Ch. 28

Eva POV

Songs: DNA by The Kills, Bullet with Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins, Cochise by Audioslave

To say everyone was on edge would be a massive understatement.

An identical serious look was glued to the Dhampirs' faces as Dimitri quietly relayed the ins and outs of the plan a couple more times for good measure. Christian had been completely silent since we left the hotel. He kept shooting ambiguous looks in Rose's direction—that she was pointedly ignoring. I was worried he might have lost his ability to speak when Adrian's nervous tapping finally got to him.

"Would you cut it out already Ivashkov?!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry," Adrian pulled himself out of whatever daydream he had been having and stilled his shaking leg.

"Three minutes out," Pavel called out from the front.

I turned behind me to single out Rose. "You know what to do?"

"Now that you mention it, no Eva. No clue what to do," she stated sarcastically. "As everyone's been constantly relaying the plan for the last 24 hours I've actually been thinking about more pressing items, like the ever delicious kung pow chicken and the conundrum with Great White Sharks."

"What conundrum," Christian asked.

"You know, whether you can't tell if you love them or hate them. Because on one side they are so majestic, but they're also so ferocious," Rose stated matter-of-factly.

"Kind of like me," Eddie said as he raised his flexed bicep in the air.

"Hey! Don't steal my jokes, Castile!"

"Anyways," I attempted to reel them back in, "I'm talking about the bond," I rolled my eyes at her and proceeded to repeat the same thing I had told her half a dozen times as the car slowed to a stop. "The ring is probably already losing some of its power from the constant use over the past couple of weeks so if you slip it off slightly, you should be able to let your emotions seep through the bond without fully exposing yourself."

"Got it," she replied as we made our way out of the over-cramped SUV. "Remove the magical ring just enough to make my evil-vampiric best friend see the, metaphorical, light of day before she kills us all or turns me into her undead right-hand woman. How hard can it be?"

Once we were all out I reached for the car door behind her and slammed it shut. "You know, if you weren't so deranged you might be kind of cool to hang out with." Rose attempted to raise one of her eyebrows at my comment and cast me a sidelong glance. "Might," I emphasized for good measure.

"Aw, don't go all soft on me now, Red."

"You're insufferable."

"Not that this isn't a touching moment," Adrian chimed in. "But we are about to do the craziest thing I have ever dreamed of in my life, and let me tell you I've had some pretty remarkable dreams. So I'd appreciate it if you kept the coy banter to a minimum and focus." His nerves were starting to get to him a little, but he was right. It was time to put on our game faces and get shit done.

This would be the first time I was going on a restoration mission without any of the Salvatori or Josette. I desperately missed her and could quickly feel my nerves starting to rise too. I couldn't let the others sense that I was anything but confident though, and used the image of Elara's disappointed, scolding face to snap me back and reel in the rising butterflies. My mother was caring and loving and had protected us in every way possible. But that look was the surest way to make me want to hit something, and that fuel was exactly what I needed right now.

"Everything alright," a thick Russian accent snapped my attention up. Dimitri was standing in front of me with that same unreadable look he coveted. Rose had taken Adrian off to the side and was engaged in a hushed conversation, no doubt as a last opportunity for a pep talk.

I nodded and turned slightly away from him, moving my gaze up to the diamond-speckled sky. It was a clear night and all the stars were out to witness what would lie ahead in The Ivy. As always, my vision pulled to the moon. I'd always preferred it over the sun. Other than the discomfort that the sun brought, there was just something about the moon that drew me to it. It's ominous, yet revealing. The moon sheds light on things creeping in dark corners but allows you to remain hidden all the same. From all the places I moved around to and from, the moon was my one constant. It was a bearing that I came to rely on as a child, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy on nights it wasn't visible.

"Beautiful night. Ironic isn't it," I voiced to Dimitri. I couldn't help but think how a blood moon would have been much more fitting. He hummed in agreeance and briefly looked across the star-laden sky.

"Before we go in there, I wanted to tell you thank you," his focus moved back down to me as he spoke. "It's obvious you aren't exactly here by choice, but it still means a lot that you are willing to go through with this. You are truly doing us a great service Eva."

That was the last thing I expected to come out of Dimitri Belikov. We hadn't really spoken since that night in the library and I was sure that he would be extremely angry with me after that, not to mention the events that followed. I took a small gulp, swallowing my pride with it, and did the one thing I loathed the most. Apologized.

