Chapter Thirty-One

Dimitri

My stomach was in my throat the moment the door locked behind me. Everyone else had run ahead of me to take up positions, while my feet felt like cement leaving Roza and Maddie in the house. Not to mention my mother, sister, and cousin with them.

"Belikov, let's go," Eddie yelled back at me.

Drawing a deep breath, I descended the stairs and headed toward our group. We had assembled quite the team, thirteen guardians and three fire users. Stan, Alberta, and Emil stood off to my left, accompanied by three of Abe's men. Janine, Eddie, and Pavel on my right, with another three Mazur men. I stood in at the front, dead center, drawing attention to me first. Abe was on the far right next to Janine, Tasha on the left next to Emil, and Christian beside me.

We kept our heads on a swivel, not knowing which direction they would come in from. Abe had called his secondary units-who had been in Scranton securing the hotel Mama and Karo were supposed to be at- and they were en route, but it would be half an hour or so before they arrived.

"Eddie," I leaned over, "If I don't make it back, please take care of them."

"You don't have to ask, you are family," he nodded, "we will all take care of them, but let's worry about that later."

I nodded, standing straight with a small smile on my face. Eddie had become so much like me over the last year. Losing Mason hardened him, driving him to become an amazing guardian. I was glad to see he used his pain to lift him, not hinder his growth.

Adjusting my grip on the stake in my hand, I cleared my throat and sent my silent prayer to the heavens. Even if I didn't make it out, I prayed Rose would be okay, that she would stay safe and Maddie would grow up to live a long life- never forgetting how much Daddy loves her.

Another deep breath. Another long exhale.

After three cycles, I heard something moving to our left. The sound of a tree branch snapping rang through the silent air like a siren song, drawing our attention to it. Three Strigoi stood a hundred yards to the west, the pawns. I didn't recognize any of them, but I didn't have much time to think about it. They were charging toward us.

Stan sprung into battle first, Alberta on his heels as Tasha threw a flaming ball toward them. The front-runner, a previous Guardian if I had to guess, large build and most certainly the biggest treat- went up like a Christmas tree, throwing the other two off kilter.

Galina should have known we would have fire users, considering they fought with us in the attack and the caves, but maybe that information hadn't gotten back to her. The other two, a prior Moroi and human, staggered away from their flaming companion, allowing Stan and Alberta to stake them with easy.

"Tash, not so much, you don't have to incinerate them, just distract," I coached.

"Got it," she nodded, her eyes flickered to something behind me, "Dimka!"

Our team spun around to see another ten Strigoi coming full speed from the east. Nice tactic Galina, nice but not good enough. Janine, Eddie, Pavel, and Abe focused in on this group, as well as the three Muzar Guardians- Henderson, Hensen, and Kaplan.

I felt like we were in a game of Chess, the pawns had been deployed and eliminated first and the bishops and rooks came second. Now, where are the knights?

As if on cue, another ten appeared just to the right of us. I, along with the rest of our party, began working our way through them. With two fire users, it was far easier to make the kill than any other fight I have ever been a part of. When this is over, we really need to get Tatiana to see the benefit of defensive magic.

I paid close attention to each Strigoi that came forward, searching for her, and the blond from the caves. Neither had surfaced yet, but I knew they were here, somewhere.

"What's the count," Pavel asked.

"Twenty three, so far," I answered.

"There is more, I can feel it," Janine spoke softly.

"Without a doubt, the question is how many?" Eddie answered her, looking around he noticed something to the North, "Get ready."

"How long do you think you can hold a ring of fire," I looked between Abe and Christian.

"He can hold it longer then me," Abe gestured to Chris.

"Try to hold half of them back, Tasha and Abe can help us with the first half," I gripped Christians shoulder, moving him to the side.

Christian managed to wrap fifteen, leaving us with roughly ten to take out first.

Our dance continued- fire flew through the air, strangled grunts and piercing screams rang through the night. The body count grew and even with the number we have eradicated so far, I couldn't help but feel we were far from over. Between the Academy and the Caves, we guessed there were a few hundred, and we had only managed to take out half of them before they fled. Galina has had months to rebuild her army, so the true number would remain a mystery until it ends.

I drove my stake into the last one for this phase and heard a booming clap sound off behind me.

"I am impressed," that voice. "You never cease to amaze me, nephew."

The queen has arrived, or would she be the king? The queen sacrifices herself to save the king in the game, but she wouldn't be doing that.

She stood alone, "I should have known you would find a way around this one too, you always were ahead of the curve," she smiled wickedly, the sight sending a shiver down my spine, "But how about you and I handle this the old fashioned way?"

