Dimitri's POV

"Are you really worried for me, comrade?" Rose asked, egotistically.

" Roza… this is a huge raid, don't take it lightly you may be the best young guardian, but even the best fall sometimes." I said matter of factly. I studied my sweet roza, I would never know how to go on if I lost her; in fact I probably wouldn't be able to.

She chuckled, oh her lovely laugh.. " I don't need your Zen lessons, Dimitri." Her captain yelled for them to follow him into the cave, "I love you, comrade, see you soon." She kissed me deeply, yet quickly. I watched her run into the cave, not yet realizing it would be the last time I would see her alive.

Rose's POV (most of the story will be Rose)

Kick, Punch, Jump, Duck, Run It's what I'd been trained to do my whole life, and those 5 simple commands hadn't failed me yet. I was in a massive cave, Strigoi headquarters of some sort. No one could understand how that many could stay together for so long.

I had no idea either, when Dimitri had kidnapped me after becoming Strigoi, even he couldn't get along with the others. Dimitri… The only light I could think about seeing at the end of this tunnel. Dimitri was outside with the others, waiting for a signal to either come help or retreat.

I had killed around 5 Strigoi already, but there were too many for us. Where were the others? I looked around, stunned when I found I was the only guardian left alive. I hadn't known any of the ones killed personally, but it didn't matter they were my family; all of them. The yelling of commands echoed from the front of the cave to me…"Their all dead, we have to go. There's too many." No I'm still here!… I couldn't escape 10 or more Strigoi attacking me… the commands were about to become a reality. Not even the famous Rose Hathaway could escape 10 Strigoi by herself. The bite marks came quickly, these weren't like when Lissa had fed on me… these were meant to hurt, and They did… before I could even scream the world went black.

I didn't know how long it had been since I blacked out, but I suspected it had been a while seeing that I was somewhere new. As I opened my eyes I expected to see half my body torn off… or something similar. Instead I was whole, but not just whole I had no marks, scratches, or bones sticking out. Then it hit me, I was pale…chalky pale.

"N…o, g-g-od no, this can't be" I stuttered loudly. Was I a Strigoi? I didn't feel any different… in fact I felt just like I had before. To confirm if I was truly Strigoi I ran up to the nearest mirror, only to find no one staring back. I felt liquid on my face…it was tears only they weren't watery, they were bloody.

I had never seen a Strigoi cry, and maybe they weren't suppose to. The only different I felt was a strong thirst…I still felt love for my family, friends, and lovers, was this normal? Dimitri was so different when he was changed.

Snapping back into reality, I remembered I hadn't woken up where I had fallen. Taking in my surroundings I saw mostly cheap and terribly used furniture, the walls were dingy and the door was open.

Slowly I crept toward the door thinking someone might be waiting for me…my senses though were incredible, everything was different; better. Yet deep inside I could tell it was wrong, all wrong. Once again I had never met a Strigoi who knew they were a terrible creature, or better yet wanted to go back to their former ways.

"Hello rose…" a chilling voice said.

I had my battle stance ready, waiting for someone to come charging at me any second… "Who's there."

A Strigoi equally as terrifying as his voice stepped inside the room, "I'm your mentor."

I stood there a bit stunned I didn't think Strigoi had mentors… was this some sort of cruel game? "Don't bull shit me, Strigoi don't have mentors." I spat at him.

I could see anger flare up in his eyes, "Don't start shit with me, bitch. Ever since the Strigoi realized our numbers were going down, we decided to train you like guardians do. Therefore I'm your mentor, but don't think I'll be even close to as friendly as the fucking guardians at your old school. You may have been a great addition to the Strigoi, but you'll start out small and work your way up." He said matter of factly. "Go outside, we are starting now."

Sadness was starting to overwhelm me, I didn't want this not at all. This mentor wasn't comrade, I knew he would beat me till I did things correctly, and even when I was right I had a feeling it wouldn't be any different.

My theories were correct, I was so cut and bruised I felt like I was going to collapse. I could hear laughter outside the hall from my mentor talking about the fun of torture.

I laid on the distraught bed, wondering when Dimitri was going to storm in like a bad ass and get me out of here. He would, right? I had for him… he was going to I tried to tell myself, but somehow I wasn't sure.

If I had been allowed outside the grounds of this Strigoi layer, I would've gotten out myself. The Strigoi never let me out though , knowing I would find my way back to becoming a dhampir again.

… That had been two years ago. Dimitri never came. No one ever came. Eventually I stopped hoping, wishing, and even praying they would come. I continued my training to being a Strigoi those two years, and now I was one of the best Strigoi out there.

Did I like being a Strigoi? Of course not, and in a way I was only half one, I still had my mind. I also had a cold blooded killer in there too.

Because not being allowed out, no one knew of me. I red somewhere "Rose Hathaway, a tragedy that happened to soon." They had a funeral for me, about a year ago. Maybe that's why Dimitri never came, but in his shoes I would have searched because there had been no body of mine to bury. I didn't let my mind travel to that much anymore though, I'd grown and hardened my heart when it came to the life I was stolen from. If I ever came back in contact with my old friends and family, I wouldn't kill them, no I had too much of my old self still in me, but I would not be friendly either. It's not like they would allow me close anyway, I was a Strigoi, Lissa was a queen, and Dimitri was her guardian.

"ROSE! Out here now!" My mentor yelled at me.

I ran down the stairs in case of emergency, but it was just his haunted looking self sitting at his raggedy desk.

"I'm finally taking you on a hunt." He said with no emotion.

Inside I was ecstatic, the sane part of me didn't want to harm the people I would come into contact, yet the other part of me wanted to feel the life of another slowly creep out of them. My mind haunted me these days.

"To St. Vladimirs"

My heart fell through the floor. I knew Lissa, Christian, and Adrian were still there. They had declared they wanted to be there instead of court because of how much they loved the campus. If those three would be there… so would guardians Eddie, and… Dimitri.

"We leave tomorrow." He shooed me away.