Okay, so I know I left the last chapter with a bit of a cliff hanger, but I hope this chapter answers everything. It's a little emotional and a little crazy. I hope to hear your thoughts :)

Seeing Nevaeh so still and lifeless had to be my worst nightmare. I was so shocked I could barely comprehend what was happening before I forced my body to move. I realized there was an emergency button near her bed, so I slammed my hand on the red circle. I clasped my hands together again before resuming my earlier chest compressions.

I kept going until I heard the rattling of the doorknob and panicked shouts in the hallway. I couldn't stop what I was doing, but they were quick to notice that the door had been locked. I heard Dr. Olendzki along with a swarm of nurses running in, telling me to step away. I complied, letting them do their jobs and leaning against the wall with my hand over my mouth.

I wanted to say something, but I was too frantic and worried that I couldn't do anything but cry. Dimitri had come in with them and watched the nurses try to bring Nevaeh back to life as he passed them and pulled me into his arms, trying to calm me down. His heart was racing just as much as mine. I gripped his shirt, sobbing uncontrollably while an irregular heartbeat appeared on the cardiac monitor. Dr. Olendzki used a defibrillator on Nevaeh's chest after that, constantly charging at different levels and watching the cardiac monitor for a response.

"Charge again!" someone ordered. It was so hard to watch. I had never felt so helpless. After several attempts to revive her, Dr. Olendzki dropped her head. A tear rolled down her face as we listened to the continuous noise of the flatline before she suddenly turned the monitor off, slamming the defibrillator pads down angrily. When she spoke, her voice was broken.

"Time of death..."

"No!" I screamed, breaking out of Dimitri's arms. All eyes landed on me as I stormed towards the doctor and shook her. "You will not give up now! Help her!"

"I've done everything," she cried. I sobbed again, moving away to caress Nevaeh's face. Just an hour ago, I was still talking to her. I was watching a cartoon while I held her in my arms, and now she was dead. Still, even when she was in that state, even when her body was unresponsive to the handful of drugs the nurses had given her to help revive her, my mind was in denial.

"She's not dead. She's not dead," I sobbed, starting my compressions again. "Baby, please, come back to me. Please."

I couldn't lose her. I couldn't stand the thought of never being able to hold her in my arms again, see that huge smile light up her face when I saw her, or even watch a damn cartoon while she played with her toys. Even little things like that were precious to me. To see her lying below me, eyes closed and without a pulse was tearing me apart.

I heard one of the nurses speak softly, trying to calm me down but only making things worse. "Rose, I'm sorry, but she's—"

"No, she's not!" I roared through my tears. "I'm not giving up on her! Get out! Get out!" I was so angry and frustrated that I let the strigoi side of me come out, showing them my crimson eyes when I snapped my head up. The anger in my voice must have scared them off too because the nurses started to back away from me while I continued. I stopped the compressions and tilted her head back, sealing her nostrils before lowering my mouth down and blowing air into her lungs. I kept going with the same pattern, switching between compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitations. I sensed Dimitri's approach and even stared him down when he got too close.

"Back off," I growled. I was never like this with him, but I was desperate and emotional right now. All I could think about was Nevaeh's life I wasn't going to let anyone get in the way. "It doesn't matter what you say. Not even you can stop me."

"I'm not trying to stop you. I'm trying to help you."

I looked up and noticed he had his hands clasped, ready to take my place. I was exhausted, and the fact that he was offering to help gave me a great deal of relief. When he looked down at Nevaeh, his eyes were filled with pain. It didn't matter if the other people around us were trying to stop him, because when I saw that look in his eyes, I knew Nevaeh wasn't just a kid he took care of. He truly loved her.

"We're going to do this together," he said, remaining calm despite his fast heartbeat and shaky voice. I nodded rapidly, quickly removing my hands to let him take over. "Listen to me very carefully, Rose. Every 30 compressions, blow into her airway when I say go."

I nodded again, keeping my hand below Nevaeh's chin to keep her head tilted for a clear airway. When Dimitri told me to go, I pinched her nose and made an air-tight seal around her mouth as I blew air into her lungs again. I wasn't sure how much time passed, but even Dimitri's eyes started to water out of frustration as we kept going. I heard some kind of noise from Nevaeh's chest which sounded a lot like an abnormal heartbeat, but it was only there for a second. The idea of turning her was becoming more and more persistent. If all our efforts didn't work, I would have to do it.

Dimitri and I were both out of breath, and after twenty minutes, I thought all hope had died. I brought my wrist up to my mouth, ready to turn her as my last resort until her body suddenly convulsed and a stream of water came out of her mouth. Dimitri gasped, rolling her onto her side as she coughed up everything that had been stuck in her lungs. If I didn't know what had been going on, I would've thought she had drowned in a pool. Everything was pure water—nothing that would have indicated a sickness or an infection. It was strange and none of us seemed to understand why there was so much of it, but right now, I was simply overcome with relief and joy that she was alive.

