Preface:

I couldn't breath. Where was the surface? Why couldn't I feel my limbs. GOD HELP ME! The world began going black. Shadows formed around me. Something pulled me toward it. Light pulled me toward it.

"PRINCESS!" a voice called pulling me back.

Why could not I be left alone?

I opened my eyes flinching from the bright light.

"Lord Vladimir..." a voice said sounding shocked.

"PRINCESS ANNE!"

I opened my eyes.

"What happened?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

I looked up into the emerald-green eyes of the golden-haired man before me.

"Are you all right, Princess?" Jador's voice broke through my consciousness.

"The bruises are gone...this is the work of witches." another familiar voice broke through.

"It was the glory of God." the man before me said grandly.

He looked exhausted. I sat up.

"What happened?" I asked again finally realizing my dress was soaked through to my undergarments.

"Princess?"

I looked up at him.

"Where is my papa?" I asked whimpering.

"Calm now, young one."

The golden-haired man wrapped his arms around me. In that moment only he mattered. It felt as though we were connected. Lord Vladimir. My saint. My savior.


"Princess Annushka, you must do this." Kanter's voice came through the wooden door.

"Damned if I will give my father's wife the satisfaction!" I snapped reaching for the trousers.

Kanter sighed trying to control her frustration.

"Princess Annushka, it is best if you do not argue with your father's decision. We must make peace with the Moroi king."

"The Moroi king is a horse's arse who has not respected the dhampirs since our inception."

"They need us, Princess. Just as they need the alchemist."

"Then they should not have behaved so much greater than us. They fight the Strigoi just as fiercely as we do. Why do they not simply fight by themselves?"

"You know why." she said getting frustrated once more.

I rolled my eyes and tied the trousers so they fit me.

"You look ridiculous. Who ever heard of a princess wearing men's clothing?"

"I am a dhampir. I am a warrior. Let the Moroi wear their ridiculous frocks and gowns. One cannot fight in gowns."

"You are princess. Leave the knights to their fighting."

"Not by choice." I snapped grabbing my saber and bow and arrows.

I hurried through the castle and snuck into the store-room grabbing bread and an apple before Cookie caught me. I hurried out to the stables and over to my stallion. It had taken a long time to get the horse's tamed and comfortable to be amongst the dhampirs. I pet Igris's muzzle.

"Hello, my demon." I whispered, "Shall we ride the winds?" I whispered.

He whinnied softly as I put the hood of my cloak up making certain the dark curtain of curls sprouting from my temple down to my waist were well hidden. I hurried the Percheron stallion out of the stables. Yes, he was larger than I was by many spans of my own hand, but no one had been able to tame the stallion, but me. And I would rather be with my gentle Igris than that delicate Arabian my mother had tried to get me to ride when I was a child. At six and ten I was sure that I was more than capable of deciding for myself what beast I would ride.

I hurried toward the gate. I could just see Lancer standing beside it waiting. No doubt for me. I walked swiftly through the door and mounted, bareback, on my beast. I forced Igris into a full gallop as I heard the calls from the castle wall.

"PRINCESS ANNUSHKA!"

"Just let her go. The chit will return and deal with the king."

God only hoped they were right. I road fast and hard knowing that my usual gang of misfits road behind me. Father would definitely not approve of what I was up to. He used to love telling me stories of Strigoi hunts he and my mother had used to go on. But, now my stepmother has brainwashed the man into disallowing me my right as a dhampir.

"Fyodor is going to be so angry when he realizes you are gone, Anna." Lancer said as he rode up beside me.

"I am Strigoi hunting, as many dhampirs do, especially knights and warriors. He is acting as though I am a simple wench running into the arms of my beloved when truly I am a warrior doing as all Femme Fatales do."

"Femme Fatales?"

"It is what the French call their female warriors."

He shook his head, "Such a fierce warrior knows French?" he teased.

"Watch it, Lancer. You may find yourself at the wrong side of Anna's sword." Cassander said with a chuckle.

"Take Cassie's advice, Lancer. The man is wise." I said riding, slowing to a canter.

