Hey guys. This chapter is a little crazy and I have a feeling people will hate me for it haha. I was very apprehensive about this one so let me know what you think!

I woke up with a small mane of dark hair on my chest and the feeling of someone's body lying on mine. I smiled to myself and looked down. Dimitri was sleeping peacefully on top of me, and although his muscular body felt heavy on mine, I didn't want to wake him up. He was so cute!

I started to stroke his hair, smoothing it out of his face. The action woke him, but he didn't open his eyes right away. His lips slowly tugged into a comforting smile and he moaned softly. The second I tried to pull my hand away, he grabbed it and placed it back on his head.

"Someone's greedy," I laughed, stroking his hair again and watching him melt into my touch.

"Feels good," he mumbled against my chest. "If I could wake up like this every morning, I'd die a happy man."

"Then I'll keep going," I told him, petting his head until his eyes fluttered open. He kissed my hand before sliding up, propping himself up on his elbow and bringing his lips down to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head and sliding my tongue against his bottom lip. A low growl escaped Dimitri's throat and he pressed himself up against me, moving his lips down to plant wet kisses on my jaw. I ran my lips against his neck and found a spot that felt particularly alluring to me. I could hear his heartbeat and I sucked on his pulse point until I suddenly felt my fangs start to protrude, grazing his neck.

"Shit," I whispered, pushing Dimitri away before I could accidentally bite him. His expression went from confusion to fear as if thinking he had hurt me, but I spoke before he could become too alarmed.

"It's not you," I reassured him, covering my mouth to hide my fangs. "I just got a little thirsty there. I forgot to feed yesterday."

"Do you want to go downstairs?" he asked. "We have bags in the fridge."

"That would be great," I answered. Dimitri nodded and moved to get up, wincing in the process. He pressed a hand to his back, trying to conceal the pain behind his face, but I could see it.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. "Did you injure yourself?"

"I don't think so..." Dimitri rubbed the spot on the lower right side of his back again, looking confused. "I barely felt this yesterday."

"Let me see." I walked around the bed, stopping behind him and lifting his shirt. Sure enough, there was a very ugly bruise on his right side and a bit of swelling too. I replayed the events from last night and remembered the way that psi hound had jumped on Dimitri's back. The whimper of pain I'd heard was more severe than I thought.

"Dimitri, this looks bad," I said anxiously.

"It's nothing," he said, pulling his shirt back down. "It's just a little bruise. It'll go away."

Wow. We weren't so different when it came to injuries after all. He always chastised me for being stubborn, but he wasn't that far off.

We headed to the kitchen downstairs and the first thing Dimitri did was pull out a blood bag from one of the drawers in the fridge. I sat down at the table and decided to drink before my thirst could get to me. As Dimitri moved around the kitchen to make something, I saw him wince again and my concern for him started to increase.

"Dimitri, you should rest. I can make you some food," I offered, finishing my drink and coming up behind him.

"Are you sure? You don't have to," he said, turning his head as I lifted his shirt and brushed my fingers against the little injury on his back. I knew this would take a few days to heal, but another idea in my head said something else. Dimitri certainly wouldn't like it, but I could convince him.

"There is something else we can do about this," I said, changing the subject. There was an ominous tone to my voice that made him turn around and squint his eyes at me. I bit my lip and tugged on his hand, bringing him to the connecting room. We sat down on the couch and I brought my wrist up to my mouth, biting the skin. Dimitri's eyes widened when he realized what I wanted to do and he leaned back.

"Roza, what the hell—"

"Just take a little bit," I insisted. "Trust me, you'll feel so much better!"

"No way. There's no way I'm drinking that."

"Hey, remember when you forced me to drink that nasty cough syrup? Now it's your turn."

Dimitri shut his eyes and a look of regret spread across his face. "That's different. That was medicine."

"My blood is practically used as medicine in moroi hospitals now," I mentioned. That was part of the reason Tatiana wanted me to stay protected. "Come on, Comrade, just drink! You'll thank me later."

Dimitri sighed, knowing I was stubborn enough to annoy him over and over again until he gave in. I knew it would be unnatural and gross for him to drink blood, and although he looked reluctant, he took my bleeding wrist and put his mouth around the puncture marks. He scrunched his eyes up, disgusted from the act until he started sucking. The nauseated look on his face disappeared.

He didn't necessarily seem to like it either, but he did look rather curious. I honestly had been expecting him to spit everything out after the first sip, but he didn't. He was relaxed and the small amount he took seemed to take some of his physical pain away. He didn't drink much and eventually moved away, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"So?" I asked, not sure what to expect.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought," he said, wiping his mouth. "It tastes weird, but there's something really indescribable about it. If I was like you, or even a moroi, I'd probably get addicted."