"I'm sorry for what I said to Rose," I told him. "It wasn't my place to do so and—" Dimitri held up his hand, halting my words.

"Don't be. You had every right to be concerned. Trust is not given, it's earned," that line sounded like something he read off a fortune cookie and I had half a mind to tease him about it, but his next words left me speechless. "Hopefully after tonight, I will be able to earn yours."

He was an established Guardian. From what Eddie and Christian had told me, one of the best. People, important people, respected him and trusted him with their lives. I was nobody—less than nobody. Yet, here he was hoping to earn my trust. I nodded again, unable to think of anything to say to that, and for a split second I could've sworn I saw him smile.

Before I could decide if it was a figment of my imagination or not, Rose called us to attention. Midnight was quickly approaching and it was time for us to take position. After a couple words of encouragement and pats on the backs, Adrian and Christian made their way towards the front of the B&B.

It was a small yellow building with a bright green door that made it seem homey and inviting. There were vines weaving in and out of the closed shutters, which I guess is where it got its name, and a beautiful garden positioned to the left. It was strange to think that somewhere below the serene building were several evil creatures lurking. Rose's phone lit up and she quickly read the intel from Christian on the best route to the meeting room. We knew once they were inside we wouldn't receive any other form of communication, so she tucked her phone away and crouched down behind some nearby bushes to get a closer view. She pointed to the backend of the B&B and whispered something to Dimitri; most likely how we were going to get into the place, but the small change in his expression told me it might have been something else.

She turned back to us and nodded her head towards the building, "Come on. Let's go." Dimitri and Rose led the way with Eddie and me in tow. The plan was for them to go in first and quietly take out any of Vasilisa's followers on lookout while Eddie and I watched out for anyone coming in behind them. I knew what they were doing. They weren't fooling me. They were making sure I was kept out of any encounters with the Strigoi and Eddie would be there to "protect" me if we did. I could handle myself in a fight, I had been adamant about it before, but they were insistent on me saving all of my strength for the restoration. And after seeing Vasilisa's powers in play, I guess I had to agree.

After about a minute, Eddie and I crept down the passageway they had disappeared through. There was a tight staircase that could be trouble if we needed a quick getaway—especially if there were assailants waiting up top for us. We stepped over a couple of bodies and I wondered how they had disposed of them so quietly. The plan seemed to be working out well so far, and if we kept it up we would be able to maintain our surprise factor.

When we reached the end of the hall, Dimitri and Rose were standing over one last body. A piece of her hair had fallen into her face, the only indicator that they had been in a skirmish. She nodded to us again, and silently we took our positions. Eddie moved up beside Rose to help her bust through the door and Dimitri maneuvered himself in front of me. We simultaneously took in one last breath, as if even the air in there would be tainted, and readied ourselves for what waited on the other side of that door.

With one, quick heave Eddie and Rose burst through the door and into the florescent lit conference room. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the drastic change in light and as they did I could make out rows of foldout chairs along the edges of the tiled, windowless room.

I quickly scanned the scene spotting Adrian and Chris in the corner—relief and fear simultaneously flooding their faces—with, to our dismay, more Strigoi than we had accounted for. I wasn't sure how many there were, because in the middle of counting them, my eyes were pulled to a huge, towering form to Vasilisa's right. He was half-hidden in the shadows, his face and torso covered in the night's dark cloak, but there was no mistaking this was the Strigoi that Rose had mentioned. Nikolai.

He was the biggest Strigoi I had ever seen, and even though I couldn't see his eyes, I felt like those red-ringed beads were piercing right through me. Rose's muffled voice pulled my mind back to the present of the room, but my eyes were glued to that giant at the Princess' side.

"Did you think I would be foolish enough to show up alone after the little stunt you pulled the other day," Vasilisa replied to whatever Rose had said. "Besides, after seeing what I did to that shriveling excuse for Strigoi, my associates were more than willing to jump at the chance to escort me."

"Associates? That's what you're calling them," Rose goaded. "I'd say the evil, undead rat-pack is more like it. I mean look at that one," she pointed with her stake, "he's even got a stupid hat on."

My eyes flicked to the Strigoi on the left wearing a trilby. His glistening teeth revealed that her comments were anything but amusing to him.

"Oh, Rose," the Princess smiled wickedly. "I do hope your sense of humor carries over in your awakening. It was always one of the most enjoyable things about you." Her cold face was a complete contrast to her twisted sentimentality.

Two Strigoi on the ends started to creep away from her and towards the outer perimeter of the room. Another two followed as Dimitri positioned himself in front of me.

