When the plane landed my head exploded. I moaned in shock of the pain but made no other noise.
"Are you okay, Rose," asked Ibrahim.
"Yah. Just part of the Shadow-Kissed thing. Would you believe me if I told you I'm seeing ghosts right now? Didn't think so." He gave me a Rose-is-crazy-look. I concentrated. "There. I said. "All gone. Ready to go?"
"Sure."
We were at the same airport that I had left the States from. I walked up to the front desk to order our next tickets.
"Hello," said the perky woman. It was about noon and everyone was up and running.
"Hi. I need two middle class tickets to Kamloops, British Columbia."
"Okay. No problem. She handed us our tickets for the next flight. We arrived just in time. The plane was just now boarding. Once we were in our seats I explained the plan.
"Here's how it is going to work. If I tell you to do something you better do it. If I say 'down' you better be on the floor. I'm not taking any crap. Like I said before I don't need another Moroi to guard. We will be going into some caves. You probably won't be able to see well and neither will I, but don't worry. I have this extra sense, it's kinda makes me feel nauseated, and it will tell me when Strigoi are near. That's why you need to be fast. I only get a few seconds warning. I'm going in and going to kill Victor. Any questions?"
"Yes, I do. Why do you take me as a complete idiot? I do know things, you know."
"Sorry. I'm just getting everything out. When you work with students from St. Vlad's you have to learn to put everything into specifics so everyone knows what's going to happen. Habit."
"Apology excepted."
We arrived at the airport shortly after 4:00. Lissa and the gang were sleeping. They wanted to be rested up when tomorrow morning came. That's when they were going to attack. When the Strigoi had nowhere to run. We got a hotel room two towns away from where Lissa was. We both went to our separate beds and crashed. I slept without a single dream.
Even leaving early we missed the gang. They had already headed off to the caves. The caves were about a thirty-minute walk into the forest. They were abandoned long ago. Apparently Victor had no money to pay for a hotel. They were already half way there when we left the little town.
"Damn," I said. "We got to move and we got to move fast. We can't let them beat us there. Even with Eddie and Christian they don't stand a chance."
"I agree. Let's move."
We ran as hard as we could. I had to slow my pace a little so he could keep up. Last thing I needed was my father lost in the middle of the woods with Victor's goons and Strigoi. Last time I was in Lissa's mind I had discovered that Victor had teamed up with the Strigoi. They helped him now and he'd backstab them all later. Lissa was already at the caves fighting. Farther down the tunnel I caught sight of Dimitri. He still looked just as handsome. Just in a more evil way. His eyes were red and wild. The face of an animal. Not the animal hunger I had seen on his face when we were in the cabin or when Victor put the charm on us. This was more savage.
"No," I whispered. I knew Mason had said he was a Strigoi but it broke my heart to actually see it with my own eyes.
Ibrahim must have heard the agony in my voice. He looked at me with a terrified and curious face.
"They're fine. I just saw Dim-Dimitri. He really has turned."
We arrived at the cave in the heat of battle. Automatically I felt nauseated and the blood lust kicked in. I fought off the Strigoi that had noticed us. Not many had for they were all fighting for their lives. It was a pretty even match. I saw Victor and Dimitri standing in the back corner where I had seen him through Lissa's head. Dimitri's beauty took my breath away.
He's NOT the Dimitri you love, Rose! I scolded myself. I knew what I had to do. Taking my stake out of my coat and leaving my father to defend for himself I ran over to Dimitri.
One word stopped me dead in my tracks. "Roza," Dimitri said like a prayer. "Roza, you really wouldn't kill me would you?"
"You're not the Dimitri I love. You have taken away my love's soul. We made a promise and now I'm keeping it. I'm here to kill you, Dimitri."
"But I want to live, Roza. This life is wonderful. I'm faster and stronger than I ever was and I will get to live forever. I will always be getting stronger. I want you to join me, Roza. Join me and we can have what we never did. We can be together without anyone to interfere. Just you and me. For all of eternity."
I almost fell for it but then I caught myself. As fast as I could I drove the stake towards my true love's heart. But he was faster. He caught my arms.
As soon as he touched me I felt a power like I'd never felt before enter my body. My head exploded harder than it ever had before. Ghosts were everywhere. Then everything went black. It wasn't pitch black. There were shadows of light here and there. I went towards the brightest one hoping to find a way out. But as I got up to it I realized it wasn't a light after all. It was a spirit. And not just anyone's. Dimitri's. I reached for him as he reached for me.
As soon as I touched the love of my life's spirit I found myself in the real world. Dimitri had pulled me close and his fangs had punctured my skin. He was turning me. Or at least he was. He was now frozen just as I. I still had the headache and was filled with power. But the power felt stronger and like it was going into Dimitri. We stood like that until the power drained. We both fell to the floor.
Dimitri jumped up and headed towards Victor. But before he turned away I caught sight of his face. His eyes were the dark color I loved so much. I rolled over and grabbed my stake. Standing up I felt exhausted. But I had to continue fighting. I had to protect Lissa. I ran over to her. She was surrounded by Strigoi. They heard my approach and a couple turned my direction. They were newly turned Strigoi. That was obvious. I was able to move myself fast enough to get in between them and to Lissa. She looked beaten. She was covered in bruises and scratches. Nothing that looked too serious. I was able to kill seven of the eight Strigoi around Lissa. Just as I launched my stake into the seventh one's heart I felt a terrible pain in the back of my head. Then I blacked out.
I woke up to find myself lying on a bed with Dimitri sitting beside me. I was in the med clinic at St. Vlad'.
"Roza," he said relieved. "Do you know how bad you had me scared back there? I see you kicking ass even though you looked like you were about to pass out. And then I see a Strigoi leaning over your neck!"
"Dimitri," I exclaimed, "You're alive! I don't know how I did it but I don't care. I've been a train wreck. I was so terrified!" I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him hard. It was filled with love, passion, relief, and so much more. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"
"Oh, Roza. Here lay back down. You look like your about to faint and you have lost a lot of blood. You went through two Strigoi bites. Sorry about that by the way."
I did as he said. I really did feel like I could pass out. I did my hardest to stay conscious. I had to see that glorious face. I was afraid this was a dream and I would wake up later to discover that we really hadn't rescued him. He kissed my forehead. I felt two sharp needles press into my head and flinched back.
"Sorry. I'm not used to having fangs and sanity at the same time. When you healed me Roza, I didn't turn back into a … Dhampir. I turned … Moroi."
He let me process this. Dimitri is a Moroi!? It was strange to take in.
"Here you stay here and I'll go get Lissa and Dr. Olendzki. Lissa has been dying to talk to you."
He left the room but after that I don't remember. I had passed out again.