Chapter 6

They all moved in to action, I listened with my second ear as people ran upstairs; Guardians shadowed every possible entrance that a Strigoi could get though. But I was worried, Abe had 4 guardians plus Owen and I. That's 6 of us, I knew that Vika was in her final year at St. Basils and the rest of the women though trained as guardians hadn't trained in years. I thought about the kids asleep upstairs. I won't let anything hurt my family, blood or not.

I emerged from the open door; Jones and someone else close behind me. Outside I spotted Owen who was already fighting two Strigoi even as I saw another five approaching. I shouted for Owen to watch out but I noticed a sixth emerge from the darkness, it charged at him from the darkness. Owen jumped out the way just in time to stake it while it was still flying through the air.

I bounced into action, running straight for the group of five with both my stakes in my hands. I staked one straight away while reflecting another's blow with my free arm, I'd have a bruise there tomorrow, but I shoved my knee into its side trying to get it away from me. The Strigoi grabbed at me trying to pull me into the path of his teeth but another one grabbed my arm pulling me away from the Strigoi trying to bite me, I'd become a human tug of war rope, I could feel my arms pulling to their max, if this didn't stop they'd pull my bones from their sockets. Using my feet I threw my weight into the snappy one causing him to throw me to the ground.

I took in my bearing's as I stood, noting that I was now behind Owen. The two Strigoi that had been fighting over me were now moving towards me with a menacing look on their faces. I sliced one on the cheek with the stake in my right hand causing him to curse, letting him focus on the stake in that hand taking him by surprise as I threw my force behind my left stake as it broke his skin and came to rest in the centre of his body.

I tried pulling it out but the other Strigoi pushed my back causing me to leave my stake in chest of the snappy but dead Strigoi. I brought my right stake forward in my fist using it to help me cause more damage to punch the Strigoi in the nose. He leaped at me making my legs buckle beneath me.

He advanced on me making me scrabble backwards butI stabbed him in the knee distracting him enough so that as I pulled it from him I was already heaving it into his chest.

I backed up until I was touching Owens back, his weight a welcome relief from the chaos around us. I felt Owen bend behind me and knew exactly what he was doing. Without hesitation I rolled over his back, kicking the closest Strigoi in the head making her fall to the ground. I staked it from behind.

Owen and I fought back to back for what seemed like an age. Using each other to advance on the ever present Strigoi, it was like a never ending stream. I heard Owen grunt when he was pushed to the floor, I saw the Strigoi go down to bite him, its eyes finding mind as he smiled and drew his lips back. Seeing the image from the mirror act out in front of me I saw red, and pushed my stake through its eye. The smile still evident on its face as, I pulled my stake out and pushed it back into him but this time through his ribs.

Owen spared me a single glance before he jumped back into action taking one down that was coming up behind me.

Finally we were fighting the last Strigoi; he was putting up a good fight. He had obviously been a guardian before he'd been turned and from his strength, it had been a while ago. I spared a thought for my friends and family inside I was worried they could have gone around the back of the house but I noticed Abe's guardians standing at the entrance to the house, waiting jump into action.

Owen pushed the Strigoi to the ground but instead of staking it, I straddled him pushing my stake hard against his neck. Owen looked at me puzzled but I didn't spare him a glance.

"Why did you attack?" I growled at him, but instead of answering he spat at me. I pulled the stake across his cheek making him buck trying to get me off, Owen not wanting the Strigoi to get the better hand used his stake to stab into the Strigoi's thigh.

"If you don't want to be shish kebab, tell me, why are you here?"

"Belikov. All the Belikov's must die." He spat out.

"Why?"

"The traitor must die! He's run off back to the court; we can't touch him there but his family…" He was cut of mid-sentence as I plunged my stake through his heart. I stood up looking down at this revenge driven Strigoi in disgust. Asshole.

I looked towards the house finding the Guardians all scouting the area. I met Jones eye. "All clear, none made it passed you guys, no one is hurt." He told me.

From behind me I sensed Owen move closer, I felt his hand on my arm when he spun me to face him. He had cuts and bruises across his face, I wanted to check him over but his gaze held mine. My hands rested on his biceps, I'd never seen anyone look so intense. Want filled me as I gazed at Owen who looked at me with as must lust as I felt. I could feel it flowing through my body turning my adrenaline into heat.

Without thinking about it our lips crashed together. It was like an explosion going off inside my body and suddenly all I could feel, sense and hear was Owen. We kissed like it was the end of the world and for all I knew it was. I knew my whole body had reacted but I couldn't sense myself, like I was numb but so alert all at the same time.

I couldn't tell you where I ended and Owen began, I couldn't tell you how long we kissed for or what was going on around us. I could only sense Owen until I heard a deep voice cough next to us.

Like an ice bucket filled with water, instantly I was coherent; sound came crashing back to my ears, like the volume had suddenly been turned on max. I could hear giggling and murmuring coming from the side of the house.

I pulled back, my hands had been around Owen's neck and hair, what surprised me more was the fact that my legs were wrapped around Owen's waist. One of his hands supporting my back and in my hair, the other under my ass holding me up. I was more out of breath from our kiss than I was from the battle we'd just undergone.

Owen looked me in the eyes when he pulled my head towards his, our foreheads resting together. His eyes told me that we would finish this later.

"You ok baby girl?"

I chuckled slightly. "I think I can hold my own hot stuff." He chuckled back replacing his forehead with his lips before he put me back on the ground.

I looked around us and noticed most of the Belikov's were watching from the house, Sonja, Karo and Olena were upstairs, looking out of the windows. Yeva and Vika were stood behind Abe's guardians I could see they had stakes drawn and stood next to us was my father giving me the biggest smile I've ever seen.

