Dimitri's Point of View

I was starting to get worried.

It wasn't unusual for Rose to be late, but this was extreme, even for her.

"Relax man; I'm sure she's fine. Here…why don't I call Sophia…" Ivan offered.

I had already tried Rose five time's and got nothing but if he thought it would help then I'd let him. Maybe he would have better luck with Sophia.

I watched as he dialed, waiting impatiently for some sign that she picked up on the other end. But several minutes passed and my earlier sense of dread returned.

"Something's not right Ivan…I can feel it."

If he wanted to argue, he didn't show it.

"Alright man, you're the boss. You've got the nose for this kind of thing so if you say something's wrong, then something's wrong. Now what are we going to do about it."

I had a feeling he was just placating me. I'm sure he thought we'd just walk over to Frankie's campus where the girls were supposed to be and find they had some perfectly practical excuse for running behind.

But I knew better…and 20 minutes later I proved as much.

Even before we saw Frankie's half cracked bedroom door, I just knew.

I knew what I would find, or rather what I wouldn't: and that was Rose.

The first thing I notice upon entering the small dorm room was the obvious struggle.

The second thing I noticed was Sophia. She was lying face down on the floor with a large pool of blood surrounding her head. If not for the slight heaving of her chest I would have thought she was dead.

Ivan was at her side in seconds.

I can't really explain the way I was feeling in that moment, but it was as if my body was no longer connected to my head. I was acting without even thinking, taking out my cellphone and making all the appropriate calls. I knew what needed to be done, even if my own mind was locked away in some small part of it's own grief.

A couple of minutes later the room was a flurry of activity.

"Belikov!" Abe hollered his face the color of ripe tomatoes.

I knew what he was going to say, that he blamed me for this. In all honestly, I blamed myself.

What was I thinking letting Rose go off on her own?

She wasn't on her own…she was with Sophia…her sanctioned guardian, my own mind tried to reason.

Either way, the woman I loved was missing and I knew I deserved whatever Abe was about to throw at me.

"What do we know?" He asked, looking around the room for some sort of clue.

There were already at least half a dozen guardians scouring the place for any sign of a breech. We still didn't know what exactly had happened, whether the threat was Strigoi or one of our own, and until Sophia woke up we couldn't know for sure.

"Dimitri!" Lissa cried, rushing into the room with Christian right behind her.

I could see the fear and pain behind his eyes as well.

I knew Lissa wanted answers, but the only person that could give them to her was Sophia. Lissa must have realized this as well, because a few seconds later she was at Sophia's side, using the healing power of spirit to bring her back to consciousness.

I waited anxiously for her eyes to open and give us the answers we so desperately needed.


Rose's Point of View

"Rose…." A tiny little voice whimpered nearby.

My head was pounding, but I forced my heavy eyelids open, searching for the sound.

What I found was the small terrified face of my little sister, cowering in a dark corner across the room.

She was still dressed in the fluffy teal party dress Lissa had bought her, the one she was wearing when Sophia and I went to pick her up for the engagement party.

I was dressed in a similar gown, although mine now showed the outward signs of the struggle I'd put up in getting here.

I still couldn't believe it, that crazy old bitch.

How could the Queen have been working with Victor…

*Flashback*

We'd just arrived at Frankie's dorm when it happened.

Two of the Royal guards showed up and told us the Queen had requested a moment before the party.

Initially I hadn't thought anything of it. It wasn't unlike the Queen to summon me at her will. But it was the way Sophia was looking at this one guard in particular that made me wary.

"What is it Soph?" I asked when she made no effort to move.

The guardian she'd been eyeing funny began to fidget uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

"I know you…" she said, not bothering to answer my question. "You used to guard Prince Dashkov before he turned Strigoi. You were stripped of your status after that…"

His eyes narrowed at the memory and the unease in my stomach started to build.

Hearing the name Dashkov caused Frankie to rush to my side. She didn't know all of the details of her true parentage but she knew enough to be scared of at the mention of Strigoi.

It was also clear that if this guy had been stripped of his guardian status two years ago, then there was no way he was a legitimate member of the Royal Guard. Even if by some chance Tatianna had pardoned the role he'd played with Victor, Royal Guardians had to be approved by the council and this guy would never get approved.

