Okay, so first things first I'm so very sorry for taking so long to update :P I went away to the beach for a week and did nothing more than swim and get sunburnt! And when I came back, god I got stuck with some awful writer's block. I mean I know what I wanted to happen but the words just would not flow and this chapter just wouldn't turn out how I wanted it too. In fact it's still not exactly how I wanted it to be, but I'm afraid it's the best I'm going to get.
So read and review please, and chapter 39 (omg 39?!) will be up asap.
Disclaimer: It's not mine, it's a horrible fact but alas, it is true. Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy but I do love it that I own Marcus :P
Chapter 38
Waiting was the worst. Time dragged and my nerves were shot. I jumped at the slightest things, paranoia encased me and I was constantly looking over my shoulder. That is; when I left the house, which wasn't often. I barely ate any food, and I hadn't feed in days. I was gaunt, translucently pale and deep bruise-like shadows hung under my eyes. To summarise, I was a mess.
It has been a week and Rose still hasn't been found. I haven't been in her mind since that first day - when I'd found out about Dimitri's mole. Emotions trickled through to me and I often found myself wearing a goofy smile, even though I had nothing to smile about. It was the Strigoi bites, the endorphin rush side effects leaking through our bond. But it was the only way for me to know Rose was still alive.
But what kind of life was it? She was strung out, unable to string together a single coherent thought.
I knew she must still be fighting him, still refusing to give in to his compulsion since he kept feeding off of her. But she was so weak now, I could sense it. She was weakening steadily and there had been no word from either Marcus or Janine.
I had picked up the habit of biting my nails and there was nothing left of them now. I was biting them when the phone suddenly rang throughout the house and I hastily jumped up to answer it.
"Lissa, its Adrian. Have you seen Melanie? I can't find her and she's not returning my phone calls."
"Uh, no sorry, I haven't." I croaked out, my voice raw from lack of use. "If I see her I'll let you know. Bye." I moved to hang up but he called through the phone loudly.
"Wait Liss, we're all worried about you. Mia was telling me she hasn't seen you in days. That you barely come out of your room anymore."
"I fine Adrian, you don't need to worry. Like I said I'll call you if I see Mel or find anything new about Rose." My voice broke on her name and I quickly hung up.
I took several deep breathes to get myself under control and I knew I needed to feed. It had been three or four days and my skin was paler than it had ever been.
Sighing I walked downstairs and Mia intercepted me in the hallway. She had taken to staying with me while both our men were searching for Rose.
"You're going to the feeders?" She asked, concern laced through her voice. I must really look bad.
"Yeah, it's been too long." I answered my voice monotonous, lifeless. Mia nodded and pulled on her own cloak.
"I haven't feed today either, so I might as well come with you."
I didn't have the energy to object so I allowed her to open the door and lead me out.
~ * ~
"You deliberately mislead and used me! How could you be in league with Strigoi? You told me if I helped with your escape you'd help me get rid of her, you didn't tell me you'd have her killed by Strigoi!"
I heard shouting from around the corner of the building we had just left. It sounded like Melanie and what she had to say was unbelievable. Beside me Mia gasped in horror and I realised with horror that what I had heard was correct, and it was in fact Melanie the one screaming. Enraged I stormed round and was horrified to see her confronting Mitchell; he heard my gasp and turned to me, his face contorting into an evil smirk of malicious intent.
"Ah Princess, how nice of you to join us."
I backed away, alarmed by the wicked glint in his eye. His smirk intensified and he stepped forwards.
"You know something Princess? I never did get to finish what I started the other night, even though we'd only been after Rose we had planned on having a little... fun with you. I mean what better prize than really being with the Moroi Princess Dragomir? And since Hoseet isn't here now, I guess I get you all to myself."
I gulped in dread, realising exactly what he was implying. As he got closer to me Melanie grabbed his elbow, "What are you doing? You can't do this Mitchell." He ripped his hand from her and back handed her with a sickening crack.
"Bitch can't tell me what I can and can't do." He turned back to me, leaving Melanie lying on the ground, unconscious and her face bleeding. "Can't you see Princess? I'm going to get everything I've ever wanted. Immortality, power beyond your wildest dreams; Dimitri made me a deal, I give him Rose and he'll awaken me. I will become a part of the most powerful beings this world has ever known. With that bitch Rose Hathaway out of the way, there is nothing any of you pathetically weak Moroi can do about it. Dimitri has plans that will bring the Moroi to their knees, and I will be with him."
Nausea surged through my stomach and I fought to keep the bile that was threatening to rise down. He was volunteering to join Strigoi; he was betraying his own people, his own race to the Strigoi. The very monsters that caused the need for Dhampirs to be trained from young ages, that caused Moroi to live in fear.
Fear gripped me as I backed further away from him. The evil glint in his eyes transformed his face and I no longer recognised the man that had protected me for the past five years. He stalked me with deliberate slowness, herding me with expertise.
