It turns out the envelope was from Hans Croft. I could tell by the feel of it that it contained important information, possibly about our first target. A shock went through me when I noticed the letter was addressed to me. I really did seem to be the leader of the group. I wasn't totally confident in the position, but I wanted to do my best. My friends' lives depended on it.

I took my time and carefully read through the pages. I sheepishly asked Sydney if she had a notebook and pen, scolding myself for not thinking of bringing one with me. After that, I got to work taking notes. It was infinitely more interesting than the textbooks I took notes on at St. Vladimir's, but I realized that the practice helped me work through the pages easily.

Our first target wasn't anyone I was familiar with from my time in Russia, but I knew they still had to have a connection to Dimitri. It was a couple, much like the one I had taken down in Spokane. The brief had a detailed description of the two, as well as their suspected location. They weren't too terribly far away, just a few hours into Virginia. Close enough for a day trip, and far enough away that we wouldn't blow our cover here.

From the briefing I could make the assumption that they were working as spies for the area around Court. The two were still several hours away, but they lived close to the main roads. It would be easy for them to spot groups of moroi moving through the town. They stayed fairly discrete, but kept a permanent location. This would make our work slightly easier. If our intel was correct we wouldn't have to do any chasing.

The whole thing seemed too easy. Five against two, in a place they couldn't escape during the daytime. I was confident until I flipped to the last page. Instead of killing them right away, we were supposed to interrogate them about the people they worked for. Dimitri had said they worked for someone with a stateside operation. He didn't have a name or location, but he had convinced the guardians that this was necessary information. So they wanted us to try and pry the details out of them.

I shivered as I remembered the last time I had interrogated strigoi in Russia. I had a lot of trust in Eddie and Mikhail, but it worried me to have Christian present when we didn't have a direct kill order. I didn't want him to get stuck in a situation he couldn't get himself out of. He might have to stay behind with Sydney for this one, I noted as I finished up my reading.

One by one the boys all made their way downstairs for the meeting. They joined me at the table while I fidgeted with my hands. I asked Sydney to join us from the living room, assuming she would want to be involved in the planning.

I felt a little out of place as I stood up and gave them the brief on our targets. I got more comfortable as I went on, and a little thrill went through me every time someone asked me a question and I was able to come up with an answer. We went back and forth for a little bit as we decided on a plan of action. I wanted to be the kind of leader who listened to what the team had to say, so the decision making process was a collective one.

First we would need to get a visual on our targets and see what kind of space we were working with. That meant we would need to do a stake out before we made a move. After that, the plan was for Mikhail and I to subdue the female, who we understood to be the one in charge. Eddie and Christian would kill the other one, a plan I had to agree with because Christian refused to be left behind.

Once the man was taken care of, Eddie would run to the SUV to grab some industrial strength chain. I had originally wanted to just hold the strigoi and interrogate them like I had in Russia, but I wasn't one of the unpromised anymore and had to think about the possibility that the strigoi wouldn't talk so easily.

We spent a little more time strategizing. Sydney informed me that we had a budget and money from Court, so I put her in charge of planning our drive and any accommodations we might need. We agreed to leave in three days, enough time for Christian to get to the feeders and for us to pick up some supplies for the trip.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Christian volunteered to make dinner, and he got to work while Eddie and Mikhail went to check out the gym. I stayed on the main level with the other two. I thought about slipping into Lissa's mind to check on her, but I was afraid to see Dimitri after thinking about him earlier in the day. I needed a break from him, so I resisted the urge.

By the time we were finished I was exhausted. The lack of sleep and travel had started catching up with me, and I was eager to get some rest after we ate. Eddie had agreed to take the first watch, and Mikhail would relieve him halfway through the night. That way everyone would be able to get some sleep.

I was thankful I had no trouble as my head hit the pillow.

The next few days we spent together were actually kind of fun. We were able to relax and do some training in the gym. I wasn't sure the gravity of what we were about to do was actually hitting any of us, but I didn't want to be the one to ruin the mood. Sydney still kept her distance, but she would occasionally watch us from the steps.

Things didn't feel complete here, but we were all making do with what we had.

The day before our mission, we had to drive the half hour into town in order to run our errands. Sydney insisted on driving the SUV. Mikhail sat in the front with her in order to help give directions, and the rest of us piled into the back. The ride was filled with laughter and singing as we argued over the radio station. It felt normal, like something someone my age would have experienced a hundred times by now. I relished the feeling.

