Author's Note: Sorry for the extremely long hiatus. I'm going to try and finish all my fanfiction stories, or at least the ones people still want completed! So read, enjoy and review so I know who still wants this story continued!

'Darkness Beckons'

Rose's POV

I felt anxiety bubbling in my chest. The bond was still black. I could feel it, but I couldn't access it, which lead me to believe that she was alright and had just passed out due to blood loss. My mind kept replaying the moment when the Strigoi bit into her neck. She couldn't see through the blindfold, but the sensation of being bitten had been overwhelming enough without Lissa also having to witness the blood and gore of the situation. Christian was wringing his hands and jiggling his legs up and down, up and down. His nerves were infectious and if it weren't for the perilous situation Lissa was in I would have yelled at him. Dimitri, however, was calm. He sat with a stoic face and was probably strategizing. Our team was small, consisting of myself, Dimitri, Christian and Oliver. We also had a Moroi medic who would be waiting with the car and a Guardian to wait with them. The sun was high in the sky, which meant no Strigoi would be roaming around the warehouse, but humans were pesky little things and occasionally liked to help out the bad guys for a shot at immortal life.

Like immortal life would be worth the risk.

"Is she okay?" Christian asked anxiously.

I shrugged. "The bond is still dark. But it's there, so I'm sure she's alright."

Dimitri looked worried, but nodded at this. "You said they wanted her alive. Maybe they will try bargaining with her life first, or perhaps they want to question her."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Christian huffed.

"It should," Dimitri replied. "It gives us time to save her."

I nodded at this. "She'll be okay Christian. We've faced worse. She always survives." But not even I could convince myself of this fact so I didn't expect him to believe it. The truth was we always managed to survive, but there was always a cost – like Dimitri's life. Despite my heartache at his rejection, I still felt love for him. The same love I'd had the last time we'd faced a group of organized Strigoi. The time he had been taken and awakened. A nightmare made real. I was fearful that it would happen again. And it could happen again. To him, to me, to Christian. To anyone who entered the territory of the Strigoi. I had never been a religious person but I felt myself praying to any God who would listen that my friends would remain safe.

Lissa's POV

I awoke slowly. At first my brain was too fuzzy to register anything, but the second I was awake enough I felt excruciating pain. And then my memory slammed into me – Strigoi everywhere, getting bitten, passing out. My heart began to race and I pulled at my bonds, trying to free myself. All was quiet around me, but I couldn't tell if it was a natural quiet or if a league of the undead were standing unnaturally still around me waiting to pounce. I heard a whimper escape my throat.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice cracking half way through the word. I didn't know what possessed me to call out. I certainty didn't want to draw their attention but not knowing what was happening would drive me mad. I wished ferociously that I had Christians' fire magic. At least than I could burn my way out of here. Though I wouldn't get far by myself. But doing anything was better than nothing.

A chuckle sounded suddenly right by my ear. "Is the little Princess getting scared in the dark, all alone?" The voice wasn't one I had heard before. It wasn't the Strigoi who had bitten me, or the leader who had stopped him. But it definitely wasn't alive. It practically hissed in my ear.

I was not brave like Rose. So instead of answering his taunts with ones of my own I simply cowered away from the source of his voice.

"It's okay, my pet." His voice slithered to me through the darkness. "We won't bite you again. Not yet, at least. Master wouldn't be happy about that, no no." Master. It was unusual enough for Strigoi to work together, but to have a leader that was respected? That was practically unheard of. Sure, they managed to band together every now and then to battle against the living, but their groups tended to disperse fairly quickly once they were beaten, or when in-house fighting became a problem.

"What do you want?" I managed to mutter.

He tisked me. "I think the more important question is; what do you want? A little princess does not roam the woods in darkness and expect not to find us. You sought us out."

"I was trying to find my friend." I managed to reply.

"I'll be your friend." The voice hissed beside my ear. I cringed as the Strigoi ran his hand along my face but this just made him laugh again. Suddenly the blindfold was loosened and I felt it being lifted away from my face.

A Strigoi stood before me, a smile on his face. Though his smile was just a curve of twisted lips with no warmth. And his eyes were dead. They held no light, no kindness. They were just red-rimmed and filled with the rage all Strigoi felt. Aside from being undead, the Strigoi was handsome. Or he would be if he weren't so terrifying and pale.

My eyes took a moment to adjust, but once they did I noticed I was in some sort of basement. There were no windows that I could see, just a few candles that I knew were lit for me, or for any human helpers the Strigoi might have lurking around.

I was relieved and absolutely terrified, to find that it was just me and the Strigoi in the room. Though I wished they'd all been standing around me, just so Rose could see how many were here.

If she checked…but surely she would have? I hoped with all my heart that she wasn't angry enough to ignore the bond. Especially after the pain I had felt during that bite. Normally something like that would have pulled her straight into my mind.

"I have enough friends." I managed to whisper.

He seemed amused by this and let out a low chuckle. "Ah, Princess. Soon you'll be dying to be my friend. Well, not dying. You'll already be dead."

I felt my heart stutter in my chest at the implication. I didn't think a simple death was on their minds. What if…what if they wanted to awaken me? That couldn't happen. I couldn't let it. We knew it didn't have to be permanent now…but I had helped Dimitri. It was my spirit powers that had saved his life. I didn't know if any other spirit user would be strong enough. Adrian certainly wouldn't be, and Mark would never let his wife use her powers to that extent.

"You don't mean…" I started.

"Yes, I do." He smirked as if he already knew my next words. "Princess, you'll be joining us in the darkness. But don't worry," He grinned, a feral grin that promised pain and death, "You'll thank me after."

So this update is fairly short, but I just wanted to get another chapter up and see who is still interested in this story!

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