As promised, there is some smut at the end of this one.

Enjoy ❤

The stake felt cool in my palm, gripped tightly as I lunged forward; the tip dragged across the Srigoi's face. They screamed almost as loud as the teen on the ground behind me. The girl didn't run, just sat on the ground in fear with their hand clutching their neck.

We were almost too late again.

Dimitri brushed up against my arm as he fought the other Strigoi; I knew it wasn't accidental—he was letting me know I had backup. He wasn't too impressed with me being out on the streets again, but I was going insane in the compound.

We weren't alone; my mother and Alberta were with us, both staying near Mason and Eddie. With Four Strigoi, we were all busy. They were letting the novices take the lead; Janine wanted to see where we were at in our skills.

Of course, the Strigoi were drawn to me, a determined look in their eyes. I wasn't sure if they were part of the group that wanted to kidnap me or if they just wanted to kill me because I smelled good.

It didn't matter in the end—I wouldn't let myself be taken. Dimitri wouldn't leave my side long enough for that to happen. No one was thrilled by me being out here, but surprisingly it was Yeva that said I needed to keep training. She must be prepared… Her words filled me with dread.

Abe kept claiming we would find a way to make sure the prophecy was never fulfilled, but Yeva made it sound like there was no avoiding it.

There was nothing I could do to stop it… except for not being around to fulfil it.

I faltered.

The Strigoi's fist broke through my defence and knocked me to the ground by the teen. She screamed again and struggled to back away. Red eyes barely looked at the human, and instead, they focused on me, a snarl as they lunged for me.

My stake was in my hand, but I didn't move to lift it.

One will live or both shall die.

"Rose!" Dimitri shouted as he gripped the back of Strigoi's shirt and pulled them back, arms looping around theirs to restrain them. "Stake him!"

Dimitri's eyes met mine, and I broke from my stupor, jumping to my feet and plunging the stake into the Strigoi's chest. As soon as they died, Dimitri dropped them to the ground and then grabbed my shoulders, eyes ablaze.

"What are you doing? Why didn't you fight?"

"I did. I was about to," I defended, trying to brush him off but he held on.

"You hesitated. Never hesitate, Roza." His tone was concerned, affection bleeding in as his hand caressed my cheek.

I wanted to kick myself. I had hesitated, and I regretted it. "Sorry," I apologised, hating the fear I could see in his eyes, and that I had put it there. Dimitri had noticed—of course he did—he saw my internal struggle even if I refused to admit to it.

Every time the prophecy was mentioned, I played it off. Even when I told Lissa, I pretended it was fine—that I wasn't terrified by it. But Dimitri knew.

"Was that the last one?" Janine's voice was like cold water. I stepped back and looked at her, noting how her eyes narrowed at us.

"That's the last one," I told her.

Her eyebrow raised, "Are you sure?"

"My Strigoi senses aren't tingling."

I'd sat down with everyone the previous night and explained all the weird things I had experienced, sensing Strigoi was one of them. Abe's theory was that I was more attuned to them, a side effect of the Shadow Bond I had with the Ancient.

The dreams were more difficult to explain, but the description of the man I had been seeing led us to a possible guess of who the Ancient was. Records were kept, hidden deep in a Moroi church volt, and somehow my parents gained access. In these documents about the Ancients—written in an old language that only a few could read—there were descriptions of them, and it said which were successfully killed.

Apparently, the one that I was tied to was the worst.

The Ancient that led the army of Strigoi that almost wiped out Moroi and dhampirs three hundred years ago—Victor.

I fucking hated my life.

"How did it go?" Abe asked once we reached Dimitri's apartment. It had been accepted that we would meet here after patrols; I didn't know if it was needed to recap everything or if this was just my parents' way of keeping an eye on me.

We didn't run into any other Strigoi, and we stayed clear of the warehouse district, so I didn't have any voices in my head. I pointed the area out to Janine, who had made note of it and passed the information to Alberta. It was laughable how I was in the middle of all of it and still felt so left out of what was happening.

Abe's journal answers some questions, and then our last meeting to discuss my dreams filled in the blanks of others. But Janine kept dodging one of my questions—why me?

It was my burning question that I couldn't get an answer to.

Yeva knew, but she was as tight-lipped as Abe.

It was petty of me, but I wanted to get a small amount of payback for everything; when we returned to the apartment, I would hug Olena. There was also a selfish part of me that enjoyed the warmth and care Olena gave me. I doubted I could expect it from my parents and feel the same way now.

Olena welcomed the hug, patting my hair. "I'm glad you aren't hurt," she whispered with a warm smile; and I flushed with shame.

I was still annoyed at myself for my moment of weakness—my hesitation.

I couldn't even just slip out the backdoor and disappear for a couple of days because I promised I wouldn't do it again. I didn't want to run away.

I think…

"There's definitely an increase compared to the last couple of nights. They are drawn to you," Alberta pointed out with a sad smile. It felt like pity. At least now, it was confirmed. We had three show up before the last four; those ones seemed more interested in taking me.

