Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

Rose POV:

The music pounded loud to the ominous beat of Roisin Murphy's "Ramalama." I sat at the desk, drumming my fingers against the freshly polished, lemony-scented mahogany wood. The carving on it was beautiful, the designs intricate. It had been a gift from my father on my seventeenth birthday, after I'd survived my transition. Nobody had believed I would have lived through it, not at that young age. But I beat the odds and, four-hundred and three years later, I was still cheating death.

"Here's your tokens, biotch." Mia dropped a small red velvet bag on the desk.

"You killed the Strigoi?" I asked as I drew on the string and opened the bag, then I dumped the contents in my hand and grinned. Teeth. Thirty-two of them. All bloody and some cracked.

"Done." Mia dusted off her hands and frowned. "But I did get some blood on this top, which I'm so not happy about."

My head cocked to the side. "That is cute. You're a dumbass for wearing something like that to a slaying."

My second in command simply shrugged, plopped down in the chair opposite from me, and crossed her legs. I couldn't help but notice her killer beige pumps. The girl had eternal style, and no matter what century we were in, she always had what was in.

"I guess a 'Good Job!' is in order—"

There was a low hiss that sliced through the air and I caught the flying stake merely two inches from the skin over my heart. I laughed, flipped the silver weapon around, and gracefully sent it right back at her.

Mia caught it and sheathed it in her leather holster. "Thanks, hussy. I appreciate the appreciation."

"As you should. You are aware that I do not give it out lightly." I said.

She rolled her eyes and smiled, flashing long, ivory fangs. "I'm hungry. You wanna go out for a bite to eat?"

"Not yet," I slipped the ceremonial dagger out of the drawer. The rubies on the handle sparkled beautifully in the light. Carelessly, I threw the blade up in the air and watched it twirl a few times before catching it in my palm and walking over to Mia. "Molnija mark." I explained.

Wordlessly, she turned around and slipped off her shirt. Thousands upon thousands of scars formed her back, symbolizing how many Strigoi—human slayers possessed by Master vampires who made it their sole purpose to take out rival vampires for ultimate power—she'd staked over the course of her lifetime. Her pale skin was covered in the tiny X lightning bolts, but not nearly as consumed as mine was. The Molnija marks, unseen to the human eye, blanketed my back, stretched around my chest and throat, and even reached the tops of my thighs.

Eminem's Recovery album spilled into the room as I stuck the dagger into her skin and made a perfect victory mark right next to the last one she'd earned just two days ago. It must have stung like a bitch, but Mia took the pain without flinching or even hissing.

Silver was the only mineral that could kill a vampire or a Strigoi if met with the flesh of the heart, and it was also the only mineral that could mar a vampires rapid healing skin. That's why when I pulled the dagger away from Mia's back, the crimson blood dried right up, but the scar stayed. And it forever would.

"All done," I said, tossing the sacred weapon back in the drawer. "Ready to eat?"

Downtown at Fremont street, Mia and I maneuvered through the sea of humans, heading for Roma's Steakhouse.

I not so gently shoulder shoved a dancing woman with dozens of glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. One thing you didn't do was get in my way.

The fallen woman shot me a dirty look.

Just for kicks and giggles, I grinned widely, pointedly flashing my fangs.

The woman's eyes bulged, she stumbled backwards, screaming. If anyone heard her, they didn't pay attention. There was a lot of crazies out here in Las Vegas, especially on Fremont street, so it wasn't as if she stood out among the massive crowd.

"God, I hated homo sapiens," I muttered as we entered the restaurant.

"Ouch, that hurts." Mason put a hand over his heart as he opened the red rope and let us by. "Don't lie, Hathaway. You know you love me."

"Last time I checked, you were a hetero sapien." Mia said.

"Riiiiiiight." Mason said. "Still, it stings to know you loathe my species."

"Loathe would be putting it lightly."

As our only human ally—and friend—of the human race led us to the VIP area in the back, he leaned over to me and bared his neck. "Do I look extra tasty tonight, Hathaway?" he sang. "I exfoliated my throat and smoothed some lotion on to make my skin extra soft just for you."

I rolled my eyes and scooted in the booth. "I'm not biting you, Mase."

