Chapter 18

In walked multiple people, dhampirs by the looks of it, and one face I thought I'd never see again. "Nathan", I whispered. He just smiled at me, fangs flashing in the bright light. It was the kind of smile that makes your blood run cold.
"Hello, Roza." He said mockingly.

Rose POV

Nathan walked towards me, each step he took echoed through the cold room, I felt my heart begin to pound against my chest, and I knew he could probably smell my fear. I tested the bonds that held my hands together in attempt to free them, not that I was expecting the ties to allow me to go free, I could already feel my hands going numb from the lack of circulation. I squirmed in my seat, another desperate attempt to get free. At this, Nathan's grin just became even bigger, and his eyes filled with excitement. I was going to die, I was sure of it.

"Hey, quick question." Nathan paused, the grin now gone from his face.

"What?" He snarled at Ivan.

"Anyone want to explain what's going on? Because I'm a bit confused." Ivan said, his voice held no sign of fear. I heard Nathan sigh in irritation.

"Are you the guy who turned him into a strgoi? Because if so, then you should be dead, Rose killed you." He said. How he knew about what happened, I wasn't sure.

"Dimitri told me about everything that's happened since he left Russia", Ivan said, as if reading my mind.

"Does it look as though I'm dead?" Nathan asked him.

"Yeah, kinda. You're a bit pale, even for a Moroi, and you smell like death", Ivan responded. That earned him a punch in the jaw.

"Hey, leave him alone, I'm the one you want", I snapped. Nathan just laughed.

"And what makes you think that, Roza", he asked, leaning towards me.

"I'm the one who killed you, not Ivan. Leave him alone, he's done nothing to you." Nathan laughed again.

"No, but what better way to get revenge on Belikov than taking not only you, but his best friend and his first child?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, part of me was scared to hear the answer.

"Don't play dumb. I know you're carrying his child, and I will use it to get my revenge on not only Belikov but also you. You know, infants are quite pathetic, snapping their neck is no harder than breaking a twig." He said coldly. "Although where's the fun in that? Why not make the child scream and whither in agony as its parents watch helplessly?"

"I'm not pregnant, I can assure you. It's impossible for two dhampirs to have a child." I said, my voice not sounding nearly as strong as I would like for it to. Nathan just stared at me for what felt like forever, his hateful gaze never leaving mine.

"You really don't know, do you?" He asked, his voice almost sounding human, before a wicked grin spread across his face.

"Well then, this just makes things more exciting", he said, his voice sounding cold and hateful again.

It was the last thing I heard before he lunged towards me, his fangs sinking into my neck. I could vaguely make out Ivan yelling at him to stop in the background before everything went black.

Dimitri POV

It had been hours since we had found Pandora and Eddie, and the more time that went by, the more frustrated I became. Pandora was beating herself up over this, saying that it was her fault. Ashley had to physically restrain her from banging her head against a tree. Now she was just sitting on the ground, tears streaming down her bloodied and bruised face as she tried to recall anything that could help us find them. Eddie had passed out and was now being tended to by both Adrian and Sydney. Lissa was crying as Christian held her, whispering comforting words to her. Sam was trying to keep Lucy occupied so that she wouldn't bother Pandora. Jill sat by Eddie's side, holding hand. Ahsley and I were looking over a map of the area, trying to find any place that could possibly be holding Rose and Ivan.

More time went by, and hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. Eventually we had to pack up and return home. Sam had her baby not long after we returned, a boy she named Jack. Ashley, Sam, Lucy, and Jack returned back to their home in Canada. Everyone else returned to court. Pandora and I stayed at her apartment though, continuing to try and find some clue that could lead us to them, but we were both beginning to lose hope.

Pandora POV

It was midnight, and Dimitri had passed out from exhaustion, fatigue eventually taking him (that and a bit of Tylenol PM that was slipped into his coffee). I quietly made my way across the living room and into my bedroom. The door shut with a quiet click, and I turned the lock. I grabbed my backpack, phone, and car keys before making my way to the window. I opened it, and just as I expected, it make a loud screeching sound.

I heard footsteps coming down the hall at a quick pace, knowing I didn't have much time, I threw my backpack out the window and grabbed the railing of the fire escape ladder and quickly climbed down, I could hear banging on the door, and aloud crack as it gave way.

I sprinted to my truck and slammed the car door shut. I fumbled with the keys and I knew that Dimitri was coming, I had talked to him about this, but he wouldn't hear anything of it, saying it was too risky and a waste of time. Too bad the Tylenol didn't knock him out enough for me to get out unnoticed, but I had a feeling it wouldn't anyways. The car jerked forward and I was off. I could faintly make out him yelling at me to stop, and I hoped that he was wrong, because if it did end up being a waste of time, then I really would lose all hope.