They kept trying to grab me and separate me from the others.

Dimitri didn't leave my side afterwards.

I dropped onto one of the wooden chairs, not bothering to say much because most of what I did got shot down. My mother had her way of running things, and everyone else was simply wrong. Dimitri's eyes were on me, but I didn't see them.

"We still have things to work on," Janine started, her gaze on me from where she stood beside Abe, "but you did well tonight."

The compliment caught me off guard, and I took a moment to respond, "Thanks." She attempted a smile, and I tried to return it, but it felt more like a grimace.

Silence followed.

Alberta cleared her throat and took a seat at the table, a signal everyone else followed. The secret meeting was about to start. "Any luck on figuring it out?" she asked Abe.

He had spent most of the day trying to discover more about how the Strigoi were set up in the city. Their running theory was if they knew how it was organised they could get in front of it and prevent what was to come.

Abe sighed and crossed his arms in irritation, "I've called some of my contacts, but Isaiah is either keeping things small or keeping the Strigoi quiet."

"We have the location, assuming it's the right spot, but there's no activity there," Janine added. I resisted rolling my eyes.

I shrugged, "So they moved? I'm sure they will reveal their secret lair soon." I smirked, "Hey, maybe I'll get another dream, and he'll give me the directions."

"Rose," Abe started, and I did roll my eyes at him.

"It's a joke. Victor only kills me in my dreams," I mumbled the last bit, but they heard me.

"Right." Alberta shared a look with my parents, "So, what do we do next?"

"Why don't you just trap a Strigoi and ask them." Everyone's eyes snapped to me, I could already tell they were going to shoot me down, so I continued, "Listen. I can be bait, and we get one of the Strigoi part of it and make them tell us what they know."

Dimitri had stiffened, eyes capturing mine, "It's dangerous. It's too much risk to put you in."

"We don't have any better plans, and this gets us information from the source."

"There's a lot that could go wrong," Alberta agreed with Dimitri, "and we don't know if any will show up that won't just try to kill you."

I could feel Dimitri's eyes on me—he hated the idea. "So? You set up some teams. There were that three that tried tonight. I doubt we would have to go far to find some more."

"She is right, it could prove fruitful," Abe commented. It felt like an attempt to get on my good side, but I took it. "Would you feel comfortable putting yourself in that position?"

"Sure," I replied. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Again," Dimitri called, with his arms crossed and expression blank. I could tell he was still on edge as he watched my every move.

When he woke me early and told me to get dressed, I thought we were going to find somewhere private. Instead, he dragged me to the gym and put me in front of a dummy and a stake in my hand.

"I've been doing this for almost an hour. What are you expecting by having me repeat that same shit?" I snapped, on the edge of tossing the stake at his head if he told me to stake the dummy again.

He didn't move from the wall and barely even shifted his expression. "You will keep repeating it until I know you won't hesitate again."

"You're a pain in my ass," I snarled and turned back to the dummy. I drew my arm back and buried the stake deep into the dummy with a grunt; the tip went so deep it peeked out the back. I glared over my shoulder at Dimitri, "I'm done."

I made it three steps before Dimitri blocked my path. I expected him to march me back to the dummy, but he wrapped his arms around me and sighed. "Roza, last night can't happen," he breathed, chin resting on the top of my head. "If we do your plan tonight, I need to know that it won't happen again."

I caught my lip between my teeth; it took me a moment to relax into the hug, arms snacking up to return the embrace. "It won't," I assured him.

Dimitri pulled back to see my face. "I saw you—the moment the Strigoi was going to attack—you stopped fighting. Why?"

"I didn't–"

His hand cupped my cheek and made me look him in the eye. The mask was gone, leaving his concern and fear on display. "You can't give up," he pleaded softly. "You have gone through so much and come so far to reach this point. Don't give up now."

"It was just a moment," I admitted. Shame and disappointment in myself churned in my chest. "It was like a second that I just thought…" I couldn't look him in the eye anymore and dropped my head to his chest. Dimitri's arms wrapped around me again, and I felt safe enough to say it. "I thought that things would be better if I took away the chance of Victor being released."

His hold tightened, and he started to shake his head in disagreement.

"You heard what they said, comrade; Victor was the worst one. He almost killed us all once, and now I'm one thing that could make that happen again…" I inhaled sharply, almost sounding like a sob.

"Roza."

My fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt. "That should be the part that scares me the most, but it isn't." I couldn't look at him; my words muttered against his chest. "I'm scared of dying."

The wall I had built crumbled at my admittance.

"I've only just started to live, and I just got my parents back," I finally drew back to see his face, blinking away the tears forming in my eyes, "and I found you. I don't want to lose any of that."

"You can't think like that," he soothed, catching my tears as they fell.

My lip wobbled as I struggled to come to keep myself from breaking. "I can't stop thinking about it. Every moment of the day, I think about it. If it will be quick. If it will hurt–"

Dimitri gathered me close, his hold almost too tight; tilting his head to press his lips to the crown of my head as I cried. "I promise you, Roza, I will do everything to protect you. I won't lose you."

