The drive into Kentucky was uneventful. We spent most of the time going over the plan and brushing up on any information from the files that I thought the team should know. We had spent significantly less time planning this mission than the previous ones, and it was making me nervous despite the "easy" status. Something just wasn't sitting right with me, and I hoped I could talk it out before we got there.
Our targets were two women who were causing trouble in a small town. Surprisingly, Guardian Croft gave us almost no information on the women themselves. We usually had a small profile and some names, but this time we had next to nothing. The only information we really had to go on was about the town. With such a small population, even one loss was felt significantly by the community. With at least four casualties so far, the toll on the town was overwhelming. We needed to stop it before anyone else got killed.
The plan was similar to the one we had made on the first mission. We were going to stake out the house before entering and taking care of the strigoi. Theoretically, it would be easier than before, considering we didn't have to perform an interrogation. Sydney would come in for the clean up, and we'd be on our way back home in no time. Still, I couldn't help but feel a pit form in my stomach as the five of us talked through the plan.
When we arrived at the house, the first thing that stood out was how normal it looked. The lawn was perfectly manicured with a well maintained fence around the back. The front door looked almost welcoming, and if I didn't know there were bloodthirsty vampires inside I would feel comfortable walking up and knocking.
There wasn't much to see other than that due to the fence. Even peeking over wasn't giving us much of a view, and I felt like we were wasting time trying. The solution to this issue was cutting the stake out short. Everyone was feeling antsy with such an easy mission ahead. I decided the four on two odds were good enough to just go for it. We'd start out flames blazing and kill them in no time.
As silently as possible we made our way over the fence in the backyard. Eddie picked up a shovel, and Mihkail threw his weight behind a wheelbarrow as they worked together to break the glass on the back door. Christian followed me inside, magic flaring from his hands. We ran in the house and set the first one we saw on fire. I engaged her in battle, and I vaguely heard the three others run past me into the living room.
My opponent was taller than me but scrawny, and I knew she had been a moroi before she'd been turned. She had long blonde hair that reminded me of Lissa, but I looked into her red ringed eyes and immediately pushed the thought out of my mind. She was uncoordinated and sloppy in her attack, and that made it almost too easy for me to slide my stake home.
I made the mistake of stopping to take a breath before I moved on to clear the next room. I stood up to my full height and breathed in deep and long, savoring the easy kill. The calm illusion was shattered just a second later when I heard a horrific noise coming from the other room. It snapped me quickly to attention.
"Rose!" I heard someone yell as I turned on my heel and ran, ready to jump into a fight.
What I saw in the next room almost froze me. Eddie and Mikhail were holding the strigoi down by her shoulders as she fought hard, bucking and screaming out at her captors. Christian was hovering next to them, fire contained to the palm of his hand as he looked on, unsure of what to do. I wasn't sure what I was walking into, but as I charged with my stake in hand I saw what made everyone else falter.
"Ms. Karp?" I asked, stunned.
She laughed and lashed out harder. Mikhail's grip was slipping and I pushed my hand against Sonya's chest to keep her still while he adjusted. I chanced a look in his direction and saw something in his eyes that made me still my killing blow.
"Christian. I need you to go to the garage. See if there's anything that can hold her. Quick," I commanded.
He moved as soon as the words left my lips. I motioned for the boys to move back against the wall and we took small steps while dragging Sonya with us. As soon as her back hit the wall I pushed both my hands against her shoulders, hard, letting the boys readjust their grips to do the same with her arms.
I knew we were in very dangerous territory. We couldn't hold her here forever, and we were on borrowed time already considering the blood dripping from Mikhail's forehead. I didn't clock anything noticeable on Eddie and I wondered if the two of us would be able to hold her alone.
Suddenly Sonya stopped thrashing and turned her attention onto Mikhail. She leaned her head down close to his and started speaking. I could barely make out the words she whispered to him.
"Please don't let them kill me, Mikhail. I don't want to die," she begged, voice turning sickly sweet as she did so. I could see the pain flash on his face, and I dug my nails into her shoulders as hard as I could to get her attention away from him. It worked, and she turned to me and snarled like a wild animal.
"I'm sorry, Rose. I... I hesitated," Mikhail said.
I didn't respond as Christian ran back into the room with a length of rope. I knew it wouldn't be strong enough to hold her and I cursed to myself. I didn't want to stake her. My promise to Mikhail was in the front of my mind. However, I didn't see a real way to restore her. We didn't have a spirit user, and the closest ones were a day's drive away. That was if one of them agreed to help her. And if she didn't kill us all first. I had to think of another plan, fast.
"Get Sydney in here," I barked out to Christian. He moved once again, and was back in just a minute, Sydney in tow.
"How long until the sun goes down?" I directed my question to her without moving my eyes from Sonya's face.
"About an hour. Why?" She asked, voice full of fear.
"I want you two to go upstairs. Lock yourselves in the bedroom. Barricade the door. If Sonya comes upstairs, I want you to incinerate her. Do not hesitate," I said. Neither of them moved even an inch. "Go, now."
I turned first to look at Eddie, then Mikhail. They both had their guardian masks on, and I had no chance to read them before asking my next question.
"Do you trust me?" I asked. I let my eyes flick to each of the boys as they responded in a solid yes.
"Let's move," I said, pulling Sonya forward and sliding behind her, stake to her neck. The boys kept their grips tight as I led the way through the house, towards the broken glass of the back door. I stopped us right before the sunlight that filtered through the hole, and switched my position so she was facing me.
"You have two choices. When the sun goes down in an hour, you can escape through this door and never look back. We will let you go. If you don't leave, if you try to fight us, if you even take one single step in this direction, I'll kill you. And I won't hesitate," I said, sounding a hell of lot more confident than I felt.
