I know that I've been updating more often this week than normal – am I good or what? :P It's just because I have a little spare time in the evenings :)

So here's the next chapter…and I think chapter 22's the one you've all been waiting for :D

Chapter 21

I awoke suddenly.

I blinked a few times, trying to get my bearings.

It was then that I realised where I was…and what I was doing; my head was resting on Rose's chest, and it was her hand gently stroking my hair that had startled me from my sleep.

I looked up to meet her eyes, and saw that her deep brown orbs were staring back to me with an intensity that would have been palpable to anyone.

Her fingers continued to gently stroke my hair and my temple.

Just being with her here, felt like a dream. Nothing else in the world existed, except for the two of us and the love we had once shared.

And god I loved her.

I shifted slightly and lifted myself up so that I hovered ever so slightly over her, our lips only inches apart. I felt my lips move towards hers like they were two magnets. I brought my hand up to cup her cheek but froze.

Adrian.

She was with Adrian. This wasn't fair to him or to her.

I pulled away from her and sat up, exhaling and feeling frustrated. How could I let myself be so selfish? Rose was in a relationship with Adrian. She was happy.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked me quietly.

"Pick." I answered, looking at her. "There are lots of choice."

"I know…" she started. "I know things have changed. I know you were wrong. I know you can feel love again."

"This isn't about love," I told her.

"If it's not about love, then what is it about?" she exclaimed.

"It's about doing the right thing," I said.

Rose fell silent.

The whole tent was submersed in a thick silence, that was until, something or someone scratched at the door.

I sprang and grabbed my stake and Rose did the same.

"Rose? Dimitri?" the voice was quiet. Had we not been so alert, I would have thought it was a whisper of the wind.

Rose moved and unzipped the tent's door and Sonya crawled inside.

"Cosy," she commented, studying the tent's interior. "You've got the farthest spot out on the campground. Took me forever to find the car you described."

"How'd you get here?" Rose asked her.

Sonya winked slyly at her. "You're not the only ones who can steal cars. Or, in my case, get people 'willingly' lend them."

"Were you followed?" I asked her. That was the important thing.

"Not that I could tell," she answered, shifting into a more comfortable way of sitting. "A couple of guardians followed me back in the neighbourhood, but I lost them a while ago. Most of them seemed more interested in you two."

"Imagine that," Rose muttered. "Too bad Victor was long gone – he might have taken priority."

"He didn't kill the queen," she replied. "But the good news is I know where they're at now."

"Where?" Rose and I asked at the same time, causing a small smile to reach Sonya's lips.

"West Michigan," she answered. "They took off in the opposite direction from Court."

"Damn," Rose cussed under her breath. "But you saw Jill? Is she okay?"

Sonya nodded in reply. "Fine. Scared, but fine. She described enough landmarks that I think we can locate their motel. I found her in a dream a couple of hours ago; they had to rest. Victor wasn't feeling well. They might still be there."

"Then we need to leave now," I said. If there was a chance Victor and Robert were still in the same place, we needed to move now before it was too late. "Once they're moving, Jill will be awake and out of contact."

We packed up as fast as we could and moved towards the car. Rose was just climbing in when Sonya stopped her.

"Hang on," she said and knelt down to examine her ankle. She reached her hands out and rested them on her ankle. Once she had moved them away, the swelling was gone, as was no doubt, the bruising.

"Thank you," Rose said. "But you shouldn't have done that…shouldn't have used the magic…"

"You needed to be in peak condition," she answered. "And the magic…it's hard to stay away from."

I understood the guilty look in Rose's face, but Sonya was right. The last thing we needed was for Rose to be injured.

I drove fast, following Sonya's directions.

"There," she said as I drove into Sturgis. "That's what she described. The Sunshine Motel."

I pulled into the parking lot by the building. The three of us sat, just watching the motel, trying to decipher the best way to go about this.

"That's their car," Sonya said suddenly, pointing to the familiar vehicle. "They're here."