I glanced behind him and saw Melanie was still out cold, and Mia was out of sight, hopefully running for help. Suddenly he lunged forwards and struck me across the cheek; I felt it tear and blood dripped down to my chin. I gasped and fell back, landing heavily on my butt, jarring my spine. He loomed over me menacingly and I inhaled to let out a shriek but he kicked him roughly in the stomach and pain like I've never known shot through my abdomen. I began panicking at the increasing pain and my inability to catch my breath again.
"Who's going to save you now Princess? I don't see your precious Rose anywhere. But then, she is in a fairly worse place now, and I guess I could always be kind enough to let you join her. However I want my fun first." He stepped closer and bent over me.
Just as his hand wrapped around my throat a powerful blast of water struck him and he staggered to the side; momentarily disorientated. Relying on pure instinct I tapped into that darker side of Spirit, super-compulsion, Rose and I had called it so long ago. I gave him a vision of being completely covered in vicious, poisonous black scorpions and snakes. Like Jesse his mouth opened in a silent scream, his eyes glazed over; stuck in a place of his own personal horror and I calmly told Mia to get some Guardians.
I held him there until about three Guardians came back with Mia and even then I waited until he was restrained. Grudgingly I released him; causing my head to spin and my stomach to churn as the heavy amounts of spirit darkness drowned me in its flood. I saw one of the Guardians helping Melanie up and that fresh batch of darkness transformed into rage as I stormed over.
Mia cried out for me to stop but I shook her off and slapped and punched Melanie in the face continuously until the Guardian that had been attending her was forced to restrain me.
"You fucking bitch. You did this, you betrayed us, betrayed Rose, betrayed Adrian. How could you?" I struggled, desperately trying to break from the Guardians grasp, but he was a Dhampir, a male Dhampir and I was a mere female Moroi. I didn't stand a chance; however he spoke, his voice gruff.
"You're responsible for Rosemarie's kidnapping?" The Guardian asked.
I nodded and thrashed again, futilely. Melanie looked up at me in fear, regret and guilt. And so she should, the bitch has cost me the life of my best friend, of my bondmate.
"Yes, she sold Rose out to Mitchell. She helped him escape in exchange for him and Hoseet to get rid of her." I answered him and a growl rumbled from his chest. Trying to use this to my advantage I jerked again, to no avail unfortunately.
"I – I didn't know what he was going to do. I – he lied to me, he told me – he said he was only going to scare her. He – they never said anything about Strigoi." Melanie cried, her speech broken with sobs. My hatred for her right then was so strong it left me speechless and I resorted to glowering; construing all my hatred and rage into my expression. I was pleased to see her shy away in fright.
The Guardian continued to hold me until I'd calmed down enough to not attack Melanie and released me. Mia came over and held me while he took the bitch away for questioning along with Mitchell. Hoseet had yet to be found, but I presumed he had already left. Mitchell had only stayed to extract some more revenge on us and get a little more information from Melanie. That's what he had been trying to do when Melanie, instead of supplying him with anything new, had starting screaming bloody-murder at him; and then I had interrupted that.
~ * ~
Starring out the window, watching Moroi and Dhampirs alike continue with their lives, I came to the realisation that even when tragedy happens, life carries on. Just because someone so vital to my life goes missing, possibly even dies, doesn't mean time stands still, that the world stops rotating and everyone in the world knows something awful happens. No, that doesn't happen, life isn't like in the movies. Good things don't follow bad things. Bad things happen to good people and when they do happen time doesn't stop, doesn't even slow down. In fact life and time just continues as it normally would.
"Come on Lissa, it's time to go." Mia's voice broke through my thoughts and I looked at her as she leant against the doorway.
I nodded and stood slowly, trying to drag this out as long as possible.
We were going to the interrogation of Melanie and Mitchell; I had called Adrian as soon as the Guardian had released me and demanded he get Tatiana to let us be there while they are interrogated. He had worked his charm, and I suspected a little bit of compulsion, on her and she reluctantly allowed us to be in the room behind the one-way mirror.
"Where is Dimitri holding Rose?" The Guardian, whose name was Derek, growled at Mitchell. This was the twelve time he had tried and Mitchell just continued grinning mockingly, confident as he sat chained to the chair.
"This is going nowhere. I can get him to tell us what we need to know. Hell even Adrian could do it." I grumbled as I continued pacing, "We're wasting precious time. I don't know how much longer Rose can hold out; in fact I can't even tell if she is still holding out." I threw my hands up in annoyance.
"You do have a legitimate point Lissa, but that's not how the system works and you know it."
"When has the system ever worked? I mean Rose is dying and we're wasting time acting menacingly when Mitchell is mocking us. He knows we can't do anything more than threaten. Just give me five minutes and I'll have him broken."
Adrian actually considered it, and then I saw a light bulb go off in his head. He looked at me and then our guard. Making eye contact with the guard he spoke in a calm and confident tone. "You will give us five minute alone with Mr. Aden without comment. You will order Derek out for a coffee run and let Lissa in by herself."
The Guardian nodded dumbly, appearing desperate to please us. He called through the intercom, telling a rather confused Derek to get him some coffee. Derek didn't argue the direct order but I could see his confusion and doubt.
As soon as he had left I hurried through the door, closing it behind me. Mitchell looked at me in surprise and raised his brow.
