she had brought for me. I sighed before picking it up out of the bag. My stomach dropped.
It was a dress with a white corset-like top, only the sleeves didn't stay on my shoulder no matter how much I tried (they just kept falling off), with a black flowing skirt that went to my ankles and a black belt around my waste. In the bag was a pair of black panties. It was exactly the kind of thing that I used to wear, when I was with him.
Slowly, I opened the door, hoping that Elena had left. Instead, she was sitting at the vanity. Immediately, she rushed to me and pushed me into the chair. I gasped in surprise when she started blow drying my hair, and then curling it. "What are you doing?!" I snapped.
"Trying to make you look presentable for him," she snapped back. "The better it will be for Isaiah and me if it looks like we took care of our Mistress." I flinched into silence at the word. Queen. Just the word made me feel sick.
I was silent as she did the rest of my hair. She only curled it and then handed me a mascara wand before she left. Sighing, I applied the small amount of makeup and then curled myself up on the bed. It was pointless. The more time that went by, the more I knew that he was coming. I couldn't escape him this time.
~-xXx-~
Somewhere, a Strigoi ran through the hallways of an old castle. He held a phone, one of the only pieces of technology in the castle, and sprinted towards the Master's quarters. He stopped outside of the room and straightened himself out to look presentable.
He had only been a Strigoi for a short amount of time, merely three years, yet he had somehow managed to make his way into the castle of all places!
Slowly, he knocked on the grand doors, waiting for permission to enter. Those who entered without permission would soon find themselves without a head.
"Enter." The Strigoi opened the door and entered as gracefully as he could. His eyes widened at the sight of the Master's quarters. It was a spectacular sight to see, and it nearly made him forget that he was in the presence of the Master.
He suddenly gasped as he felt himself being pushed up the wall by his neck. His eyes widened as he saw Aleksander, the Master's most trusted advisor, glaring at him. "If you have come to ogle, mousier, then you have picked the wrong moment to do so."
"P-Please," the boy struggled to say the words. "I have brought news of the Mistress." He saw Aleksander's eyes widen and his grip tightened.
"If you have come to play games," he started.
"Let him down Alek," a gruff voice interrupted. While still glaring, Aleksander let his hand fall, making the young Strigoi fall to the ground. The young one looked up, eyes wide at the sight of the Master before him. Immediately, he bowed his head in respect, waiting to be addressed. "Speak boy," the Master demanded.
At the command in his voice, the boy held out the phone. "Word has spread throughout the regional Kings of America and Canada, Master. The Mistress had been found."
"Where?" Aleksander demanded.
"Spokane, Washington, sir," the boy said. "She is being held by two Strigoi whom are residents there."
The young Strigoi's eyes widened when he felt a small coin being slipped into his hand. Upon the coin was the crest of the Master. "Thank you boy, now leave us." The boy nodded and quickly slipped away from the room.
Aleksander slipped a hand through his messy blond hair, turning to look at his old friend.
"Prepare the plane Alek," the Master spat the word. Truly, he hated today's technology.
Alek's eyes widened. "You are leaving the castle?"
"It is time to retrieve mon petite ange, Alek, and this time I am never letting go of her."
The fire was hotter, the music was softer and more seductive than I remember it being. Soft hands caressed my shoulders, making me melt into a hard chest. Even without looking, I knew it was him.
I moaned as his lips gently caressed my neck. His hands moved from my shoulders to one being on the opposite side of my neck and to my waist. "E-."
"You left me mon petite," he whispered into my skin. His arms tightened around me as he spoke, pulling me even closer to him. "But it is no matter, I am coming for you now, and you shall never leave again."
I gasped and jumped up. Looking around, I saw that I was still in that god forsaken room. I ran to the window and ripped the curtains off to see that the sun was higher in the sky now. It must've been early noon or something like that.
I stumbled away from the window and walked towards the door. Just as my hand was about to grasp the handle, the handle went down. I jumped away as the door opened to reveal Elena standing behind it. She smirked at me.
"Did you enjoy your nap?" She asked with that smirk planted on her face. I just glared back in response. She held up a tray for me to see. "I thought our Mistress might be hungry." At her words my stomach growled. I snatched the tray away from her and opened the dome on top. Inside was a plate of steak and mashed potatoes. I rolled my eyes at the extravagance of the dish but dug in.
It was like heaven in my mouth. It was delicious. I didn't even remember the last time I had eaten. Was it that dinner party that I had gone to with Lissa?
Suddenly a wave of cold ice rushed over me. Lissa. Oh god, what was happening to the other's downstairs? I had been so caught up in what was going to happen to me that I didn't know of what was happening to them. Some friend I was.