"Lissa don't do this," Christian's hushed voice carried as the snarling monsters began to encircle us. "Rose is your best friend. We can help you."

The room went completely still. Vasilisa's stare remained fixed on Rose as every sound left the shallow walls. The tension and anticipation had me completely on edge and all I could do was stand motionless behind the Russian barrier. The steady heaving of the Dhampirs' chests were the only indicators that time hadn't completely stopped. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest, I thought it might break through. It was to the point the anxiety was almost unbearable when finally, Vasilisa said, "You did help me."

And then the room went into complete, and utter chaos.

Rose and Eddie raced over to Christian and Adrian, causing the majority of the Strigoi to follow. Two wildly flung themselves at Dimitri and he shoved me back behind him while simultaneously grabbing a chair and throwing it at one of his attackers. The force of his push almost sent me to the ground, but I righted myself in time to witness the astonishing events around us unfold.

Flashes of silver and red surrounded the room as the Dhampirs reigned their assault. I could see Rose and Eddie nudge the Moroi to safety as they began facing their opponents. On our side of the room, Dimitri was unlike anything I had ever seen. I became completely captivated as I watched him move with remarkable, deadly grace. Each movement fulfilled its purpose without fail and he took out his two opponents without even breaking a sweat. I stood there wide-eyed as their pale bodies fell to the floor, and was so distracted I nearly didn't see what was coming.

Nikolai.

With a flick of Vasilisa's wrist, he charged across the room sending rumbles through the ground. I turned to Dimitri who was still pulling his stake from one of the Strigoi's backs and shouted, "Look out!"

Dimitri turned just in time for Nikolai to barrel straight into his chest. Dimitri flew back and tumbled to the ground. I moved off to the side so Nikolai's back was to me and pulled out my stake as Dimitri quickly rolled himself up. As if he was made of air, Nikolai's movements were almost impossible to see. He reached out to Dimitri and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, gripping a fistful of fabric and pulling him closer. With Dimitri in his clutches, I inched as close as I dared to the giant beast. I lifted my arm into the air causing the light to briefly catch my stake, pulling Dimitri's attention towards me.

His eyes went wide with alarm. He looked back to Nikolai and used his bodyweight to swing them both around before freeing himself from the hold and sending Nikolai soaring into a pile of folded chairs. The maneuver put himself between me and the Strigoi again and he shoved me away with even more force. "Stay back! Stop trying to fight!"

When he turned back around, Nikolai's fist slammed into Dimitri's face with a resounding bang. A gash immediately formed above Dimitri's eye and he shook his head to keep the blood from dripping into his vision. He leaped up and engaged in combat again, the two contrasting gods clashing blow for blow in what seemed like the battle of the century. Good vs. Evil. Dark vs. Light. Life vs. Death.

I kept my eyes on Dimitri's moves, following his calculated steps and praying that he would hit a vulnerable spot soon. I knew not even he could keep this up forever and eventually he would tire out. Just as I thought he was weakening though, he shot his fist into Nikolai's ribs and slashed his leg across the Strigoi's tibia with a thunderous strike. I was amazed that the after-shock from his blow didn't split the earth in two.

Nikolai's leg was no doubt broken as he folded over towards it, which gave Dimitri the opportunity to finish him off. He slammed his knee into his ribs again, shattering them to pieces, and lifted his elbows before coming down full-force onto his shoulder to severely dislocate it. I could see Nikolai's ragged breathing reverberating off his back as Dimitri moved towards him, and I knew he was done. The Russian Guardian spun around the demon's back and pulled him into a chokehold on his knees. The Strigoi thrashed against him, but he had no leverage off the ground and his left arm was hanging down along with his limp shoulder. Dimitri yanked against him, pulling Nikolai's knees higher off the floor as he reached for his stake. The maneuver caused them to turn slightly towards me, and I felt an unnatural thrill that I would be able to look him in the eyes as Dimitri plunged his stake directly into the monster's cold, dead heart. But as his face turned towards me, paralyzing shock shot through my veins stunning me still.

That face.

I had seen that face. I knew it almost as well as my own. It was the same face that was etched into my memory from the only photo I cherished. The only memory that Josette had kept from the life we could have had. His features were mauled by anger, pain, and villainy, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was him. Kristof. My mother's Guardian. Our savior. Our real father that only Josette had ever truly known.

Dimitri's arm moved up to strike, and as it came down I screamed, "WAIT! DIMITRI DON'T!"

