Part 31
My hands shook as I scrolled through my contacts, cursing when my fingers hit the wrong thing. Finally, I found her name and called.
It rang.
And rang.
"You called Rose Hathaway. I'm busy."
"Черт возьми!" I hung up and dialled Vasilisa next.
"You've reached Vasilisa Dr -"
I called Sage last, knowing that if he didn't answer, then something really was wrong. I held my breath as I waited.
"This is Guardian Sage Andrews. Leave a mes -"
I hung up. Quickly dressing and pulling on my duster.
There was something wrong.
As I was leaving my room, I called one more person. They answered on the second ring. "Abe, meet me at Hans' office. Something has happened to Rose."
I couldn't feel anything through the bond. Not that I could feel much before, but there used to be a sliver of something. Now it was silence. The only thing that gave me any hope that Roza was still alive was the ache in my chest.
Abe and Janine had arrived at Hans' office not too long after me; both looked prepared to fight an army with fierce expressions on their faces. Abe didn't bother knocking, just pushing open the doors and marching into the office.
Hans was on the phone, raising an eyebrow at us, but he wasn't surprised.
My stomach dropped.
"I'll let the men at the gate know. Keep me updated." He returned the phone to its cradle before setting his eyes on us, "I take it you know."
"What happened?" Janine asked, a demanding note to her voice, but she was still respectful to her superior.
"Ten minutes ago, Andrews was informed of Strigoi on the premise of the safe house. Both the Princess and Lady Ozera are safe and on their way back to Court as we speak."
A lump had formed in my throat; part of me felt guilty for not sparing a thought for Vasilisa or Tasha. All I cared about was Roza. "What about the guardians?" I wanted to demand answers but knew I needed to tread carefully still.
I couldn't let myself lose control.
Hans expression became drawn, "All are accounted for, except for Guardian Hathaway."
I already knew it, and yet the words were still like a punch in the stomach. The air left my body, and I felt my knees want to buckle. But I kept it all concealed, pushing through it and staying strong. I needed to stay focused.
"How many Strigoi?" Janine asked, her reaction also concealed.
Hans sighed, "I still haven't got all the information. Andrews said he didn't see any, but Guardian Moore sounded the alarm after he and Hathaway fought them. I don't know how many or what happened. They will be here in an hour, and we will find out more then."
I understood the process. They would wait to debrief until they were back safely; right now, their only concern was the Moroi with them. I understood it, but I hated it.
I didn't want to wait an hour. So much could happen. If Roza was taken, she could be injured and not get help in time. She could be taken by the Strigoi and -
My heart clenched painfully, unable to even consider that happening to her. There were worst fates than death. I knew that all too well, and the thought of Roza having to experience the same was more than I could bear.
My eyes shifted to Abe as he scoffed, sneering at Hans before he turned from the room, retrieving his phone as he did. A string of Turkish following as he spoke rapidly to whoever he called.
I felt a spark of hope for the first time since I woke up. Guardians may be restrained by their rules, but Zmey made his own, and no amount of red tape was going to stop him from looking for Roza.
I stood against the wall, partly because it was just habit now, but also because I needed it to ground me, to remind me to stay in place and not march across the room and punch Guardian Moore.
He left her.
His story had too many conveniences lining up, too many spots that brought more questions than answers. Roza's radio had stopped working, no one even knowing why she was out there in the first place. She was meant to be inside, but something drew her outside.
Then Moore claims there were Strigoi attacking from the south side, somehow getting through the wards. Saying that Roza had told him to go protect Vasilisa and warn the others while she held off the Strigoi.
It sounded like something she would do. Always so selfless and putting others above herself. Roza would sacrifice herself for Vasilisa.
But that didn't take away the pure rage I felt toward Moore for just abandoning Roza.
The others in the room were also questioning the story, Janine and Abe causing Moore to practically tremble under the scrutiny. None of it changed the fact that Roza was missing.
Nothing had come through the bond still; no matter how many times I tried to reach for her, I felt nothing in return.
How could everything go so wrong so quickly? Just yesterday, she told me she loved me and wanted to complete our bond, and now I may never see her again. Or I will have to hunt her down and… No! We could save her, just as they saved me. I would do everything to bring Roza back. I have to bring her back.
"I'm sorry, Dimka. I know you two were getting close again."
My eyes flicked to Tasha's; I hadn't even noticed her approaching me. Concerned eyes stared up at me. Close? She didn't understand, not realising how close I was to being tied to the woman I loved for the rest of my life.