"What is happening to my friends?" I demanded, glaring at her.
Her smirk didn't leave her face. "I have to admit, those Moroi are stronger than Isaiah and I gave them credit for, but sooner or later their hunger will get the best of them. One of them will turn, and soon." Her words made my blood boil.
"Leave them alone," I growled, glaring at her.
She just laughed. "And why should I do that?"
I pushed the tray away from me and stood up to face her. "If you don't let them go, I will tell him about how I was brought here, how your precious Isaiah was going to bite me, and I don't think you want your Master to know about those things, do you?"
Her smirk fell from her face and she paled, if that was even possible. "You wouldn't."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I would."
Elena growled before leaving my room and slamming the door shut, I heard a click, signally the lock and I slumped back down on the bed.
~-xXx-~
Isaiah was starting to get frustrated with the Moroi. He had underestimated their hunger and it was starting to get on his nerves. He had left the humans to watch the Moroi and Dhampirs while he could drink to calm himself down. He had just finished draining the maid of the house when Elena ran into the room.
He frowned at her paler than normal face. "What is it Elena?" He asked, almost bored. Already he regretted turning her. She was just a means to an end really, a partner, but she had become so child-like and dependent on him that it annoyed him.
"It's the girl," she paused, "she's demanding that we let her little friends in the basement go, or she will get tell the Master that you almost bit her and that one of your humans hurt her." Isaiah's eyes widened.
The little bitch. He growled and shoved the body of the maid away from him. He knew of the wrath of the Master, but he had never seen it, only heard the stories. He would first starve the person before, very slowly, chocking the life of them and letting them hang in the sunlight. It was a horrible way to die by their standards.
Slowly, he stomped down the stairs towards the basement, towards the room. The second he entered, all four eyes snapped to him. He could see the hunger and desperation radiating off of the two Moroi, but the glared at him nonetheless. The red headed Dhampir glared as well, but the blond one was still loopy from the last time he had bit the boy. He looked at each of them before growling again.
The Master had a temper, one that was not to be tested, and these few Moroi and Dhampirs were not worth his life. "Blindfold them and take them to the bus station," he ordered the humans, "leave them there and then come back immediately, do you understand?" The humans nodded and took sacks and started to put them over the struggling children's heads.
He lost a potential Strigoi today, but his life was worth more to him than that.
~-xXx-~
I laid awake on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I didn't know what time it was, but the sun would be setting soon, that much I knew.
Time was slowly running out for me.
~-xXx-~
Christian coughed and groaned the hood over his head was removed and he was pushed out of the van. Immediately, the van sped off as soon as Mia fell to the ground. Mason was already helping Eddie up, who was still grinning stupidly from the last bite. Mia got up and brushed the dirt from her jeans and looked in the direction of the speeding car.
"Why did they let us go?" She whispered. "What happened to Rose?"
That was the question that lingered on all of their minds. None of them had seen what that Strigoi had seen, but something set the creature off. For nearly a day they hadn't heard from Rose, or anything about her. They didn't know if she was alive, if she was dead, or if she was one of them now. It made Christian want to scream at the three. It was because of them that he and Rose had come after them.
Now she was gone, and they didn't know what had happened to her.
"What do we do now?" Mason questioned.
Christian sighed. "Mia, compel us some bus tickets back to town by the resort. Mason, make sure that Eddie gets some water in him and make sure that there aren't any wandering Strigoi."
"What are you going to do?" Mia asked softly.
He groaned and took out some coins from his pocket. He had left them in these pants after wearing them earlier yesterday before going to bed. "I'm going to call the guardians."
~-xXx-~
The sun had finally set, and I knew that it was getting close. If he wasn't here already, he would be any minute from now, and I had done something that I had never done before.
I gave up.
I laid there, on the bed, and stared at the dark sky out of the window, thinking. I thought about what he would do to me when he got here. Would he put me back under his spell? Would he hurt me? I honestly didn't know when it came to him. He was unpredictable and enchanting. Although I guess I knew that when I had first met him.
-One Month after escaping the Academy-
Lissa looked around in fear. She was clutching her unconscious friend's as tightly as she could as the car kept moving. She glanced around at the other people in the car and cringed as their red eyes stared back at her. It was all her fault. She had wanted to get something other than McDonalds to eat for dinner, wanted something more sufficient, but Rose had said that it was only safe, but no, Lissa had none of that. She compelled Rose to take her to an actual restaurant to get some real food. As they left, after compelling their check away, they had suddenly been surrounded by Strigoi. Rose fought as hard as she could, but eventually one Strigoi got too close and hit her upside the head, making her go unconscious.