Their eyes both shot up to me, a pair of dark brown and another set of ruby red. I spent years trying to prepare myself for this moment. We knew once we saw him, we had to be prepared so Josette and I would spend stormy nights picturing the man in that photo as a blood-sucking beast. Giving his warm, loving smile sharp fangs, his tan skin a pale glow, and his relaxed jaw a menacing curve. But I could never permit myself to ruin the vision of those eyes. Those soft, caring eyes that looked lovingly at my family before they were ripped apart. Now that those crimson eyes were staring directly at me, I was completely caught off guard and all sense of logic went straight out the door.

I guess there's not much that can prepare you for seeing the man your family claimed as your father for the first time as a terrifying, snarling beast. I wish Josette was here. She would know what to do.

With a crack, he sat up a little straighter and I knew his ribs were starting to heal. So did Dimitri apparently, because he moved to strike again. "Dimitri, please no!"

I rushed forward but jolted to a stop before I got too close. "What are you doing? I have to finish this," Dimitri gritted through his teeth as his grip around the Strigoi's neck tightened. I looked up to him for a second, pleading with my eyes before moving my gaze back down to his prisoner.

"Kri—Kristof? Is that you," my voice was shaky at best. I could feel my whole body trembling from head to toe as I waited for him to answer. A confused look slowly spread across his threatening brow.

"How do you know that name?"

I inhaled a short breath, unable to fully let air in or out of my lungs. His abominable eyes raked over my face for what seemed like forever until a sly, fanged smile crept up the corner of his mouth.

"Elara," he hissed in recognition. My eyes widened to my forehead and my hand tightened around my stake at the look he revealed. It was apparent in that moment that he not only remembered her, but was still looking for her as well. With another sickening snap his shoulder straightened out and he moved his hand to grip Dimitri's arm around his neck. He looked at me with paralyzing hunger and my stake dropped to my side. I took a step back, fear completely taking over my body as he struggled to get out of Dimitri's hold.

Every part of my being was telling me to turn around and run. Run as fast and as far as I could go. But before my feet could catch up to my brain, Dimitri gripped the side of Kristof's head with his free hand and yanked it as hard as he could. I thought he might have completely ripped it off, but when the limp body clambered to the floor, to my surprise his head didn't roll away.

"That should take some time to heal. Now, do you want to tell me what is going on," Dimitri asked.

I raised my nervous gaze from the floor to meet Dimitri's and frantically shook my head in response. Dimitri opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could our focus was pulled to a horrifying, gurgling scream on the other side of the room.

RPOV

Songs: Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This by Emily Browning, Roost by Big Black Delta, St. Jude by Florence And The Machine

I could hear Eva scream something at Dimitri, but I couldn't look now. I had my own demons to deal with. Four Strigoi moved to Eddie and me. The cocky smirks on their faces suggested that they had no idea what they were dealing with. The shocked screech from the one on the end as his legs lit up in flames proved that they didn't.

We had warned Christian to save his strength for subduing Lissa, but this small display granted us the brief element of surprise that we needed.

Eddie launched himself at the burning beast and another followed behind him. The other two made a move towards me and I responded in kind. They were stronger than I had anticipated but unfortunately for them, so was I. I kicked my heel right into the taller one's kneecap, shattering it under his pale skin and sending him straight to the floor. I turned my focus to the other just in time to dodge an incapacitating blow. I ducked under his arm and threw my elbow into his back. He stumbled forward a little but righted his footing just as my stake sliced across his chest instead of impaling it.

The gash oozed and bubbled, his pale skin burning from the encrypted magic in my stake. His hands ghosted over the wound, hesitating to touch the raw surface. The Strigoi's furious eyes darted up to me and he ascended upon me once again. However, his anger made his movements wild and sloppy, giving me the opening I needed to finish the job. I rammed my stake into the already open wound, my knuckles sinking into the sticky, wet flesh as my stake pierced its target. The Strigoi let out a choked breath and crumbled beneath my hold. I pressed my foot into his stomach and shoved him off my weapon, a slimy web clinging to my fist and stake as I sent him sprawled out to the floor.

Before I could calculate my next move, something grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed my face into the nearby wall. I reached my free hand behind me to grip the cold flesh tangled in my hair, and when I made contact I twisted furiously until I heard a crack. With a yelp the hold on my head released and I whipped around to face my attacker, the maneuver causing my head to spin and my balance to sway. The other Strigoi's knee had healed and he was grinning at my teetering state. He flew at me with incredible speed and I tried to shuffle out of the way, but I was currently seeing two of him and was caught in his grasp once again. He shoved me back into the wall causing spots to surround my blurring vision and my stake to clamber across the floor.

