Author's note: Sorry about the wait! I love all the comments! Thanks a ton! Here's the next installment. Thanks, again! Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead, the most brilliant woman in the world.

Warning: Nothing, except maybe language.

Word Count: 5,790

Thankfully, I have a room to myself so I was able to keep my "pet" to myself. He's probably about Adrian's age. I feel a little masochistic when I tie him down to my bed and skillfully remove his two guns, swiss army knife, wallet, boots, and spare stake, which I used a shirt to hold onto before hiding it under the bed, still wrapped in the shirt. And then I did the creepiest, yet most logical thing I could do at that point, since I wasn't too confident my knots would hold him down for long if I left him alone and he woke up, I watched him.

What I mean is, I stayed in the chair on the opposite side of the room, looking at everything but him unless he shifted slightly, then I was staring at him full force. The sun is going to come up soon so I hope that he'll be awake by then and be able to escape. That will make it impossible for the rest of us to follow considering we'll burst into flames or something if we so much as consider following him out there. The only one that could, would be Hannah, and something tells me all ninety-five pounds of her wouldn't be enough to take him on.

It's just past human noon by the time he started stirring. Like Pavel, he looked around dazed for a moment, then realized he was in a strange enviroment and then remembered that he fought Strigoi last night; and that's when the struggling began. He first tugged at his arm restraints, then his leg and then his eyes flew across the room, until they landed on me.

"You're... Strigoi," he says blankly, like the possibility of me knowing that could have slipped my mind. I roll my eyes.

"What tipped you off? Red eyes? Stunning personality?" I sigh. "Listen, you and your friends were attacked by my band of merry men last night, do you remember that?"

He seems hesitant, testing his restraints one more time before figuring it was useless and nodding solemnly. His face is set hard, just like any good Guardian in the face of Strigoi. You can't panic or you'll die. His mind is whirling, trying to find a way out of here. I don't blame him, I would be doing the same if I were in his position. But no, he's damn lucky to have me as his captive instead of one of the others. Something tells me, they wouldn't be nice enough to let them go. Not like I am. Maybe this is what Abe was saying.

"Good, I knocked you and Pavel out yesterday so I could get to Abe -err Mr. Mazur. See, he's my old man and I had to make sure none of those other guys got to him. So, sorry about bashing your face into the wall," I say nonchalantly, not knowing how else to express my bit of remorse at being the reason he would have died otherwise.

"Did you?" He asks. It surprises me that he spoke.

"Did I what?"

He stares at me blankly with dark eyes. "Did you get Mr. Mazur?"

It sounds weird to hear him ask that. Wouldn't someone usually assume that if that was a Strigoi's target that I would have gotten him? I nod my head slowly. "I did. But he's fine. He got into his rental and sped off down the road."

"But you got him," the Guardian says quizzically, face scrunching up in confusion.

I nod again. "Yes and I let him go. He's my dad. I had to make sure his ass got out of there safely. I got Pavel out too but I couldn't get you out before the police got near so I had to take you with me. So... yeah." There I go, being as eloquent with words as I've always been.

He stares at me blankly, mind whirling. "Why did you do that?"

I blink once. "Do what?"

He shifts a little, trying to get comfortable but there really isn't any way for that to happen just short of me untying him, giving him his stake and walking him out of here by himself. Probably with all of us dead inside. But I can't let that happen. He needs more of a head start.

"Why did you do that? You're Strigoi," he says, staring at me with dark eyes. It's just now that I recognize his heavy Turkish accent. I can't believe I didn't notice it before.

I pull my legs up to my chest, resting them on the chair. I lay my head onto my knees and stare at him sideways. "Abe Mazur is my dad. I couldn't kill him and when I knocked you and Pavel out to get to him... I couldn't..." live with myself, was going to be my next words but since I'm not really alive, there isn't going to be much living with myself. "I couldn't... just let the two of you die because I knocked out out."

I shrug my shoulders, trying to give him the impression that I really don't care too much about whether he lives or dies, but I don't think the message got through to him as he stares at me wide eyed. He stares at me for two whole minutes without blinking before looking away, blinking madly, his mind racing. He leans up a little bit, eyes wide.