"Sloppy," I commented. Victor and Robert must have been weaker than we had thought if they hadn't even changed cars. "They should have switched cars."

"That's Sydney's," Rose said. "It's not technically stolen, so it's not on any police lists. Besides, something tells me Victor and Robert aren't hot-wiring pros like some people are."

I smiled inside at her jab and nodded. "Whatever the reason, it helps us."

"How do we find them?" Sonya asked us.

"We wait," Rose said. "It's amazing enough that they even stopped this long. If they have any sense, they'll leave soon."

I agreed with her, knowing that this was the best idea we would be able to think of.

I made eye contact with Rose and found myself not able to look away from her gorgeous brown orbs. She looked away first. "The lot's easy to defend too. Not much room for escape."

I reversed and turned the car, driving it to the farthest spot I could. Once we had parked, Rose and I climbed out of the car. It was agreed that Sonya would wait in the car.

Rose and I moved to the back of the car, giving us some extra coverage.

"I don't suppose," Rose said softly. "that we're going to talk about this morning?"

I couldn't. Talking about it would only remind my body and mind of my love for her – not that they needed reminding.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I knew you'd say that," she commented. "Actually, it was a toss-up between that and 'I don't know what you're talking about'."

"I sighed audibly. I should've known that she wouldn't let it go.

"But," she went on. "there is something to talk about. Like when you almost kissed me. And what did you mean about 'the right thing'?"

She became frustrated when I didn't answer.

"You wanted to kiss me! I saw it!"

"Just because we want something doesn't mean it's right." I replied.

"What I said…" she said slowly. "it's true, isn't it? You can love, can't you? I realise now that right after the transformation, you really didn't think you could. And you probably couldn't. But things have changed. You're getting yourself back."

Rose wasn't stupid. Reckless and impulsive, yeah…but not stupid.

I looked at her. "Yes." I said truthfully. I owed her the truth. "Things have changed…and some haven't."

"Okay, Mr. Enigma. That doesn't help explain the 'right thing' comment."

I was getting frustrated. "Rose, I've done a lot of bad things, most of which I can never fix or find redemption for. My only choice now, if I want to reclaim my life, is to go forward, stopping evil and doing what's right. And what is not right is taking another woman from another man, a man I like and respect. I'll steal cars. I'll break into houses. But there are lines I will not cross, no matter what I –"

I was cut off by the back door of the motel opening and Victor appearing. He was quickly followed by Robert and Jill, who was walking with a dazed look in her face.

"Compulsion," I whispered to Rose. "Go for Victor. I'll get Robert."

She nodded. "Jill will run as soon as the compulsion's broken. I hope."

Rose and I sprang into action and sprinted towards the group. Once we reached them, I managed to get my arms around Robert, who hadn't been expecting us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Rose had Victor pinned on the ground.

Robert struggled in my arms, but was nowhere near strong enough to throw me off.

Suddenly, the ground shook a little, throwing me off balance. I looked around for an explanation and saw Victor concentrating hard on Rose, who was on her knees on the ground, which was rolling beneath her. Victor, who was looking pale, started to build a stone wall around her.

Robert suddenly elbowed me hard in the ribs. It wasn't enough to get out of my grip, but it was enough to draw my attention away from Rose's fight. I tightened my grip on him as he struggled harder than before.

The next time I looked however, Rose's was shaking Victor vigorously, with an out of control anger. Her screams could be heard miles away.

"Get up! Get up and fight me!"

It took me a second to realise that Sonya had come running, trying to pry Rose's hands away from him. Suddenly, their positions changed and I got a look at Victor. His body was pale and lifeless and he looked…dead.

Shock coursed through my body. For the first time since I could remember, I didn't know how to react.

"He has to pay," Rose growled.

"Rose, he has! He's dead. Can't you see that? Dead. Victor's dead!"

Robert froze in my arms, taking in the scene before him.

Then he started wailing and struggling. My hands moved from around him and I pinned his arms to his back. He struggled harder in this new position, but his efforts were fruitless. He became screaming his brother's name over and over. I felt numb; I wasn't sure how I was meant to feel.

