"Everyone?" I questioned with uncertainty, knowing that there was a slim possibility of everyone here getting out of this alive.
"Well, everyone on our side. I can't make too many promises about Tasha and Ethan. I'm going to try to get Ethan out of this alive because he doesn't seem too invested in Tasha's delusion." She said easing her way out from behind me. "However, Tasha is too worked up to make rational decisions, therefore, her irrational decisions are probably going to get her killed. I'll try my best to keep her alive, but she won't make it easy for me."
My hand shot out and gripped her wrist, trying to pull her back behind me, where she would be safe, but she was determined to face Tasha without any protection.
"Tasha." Roza began in a soothing voice, but it only seemed to irritate the Moroi even further. Ethan leapt back from Tasha, holding his hand in pain. I imagined that his hand would be bright red, maybe blisters breaking out on his skin, nothing that he was going to get over without a lot of time and medication. I was surprised that he lasted standing next to her for that long.
"I'm going to kill you," Tasha growled in a voice that I never would have guessed she could produce. While Tasha's voice had never been that angelic, nothing like Roza's silvery tone, her usually nasally, high-pitched speech had lowered about two octaves, like the fire itself was speaking.
"Tasha, you need to calm down. We can work this out." Roza said, never once pausing as she slowly inched forward, her hands raised in a calming gesture as she stepped closer to the flaming Moroi.
"The only way we can work this out is if Dimitri leaves with me. Otherwise, you're going to be dead soon, and he'll be coming with me. I'll have my way no matter what." Tasha said, her voice still in the demonic tone that she'd adopted.
"I'm not going with you, Tasha, no matter if Roza is dead or not," I called out and received a swift, sharp look from Roza for my interruption, but Tasha had no reaction to my voice. She was too focused on Roza, and the closer Roza got to her, the brighter her flames burned.
Had I not been so concerned with Roza's safety, I would have been impressed with how long and how hot Tasha was holding onto these flames. The flames were blue and purple, indicated that they were burning hotter than most fire-users' flames. She'd been holding the ring of fire less than thirty minutes ago and fought to save her life, yet she held the raging inferno in the palms of her hands as if it were nothing strenuous, but I knew better.
I also knew that no matter how upset she was, she couldn't hold this for that much longer without refueling somehow.
I expected to see Roza developing beads of sweat on her brow as she continued to draw closer to the fire-using Moroi, to show the same signs of distress that Ethan had shown when he had stood beside Tasha. However, Roza's perfection held, though her hair did swirl in the aggressive wind that Tasha was causing with her flames.
"There's no way you're getting out of this, Tasha. You're not going to kill me, and you're not going to leave with Dimitri. Not only will I not let it happen, but he also won't go with you, especially if you happen to kill me." Roza said, her calm voice soothing my anxieties, but it was doing nothing to calm Tasha. "The only way you're leaving here alive is if you come willingly. Dimitri will be leaving with me, not you."
"Of course it wouldn't have been of his own free volition that he was coming with me, you think I don't know that? I got that he didn't want to be my Guardian, he'd turned me down too many times for me to think that I could have convinced him to come with me of his own free will. You've spun your web of lies so well there's no way that he would believe that he was in love with me. Compulsion, bitch. I can use it, you can't. He's coming with me, and if I have to kill you to make it happen then so be it." Tasha said, a malicious smile spreading across her face as she unveiled her plans.
"You're delusional, woman." I heard Abe mutter, but again, Tasha wasn't hearing anything other than Roza. I took my eyes off of Roza for a few seconds to see what everyone else was doing, hoping that someone had a better plan than Tasha and Roza facing off against each other.
Pavel was having a hasty, whispered conversation with Abe, the gun still pointed in Tasha's direction. Christopher looked like he was ready to jump in front of Roza to protect her, while Jasper and Kyle were standing protectively in front of Sydney who was looking just as distressed as I was feeling.
Kyle had taken the gun from Sydney and was also pointing it in Tasha's direction. Ethan was looking distressed as he continued his desperate plea with Tasha to stop her assault. As Tasha's heat increased, Ethan had to continue to back up, but with each step backward, Roza took a step forward.
I almost felt bad for him. He was only doing this to appease the woman he loved, but she didn't care to inform him of her entire plan.
The plan to kill my Roza.
"Tasha, you can't kill me. Tyler tried, and he failed. If he couldn't kill me with a bullet to the head, you definitely can't kill me with your wimpy flames." Roza said, her calm voice not sounding so calm now that Tasha had said she was going to compel me into going with her.
Roza was fine as long as the threat was directed to her, but as soon as you threaten someone she cares about, there's no stopping the protective mode that Roza goes into.
"Tyler was weak. He was diluted into thinking that you were the perfect prey, but you are nowhere near perfect. I don't see how you've fooled the entire male population into thinking you're something special. You're nothing compared to me! I'm a royal Moroi who happened to survive a Strigoi attack. I'm one of the strongest fire users of this generation. You're just a bloodwhore who ran away because she couldn't protect her best friend." Tasha sneered, thinking that because Roza was losing her cool it meant that she was winning.