Nevaeh stopped coughing after a few minutes but continued to tremble with a few tears coming down her cheeks. It wouldn't surprise me if we had broken her ribs with the compressions, but I could now use my blood to help heal her. Despite how sick and empty I was, I bit my wrist, holding it to her mouth when she stopped heaving. After a few seconds, she drank my blood, sighing in relief.

"Oh, baby, you're okay," I cried, pulling her into my arms. She was so cold. No wonder she was trembling so much. I sat down, cradling her and pulling Dimitri down with us. I sandwiched her between us, hugging Dimitri tightly while he showered her head with endless kisses.

"Get a blanket for them. And a new gown for the little one," one of the nurses ordered. I realized they were still in the room and had just witnessed us saving Nevaeh's life.

"I love you," she murmured, looking up and switching her gaze between us. Her face muscles contracted as she let out another sob, and we squeezed our arms around her shivering body.

"We love you too," Dimitri whispered back.

"Don't ever die on me like that again," I said softly. "I can't lose you, Nev."

"Never, Mama," she said, wrapping her hand around my finger. "I'm a champ, remember?"

Dimitri and I laughed at her familiar bubbliness, keeping her warm until a nurse came in with a soft blanket and a new hospital gown. "We need to move her to a new room and have her checked, but we'll give you some time alone," she said. Maybe the nurses weren't immediately rushing to take her out now because they were still scared of me.

"Can you also get a bag of my blood?" I asked. "I donated a few weeks ago. There should be a few bags in the lab. The more she has in her system, the faster her ribs will heal."

"Of course," the nurse said. I smiled appreciatively, taking the gown and putting the blanket down when we were given privacy. Dimitri got up and moved towards the cabinets, pulling out a few sheets of paper towel. He helped Nevaeh take off the messy gown she'd been wearing all night and handed me the paper towels so that I could dry her torso. After cleaning her up, I slipped the new gown on and wrapped her up in the blanket. Her ribs were starting to heal already, but I still needed to be careful with her.

"The nurses have to check your vitals now," I told her.

"Okay," she said. "Thank you for saving me. Both of you."

Dimitri smiled warmly, ruffling his hand in her slightly messy hair. "Always, Nev. You're our baby."

Nevaeh grinned, smiling joyfully. "I better be."

Dimitri chuckled, gathering her up in his arms to carry her out. She looked like a little cocoon with the blankets wrapped around her and I thought it was adorable. I quickly grabbed my phone along with Nevaeh's teddy that she had left on the bed and followed Dimitri out. Two nurses rushed over to take her into another part of the hospital, so we followed them into a new room. I placed Nevaeh's toy into her arms, but she grabbed my hand before I could go.

"W-where are you going?" she asked, sounding afraid. As much as I wanted to stay with her, I had to let the nurses and doctors take care of her. Plus, I had something else to take care of myself.

"I promise I'll be back. You'll be okay," I whispered to her. A small noise escaped her throat and I could sense her uncertainty, so I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her forehead. "Hang in there."

It was a good thing she was tired. She would probably spend most of her time sleeping while the nurses looked after her. I left, meeting Dimitri out in the hallway. "As much as I would love for us to stay here and boast over the fact that we just saved her life, I need to talk to you about Tasha."

"Tasha?" he asked. "What about her? I was talking to Lissa about your symptoms, but I didn't have a chance to talk to Tasha about what she said to Nev earlier."

"That's not all I'm worried about right now. She came to me right before Nevaeh's heart stopped. I begged her to help me and she fucking locked us in that room!"

Dimitri's eyes widened in shock. "She what?"

"First, she implied that Nevaeh was going to die, and then she locked us in when she knew she couldn't breathe. It's almost as if this bitch planned the whole thing herself." I scoffed, crossing my arms. Dimitri was looking at me thoughtfully, but he wasn't giving me the 'I think you're crazy' type of look.

"What if you're right?" he insisted. "What if Tasha was making you both sick? When Lissa tried to heal both of you, she couldn't because something was blocking her. She said the only way for that to happen is if her magic was fighting against someone else's—which means someone must have been using water magic on Nevaeh's lungs to make her drown from the inside out."

"He's right."

Dimitri and I both turned around to see Dr. Olendzki walking towards us. She was still exhausted from earlier, but I could see some determination in her face as well. "Earlier, you mentioned Lissa's magic being blocked by some kind of force, which also leads me to believe someone was making you both sick. That's why we couldn't detect anything unusual in your blood, but it also explains why her lungs were filled with water."