One look at Rose's face however, made me want to let go of Robert and just hold her.

"Get him out of here!" Sonya's shout brought me back to reality. I realised Robert had stopped struggling.

"Get him out of here! As far as you can!" She shouted at me. I was taken aback. I listened to her anyway and dragged Robert as best I could away.
I realised after about thirty seconds that it would be a hell of a lot easier to just carry him, so I threw him over my shoulder.

I heard Sonya call after me again. "Get him out of here! He's trying to bring Victor back! He'll be shadow-kissed!" I suddenly understood the urgency and importance of getting Robert away from him.

I moved faster until they were out of sight. I wracked my brain for the best way to leave Robert without him being a threat. I needed to get back to my group. Back to Rose. It wouldn't be long until people came investigating the source of the noise.

So I knocked him out. I felt no remorse, though, as I left him hidden in some bushes and moved around the edge towards the car. I saw Jill leave the car and move around the parking lot, searching for something.

I moved out of the trees, making myself visible.

"There you are," Jill said and approached me. "Sonya told me to come get you."

We made our way quickly back to the car and I knocked on the window. Sonya unlocked and opened the door for us.

"Where's Robert?" she asked me once we were in.

I looked down at the body that was lying there and had to make myself look away. I had seen more than my fair share of bodies.

"Unconscious," I answered her. "Hidden, in some bushes around the corner."

"Charming," Sonya replied. "Do you think that's smart? Leaving him?"

I shrugged. I didn't know what the best thing was anymore. "I figured I shouldn't be seen carrying some unconscious guy in my arms. In fact…yes, I think we should just leave him there. He'll wake up. He's not a fugitive. And without Victor, he's…well, not harmless. But less harmful. We can't keep dragging him with us anyway."

Suddenly, Rose let out this loud, harsh laugh, making me flinch.

"He's unconscious," she said, her voice sounding strange. "Of course. Of course. You can do that. You can do the right thing. Not me."

She was rambling.

"'An animal' he said," she continued. "He was right. No higher reasoning…" she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as though creating a protective shield. Her fingernails however, dug hard into her arms, breaking skin.

"What happened?" I asked Sonya, afraid to hear the answer. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be the darkness that Rose was so terrified of. That I was terrified of.

"Spirit," Sonya confirmed, sending my heart plummeting. "She's pulled and pulled for so long…and managed to hold it back. It's been waiting, though. Always waiting…Is that silver?" she asked Jill, pointing to some form of jewellery.

Jill fingered the locket around her neck. "I think so."

"Can I have it?"

As Jill undid the clasp and handed the necklace to Sonya to charm, I watched the blank look in Rose's face. Life had dealt me tough cards, and I was getting through the mess that was left, and I felt I could, as long as Rose was okay and happy.

I hated spirit. I hated it for what it was doing to my Rose. And yet, I was grateful for it. If it didn't exist, I wouldn't be back here.

"The heart…" Rose said suddenly, watching the locket as Sonya's gave it to her to put on. Her gaze flicked to me. Her eyes were wild and crazed looking.

"Do you remember?" she asked me, reaching around her neck to put it on. 'Where's your heart?' you asked." I realised what she was talking about. It was one of the first lessons I had taught her. She hadn't even held a stake yet.

"And here it is." Rose continued. "Here it…" she froze.

She looked at me, Sonya and Jill, as though she was only just realising we were there. Her hand lifted and touched the locket around her neck.

"This is a healing charm," she commented.

Sonya nodded. "I didn't know if it'd work on the mind. I don't think it's a permanent fix…but between it and your own will, you'll be okay for a while."

She mulled Sonya's words over in her head, and then her gaze drifted down to the body of Victor Dashkov lying in front of her.

"What have I done?" she whispered, her voice full of grief and pain.

Jill wrapped an arm around her.

"What you had to." I said.

AN: Please review: they really do mean so much to me. And thank you to everyone who reviewed the last one – or any other one. I love hearing from you guys! :D