Hey guys, just a quick message to say I hope you're all staying safe during the Coronavirus outbreak. I'm an employee of the NHS (National Health Service) so there's no self-isolation for me. But thought I'd say a big thank you to everyone who is still out there working no matter what you do, and also to those who are socially distancing as it really does make a difference.

The ground surrounding us had dropped around 10 feet below us. For a moment it felt like I was suspended in the air, then gravity did its thing and I dropped like rock to the earth. My knees embraced most of the impact, hard enough that I could feel my bones creak.

I was up on my feet in a heartbeat. If we stayed still for too long I knew that Victor would bury us alive. Literally.

A quick glance at Hans and Dimitri told me that they were both in-tact and had the same idea as I did. We all started to climb. It felt like climbing a mountain, except we just weren't gaining any ground. Every time I got a good hold on the earth, it would crumble beneath me. My nails caught against rocks and damp earth coated my hands and arms.

This was futile. Victor was tiring us out so we wouldn't put up as much of a fight when we finally got out of this crumbling crater in the earth.

Sweat was forming on my dirty forehead, but I couldn't stop for even a second or the dirt would surround me and make it even more difficult to move. I had to do something.

I thumbed free the gun in my holster and kept it clenched in my hand as I continued to climb. I just needed to get high enough to take aim at the brothers. "Dimitri! Give me a boost!" He stopped his fighting with the soil and was by my side in an instant. He hoisted me up into the air with ease, and I used the leverage to take aim and fire at the brothers. One bullet hit the tree that Robert was leaning heavily against, and the other shot past Victors shoulder so closely that he cursed and ducked. That was all I needed, a moment to distract him so we could climb out of the hole.

The estranged brothers were ready and waiting for us once the three of us were up and facing them once more. Neither of them had any visible weapons, but I don't suppose they needed them with their powers, especially Robert, though he barely looked strong enough to stand for very long, I didn't expect him to start wielding his Spirit abilities any time soon.

"I must admit I am a little disappointed, it took you longer than I thought to get out of that little conundrum." Victor said, gesturing behind us. "It seems you Dhampir aren't as talented as I once thought."

"We're talented enough to find your little manor house back there, and kill all the Strigoi inside." I retorted, showing all the sass and cockiness I could muster.

Victor simply flicked up an eyebrow and muttered. "Impressive." In a way that said how very unimpressed he really was.

Hans took a step forward, bringing out his handcuffs. "I am placing both of you under arrest by the Guardian Council and by order of Her Majesty Queen Tatiana."

Victor and Robert both straightened up then, seemingly disappointed that their fun was over already. "We're not going with you." Dashkov replied as if he was stating the obvious.

"It wasn't an invitation. You will either come willingly or we will take you by force." Guardian Croft replied, his hand hovering over where his gun was holstered at his hip.

"Very well." Victor replied, before he brought one of the thick oak trees crashing down between us and them.

"Shit!" I couldn't help but yell, leaping back to avoid being crushed by the tree. By the time we had leapt over the huge trunk the brothers had gone running off in opposite directions.

Hans ran straight after Robert, I chased after Victor without a second of hesitation. Dimitri, seeing Victor as the bigger threat of the two brothers, followed me through the thick trees after Lissa's distant uncle.

"Victor!" I shouted, dodging under and around tree branches and leaping over logs and trees that the Moroi Lord had left in our path to slow us down. "You know you can't outrun us!"

I felt like I was flying through the woods, fuelled by my rage and need for revenge of the man I was chasing. The trees tore at me, my skin stung where the branches clawed at my skin through my gear, but I barely felt it, adrenaline coursed through my veins, honing all my focus on catching Victor Dashkov and making him pay for everything he has done.

Dimitri and I were gaining on him by the second. Victor carried on trying to evade us for another minute or so before he finally stopped and turned to face us again, he was breathing heavily, his breath a wet rasp in his throat.

"Come on Victor, give up." I said, one hand hovering over my gun and the other inching closer to my stake where both hung on the holster at my hip.

"There's no escape, Dashkov." Dimitri said from beside me, I could tell he wanted this over as soon as possible.

"I'm not playing with you, Belikov." Victor spat at my companion. I turned towards Dimitri on instinct, ready to warn him that something was coming, but his name was barely past my lips before a large log as thick as my thigh whacked Dimitri on the back of the head. I heard the impact and could do nothing as Dimitri's eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the ground.

I turned to rush to Dimitri's side to check that he was ok and relatively unharmed despite being unconscious, but Victor stopped me. "Don't get all dramatic Rosemarie; your star-crossed lover will be fine."

