Dimitri's POV

This was it.

As the car slowly made its way up the driveway it took every ounce of my self-control not to come barreling out of the bushes and attack the bastards that were holding Rose hostage.

"Slow and steady wins the race." I heard Ivan remind me through the ear piece I was wearing.

And I knew he was right.

We were only going to get one good shot at this, and I wasn't about to let my temper blow it. This wasn't just about saving the woman I loved anymore; this was also about our unborn child. I may not have known about this baby long, but I already loved it and I'd be damned if I let Victor get his hands on either of them ever again.

"They're getting out of the car." I heard Pavel's voice through the ear piece.

I knew he had the best view from his aerial position on the second floor with Ivan. Downstairs was Abe and Sophia, along with Christian and a handful of guardians. Lissa had put up a pretty good fight about being here, but in the end we managed to convince her the best thing for Rose would be to know her best friend was safe. She wasn't happy about it, but she eventually agreed to stay behind at the plane with Eddie.

"Hold on…something's happening" Pavel spoke up. "It looks like Victors sending Rose back to the car. I think he might have seen something."

No No No…

"Okay, they are taking Rose back to the car now, but there's only two of them. Dimitri, do you think you can sneak past the front door unnoticed?" Ivan asked.

Adrian and I were currently guarding the back door, but knowing Rose wasn't trapped in that house I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to get to her.

"I'm on it." I answered, already jumping to my feet.

"I'm coming with you." Adrian spoke up, grabbing my arm to stop me.

I hadn't been thrilled about the idea of bringing Adrian a long in the first place; he was just another Moroi I'd feel compelled to protect. But he had played a huge part in helping us locate Rose and I knew he wasn't about to go quietly until he saw this rescue mission through.

"Fine, but stay close."

Rose's Point of View

I still couldn't believe my luck.

What were the chances that my fire power would come back to me right at the opportune moment? If that didn't mean I was supposed to survive this thing, then I didn't know what did.

"Get in" One of the Strigoi pushed me roughly.

I was seriously going to enjoy lighting that asshole on fire.

Once both of those idiots were strapped in in the front seat, I knew it was time to make my move. I waited a few more seconds as they were currently pulling out of the driveway. It couldn't hurt to let them get a short distance away from the house before starting the BBQ.

I'd seen a Strigoi on fire before and they didn't exactly go down quietly.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked, trying to put on a convincing show. They had both spent enough time with me to know that I asked a lot of questions and I didn't want them to get suspicious about me suddenly seeming so compliant.

"Somewhere safe." One of them barked back, not even bothering to turn around and glare at me.

Little did they know there was no such thing as a safe place for them…not when I had my fire power back.

"That's too bad; I think I'd like to stay awhile." I smirked, before letting the fire shoot freely from my palms.

In my haste to light the bastards up, I didn't take into consideration how distracting it would be trying to operate a car while you're on fire.

Good thing I was wearing my seat belt.

We were a safe enough distance from the house now that when the now flaming Strigoi lost control of the car and crashed into a tree, I was pretty sure Victor wouldn't be able to hear it.

The car smashed head on into a large sycamore tree and even with my seat belt on, my head jerked back from the force of the impact.

Son of a bitch that hurt.

I instinctively reached down to protect my stomach, curling in on myself to absorb some of the impact. In the front seat, both Strigoi were still screaming in agony, but after another quick flick of my wrists, the blaze grew even hotter and within seconds they were nothing but a pile of ash.

I smiled a small smile of victory before I felt the overwhelming pressure suddenly squeezing my temples. I reached up to clutch the side of my head, trying not to pass out under the weight of the pain. It was excruciating to say the least and before I got a chance to unbuckle my seat belt, my vision turned to black.

Dimitri's Point of View

"Where the hell are they taking her?" Adrian mumbled as we quickly made our way around the front of the house.

I could see the headlights of the car Rose was supposed to be in slowly making its way down the winding driveway.

"I don't know Adrian, but if you plan on keeping up with me you're going to have to move a lot faster." I snapped. This was exactly why I hadn't wanted to bring him along; he was slowing me down.

"I'm moving as fast as I can" Adrian complained, and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Of course he thought he was moving quickly he was an undisciplined Moroi; he didn't have the same level of endurance as I did.

"Just keep moving." I ordered as we reached the side of the house.

Inside I could hear the sounds of a struggle taking place. I hated the idea of leaving Ivan in that place. He was my best friend and charge, and it went against everything I'd been taught my whole life. But I knew Sophia would never let anything happen to him and right now Rose and my child needed me.

We had barely made it around the first bend of the winding drive when I heard the unmistakable sound of a metal crashing. There was smoke fanning up towards the sky in the distance and I felt my heart take a lurch in my chest.

Rose.

Not even bothering to wait for Adrian, I set off down the driveway at a dead sprint, praying to any God that would listen that Rose and our baby would be okay.

Thankfully it didn't take me long to find them.

The car that we had been tailing was now sitting motionless, kissing the front end of a sycamore tree. I could make out the distinct smell of smoke, not just from the hood of the car, but the inside as well.

"Holy shit!" Adrian exclaimed, now out of breath behind me. I knew he was seeing the same thing I was. "Is Rose still in there?" He asked.

There's only one way to find out.

Rushing over to the car, I didn't even bother to answer his question. If Rose was still in there, we needed to get her out and fast. I pulled open the back door the moment I was close enough to do so and breathed a small sigh of relief when I noticed that while unconscious, she seemed relatively unharmed.

I couldn't say the same for the two charbroiled Strigoi that once occupied the front seat.

I did a cursory check of Rose's body while I unbuckled her seat belt and not seeing any reason not to do so; I scooped her up and lifted her from the car's backseat. She was still unconscious and her body hung limply in my arms.

"Is she okay?" Adrian asked frantically from beside me. I could tell he was just as anxious about Rose's health as I was. "Here, set her down over there and I can heal her." He ordered, leading me over to a small patch of grass.

As a spirit user he had the ability to heal her like Lissa had.

I wasn't exactly willing to part with her body, but if Adrian could help her than I had to let him. Setting her gingerly on the ground, I removed the stray hair that was covering her face.

Even now, all banged up like she was, she was beautiful.

Not wasting anytime, Adrian dropped down on his knees beside her and gently placed his hands over her body. I really wanted to hate the guy, but it was kind of hard when he kept saving Rose's life. I watched in awe as the magic flowed out from him, and the cuts and bruises covering Rose's body vanished right before my eyes. I could see Adrian starting to get a little wobbly before he finally lifted his hands from her body and opened his eyes.

"They're okay now." He half whispered, lifting his head to meet my eyes. "Both of them."

I didn't know what was happening back at the house, or how the rest of our little band of misfits was fairing, but I looked down at Rose and our baby she was carrying and for the first time since she had gone missing, I knew that everything was going to be alright.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I always like the idea of Rose being able to save herself. Even as a Moroi she can be pretty bad ass. Next chapter we get to expose Tatianna for the witch she really is : )

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