"Why would a Strigoi care at all?" he asks quietly, studying me. It's almost like he thinks if he studies me closer that I'll just suddenly admit to having some kind of other ulterior motive.

I shake my head. "I don't know. I guess I'm just a really shitty Strigoi. Now, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen." I drop my fingers on my shin bones. "Tonight, I'll get you something to eat or whatever so you'll have enough strength to move as soon as the sun rises tomorrow. I'll take you downstairs and you'll escape," I make air quotes around escape, "and if I ever see you again, it'll probably be a battle to the death. Good?"

The young Guardian looks a little put off. "It's not like I have much of a say."

"If you aren't good, I could just kill you," I snap. He presses his lips close together. I huff and close my eyes, confident that I would be faster than him if he attempted to break free and attack me.

Silence hangs between us for a few minutes before the Guardian finally says, "You are Queen Vasilisa's personal Guardian, are you not?" I nod, not opening my eyes. "How did you turn?"

"Bitten, bled dry, given blood, the usual," I shrug like I don't care but I'm a bit surprised to hear the sourness in my own voice. I hadn't really thought about how mad I am at being changed. I've just been trying so hard to accept this new part of my life without really coming to terms with the fact that I didn't want it in the first place. Since when has Rose Hathaway been one to just roll with the punches? Never. I didn't do it in life as a Dhampir, I sure as hell wont do in death as a Strigoi.

Thinking about it like that fills me with something I didn't know I still possessed even to this extent. I'm filled with the aching desire to cause trouble. Mattias changed me against my will and I should be making him pay for it, but I haven't. Somehow, I've been trying to do it since the start without realizing it. I let my old man go. Pavel too. And now, I'm scheming to let another Dhampir go, knowing full well that he will remember where we live and will probably come back with a lot more Guardians and lot more stakes.

And I'm okay with that.

Now this is the Rose I remember. I thought I had lost her. Good to know she's been in the back of my mind, planning out my enemy's demise, just waiting patiently. Good girl.

I open my eyes, seeing the Guardian staring at me a little worried. I reach up absently and touch the smile on my lips. It fades and I stand slowly and approach him. He tense up as I get closer. I sit at the edge of the bed and stare at him. He pulls his leg closest to me as far as he can, which isn't far.

"What's your name?" I ask.

He looks at me like he doesn't understand. Like he suddenly is no longer able to understand English. "What?"

"You're name. What is it?" I ask again, not at all perturbed.

"Asland," he says softly.

I laugh out loud, the noise sounds strange to me. The strapped down man looks at me wide eyed, looking like he didn't expect it any more than I did. "Are you kidding me? Like the lion? That Asland?"

He looks at me perplexed. "I don't understand. What lion?"

I shake my head, laughing harder then I expected. It's not even all that funny, yet somehow I can't stop. "Have you seen that movie? The one with the four sibling go into that giant wardrobe and end up in a magical place. What the hell was it called? Narnia? Narnia! That's it. In it, there was a huge magical god lion named Asland." I rub away the moister building up in my eye. "Whoo. Sorry. I think that's the most I've laughed since I was turned."

I lean back against the footboard, staring up at the ceiling. An occasional giggle leaving me. It's weird to hear my laugh. It doesn't sound any different than when I last laughed as a Dhampir. I wonder if it sound cruel and nasty to Guardian Asland. That makes me giggle a little bit more until I really think about it. What if it does? That sobers me up quickly.

Asland stares back at me confused and I just shake my head. "Never mind. I'm crazy, don't listen to me." I reach up and pull my hair loose and shake it out. I give him a level look. "My name is Rose Hathaway. Nice to meet you. Now, after you leave here, you are going to get other Guardians and return, right?"

Asland opens his mouth, probably to deny it but the words don't seem to come. He closes his mouth and shrugs. "If they'll listen. Yes."

I nod slowly. "Good. I didn't much like any of them anyway. Now listen closely. The head of our little group and an ex-Moroi named Mattias..." I proceed to tell him about everything I learned about Mattias and Libby and Taylor and all the other girls here, including Hannah. How they hunt, how they react to one another. Their triggers. Anything I could think of that would help the Guardians. Before my eyes I watch Asland begin to relax, having something other than me to focus on it occupying his brain. As soon as I get to Gillian, I stop. I consider telling him about her, but then I decide against it. Something just stops me from saying anything.