"How dare you!" I yelled, clenching my fists, rage floored through me at the sight of Dimitri harmed on the ground. My blood was thundering through my veins, I could hear it in my ears; it drowned out every other sound.

"Don't bore me with a shouting match, Rosemarie. We've always had such interesting conversations. Now tell me, how is Vasilisa? Are you still struggling with that darkness of hers? Such a loyal bonded Dhampir, saving your bond-mate from herself." His voice reached me as if I was underwater. The spirit ring on my finger seemed to throb at his words. I suddenly became so much more aware of that bleakness inside myself; it was stirring, like some great beast had been awoken after decades of slumber. My hands started to shake.

"Look at you, still fighting it so valiantly. When you know deep down that it is going to consume you, you are fighting a losing battle, Rosemarie. One day you're going to lose control, and it won't just destroy you, no, it will destroy everyone around you as well." It was the smug smile on his face that fully snapped the control I had on myself.

I lunged at him with a scream of fury.

He had just voiced all of my deepest and darkest fears as if he was reading them from my very soul.

I shoved Victor so hard that he tumbled to the ground, and I fell right with him.

My hands were clenched like a vice around his throat, I could swear my veins were black and my fingernails had turned into razor sharp claws. Fear shone in his jade green eyes. But that creature inside me seemed to purr at the sight of it. "There's no turning back from this." Victor gasped, using what little oxygen he had left to goad me. "I always knew it." His voice was barely audible now, blood glistened on his teeth.

The veins in his temple stood out and his eyes became red and bloodshot.

"What?" I yelled. Shaking him so hard that his head cracked against the ground. "You always knew what?!" I was screaming now.

"You are a monster." I watched as the breath escaped from his mouth and left his lungs. His whole body went limp. He didn't take another breath. His chest didn't rise again.

I had killed Victor Dashkov.

All of the rage and darkness left my body instantly and was instead replaced by fear. Such fear that I thought my heart might give out.

I had killed a Royal Moroi. Hans specifically said we were to take the brothers alive.

I removed my hands from around his neck, I tried to stand but my knees seemed to have turned to water because I just crumpled into a heap on the ground beside the body.

The world was closing in around me. I couldn't get breath down into my lungs.

I was aware of someone approaching to my left, but I couldn't bring myself to look up or react. It could be Robert, it could be Strigoi. They could kill me if they wanted.

"What the hell." It was Hans. He was shouting.

My eyes wouldn't focus on anything. "Hathaway, explain." Croft ordered from where he was now tending to Dimitri.

"I killed Victor." There was no emotion in my voice, it sounded flat and lifeless. "I didn't mean to." I added quietly, finally looking up.

"Shit." The head Guardian cursed. "Shit."

"I've detained Doru, a couple of guardians have taken him back to the vans." He explained while sitting Dimitri up against a tree. "Get up, Rose." He left no room for argument. I tried, Vlad knows I tried to get up, but my mind and body seemed to have forgotten how to communicate with each other. I ended up in another heap on the floor.

Then Croft was there, he gripped my upper arms hard enough that it seemed to wake up part of my mind. He hauled me to my feet ungracefully.

"I guess you're going to arrest me." I tried to put some emotion into my voice, but it came out quiet and hoarse. I could no longer feel anything.

"No, I'm not. Help me with Belikov. Others are on their way to assist us, don't say a word about what happened to anyone."

Everything was moving in slow motion. There was a hive of activity within minutes. Guardians were rushing about. Victor's body was carried away. No one dared to question how it happened while Guardian Croft was standing guard beside me.

Dimitri was put on a stretcher and carried back past the house and into the back of an SUV, I followed him closely. I was vaguely aware of all the Strigoi bodies that littered the area, it seemed we had won.

I sat beside Dimitri's unconscious form on the ride back to Court, Hans drove in silence.

Dimtiri was taken straight to a room in the hospital when we got to Court.

My knees gave out and I managed to land in one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room. There was a high pitched ringing in my ears; I couldn't hear anything but that. My head rolled back and hit the wall behind me. I looked up at the ceiling to find it shifting and swirling.

I closed my eyes and didn't open them again.

There we have Chapter 32! I'm really sorry you've had to wait so long and that it's not as long as you might have hoped, I figured I was better uploading what I had rather than making you wait. I struggled writing this chapter, I just couldn't seem to put down what was in my mind, so I'm sorry if it's not up to scratch, I really hoped it was going to be good. Thank you again for all of your support. Stay safe. X