"Addicted..." I was surprised to hear him say that, but I was equally as intrigued. "Well, if you ever get injured again, I can always help you."

"Thank you, Roza," Dimitri said, running his fingers over his lips, still contemplating what he'd just done. He laughed, looking towards my fangs which were still protruding from my gums. "Am I going to wake up with red eyes and fangs now?"

I chuckled and gave Dimitri a playful push. "No, silly. You'd have to die with my blood in your system—and we both know that isn't going to happen. Now, sit back and let me make something for you."

"Okay," he said, stretching himself out on the couch to let his back heal.

A few hours later, Dimitri's back was as good as new. Every injury on his body was gone and there was a new sense of energy that radiated off of him. Whatever my blood had done, it worked wonders.

I was washing dishes in the kitchen when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pressing my body close to theirs. I smiled as Dimitri's lips pressed against my cheek, kissing my skin several times with tender affection. Something else I had noticed after Dimitri drank my blood was his stronger-than-usual attachment.

"Comrade, you're going to make me splash water all over you," I squeaked, giggling as he smooched the spot between my neck and shoulder. The action tickled me which caused my muscles in that area to contract.

"I don't care. If I get to kiss you, it's worth it," he said, kissing the spot behind my ear. I stopped what I was doing and turned around, wrapping my arms around his waist and getting his shirt wet. He pressed my hips into the counter, holding my neck as he tugged my bottom lip into his mouth. A low growl erupted from his chest as I moved my lips with is, slipping my tongue into his mouth and colliding it with his. I tangled my hands into his hair and moved forward, walking him backwards until I heard a rattling noise coming from outside the house.

Our heated moment was interrupted and Dimitri was suddenly on high alert, stopping in his tracks as if we hadn't been kissing just a few seconds ago.

"You heard that too?" I asked him. He nodded and listened for it again. The back door of the house opened up and Dimitri shoved me behind him, ready to attack whoever was coming inside until he realized it was just Jeremy.

"What's wrong?" Dimitri asked in irritation.

"One of our guardians just got knocked out," Jeremy informed us, his voice sounding deranged.

"What? How?" I demanded. Dimitri turned around and started walking me down the hallway, pulling a stake out of his pocket and handing it to me.

"Rose, go downstairs. Call the guardian emergency number and tell them you're in danger."

"But I don't even know our location—"

"You don't need to. Just tell them your name and they'll know. They know you're under protection. Call them now, and do not leave the basement unless you have to. Do you understand?"

Dimitri wasn't playing around. His voice had the same seriousness it did when strigoi attacked the academy and he had told me to run to get help. The determination and hardness in him left no room for arguments, so I nodded rapidly and obeyed his orders. Before he left, he grabbed my head and placed a strong, lingering kiss on my lips until he pulled away.

I was already worried about him, but I had to trust his instincts. I headed into the basement, walking down the staircase. It was cold and dark down here even with the lights on and the place wasn't furnished or renovated. The floor was concrete and the only lights were the dim lightbulbs on the ceiling.

I pulled my phone out and called the emergency number, anxiously pacing around as I waited for a response. What was even supposed to say? Should I just give them my name and tell them I was in danger? Should I explain what was happening?

After the first ring, a woman picked up. "Guardian headquarters, what's your emergency?"

"Mom? You're working with headquarters?" Not that it was relevant right now. I was just surprised to hear her voice.

"Rose? What's going on, are you in trouble?" she asked.

"Oh, not at all. I just called the emergency number for no fucking reason."

She ignored my comment and started scrambling around in the background. I could hear her giving orders to someone before quickly responding to me again. "What happened? Where's Dimitri?"

"One of our guardians got knocked out and we think someone else is here. Dimitri's outside. He told me to stay in the basement."

"Okay. We have your location and we're sending a crew over there right now. For now, stay inside and keep quiet. Find somewhere to hide if you can and stay on the line with me."

I nodded even though she couldn't see me and kept my phone pressed against my ear. All I could hear on her end was constant movement and I was beginning to think she was on her way over here. The problem was that we were an hour away from court. They could take forever.

I started pacing around the room, looking for places where I could hide. The room had two different sections and the only place I could hide was behind the wall, but I was still easily viewable to anyone who decided to come down here. I saw some storage boxes in the corner, but there was nothing I could use that would help me. All I could do was hope and pray that nobody would come here.

Mom tried to calm me down on the phone as I waited for what felt like hours even though it was probably only a few minutes. It wasn't until I heard a very, very loud bang that my heart dropped. Another bang, then two more which followed in rapid succession. They were loud and hurt my ears even more than the alarms at the school. These were gunshots.

