"Uh oh, I better feed my family. Thank you everyone, please see that everything gets done well, and as soon as possible. We need to be ready as soon as possible just in case they decide to move up the attack date. We also need to keep this between us, I don't know what excuse to give everyone for letting school out."
"Thanksgiving break is next week; we can just say that we have decided to extend it this year."
I nodded and led my Roza to our room to fix her something to eat. Over the next two weeks all the preparations were made for the attack. By the end of the second week everything was ready, we were putting off filling the moat until the last possible moment. Roza came up with the idea of adding another moat, hopefully catching as many strigoi as possible between the two of them before lighting them up. Damn, my woman is an absolute genius.
(RPOV)
I had allowed my mother to stay two weeks instead of a week and a half, because she wanted to see everything once it was finished. But today was the day she was leaving, she wasn't at all happy about it. But she was going, even if I had to have someone carry her onto the jet, kicking and screaming, and strap her in.
"Mason, Eddie I need you both to go with my mom and take care of her and my little brother, until they can return."
"Rose we are your guardians, we are supposed to be with you at all times." Mason complained.
"Guys, I can't concentrate on what I need to do if I am worried about them. And if I can't concentrate I will be in even greater danger. Please as my big brothers, I need you to take care of my mom and my little brother." I begged them.
Neither of them wanted to leave me, I knew. But they also knew, if I was worried about my mom and Markham, I would not be able to be as focused on the task at hand as I needed to be. So eventually they agreed.
"Alright Rosie, but you better be ok, when this is all over." Eddie said.
"Thank you guys." We hugged and they escorted my still fuming mother to the jet, after she too hugged me.
Her last parting words were to Dimitri, "you better take damn good care of my baby, Dimitri."
"I will Janien, I have to, because I can't and won't live without her." Dimitri wrapped his arm around my waist from behind, rubbing the bump that was our daughter, as the jet took off. "You sent them with your mom to protect them, didn't you?"
Sighing I leaned my head back into his chest, before I answered his accusation, "yes, they don't need to know what a kill feels like, unless absolutely necessary. And I want to delay that for them, as long as I can. All the guardians present already know how horrific a feeling it is, but Mase and Eddie are still novices. And I want to put off their having these nightmares, as long as possible."
"I understand completely babe. I wish you didn't have all of those kills to live with. But if you didn't, there is no telling how many millions of damphir, moroi and humans would be dead or turned by now."
"Mmm hmm, but I have you to help me through the pain, just as you have me. Neither of them have that, I mean they both have met their soulmates, finally. But their soulmates are both moroi, so they wouldn't know how to help them through something like that. Plus, they are still feeling their way through those relationships. They are just still so young, so innocent Dimitri, and I want them to stay that way for as long as they can."
"I know babe, I know. Don't worry I completely understand and agree. I am just glad Vika and Paul will hopefully never have to know what it feels like to make a kill."
(DPOV)
I brought my fiancée tighter into my embrace as we walked to our room. We were going to need all the rest we could get in the coming days.
All too soon, the day both Roza and babushka saw as the day the attack would happen, dawned. Rose, Lissa and Adrian had placed an illusion over the entire inner campus. Adrian had also refused to leave, saying that someone could need healing, and he could help that way. But he did make damn sure, my little sister got on the plane with the rest of my family. Roza, Lissa and Adrian had also reinforced the wards inside each of the buildings, so that if the buildings were breached they would know. From the outside nothing looked different, unless you knew it had changed you would never see it. My amazingly smart Roza, had also come up with the idea of having a hundred psi-hounds and their handlers on campus. I swear my Roza is the smartest person in the world, when it comes to most anything, except cooking, but especially when it came to defensive tactics.
Soon the farthest wards were staked by humans, and those humans were dumb enough to come inside to try and help the strigoi. Those humans, that help the strigoi, are so far beyond fucking stupid, they would not even register on the idiot meter. As soon as the strigoi were all passed the outer moat, our fire moroi set it on fire, driving the strigoi still closer. Doing so, drove them within range of the guns, lights and cannons. Roza dropped the illusion and showed the strigoi what they were truly up against. The fight raged on for hours and hours, thankfully none of the strigoi ever got inside or up the wall.
Before sunrise they were all dead but one, "that is Victor Dashkov" Roza said. I attempted to go down to meet him, but Roza surrounded me in an invisible and immovable shield to stop me. Damn woman, she was way too smart for her own good sometimes. She smiled down at the man, "hello Victor. Long time no see."
"Indeed Rosemarie. Why don't you come down and join me, we can talk about old times?" He sneered.
"Answer some questions for me first Vic."
"Roza you are not going down there!"
"Of course not Dimi, I want you to use your earpiece and tell them to get ready to release the psi-hounds. But to hold them until they get the signal."
"Alright love."
(RPOV)
"What questions do you have for me Rosemarie?" God I hated that fucking name.
"For one, why did you do all of this?"
"All of what exactly?"
"Why did you tell the strigoi about me and my child?"
"Why not, a damphir in power is ridiculous. Only moroi are important enough to have power, only moroi are important enough to rule, only moroi are important enough to have magic. Why would I not tell them about you and your little bloodwhore baby?"
"Vic, do you really not know who you are fucking with?"
"A bloodwhore obviously. Definitely no one of importance."
"Really? Who is it that has protected your pathetic wrinkled old ass all of your unfortunate life? It wouldn't perchance be us bloodwhore's would it? I mean get real Vic, what good are you? What good could you really have done our society?"