A curt laugh seeped out of him and his open-mouthed grin revealed sharp teeth dripping with saliva like a rabid animal. I had seen that ravenous look before. I knew what he was about to do, and I was powerless to stop him.

"Rose!" I heard Adrian yell from the other side of the room, but the pressure on my throat from the Strigoi's forearm was preventing me from turning my head to see if he was alright. Then I realized he wasn't yelling for my help, I was the one that needed help. The Strigoi's menacing face inched towards me and I stiffened, anticipating the shooting pain that was about to leach into my neck.

But instead of the expected sting, a weight was lifted from me and I slumped back against the wall with my hands barely holding me up. After a couple breaths I looked up expecting to see that Eddie had come to the rescue, but the Strigoi was standing in front of me perfectly still with a terrified look on his face. I glanced over to my left to see Eddie still grappling with the other Strigoi, blocking Christian and Adrian behind him. I pushed myself off the wall and reached down to grab my stake from the ground. The Strigoi was no longer still and was visibly trembling with fear.

"I told you she was mine," her sinister voice slithered from across the room. My focus shot to Lissa and I could see her gaze pointed directly at the Strigoi who had just had me pinned. My eyes alternated between the two of them trying to decipher what was happening. The Strigoi started to scream, pulling Eddie and the other monster's focus to our direction.

He started hysterically clawing at his arms, leaving thin lacerations of ripped skin and blood behind as his horrified stare darted to each shallow wound. His screams escalated and his hands savagely raked down his face, pulling chunks of skin with them as if removing it was the only way to stop the imaginary pain from taking over.

"Make it stop! Make it stop," he gurgled, the blood from his face and arms dripping into his mouth as his fingers sunk into the open wounds.

"As you wish," I brazenly replied and shoved my stake deep into his chest. "Yuck." I wiped my hands and stake along the side of my pants and looked back up to Eddie. The Strigoi he had been fighting was frozen in place looking down at the mess of blood and gore before me. Realizing he was now outnumbered, he turned to run away but before he could take another step, Eddie grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into his stake from behind. He twisted it up a little to make sure he was right on target, then pushed the limp body face first to the floor.

My eyes flicked behind Lissa to see Dimitri standing over Nikolai's huge form and a pang of relief shot through me. He looked a little battered, it had obviously been a brutal fight, but overall he was okay. Lissa's sights were still on Eddie and me as Dimitri stealthily took position behind her.

"It's over now Liss," I relayed, trying to keep her focus on me and away from Dimitri. I knew she didn't have any training in combat so if we could just catch her off guard, Eva could make her move.

"I don't think so, Rose." She tilted her chin down and stared at me through her long lashes.

"Please Lissa. Just come with us, no one else has to get hurt. We can help you," I pleaded, trying to make that part of her I knew was still alive see reason.

She straightened up a little and relaxed her shoulders. Her face molded into a look that seemed almost pitying. "Is that begging I sense," she asked as her malicious smile returned. "You can do better than that. Let's see, shall we?"

A ring of fire formed around her signaling my cue. I slipped the ring partially off my finger, trying my best to keep her emotions out while still letting mine in. I could feel her panic rising in the bottom of my gut and tried to focus on the source of those feelings. Lissa nervously looked around before I felt her reach inside her and harness her magic.

"Christian," her voice was soft and sweet with a pleading note as it sang out of her mouth. Christian's eyes locked with hers and his body stilled. Terrified that she might be about to send him into a deranged, suicidal state like she had with the last Strigoi I opened up to the bond and slipped inside her head.

She was sending a vision into his mind, but it wasn't one of horror; it was something immensely more deadly. "Don't let them hurt me," she softly cried. Instead of evil, crimson eyes he was seeing those endless jade green jewels from her former life. Her skin was milky white instead of iridescent and her stringy hair flowed behind her in silk waves.

"Lissa," Christian whispered as he took a step towards the angelic vision.

"Chris, don't! It's not real," I shouted at him, trying to snap him out of it. The circle of fire diminished and Christian took another step towards her. "Eddie, stop him!" Without a second thought, Eddie followed my command and wrapped his arms around Christian, pulling him back to safety.