"What about me?" I asked. "Wouldn't the same thing have happened to me too?"

"Your body is a lot stronger than hers," Dr. Olendzki pointed out.

"Maybe hurting Nev was Tasha's way of hurting you. Both of us," Dimitri said, clenching his jaw. I could see the hurt in his eyes at his friend's betrayal. He didn't return her feelings for him, but he still saw her as a friend. Now, I wasn't so sure.

"Isn't Tasha a fire user?" I asked.

"She might specialize in fire, but it doesn't mean she can't use other elements. Either way, I'm not sure if she could have done this alone. For her to use magic she doesn't specialize in on two people is extremely difficult," Dr. Olendzki explained.

"You think she might have been working with someone?" Dimitri inquired.

"I can't say for sure, but it's likely. Rose, you should speak to your parents about this—and get Tasha in questioning before she leaves the academy. I need Nevaeh to stay here for a bit longer, but I'll have a guardian standing outside her room to make sure nobody can go in. I'll tell you now that her lungs are clearing and she's already looking better. Whatever magic that was being used is weakening."

"Thanks, doc. Oh, and, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," I said apologetically. I didn't usually like apologizing, but I liked Dr. Olendzki. She always had my back, and I was beyond grateful to have her.

"It's alright. I've dealt with much worse," she said. "You should go feed. Your body is probably exhausted. Are you coming back here later?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Is it alright if I sleep here? I promised Nev I would stay with her."

Dr. Olendzki smiled. "No worries. You're still sick, so we'll give you a bed. If you feel like you're getting any worse, make sure to let me know when you get back."

"Will do," I promised.

After getting some blood into my system, Dimitri and I were about to head back to the hospital when we bumped into Lissa on the way there. "Rose!" she exclaimed. "I was about to visit you in the hospital. Is Nevaeh okay?"

"She's okay now. Dimitri and I saved her life," I confessed.

"Oh, thank goodness. I figured out why my magic wasn't working. You won't believe it, but I think someone was using their magic to make you both sick."

So, she figured it out too. "I know. Dimitri and I think it might have been Tasha," I said, blowing Lissa away. She opened her mouth to say something before closing it, holding a finger out.

"Tasha?" Lissa asked doubtfully. "I mean, I know your situation with her is a little awkward, but I highly doubt she could pull off using water magic on two people at once, let alone even one person."

"Maybe she wasn't working alone," I speculated. "Well, that's what we think."

"If she was, whoever was using magic had to have been a spirit user. I've never felt magic that strong from someone else."

"Well," Dimitri intervened, "there's only one other spirit user we know of that would want to hurt you, Rose."

"Avery?" Lissa gasped. "You think Avery and Tasha are working together?"

"They have all the motives, but there's only one way to find out." I crossed my arms, giving Dimitri a look that he knew too well—the same look I had when I made an irrational plan.

"Why don't we make a trip to the cells in the basement?"

None of us were optimistic about talking to Avery, but it was necessary to get some answers out of her. She didn't have much to lose now that she was locked up in a cell, but I had to keep an eye out for any lies she might try to pull.

As soon as we stepped out of the elevators, I heard someone talking from down the hallway where the cells were. Before we rounded the corner, Dimitri snuck an arm around me and Lissa, holding us back. He turned his head, putting a finger up to his mouth to tell us to be quiet. We complied, leaning against the wall and eavesdropping on the rather angry conversation.

"I asked you to do one thing. One thing! And now you're telling me your magic isn't working anymore?" That was definitely Avery. She didn't sound very happy.

"What did you expect? How am I supposed to hold magic that I barely know how to use for that long? And in case you haven't noticed, your magic diminished just as much."

I covered my mouth, looking at Dimitri with wide eyes. It was Tasha. Our suspicions were right. Two witches working together to hurt me and Nevaeh.

"Well, it would help if I wasn't so damn low on blood," Avery replied.

"Did you think exposing your knowledge about Rose's secret was going to help you? You screwed all of this up! I agreed to help you kill that little rat and weaken her whore of a babysitter and it all fell apart because you got caught!"

Wow. If Tasha was heartless enough to kill a child, she should have been thrown in that cell too.

Avery started laughing. It was a high-pitched, annoying sound that made me want to punch her in the throat. "I can't believe you actually did it!"

"Did what?" Tasha asked.

"You killed a kid!" she giggled. "All because you wanted her precious boyfriend! You were willing to end the little brat's life and hand the bloodwhore over to me on a silver platter so that you could have Dimitri all to yourself. Now that's some next-level pettiness. Sometimes, I wonder if strigoi are the only creatures in this world without humanity."

