Hey guys :) As you can tell, July has been a busy month for me. It's JulNoWriMo (JulyNovelWritingMonth) and I've been working on my own story every chance I get, which has left me with very little time to do anything else, especially write this story. I've also fallen deeply, madly in love with Harry Potter. It's a wonder why I've just started to read/watch this incredible series but I'm loving every moment of it. Who else is a Harry Potter fan? I'm also starting my own chapter of The Harry Potter Alliance in Anderson, South Carolina. It's a community group and if you live in the area, or the Upstate, and are interested in joining private message me and we can talk! If you don't live in Anderson but want to learn more about the charity you can google Harry Potter Alliance. It's a wonderful chairty, you should check it out! So, it has been a very busy month and will continue to be!

In Vampire Academy news, I'm sure everyone has already heard about the movie rights being optioned? Well, I'm incredibly excited! What do you guys think about this? Is it a good or a bad thing? Now, in Last Sacrifice news, this is chapter ten! As you will notice, this scene has a fight with garden tools, does that sound familiar? If you follow Richelle Mead on Twitter or Facebook she has said many times that she wrote a scene with garden tools, which is where I got the idea. She also said Abe started wearing a fedora, just remember that! Okay, enough talking for now! I hope you enjoy this chapter and another one will be added as soon as I have another free moment!

"You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back."
-Barbara De Angelis

They were on us in a moment, swarming around us like a bunch of angry bees, searching for the best place to sting. We kept rotating in our circle, waiting for them to make the first strike. Not surprisingly, the Guardian closest to me tried to wrap her hand around my wrist, but Mia kicked it away. The Guardian gave her a stunned look and lunged at her, and that set everyone fighting.

I had a tall, muscular Guardian lunge at me, and I recognized him to be Herald, one of the main Guardians that guarded my cell. His face was cold and angry. "You're not going anywhere this time, bitch." He spat, spraying me with spit. "You think you're smart enough to escape your death? You're fucking crazy. You have another thing coming to you."

His words terrified me, because at the moment I wasn't sure we were going to be able to take them, to get away. I, of course, was horrified by the thought of my death, especially at their hand. I wouldn't admit that to him, not in a million years. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," I hissed. While he'd been talking to me, he left his right side unprotected and he said I was fucking crazy? I kicked him, hard enough to send him tumbling into the man behind him. He straightened himself up, starting to advance on me again.

I looked around, trying to find something that would help me in battle, when I finally spotted it. We were in front of the garden, and there was a little tool shed sitting to the side. A tool shed that I was sure to be filled with sharp gardening tools. It wouldn't kill them, I didn't want that, but it would be enough to injure them. I started running, Herald right on my heels. When I finally made it, Heralds hands tugged at my hair, yanking me backwards. I grabbed a potted plant and smashed it against the side of his head. Broken bits of clay were shattering around us, soil and flowers were showering down. Herald took his hand away from my hair and pulled it up to his head, and started to stumble. "Sorry Herald," I muttered, picking up another potted plant and smashing it against the back of his head. He fell to the ground, and I looked around, seeing he wasn't the only one.

Mia had taken down two of her guardians, still struggling with one as Dimitri fought with three of his own, one unconscious on the ground by his feet. There were four left downstairs and I saw three of others climbing the stairs, probably looking for Lissa and Christian. The four that were left all started to advance on me, closing in around me, leaving me trapped. I reached for the shovel, swinging it around me, knocking one of them down. I brought the shovel down hard against the top of his head, and he didn't move again. I swung my shovel into the stomach of a female Guardian, and she doubled over, wheezing. Her head was close to my feet, so I kicked her temple, thanking my lucky stars that it knocked her out.

I saw the Guardians upstairs, looking into open windows, trying to find the Dragomir Princess. They were still several doors away from where we were staying. Through the bond I could feel Lissa's shock and worry. She was watching through one of the blinds, getting a very limited view of what was happening. The drunk man was passed out in the chair, and Christian was getting ready to make an escape, or come and help fight if things got too bad. Mia had gotten rid of the last Guardian and was helping Dimitri with his three. I only had two left, then we had to take care of the three upstairs. People were starting to gather around, watching us fight. A couple of them were shouting for me and Mia to kick their ass, while others wanted the 'ninjas' to win.