"Don't touch her! Don't hurt her," Christian shouted as he fought against Eddie. He pushed off the floor with his legs and desperately tried to get back to Lissa. When he realized he was no match for Eddie's strength, two small balls of flames manifested in his hands, sending a rush of panic into my bones.

Sensing an opportunity with Lissa distracted, Dimitri leaped forward and made his way to the center of the room. He was inches away from her, and Christian's flames were growing larger by the second but before Dimitri managed to take her down, Lissa's hand shot up behind her, stopping my Russian god in his tracks. As soon as she turned her focus away from Christian, his flames died and he stopped fighting against Eddie, but I could feel her magic pouring out into a new host.

Dimitri.

"Hussshhh," she subdued him. His pupils were blown, the familiar brown completely covered by black. We all stood frozen in place, terrified of what she planned to do to him. She reached her hand slightly towards him then lowered it, signaling for him to bend. Dimitri's body instinctively followed her movements and he slowly knelt down to the ground, keeping his gaze fixed on her face. I had seen that look take over his features before. It wasn't fear or anger or any of the other emotions I would have expected from him at that moment. It was awe and adoration. "Princess," he cooed.

"Yes, my pet. That's much better." Lissa kept her focus on Dimitri but began to speak to me. "I know what you want. I can sense it in you, Rose. I know what he means to you. Join me now. It's what he wants. Isn't it my pet?"

"Yes," he breathed out. "Anything for you."

"Lissa stop this. Please, this isn't you. Don't hurt him," I gulped. A small smile crept up the corner of her mouth at my pleading words. She had me and she knew it. I tried to make her feel my emotions, hoping my worry and love would help the real her see the light, but it only appeared to amuse her more.

She gracefully reached her hand out towards his face and stroked his cheek with the back of her cold fingers. His breath hitched at her touch. "Anything for me, Dimitri?"

He nodded dotingly, his features emanating devotion for the hypnotizing creature in front of him. "But what about your Rozzza," Lissa hissed. Hearing his name for me come out of her lips instantly tainted it and I tasted bile rising in my throat.

"There is only you," he replied, enraptured by her voice. His words caused me to falter. I knew he was caught up in her spell, but seeing him this way, looking at her like that was causing an earthquake inside me, cracks shooting across my heart inch by inch.

"Stop! Leave him alone!" It was impossible to hide the anguish in my voice now and I could feel my hands shaking at my sides. Lissa leaned her face closer to his and whispered, "Do you want me to taste your blood?"

"Yes," he muttered back, desperation coating his thick accent. She was so close now, I knew if any of us made a move it would take her less than a second to snap his neck. Lissa dropped her chin down and placed a small kiss on his neck, eliciting a deep moan from Dimitri. I could feel Adrian and Eddie's panicked stares shooting between me and Lissa, but my focus was fixed on Dimitri. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. I may as well have been just as hypnotized as he was.

Lissa parted her lips and looked around his throat at me. "Don't you want to know what his blood tastes like," she asked, staring deep into my eyes.

"No, please." My voice was so small and despairing I wasn't even sure if she heard me.

Her eyes widened with triumph and hunger, her mouth opening for the kill. "Let me show you."

Visions of the human she had drained while making me watch and Arthur's terrified stare in his last moments rushed to the forefront of my mind causing my panic to completely take over. She was going to kill Dimitri. She was going to take the last bit of this world that I held dear and bleed it dry. I heard a small laugh escape her throat as she inched closer, and I lost all self-control.

I pulled the charmed ring completely from my finger and let down every wall that I had ever built up. All the barriers that were used to hold the dark creatures inside me at bay exploded into the room as I screamed out in agony, anger, and fear.

Black spirits flooded the room in a ghoulish storm. Eddie, Christian, and Adrian's backs pressed into the wall behind them and by the startled looks on their faces, I could tell they were seeing the same as Lissa and me. "What are you doing," Lissa screeched. My screams continued loud enough to wake the hounds of hell as the gust of ghosts poured out of me and surrounded her.

"Stop it, Rose," Lissa shouted as she swatted at the whirling figures around her. I could feel her anxiety shift to annoyance. My skull felt like it was about to split from the pain, but I refused to back down. Sensing my resilience, Lissa did the only thing she could to make me stop.

Her arm heaved to a still kneeling Dimitri, pounding directly into his chest. She flung his body across the room as if he weighed nothing and above all the chaos surrounding us I could still hear the bone cracking sound as he made contact with the wall. My heart shattered as his limp form fell to the ground.