Well, at least she was right about that. I had seen a lot of heartless monsters in the past few months, and a lot of them weren't strigoi.

"I just wanted a life with him! I mean come on, what's not to love? He's loyal, protective, loving...and yet he's with Rose. She's pretty and all, but god only knows how many dicks have been inside her body," Tasha spat. "Whether it was forced or not. It's disgusting and she's probably lowering his reputation by a long shot."

Ouch. I was used to having people say crap behind my back, but that one stung a little bit. Was I simply known as that girl who was once a prostitute despite it all being against my will? Was I just the girl who got raped? I was tempted to leave as I didn't want to hear anymore, but what came out of Avery's mouth next shocked me.

"You can still have him. Rose is still weak and I need her alive. I would kill her for killing Sebastian, but her pretty little body is useful for me and the rest of my people. Do you know what it's like to be half strigoi and not have the ability to go into the sun? Her blood is the only thing that can give us all power. Sebastian was supposed to give her to me after her transition, but her fucking guardians took her away!"

She knew Sebastian? I did not expect that. This meant she was behind the trafficking the whole time. I had never seen her and even Damian admitted the same thing. She was that sneaky. She was just like me, but the fact that she couldn't go into the sun told me she must have been born this way—not created. She wasn't shadow-kissed and didn't have spirit running through her body the way I did. Unlike me, she was half moroi which was why she could still use magic.

"Oh, and don't even get me started on passing wards. The amount of trouble you and I went through to break those wards—twice—isn't worth walking away with nothing."

No wonder there had been a malfunction in the wards right when she came to the academy. That was why Nevaeh and I had been able to see Damian before new wards had been put up. Unlike me, Avery couldn't pass through them. I could see how her life sucked—not being able to go into the sun, pass through wards, or touch a stake for that matter—but I couldn't sympathize. She was manipulative and psychotic, just like Sebastian was. For whatever reason, he had been able to touch a stake with his bare hands when he had stabbed me in the chest, even if it had been for a moment. Maybe he had taught himself to handle the pain.

"I wonder what would happen if I leaked all those pictures I took," Avery said thoughtfully. "In moroi society, she would crumble, but out on the streets? She'd be a damn prize—and with that special blood of hers, she'd be worth hundreds of thousands. Anyone who's shadow-kissed could give us that."

I shot Lissa and Dimitri a look. They seemed to already be coming to the same conclusion. Not only was Avery behind everything, but she had been the one to take those horrible pictures of me. She must have taken those videos too. That was another reason I had seen her recording me in my dream. I was also beginning to think she was oblivious to the fact that Nevaeh was shadow-kissed as well. If she died with strigoi blood in her system, she'd be just like me—an extremely rare and endangered hybrid. Perhaps Sebastian hadn't told her.

"Dimitri would never forgive me if he found out," Tasha said with a sigh.

Yeah, it's a little too late for that.

"If Rose is gone," Avery went on, "someone would have to fill the void in his life. You're his friend, right? As soon she's gone, all you have to do is comfort him. Let him know you're there and eventually you'll have him wrapped around your little finger."

"What about the kid?" Tasha pressed.

Avery scoffed. "That sounds like a you problem. Get rid of her, fry her, break the emotional connection, whatever you want. I couldn't care less and I'm tired of wasting my magic on her."

"Fine," Tasha said, moving closer to our direction. "But if anyone finds out about this, I'm fleeing and you better fucking help me."

Dimitri turned, shoving us back into a corner where Tasha wouldn't see us. As her footsteps got closer, he started whispering out a plan.

I watched as she approached the elevators, standing in front with her arms crossed. These elevators were particularly slow which gave us time to sneak up on her. I had my fist ready to strike, but instead, Lissa blocked my path, taking me by surprise. I was supposed to be the one to knock Tasha to the ground, but Lissa seemed to want to take my place here.

I had taught her how to punch properly over the past few weeks and it did wonders. Right when the elevator doors opened, Lissa's fist swung out, punching Tasha hard in the head. She howled in pain as she fell to the ground, clutching her forehead which was already starting to bleed.

Lissa gasped and shook her hand around in pain, looking a little surprised that she of all people had punched someone for the first time. On the other hand, I was both surprised and impressed. My training had paid off.

Tasha rolled onto her back, propping herself up onto her elbows as she looked up at me with a fearful look on her face. I flashed my red eyes at her, making her gulp nervously and try to crawl back as I stared down at her like a predator.

"Going somewhere?"

I obviously couldn't kill Nev. She's the baby of the story, I love her too much and I think everyone else does too. I'd surely be breaking my own heart if I did.

I hope this chapter cleared up/explained everything that was happening. If anything is confusing you can still ask me and I'd be happy to answer :) Let me know what you thought!