Suddenly Talon whistled. We turned sensing what he was sensing. There was something out here. The nausea I'd been feeling since I killed my first Strigoi at ten. I grabbed my silver tipped arrows as my men pulled their swords and stakes from their belts.

Jacel gave hand signals telling us to keep a lookout. A pointed my arrows, simply knowing on instinct where the Strigoi would come from. The arrow hit its heart and it dropped.

"There are more. Do not allow yourself to become distracted." I commanded jumping down from Igris.

I wielded my saber, keeping my stake at hand as I moved toward the deeper part of the woods. The one thing I loved about hunting with my men was that they knew how I worked. If they dared to stand in front of me protecting me from the "danger" I would turn and give them a dressing down worthy of my grandmother, Anya's, praise.

A Strigoi attacked moments later, three others right behind him. My charmed saber ran through the Strigoi just as another attacked me from behind. I turned and kicked the tall man moving to grab me. Cassander forced his stake through that one's heart as I turned to see Lancer grappling with a female Strigoi and Jacel with another. Cassander thew himself onto the female just as Talon's stake ran through Jacel's Strigoi. Cassander gave Lancer an opening and he ran his stake through her.

I smirked.

"That's two marks for me. Boys, you are losing your touch."

Cassander grabbed me and ruffled my hair.

"Hush, child."

We played for a while as we headed back to our horses letting them rest and walking beside them. We stopped letting them drink in the river.

Cassander came behind me marking my neck. Molnija marks marred the back of my neck and part of my back. I hated them. They were reminders of the lives I'd extinguished from the world. I walked around the clearing as he tattooed the others and allowed Jacel to mark him. I looked behind me, my eyes narrowing. Warriors came from the trees then. I sighed.

"Princess Annushka."

I sighed.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"We are to bring you back to the castle."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we drag you back."

I glared at the knights.

"Sister..." a familiar voice said coming toward me.

"Misha?" I asked in shock.

"Yes."

I launched myself into my brother's arms. I hadn't seen him in five years.

"Please, come on, Annushka. These woods are dangerous and we must do what we must."

I nodded.

And with that, my day was ruined. I was trudged back to the castle.


I stepped into my room and my father's wife lunged at me. Her hand moved to slap me and I stopped her before her hand hit my face.

"You spoiled brat! How dare you!" she yelled.

I glared, "How dare you. I am the child of Fyodor, king of Lastiv. I am the child of Vasilisa, the Valiant. I will not be spoken to in that tone of voice by a coward Moroi whore."

She lunged at me again.

"ENOUGH!" my father's strong voice rang as his large body entered the room.

He took me in and frowned.

"Apologize to your mother."

"She is not my mother." I spat glaring at him.

"Annushka!" he barked.

"I apologize." I glared, "I apologize that you actually are daft enough to believe that I give a damn about..."

"ANNA!"

My father took a deep breath, "Tanya, go to your room. I will handle this."

"Yes, my husband." she said through gritted teeth.

I glared at her. Donkey-brained docile whore. I could not stand her. How dare my father give my mother's title of Queen to her. He shut the door behind her and looked at me warily. His age was evident in his tired face.

"Why must you fight her on everything, Anna?"

"She keeps attempting to force me into this role of docile child. That is not what I am. I am a warrior."

"Is this rebellion have anything to do with Alexander and Christoph coming?"

"No." I growled.

He sighed once again.

"It is time to end this feud with the Moroi, my child. Your mother was Moroi."

"My mother was smart."

He chuckled, "You remind me so much of her."

I smiled a little at that.

"Why must I marry?"

"We have been over this, Anna. You are a princess. You are not one of the Guards. You must marry to keep the ties with the Moroi pure. I hate Christoph and Alexander."

"You used to be friends with Alexander."

"I do not care what once was and what is now."

He sighed again, "They are coming. And you will marry. You have no choice."

I could hear the finality in his voice. I glared at the wall as he walked over and kissed the top of her hair. I stayed rigid, my stubborn anger not allowing me to soften.

"I love you, Anna."

I turned away from him. He left the room, the door echoing with finality as he left. I took off my clothes and sank into the water to scrub away the dirt, hoping the warm water would calm my soul.