His head dipped down, a kiss full of promise pressed to my lips that I eagerly returned, arms looping around his neck. The kiss was tinged with the taste of salt from my tears, but I couldn't care less when he lifted my legs to wrap around his waist.

Dimitri carried me in his arms, somehow finding his way despite never breaking the kiss. My back hit the hardwood of the storage room door, pinned in place by his hips as he fumbled for the door handle. We were being careless, taking a risk that no one would come into the gym or the storage room, though there wasn't anywhere else we could go.

He walked us into the room, closed the door behind us with his foot and then spun to press me against it again. With deliberately slow movements, caressing and sucking at the column of my throat, he flicked the lock on the handle. I almost laughed that we kept using this room for very adult activities.

There was no doubt in my mind about where this was leading. I shivered in anticipation, and a heat moved under my skin where his fingers trailed. It wasn't romantic or even well thought out. Dimitri laid me on a pile of sparring mats and covered me with his body; having him was all that mattered to me. The feel of his lips brushing my cheek and lips, his hands teasing the exposed skin of my stomach—it was all that mattered. I became lost in being with him.

Layers of clothes were stripped and peeled away slowly, attention given to each inch of exposed skin. It made my breath hitch, and heat pooled between my legs. I repeated the same care and devotion for Dimitri as I undressed him, taking control until he was just in his boxes on the mats with me straddling his thighs.

I was naked; the only thing separating us was his underwear. Dimitri guided my lips back to his, and another hand reached between us to push the fabric aside and pull out his erect member. His hand grasped my hip and pulled me forward. I rolled my hips, moaning into the kiss from the feeling of his cock brushing where I wanted him most. It had been a while and I'd been filled with an unsated craving for him.

I didn't hesitate as I rose on my knees and then dropped down, eagerly accepting him. Small gasps and moans fell from my lips as I slid down until I took every inch and felt full to the brim. I think that was my favourite part—when he was in as deep as possible, and all I could focus on was that feeling. It made me feel complete.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Dimitri whispered against my skin, those promises easier to believe in the shadows surrounding us. I could pretend we were in our own world and that the problem only existed outside of the locked door.

I twirled the locks of his hair with my fingers, holding his eyes as I started to roll my hips again. "I won't lose you." It was more of a plea than a promise.

Our pace wasn't quick or fueled by a simple need for release; it was nothing like the other times we had sex. The powerful emotions swirled in my chest and pushed words to the tip of my tongue.

Before, I would never have considered saying them, but I also never thought I would be faced with my own death so soon.

As the intensity between us increased, so did the urge to tell him.

Dimitri's eyes never left mine, a smile on his face and a look of awe and affection in his eyes. He made me feel like I was the world to him—that I was all that mattered. The way he would touch me as if I was delicate, something to be treasured and protected—I didn't need to be strong in front of him, and he didn't expect it of me.

I believed he felt the same way as me.

I pulled him into a passionate kiss, feeling myself close to completion. "Dimitri," I panted against his lips, our foreheads touching, "I love you." The words tumbled out, breathed between us as we worked together to reach that high.

Dimitri didn't falter, not put off by my declaration. "I love you, too," he confessed and kissed me again.

My heart swelled, and my climax hit me hard, wave after wave making me shake in his arms as he continued to thrust inside me.

Dimitri pulled out and picked up the nearest piece of material to come in. I blushed at the fact I hadn't even considered that we had sex without a condom. I didn't move from his lap, still catching my breath as his head rested on my shoulder. I ran my fingers across his shoulders and down his arms, my eyes closed in bliss.

"Do you mean it?" Dimitri asked after a couple of minutes. I grinned.

"Yeah. Did you?"

"Yes, Roza. I love you with every part of my being. I have for a while."

The confession didn't scare me like it once did, and neither did the joy that I felt after. I pressed close, kissing his cheek and bringing my lips to his ear. "I love you, comrade."

We stayed in a happy bubble for a while, still riding the high from sex and our confessions of love. As much as I wished we could've, I knew we couldn't stay like that for much longer. Dimitri kissed me once more before I climbed off of him and gathered my clothes. I would have to wait until I got to Lissa's to shower, grimacing a little as I pulled back on my underwear.

"Dammit."

I paused, glancing at Dimitri with raised eyebrows. "What?"

He looked up at me with a frown and then down at the cloth in his hand. "I used my shirt." I don't know what made me laugh more, his dejected tone or the sad look he gave his shirt.

I had to bite my lip as he got dressed, balling the shirt up while muttering something in Russian. Dimitri ended up just pulling on his jacket and zipping it up so he wasn't walking around bare-chested.

"Was that your favourite black shirt?" I teased, mocking the same pout he wore. "I'm sure we can get you a new one from Target."

"You aren't funny," he grumbled.

"Sure I am. It's one of the reasons you love me, right," I laughed and kissed his cheek. That managed to pull a smile.

"One of the many reasons, Roza."

Hope you liked it :D

I do have to admit that this story is definitely up there as one of my favourites ❤