"Are you sure you want to do this, kiz?" Abe asked me over the phone.
"Yes. I'm sure," I told him confidently.
"Give me a few hours then," he said before hanging up the phone.
The car was silent after the call ended. My two keepers sat in the front seat stoically, unsure what kind of plan I had cooked up while they were sleeping. There was an unbelievable amount of tension locked into the vehicle as well, and I knew they were still mad at me for the escape attempt.
I tried to relax and close my eyes, but I had too much adrenaline to actually sleep. I was excited to be out of the motel, not to mention I'd get to keep the promise I'd made to Mikhail.
We were currently heading to a motel outside of the Philadelphia suburbs that was a known Strigoi haunt. That was where Dimitri told us Sonya Karp would be waiting.
And we were finally ready for her.
We parked the car in the sketchy motel lot just as the sun was beginning to rise. I climbed out of the backseat and stood to stretch my body. I was about to test how well I had been healing, and I couldn't tell if it was nerves or excitement keeping me on my feet.
"So what's the plan?" Sydney asked me, eyes furiously searching for signs of danger.
"Abe's guy should be meeting us any second," I answered, looking out towards the main road for any signs of a car nearby.
"What then?" She pressed on.
"We restore Sonya Karp," I said simply, walking forward towards a shiny black SUV that had just pulled off the road.
I met the vehicle as it parked behind us, large and threatening compared to our little car. Two guardians jumped out of the front seats while Abe and another moroi climbed out of the back. I sized up the other man. He had a slight build, and looked to be in his sixties. I wasn't overly impressed with who Abe had picked, but I knew as long as he was a spirit user, nothing else mattered.
Abe walked over to me, giving me a sideways hug while sizing up Dimitri. His eyes narrowed, and I could see something in them that made me shiver.
"Let's get this over with, Mr. Mazur," The moroi spoke to Zmey while looking at the motel.
"As you wish. Rose here will explain exactly what she needs from you. Ms. Sage, would you care to join me for a short chat?" He asked. Sydney nodded and made her way to the SUV, knowing she didn't actually have much of a choice.
One of the guardians stayed planted firmly outside the SUV as the two wiggled into the backseat for their chat. The other one joined the group, and I suspected Abe had paid him a great sum to be an extra body for me.
"So you are shadow kissed dhampir making such a ruckus in our world," the man said as he grabbed my hand to shake. I felt Dimitri go stiff beside me, suddenly unsure of what he had agreed to.
"And you are...?" I trailed off, having not asked Abe for his name beforehand.
"I'm the spirit user you requested, of course. But you can call me Robert," his smile seemed genuine, but I knew Abe would have promised him something big in order to get him to help me. I couldn't imagine the price I would have to pay back.
I pushed those thoughts to the side as I explained our plan of attack. We wouldn't have much time to subdue and transform Sonya before someone would hear us and report it to the front desk. From there, I would have to place a quick phone call before the hardest part of my plan.
I would have to part with Dimitri.
But I couldn't think about that now. I was so close to keeping my promise to Mikhail, the one thing I could control in my current world. I wasn't about to let this chance slip from my fingers.
Once I was certain everyone knew their part, we quietly made our way to the door that held Sonya behind it. Just as the sunset turned into full daylight, Abe's guardian smashed the door in and Dimitri and I sprung forward into the room.
It seemed she was waiting for us, and she swung hard at me before turning on Dimitri. I shook out the blow and grabbed her by the hair, allowing him to pin her arms to her sides. I wrapped my arm around her neck, ensuring she wouldn't be able to bite any of us.
Then Abe's guardian stepped forward with Robert, and we all watched the charmed silver make its way to her chest. He had to push even harder than Lissa had, and for a moment I was afraid he was too old and frail to get the job done. But just as my heart sank, the bright white light engulfed the room, shattering the windows and blinding us all.
I don't know how long we sat there, stunned, but Sonya's cries woke me out of my state of confusion. I jumped to my feet, dazed, as Dimitri cradled her in his arms.
"Get her to Abe's car," I croaked out, standing up as quickly as I could. I put a hand on Dimitri's shoulder as he stood, savoring the warmth I felt there.
By the time we all made it outside, Sydney was waiting for me in our car. I thanked Abe's guardian as we walked to the SUV, aware of someone in a motel uniform checking out the rooms to find the sounds we had made.
Dimitri slid in the vehicle with Sonya on his lap, sliding over to make room for me. I shook my head slowly and shut the door, walking back to where Sydney was waiting for me. As I reached the car, I heard his voice call my name one last time.
"Rose! What's going on?" I turned to face him, and cupped his face in my hands as he stepped chest to chest with me.
"You're going back to court. Abe is going to help you and Sonya make your way back into moroi society. I'm letting you go, Dimitri," I said, squeezing my eyes shut to keep the tears at bay.
"I don't understand. I thought... I thought we were going to figure things out?" He asked.
"We will figure things out. Just not right now. I made a deal with Zmey, and now I have to pay for it," I explained to him.
"This doesn't make any sense, Rose. There's no reason to split up now," he said. I could hear sirens in the distance, and I knew the employee had made his way back to the front desk to call the police.
"I know it doesn't. Do you trust me, Dimitri?" I opened my eyes and saw him give me a sharp nod, all emotion void from his face.
"Then you have to go with Abe. With Sonya. You're the only one who knows what it's like to come back... You can help her."
Dimitri looked back and forth from me to the SUV, which was inching toward the road as the sirens got louder.
"I promise you, Rose. I will come back for you. I will do whatever it takes."
I shivered as his words ran through me. Before I could think better of myself, I stood as tall as I possibly could and touched my lips to his. As I was pulling away, his hands came up to cup my head and pull me right back in.
The kiss was quick, hot, and it said more than his words ever could. I gave him one last peck as the SUV honked. Dimitri gave me one last look over his shoulder and he ran and took his seat next to Sonya. The car was gone before he even fully shut the door.
I hastily climbed into the passenger seat as Sydney waited, impatiently tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. She made sure I was safely buckled into my seat before taking off, and I rolled my eyes at her while I reached for the phone flying around on top of the dashboard.
I could see her trying to keep one eye on me and one on the road as I dialed a familiar number. I wasn't sure I was ready to hear her voice, but I didn't have much of a choice anymore.
"Hello?" Her sweet voice called out to me. I had really missed it.
"Lissa? It's Rose... listen, I need your help," I took my time explaining what I needed from her as Sydney and I drove into the sun, far away from everyone I loved.
I needed to clear my name before I returned to court, and Abe knew just how to do it.
The only problem?
I wasn't sure I wanted to.