"Lissa didn't need my protection, nor did I want to give it to her. She was perfectly safe where she is, and I have better uses for my skills. I don't think you're seeing the big picture here, Tasha. I'm better than you in every way. There's nothing that you can say, no way you can spin this, where you are the superior being. I'll explain why you're wrong using small words, so you can understand." Roza said, her smile working its way back onto her face.
"Dhampirs are the superior race. We're faster, stronger, more durable, and our body shape is much more appealing. We do you a service by protecting you, but that's just what we do. As for Strigoi, I've survived every attack I've been involved in, not just one. You may be a fire user, a strong one at that, but your flames can't touch me. Also, I don't know how you could ever think that I'm a bloodwhore or any kind of whore. I've only ever slept with one man, which is definitely something you can't say. As for Lissa, why would I need to protect her when she has someone as capable as you?" Roza said, finishing with thick sarcasm.
"You little-" Tasha growled.
"Enough, Tasha!" I yelled, interrupting what was sure to be a string of false insults directed toward Roza. "I'm not going with you whether you compel me or not, so just give it up and face your punishment like a grown adult."
"That's the thing about compulsion, Dimka, you don't have a choice. You're going to come with me. You're going to be my Guardian. You're going to leave this bitch to die, and we're going to start a family that you've always wanted." She said, a loving smile taking over her face as she laced her voice with a sickeningly sweet tone.
"That's not going to work on me, Tasha," I growled, angered by the fact that she actually attempted to compel me. It was one thing to know she was planning it, it was another thing altogether to see her actually try.
"She's got her claws hooked so deep within you," Tasha said, a look of pity spreading across her face.
"Natasha Ozera, put the flames out and come with us quietly," Pavel stated calmly. After my shout had broken through, it seemed that everyone could now communicate with the irate Moroi.
"Not until she dies!" Tasha yelled. The flames grew once more before Tasha lifted her hands over her head.
The fire collected into one large ball, pulling away from Tasha's skin as it focused itself into a sphere roughly the size of a beach ball. She gave one last sneer before flinging the ball of fire from her hands toward Roza.
Roza quickly shifted her left foot back to brace herself as she threw up a thin wall of Darkness. I forgot that Roza was still weak, both from her three-hour fight and from…you know…dying. The flames dissipated upon contact with the Darkness, but I saw the Darkness flicker as Roza stumbled back slightly.
I saw a slight twitch in both Roza's and Tasha's jaws as Tasha worked to produce another fireball, this one bigger than the last. Roza clinched her fists as her Darkness faltered again, allowing a few sparks to seep past its wall before dying in the grass at Roza's feet.
Roza couldn't take more hits, but I didn't know how to help her, and I think everyone else was in shock. I know I'd never seen a Moroi use their magic offensively like this. I'd been fortunate enough to catch the tail-end of the academy battle when Christian was assisting Roza, but other than that, I'd rarely seen a Moroi use their magic outside of a classroom setting. Had the situation been different, I would have been impressed.
"Pavel, do something!" I cried as Tasha began to form an even larger third ball.
"Tasha!" Pavel screamed. "Put the fire out or I will shoot you!"
"Death first!" Tasha exclaimed, hurling the flames toward Roza.
I lunged forward, stepping in front of Roza, throwing my Light up to brace her Darkness. As the flames touched my Light, it burned brighter, absorbing the energy, and reinforcing my barrier. I don't know why it took me so long to move my feet, but I'm glad I did because Roza's Darkness was too drained to take any more.
She was tired and needed actual sleep, not to mention a doctor just to check that everything was working.
"Move, Dimitri! I don't want to hurt you while I'm killing that bitch!" Tasha yelled. Her hands raised to form another ball of fire when a shot rang out. Tasha's pain-filled scream followed shortly after as she clung to one of her hands, the fire died as a trail of smoke rose from the barrel of Pavel's gun.
His eyes were darkened, his jaw tight, and the gun still pointed at Tasha.
"You shot me!" Tasha cried in disbelief.
"I told you I would," Pavel replied with a slight shrug. Had it been any other situation, I might have laughed at his response and his delivery method.
"I'm a royal Moroi! How could you have shot me! I'll have your head for this!" Tasha screamed, her adrenaline and rage masking the pain that should have been radiated from the gaping hole in her hand.
"I believe I'll be fine once the court knows I was protecting a member of the Dirty Dozen," Pavel said, training his gun at Tasha's chest. "Stand down and we'll leave here quietly. No one else needs to get hurt."
"That's where you're wrong. She needs to die. Why don't you understand that?" Tasha wailed. Her voice broke slightly, though I'm sure the pain from her wound was starting to make its presence known despite all the endorphins rushing through her bloodstream.
"Why do you need Guardian Belikov?" Abe asked gently, easing himself out from behind Pavel, much to his dismay if his expression was anything to go by. "You have a loving Guardian right behind you that would be more than willing to have a family with you. It's easy to see that he cares for you, why is he not good enough?"
"He's not Dimitri," Tasha responded simply, as if that explained everything.
While Tasha's attention was diverted, I turned mine to Roza. She had slumped to the ground after her wall of Darkness had been broken. She was breathing heavily with her eyes closed, a tired expression covering her face.
