After Nathan left, Dimitri stood there staring at the girl, Alexis. The girl he was supposed to eat. Her face looked so innocent, yet exhausted when she was asleep. The impact from being thrown to the ground and the shock of seeing a familiar face had caused the girl to pass out.

I won't. I refuse to become what I have hunted all my life. Dimitri thought as he stared at the figure before him.

Unfortunately fate had some other ideas.

Dimitri cautiously approached the girl, hoping to see some sign of life: a rising and falling chest, dirt moving near her face from her breath, her heartbeat. As Dimitri closed in on the unconscious figure a new smell permeated the air; a smell that, previous to his movements had not moved from its cloud around the girl. Blood. It was then that a piece of Dimitri's resistance crumbled.

It was the smell of her blood, and the slow, hypnotizing beats of her heart that changed Dimitri's ideals. The girl, the girl he once knew, lying there unconscious was something he could ignore, but the smell of the blood wasn't. His Strigoi essence had surfaced and refused to be withdrawn. The tapping of his not quite silent shoes, ceased; the sound of his heavy breathing, gone; the swish of his clothes rubbing together as he walked, terminated.

Belikov was on the move.

But just as he was nearing the body of Alexis she stirred, and this caused something inside of Dimitri to stir as well. He stopped in his pursuit of the girl, waiting to see what she would do next. Dimitri stood waiting with baited breath. Finally, Alexis stirred again; rolling her head from side to side, groaning in pain.

As Alexis opened her eyes again first thing she saw was the cave ceiling, then the walls, and finally Dimitri, standing just feet from her sprawling body.

"Guardian Belikov!" she shouted in elation. The last thing she remembered was the Strigoi attack, and being taken, she assumed, to be a meal. She had yet to notice the tremor in his body from holding back, or the lack of chest movement, suggesting he had yet to take a breath, or the blood red irises staring back at her.

While Alexis was feeling grateful that she had found a kind soul to help her escape the Strigoi with her life, Dimitri was having an inner battle of his own. The fact the Alexis called him Guardian Belikov helped bring Dimitri back to himself, if only for a little while. However, the smell of her breath and invigorated heartbeat created a tug-of-war between the two Dimitri's.

"Guardian Belikov? Dimitri?" When Dimitri didn't answer her Alexis started to worry. Too lost in her own head she didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching from somewhere outside the cave. Dimitri on the other hand did notice and it was the sound of those footsteps that caused his guardian instincts to temporarily win the war. Dimitri flashed over to Alexis's side, grabbed her arm and stuffed her in the back corner where he could easily fight off other Strigoi.

The footsteps slowed and quieted as they got closer to the room and so Dimitri listened harder and it was in this way that Dimitri finally heard the second step of footsteps; quiet as the night, light as a feather, almost impossible to hear. The second set of footsteps seemed as though they barely even touched the ground.

The first thing Dimitri saw was the shock of red hair, followed by the sadistic glare of Morgan. He already hated her. Hated her for what she was, how she enjoyed it, enjoyed hurting others.

At least it isn't Nathan again, he thought. I've already had enough of him to last a life time.

The second person didn't enter, but Dimitri was certain it wasn't Nathan, as he didn't have to patience or the poise to walk so silently.

Morgan's harsh voice drew Dimitri out of his thoughts. "So the girl is still alive I see."

Dimitri said nothing, but if looks could kill, she would be dead.

"Didn't Nathan warn you, or are you just too noble to eat someone." Morgan's voice tore through the air around them. Her taunting reverberated in the cave. And before Dimitri could blink she was standing in front of him, their noses mere centimeters apart. "If you won't eat the girl willingly, I'll make you."

By the look in Dimitri's eyes anyone could see that he very much doubted her abilities. Just in case he still tensed, waiting for any indication that she would attempt to make a move towards Alexis, who was still cowering in the corner.

"You don't believe me do you? Think that because you were trained by Galina you're perfect? Think that there's no way I can break you?" Morgan asked as she circled him, as a predator does her pray, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. "Well I'm going to break you Belikov. And I'm going to take great pleasure in doing so." The last line was said while looking straight into Dimitri's eyes. He could see how serious she was. The steely vengeance present in her eyes was impossible to fake, so deeply did it run through her veins, along with the stolen blood.

Morgan had been a Moroi, in a previous life. She had been adored, doted on and cherished by many. Until one day, seemingly out of the blue, she killed her lover, boyfriend, guardian. He had been everything to her and they were inseparable. No one knew what made her do it, as by the time they found him she was long gone. He was completely drained of blood, not a drop was left. It wasn't until then that anyone even knew that she had been feeding off of him. They were never able to find her and so she was just seen as a Moroi who went crazy. Over what, no one was able to figure out, but some others had heard and seen the pair arguing over God knows what a few days previously. But they were known to fight. That's what made them so famous as a couple. They fought bitterly and frequently, yet that never stopped them from loving each other like crazy, at least in public. The theory was that, for some inconceivable reason he had threated to break it off with her and she went crazy. Guardians on watch that night say that they heard screaming and things breaking, like someone was throwing glass décor at the walls. They were going to go in to check, but figured that the two of them would be fine. After an hour the room was silent again and they assumed the two had made up and had gone to bed. Morgan was the first Moroi anyone knew of that turned willingly. It was a story told to every Guardian and every Moroi.

"Why did you do it?" Those were the first words Dimitri spoke to her.

Morgan backed away. If you looked very closely, you could see a sliver of fear flash in her eyes. "Why did I kill who? Why did I kill that worthless 'Guardian' of mine? Why did I decide to turn Strigoi?"

Dimitri gave a short nod, just enough to indicate his agreement with Morgan's questions.

"I killed him because he was the only thing holding me back. You have never tasted fresh blood Belikov, never tasted the rush you get when drink straight from the source. Even if they're willing, their bodies still have a rush. For the addicts it's a rush from our endorphins. For the others, it's an adrenaline rush; whether or not they're willing, their bodies are still scared of giving away their life supply. He didn't want me to change. He said that the Strigoi were evil and they were just poisoning my mind into think that their way was better. He wouldn't let me go, said he would hunt me down and kill me if I changed myself. And so I killed him. I had to kill someone and who better than the one who would never let me go. It was for his own good. He would waste his entire life waiting, searching, yearning for me, for someone he could never have. It would ruin his memory of me, staining it…"

It was here that Dimitri stopped listening. Stopped listening and started thinking about her. About Roza. His distraction for Morgan had turned into a distraction for himself. He couldn't stop his thoughts about her from spilling out; the tumbled out over each other in their haste to be remembered. Her hand in his and they walked from the cabin; the tightening in the pit of his stomach in anticipation as they talked about introducing themselves as a couple to her mother; the fright as she was almost attack by Nathan herself.

Nathan… He changed things. Made him into something both she and he hated. Something they hunted and kept from hurting others. Now he was one of them. She will come looking for me. I know she will. She will not rest until I am gone with the others…

And suddenly Dimitri remembered. They were not alone. Alexis still cowered behind him. Her fluttering heartbeat giving her away though she tried to slow it by taking deep breaths. And the other Strigoi… there was someone else waiting just around the corner outside. Morgan was probably supposed to get me to eat, then report back. His stomach clenched, his body tensed and poised for action, ready for whoever was to walk around that corner.

"Hello, Dimka."

Dimitri almost relaxed. Almost gave into the soothing voice.

Almost.

And then he remembered. No matter how well he thought he knew her. She was now a Strigoi. He knew nothing about her anymore. She was no longer his friend. All bets were off.

Dimitri looked up just as she walked through the door way.

"Hello, Galina."