Asland doesn't seem to notice my pause. He's busy mentally going through all the information that I gave him. After a long moment he blinks back to reality. He looks at me. "Why are you telling me this?"

I shake my head, standing up slowly. I stretch my arms up over my head and hold it there for a moment before relaxing and going back to my seat. I plop down and draw one knee up this time. "I don't know. I told you what I could, do what you will with it." I rub my eyes, feeling tired. I muss my hair and then rest my cheek on my knee.

Asland is quiet for a long moment. Finally, he whispers, "Are you sleepy?"

I nod, pulling my other knee up. "Yeah, I guess."

"I..." he hesitates, shifting slightly. "I didn't know Strigoi could get tired..."

I let out a long breath, shifting slightly to try and get into a more comfortable position. "Yeah, me neither. I guess we can be."

"Why are you helping me?" He asks again, softly.

The heavy weight of sleep rests on my eyes. It provides a bit of comfort knowing that some things don't change, regardless of what race you are. "Because I have the power to. And even as a Dhampir, I couldn't just sit back and watch someone get hurt because of me. Not when I could do something about it, at least. I'd feel like shit if I failed but I'd feel even worse if I did nothing so, the lesser of two evils, I guess." I slur my words a little, slipping into slumber. I sit up a little. "Wait, does that work for what I said? Lesser of two evils?" I shake my head and lower it again. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

I'm about asleep, a little surprised that I am able to fall sleep while in the presences of a Dhampir, with a stake just under the bed. But I can't be concerned. If I die, I die. And that way, I can't hurt anyone anymore.

"Well, regardless of your reasoning..." Asland says softly. "Thanks for not killing me."

I mumble something that didn't sound like English, even to myself.

There is a light knock on my door. I almost didn't move to answer it, but then I hear Asland, hissing at me softly. I blink a few times and uncurl from my place on the chair to see Asland, hair messy from laying on the bed, staring at me with weary eyes. I stand up slowly and walking over to him. I grab the covers out from under him and cover his face with it.

"Act like you were drank from," I mumbled.

"But I've never been drank from," Asland says, his voice holding an inflection of worry. It grants me pause. I turn around slowly and look at him. He stares back at me looking so young. Younger than I expected somehow. Why do I feel so old?

"Then pretend to sleep," I say softly, I reach up and untie his hands, very slowly. "Do not react at all, if they know you weren't drank from, they'll kill both of us, I think." He nods very slowly, rubbing his wrists. I go to his collection of weapons in the corner and grab his dagger. It wont kill a Strigoi but it might make him feel better to have it. Less chance of him blowing our cover.

I slice his palm open with it, and he opens his mouth to protest, but I motion him silent. I throw a towel from my dresser to him and put the blood from the knife onto my fingers. I put the knife under the covers for him and he hides under it too. There is another knock on the door, this one louder than the last.

"Rose?"

I peek back one more time to make sure Asland is out of sight and smear the blood around my mouth, right as I open the door, I wipe it away, hoping it looks convincing. Gillian stands on the other side. She watches the movement with an unreadable expression. Her eyes travel into the room for a moment before moving back to me.

"What do you want, Gillian?" I ask.

She tilts her head slightly in thought. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know this was your first time attacking your own kind, so I was wondering if you needed anything."

I shake my head. "No, I'm fine. Thanks. I'd actually prefer to be left alone for a while." I close the door a little to hide Asland, who I'm sure is a twitchy mess under the covers. His grip on that knife is probably so tight his knuckles are white and I can hear the faint sound of his heart racing. That knife is probably the only thing keeping him anchored to reality right now. It's the only thing stopping him from jumping up and going ballistic on Gillian and I.

Gillian looks over my shoulder at Asland and I wonder if she can hear his racing heart. Her eyes come back to me and she nods slowly. "Alright," she says evenly, "since it was a successful hunt, we probably wont hunt again today since we still have our prey," she says simply, turning around and walking down the hall to her room. She barely opens the door before slipping inside and closing it quietly.

