We moved quickly and silently into position around the old house. This neighborhood was old. Each house was painted a different color, none of which went together at all. It was just before three, the only time a college campus settles down. Behind me, a streetlight flickered, nearly ready to burn out. It still cast just enough light for me to see through the window of the house in front of me. The last guardian got into position and they all turned to me for the signal. I was about to give it when I heard thrashing and screaming, but before I could react I heard another voice.

"Liss." A dark haired girl appeared in the window. "Liss, wake up." The screams stopped, replaced by soft, barely audibly whimpers. I thought I heard a name, Andre. That must be the princess then, and the other girl must be the dhampir, Rosemarie. The princess sat up and leaned her head against her friend, who comforted her. They sat like that for a few minutes, while I stood, entranced, watching them. Finally, the dark haired girl leaned over and turned on the light. I saw a cat jump onto the sill of the open window before jumping down onto the bed.

"When did we last do a feeding?" the girl asked. I was stunned. This was not what I had expected to encounter. The girls were supposed to be asleep when we arrived and we were to surround them and escort them back to St. Vladimir's.

"Screw that," the girl said, pulling me out of my shock. She shifted into a better position. "Come on. Let's do this."

"Rose-" the princess protested.

"Come on. It'll make you feel better." The other girl tilted her head and tossed her hair to the side, baring her neck. The princess hesitated, but then gave in. She brushed back her pale blonde hair and leaned forward. I could see her fangs connect with the skin and bite. I heard the girl cry out briefly before a look of joy spread through her. I couldn't look away. Less than a minute later, the princess pulled away.

"You okay?"

"I . . . yeah." She laid back on the bed. "I just need to sleep it off. I'm fine."

The princess stood, "I'm going to get you something to eat." Then she turned and left.

"You don't know what you're missing." The girl told the cat, but he was too busy looking at me.

Damn cat, I thought. His tail started twitching. The girl must have noticed, because she sat up. After a moment, she stumbled over to the window and peered out with the cat. A warm breeze blew past me and through the window. I knew the street was dark and quiet. And then she saw me. Shit. She jerked back in surprise. I was only thirty feed away and she knew I could easily see through the window. From her face I knew, she knew that I had seen what just happened. I took a step back, disappearing into the shadows cast by the trees on the far side of the yard. One of the idiots nearby walked over to me before being hidden in the darkness.

"Did you just see that?" he asked me.

"Obviously." I snapped. "And now she's seen us."

"So what about the plan?"

"Plans change."

The girl suddenly back up from the window and pulled on a pair of jeans, nearly falling over in the process. She grabbed two coats and two wallets, then she ran out the door.

"So what's the plan now?"

I didn't feel the need to respond to that. So instead, I continued watching the house. But in my momentary distraction, the girls had slipped out of the house and were now two blocks down the street. Immediately, I turned on my heels and ran after them, the others following me.

"Do you hear that?" the princess asked her friend.

"We've got to run for it," she said, grabbing the princess's arm.

"But you can't-"

"Run."

I could see that clinging to the princess was the only thing keeping this girl on her feet. We got closer and closer. I noticed that they weren't just running away, they were running towards a car. I ran off to the side and stepped directly in front of them. They quickly stopped and the girl jerked the princess back by her arm. This girl was shorter than me, by almost a foot. Now that I could see her properly I could see how beautiful she truly was. She had thick, shiny dark brown hair and it flowed perfectly around her. I knew from her file that she was half-Turkish and half-Scottish, and she was a faultless combination of the two. She had striking brown eyes that felt like they knew all your secrets. With her strong chin and defiant demeanor I knew she was a force to be reckoned with. The rest of the guardians finally caught up with us and surrounded the girls. I watched this girl take in all of us. I could see her panic and start to act out of instinct. She tucked the princess tight behind her, keeping her away from me.

"Leave her alone," she growled. "Don't touch her."

I kept my face unreadable, but I have to admit that I was impressed. She had a better sense of duty than most guardians twice her age. I put my hands up to try to show her that I wasn't a threat to them. I took a step forward.

"I'm not going to -"

Apparently I stepped too close. She attacked me, leaping out in an offensive maneuver. The move was stupid, a reaction born out of instinct and fear, and completely hopeless. I was a skilled guardian, to say the least, and she was an out of practice novice. And I was fast. I knocker her off and pushed her back. I hit her harder than I meant to. But her lack of coordination interfered with her ability to respond. She lost her footing and started to fall, heading hip-first into the pavement. It was going to hurt. So I did the natural thing, I leapt out and caught her arm, keeping her upright.

As she steadied herself I caught sight of the bite on her neck. She noticed me looking and reached her free hand up to the side of her throat and lightly brushed it. She pulled her fingers back and saw the slick, dark blood. Embarrassed, she shook her hair forward around her face. My eyes lingered a moment before looking up into hers. She returned it defiantly and quickly jerked her arm out of my hold. She backed toward the princess again, bracing for another attack. Suddenly, the princess took her hand.

"Rose," she said quietly. "Don't." I didn't expect her words to have any effect on this girl. Then I saw the tension begin to leave her body, and she sagged in defeat. I stepped forward and turned my attention to the princess, keeping an eye on the girl just in case she tried to come at me again. I kept my face calm. I bowed and stated, "My name is Dimitri Belikov. I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess."