"Stay back!" Kira screamed. She was terrified, cornered, and had nowhere to go. It didn't help that I was all up in her personal space. "I said stay back!"

I slipped my stake back into my pocket, holding my hand out to let her know I wasn't a threat. "Kira...I know how you must be feeling, but I need you to calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."

Kira was still shaking as she looked at the people behind me. "W-who are these people? And why is he here? A-are you working in the business now? You're going to take me away, aren't you? Oh god!"

Jesus Christ. If I didn't know her, I would've thought she was just insane. Maybe she was, but if her humanity had just recently been restored after being a strigoi for about two months, it was understandable. I remembered how guilty I'd felt after my first—and only—kill. I had taken the life of a moroi in this room. I could only imagine how Kira was feeling...how many people she must have killed.

I looked at the others behind me, shaking my head. "Don't kill her. She's not a strigoi. Look at her eyes. She's just like me." Dimitri was the first person to actually take a look, but Kira was so afraid and confused that she ran from her little spot. She still had incredible speed and took me by surprise when she moved all the way across the room. She couldn't exactly run away, but she had her hands on several glass bottles and medical tubes which she started throwing. She missed me every time, and all I could hear was glass shattering everywhere. This girl was out of control. I could hear people behind me approaching, yelling things to me that I ignored. I couldn't let them kill her. She wasn't what they thought she was.

"Stop!" I shouted, leaping over the glass table. Her desperate attempts to push me off were useless as she still had no idea how to fight. I had her pinned in no time, easily restraining her with my weight. She started screaming, causing me to shut my eyes in pain as the sound hurt my ears. My hearing was much stronger since I was half strigoi, so sounds like this were extremely irritating.

Nothing I did to calm her down was working, so I did something I never thought I had the ability to do before: I snapped her neck. Just like that, she was unconscious.


We had taken Kira upstairs and had her lie down on the couch in the main living room. She was still unconscious and probably wouldn't wake up for at least an hour. Seeing that she was so out of control earlier, I kept a very careful eye on her. Dimitri and Alberta stood beside her body, ready to hold her down in case she woke up. Everyone on this trip was back in the house now, and we had explained everything to them. Meanwhile, Damian and I started arguing about what we should do.

"We need to tie her up," he said.

"No!" I shouted. "That is the last thing she needs right now. She's already terrified. Tying her up will only make things worse."

"Did you not see how out of control she was? As soon as that girl wakes up, she'll probably tear this place down."

"Then I will get her under control," I rasped, still wondering how I was even going to do that. "I can't let her go. She drank my blood, and now I'm fucking sired to her."

Damian's eyebrows furrowed together. "You two were always sired."

I froze. "What?"

"Sebastian turned Kira into a strigoi before you were turned. It was her venom that was injected into your body. You two have been sired this whole time. That's the only reason her humanity is coming back. Otherwise, she'd still be just as deadly as she was before."

This must have been why my senses were so crooked. It wasn't like the bond I shared with Lissa, but I could still feel Kira's presence. Even before she had taken my blood, there had been something strange about her that I was never able to shake off.

"How long have you known about this?" I asked.

"Since...since I found out you were turned," he answered.

"And you didn't tell me."

"It would have made no difference. She was already gone at that point."

My anger started to rise, and at this point, I didn't hold back the profanities that came flying out of my mouth. "It would have been nice to at least know who I was fucking sired to. Now, I've got some complicated two-way thing with her that I don't know jack shit about! On top of that, I still have a little girl to find because your stupid ass couldn't get her out of this house early enough."

This time, Damian was the one to lash out. "You think it was easy to keep her safe? Do you think for a second Sebastian would have let her live if I wasn't there?"

"You should have tried harder! You were always going out, taking girls out for business. You could have snuck her on and taken her to a hospital or a facility or something!" I stepped forward and grabbed his shirt in my hands, shaking him. "Four years, damn it! You were with her for four years!"

I was beginning to think my anger wasn't just directed towards Damian, but towards myself too. If only I had known Sanders was working with Sebastian. If only he had just taken me instead. At least she'd be safe. I was angry at both of us, but I was taking everything out on him.

"You're right," he finally acknowledged. "I should have fought harder."

"Yes, you should have," I snapped. "You should have fought for that little girl. You should have fought for me too. Even when I was drugged up, even when I was helpless or tied up or getting tortured, I always tried to fight for myself. You were in charge of me when I was here and you failed. You let that monster turn me into this. Where the hell were you when that was happening? Where were you when I was dying?" I shoved him away, pressing a hand against my forehead. My eyes started to water with angry tears, but I quickly wiped them away. I wasn't going to cry in front of everyone.

"Rose...I'm sorry. If I knew, I would have done something," Damian whispered. "I'm not asking you for forgiveness, but I am sorry."

The sound of someone's phone ringing snapped me out of my fury, breaking the tension from my argument. It was Abe's phone, and he picked up as soon as he saw the caller ID. He didn't greet the person on the other end and got straight to the point. "Did you find anything?"

I waited in silence, realizing that whoever he was talking to must have been working with him. Abe made eye contact with me a few times as the person on the other end spoke.

"What do you mean she was working with them?" he asked, glancing at Kira's unconscious body. I had a feeling he was talking about her. "Well, if we want answers, it's going to take a while. She's different now, but she's unstable...no, we can't. Compulsion won't work."

Compulsion? What was he getting at?

"Alright, fine. We'll contact them if we can. For now, we'll have to wait until this girl can give us information. Let me know if anything else comes up." Abe hung up the phone, answering my question before I even started. "Your friend here has been working with people who are associated with Nevaeh's kidnapping. She might be useful in giving you information if she's willing to cooperate."

"I'm not sure if she will. She's too scared," I said reluctantly. Kira started to stir, setting me on high alert again. I rushed over, sitting down beside her. Her eyes started to open, and the next thing I knew, she was freaking out again.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked. Dimitri and Alberta held her down to prevent her from escaping. I kept my hands on her wrists, making sure she couldn't strike anyone.

"Kira, hey, look at me. I need you to relax. None of us are going to hurt you."

She was still crying, desperately this time. "I-I don't know what's wrong with me. I killed so many people! I almost killed you! I was...I was going to take you away! I was going to hand you over! I don't—I don't know why. I don't know why I can feel everything again. All those faces...oh god—"

"I know. I know. I've been through this. All those emotions you're feeling right now—that's just your humanity coming back."

"I-I don't understand. I'm a strigoi...I'm...I'm not supposed to feel anything!"

"Damn it, Kira, just listen to me! You remember taking my blood?" I asked her. She went quiet, rapidly nodding a second later. "You wanted my blood which means you must know you're not a strigoi anymore. Or...not entirely. All your morals, your sense of right and wrong, all those emotions you feel—that's humanity. You're just overwhelmed right now."

"No, no, no it can't be! I'm a bloody murderer! You have to kill me!" She started struggling again, nearly breaking out of our hold.

"Rose, we have to do something. We don't have sedatives right now," Dimitri warned. I was getting frustrated now and I didn't want to knock Kira out again. We were running out of time and I needed her help.

"The room upstairs. The one I shared with her. Get her up there, and I'll talk to her alone. She shouldn't have so many people around her."

"She might try to escape again," he said. I shut my eyes, mentally slapping myself for actually agreeing with the idea of tying her up. I hated that I had to traumatize her more, but I didn't know how else to get her under control.

"Damian, go get the ropes from the closet," I commanded. Kira started screaming out little protests, thrashing around on the couch. Damian still knew where everything was and moved quickly, tossing me a set of red ropes which I recognized to be the same ones he had used on me once. I stretched them out, realizing I had no idea how to actually tie someone up.

Dimitri flipped Kira onto her stomach in a flash. "Rose, hold her down," he ordered. I complied, switching places with him. He grabbed the ropes, forcing Kira's hands behind her. I watched as he tied her wrists together in a way that was so skilled and detailed that it was actually impressive. I wondered what it would be like to have him do that to me.

Snap out of it!

Luckily, I kept everything hidden inside, refusing to show anything on my face. I tried to push my personal feelings away and focussed on the current problem.

"She won't be getting out of this," Dimitri guaranteed. He helped me take Kira upstairs which wasn't too much of a struggle as she was now restrained. I made her sit down on the floor mattress we used to share, and she crawled up to the corner as best as she could without the use of her hands.

I pulled Dimitri into the hallway, keeping my voice down. "I have to talk to her alone. She won't talk if someone she's not familiar with is there."