I close the door just as quietly and turn around to see Asland peaking out over the top of the covers. Once he sees it's safe, he sits up, pushing the covers away. I was right about his grip on the knife. White knuckled.

"I don't remember you mentioning a Gillian," he says softly, eyes watching me intently.

I shrug. "She's not like the others. She's different... more..." I struggle to find the right word.

"More like you?" Asland asks, brown eyes wide.

I didn't know how to answer that. Was there really a 'like me'? I didn't really think I was different from other Strigoi but maybe I was. Gillian certainly wasn't what I had expected in a Strigoi. The rest are, but not her. She's weird to me. Maybe there is something similar between the two of us. But what?

"I don't know," I answer honestly, walking over to the chair and plopping down. Something stabs me in the butt and I reach into my back pocket and pull out a cellphone. I blink in surprise and then I remember, Abe sticking something into my pocket. This had to be it. But why?

Asland stares at it as I move it around in my hands. "Is this Abe's?" I ask, looking over at Asland.

He nods. "Yes, I saw him use it earlier when he was talking with an informant about... well, you." He shrugs a little, cradling the knife in his hands and whether it's wise or not, I can't take it away from him. It's my fault he's in this mess to begin with. Yeah, it comes with the job but still, it feels different when I'm involved. No one should pay for me.

I open the phone up expecting to see some cheezy background you'd find on a Windows computer or maybe a kitten or something. But no, it's a picture of me and Mom, one of the few times that we are together. Neither of us are looking, we're posing for a picture for Lissa. Somehow the old man managed to get one past both Hathaway girls. I'm in a nice black dress, one of the few colors I look good in, and Mom is in her typical Guardian attire. My arm is around her shoulder and hers is around my waist. We're both smiling.

"Angry midget," I snicker under my breath, imagining her glaring up at me the first time I called her that. Mom and I might not always be on the same side, but we did occasionally have fun together. Neither of us could have known, just a few weeks after this picture was taken that she and I would lose each other forever. It's one thing for Abe to risk his life so long as I dispose of his Guardians first. But not with Mom. She will kill me the first chance she gets. She wont believe that there is a chance that I'm still her daughter. That I'm still Rose. Stake first ask questions later, that's Janine Hathaway's way.

"Rose?" Asland calls out softly. I blink a few times, forgetting where I was there for a moment. "Do you... do you think I can use that?"

I hesitate. Yeah, I'm going to let him go anyway, but do I want to risk something going wrong? Well, I guess, what could really go wrong? I look down at the time. It's almost Moroi noon. We slept for a while. I'll have to leave soon to get him something to eat, I'm sure he's hungry. After a moment more of deliberation, I toss the phone over onto the bed.

"Why do you need it?" I ask, leaning back into the chair. I could grow to hate this chair. My back hurts from sitting in it for so long.

"I need to get myself a way out of here," he says. "I need to get back to Court immediately. To Mr. Mazur."

"You can't contact him," I point out. "I have his phone."

Asland gives me a blank look. "Did you take Guardian Pavel's?"

I stare at him blankly. I don't remember ever seeing a phone. I never took anything from him. "No."

Asland nods once, sharply. "Then he should hopefully still have it. I bet that by now he is with Mr. Mazur." That makes sense, I guess. I didn't see a phone on Asland. I wonder if i knocked it off of him when I tackled him to the ground and bashed his head in. My eyes travel to the purple mark on his forehead wondering if he has a nasty headache from that. He hasn't complained but thinking about it now, he has been squinting for a while. Maybe I gave him a concussion. Oops.

Guardian Asland types in a number and holds it to his ear for a long moment, his face looks pensive. He sighs with relief when someone picks up on the other line, probably Pavel. They speak in a language I don't understand. What is the native language in Turkey? Is it just... Turkish? I guess. Either way, I can't understand it so I just sit here on my uncomfortable as hell chair and watch as he tries to explain the situation to Pavel. Or maybe it's Abe. I can't understand them regardless of who it is.