"Roza?" I questioned quietly, not wanting Tasha's attention back on my woman. "Roza, are you alright?"
"I'm tired, Comrade. I need food and sleep, but it doesn't have to be in that order." She responded, opening her eyes to look up at me. The fire that lived in her eyes was dim, but burning nonetheless, but she looked like she would need a full week of sleep to fully recover from this whole ordeal.
"Just hang on a little longer. This will all be over soon, I'll make sure of it." I said determinedly, wrapping an arm around her waist to lift her to her feet. She groaned lightly but consented to me picking her up.
Pavel and Abe were still negotiating with Tasha who was also looking very tired. Her attention was drawn enough to where I could ease our way around her. I made eye contact with Ethan on the other side of Tasha, and he gestured me over to him. I was hesitant to do so, which he probably saw on my face because he held up car keys for me to take.
I felt relief wash over me as I continued the slow and quiet journey around Tasha. If I could get Roza out of here, I knew Pavel would be able to handle everything else. My focus was on Roza and her well-being, and I couldn't be distracted by Tasha, she just wasn't that important to me. However, Tasha was a distraction, and Pavel was in the process of removing it.
"Let's get you out of here," I whispered, taking the keys from Ethan with a nod of gratitude. He mouthed an apology at me, but I ignored it. Regardless of his knowledge of the full plan or not, he was still willing to kidnap Roza just because Tasha asked him to.
I couldn't necessarily fault his dedication to the woman he loved, I know I would do anything for Roza without asking too many questions, but he still enabled harm to come to my Roza, and I wasn't happy with it. While I didn't want him to be punished too harshly for his misdeeds, I did want him punished.
Tasha had broken down into a loud sobbing mess as she clung her injured hand to her chest as we started rounding the corner of the house. That was the last glance I spared backward before picking Roza up in my arms and sprinting toward the cars.
Before I reached the one that lit up when I pressed the unlock button on the key fob, more cars came barreling down the road toward the house. The cars were the black standard Guardian cars, and for a second I was worried that Tasha had gotten in contact with more Guardians to take care of Roza.
I placed Roza down on the grass, passing her a stake that I'd tucked in my pocket, not that it would do much damage against a Guardian with a gun, but it gave her a little protection. Weaponless, I turned to the vehicles that were coming to a screeching halt around the two cars that we had driven here.
The vehicle that Ethan had given to me was still in a position to get out with little difficulty, so at the very least I could get Roza in the car and on her way, but I don't think she would ever leave me.
However, I realized that I didn't need a weapon or a plan to get Roza out of here without other Guardians following us. Hans was the first one out of the cars. He jumped out of the passenger side of the first car to approach before it had come to a complete stop. He rushed forward, heading to where Roza and I were with a look of relief on his face.
"Thank God you're alright. Princess Dragomir said that she'd felt the bond break. We contacted the Alchemists to get your last known location and saw that Pavel was also here. Are you guys okay? Do you need help?" Hans spoke in a rush, answering the question on why he was here and how he knew we were here.
"We're alright for now, just exhausted. Pavel and Abe, and the rest of them are dealing with Natasha Ozera. She and a couple others had kidnapped Roza yesterday, though we only knew that Guardian Tyler Nelson was in on it at first. You might want to go help them. Ethan Moore will go with you willingly, but I'm not too sure about Tasha. Nelson is dead, a Strigoi got to him." I explained as quickly as I could, still hoping to get Roza home and in bed soon so she could get a proper night's sleep.
Hans nodded sharply and signaled to several Guardians that had piled out of the cars behind him around the side of the house before turning back to us.
"You know you'll both have to come back to Court to explain and testify to the events of tonight, right?" Hans said slowly, looking a little hesitantly at Roza knowing she was the one that didn't really want to go back to Court.
"Yeah, I figured I would if Tasha made it out of this alive. Speaking of Court, how did you and a fleet of Guardians get here so quickly?" She asked tiredly from her place on the ground. She looked like she was about to pass out but was still fighting her body on staying awake.
"We're actually not that far from Court. Vasilisa was attending a Council meeting when she felt the bond break. She and Adrian are working on getting her place on the Council, so she's been attending the meetings, so she knows what's going on when she gets her spot." Hans replied. "Would you like for me to drive you two to Court? We can get you a room to sleep for the next day or so while we get stories from everyone else before we take your statements."
"Is that alright with you, Roza? I just want to get you somewhere safe and comfortable so you can sleep." I asked holding out a hand to help her up. She gently placed her hand in mine, but she couldn't provide enough strength to pull herself up so I bent down and picked her up in my arms.
"Anywhere where I can sleep sounds good to me right now, Comrade," Roza said with a chuckle.
"Then you two climb in the back of the car I came out of and I'll let the rest of my team know what's going on. I suggest that you let Pavel know what you're doing so he doesn't freak out. I'll have him inform the Alchemists that you're actually alive, although you'll have to explain that to me, also." Hans said gesturing back to the cars that were still running in the road.
I thanked him and carried Roza to the car, placing her in the car first and then crawling in beside her. She was already asleep, and I doubt that anything would wake her for another few hours.
