Hey everyone! And so the story continues:

Dimitri

Amelia argued some more but finally relented, instead wishing me luck as I headed off. Still, I couldn't forget the look of disappointment in her eyes as I left with Christian and Janine.

We piled into our rented car and I drove as directed, leaving the bright and busy, human-filled streets and entering a seedier, quieter area of town. Here, the buildings were run-down and dilapidated. I wasn't surprised – Strigoi tended to base their activities in areas least likely to attract attention.

"What's the plan?" Christian asked as we looked for a place to park. "How're we going to find Strigoi headquarters?"

I answered grimly. "We find a Strigoi."

There was really no alternative. We didn't know where in this neighbourhood the Strigoi would be based. Our only choice was to find a Strigoi and hopefully restrain him/her until we could extract some useful information.

Leaving the car, I shifted at once into my most serious guardian mode. It was night, and the Strigoi could be anywhere. Danger could be anywhere. Glancing to my side, I could tell Janine felt the same. Her body was stiff, her eyes flicking alertly from side to side.

Moroi lacked our guardian training, and so we sandwiched Christian between us. He shot me a resentful look but, to my relief, didn't protest out loud. He understood the threat.

We prowled silently through the neighbourhood. Houses lined the street we stood on, illuminated only by faint streetlights. It was very, very quiet. Even I knew something was wrong. It wasn't that late, and there should've still be humans up and about, moving around. But no. There was nothing but silence and the soft sound of our careful footsteps.

And then, just what I'd been prepared for: a rustle of leaves. Janine and I instantly turned to face the sound, so that when the Strigoi pounced at us, we were ready.

This Strigoi evidently wasn't the smartest. A smart Strigoi would've been able to approach his prey silently, without alerting them to his presence. This one had warned us with his noise-making, and found us prepared. Janine slashed his arm with her stake, and he snarled in pain. I went for him then, resisting the urge to stab my stake into his heart. I wrestled him to the ground, Janine joining me on the other side. He bucked and kicked, and we struggled to hold on. A moment later, I felt Christian joining us, holding down his legs. They were weaker than we were, but I felt a stab of admiration for him. Most Moroi would freeze up at the sight of a Strigoi.

The Strigoi continued to lash defiantly, snarling and spitting. It was all we could do to hold on. I thought I'd better get onto it.

"Where's the Grand Master?" I snarled at him.

He sneered back at me. "You think I'm stupid enough to tell you?"

I responded by making a deep gash in his chest with my stake, and he howled in pain.

"Where is he?" Janine demanded. "You're going to tell us either way."

The Strigoi looked at us with hatred in his eyes. "I'll never tell you."

All of a sudden, I felt heat flare behind me, and the Strigoi screamed. Christian had set his feet on fire. The flames progressed up his legs, and stopped sharply at his waist. The Strigoi writhed in agony.

"Where is the Grand Master?" I repeated, my voice hard.

Pain filled his red-ringed eyes. "154 Riverdale Drive," he gasped out. "White house."

That was good enough for me. My stake snaked forward into his heart. He howled again, writhing one last time, before falling still. At once, the flames were extinguished. I turned to Christian, nodding my thanks. "154 Riverdale Drive," I repeated. "Let's go."

~~Page Break~~

We called the Alchemists first – it wouldn't do for a human to find a half-charred corpse in public. Then we were on our way.

Using Google Maps on Christian's iPhone, we managed to track down 154 Riverdale Drive. It looked innocent enough, but looks could be deceiving. Quite a small house, so chances were there weren't that many Strigoi inside.

"I wish I could tell you what to prepare for," I told my team as we crouched outside, "but I don't know what's going to be in there. So – be ready for anything."

They nodded, and I met Christian and Janine's eyes in particular. They looked grim. They understood that there was a very real possibility we wouldn't be coming back from this. But I looked at them and I knew they loved Rose, and wanted to see her safe, and were willing to die for her.