Her hand laid against my arm, the touch feeling wrong. "Rose wouldn't want you to blame yourself. She knew the risks of being a guardian."
I pulled out of reach, not wanting her touch. My anger rose at her words, "Rose isn't dead."
"Dimka, I know you don't want to think about it, but the Strigoi took her. You know how this will end."
I shook my head. I refused to believe that Roza was gone. I will never abandon her. Not again.
"No, we have to get Rose back. We can't just leave her." Vasilisa cried, drawing everyone's attention again.
My heart clenched. Vasilisa didn't understand; she was a royal Moroi, a Princess at that; if anything happened to her, there would be an army sent for her. There was an army sent for her when I had kidnapped her.
But Roza is just a dhampir, one that many perceive as a trouble maker and has earned the dislike of the Queen.
Hans confirmed as such, revealing to Vasilisa what the guardians in the room already knew. "We have no leads on how many were there or where they went after. We have no way of knowing where Hathaway is."
"What about the bond?" Abe asked.
"Yes," Vasilisa agreed eagerly, "Dimitri could use the bond to find Rose."
I felt everyone's eyes on me.
I was dreading the moment the bond was mentioned. My failure revealed again how I was still failing Roza. "I can't… I still can't feel through the bond like that." Roza had been able to follow the pull of the bond to find me once, but I didn't know how to tap into that, or if I even could.
"Then how do you know she is still alive?" Though Tasha's tone was gentle, my irritation flared.
"Because I know. If Rose was dead… I would feel it."
"So would I!" Vasilisa defended, "I would know if my bond to her was gone."
I was thankful to Vasilisa; while everyone had given me a doubtful glance at my words, no one could deny the bond between her and Roza.
"That still leaves us with no way of tracking her." Hans reaffirmed, rubbing at his brow, "Without an order from the Queen, there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry."
Janine was quick to try to argue the fact; I was surprised by how determined she was, reminding me of how she was when Roza went missing last Christmas. Janine may not know how to show it or even how to speak to Rose, but she cared for her daughter. This was the only way Janine knew to express it.
The guardians would be of little use; Queen Tatiana will never give the order to save Rose. The only way Roza was coming back was if I went rogue. Roza had done it for me, and I would do it for her.
I caught Abe's eyes, knowing he already had a plan in place.
Before I could approach him, I felt it.
An intense spike of fear and then a searing pain. It felt much too familiar, making me double over as I gripped at the crook of my neck. The pain was so similar that I swore I could feel the fangs buried deep in my skin. And then it was over, and the fear faded.
I was left panting. When Roza was stabbed in the arm, the pain I felt wasn't anywhere near as intense. I knew exactly what was happening to her, and it made bile rise in my throat.
"Dimitri?" Vasilisa was in front of me, panicked green eyes searching mine.
I had to take a deep breath, "It's Roza… I felt—she…." I didn't want to admit what it could mean. "They are feeding on her," My words came out as a whisper, but they heard it.
Vasilisa backed away as her hands covered her mouth, "No."
"Is she…" Janine started, needing a moment to compose herself, "Is she dead?"
I shook my head. While the pain had faded, there was still a sense of her there, almost like a pulse from the bond now, a pull that I hadn't felt before. "She's alive still." for now. I didn't need to say it, but everyone knew. "I have to find her."
"Dimka, how could you find her? You don't even know where they went." Tasha was quick to try to discourage me.
"I will find her. I have to!" I had no idea how, but I would do everything I had to. I've managed to make the connection to her before; I could do it again.
"But -"
Tasha was cut off by Janine stepping forward, "I'm coming with you."
"Pavel will meet us out front with the car," Abe explain, already striding to the doors.
"I can't allocate anyone to help you, but I won't stop you." Hans explained, "Just know that you are on your own with this."
Janine and I nod at Hans, having already expected as much, though I was thankful that he wasn't trying to persuade us otherwise.
"Bring her back. I can save her if…." Vasilisa trailed off, her thoughts also the same as mine.
I dipped my head again before following Abe and Janine out of the office.
Abe wasn't lying about Pavel waiting for us, not sparing a moment we were in the car and driving out of Court.
"We will start at the safe house and then go from there. If there was an attack, we will be able to follow some kind of trail," Janine explained. She turned and gave me a pointed look, "Prove to me that soulmates aren't useless, find my daughter."
"I will," I promised. No matter how long it took or how far I had to go, I would find Roza and bring her back.
Sorry for another short chapter, but it's all the get everything moving.
Thanks for reading :D The next chapter will be up soon!