They had loaded them on a plane and then into a car, yet Rose had yet to wake up yet. Lissa had no idea where they were going, and she didn't really want to find out.
"Ugh," Lissa suddenly looked down when she felt Rose stir next to her. "Liss?" She slurred.
"Oh Rose," Lissa gasped out, hugging her friend tightly to her. "I'm so sorry Rose, I shouldn't have been selfish, I'm so sorry."
"Where are we?" Rose whispered, sitting up.
The Strigoi that was sitting across from the two girls in the limo smirked. "Bonjour mademoiselle, I trust your rest was pleasant." Rose snapped up into a defensive mode, putting her arm in front of Lissa. The Strigoi had messy blond hair that was tied by a ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Please there is no reason to be alarmed. I am Aleksander."
"What do you want from us?" Rose growled.
Aleksander smirked. "I am taking you to see the Master, of course."
Both Rose and Lissa frowned. The Master? Who the hell was the Master?
Unfortunately, they were about to find out. The limo came to a halt and Aleksander immediately exited the car, holding his hand out to help out the two girls out of the car. Rose glared and got down without his help, rubbing her temple as she did. She was hoping that there would be a chance for them to run, but her eyes widened at the sight before them.
It was a large castle, like the one that a King would live in. "You'll have to excuse me, mademoiselles, but the Master does not appreciate modern day things." Both girls turned to Aleksander as he handed them each a bag. Inside was a dress. "You'll have to change."
Lissa nodded her head obediently, but Rose through the bag down. "And if I don't?" She snapped. "You'll what? Kill me?"
Aleksander smirked. He liked this girl's fire. "No, Elizabeth, dear?" A female Strigoi appeared next to him. "If you would be so kind." The Strigoi nodded and forced Rose into the castle, and into a nearby room. She compelled Rose to sit still as she changed her into a red dress that looked like it was taken from the 1800s.
Once this was done, the Strigoi led her back to a different room, a much larger room. Rose's jaw dropped at the sight of it. It was huge!
"Thank you Elizabeth." Rose was snapped back into attention when Aleksander, who was now dressed in 1800s attire, took her arm and led her deeper into the room. The moment she saw Lissa, Rose tore his way from the Strigoi's grip and ran to her friend. Lissa was wearing a dress similar to her own, but green, and was sitting on a vintage couch in the center of the library like room.
Lissa sobbed and wrapped her arms around Rose. "They haven't hurt you have they?" Rose asked. Lissa shook her head but kept crying.
"Please stop with the tears child," a soft voice called out. Immediately, Lissa's sobs ended as they both looked up. They had been in a study of sorts, surrounded by books, and standing on one of the ladders was a figure. Slowly, the figure stepped down from the ladder, his feet softly touching the floor. Both Rose and Lissa found themselves enchanted by this figure as it stepped closer to them.
This figure was a man. He was tall, definitely over six foot tall, with a wide frame that suggested a muscular build underneath his clothing. He wore a loose white shirt with a V-neck that showed his chest, from the 1800s, and a black coat over it with black pants, where his hands were supposed to be was a pair of jet black gloves. He had jet black hair that was slicked back away from his face, but what was strange though was that his skin was pale, but tanned more than a Strigoi's and his eyes were a stunning shade of green.
He smiled down at the girls as he towered over them. "Welcome to my home Miss Dragomir and Miss Hathaway. I must say I have been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time now."
His voice was enchanting, it hypnotized both girl's. "W-Who are you? What do you want?" Rose asked softly, her words slurring ever so lightly.
The man smirked lightly at Rose, her mind faltering as he set his gaze on her.
"Why, to protect you two of course. You are both very special girls petite ange," he cooed. He offered a hand to her, "Please, come." She found herself reaching out for his gloved hand, despite her mind telling her not to. He lifted her up from the couch and brought her into his arms. Slowly, he pulled her hair back from her neck and leaned his mouth down to her skin. She shivered at the contact.
"Master?" Aleksander questioned, surprised by his Master's actions.
"Take Vasilisa to a chamber, make sure she has everything she desires," the man said, still holding Rose to him tightly.
Alek bowed, "Of course." Lissa gasped as she was suddenly pulled away from the enchantment that was the mysterious figure. She yelled Rose's name, but the girl didn't reply as the man led her down to a stair case, both of them disappearing before her very eyes.