A few minutes later, Asland hangs up and tosses the phone back to me, I catch it easily. "Get everything sorted out?" I ask. He nods but doesn't explain further. Smart. I stand up, stuffing the phone in my pocket. "I'm going to go get you something to eat. You'll need something to give you strength for the run you're going to have to make. Sorry, McDonalds sounds like it might be the only thing open at this hour."

Asland nods. I walk over to his wallet and grab out a twenty, tossing it to him. He catches it giving me a look. "No money of your own?"

I shake my head. "Left my wallet at Gerard's." I stop on my way to the door, turning slightly to look at him from the corner of my eye. "Is he... I mean, is Gerard and Alina okay?"

Asland's face is unreadable. "Do you care?" he asks lightly, no malice in his voice. It's a genuine question.

I don't answer him. I can't. I don't know the answer. Wondering if it's a mistake to leave him uncuffed for just a moment, I decide to risk it and leave. If he gets himself killed, at least it's no skin off my nose. Hopefully.

Thankfully there are at least two McDonalds every half a block so I was able to get back to the house in record time. Even more thankfully, Asland didn't do anything rash and stayed in bed. He untied his legs, though and got his weapons back, which I suspected would happen. I tossed the bag of burgers and change at him. He stuffs the money back into his wallet and chows down on the plain burgers.

I make for tidying the room, but really, I wanted an excuse to look under the bed at the stake still wrapped up safely in the shirt. Which it is. Unless he found it, switched it out with something else but I'm not going to check and see. Once I'm done trying to be sneaky, I go back to that blasted chair and pull out the phone. I wonder if it's smart to go through it.

What if he has a hit list on it? Other stuff about the black market? His day planner? I can just imagine:

8:00 a.m: Wake up

8:10 a.m: Eat breakfast

8:30 a.m: Go ruin someone's life

9:10 a.m: Break some kneecaps

9:45 a.m: Check in with informants

10:50 a.m: Sell drugs

12:00 p.m: Lunch

12:30 p.m: Bug Rose

1:00 p.m: Break more kneecaps

2:00 p.m: Arms dealing

3:20 p.m: Shop for more flamboyant wardrobe

4:00 p.m: Bug someone who isn't Rose

5:00 p.m: Bug Rose again

5:30 p.m: Dinner

6:00 p.m: Free time (will probably be used to bug Rose)

8:50 p.m: Read a gangster book

10:00 p.m: Early to bed, early to rise

Yeah, maybe something like that. He might set more time aside for bugging me, I don't know. But, there is no way in the world that I would get myself involved in his black market dealings. I'm just thankful he has no plans in making it a family owned business. I wouldn't know how to break it to the old man that I would be keep my illegal drug trafficking and arms dealing virginity for... ever.

I open the phone again and stare at the picture of my mom and me. We look so happy, so normal. I just want to step back into that moment and just keep going from there, but this time, I don't stay at Gerard's for as long as I did.

No, if I wasn't there, there is a good chance that they would have died. If I hadn't been trying to reconnect with Lissa using Spirit, I wouldn't have realized that I was nauseous. I wouldn't have made the connection to a possible Strigoi attack. I wouldn't have been able to save Gerard, which ultimately, is what mattered. He is a Moroi after all and he comes before me. So what if I'm Strigoi now. It's better me gone than him.

"Asland," I say, my voice sounding strange to my ears. He looks up at me, chewing his burger. There is a bit of mustard on the corner of his mouth. He chews for a few moments more before swallowing.

"Yes?"

"I... need you to know something. I need you to get information to Lissa- uh, Queen Vasilisa," I say calmly and he pauses eating, to take in the serious look on my face. He nods for me to continue. "I don't care if you tell my old man it and he tell Lissa, but I need her to know that this pertains to Spirit. Now, you have to tell her word for word what I am about to say, okay?"

"Yes," Asland says, putting the rest of his sandwich down to show me he's serious.

"Tell her: Rose Hathaway was able to perceive the Strigoi attack with her Shadow-Kissed gift. She'll know what it means," I say slowly, hoping that I'm right. The old man might not know, but Lissa certainly will and if Dimitri is anywhere near, he'll know too. My heart aches at the thought of my Russian eye candy. In my mind's eye, I can see his smile. I can see the way his eyes crinkle slightly when he does. His nose twitching a little. His pearly white teeth. His deep voice in my ear. His airy laugh. His warmth as he puts his arm around me. His lips on mine. His calloused fingers brushing my hair from my face.