I needed to get out of here. I needed to help. I couldn't abide by the rules now. I didn't care if it was under the queen's orders. Dimitri was outside too and I had to help him. Fuck, what if he had gotten shot? What if he was hurt?

Mom was calling my name relentlessly on the phone, but I couldn't focus. I just needed to get out of here. I hung up and slipped my phone into my pocket, heading for the stairs until I saw someone else's figure in the room. I shouldn't have been able to see him. This screamed bad news.

"Damian," I breathed. "What are you..."

"Hide," he said. "You have to hide—"

"If I can see you, then that means...oh god." This was bad. Really bad. "The wards are broken. Strigoi can get in."

"They're already here! Hide, damn it!"

"I can't! Dimitri is outside and so are the others!" I hissed. "I can't just sit here and let them get hurt because of me. I have to help them."

"Rose, wait, you don't understand." I ignored him and walked past his figure, heading for the stairs. He continued to yell as I approached the door. "Don't open that door! You're going to get yourself killed!"

I turned the knob and pushed the door open, feeling my stomach drop through my feet. On the other side, I met a pair of icy blue eyes that shot daggers through mine. I didn't even have time to react before her foot connected with my stomach, sending me back and causing me to fall down the stairs. My body rolled, painfully getting hit in multiple areas until I landed on the concrete floor.

"It took me a while to find you," Tasha snarled, slowly walking down the stairs. While I was still recovering from my fall, she stepped over my body and picked up my stake which had fallen on the ground. When I tried to get up, she kicked me in the side and knocked me down again.

"Ah!" I screamed, holding my left rib. Tasha laughed when my face contracted as pain radiated from that area. She walked away, tapping the stake into the palm of her hand.

"How did you like the psi hound?" she asked. "You know, it's funny because I actually had no idea you were here. I injected a tracker into that dog and made him hunt down your scent so that I could find your location—and it worked out perfectly. You probably should have stayed at court. I knew you'd be there, but just imagine how much harder it would have been for me to get in! But this? A safe house in the middle of nowhere? Now that's just boring."

"Where the hell is Dimitri?" I growled, standing up and taking a defensive stance on myself.

"Oh, he's a little tied up right now. To be honest, I don't understand why he was struggling so much. I thought he was into that stuff—"

I charged towards her, grabbing her by the shirt and throwing her roughly against the wall. I didn't let her recover and yanked her up by the hair. "Where is he?!"

"You're bleeding," she noticed. "All those strigoi are going to come for you, Rose. They all want their golden girl. All your guardians are dead. You're alone in this now. They can finally get what they want and I can get mine—"

I thought I could see a ball of fire start to form in the corner of my eye. Tasha probably thought she could distract me by talking so much, but my senses were better than that. I slammed her against the wall again, hitting her hard on the head and watching her fall. Her now unconscious body laid across the floor and I grabbed my stake again before running upstairs. It was quiet up here—too quiet—so I ran outside and found two guardians in the front. Both of them were dead and had gunshot wounds—one on the head, the other on the abdomen.

I looked around the house, coming across more dead bodies and discovering that every guardian here was dead—including Jeremy. The sight of him nearly brought me to tears, but I couldn't let things get to me now. I needed to find Dimitri.

I kept my stake in my hands, looking everywhere that I possibly could until I heard some banging coming from one of the SUVs on the driveway. It was coming from the trunk and the car shook slightly. I ran over, checking my surroundings to make sure no strigoi were around before yanking the trunk open.

"Dimitri!" I gasped, pulling him out. His hands were tied behind him and he had been trying to kick the trunk door open. There was a trickle of blood on the side of his head, so someone must have hit him before they threw him in here.

"You're okay," he said as I unravelled the ropes around his wrists. His movements weren't as sharp as they usually were and I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady him. He was the sharpest and deadliest person I knew in battle, so he must have been hit really hard for his movements to be off.

"Easy," I told him. "Dimitri, you have a concussion."

"It wouldn't be the first," he muttered. "We need to get out of here. The wards are broken. I've killed most of the strigoi that came in so far, but there's probably more."

"Where are the car keys?" I asked him. I knew there was a team on their way, but they were taking too long. We needed to leave.

"They're inside," he said. I nodded and quickly left to back inside, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw Tasha again—this time holding a gun. Whether she had been carrying that on her the whole time I wasn't sure, but this only confirmed that she had been the one to shoot those guardians.

"Don't move," she ordered, pointing the gun directly at me. I swallowed, holding my hands up in surrender. To my left where Dimitri was still standing behind the car, I saw his eyes widen when he realized what was happening. I eyed him, silently begging him not to come out from behind the car. My body could survive a gunshot wound, but he might not be able to. He already had a bad concussion too.

