AN: Only a few more chapters left! :o

Chapter 23: I won't Object This Time

Dimitri and I had spent a very long day packing. I sighed as I lay back on the bed just resting my head. My luggage had surrounded me, and Dimitri's had too. It was a good thing he packed light. He was outside in the hallway talking to Olena. I sat their closing my eyes and just thinking. It would have to be tomorrow. It would all be over tomorrow. Dimitri and I would then celebrate our lives as an amazing aunt and uncle to the baby. We would be able to protect life of my best friend, and her fiancée, and their new child. I began drifting when Dimitri came back in. He curled up right beside me. "What did she say?" I mumbled sleepily. He started moving the hair away from my eyes.

"She said I could bring you back, but with one exception." He said pulling my chin up from the pillow.

"What's that?" I asked sitting on my elbow. Before he could finish there was a pounding on our door. Dimitri and I ran to open it to find Abe, breathing breathlessly.

"Tasha is here. She is demanding you. Go Rose!" He yelled. I brought him in to see that there was blood coming down from his side, he clutched and Dimitri sat him down. I quickly ran to my room. I put on that damn corset, contacts, fangs, and secretly tucked in my stake. I looked fine, and well a Strigoi.

To Adrian: Its time.

I then threw my phone against the wall. I ran back in the living room. "Dad where's Destery?" I asked

"He's fine in the hotel. Be strong Rose." He told me cursing in pain. Dimitri was getting teary eyes but I knew he wouldn't cry. He nodded and mouthed 'I love you Roza'. I knew what I had to do. I ran down the hotel door and outside. I back in an old alley where I knew she would be, and there she was.

"Rose, Rose, Rose. You clean up well." She told me. She was looking at her red stained nails. "I was getting lonely, and impatient. I had to use your dad; you must have some humane feelings, right? I heard your holding them all hostages, impressive." She said looking me up and down.

"Tasha, you know as well as I do I'm only keeping them to change them into this wonderful life. Of course they keep me feed, delicious." I said licking my lips making it convincing. I then lunged at her.

The first thing I did was pierce her neck with the stake. She screamed and curled in pain. It knocked her momentarily while she stood up clutching it. "I knew it! This was all a lie! I have you now you pathetic Dhampir!" She screamed. I was in trouble now. I slung a blow at her stomach. She was quickly revived, but still hurt from her neck.

"We all have secrets Tasha. This is one of many." I said throwing in another kick. She deflected it and sent me flying into a tree. I got up because I knew my life depended on it. All I needed was Adrian. She came at me with full force, going for my throat. I stepped behind her and pierced where a jugular would be. I now hoped it would somehow send the magic through her veins. "When are you going to give Tasha?" I asked hearing her scream again.

"I don't bend that easy." She said turning around landing a slap on my cheek. I spat some blood out of my mouth. My lip was busted. "This isn't just for Dimitri. This is for Christian too. All those years, you thought you would be amazing to call him names. It doesn't matter now. I will have to kill him one day." She said sending a punch at my chin. I moved the second before it hit and sent one into the side of her head.

"I don't think you would care now, but Christian is having a baby. I will give my life to protect all three of them. They're not going to end up like his parents." I told her. She sent a kick to my knee, knocking my feet out from under me. I moved before she could hit me.

"You're fast, but definitely not enough." She said. I got up and sent another kick making her fall on the grass.

"You forgot I had a stake, you bitch!" I screamed plunging it into her brain. An eerie scream erupted.

"Ha-ha! Still Dhampir I will win." She wouldn't stop at nothing. We exchanged our kicks and blows. We exchanged them to the fact where I felt like a big bruise. I had totally forgotten how much Tasha had been trained to defend herself. I had also forgotten how much Strigoi strength would amplify them. I felt stupid, so stupid. I felt like this wasn't worth it. There we rolled. Back and forth. My stake slipped from my hand. I saw the gleam roll into the green grass, never retrievable. I was using my hands and feet now. My hands and knuckles were bloody. I was sure at least a few bones in my body were cracked; maybe even a few bones broken. I tried to ignore the pain. I couldn't. I screamed when my leg snapped under me. She was on top of me now. I did something stupid. So stupid, that my life would be over either way.

It was very stupid. I was putting myself in danger, everyone I love in danger. Then I did it. I let my barriers down one by one they slid. Tasha stood screaming as they attacked her. Mauling her emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Darker depths were now entering her. At the same time, my mind was going crazy with anxiety. Reeling. The concentration this took was beyond my limit. I would probably be ruined forever. Tears were running down my face, and honestly I couldn't feel anything. I watched as a figure hopped out of nowhere. "Adrian!" I screamed. I knew he wouldn't look at me. We had a Strigoi to revive. I crawled. It took everything in me but I did it. I crawled. I held Adrian's arms helping him shove it in her heart. Suddenly a burst of light came, sending me backwards. It had so much power I was rolled into the base of a tree. I put my walls back up quickly.

I looked down at my arms and saw a lot of blood. So much blood, I didn't know who's it was. I sat there. Adrian starting compelling Tasha.

"You will not leave this spot. You will not say anything or hurt anyone. You will sit here and think about all the harm you've caused to others." He said looking her in the eye. I looked up to see three other people. He handed Tasha over to what looked like to be Destery but people were getting fuzzy now. I rolled over clutching my stomach. Immense pain busted from it. I screamed, agonized. I began struggling for air.

"I'm going to heal you Rose, just stay still." Adrian said. I heard him place his hand on my legs, arms, and my face. Every time relieving a little pressure as he went. I began breathing steady and suddenly I was pulled up. I looked up to see Dimitri.

"Whose blood is on me?" I whispered nuzzling his neck and whispering into his ear,

"Yours." He said flatly.

"That's a lot. Am I going to be alright?" I said.

"Just fine." I began to drift off in a sleep in his arms.

When I woke up I was in a bedroom. Not just a bedroom, but my bedroom. It was my bedroom back at court. I looked around discovering both mine and Dimitri's luggage. I walked down my stairs to see it was dark outside. When I walked in the living room Dimitri was there asleep on the couch with a book in his hand. I curled up right beside him. I didn't even know how long I have been out. He yawned.

"Who is it?" He mumbled. His eyes were still closed. I leaned into his ear.

"Roza." I said with the best Russian accent and I laughed. He immediately sprang up and grabbed me. He basically tackled me into the couch.

"That's not funny Rose." He said pinning all off his weight on me.

"Wow, beating up on a cripple." I said. He smirked and instead he took me in his arms.

"Two very long days. Two days without you and I was on the verge of going insane." He sighed.

"Can we just go away from here? We could go back to Olena's or something." I said into his chest.

"Like I've said, she said we can only come back on one condition." He told me.

"What's that?" I asked.

"She said you could only come back if you are Mrs. Rosemarie Belikov." He said pulling a ring out of his pocket. It was beautiful, obviously an heirloom. It had a gold but copper band. It had one huge diamond, with two little pearls resting on the inside. I sat up and looked at him.

"I won't object this time." I smiled. He laughed and put it on my finger, and we finished what we started.

AN: ITS NOT OVER! R&R Roughly one/two chappies left! Night all!