"Come onnnnnnnn!" he cried dramatically. "I'm getting older each day. If you don't turn me soon, you're going to have to spend eternity with my old, wrinkly ass."

Again, with the eye roll. "You're only twenty-two, you idiot. And I'm not changing you now or ever. Now go get us our drinks, waiter. I've got business to take care of."

"We're not done with this discussion," with that being said, Mason stalked off.

"Does he ever make you sad?" Mia asked.

"Huh?"

"Don't play stupid with me," she said. "I see the way you look at him. You're sad that he won't be around forever, but you also refuse to turn him."

"All humans die. It's a natural part of life." I shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."

Mia scoffed and stood up. "Fine. I'll just bite him myself—"

In a flash, I was over to her, crushing her petite arm in my vice grip. "Dont. Touch. Him."

Mia's eyes widened. "See! I knew it! You pretend like you don't give a shit about anything, but you care for him! You want to protect him!"

"Sit down." I gritted my teeth until my molars burned.

"I wasn't going to do it. I just wanted to get a reaction out of you. And I certainly did." Mia's smile was full of victory and satisfaction. "Besides, like I would stick my fangs in that throat? Redheads aren't my type. I like 'em blond and dumb as a box of rocks."

Absentmindedly, I chuckled. There was a sorrow inside of me that I was not familiar with. Nor very comfortable with. It did sadden me that Mason was going to be gone in a short sixty to seventy years—a lifetime for a human, but gone in the blink of an eye for a vampire.

No matter how angry I was at the thought of death taking him, there was no possible way I'd contemplate the thought of turning him. It sickened me to even think so. And it wasn't because vampires were allergic to human blood and could have serious reactions, it was because I could never imagine stealing someone's mortality and ability to conceive children and grow old, even if, like Mason, they were very willing candidates and gladly gave out their vein.

Minutes later, I heard the steady beat of Mason's heart and the slosh of liquid as he ran our drinks back to our table. "The usual," he said, sliding the Gin and Tonic's over the smooth black granite.

"Thanks," We murmured in unison.

"So, what'll you two ladies have tonight?" Mason asked, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen. "Just so you know Hathaway, there's a special on my throat—"

"Those jokes never get old, do they?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Not a joke, Hathaway. Not a joke." he said seriously.

A small movement in the corner of my eye caught my full attention. Immediately, I snapped into action, unsheathing my stake and raising it in the air. But I relaxed a moment later and eased back into the comfortable booth, smiling. "You can come out now, ladies. Your cover has been blown."

"Shit!" someone cursed.

Lissa, Tasha, Sydney, and Meredith emerged from the shadows of the restaurant, disappointment etched on their beautiful, slightly sinister faces.

"You should know by now that you can never successfully sneak up on me," I announced. "The outcome is never good. It usually ends in death."

Planting one palm on the table, Lissa, my best friend, gracefully leaped over the table and landed in the spot next to me, all catlike. She pecked me on the cheek before downing half of my drink. "Hey, bestie," she sang cheerfully.

Tasha and Meredith muttered curses under their breaths as they kicked down a few hundred dollar bills. My best friend gave a fangful grin as she picked up the green bills and stuffed them into the pocket of her black skinny jeans.

"I hate my life," Sydney whined when Lissa stuck out her palm and made the woman pay up for the bet she'd lost.

"Don't be such a sourpuss. Nothing's fair in the world of money." Lissa told her smugly.

"I'm just going to bring you all steaks. Rare. You lady vampires look like you're in the mood for some meat." Mason dashed behind the kitchens metal doors.

"Anyways..." I said. "Now that we're done with that important matter—"

Tasha set a bloody, soggy brown paper bag down on the table. "There's my payment for the week."

One sniff of the bitter aroma in the air told me the crimson liquid was from a Strigoi's body. Reaching forward, I opened the bag and peeked inside. A cut off male genitalia.

"The balls are just a bonus," she said, folding her arms. "I hope you like it. You were in my mind the whole time I killed him."

Well, if that wasn't a compliment, I wasn't sure what was. I grimaced. "What did this bastard do?"

