A/N: Sorry about the long wait to the readers of my fan fictions. Thank you for being patient and I hope you like it. R&R please. ~BookJunkiez

Wake

I woke up in darkness. I was too lazy to get up, but then I remembered where I was. I jerked up quickly, ready for anything, but god did my head hurt!

I looked around the caves for anybody to help me, but it was quiet. I got up and started walking to my left – or was it my right? It was too dark to tell. I couldn't see anything – which annoyed the hell out of me! – but there was an awful smell coming from the direction I was heading.

As I walked, I had a sick feeling in my stomach, which I was blaming on my uncomfortable sleep, but that was before I saw them. I have a sense – a sixth sense you can call it, like in the wierd movies with a whole lot of confusing sayings – that tells me when a Strigoi is close by, but it warns me in an unhelpful way – I feel very nauseated.

Luckily, they didn't see me – there wasn't too many here. But, of course, that was when groups of them appeared from tunnels that surrounded them. Yep, I'm getting real lucky.

I was about to go back out the other direction of the tunnel when I twirled and caught Dimitri's eye. His hands and knees were tied up, and some rope was also stuffed in his mouth. I didn't notice until now how much people they captured, but all I could focus on was him.

How could I leave now!? I can't leave Dimitri behind with the Strigoi, and they looked like they were ready to retreat too. There was a chance – a slight one but there was still a chance – that I could save him, and maybe even most of the others too – and guaranteed some Strigoi butt-kicking.

Saving them sounded like the best idea for me right now – and I'm not the kind of person who thinks things over, that was Lissa's job, so I stuck to it. But, of course, I had no clue how I would do it. Dimitri, looking straight at me, knew what I was thinking – like always – and gave me a slight glare, then turned to glare the other way, to nobody in particular, just so it wouldn't look suspicious probably, just glaring at some evil Strigoi.

But I'm not going to listen to him right now – just because he didn't want me hurt, doesn't mean I want him to be either. I formed a vague plan in my head – sneak attack. I slide my stake out of my pocket and crouched behind a rock. There were about five Strigoi in front of me, so if I –

My hair got pulled so hard, I was surprised that it stayed on! I was jerked backwards and hovered above the rocky ground. I gave a small but high-pitched shriek, and heard Dimitri's muffled cries joining me.

"Sneaking around are ya? What to do with you? You little weakling" I kicked and swung and tried to claw his hands, but it was useless, and I knew it too, but I tried, embarrassingly, anyway. He laughed at my struggle. "Let's take you to Dargon, shall we?" he said giving me the ugliest smile ever, and the most god awful smell the breath threw at me – what, did breath mints not exist for these guys?

The guy was like 7-feet tall! His shirtless body showed his muscles, which added to the already impossible challenge of beating him.

He dragged me – literally – to a corner of the cave to another Strigoi, which I was guessing was the leader, since he was just sitting there, 2 Strigoi on either side of him.

The guy – that could have been the cause of my future baldness – finally dropped me, basically threw me on the ground. I got up slowly, not looking at the leader – or Dargon – in the eye until I stood perfectly straight.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, but it sounded like he didn't really care anyway, quite bored really. When I didn't answer, my only response being a glare and folding my arms across my chest, he said, "Stubborn aren't you?" I didn't deny it, he had a point. "Ah, just put her with the rest." He said finally, pointing to the pile of people – including Dimirti – lay in the farthest corner.

I scoffed, trying to act brave, but I was actually scared to death.

He obviously heard it too – you could hear a pebble fall in these long, echoing tunnels. "And," he continued with enthusiasm – which didn't go with his appearance at all – "we will also get to have her first when we get back. She looks pretty appetizing" he said it like a caress, "and plus, I'm getting pretty annoyed with this girl, so let's hurry up and move it!" he yelled, with a deep voice, to the tunnels.

One of the Strigoi that were next to Dargon came towards me, ready to grab my hair again – what was up with them and my hair! – when I grabbed my stake and stabbed his heart in one swift movement. He screamed and crumpled up on the ground.

Wasn't expecting that, were ya? I said to him in my head. Don't mess with Rose Hathaway!

But I guess they could mess with me. Three other guys surrounded me, forming a triangle. Dargon came up in front of my and lifted his fist, dropping in with full force towards my head.

I didn't even hear myself screaming, my head felt like rocks were pounding in my head, trying to break through my skull. Water surrounded me, and it got even darker. That last thing I saw was the silent tears streaming down Dimitri's face. Then I was gone.