Chapter#10

This was one of my favorite chapters to write. (but sad) Hope you enjoy. 😊

Dimitri POV

The rest of the windows scaling the walls had broken, shattered in a pattern of disarray.

By more rocks with vulgar writing, again, in blood. One in particular stood out to caught my eye. Strigoi slut. Burn in hell.

At least they were safe. I thought, gripping to my stake and looking towards the small alcove where Lissa, Christian, and Rose were inside.

I turned to Guardian Hathaway with a nod. Our fight dissolved as urgency to protect had taken over.

"Thank you." I said.

"It's my duty." She said with a shrug, shoving her stake back into the folds of her jacket. It was as if her response was automatic, robotic in nature. Unlike me, she hadn't allowed herself to feel much emotion. Neither had I, not until recently, when the love of my life awoke a part of me that I didn't even know existed.

Visibly, we relaxed when the previous storm in the room dulled down to merely a remembered note of chaos.

That's when it happened.

I heard it, from outside. The booming sounds of a gunshot.

Before I could react, a gold bullet spun. Heading straight towards me.

"Belikov." I heard Janine Hathaway call. "Get down."

I was frozen, unable to move. No matter how many times my head screamed at my limbs they wouldn't move. They just shook as the battle between them raged.

Without realizing why, my body crashed onto the floor with a loud thud. It wasn't until I heard a scream I realized what, or who had knocked me down.

I turned, Janine Hathaway lay on the floor, blood seeping from her.

I crawled over, taking a few pieces of jagged glass into my hands before wrapping her into my arms.

I pressed my hand down on her side, where blood had viciously flooded through a small gaping hole.

It was cold, rushing quickly beneath my fingertips.

"We need help." I called to no one in particular.

Around me a few guardian's shuffled and tore through the open door. Some stayed behind to secure the area, while others were outside to find the culprit(s) behind the attack.

"It's going to be ok." I told her as I pressed deeper into her wound.

I didn't really notice a lot of physical similarities between Janine and my Rose, not until she looked up at me and smiled.

It was the first time I had ever seen her smile, and it was like I was holding Rose in my arms, and that she was the one dying.

I took everything I had to suppress the pain that stung to my eyes.

"It's too late." She said, the light in her brown eyes fading, sinking closer to darkness.

"No, it's not." I said, stiffening my voice so I wouldn't lose the mask. The guardian mask that kept me on course. Emotions were reckless, constantly changing. Instincts, however, were a constant. I needed to rely on the constant to keep them safe.

She reached up to my neck, and pulled my face down to her.

"You. Were. Right." She whispered, her voice sounding like a choke in my ear. "Bad. Mother."

I pulled apart from her and shook my head. "No, you're not."

She nodded and chuckled as if saying yes, I am, you just said it a few minutes ago.

"Not. Safe. Here. Keep. Her. Safe."

Her grip loosened and her body sunk, falling into the pits of death.

"Dimitri." I turned when the most beautiful voice flooded to my ears, a voice I would have recognized anywhere, Saying the most beautiful thing in the world. Just my name with such longing and love. It called to such a deep part of me.

Her small frame arched, poking out of the door.

"I told you to stay in there." I called to her in a tight voice, as if that would have mattered. Rose was reckless, and rarely ever did what she was told. Truth be told it was one of the many things I loved about her. Her fire.

But I didn't love it in moments like this, when her life depended on obedience.

She screamed and pressed her hands up to her marble face when she saw the blood on my clothes.

Thankfully, she appeared not to notice the body that I was cradling.

"You're hurt. Baby you're hurt." She said in a small desperate voice.

"No, Roza don't." I said, holding out a hand to stop her.

But it was too late. Her bare feet slapped the floor. She winced, taking in small chunks of glass in the process.

Damn it, why isn't she wearing shoes? She must have lost them in the shuffle.

I rested Janine's body carefully on the floor before scooping her up in my arms. I didn't want her taking in anymore glass.

"What happened?" She stared, wide-eyed with hard intent. "Where are you hurt? Baby please tell me.".

"It's not me Roza." I said, painting and tracing kisses into her hair. "I'm fine."

Seeing that Lissa and Christian were now out of the alcove and surrounded by waiting guardian's I moved to bring Rose to the infirmary, also so she wouldn't see her mother's corpse.

But she screamed again.

Too late.

I followed her eyes and looked as they gathered Guardian Hathaway's body onto a gurney and draped a white towel to hide her face.

Red dribbles pierced the once pure fabric, aftermath of the once oozing wound.

She shook and screamed louder, the waves of her sorrow beating against my chest. She clung to me desperately.

I clung to her tighter attempting to suffocate the pain that shot out of her.

"Roza, I'm so sorry."

"No." Her voice was violent, crackling with despair. I swallowed, taking her pain as my own.

I wanted to protect her. I wanted her never to feel pain. Never to feel loss. Ever again.

I would do just about anything for that to happen.

Janine Hathaway's last words flooded over me as I carried her down the hall.

Not. Safe. Here. Keep. Her. Safe.