"I was a royal moroi, that made me important. You however, are good for nothing but being a feeder and being fucked, that is all you female damphir are breed for."
"So if that is all women are good for, how about I throw your precious little Natalie into a strigoi nest, and see what they do to her? Think they will bleed her dry or fuck her to death?" I asked raising my eyebrows at him.
He just laughed manically, "You know, I must confess something before you die, I am the reason you ran over two years ago. I was behind all the threats to Lissa's life, I also sent all those psi-hounds and strigoi after the two of you. So you see I have been trying to kill you long before I ever found out about the prophesy. You were both supposed to die in the crash with precious little Lissa's family."
"Why Vic, you still have not answered that question, why kill Eric, Rhea and Andrea? Why try to kill Lissa and me?"
"Simple, I wanted to be king. And it was the Dragomir's turn on the throne, I knew I wouldn't live long enough for the Dashkov's turn."
"My God, you are psychotic, psychopathic even. You killed all of those people, just so you could be king? What good could you possibly have done as king?"
"I would have been amazing, I could have made anything I wanted to happen, happen."
"Such as?"
"I could have gotten the moroi to fighting with their guardians again."
"We've done that." He looked stunned at I pointed out our moroi.
Then he sneered at me again, "I could have made the royals great again."
"Great, how exactly? Dimi get ready."
"We could have enslaved the humans and run this entire world."
"Yea, so not happening." I said flippantly. "Oh Vic, I have some people I would like you to meet. Eric, Rhea, Rea Dragomir please come forth." As soon as the words left my mouth the three of them materialized surrounding Victor. And since he was now a strigoi himself, he could actually see them. But I solidified them so everyone could see them.
"Hello Victor, I hear you have been trying to kill my daughters." Eric growled at him.
"Wh…wh, how…how is this possible? I killed you."
"Yes you did. Now when Rose kills you completely, you will regret ever having threatened my children, as well as our grandchildren."
"You don't have any grandchildren!"
"But see Victor, that is where you are so very wrong, not only is my sister Rosie pregnant, but my sister Lissa is also pregnant. So you not only tried to kill my sisters but also my nieces! You filthy disgusting bastard!" Rea screamed at him.
"You killed my husband and son, then try to kill my daughters and granddaughters, Victor you are about to die in a very painful way." Eric, Rhea and Rea turned and looked at me with smiles on their faces.
"Vic I have some others I would like to introduce you to." Turning my head, I looked at Dimitri, "now my darling."
He nodded and said into his earpiece, "release the hounds." As soon as he said this, we all heard the psi-hounds head straight for Victor. Eric, Rhea and Rea disappeared from the ground and reappeared behind me and Dimitri.
"You know Vic while they turn you into a chew toy I want you to see something." Just then I threw a fire ball at his hair, not enough to kill him, but enough to where he would definitely feel it. "That is just a sample of what hell will be like for you Vic, so do enjoy it." We listened to him scream something horrible. Soon the psi-hounds had him ripped to pieces, once they were finished with him, I set all the strigoi bodies on fire and we all watched them burn to ash. (*)
(DPOV)
After we had watched the bodies of all of the strigoi, Victor Dashkov included, burn to ash, we all convened in the cafeteria. One reason we used it instead of Alberta's office, is because her office wasn't big enough to fit almost five hundred people. The second reason is because we were all tired and hungry. A group of fifty-three moroi and damphir took it upon themselves, to warm the food that had already been prepared. I thank God for my Roza's fore thought, and I am sure everyone else did as well. If she hadn't thought of having food prepared before the fight, it would be hours before we could eat and rest.
Roza, Lissa, Chris and myself all stood at the front of the room ready to speak to everyone. "Everyone I would personally like to thank each and every one of you that gave your time, energy and the will to fight tonight. Because of each and every one of you, we are all safe again, for the time being. My future husband and I have decided that we cannot put you all in danger any longer. So we are going on vacation until Marinique is born. We both feel that it is far too dangerous for us to be around others. We worry that strigoi and even possibly some moroi and damphir, could put you all in danger, to stop the prophecy. Because of our daughter, the strigoi are coming to an end, and now they know it. So we are afraid that more attacks will be imminent, and we do not want to endanger your lives, or the lives of anyone else."
"My queen!" I heard someone shout.
"Yes?"
"We are guardians, it is our place to fight and die for you and your family."
"No Guardian Steele, your place is to live, for as long and as well as you can. Be happy and if possible get married and have families. That is everyone's place in this world."
"But Rose, you can't go without guardians." Celeste said.
"We are not; we are taking our personal guardians with us. If no one knows where we are, then they can't attack us in an attempt to do harm to Marin."
"Rose, we will protect you and the princess with our lives. There is no need for you to hide." Emil said.
"I know that you would Emil." She turned and took my hand, "we know that you would. But as long as we stay at the academy, we are putting the students, teachers, guardians and faculty's lives at risk. And we can't do that any longer, we won't risk the lives of anyone's child that way."
"Queen Rose?"
"Yes?" I couldn't see who spoke, so I know Rose couldn't either.
"I have children that go to school here. And you and your family being here, does not put them in any greater danger than if you weren't here. In fact, I think they are safer with you here. As long as you are here we have not only more guardians around, but we also have you and your magic to keep us safe." I had to admit whoever was speaking did make sense.
"That is true, but we don't want any more people, than absolutely necessary, in danger just to protect us."