I stepped forward, leaving my colleagues behind to witness the showdown. Don't Hesitate, rang through my mind a dozen times. This is the ultimate test of my skills, the battle that proves the student can surpass the teacher.

I knew it would be a challenge, but I hadn't envisioned it to be this difficult. We moved in sync, I knew almost all of her moves, she had acquired a few new tricks since turning. And she knew every single one of mine. Being the one to teach them to me, she had the upper hand.

I didn't allow myself a split second to look back at everyone, to make sure they were all still okay and weren't fighting another battle of their own. No, my focus was on the woman in front of me.

The one who taught me it was okay to fall, as long as you got back up. Who told me over and over that the world isn't as dark as we think, only as dark as you make it. To find the brightest star in that darkness to bring us back to light. She taught me everything.

I would always be grateful for her teachings, her encouragement and support through my hardest days. But it was time for this to end. She didn't deserve the life she had been given, and I would be damned if she made me share that fate.

With a move I perfected working with Roza, I knocked her to the ground with a kick to the ribs. Galina knew me well enough to know my left is my dominant side, so when I faked a left kick, she fell for it. I shifted quickly and sent my right into her left ribs, and my foot hit her in the middle of her back on her spine. The second she laid face first in the snow, I drove my stake through her back, ending the fight and her life.

In the space of my heartbeat, hers shuddered its last. But not before her whisper drifted into my ears, "Thank you."

Saltwater clouded my vision and I blinked the tears away. I would let my guard fall later, for now, I still had a family to take care of. Withdrawaling my stake, I stood, wiping her blood onto my pants, and turned to face the others.

Tasha was crying, Emil, holding her close. Abe had his arms around Janine, and Stan held onto Alberta. Eddie and Christian stood beside Pavel, all wearing stone masks and the Muzar Guardians stood in a line behind them.

Walking back to the house, I looked over the mounds of bodies. The only one I hadn't seen was the blond from the caves, maybe Rose hadn't missed after all. Climbing the stairs two at a time, I reached the top and knocked on the sheet metal that covered the front door.

"Rose," I yelled, receiving no answer. "Roza, it's over, open up!"

Gears winded as the metal plating lifted, the front door opening once it finished. "Lissa?" she should have still been in the panic room. "What happened?" I pushed my way past her as the question rolled from my lips. The sight before me something I could never prepare for.

In the blink of an eye, I was transported back in time, to a cold January day in Spokane, Washington. To a disrayed house, broken furniture, water on the floor, and the love of my life clinging to the body of her best friend, and a dead Strigoi only feet away.

Lissa was crying, trying to explain but her words were lost on me. The only thing I could hear is the wails coming from Roza. She sat on her knees, Adrian's head and shoulders resting on her lap, her slim fingers running through his hair. He didn't move, his eyes were closed, and his chest didn't rise and fall with the motion of breathing.

"Roza," I called out softly.

She didn't look up, she didn't stop her caress. Kneeling down beside them, I reached forward to place two fingers to Adrian's neck, not finding a pulse. I looked around, trying to put together a theory of what happened, when Sydney, Mama, and Karo walked up from the panic room.

I shielded Rose and Adrian with my body, "Go to Tasha's," I spoke softly, but with no room for argument. "Now, please."

Eddie had come in at some point and took to pulling the girls out of the house, allowing me to return my attention to my fiance.

Squatting down, I put two fingers under her chin, bringing her eyes to mine, "Roza."

"It's my fault," she whispered, forcing her head back down to look at him, "just like Mason."

"It's not your fault, Roza," I shook my head, looking down at my cousin, "it's no one's fault. Come on, I need to get you out of here." As gently as I could, I shifted Adrian's body off of her and lifted her into my arms.

With one last look at Adrian, I turned to step over the body of the blond and took Rose to Tasha's house two doors down. Taking Eddie and Pavel with me, I returned to the house to clean up, leaving Rose with Maddie and our mothers.

After Spokane, Rose wanted nothing more than her mother to be with her, so I hoped having her there this time would be just as beneficial as it had back then.

Walking through the house, I found the attic door broken, a sliver of light from the high moon shining through. He must have broken through the vent window. The railing on the stairs had been splintered as if someone as thrown into it. I only paused a moment to wonder if it had been Roza or the blond to do that damage. In the kitchen, I located a broken glass beside the island, everything else appeared to not have been disturbed. Adrian must have broken it to draw attention to him.

"What do you think happened?" Eddie asked, looking down at Adrian.

"He risked himself to save her," I kneeled down next to him, my hand resting over his heart, "Thank you, Adrian," a tear fell from my eye, landing on his shirt. "Pavel, can you get us a car so we can get him out of here, please." He nodded and took off.

Eddie came to stand behind me, his hand resting on my shoulder, "I'm sorry, Dimitri."