~-xXx-~
The guardians had been waiting for the four missing students by the time the bus from Spokane got there. Lissa had somehow managed to convince the guardians, without compulsion, to let her come and rushed to Christian the moment she saw him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and sobbed into his shoulder.
Christian immediately wrapped his arms around her as well, murmuring, "I'm sorry," over and over again. The guardians rushed to the others, helping them to the cars. Two of them carried Eddie away from Mason and Mia towards one of the cars while Mia was being given a blood bag.
Slowly, Lissa let go of Christian as Dimitri and Janine came up to them. Christian felt guilt invade him. On the phone, he had not told them what happened to Rose, that she was gone. "Where is Rose?" It was Lissa who was the first to notice.
"How did you all escape?" Dimitri asked.
Christian looked down. "We don't know what happened," he whispered softly. "Isaiah, uh, the Strigoi was trying to get us to turn, he was going to bite Rose, but something happened and he took her away. Then a day later, he released us. We don't know why."
They all froze, all for different reasons. Janine thought her daughter was dead, Dimitri thought that she had been turned, but only Lissa knew the truth, and she had a suspicion of what that Strigoi would've seen that would have caused this.
The Master's mark, it was the only thing that would stop a Strigoi from doing anything. She remembered when Rose had gotten her mark.
Rose showed the new mark on her neck with a small giggle in her throat. Lissa frowned as she looked at it. The mark was like a tattoo, a small black mask within a circle. It was simple, and confusing for Lissa, but for Rose, it meant the world.
"What does it mean?" Lissa asked.
"It means that no Strigoi can ever touch me again. None but him," Rose whispered. It had nearly been three months since they had arrived at the castle. True to the man's word, Lissa had everything she could ever desire. Nice clothes, entertainment (despite his grumbles about technology), and she was safe from going crazy like Ms. Karp. The only consequence, though, was that she barely saw Rose. She was always with him, the Master. "Oh Liss, it's amazing," she whispered. "Every night he sings to me, and he had even begun to teach me to sing."
Lissa didn't know how far Rose had fallen under the man's spell, she smiled at her friend. "You seem happy Rose," she said.
Rose nodded. "I am Liss, so happy." Somewhere in the castle, the large bells rang and Rose stood. "I must return to him now Lissa," she said smiling.
Lissa smiled as her friend walked out the door, but frowned the moment she left. Something was happening, she just didn't know what exactly.
Lissa shook her head back and forth as she stepped back. "No," she whispered. "No, no, no, no!" She went to the first person she could reach, which was Mason, and started hitting him. "Why, why, why would you take her with you?!" She screamed.
Everyone was frozen in shock at her actions. Lissa was known to be kind and gentle, yet here she was hitting Mason. Mason tried to block her, but he was took weak and stumbled back. "We didn't know she and Christian would come after us Liss, we didn't think-."
Lissa was now sobbing. "No, you didn't think, and now, thanks to you, she is back with him. Probably under his spell as we speak, you idiot!"
Dimitri was the first to recover and took the princess off of Mason. Everyone looked confused at her words.
"Princess, what do you mean?" Alberta asked gently. Lissa sobbed in Dimitri's arms, struggling to breath.
"Him!" She cried out. "The Master! He will come and put her under his spell again!"
This only furthered their confusion. "Master?" Dimitri asked. "Master of what?"
"Master of the Strigoi!"
~-xXx-~
She had been sleeping when they arrived. Aleksander got out of the limo while one of the guards opened the door for the Master, who had stayed in the back during the journey. The Master looked up at the house in front of him, the house where his petite ange was. He wore a white buttoned up shirt with a black jacket over it with black slacks. It was his typical style, with his black scarf around his neck and black gloves and his cape. In his pocket, though, was an object that was burning through every fiber of his being.
The front door opened and the Master watched as two Strigoi exited the home, coming to greet him. The male immediately bowed his head while the female just stared at him, earning a glare from Aleksander.
"Master," the man greeted. "I am Isaiah and this is my companion Elena," he introduced them. "I will have to apologize for Elena's behavior in advance my Master, for she is quite new to this-." He stopped as the Master held up his hand.
When the Strigoi was silent, he lowered his hand. "Take me to her," he said calmly.
Isaiah nodded and walked back into the house with Elena. The Master motioned for his guards to stay where they were as he and Aleksander entered the house. They followed the two younglings up a set of stairs and towards a room. Isaiah took a key out from his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it for the Master to enter.
When Isaiah went to follow, Aleksander grabbed his shoulder with his hand, motioning for the two to go downstairs, to leave the Master with the Mistress.