We first arrived at the feeder's house. That meant Sydney suddenly remembered Christian drank blood, and she got that look of fear back in her face. I told her it was okay for her to wait in the car, but she insisted on coming with. She was the only one who had made arrangements with feeder, and therefore felt the need to make introductions.

The five of us wandered up to the small white house and knocked. A lady in her fifties answered the door, surprised to see so many people at her home. Sydney assured her it was only one Moroi, and she invited us into her house. We chatted with her a bit, feeling obligated considering she would be the one sustaining Christian for the foreseeable future. When they got to the feeding part, Sydney looked like she was going to be sick. I shot a look at Mikhail and he offered to go out to the car with her. She accepted, and Eddie and I waited in the foyer while Christian fed. It only took a few minutes until we were walking back to the car.

"Have you checked in with Lissa lately?" Christian asked me earnestly.

"I haven't... I probably should soon," I replied, not letting him know that I had planned on ignoring the bond.

"Yeah. It would make me feel better knowing she was doing okay," he said. I smiled slightly at that. I knew Christian was worried about her.

"I'll check in tonight and make sure, Sparky," I teased.

We ran the rest of our errands in the same efficient manner. We went to the hardware store and then the grocery store. I was worried at first that our group of five would stick out, but we blended into the college town almost seamlessly. I let myself imagine for a second that we were getting supplies to host a party rather than to kill undead creatures. My fantasy was short lived as we picked out the chains.

I let it go completely when we jumped back into the car to go home, our good mood from earlier becoming somber. We all had the realization that this task force was actually happening, and we were going to have to kill strigoi tomorrow. Although we wanted to rid the world of the unnatural vampires, none of us enjoyed killing. The ride was spent in contemplative silence.

When we got home Mikhail and Eddie insisted that they had the watch shifts covered so I could sleep. I tried to protest and let them know it wasn't fair that I hadn't taken one yet, but they argued that as the leader I needed to get a good night's rest. I eventually agreed, telling myself it would give me some time to check in with Lissa before I went to sleep.

I soon found out I picked the perfect time to pop into Lissa's mind. She was on her way to a meeting with Queen Tatiana, walking at a determined pace. I couldn't see Dimitri from her point of view, but I knew he would be right behind her. She entered the chambers with a sense of fury I'd never felt from her in our entire time being bonded. I knew she had been feeling like this for a while, and it surprised me I was able to block out such a strong emotion.

"Princess Dragomir, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Queen Tatiana asked as Lissa bowed to her. They sat together and Lissa launched right into her lines. I could tell she had been preparing them for a while. She had the pauses timed perfectly, and I wondered if she had been practicing in her room beforehand.

"I would like to request access to knowledge of the mission you sent my friends on. I have a right to know what they're doing, and if they're safe or not," she stated in her strong voice. She held her head high and I was so proud of her for making a stand in front of the Queen.

"Oh, dear. Unfortunately, that mission is classified to just a few select members of my committee. As much as I would love to keep you informed, it's just not possible," she responded in a sickly sweet voice. Lissa didn't hesitate in her response.

"You like making deals, right? So name your price. What do I have to do to get on that committee?" She asked. I heard the desperation in her voice and I wanted to scream at her. No deal with Tatiana would ever come out in her favor.

"Well, I could see a position on the committee opening up for you if you had plans to stay here, at Court. But with you leaving for college soon, I can't help but think you will have commitments elsewhere," Tatiana replied.

"I'll stay here then. Defer college for a year, or however long it takes."

"Your education is very important, Vasilisa. However, if you do choose to stay here, I'm sure we can give you some education in Moroi politics," The Queen smirked, victorious.

I resisted the urge to scream as I watched them continue the meeting. It turned into a more pleasant chat from there, with the two discussing future plans. Her eyes flicked to Dimitri every few minutes. He stood still as stone, his guardian mask firmly in place. My body reacted every single time I saw him, and I groaned as I tried to stop myself. Him distracting me was the last thing I needed right now. I tried to zero in on his body language, but I still couldn't get a read on how he was feeling about Lissa's sacrifice.

I cursed at Lissa's deal when she left the meeting chambers. She was giving up on her future just for the opportunity to get information on us. I felt guilty, I had never imagined Lissa's future would be changed in this way. I couldn't watch any longer, and I pulled myself back into my bedroom.

Sydney was looking at me from her bed. She blushed at having been caught staring, and she wished me a good night as she turned out the lights. It took me a while to fall asleep. I was weighed down by thoughts of Lissa and the dangerousness of our mission. When I finally succumbed to sleep, I dreamt of Dimitri, and that night on the bridge. His red eyes were the last thing I saw before I opened my own.

I woke up ready to take on some strigoi.