"Princess, I wasn't expecting you."
I grabbed a hold of the magic flowing within me and kept eye contact with him. His eyes glazed over and I knew I had him.
"You are going to tell me where Dimitri is holding Rose and afterwards you will forget I was ever here. Understand?"
He nodded quickly, and stammered out, "Yes Princess, of course. Dimitri never told me where exactly he had Rose, but whenever I needed to get information to him I would meet one of his cronies just outside the wards, in the forest near where Rose killed those two Strigoi. I swear that's all I know."
I released him and darted from the room while he shook his head; coming out of the daze compulsion had put him in. Adrian met me outside the door and I told him I needed a phone to tell Marcus.
"Lissa" Marcus's deep voice spoke my name gruffly. It had been a week since I'd heard it and I couldn't help feel a little comfort, since Marcus was another link to Rose.
"Marcus I found out how to get to Rose. You need to come back to the Courts. A Strigoi is out in the forest outside the wards, who constantly waits on Guardian Aden to supply him with new Intel. I'm fairly sure if you get to him, he can lead you to Rose." I hastily told him, barely pausing for breath.
Marcus didn't respond, taking in this vital information. "Thank you Lissa. Thank you very much."
He hung up and this time I felt no irritation at his attitude, he wanted to waste no time in finding Rose.
And now it was back to waiting. God, waiting, it was bad enough when we had absolutely no idea where Rose was, but now we had a hint, a solid clue and way to find her and I was stuck waiting. I twitched, I fidgeted, I paced, I sat and I stood, I cleaned and messed things up. I did everything I could think of to distract myself, to make time move forwards. I laughed inwardly at that, how ironic. I had hated the fact that time continued to move and all of a sudden I wanted it to fly by. Because the fastest time moved, the faster Marcus moved and consequently the faster Rose was to being rescued.
"Geez Lissa, sit still! You're wearing a hole into the carpet with your constant pacing. Take a nap or something." Mia eventually complained after my thirtieth lap of the lounge floor. I was a bundle of nerves and sleep was most defiantly not the smartest move for me. Reluctantly I sat down and immediately my knee began bouncing, up and down, and up and down; ticking away the seconds, minutes, hours.
Mia's hand clamped down on my knee and she caught my eye, "Seriously. Stop it."
I growled softly in my chest, "I just need to know if Rose is safe. I haven't gotten anything from her in so long. God, it's been a freaking week! And nothing. What am I supposed to do?"
Mia looked at me sympathetically and rubbed my knee soothingly.
"I know Liss, I do. But bouncing around the house isn't going to do anything except drive me crazy."
I huffed and stood again, rubbing my hands together. 'God I need something to do.'
That something came in the form of sleep evidently. I had exhausted myself with the constant pacing and as I lay down the familiarity of dreams engulfed me.
I sat on the cold hard ground of a small room, leaning against an equally cold, hard wall. My entire body ached, my head throbbed and my blood tasted of metallic blood. My lips were dry and cracked. My left eye was closed from swelling and my skin was coated in dry blood.
Desperately I tried to lick my lips to moisten them, but alas there was no moisture, no saliva in my mouth with which to do so. 'God I'm so weak, I can barely twitch my fingers...' and as I tried to do so pain flared up my arm and I hissed through clenched teeth. I scanned the environment I had been entrapped in for so many hours I had lost count. I had no idea, no inkling of how many days, if not months, I had been held captive down here. It had been hours I could only guess since my last visitor, so I figured it must be nearing night time, or day time. I wasn't entirely sure what clock they worked to, but after endless hours of torture they would leave me long enough to recover some. I had yet to be watered today and the new cut on my forehead had only just now stopped bleeding into my eye.
A loud thud was heard upstairs and I turned my neck slowly towards the door, anticipating a new Strigoi to barge through. Only, no one came, only a second thud followed by three consecutive thuds were heard. Something was off, something was wrong and I couldn't decide how to react. My mind was sluggish, still fighting the withdrawal symptoms of not having had a Strigoi bite today. I tried desperately to think of what it could be, what this could mean but nothing came.
Footsteps were heard on the staircase then, and the familiar fear paralyzed my aching limps. My heart hammered against my chest and I mentally prepared myself for the next round, one of which had come sooner than usual.
The door opened ominously and I looked up to see a dark figure enter slowly, cautiously.
"Rose." The figure whispered. I tried to concentrate on it, tried to focus on the reason it sounded so familiar, and yet so unreal. It crouched down in front of me, a hand reached out to touch my cheek and I flinched away in terror.
"Rose, it's okay. It's me, Maia."
The name was familiar; the figure was too, but exhaustion and blood loss made it far too difficult to focus and I lost my fight for consciousness.
I shot up as I always did after coming back from Rose's mind.
"Mia!" I cried, leaping from the couch I had fallen asleep in.
"Mia!"
Mia fell from the bed she was dozing in. She stared at me wide eyed and in fright. "What?"
"Mia! They found Rose! Maia and Marcus found Rose!" I cried, tears of pure joy pouring from my eyes.
Rose has been rescued.