Chapter 9

"It's your right and your ability
to become my perfect enemy…"

-Passive by A Perfect Circle

Adrenaline was pumping through my body as I paced back and forth formulating a plan. One way or another, I was getting out of this house as soon as possible. Rose could not come here. I couldn't let her get that close to Lissa and the others. My mind was made up.

I tried to give myself a moment to rationalize. Maybe my dream had been just that—a dream. Maybe it was all just in my own head. After all, I wasn't a Moroi spirit user. It made sense that Rose could have been in a dream with Lissa or Adrian, but me? All I knew for certain is that it had felt real. And at the moment, that was enough for me.

I called a meeting of all the guardians at the house, forcing myself to remain calm and collected. I'd never been a very good liar, but I was about to lie through my teeth and hope that everyone bought it.

"I've been asked by the queen to pay a visit to the royal court," I told the other guardians in my most professional and authoritative voice. "She's requested my presence for something. I haven't been given details yet." The other guardians nodded in acknowledgement. They didn't seem suspicious.

"How long do you expect to be away?" asked Seth.

"I expect a few days," I replied. "I trust you'll all be fine while I'm gone."

"Of course, Guardian Belikov," said Clara. "We'll keep things running smoothly while you're away."

"Excellent," I replied. "I have no doubt that things will be just fine." If only they knew that that statement was a bold-faced lie.

"I'd be happy to look after the princess as well as Christian while you're away," volunteered Alan. "They spend nearly all their time together anyway."

"I'll also help to look after her," said Emil. "We'll make sure she's feeling better soon." All of the other guardians thought that Lissa had come down with a stomach bug. They were concerned because Moroi rarely ever get sick. I felt a stab of guilt. Here I was, lying to my colleagues, to guardians who dutifully did their jobs to the best of their abilities, who would gladly give their lives to protect Lissa, Adrian, Christian, or any other Moroi. They were completely devoted to their work, and trusted my story without question.

"Will they be sending transportation for you, Guardian Belikov?" asked Melanie. It was true that, under normal circumstances, the royal court would've probably sent someone to pick me up. Thankfully, I'd already thought of this.

"No, the queen requested that I drive there myself. She wants me to arrive as quickly as possible. It must be some sort of urgent matter." We had two vehicles parked in the garage of the house. Neither had been used since we'd arrived, but they were for emergencies. One was a van large enough to transport everyone—I'd leave that behind for them, of course. The other vehicle that I'd be taking was a black Honda Accord. It was perfect because it wouldn't draw any attention. "I'll take the car and leave the van for you all of course, just in case."

"That sounds like a plan," said Seth. "Perhaps the queen has news involving the princess and the bond."

"Perhaps," I agreed, feeling worse than ever about my lies. We dismissed, and the guardians went back to their respective duties. Now for the more difficult part—telling the Moroi.

"What do you mean, you're leaving for a few days?" Christian demanded. We were all seated in Lissa's bedroom. She was sitting up on her bed, looking a little better than she had earlier. It made me feel slightly less guilty about leaving.

"I'm sorry. They've requested that I go to the royal court for a few days," I said. It was much more difficult to lie to them than it was to the guardians. I hoped I sounded convincing.

"That's strange, my aunt hasn't said anything," said Adrian, but his tone simply sounded curious, not accusatory. I hoped he wouldn't check in with her until I was long gone.

"How can you leave when Lissa's still sick?" demanded Christian.

"I'll be fine," Lissa chimed in weakly. "I've been getting better. Besides, Dimitri needs to go. It's not his fault." Christian glared at me, but didn't say anything further.

"Hey, I offered to heal her, but you wouldn't let me," Adrian said to Christian. I was glad for the change in subject.

"I don't know if it's safe," Christian replied. "We don't really know exactly what Rose did to her."

"I'm fine! I don't need healed!" Lissa spoke a bit more forcefully, sounding annoyed. She turned to me. "Dimitri, I promise I will be okay while you're gone. Just go and do whatever they've asked you to do. Don't worry about me. Please."

"Thank you, Lissa," I said, grateful for her cooperation, although I felt like I was taking advantage of her. "Well, I've got to be going as soon as possible, so I guess this is goodbye."

"See you soon, Guardian Belikov," said Adrian.

"Bye," said Christian, shortly.

"Take care, Dimitri. We'll see you when you get back," said Lissa. I walked over and gave her a hug. It might've been a weird gesture, but I was her guardian, and honestly, I wasn't entirely sure when I'd see her again. She hugged me, not seeming to find it strange at all.

"Be careful," she said to me. "After all, Rose is out there somewhere."

"I will," I assured her. "And you all be safe and follow orders while I'm gone. Do not try anything stupid." I eyed Christian and Adrian, who both nodded. I could only hope that they would listen to me. "Alright then, goodbye." I walked to the doorway, glancing back at the three of them. I lingered a moment longer than I should have. Who knew when—or if—I'd ever see them again? The sadness crept up on me suddenly and I turned and walked away.

Things were settled. I'd told my cover story. I'd said my goodbyes. All that was left to do was grab my belongings and go. In my room, I pulled my suitcase from the closet. I grabbed handfuls of clothing, not paying too much attention to what they were. I grabbed my necessary belongings from the bathroom, tossed in a few of my paperbacks and zipped up the luggage. I pulled on my leather duster, making sure I placed my wallet in my pocket. I grabbed my cell phone and stuffed it into the other pocket. I rolled my suitcase down the stairs, unlocked the safe in the hall where we kept the car keys locked up, took the keys to the Accord, and headed for the garage.

I stashed my suitcase in the trunk of the car, hopped in, backed out and headed down the long drive to the front gate. I got out and punched in the security code. The gate opened, and I drove the car through.

That was it. I'd left. I was outside of the wards. I'd just lied to everyone, made up a completely untrue story, and left the Moroi I'd sworn to protect. In all likelihood, my guardian career was over. It was hard to tell where I'd go or what would happen next. I was a rogue dhampir on a nearly impossible mission. I had probably two days at best before everyone realized that I'd lied. That was when the house was due for another visit from the royal court for supplies. I'd probably be lucky if no one figured it out before then. But only one thing mattered now. I needed to destroy Rose before she got near Lissa. I would do whatever it took to get to her and kill her.

The car had a full tank of gas, which was great, because I wanted to put some distance between myself and the house. We really were in the middle of nowhere. I drove for forty minutes before I came across a small town. Thankfully, there was a bank. I stopped at the ATM and withdrew all of my money from my checking account. It was a fair amount. If I needed to make any purchases, I wanted them to be in cash rather than with a card that could be tracked. Eventually I would ditch the car and my cell phone too, but I had a little time.

I drove a little farther, finally reaching a highway. I headed northeast—which was the opposite direction of the royal court. I really didn't have much to go on. Rose could've been anywhere. But Strigoi normally lingered in cities, where it was easier to pick off victims. And we weren't too terribly far from a very large city, which would be a place to start. It would be easy for me to disappear there too, amongst the crowds of people.

I was headed for New York.