"What the hell is going on here?" I stepped in, finally losing my patience. "You're not really members of the Royal Guard, so who are?"

"We work for the Queen." He stated simply, seemingly un-phased by being called out on his lies.

"Bullshit." I called, knowing full well these men were up to something.

What happened next surprised even me.

One second both men were standing a safe distance away from us near the entrance to the room and the next they were on top of us.

Frankie let out an ear piercing scream but the fact that she was attached to my lower leg left her in close enough proximity to catch a blow to the head. Her screaming stopped as she fell unconscious to the floor.

I was doing my best to fight off my attacker, but the surprise and the blow to Frankie had me off my game. I was distracted for half a second and that's all that it took.

The last thing I remembered before passing out was watching in horror as Sophia caught a deafening blow to the back of her head.

*End Flashback*

"Frankie…are you okay baby?" I asked, trying to ignore the throbbing in my head as I pulled myself up into a sitting position.

The room we were locked in was dark and damp, and suspiciously similar to the basement in Spokane.

"I…I think so. My head hurts." She cried, pulling her knees up tighter to her chest.

"Can you walk baby? Can you come over here?"

I wanted to comfort her but I felt weak; too weak to crawl across the room myself.

She looked scared but she nodded, and slowly made her way over to me. The second she was close enough I wrapped her safely in my arms.

"Shhh, it's okay now." I murmured to her, trying my best not to alert her to my own fear.

I had no doubts in my mind Victor would come walking through that door any second and the nightmares of my past would once again become a reality.

Frankie was sobbing so hard, her whole little body shook under my hands. I couldn't imagine how terrified she must be, and in that moment I knew I would do whatever it took to protect her.

The loud clanging of a metal door being unlocked alerted us to the fact that someone was coming, and a few seconds later he descended down the narrow flight of stairs.

"Ah good, you're awake." He chirped, clapping his hands together.

Just the sight of his face had my anger boiling to the surface. I reached deep within myself to call on my magic and was surprised to find I felt nothing.

"Ah about that…it would appear I have been busy in your absence my dear. Just because you left doesn't mean my experiments stopped. If you will kindly refer to the small needle mark in your neck, you will realize I have developed a way to temporarily paralyze your powers. We don't want you escaping again now do we?"

"Speak for yourself" I spit back, trying to stand and moving to shield Frankie behind me.

"I see you still have the fire I so admire Rosemarie. I'm happy to see that much hasn't changed."

He smiled a sinister smile before two of his minions appeared at the top of the stairs. Behind me Frankie started crying and I was torn between wanting to turn around and comfort her, and staying on the defensive in front of me. Without my powers I wasn't sure how effective I would be, but I'd be damned if I was going to go down without a fight.

I crouched down into a defensive stance when the Strigoi moved closer but Victor just laughed.

"Let's not make this any harder than we have to shall we? Now I'll make you a deal dear. You come with me willingly, and I let little Frankie here go. There's a car waiting at the front door to take her to the nearest academy should you find yourself willing to comply…"

"And where exactly is it that you're taking me?" I asked, trying to stall for time.

I wasn't sure I trusted him to keep his word about Frankie.

"Why to the infirmary of course. My plans haven't changed any Rosemarie, and this time I'm not taking any chances. I will have the child I so desperately want, and you my dear…you will be the one to give it to me."

I shivered at the thought, recalling all the horrible things my mother told me about her Strigoi pregnancy. But Frankie's life was on the line here…and what choice did I really have.

I looked down at the beautiful little girl clinging to my leg and thought of Dimitri. He'd have figured out by now that something was wrong, and I could only imagine the guilt he was putting himself through. But if there was one thing I knew it was that he wouldn't give up on me, and I just had to hold out until he came.

I could do this.

I would do this….for Frankie.

"Fine…you have a deal." I told him, trying not to choke on the words as they left my mouth.

Victor's sinister smile grew wider until it completely distorted his face and the look on his face was so horrific that I let out an involuntary shudder.

"Excellent." He purred. "You made the right choice Rosemarie, now come. We have lots of work to do."


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