"That's fine, but I'm staying here in the hallway in case anything happens. If you need my help, just call my name."

"I will," a reassured him. Dimitri sighed and patted my back before I entered the room again. I closed the door, resting my back against it. Kira had actually stopped sobbing, but tears still came out. She looked so broken. I wanted to hug her, to tell her everything would be okay and that she would get better over time. I couldn't risk scaring her anymore though, so I kept my hands off.

I approached her carefully, sitting down on the bed but refusing to touch her. "Kira...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I had to do this. I had no other choice."

"I'm a murderer," she cried, ignoring my apology. "All those memories...they're so clear. I remember all of them. All the faces. All their cries as I took their life away. You have to kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"Why not? I murdered children, Rose. Children! And I didn't even care! I was going to take you away and hand you over to the strigoi. I didn't care about whether you died or not!"

Her words stung, but I didn't let it get to me. Whatever she had done as a strigoi was in the past. While I definitely agreed that it was beyond horrible, she wasn't herself at the time. She was far from evil with her humanity, so I could understand why she was feeling so guilty about it.

"You weren't yourself. The Kira that I knew before being forcefully turned was not evil," I told her.

"It—it doesn't matter," she stuttered. "It won't take back anything. All the horrible things I did. I was working with my old pimps! I helped them kidnap people!"

I wanted to ask her about Nevaeh and if she knew where she was being taken, but I had to wait. She was too overwhelmed to help me. "Kira, you are not that person anymore. You're not a monster. You're a girl who got kidnapped and turned against her will."

"That doesn't...that doesn't justify my actions. And you...what even is all this? Who are those—"

"Let me explain," I interrupted. "I know this is a lot to process, but the people I'm with are guardians. We're trying to find a little girl who used to live in this house when we were locked up."

Kira slowly lifted her head. "Nevaeh?"

"You know her?" I asked. There was a hint of hopefulness in my voice.

"Y-yeah...I mean, I only saw her a few times in the house. The people I was working with knew her. I don't—I don't know how."

I couldn't help myself and asked her what I desperately wanted to know. "Do you know where she might have been taken? Or at least who she's being kept with?"

Fortunately, she had an answer. "U-um, yeah. Sebastian and some other people. He said...he said that by keeping her, he'd finally have his 'prize' back. I still don't know what he meant."

So, Abe's theory was right. Sebastian was using Nevaeh as bait. "Can you at least tell me where he was planning on keeping her?"

"I don't have an address," she said. I sighed heavily, hoping she at least had some other information. She had to know something.

"What about other people? Anyone else who might know?"

"Um...some guy...I think his name was Eric. I think he might," she answered. "I mean, I don't know for sure, but they used to work together." Somehow, talking about this seemed to calm her down. Maybe it was because her mind was focussed on something else. I needed to talk to the others about this, but I didn't want to leave her alone.

"You see?" I asked her, moving closer. "What you're telling me is helping a lot. I know this is all overwhelming for you, but you're already doing something good."

Kira shook her head as another tear escaped her eye. "I'm not good. I've become something terrible."

"No. You were something terrible. Now, you've given me hope."

Her eyes lit up ever so slightly even through her tears. "Really?"

I smiled. "Really. Why don't you come downstairs with me? You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to."

"Damian's there," she mumbled. "And I don't know if I want to be around so many people."

"He's helping us right now, but you don't have to talk to him or anyone. It's just, I can't leave you alone right now. Nobody is going to hurt you."

Kira considered it, but her negative thoughts seemed to be getting to her. "I don't know," she said, leaning her head against the wall.

"Would it make you feel better if I stayed with you?" I asked. Now this definitely seemed to make her feel better.

"Promise you won't leave me?" she asked. I could see some of her old self start to creep out. She was a bit of a needy person, but she had been like that since before her transition. Back when we were locked up in here, I slept with her every day. Perhaps it had something to do with the way she was raised. Having close contact with someone she trusted just brought her comfort. While I definitely wasn't as needy as her, it had actually comforted me too during those times.

"Promise," I said sincerely. She shifted closer, and I moved behind her to untie her wrists. "But I'm warning you now that if you make any attempt to escape, I'll tie you up again." Well, Dimitri would.

"I won't run," she promised. I sighed, not quite trusting her but willing to set her free. Untying her wrists took forever and I was beginning to think Dimitri was a damn expert at complicated knots. It really made me wonder where he learned how to do this. When her wrists were finally free, she rolled them around and rubbed the skin, trying to get some feeling back into her joints.