"Caught him in the woods on my way to the Ancient Land," The Guardian said. "He was fondling a little girl, his sister I assumed, and I was going to leave him alone, but then I realized he was about to bite her."

I leaned forward, intrigued to hear what the soulless monster's punishment was.

"I severed his head, tore off his limbs, staked him, then threw everything in the fire and watched it burn to ash." Tasha finished.

"Not everything, obviously," Meredith muttered with disgust, looking at the body party in the brown paper bag. The Guardian, who I'd recruited over seventy-five years ago during a raid in Florence, Italy, was a regal beauty. She carried herself with an elegance woman around the world wished to have. And her looks were stunning. Long, auburn hair. Forest-green eyes. Cupids bow lips. The vampires body was just as impeccable, too. Small breasts. Lean limbs. And at six feet tall, her legs were like a mile long.

"Had to bring evidence of the kill back to the leader, didn't I." Tasha smiled at me. "Ms. Princess is a freak about that kind of stuff."

I disdainfully snorted. "Better to be safe than sorry. You'll get the Molnija mark when we get back to the penthouse, okay?"

"Mmmm-hmmm. Okay." Tasha said, applying a fresh coat of pink lip gloss. Clearly, she was done with the business. I'd lost her attention.

Sydney fingered the cross on her neck as panic flooded her face. "I, uh, I had another vision last night."

Fear spiked in me, but I refused to let it show, masking my face with a neutral expression. As a fourth generation vampire, leader of The Guardians, and oldest member of my small group, it was my job to keep control of these kind of situations, even when they scared the living hell out of me.

Lissa grabbed my hand and gave me a squeeze of reassurance.

"Explain." I said simply. Straightforwardness was one of my best qualities.

"War is coming," Sydney mumbled, golden-brown eyes glassy. She put her hand up, as if illustrating a vivid painting. "I can see it. There is so much blood and pain. So much...I can feel it. My heart feels like it's going to explode from all the torment."

"What else do you see, Sydney?" I prompted. "I need you to tell me everything."

"Turf war. It's going to be more vicious than any of us anticipated. The fight will come when we least expect it, and we will not be prepared." Blood tears filled her eyes and streaked her cheeks. "We will lose unless we accept the hand that is offered to us."

Sydney snapped out the subconscious trance with a gasp.

"That hand that is offered to us? What the fuck does that mean?" Mia asked. "Ugh. Riddles hurt my brain."

"What brain?" Lissa tipped off my Gin and Tonic.

A million thoughts and predictions raced through my mind, none of them good. My heart beat loud as a drum in my chest. I had only three words that could explain the situation and what was to come of The Guardians future, "Holy fucking shit."

"You report to me!" I boomed, picking up the bottle of Jack and flinging it across the room. The glass shattered into a million pieces, leaving a dent the size of a basketball in the wall. "I call the fucking shots here! Understand? I don't want you running off by yourself on a suicide mission."

Meredith stood there, hands crossed behind her back. She was the perfect picture of calm. "With all do respect, Rose, your strategies obviously aren't working."

In the blink of an eye, I was standing in front of the vampire, my fingers wrapped around her slender, pale throat. "Are you questioning my leadership?"

"No." she gasped for air, but refused to back down. "I'm just saying I could do your job better. I'd rule with an iron fist."

I smiled menacingly. "Hey, Meredith. Guess what else is iron?"

Her eyes bulged.

I shoved the sharp edge through her gut, only inches away from her heart. "The leg of my desk chair."

I released my grip on her and watched her fall. Leaning down, I yanked the weapon out of her body with a grunt. The wound healed before my eyes. "Cross me again, and you really won't like it, Mer. Got it, girl?"

The Guardian climbed to her feet, shooting daggers my way.

"Damn," Sarcasm dripped from my voice. "You got your blood on my favorite rug. What a shame. You'll have to buy me a new one. Oh, and that chair's not looking so good either. It needs to be replaced." I patted her back. "Thanks so much."

I focused my attention back on The Guardians. "Anyone else feel the need to add anything?"

Mia, Tasha, and Sydney gulped and shook their heads. They knew their place. You never screwed with a fourth generation vampire when they were furious, unless you wanted to die.

