*Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does!*

Three Strigoi attacked us. Two of them immediately went for Dimitri, while the other went for me. I felt a brief moment of annoyance that Dimitri was always perceived as the threat, but I quickly brushed that aside as the Strigoi I was fighting lunged for me. She was clearly a new Strigoi. Her moves were jerky and sloppy. It only took about five minutes for me to stake her. Then I turned to Dimitri who was struggling with the two Strigoi. I staked one before he saw me coming.

The other wasn't distracted by his partner's demise. He was clearly an older Strigoi. He managed to kick me in the stomach. Dimitri looked up at me when he heard my gasp of pain. The Strigoi took advantage of Dimitri's distraction. He backhanded Dimitri, causing Dimitri to go flying into a wall. Dimitri crumbled to the floor. He did not get up.

I saw red, and attacked the Strigoi with a sudden fury. I studied his moves and started to use them against him. As I fought him, I remembered Dimitri's words from when we were still at the Academy. He had told me he wouldn't be able to be with me, because in a fight he would be more focused on me than Lissa. Karma's a bitch. It turns out he was more focused on me than himself this time. I couldn't stand the thought that he might die because of me. It caused me to lash out against the Strigoi. He didn't stand a chance. He was trying to take away my husband. I wasn't going to stand for that.

I took the first opening I could get and I staked the Strigoi. After calling Sydney, I quickly rushed over to where Dimitri was lying on the floor. I rolled him over gently so he was lying on his back. He was breathing, so I knew he was still alive. "Dimitri! Dimitri! Wake up! Come on Dimitri. Open your eyes!" I pleaded. He didn't listen to me. His eyes remained closed and his breathing got slower. I looked around, hoping Sydney would magically appear. I noticed a figure in the shadows. "Sydney?" I called out hopefully.

Someone stepped out of the shadows, and it wasn't Sydney. It was a middle-aged moroi man. He walked over to where I was sobbing over Dimitri. He looked at Dimitri curiously, like he was some kind of experiment. I crouched protectively over Dimitri. The moroi man walked right over to Dimitri. He tilted Dimitri's head sideways and placed his hand on Dimitri's temple. He leaned his head closer and I thought he was going to bite him for a second.

Then I noticed the look of concentration on his face. Slowly, life returned to Dimitri's features. The moroi pulled his hand back just as Dimitri opened his eyes.

"Dimitri?" I asked breathlessly as I jumped into his arms. He looked as good as new. His arms immediately wrapped around me. I felt protected in his embrace. "You're alive!" I shouted through the tears in my eyes.

"I didn't think I was going to make it," he admitted. He hugged me tighter and I didn't mind that I could barely breathe. I was so happy that he was here alive. He looked up suddenly and noticed the moroi man. "You healed me?"

I looked at Dimitri anxiously. He was so close to dying. Had he passed over and been brought back? "You're not shadow-kissed are you?" I asked him nervously. I was happy he was alive, but it would be tough if he was shadow-kissed. He's supposed to be the rational one in this relationship. If he's being influenced by spirit's darkness, then it could change him. Dimitri is terrifying when he's angry. I would hate to see spirit induced anger. And who knows how much trouble I would get in without Dimitri to keep me in line? I would be in moroi prison before I could say…

Dimitri cut off my internal babbling. "No, I just recognized the feeling from when Lissa healed me. Unless you magically developed magic, it must have been the only moroi around" he explained. I hated when he was so logical sometimes. "I didn't die. I may have come close to it, but I would never let myself die when I know you are waiting for me here."

I breathed a sigh of relief. That's what I get for being so dramatic. A warm feeling spread through me as I took in his words. "I'm so happy that…" I started. Sydney chose that moment to make an appearance, effectively stopping whatever I would say.

She muttered something about being woken up to clean up our mess.

She looked at the moroi man oddly, but started sprinkling her concoction on the Strigoi bodies. I turned to the moroi man. I had almost forgotten he was here. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me," I told him.

"I'm surprised you didn't freak out when I healed him," the moroi man said with a frown. "Who's Lissa?"

"She's my best friend. She also specialized in spirit," I explained.

"Oh." That's all the moroi man said as a distant look came across his face. It gave me the impression his mind was somewhere else. "How did you know that he could have been shadow kissed?" He finally asked.

"I used to be shadow-kissed," I told him.

"Then she went and died like five times which broke the bond," Dimitri added with a small smile.

I rolled my eyes at him and resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. I focused back on the moroi man. "Who are you?" I asked curiously.

"Robert Doru. And you?" He asked, extending his hand

"Rose Belikov," I told him as I shook his hand.

I felt another burst of nausea. I groaned. Not now. I turned to Dimitri. "Up for one more Strigoi Comrade?" I asked as I jumped to my feet.

Dimitri gracefully stood up and we turned to face our opponent.

My jaw dropped when I saw who was standing before us. I looked at Dimitri and tried to communicate with him wordlessly. I think he understood, because I saw his eyes tighten slightly and he nodded. This was not going to be easy.