Disclaimer: All characters, quotes etc belong to Richelle Mead. Only 3 days to Spirit Bound :)
Hearing footsteps, she turned, to see a Strigoi standing behind her, and then she stood up, and stepped away from me, seeming terrified. It took me a minute to realise who it was, standing just a few metres away, with a menacing glare fixed on his face.
Dimitri.
I stared in shock and confusion at the scene that was unfolding in front of me. Janine Hathaway, the woman that I had once thought of as my mother, but now saw me as just a soulless monster, was standing in front of Dimitri, preparing to fight. If I had been healthy enough, then I would have fought him.
Dimitri stared down at me and Adrian sitting on the ground, and sneered. "I awakened you, join us. Destroy the Academy, they deserve it." Quickly, Adrian turned to me.
"He'll kill you without blinking, you're not well enough to escape. Neither am I. Pretend you're just an ordinary Strigoi for now. To get away. Pretend to be on his side." He whispered it so quietly I barely heard.
"But I can't do that... What about you? I can't even walk....What about all of you-" I trailed off.
Dimitri walked closer in that second and crouched down in front of me, staring at the stake.
"That went through her heart. She should be dead." He directed this at Adrian, and I bit my lip confused.
"I don't have the energy to heal you." Adrian had said. He had no energy; because he had already saved me.
It hadn't gone through my heart - but it had, hadn't it? And Adrian, selfless, had saved me...
Adrian glared at Dimitri. "Yes, I healed her, alright. I couldn't help it, I used Spirit and I saved her ..."
Janine spun around, and stared at Adrian, suddenly distracted. "You brought an evil Strigoi back to life - so it could kill more people?"
"I haven't killed anyone!" I whispered, but she just ignored me.
Dimitri, stared at Adrian. "Well, I think you'd make a good Strigoi, don't you Roza?"
I stared at him, furious, and then back at Adrian. "No. Please, no."
I knew in that one instant, the reason I wasn't like the other Strigoi. Because I was Shadow-Kissed, and that meant that Adrian had no chance. Hey, maybe somehow another Spirit user could "heal" Strigoi of their darkness, but that wouldn't help... Why would they agree?
Adrian looked panicked, and tried to struggle to his feet, but because of his broken leg couldn't; not without help. Janine ran forward to attack Dimitri, but he managed to throw her to the ground - where she remained, unconcious.
I was there last chance, alone. The only one who could fight him. The only way any of them would have a chance.
I still felt dizzy and slightly disorientated, but managed to stagger to my feet, and remembering the stake, managed to take it out of the wound, and hold it. The wood seemed to burn my hand even more than it had before, but I managed to ignore the pain, just.
Dimitri stared at me, as I stood there, holding the stake in one hand, glaring at him.
"Stakes... they should..." he stammered, just standing there and I raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you remember, the first lesson you ever taught me? Don't hesitate." And with that I ran forward, and pinned him to the ground, ready to stake him. Tears streaming down my face, I leaned forward. Then I stopped, just for a second, to see Lissa standing behind me, fists clenched, avoiding my eyes.
"You don't have to kill him. I know how to save him."