My knees crashed into the floor and suddenly my ribs felt too tight against my lungs. I wanted to cry out to him, but it was if there was a knife stuck in my windpipe. My ragged breaths and trembling limbs prevented me from moving even an inch towards him. All I could do was stare at his motionless form, as my entire world collapsed around me. The room went quiet as the ghosts fled. I didn't even know if he was alive or dead, but not even the dreaded spirits wanted to inhabit this world where Dimitri Belikov was no longer by my side. Yeva's words played on repeat through my ears over and over like a sick, twisted melody: Stop letting your guilt rule your decisions before it's too late.

Lissa, my best friend, the person I had sworn to protect, a girl I would lay my life down for at a moment's notice had silenced the last bit of happiness I clung to in this miserable life, and for the first time I no longer had a fight left in me. I was completely broken. I felt like I was drowning under the weight of it all. Wave after wave crashed into me as my mind tried to reach the surface and grasp for a way out of this.

Suddenly, a pained wail filled the room. The cry was loud enough to shatter glass. But it didn't come from me.

I tore my gaze away from Dimitri to see Lissa in the middle of the room gripping her chest. She cried out again in agony and crouched down. "What are you doing to me? What have you done," she stuttered. I realized with all my barriers down my emotions were completely taking over her. Her breathing was erratic and her hands were shaking furiously.

She looked up at me and I could see my overbearing pain reflected in her wet, red eyes. Confused and terrified by what she was feeling, Lissa straightened up, wavering a few times as she turned to run. With all the disarray in the room, she had been too distracted to notice a small form creep up behind her.

As soon as she turned around Eva's stake collided with Lissa's chest. Upon seeing a sharp object shoot into my best friend, my instinctual reaction was panic. I could feel the sharp pain deep within me and looked down to my chest expecting to see a silver rod pressed into it. But as Eva drove it deeper into Lissa's heart, the pain vanished and I suddenly felt a swarm of warmth surround us.

I was pulled into Lissa completely, our bodies joining again as one. Light and magic surrounded us and threatened to send us soaring to the ground. But something held on. Something kept pulling us in. No not something. Someone.

Eva.

Her teeth were gritted and her hair flew back wildly, the mix of red and blue streaks mirroring flames that threatened to consume us. She was fierce. She was beautiful. She was life.

The light her magic brought poured into us and banished away all the darkness that desperately clung to our insides. I could feel it gripping and tearing, threatening to claw us from the inside out. But with each rip, came a repair. With each scald came a soothing balm. Until eventually there was only light left. The darkness was completely gone and the all-consuming magic slowly faded to a flitting tingle.

Then nothing.

I was pulled back into my own body as Eva jerked away, the charmed stake rolling out of her hand. Christian ran up behind Lissa and wrapped his arms around her as she fell back towards the floor. Eva slumped to the ground, too exhausted to stand and Eddie crouched down beside her.

With her back to me, I could see Lissa's shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Her hand meekly reached out towards Eva. I expected Eddie to pull her away, but his astonished look told me that something must have changed. I could hear her soft crying now and felt the urge to immediately run over to her and pull her into my arms. But one glance over to my right stopped me in my tracks.

Adrian was kneeling near Dimitri's still body, his hands hovering over his back in hesitation to touch him. I'm not sure what prompted me to do it. Lissa needed me. She needed me now, almost more than ever. I should have gone to her and made sure she was alright. Lissa comes first.

But I made my choice and darted to Dimitri's side instead. I carefully rolled him onto his back and placed his head in my lap. "Dimitri. Dimitri, can you hear me?" My voice was hoarse and my throat was raw. I could see his eyes moving under his eyelids and I brushed my hand across his forehead.

His eyes fluttered open and looked up to my face. The tightness in my chest loosened just a little at the sight of those molten orbs. He brought his hand to my cheek and twirled a loose piece of my hair between his fingers. "Roza. My Roza," his voice was still slightly dazed, but I felt a pang of relief that he wasn't completely entranced by her spell anymore. He blinked a few times to sober himself up but was still in and out of it. "Are you safe?"

"Yes," I breathed out. Here he was laying on the ground half dead and he was still worried about me. "Everything's going to be alright," I soothed.

"And the Princess," his tone was no longer possessed by that languishing note when he mentioned her and I could tell he was back to himself. I turned around to see Lissa kneeling on the ground and gripping her ears with a shell-shocked look on her face. Christian was hovering near her and when her eyes darted from the floor I braced myself to see those tainted crimson spheres but was enthralled when I could clearly see they were as green as the ocean on a warm summer's day.