Of course, Lissa was oblivious to this fact. Actually, no. She just abused and took advantage of her spot as my best friend. One of these days I was going to lose patience with her, though, and I hoped she learned to stop pushing my buttons before I snapped and did something I'd later regret.

"Just think about it, Rose," My best friend stood up and paced around the room. "We may be some of the greatest fighters—"

"I like to think of ourselves as warriors." Mia interjected. "It sounds way cooler and more badass."

"—but if we go as a group, no matter how discreet and careful we are, we're bound to be noticed in a warehouse crawling with those parasites. I think Meredith's idea is great."

I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to punch her in the face.

Miss Know-It-All continued on, "If two—maybe three, at most—of us head in, we can sneak into the area undetected and scope it out. See what they're up to. Learn their ways. And then..."

"We ambush them!" Tasha made some awesome sound affects, guns and explosions filled the room.

"You play too many video games." Sydney said, sipping on the peppered blood in her martini glass. The source of the life sustaining nutrient was vampire, but anonymous. She reached her fingers in the glass, pulled out the stalk of celery, and began chewing on the vegetable.

"It's true, though. Can't you see?" Tasha exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. She'd always been extremely passionate about matters she believed in. And ending the life of every single Strigoi that walked the earth, was definitely something she believed in. The vampire was not only unusually beautiful, she had brains, she loved to use them, and she was the best strategist.

God, I really did have the best team in the world.

"You do have a point," I chewed my cheek, thinking. "Okay, I'll head in alone."

"Alone?" Lissa exclaimed.

"Yep. And there's no discussing it." I said levelly. "I'm the most experienced. I'm the greatest fighter here. I know what I'm doing. And, I'm going right now. If I catch any of you following me, I will bitch slap you back to your native countries."

I hid behind an old car, watching the abandoned warehouse on Fourth street like a hawk. So far, the surveillance of the Strigoi headquarters had been uneventful and boring. I'd even yawned a few times. Checking my watch for the billionth time, I found what I had suspected: only two minutes had passed since the last time I had checked it.

The only thing I'd spotted all night were two Strigoi. But no matter how great my urge was to whip out my samurai swords and decapitate those soulless bastards, I didn't dare move from my hiding spot. I wasn't stupid. I couldn't risk exposing myself in such a dangerous area.

Looking up to the sky, I realized with alarm, that it had turned a deep violet blue. Dawn was arriving. I needed to get out of there soon. Preferably before the sun came out and burned me to a crisp. Ugh, that allergy could be so annoying and inconvenient at times.

I held my wrist up to my mouth and spoke into the tiny radio, "I'm comin' home. My skin is starting to sting."

A buzz came over the line, then some munching, like the person was eating a bag of chips. "Aiiiigghhttt." Lissa said. "Hey, did you borrow my purple blouse? You know the one with the sparkles. My favorite one. Yeah, you know what I'm taking about. Anyways, I could have sworn I saw you wearing it last Tuesday. But it's not in my closet, and not to point fingers or anything—"

A blurring movement in the corner of my eye made me freeze and instinctively press the mute button on my watch, silencing my best friends voice. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up. Someone was there. And automatically, I knew they weren't exactly my friend. Breathing in my nose, the scent briefly threw me off course.

The aroma was wonderful and masculine, crisp and intoxicating.

But I also knew whoever it was wasn't human.

And that had me pulling out my lucky silver stake and tackling whoever it was to the ground.

Unfortunately, the man was fast. Reallyfast. Frighteningly fast.

I was flipped over and pressed against the dirt in an instant. An incredible weight slapped on me, pushing the air out of my lungs. "What are you doing here?" A velvet, deep voice growled. There was a faint Russian accent. He shoved my face into the ground when I didn't answer. I tasted dirt and rocks.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

It was a Master vampire. If the supernatural strength and bionic speed wasn't a dead give away, then the startling power and dark aura to him was.

Yep. I was dead. This was one pickle I couldn't get out of. Death had finally got me.

But that didn't mean I wasn't going out with a bang.

Using everything in me, I braced my hands against the ground and pushed up. The Master vampire flew off of me and landed not a hundred feet from the old car.