I took a small step to the side, trying to move further away from him in case she decided to shoot in our direction. "Tasha—"

"I said don't move!" she screamed, shooting the other vehicle. The sound hurt my ears even more now that I was right next to it, but I remained calm and stayed where I was.

"Okay. I won't move," I told her, keeping my hands up. "Let's just...talk about this."

"Talk? Talk?" she asked incredulously, her hand shaking around the gun. "My life is over, Rose. And it's all your fault!"

While I didn't agree with what she was saying, I simply nodded. Whatever kept her from pulling that trigger. "I know."

"I loved him!" she went on. "And then you showed up! I promised Avery's people I would let them have you—but they can't have you when you've got a guardian protecting you all the time. Someone needs to take him away. I-I need to...I need to take him. And then...m-maybe he'll forget about you. Compulsion goes a long way."

I didn't even know how to respond to that. Tasha was growing more and more unstable and I started to wonder if she was talking to me or herself.

Dimitri stepped out from where he had been hiding, holding his hands up. Tasha moved the gun off of me, pointing it to him in a panic. "Stay back!"

It was getting harder to stay calm when she was pointing the gun towards him, but it didn't linger for long. Only a few seconds later, the gun was back on me.

"Tasha, think about this," Dimitri said calmly. "You've already done enough. If you shoot Rose, you'll only be making things harder on yourself. I understand you're angry, but you don't have to do this. You're better than this."

She really wasn't, but I knew Dimitri was trying to stall things. Tasha had a whole list of people she had murdered. Shooting me and leaving me to the strigoi would make no difference. She was going to jail no matter what.

"Why is it so difficult for you to let them take you?" Tasha demanded. "You have nothing to lose. Why couldn't you just go with them? Why put everyone else through hell for your sake?"

I had spent a lot of time asking myself the same question, but I realized I had everything to lose. Dimitri, Nevaeh, my parents, my closest friends that I now considered as family. I couldn't leave them behind and I would never hand myself over.

"Tasha, just stop for a second and think. Think about Christian. What about everything you've put him through? He already lost his parents, and now he's lost you too. He loved you and you threw him away."

Tasha laughed, dropping her head while still keeping the gun pointed at me. "You think I threw him away? I protected him from you. You're dangerous. I'm doing this to protect everyone, including Dimitri, from you."

I found it ironic that she was calling me dangerous when she was the one holding a loaded gun.

"You are the reason I tried to kill the little girl. You are the reason I killed your guardians, and you are the reason my life is a living hell. It's all your fault."

I knew what she was doing. She was trying to blame me so that she didn't have to feel guilty for her crimes. She looked at Dimitri with fresh tears and an apologetic look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, and with another glance at me, her hand tightened around the offending object in her hands.

"No!" Dimitri shrieked, running up to me as Tasha pulled the trigger. I shut my eyes, accepting the pain that I knew was about to come.

But it didn't. I didn't feel anything. All I could see was a large figure jump in front of mine, shielding my body from the bullet. My jaw dropped and I looked down in horror as Dimitri fell to the ground. A pool of blood started to form in the middle of his chest and I dropped to my knees, slipping my hands under his head.

"No, no, no!" Tasha cried, gripping her hair in her hands. "I wasn't supposed to shoot him!"

She started crying, but I wasn't focussed on her. All my attention was on Dimitri. He was bleeding profusely and if I didn't help him now, he was going to die. I bit my wrist and pressed it to his mouth, but he only coughed. Oh god, he couldn't swallow. He couldn't talk. He couldn't even breathe.

"Dimitri, please, please drink. I know it hurts." I kept pressing my bleeding wrist against his mouth, but nothing was going down. His airways were filling up and I couldn't heal him.

"Drink, damn it!" I sobbed. "I'm not losing you! Dimitri!"

I wasn't sure if he was even hearing me. He was slipping out of consciousness already.

"Hey, hey look at me. Stay with me, baby. Help is coming. They're still coming..." But they were taking too long. Dimitri looked up at me with a few tears running down the sides of his face and a slight smile on his lips. He couldn't talk, but I knew what he was trying to tell me. I'd seen that look on his face before. It was a comforting smile, one that told me he loved me and that I'd be okay.

"Don't you dare," I warned, shaking him when his eyes started to close. "Don't you dare leave me. Just wait a little longer, okay? Just a little longer."

Dimitri's eyes closed again, and this time, he didn't open them. "No, no, no! Dimitri! Please don't leave me. Please."

I shook him several times, trying to get a response and getting nothing. I kept trying to get him to drink my blood, but it wasn't working. He couldn't swallow anything. All I could do was hold him and try my best to keep him alive despite failing. I listened for his heartbeat, feeling my heart shatter when I didn't hear anything at all. His pulse was gone. Dimitri was gone.