I shake my head sharply, forcing the thoughts away. I've tried not to think about him and Lissa since turning. I try not to think about how they are doing, how they are coping with me being gone. If they even care! No, Rose, don't think like that. They do miss you. Right?

Asland nods slowly. "I've got this."

I relax back into the seat, forcing all my negative thoughts away. "Good. Now we play the waiting game."

I made to wait until the sun was up and against the front door before we began moving. Asland and I sneak down the hall quietly. As we near the end of the hall, just passing Mattias' room I stop when I hear voices inside. Asland nearly bumps into me but manages to catch himself.

"What?" He hisses.

I shush him, tip-toeing closer to the door and listening closer.

"-and she's been acting strange ever since," Taylor was saying. "She went missing during the hunt only to show back up at the end? Shady!"

Mattias snorts really loudly. "Control yourself, Taylor. I never said that she was suppose to stay with the group, and she knew that, Taylor. Shut up, you are trying to create an issue from nothing."

Taylor makes a disgruntled noise. "Think about it Mattias," she says pouty, "I've had a bad feeling about her since she showed up. There is something off about her, always have been. Something has to be done about her."

I twist around to see Asland, his eyes are wide. I bet we are both thinking the same thing; she's talking about me. Have I been found out? I'm not exactly sure what would have been found about about me, but perhaps the fact that I let my old man go. Oh, and Pavel. And planning on saving yet another life I should be taking. I am really bad at this whole Strigoi thing.

And yet I had no problem eating humans. Why is that?

"She brought a pet home with her," Taylor continues. Asland and I both tense up. "Something is off about him too. I wonder if they could be working together..."

Holy crap! This psycho bitch knows all the moves I'm going to make before I make them? What the hell? What? Do I think my traitorous plans too loudly? Do I have some kind of look on my face that just screams "I'm going to betray you!"? Because that would just be my luck.

"To do what?" Mattias laughs at the absurdity of it all. "You are barking at your shadow, Taylor, now unless you have something interesting to say, leave me alone."

I don't wait to hear a reply. I grab Asland's arm and led him swiftly down the stairs. When we get to the bottom of the stairs, I hand him the shirt covered stake. At first he was confused but then he unwrapped it and nodded grimly. I reach for the doorknob.

"Is someone up?" I hear a voice from the kitchen. Asland and I both stare at each other with identical looks of shock. I break away from the door and head for the kitchen to see Libby sitting at the table, all the doors covered up with thick black curtains so no light can come through. She's half standing when I fly into the room. I know I look guilty.

"You're awake, Libby?" I say as smoothly as I can, thankfully my voice comes out even. "I didn't know anyone stayed up this late."

Libby lowers herself back to her seat. "I'm on watch." She eyes me suspiciously.

"Ahh," I murmur, trying to think of some reason as to why I'm up so late. Thankfully, I don't have to, the creak of the front door opening is like the fire alarm going off. Libby is on her feet immediately, heading for the door. I get ahead of her, making it seem like I'm just as much into seeing who this is that she is.

But as I head toward him, all I can see is this halo of light engulfing his body. The light reminds me of Lissa. On how, in my eyes, it's like she's always glowing. There is a purity about her that I could never understand. She was so good. She was so wonderful. Spirit covered her body in this beautiful radiance that's iridescent. She turns to look back at me, for I am her shadow, and she smiles.

I step into the warm rays and her kind face twists into one of shock. Her eyes and hair darken, her milky white skin is kissed by the sun through descent and not from the actual sun, and she's no longer Lissa. She's Asland. He did something a Guardian should never do, he looked back at the enemy. I did something that a Strigoi should never do, I stepped into direct sunlight.

Disappearing with Lissa's face, is the warmth. Instead it is replaced with this searing pain that erupts across my body, like I was one of those dancers that at the end would drop into a chair and pull the sting so water would fall over me, except instead of water, it's lava. But that horrible pain is only for a moment before something grabs the back of my shirt and tugs me back into the darkness.

Back where I belong.