I had less than a second to jump to my feet, plant my boots into the earth, and pull out a throwing star. With a flick of my wrist, I sent the weapon flying through the air. The Master vampire dodged the blade by doing an amazing back flip.

Anger flared in my veins. Four more stars were thrown.

The third blade sliced through his impeccable black suit and stuck in his shoulder. And though the weapon was made out of silver, unfortunately, it would only leave a scar on his skin. Silver needed to pierce the flesh of a vampires heart in order to be lethal.

He bared his fangs and hissed as he yanked the thing out.

My God.

He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. Shoulder-length brown hair. Menacing, bottomless eyes. Immaculate bone structure. Sensuous lips. His height was staggering, too. I estimated around six-foot-seven or six-foot-eight.

"Twenty-five thousand dollar suit. And you ruined it." The Master vampire said, letting the throwing star fall to the dirt. He met my eyes and my blood turned to ice. "You owe me." he said, then charged me.

The fight was brutal. Punches were thrown. Kicks were kicked. Blood spilled. Bones were broken. Injuries healed instantly, only to be caused and experienced again.

By some unbelievable amount of luck, I somehow managed to get the Master vampire in a submissive hold and press a stake to his chest.

"You're the reason I hate men," I tightened my grip around the silver and went to plunge the weapon into his heart.

"Rosemarie Hathaway." he said.

I froze. "How do you know my name?" I growled.

"Does it matter?" A sadistic smile twisted his perfect lips. "I'm Dimitri Belikov. And I know who murdered your parents."

I was so stunned that I forgot how to breathe.

"The sun is rising!" Using my moment of distraction to his advantage, Dimitri disappeared into thin air. One second he was there, and the next he wasn't.

"Shit!" I screamed, feeling the surface layers of my skin singe right off my body.

"That's why I always use SPF 1 billion, limited Vampire edition. It works phenomenally for me." Tasha chortled at her own joke, flipping through the pages of Vogue magazine.

"You look like a lobster, Rose." Mia chimed in. "So not attractive."

"It'll heal." I peeled off a sheet of dead skin, making my second in command gag.

"It's not that bad," I snapped. "Man the fuck up." That was my philosophy. If one couldn't handle the life of being a Guardian, then they needed to pack their shit up and get the hell out of my life. I didn't spend centuries searching the world for a team of Nancy's. I only had soldiers.

"Sorry." Mia said immediately, sensing my terrible mood.

Lissa's brows crashed down, the wheels in her jade-green eyes turning. "What happened out there, Rose?"

"I told you already." I said. "I got hit by a car, had to erase the family of humans memories, and fix the dent. That's why it took me so long to get home, and also why, I look like like a rotisserie chicken right now."

It had been over a day since what happened at the Strigoi headquarters and I was itching for a fight. Blessedly, the sun was just beginning to set. I was in love with the night.

"Huh." was all she said, tone disbelieving. Yeah, well, I could care less if she bought the story or not. I was tired. And hungry.

"Can someone please go get me a bag? I don't care which type. Just get me one. Now."

As Sydney left to go retrieve what I asked for, I wondered why I had lied to my team. It was something I never did. Trust and honesty are what The Guardians were all about. Maybe I didn't want to worry them. Maybe I didn't want to make a big thing out of nothing. Who cares if I'd just battled a Master vampire? One that had been walking the earth for more than a thousand years? It was no big deal.

Or maybe, I was trying to protect Dimitri.

No.

Of course not.

That couldn't be it.

Sydney set the glass full of crimson down in front of me and my fangs throbbed from hunger. I picked it up and started chugging it. The blood created a wonderful full feeling in my belly. I could feel my injuries healing straightaway, the pain fading.

Suddenly, my adrenaline spiked and instinct twisted in my chest. "Check the window," I commanded. "I think we have visitors."

"How did they get past the gates?" Meredith asked.

Mia peeked through the blinds and cursed. "Ayyyee Papi! We got some hotties. Who ordered a team of strippers?"

Everyone was crowding around the windows the instant Mia was done talking, all shoving the other around in an attempt to get a good look.

A growl escaped my lips. "Those aren't strippers." I stared at Dimitri and the menacing men standing beside him. "They're vampires. And they're here to fight."