It worked. It really worked.

She quickly looked away from me and pressed her back closer to Christian as she gazed longingly over to a still exhausted Eva. I turned back to Dimitri with tears coating my eyes and said, "She'll be fine. Don't worry."

With that, he smiled at me. His genuine, unguarded smile that he only reserved for me. We had done it. We had brought her back. The floodgates inside me opened wide and overwhelming relief rushed through me. I could sense a similar feeling in Dimitri that the worst was finally over.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could his face contorted and a painful cough erupted. The sound was thick and wet, leaving his lips and teeth stained with blood.

My face shot up to Adrian, demanding his attention. "Adrian, you have to heal him."

"I—I don't know if I can," he replied nervously, shaking his head. Another wave of sloshing coughs pulled our focus back down to Dimitri. He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes rolling erratically. "Roza, I can't feel my legs."

I was on the verge of hysteria and gripped Adrian's shirt as I frantically yelled at him. "Do it now!"

Dimitri's breathing was becoming rapid and shallow. I tried to soothe him and keep his panic at bay. "Shhh, it's alright. Everything's going to be alright." I pushed his hair back with my trembling hand and tried to hide the shakiness in my voice. Tears spilled from my eyes and onto his cheek. I brushed them away and placed my hand over his that was still resting on my neck, holding his warm, calloused skin against mine.

His glossy brown eyes finally focused and met mine again, gazing at me with that adoration I had seen in his bedroom under the early morning sun. A small drop of blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth when he smiled at me. "I love you, Roza." With those last words, his voice simmered to nothing and his eyes closed.

His hand went limp against my collar and slid out of mine, falling heavily into my lap. "No, no, no Dimitri. You can't leave me." I gripped his shoulders and started to shake him. "You said you'd always be there for me, remember? I can't lose you. I can't. Please!"

I heard a small noise from Adrian and looked over to him through the waves of tears in my eyes. His hands were gripping his knees and I latched on to them. "Please, Adrian! Don't let him die," I desperately pleaded as I pulled his hands to Dimitri's chest. He nodded, trying to melt away some of the trepidation from his face. His shaky hand pressed into Dimitri's chest and his brow furrowed in concentration. After a couple moments, he let out an exasperated breath. "It's not working. I—I don't know what to do."

"Try harder," my voice cracked as I tried to scream at him. He looked at me solemnly and started to say the one thing I refused to hear. I knew as soon as he said those tragic words, they would be my ultimate undoing. I could feel the darkness starting to creep in and decided that if Dimitri was gone, this time I would let it take me. I would give in to the suffocating spirits and let them pull me in. Maybe he would be on the other side waiting.

But before that earth-shattering sentence escaped him, Adrian's face shot down to Dimitri's chest again. "Wait. I feel something. Something's happening."

I suddenly felt that warm tingle of magic prick the tops of my arms and the back of my neck. The rise and fall of Dimitri's chest slowly started to even out and the healing magic increased around us. Adrian looked at me confused and I slowly turned my gaze to the left. There was a small, dainty hand wrapped around Dimitri's ankle. I followed my gaze past the perfectly manicured nails, up her arm and to her tear and blood-streaked face.

Lissa.

She was crouched down on the floor, sending currents of magic into Dimitri. I could feel it leaching from her into him, repairing the damage she had done. The magic began to weaken her and when she was almost spent, she released her grasp. Lissa's eyes met mine for an instant, then she recoiled away from us and tucked her knees into herself, rocking back and forth. I stared at her in amazement, too shocked to say anything.

"He's still not waking up," Adrian proclaimed. My eyes were locked on Lissa as Christian wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "Rose, do you hear me? We have to get him to a hospital. Now!" Adrian's stern voice pulled me out of my trance and I quickly moved to help him and Eddie get Dimitri up.


A/N: I have to say without a doubt this has been my favorite chapter to create. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it—and creating playlists for it ;). I heard Roost by Big Black Delta months ago and knew I had to use it for the restoration scene. SO EPIC!

FYI: I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is I will be traveling out of the country the next two weeks so depending on the wifi situation, there probably won't be a chapter for a hot minute. Good news is the flights are super long so I should have plenty of time to get some chapters ready to post as soon as I get back. Sorry, I know this is one hell of a cliffhanger to leave you on but I had to get this chapter out before I left. As always, thanks for reading!