"Listen," I said gruffly. "I really appreciate what you've done – giving up your lives to come help me. It means a lot to me, and it'll mean a lot to Rose. So – thank you, both of you. And I'll lay down my life for Rose – just as I'll lay down my life for both of you."

It was true. We'd bonded over this mission, forged a relationship that nothing could break. We were a team now, working together towards a common goal. I was going to say something else, but Janine cut me off.

"We're in this together," she said softly.

I looked at her and nodded my thanks. "Let's go," I said, back in business mode.

We approached the door to the house, keeping utterly silent. At my nod, Christian caused the front door to burst into flames. Janine kicked the flaming door down, and we burst into the house, every bit as badass as Rose would've loved us to be.

Strigoi at once surrounded us, their chalk-white faces snarling. I launched myself into an attack. The truth was, I loved fighting. I lost all sense of time, of my troubles and emotions, of anything but the fight. It was something I hadn't confessed even to Rose – it was just something so private to me. Ironically, the fight was where I found peace. I highly suspected Rose felt the same way.

Strigoi came towards me, but I lost myself in the lust of battle, my eyes blurring with a blood-red haze. My stake flashed out again and again. More and more, I relied on brute force, flinging my enemies aside and finishing them off while they were temporarily incapacitated. Elsewhere, I was dimly aware of Janine fighting like she was taking on hell itself, her face locked in a snarl as she kicked and dodged and staked. In my peripheral vision, I caught glimpses of bright fire as Christian set Strigoi alight.

Eventually, though, I began to surface from my battle lust. We were still fighting, and there were still Strigoi. I knew that, eventually, we'd be overwhelmed. I managed to meet Janine's eyes. Rose, I mouthed. She nodded and yelled to Christian, who finished off five Strigoi at once with a fiery blast. I was impressed – all those secret trainings with fire magic hadn't gone to waste.

Lissa had said Rose was in a basement, so even while I was fighting, I'd subconsciously been taking notes on my surroundings, and noticed a stairwell leading downstairs. We made a beeline for that stairwell now, fighting off Strigoi along the way.

Fighting our way downstairs, we saw a relatively deserted corridor. Most of the Strigoi, it seemed, had made their way to the ground floor to do battle with us. My smile was fleeting – the Strigoi weren't as coordinated as we'd feared. Nevertheless, as we advanced through the corridor, we caught sight of a couple of Strigoi standing guard in front of a door. They rushed at us, but suddenly their arms caught fire. In their yelps of terror and surprise, Janine and I finished them off easily. We kicked open the door they'd been guarding.

At once, I was hit by a heavy, cloying scent. It was some kind of gas, I thought. The door opened up into a dimly lit room with absolutely no furniture in it. Curled in the centre of the floor was –

My world disappeared.

Roza.

In a moment, I was rushing to her, gathering her into my arms. Her head lolled backwards, but she was warm, and her heartbeat, and she was alive. Janine and Christian stood at the doorway. I could tell from their conflicted expressions that they wanted to run to her too, but were holding back, reminding themselves of their duty.

Then I forgot about them again, and cradled Rose in my arms. Her hair smelled so sweet, and as I shifted her she moaned slightly, under her breath. My heart leaped with love. She was all right, she was okay, and nothing else mattered. I had her with me again.

I lifted her over my shoulder with one arm, and strode out. I wanted to carry her bridal-style out of here, but I knew we were going to go out fighting, and I needed at least one available arm to stab Strigoi.

Janine and Christian were at my side. Upstairs, we heard shouts and footsteps. The three of us looked at each other and at Rose's unconscious form, draped over my shoulder, and we nodded.

This is it, something seemed to say.

We charged forward as one, heading up the stairs and back to the ground floor.

And found it crawling with guardians.

Hey guys! I can't tell you how sorry I am that I vanished for seven months - an incredible lot has changed for me since June. But I'm back now!