"Forget them," I heard one Guardian grunt, "get the girl and hurry!"

I watched in horrible disbelief as the remaining Guardians started to advance on me, adding on to my two. The three upstairs stopped looking for Lissa, and came to join the five surrounding me. Of course, that didn't stop Mia and Dimitri from fighting their way through them, coming to stand by me. Mia grabbed a pair of garden sheers from the shed and a shovel, grasping one in each of her hands, and Dimitri started to throw potted plants at the Guardians. It caused a couple of them to stumble, and Mia hit them against the side of the head. I seriously hoped she knew the difference between killing someone and knocking them unconscious, and from the look of her blows she was doing a good job.

Mia stopped swinging her shovel, dropping it to the ground, still clutching the garden sheers in her other hand. She looked at Dimitri and me. "I have a plan, follow my lead." She grabbed onto a fence and we copied her movement.

When we had each grabbed onto the gate surrounding the pool the Guardians started running towards us. Nothing happened for a moment, and then when they were an arm length away, water started to form a protective wall around us. The Guardians stopped moving for a moment, then tried reaching for us through the water. Then, water started rising from the swimming pool, gathering above us. It towered over us, and then dropped fast. Suddenly, water was surrounding us from all sides, trying to break our hold on the fence. Mia was causing waves around the Guardians, making them fall flat on their backs. It swept the Guardians into its watery embrace, and dragged them back into the pool.

"I hope they know how to swim," Mia said between deep, heavy breaths. We were soaking wet and the crowd started clapping. The manager was making her way down by the pool and we quickly went up the stairs. Christian and Lissa met us outside, the folder clasped tightly in her grasp.

"Let's go," Dimitri said, throwing his duster around his shoulder. He had quickly gone into his room, gathering all of his things. The Guardians were starting to get out of the water, helping each other out and coughing crazily.

"Don't you get hot?" I asked.

He arched an eyebrow.

"I mean with the duster on all the time?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Then why do you wear it?"

"Because you never know when you're going to need it." As he said this, he draped the duster over my head, covering my hair and body. Lissa handed me a pair of sunglasses. Christian, Lissa and Mia were wearing hats and sunglasses, trying to disguise themselves easily. I thought we probably looked like a bunch of shady drug dealers, but that seemed to be the norm for the people here.

"There are more Guardians here," Dimitri said. "Keep your heads down and quickly get to the car."

We walked silently and quickly to the car, a big black SUV we rented from the airport. It was parked as close to the room as we could get and we quickly piled into the car. "There they are!" Someone shouted, and suddenly Guardians were swarming the car. Dimitri locked the doors and cranked the car, shifting it into reverse.

"What are you going to do?" I hissed, shrinking against my seat. I had stupidly climbed into the front seat, allowing Lissa, Christian and Mia to take the back. "Run over them?"

"Of course not," he said, "they'll move."

"Rose-" Lissa started. Her feelings through the bond shocked.

"He won't run them over," I said, cringing as Dimitri started to back the car up. He was right. They started to back up as well. One Guardian was climbing the windshield and hanging on to the top of the car. "Shit."

Dimitri put the car into drive and floored the gas, sending us shooting out of the parking lot. The Guardian was still hanging on to the car, right in front of Dimitri, and Dimitri was swerving in the road. "Can you see?" I hoped he was driving like that to try and lose the Guardian but I wasn't sure.

"Not really." He muttered as he ran off the side of the road, the car bouncing over rocks and tree roots.

"Rose-" Mia said.

"Hang on," I interrupted again.

Dimitri jerked the car back onto the road, then started crossing into the yellow line. I yanked the steering wheel back over, allowing us to stay on the right side of the road. It would be horrible to die in a car crash after coming all this way. As the car started gaining speed the Guardian flew off, finally, and landed on the side of the road. "We need to head back to the airport and fast. They're probably piling into their cars so they can follow us."

"Rose," Christian said, "you really need to see this."

"What?" I snapped, turning around at last.

