Vampire Academy: 3rd Times the Prince Charming
Chapter 25 of my Vampire Academy story, enjoy.
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Wolfgirl2013: Yup, well, thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Vampire Academy belongs to Richelle Mead.
Chapter 25
ROSE POV
I gasped as I found myself back in my own body. I dropped the tie I was holding. I couldn't waste time; therefore I would have to hurry to Lissa as I was. Although to be honest I was lucky, in this sort of situation shorts were more practical than a skirt. I hurried out of the changing room and began racing down the corridor. Suddenly the window just ahead, to my right, shattered and I stopped, narrowly avoiding being showered in glass. The Strigoi straightened up and grinned when he saw me.
"Well, well, what have we here?" He drawled. "A little Dhampir slut; ripe for feeding on; nice." With that he lunged at me and I quickly dodged out of the way. My thoughts were in overdrive as I dodged him again. 'Shit, not now, I don't have time for this!'
I dodged again, ending up in Dimitri's office; I quickly used it to my advantage, dodging the Strigoi again and using all my strength to slam the door closed on his head. He grunted and fell back, dazed but not really harmed. I hadn't expected him to be; I only did that to buy a little time. Sure enough, it paid off as I found what I was looking for. Dimitri always carried spare stakes, and he had left one behind on his desk. Overjoyed my gamble had paid off, I quickly hurried over to the desk, reaching out to grab it.
Before I could grab it, however, something caught my leg and I fell. My hands hit the desk and knocked several objects, including the stake, off it and onto the floor. I grimaced at the pain and felt the air get knocked out of me as I hit the floor. I twisted around and saw the Strigoi was also on the floor. He had grabbed my ankle and was now pulling himself along the ground towards me. He was still dazed but no less deterred from his meal. I struggled, desperately reaching out towards the stake, trying to grab it, while at the same time trying to keep him off me. I could hear him laughing as he pulled himself along. I felt his cold hands as they grasped my calf and shin and he pulled himself up further. I reached for the stake more frantically, kicking out with my free leg. But he quickly held that leg back with hand and used the other to pin my right leg.
"You'll enjoy this bitch," he snarled. "I'll have a lot of fun with you, feeding and…other pleasures." He laughed and began to lower his head. I reached out again desperately; my flailing fingertips were now touching the top of the stake.
Just then I felt the pain and cried out as he sank his fangs into the inside of my right thigh. I tried to fight the heady feeling that came with being bitten, but it was too strong – much tronger than what I felt those times I allowed Lissa to feed off me while we were on the run.
Suddenly the pain was gone, the weight on my legs disappeared, and I could hear the screaming of the Strigoi. Someone was pressing something against my thigh, against the bite, and binding it to my leg. Slowly, everything cleared and I became fully aware again. I saw the Strigoi, dead on the ground, and Alberta standing over him, stake in hand. Dimitri was kneeling next to me, having just finished binding a cloth to my bite wound.
"Rose, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
I nodded. "F-fine…He came through the window, I…Lissa's in trouble, there's more of them."
Alberta turned to me, eyes flashing dangerously. "What do you mean?"
"Rose, try to stay calm, deep breath, now tell me, what's going on?" Dimitri said calmly, although I could see the tension in his eyes.
I did as he said and began explaining. "The bond I have with Lissa, I ended up being pulling into her mind while I was getting changed. I saw them, there's a whole army of Strigoi attacking the Academy."
Dimitri and Alberta shared a dark look as Alberta growled, "The wards, that's why they're down, they've been destroyed."
"But how, do you think that group…?" Dimitri began. Alberta nodded, and asked her own question,
"I think they did, but the better question, did they do it deliberately or was it an accident like Victor suggested?"
I shook my head at them; this wasn't the time to try and work out why. I stood up; Dimitri standing too, making sure I was steady on my feet. The bite stung a little but otherwise the pain was no longer noticeable.
"Can we work this all out later, Lissa's still in danger!" I said quickly.
Alberta nodded. "You're right. Dimitri, we must go, we have to warn the other Guardians who aren't already aware and rescue those who as still in danger."
I made to follow them but Dimitri shook his head. "No Rose, I know you're Lissa's Guardian, but you're still a novice, you aren't ready for this. We'll rescue Lissa, I promise. Now get to safety."
With that they both left, leaving me glaring after them. I knelt down and grabbed up the stake that had dropped to the floor. 'Like hell I'm going anywhere without Lissa,' I thought angrily.
With that I left the office and rushed as quickly as I could, heading for the corridor Lissa had been in while I had seen inside her mind. Unless the bond activated again and gave me fresh clues, it was the last place I knew she was and had to search there. As I ran through the school however, I quickly realized it had become a battlefield; there was indeed a whole army of Strigoi present. Many of them were attacking and killing Moroi, capturing a few along with any Dhampirs that they could grab. Many Guardians were present and fighting, but they were outnumbered. What was more, I could see several Moroi, each known to me as members of that group, fighting on the Strigoi's side. That confused me, making me wonder what the hell was going on.
Finally, after dodging and working my way through the battles and some of the wreckage which now littered the school from some of the Moroi using their magic to defend themselves, I made it. I arrived at the corridor Lissa had been in, noticing that at least three Moroi bodies were present, though none of them were hers. None of the Strigoi were present, however, and Lissa was also missing. I held the stake at the ready, looking around warily.
"Where is everyone?" I muttered to myself, frustrated and trying to ignore the dull throb from the wound in my right thigh.
My training under Dimitri paid off as I noticed an almost imperceptible movement from a curtain to my left. As such, when the Strigoi leapt out to attack, I was ready for him. I quickly ducked under his attack and, remembering Dimitri's lessons from not more than an hour ago, I struck. The stake hit home and the Strigoi cried terribly. I didn't let up but pushed it deeper, drawing more cries until finally he stopped struggling and twitching. I pulled the stake out of his heart and he fell to the ground. I could only stare in disbelief at the first Strigoi I had killed.
Footsteps behind me made me spin around. I glared, stake raised as I saw another Strigoi approaching me. This one seemed calm however, too calm. He then came close and I froze, uncomprehending; I knew him. That smug grin was unmistakable, but how...how could he have allowed himself to become such a monster?
It was Jesse.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.