The Master shut the door and took off his cape, letting it lie on the floor, as he stepped closer to the bed. She was lying underneath the dark brown duvet, eyes shut. He could hear her heartbeat, and he shut his eyes to appreciate the familiarity of its thumping. He took off his gloves next, letting his fingers feel the softness of her skin.
Her body stirred lightly, unconsciously pushing herself closer to him. He smiled as he sat down on the bed next to her and stroked her cheek. She sighed in her sleep and pushed her cheek farther into his palm.
Slowly, as to not disturb her, he leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. The feeling of her skin underneath his lips made him smile. At last, his mon petite ange was with him again, where she belonged. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the burning object, a small diamond ring encased in other diamonds. He gently took her hand in his own and slipped it upon her ring finger, kissing her hand as he went.
Once the ring was where it should be, he leaned down and kissed her, on the lips this time. He felt her stir underneath him again, only this time he heard her heart flutter. He pulled back, smiling as he saw her dark chocolate irises staring back at him in surprise.
He leaned down and kissed her again. "Mon petite ange," he whispered against her lips. "I said I would come to you, did I not?" He kissed her again, reveling in the way her heart would flutter. "You are mine," he growled, remembering her running away. "Say it, and I shall perhaps forgive you mon petite."
She sat up, and him with her, as she stared into his eyes. He took her hand in his again and placed it on his cheek, sighing at the feeling. Her eyelids fluttered as she became enchanted by his touch once again. He then took his hand and placed it on her neck, letting his finger run over his mark.
"Say it," he demanded.
~-xXx-~
Christian and Dimitri had finally gotten Lissa to calm down enough to explain what exactly was happening. "Liss," Christian whispered. "Please, babe, tells us what you mean."
She sobbed once more before chocking out her answer. "We didn't just hide from the guardians for two years," she whispered. "After a month on the run, I got selfish and wanted something better than Rose was offering. We got taken by Strigoi, but we weren't killed."
Alberta frowned in confusion. "Why?"
Lissa shrugged. "I still don't know. We were taken somewhere, I don't know where exactly, but there was a large castle and it was there that we met the Master."
Lissa yelled for Rose, watching as the man pulled down a set of stairs, but she was already being pulled by Aleksander, the blond Strigoi, away from the library. She tried to struggle against him, but he was too strong for her. "Please," she sobbed. "Take me, not her."
"It is not my decision, child," Aleksander whispered. "The Master will chose who he wishes."
She shook her head. "Master? What do you mean?"
Aleksander sighed. "The Master was the first Strigoi to ever be created, he is different than the others, but all Strigoi somehow are linked to him. He is stronger than the rest of us, faster, he does not burn in the sunlight, his eyes are not red, and he cannot be killed by fire, decapitation, or by a silver stake. He is the ruler of our kind."
Lissa's eyes widened. A Strigoi that couldn't be killed?
"You see, in each region or so, there is a King, if you will, that rules over the area. The Master resides over all of the Strigoi around the word. His word is final, his word is the law."
"But why did he take her?"
Aleksander stopped the both of them and opened a door, gesturing for her to enter. "She is his now, that is all that matters."
"He took her, kept her under some sort of spell," Lissa continued. "I barely saw her while we were there, she was always with him."
"How did you escape?" Christian asked, holding her to him tightly.
Lissa shrugged.
-One month before the Academy found them-
Lissa jumped as the door to her opened suddenly. Her jaw dropped when she saw Rose standing there in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Rose?" She asked.
Rose tossed her a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a pair of sneakers. "We need to leave, now," she whispered frantically. "Take as much as you can carry." Lissa was quick to obey Rose, changing into the clothing and taking a few essentials from the room. Rose then took her hand and led her into the hallway, which was void of any Strigoi, which was weird, there were almost always Strigoi wandering about.
"Rose? What's wrong?" Lissa asked again.
Rose just shook her head and pushed on the large doors, making them open. Quickly, the two slipped into the daylight towards a car. Rose pushed Lissa into the passenger before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car.
"Rose?"
Rose didn't answer, she just drove them away from the castle.
Lissa glared at Mason again. "She's gone, he'll never let her go like that again. Never."
~-xXx-~
She gasped softly as he pressed down on his mark. She looked up into his eyes, the enchantment that she had felt so long ago fluttered within her chest, it made her mind go numb to everything around her but him, he was all that mattered now. Her brown meeting his green as she whispered, "I am yours, Erik."
He smiled and took her in his arms, pressing her against him. He appreciated her attire, it gave him access to her neck and shoulders. Her eyelids fluttered shut once again as he placed his lips around her neck.
She was his once again.