Sitting there in the backseat between Mia and Lissa was my father. He was wearing a grey and gold fedora and grey suit, with a matching gold tie. He didn't have his Guardians with him. He smirked at me, and I couldn't help but smirk back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked. Dimitri looked into the review mirror, seeing who I was talking about, and he gripped the steering wheel tighter, turning his knuckles white.

"That's a question for me to ask you, Rose." My father said, looking around the car. "That's a question I should ask all of you." His gaze stopped on Dimitri and flicked back to me. "Your mother is furious not to mention poor Adrian. Half the Guardians in the world are looking for you."

I shrugged. "I'm going back, as soon as I finish what I'm doing." At the mention of Adrian my heart shattered a little, but I didn't allow myself to think about my heart or Adrian's. I didn't have time right now. Not with everything else going on.

My father's eyes narrowed. "To the world it looks like you're trying to escape prosecution."

"I'm not," I said quickly, although I was starting to wonder if I was doing all of this to delay my death. It was a good plan in theory, until I either got captured or turned myself in, resulting in my death all the same.

"Then what are you doing?"

I looked at Lissa and she gave me a tiny nod. I took a deep breath and started to explain everything to Abe. Starting with the note Ambrose gave me that day in court and ending at the fight that had just happened. "How did you get here, anyway?"

He smiled at me. "I was called away on business when the Guardians got a phone call telling them of your location. It was Sydney, on my command, so don't blame her. In her defense she didn't want to call at all, it wasn't until I threatened to send her back to Russia that she finally caved. To everyone I'm in Russia with my Guardians, on official business. I even had someone check in under my name at a hotel. I have an alibi so no one suspects me of anything."

"Why would they?" I asked, my eyebrows rising. "You haven't done anything. You're just sitting in our car after you had fifteen Guardians sent to capture us."

"Oh Rose, I'm here to help you."

"How could you help me?"

"By giving you and your friends," he sneered the last word, his gaze focused on Dimitri, "a place to stay. A safe place to stay at, where the Guardians can't find you."

He explained how he had houses throughout the country under different names, bought from the humans and surrounded by human houses. He said it was a great place to go while he was on 'business', and I still didn't know what his 'business' was. He said they were large and well protected by Guardians but not the ones we were running from. His private Guardians that he paid, he assured us that they were trustworthy and use to these kind of things. He had feeders for Mia, Lissa and Christian so they could feed everyday while we were there.

"What do you think?" He asked brightly. He wanted to help so badly, and he was my father. I knew I should let him, he always had my best interest at heart, but it seemed too easy.

"What's in it for you?"

"What do you mean?" His sunny disposition faltered and I saw concern buried deep on his face. "Can't a father help his daughter?"

I looked around the car at my friends. They had been with me so far and they would be with me no matter what I chose. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's great," Mia said.

"I do too, Rose, it sounds…safe." Lissa agreed, nodding her head.

"I agree with them, Rose, sorry." Christian said, looking out the window.

I looked at Dimitri. What he had to say meant more to me than what anyone else had to say, it was his approval I was waiting for.

"Dimitri?" I asked hesitantly, my eyes going to him. He turned his head and met my gaze, holding it with his brown hues.

"I think it's a good idea."

Abe was beaming at all of the approval. He gave me a blinding smile and I gave a small smile in return. I nodded at him, giving him my approval as well.

"So it's settled then? We fly to Las Vegas and you stay with me while you're trying to find Lissa sibling? Then you return back to court and plead your innocence?"

I nodded, not knowing how true his last words were.

We finally made it to the airport, buying tickets with a credit card Abe had in a different name. He said he bought it in the human world; apparently you could get that kind of stuff almost anywhere, along with fake papers to get out of the country, which could come in handy if our search led us out of the country.

We turned in the car and the man wanted to know what the hell happened. There were scratches on the side of the car from Dimitri running off the road, and muddy footprints on the hood. We paid him an extra five hundred dollars, just to get him to shut up.

Finally, we were able to board the plane after waiting two hours at the airport, still in our disguises, still looking like shady drug dealers. After more waiting the plane finally lifted off, taking us to Vegas.

We were one step closer to find Lissa's sibling, one step closer to giving Lissa her fair chance at voting. We were one step closer to changing the world as we knew it, and we were also one step closer to my death.

Did you like? Please review, your comments mean the world to me!
-Tay!