"Come," I said, holding my hand out. She slipped her hand in mine, still shaking a little bit from her anxiety. I realized in that moment that I was shaking a little bit too, but it wasn't because I was anxious. I was getting very thirsty and it was starting to affect my body. The blood bags downstairs were several months old. If any of us drank that, we'd probably get sick.

I opened the door and faced Dimitri who was still standing in the hallway. Kira didn't say anything, but she was definitely a little intimidated. I couldn't really blame her. When Dimitri had his guardian mask on, wearing all black and standing tall, he looked like the kind of guy you'd never want to mess with. Actually, he was that kind of guy.

"Don't be afraid," I whispered in Kira's ear. "He's a guardian. A very nice guardian." I stressed the last part, giving Dimitri a pointed stare. He held back a laugh but got the message and smiled at Kira.

I decided to let him know of some of the things we were taking about. The faster we could get out of here, the better. "I have some new information. I think we should get going soon."

Dimitri nodded. "We do too. More reports have been coming in."

"Oh, good," I said, taking deep breaths to handle my thirst. Unfortunately, that strigoi part of me couldn't ignore it. The feeling just kept stronger, and with that feeling came the annoying ability to hear people's blood rushing through their veins.

Now that I was downstairs—along with everyone else—my thirst spiked even more. I was sure my eyes must have been red and my skin was probably as white as paper, because I was already getting odd looks. I especially hated that my parents had to see me like this.

I spotted Eddie in the group who had been staring at me for a while now. "Rose? Are you okay?"

I blinked. "Huh?" Several eyes turned on me again. Dimitri noticed my change in looks now too. I didn't like to worry people, especially at a time like this, so I smiled as best I could and lied. "Yeah, of course. I'm just a little tired."

Eddie didn't take my word for it and continued to stare me down. Despite feeling vulnerable, I ignored it and told them my newly found information. "So, uh, I think the best way to go about this is if I go undercover. Before any of you make arrests, I can go in and trick Sebastian's people into thinking I'm on their side."

"Rose, wait. Think about this first," Abe interjected. "They know you care about Nevaeh. That's why she was taken away. It wouldn't make sense to walk in and suddenly act like you don't care."

Damn it. Abe was right. They would know I was up to something. Unless...unless I went in a prostitute, made it look like it was unwilling, and have Damian take me in as his 'prisoner'. But how would I convince them to give me information? Did they know even know Damian was imprisoned?

I started to glance at Kira, wondering if I should ask her to step in. They didn't know she was different which could be a huge advantage here. However, the more I stared at her, the more I pushed the thought away. She wasn't stable. I couldn't ask her to step in.

"What if I made it look unwilling?" I suggested. I actually hated the idea of doing that again even if it was planned, but I was running out of options. "I'd need a fake bodyguard to take me in, but once I get in contact with the person I'm looking for, I can get them to cooperate from there." By cooperate, I meant torturing them until they gave in.

"And who's going to act as your fake bodyguard?" Abe asked. My eyes flickered to Damian.

"Lovely," he said sarcastically. "Would you also like me to press a gun to your head and call you my prisoner?"

"Technically, you're the prisoner."

"Would you two stop? We're running out of time here," my mother said in irritation.

I rolled my eyes, but proceeded to finalize our plan. "Okay, fine. Here's how it's going to go. Kira, I'll need you to make a phone call to Eric so he knows he has someone coming for the night. I'll doll myself up and get dressed. Damian and I will go in, but the rest of you should park in the back so that nobody can see you. Have your weapons ready in case anything happens. If I remember correctly, there's a room with security cameras in the building, which means that one of you will have to discreetly sneak in and knock out whoever's in there."

"We'll still need a way to communicate with you," Abe pointed out.

"We have ear pieces," Dimitri informed him. "Every guardian does. They're wireless and small, so as long as she covers it with her hair, they'll never know. Only the person with the earpiece will be able to hear things. Outside, they're mute."

"Perfect," I said. My next words were laced with remorse. "All I have to do now is doll myself up."


I was so hesitant to post this chapter because it was hard for me to make sense of this whole thing. I'm still thinking of changing it but I'm not sure yet. What do you all think of Rose's plan?