Clearing my throat, I stood back up, walking toward the front door. I needed air, needed to see something other than death for just a minute.

Abe walked out of Tasha's place, Sydney on his heels- no doubt going to gather information for the reports. She wouldn't need to get rid of the bodies, the sun would do that for her. Muzar Guardians moved about, gathering all of them into one central area, making it easier for Sydney.

When Pavel pulled around in the SUV, I switched myself into Guardian mode, sliding my mask back into place. Right now, I had a job to do, when it was finished, I could grieve the loss of my mentor, my cousin- and depending on how Rose handles this- my love.

ONE WEEK LATER…

I wrapped my arms around Rose's shoulders, placing a gentle kiss to her hair.

"It's time to go, Roza."

She nodded, but didn't speak, she hasn't said more than five words in the last week. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. She and Adrian had grown incredibly close over the last year. As much as I loathed him in the beginning, he was there for her when I couldn't be. He held her hand when she found out she was pregnant when she was sick, and even in the delivery room until I got there. He had grown on all of us, but what the two of them shared was much deeper.

Rain fell hard and steady as I walked us back inside the palace, which Tatiana was allowing us to stay in, for the time being, all of us. Lissa and Christian were given their own room in the Ivashkov wing. Eddie and Janine had rooms in the Guardian quarters, the largest ones available. And Rose and I, we moved into Adrian's old apartment.

I know what you're thinking, why torture ourselves by living in his house. The answer is simple. It keeps him close. Plus, he had a room already set up for Maddie, since Rose was his Guardian, he made sure Maddie would have a space of her own when they were here.

Over the last week I, along with Eddie and Christian, cleaned out his room, packing all of his things and storing them with Tatiana. I kept a few shirts, and his cologne for Rose, she liked having it with her.

Sydney had gone back to staying at the hotel, she would be coming to Court once a week to track Maddie's growth patterns. To which we were all happy to know where right on schedule for Dhampirs, even though she was four weeks early. She would be around for another month or so, if things continued at a normal rate, she would return home after that.

She and Rose sat down three days ago, helping Tatiana and Daniella plan out the funeral for Adrian. I don't know what all they talked about, but both of them have been taking this whole thing the hardest. Other than Tatiana, and Adrian's mom, I am sure they are the two most affected by his death.

As for me. Well, I have been holding it together the best I can. Killing Galina hurt, but I countered that pain with knowing she is no longer living in that state. That I sent her home to be with her brother, and to live out her eternity at peace. Losing Adrian is a different type of hurt. I regret not taking more time to spend with him. For not thanking him enough for everything he did for Rose while I was gone. For not treating him like family for most of our time together.

However, I am holding it in and trying to keep our lives moving forward. Maddie still needs her parents, no matter how much we are dealing with, she has to come first. Rose is slowly coming back to herself, but I know it will be a while before she can laugh and enjoy life like she used to. So most of Maddie's care is falling on my shoulders at the moment. I don't mind, really, it allows me to not stop and think for too long.

Mama and Karo are still here, helping me with Maddie and Rose. They will be heading back home in a few days. Abe is sending them on his plane with half of his Guardians. Eddie isn't too happy about that, but I promised at some point we would have them all visit, or we could go to Russia. That seemed to satisfy him enough, for now.

"Can I get you anything to eat, Milaya?"

"No, thank you, I am going to rest for a while."

Standing on her toes, she kissed the underside of my jaw, "Thank you for being by my side, Comrade."

"Always, Roza, always," I brushed my lips to hers and let her head to the bedroom.

I was shocked that she actually talked to me, seeing how she hasn't been doing much of that as of late. I have faith in her to get through this, it will just take a little while.

One day.

One week.

One month.

One year at a time.

THE END

Author's Note:

I'm not crying, You're crying.

Oh my Loves- This...this has killed me.

First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has reviewed/faved/followed along on this journey. Your love and support, and criticism mean the world to me. I am heartbroken for the end of this one, though it was the plan all along, I am just destroyed over killing him. You guys know how much I love Adrian, not that I don't love Dimitri, but come on, I am 'Dreamwalkers Obessesion' after all.

Now, for happier thoughts,

I will have the Epilogue up tonight or tomorrow, still working some fine tuning there.

AND...

LOVE OR LOYALTY RE-WRITE WILL BE GOING LIVE IN JUST 15 DAYS!

For those that know that story, I don't know if you caught on, but half of this was part of that. The whole 'Galina wanting Dimitri' came from the original LOL. So can you see where the other part will be?

I am excited as all get out about it, and can NOT wait for you guys to read it.

Be sure to follow me on FB for all updates, snips, and insights for that one.

And as always, leave your thoughts in the comments for this one.

All My Love,

Dream