Sonya went completely still, and we spent the next sixty minutes in a tense silence. Eddie and Mikhail were like stones as they gripped Sonya's arms. My hand was cramping from holding the position of my stake for so long, but I didn't let it show and I didn't dare to adjust my grip. Finally, all traces of sunlight left the house.
"It's time. Let her go," I told the guys. They quickly jumped back from her and each took up a fighting stance. I kept on her and started walking, forcing her backwards until we were through the back door and outside. I didn't take my eyes off of hers as I drew my stake back into myself. I could feel the guys come up behind me as I watched her disappear over the fence.
"We need to secure the house. We can't leave until the sun comes up and we know she can't come after us," I told them as I walked backwards into the house. I started piling furniture in front of the broken glass and they followed.
"How do we know she won't come back?" Eddie asked.
"We don't. Can you get Christian for me?" He disappeared up the stairs as Mikhail went to reinforce the front door.
"Rose? What's happening? Is everything okay?" Christian asked as he came down the steps, Sydney following close behind.
"Do you have my phone? I need it," I asked him, ignoring his questions. He handed it over, a questioning look in his eyes.
I had no idea if this part of my plan would work. Even if it did, I didn't know how I could pull it off without it destroying me even further. I could feel all eyes on me as I took a deep breath. I pulled up the contact list and tried to steel myself for what I was about to do next. I pressed call and turned away from the group, letting them all stare at the back of my head. I shut my eyes tight as it started ringing.
"Guardian Belikov," The voice on the other end said.
I felt so much in that moment, and all I wanted to do was shut my feelings off. Instead I pushed forward, knowing this was more important than my feelings. This was about saving someone from evil. It was about giving my friend a chance to do this right.
"Dimitri? It's me, Rose. I... I need your help." I turned around because I couldn't keep my body still.
Four faces looked back at me, all in different states of shock. I whipped around once again, unable to face the judgment that was sure to come.
"Roza, what's wrong? Where are you?" He asked, voice frantic on the other line.
"I need you to tell me how to track a strigoi." I stated. I knew everyone could hear me, and I could only imagine their reactions.
"What do you mean? Did something happen? Let me come to you," he pleaded. I could feel the tears coming at the sound of his voice sounding so panicked. I pushed my feelings down, knowing I had a job to do.
"I had one escape. She hasn't been gone long, but I need to know the best way to track her down. I can't let her get away," I explained.
"Rose, you can't track her. Not physically, at least. She could be halfway across the state by now. You don't understand the speed," he replied. I could hear Lissa's voice in the background.
"FUCK!" I screamed, finally overwhelmed by my emotions.
I ended the call without another word and let the tears stream down my face. I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning me around. I expected to see my friends looking angry, ready to scream at me for fucking up the mission this badly.
Instead, I saw the faces of my friends looking at me with understanding and compassion. That broke me, and I ended up sobbing on Eddie's chest. He held me tightly, and I couldn't believe he was still standing by me after what happened. This was Las Vegas all over again.
"How am I going to fix this?" I asked no one in particular as I pulled away and wiped my eyes.
"We'll figure it out," Eddie said.
"We trust you," Christian said.
"We're with you," Mikhail said.
"What are the next steps?" Sydney chimed in.
I felt so much gratitude for my friends that I was able to pull myself together. I took a few deep breaths before working out a plan.
"We'll stay here tonight. Mikhail is injured and needs to be looked at. Eddie and I will stay up and keep watch. We leave at dawn so we can't be followed," I explained to everyone.
Christian took the first aid kit and went upstairs to look over Mikhail. Sydney took her potions into the next room to dispose of the dead strigoi before joining the others upstairs. Eddie and I settled into a rotation, walking around the house and checking doors and windows. We kept this up for several hours, and I had to fight through the impending exhaustion to do it.
"I don't think she's coming back. Why don't you get some sleep? We have a couple hours until the sun comes up," Eddie told me.
"I can handle it," I told him.
"I never said you couldn't. But sleep will help you think with a clear head. You'll need it for when we make our next move," he explained. I hated that I had to agree with his logic.
"I'm sleeping on the couch so I can be here if something happens," I told him. He nodded and I moved to the living room.
I didn't remember falling asleep, but soon enough I was struck with a familiar feeling. I was in a spirit dream. I didn't see anyone right away, which I found a little strange. Adrian wasn't one to keep me waiting. I looked for him so I could get this over with and get some actual rest.
"You have to talk fast. I've never done this before, I don't know how long I can hold it," I heard a familiar voice say.
"Lissa? I asked, turning around. I vaguely recognized the courtyard at St. Vladimir's materialize around me. In front of me was Lissa, and standing even closer, Dimitri. I didn't have a chance to speak before he was coming closer, gripping me tightly by the shoulders. I flinched, reminded of what I had done earlier in the day.
"Roza," he said, letting me go but keeping me close to his body. I had to turn my head from the look he was giving me. It was intense, and I wasn't sure I could make it through the dream without another breakdown. I saw the courtyard flutter around me, and I wondered how Lissa was holding the dream together.
"Anytime now!" She yelled, and I knew she was thinking the same thing. I couldn't help but laugh, and I met her eyes over his shoulder. She smiled back at me. It was a comfort that I needed in this moment, and I was happy that she finally figured out how to dream walk. Dimitri moved in front of her which me snapped back into guardian mode.
"Rose, I can help," he started, but I interrupted.
"You said we couldn't track her."
"No, I said you couldn't track her. I can. But..." The courtyard started flickering faster, and I knew Lissa was losing it.
"But what?" I called, reaching my hand out for Dimitri.
"You have to let me in, Roza," he said as our fingers brushed ever so slightly, dream fading around me.