"Should I send you the memo about having relationships with staff little girl?" He laughed with merriment, like if only moments before we had been at a funfair not fighting for our lives with the littering of monster bodies that were scattered around us.

"He doesn't work for me old man." I retorted back which had Abe throw his head back and laugh again.

"Do you know? I don't know what I should be more proud about." He said looking down at the Strigoi that I had questioned, "You taking down most of those Strigoi, or how you got information out of one. Excellent work, kiz." He placed a hand around me leading me into the house. Owen came up behind us checking our surroundings.

Olena came rushing down checking mine and Owens wounds. We had a few grazes but nothing too exciting. I'd fractured a few fingers but nothing could be done about that. I told Abe what the Strigoi had said.

"Well that makes it easy. You will move to court." Abe announced to the Belikova's. Well most of them, Karolina was upstairs checking on the kids, I was surprised they'd slept through the whole thing, kids really could sleep through anything.

Olena and Sonja looked shocked, Vika excited and Yeva was looking at me, her face almost expressionless.

"We can't, we can't afford to move, we have no jobs, or house there." Olena finally said after the shock wore off.

"Nonsense, I have a house there, it's more than adequate for you and it will be safer behind the wards. Vika can join St Vladimirs, in actuality you'll be doing me a kindness I wouldn't need to look for a house keeper."

"That's very generous Mr Mazur but we couldn't impose."

"Nonsense, I'm hardly there any way. I have a house keeper in each of my houses, ask Rose." I nodded when Olena looked at me. "The house will be unlived in for most of the year and I'd pay you for the work that you do. I will give you use of my jet to get you there. I will not be needing it."

"Mr Mazur.."

"Abe, please."

"Abe, the offer is too much."

"No, we will go." Yeva spoke firmly, her eye on me, "We will be close to Dimka, if we stay here, we will burn." Yeva's gaze didn't leave mine. Had she seen what I had in the mirror? With that Olena became quiet, her face pensive. It took a minute for everyone to take it all in before the Belikova's moved into action. There was organised chaos as everywhere Olena instructed what needed to be packed, what could stay and what would be given away.

I pulled Olena aside. "Only leave what you don't mind being destroyed." I don't know why I believed in what I saw but because of that vision, and Yeva I just knew this house would go up in flames. She looked me in the eye her gaze filled me with a sudden rush of sadness. This was their home and they were being made to flee. She nodded before moving back into action.

I was in the lounge while baba was on the phone, I was packing photos and mementos. When Abe had finished I looked up at him.

"Is there a way of putting a house insurance policy on this place? Without them knowing?" I asked him, his face was serious when he replied.

"Of course it is."

"I don't have a fortune, but I would like to open a high one for them. This house is going to be destroyed, when more come looking, and they will come looking, when the Strigoi find that they aren't here, they'll wreck it. One way or another, they won't be returning to this house."

He nodded before he pulled his phone out again and made another call. Sunrise was in an hour but the local Dhampir community had come together. All able Dhampirs were patrolling the streets, ones who couldn't were making arrangements for ward Moroi to arrive so they could protect their homes or helped carry boxes. Some helped move the bodies of the Strigoi, once the alchemists had arrived the Strigoi bodies had been burned to ashes. They took my report back with them as I didn't have access to a computer right now. I was told Owen and I had taken 12 strigoi down. I had no idea how many I took down myself and was told the Guardian council would be in touch.

By midday the Belikova's were packed up and in the cars on the way to the airport. Abe was apologetic when he said we were expected in Scotland tomorrow so the plane would refuel there at the same time dropping us off. The Belikova's would go on to court from there and would be flying straight into the court airstrip where there would l be those to help them move. He was also sending Jones back with them, who would be returning with the plane in a day or so.

"Sorry we are spending Christmas like this." I told Olena, she hugged me tight.

"If not for you Roza we would not be spending Christmas at all. Thank you." She kissed my head making me smile.

I slept a little on and off, but images of Dimitri as Strigoi woke me with a shriek, Owen awoke next to me, he rubbed my shoulder. "Sorry Owen, go back to sleep." He didn't but also didn't speak, the quiet was my friend right now, I didn't want the Belikova's to worry about what I was dreaming about. I didn't want them to know that I had nightmares about their Dimka because to me he had been my own worst nightmare.

Owen and I hadn't had a chance to speak about our kiss yet, the others were a mixture of napping and waking. But our hands found each other's on the arm rest. I rested my head on his shoulder and I was slowly drifting off again but before I could drift off Vika pulled me to attention.

"What are you doing in Scotland?"

I yawned as I thought it over, I didn't know what was in Scotland. Today was the first I was hearing of it. "I haven't the foggiest, Baba?" I looked over to him.

"Janine is meeting us there; she wants to show of Edinburgh at New Year." He winked at me.

"New year in Edinburgh? With Janine?" I asked in surprise. Baba looked from me to Vika, I could see the cogs going behind his eyes. He turned to Olena who was sat a few rows in front with Karolina. They spoke for a seconds in Russian before Olena nodded.

"Vika? Would you like to come?" He asked when he turned his gaze to her.

"What to Edinburgh? For New year?" He nodded.

"You'll be back in time for school." She stopped listening and started jumping up and down in her chair. "I'll take that as a yes." I looked to Olena, she looked at her daughter, who was so excited she was jostling me.

"Don't worry, I'll look after her."

"I know you will."

I yawned again as I lay my head back on to Owen, he stroked my arm as I passed out from exhaustion and into a dreamless sleep.