I am warning you now, grab a box of tissues. It had taken me a while to write this. I've had a lot of things to do, with the end of the year coming up so fast and being in track. I am sorry that I am updating only once a week. But the good news is, only one or two more chapters left until I am finished with this story.

Enjoy. And please review!

I looked over to where I had last saw Ms. Karp, and found that she was advancing on Lissa. She smelled moroi blood. I had underestimated Sonya. I thought she would have jumped in with the fight I was in. She hadn't. She went for Lissa. Tamara went into attack position, waiting for Karp to make a move. The others were staying put, being the wall between her and Lissa.

I sprinted towards Lissa and the others, planning on being the one to attack, but I was too late. Sonya lunged for Tamara, and Tamara went to strike out before she could hit her, but Sonya's fist came out as fast as lightening and hit Tammy so hard, she flew backwards.

"Tammy!" Lev yelled out in anxiety...! He lunged at Sonya, but Sonya lunged for the Lissa, and this time, I was on her.

"Lev, make sure Tammy is okay." I grunted, trying to hold Karp down while I was on top of her. Lev hustled over to Tammy. "Zena, grab her legs." I ordered. Zena moved as soon as I called her name. She went to Sonya's legs, and held them down.

"Liss, she's held down good. Come."

Christian, being the over protective boyfriend, made an outline of fire of Sonya's body. Dimitri came up to me, and helped leaned his body on mine, making almost triple the weight.

Ms. Karp froze when she felt the heat of the flames by her. Lissa stepped up, but I first saw Gabe. He was in front of her, being the barrier between any attack. His face was stern and calculating. Slowly though, he had to back away and let Lissa take impact.

Lissa kneeled and Ms. Karp actually hissed in outrage. "You will pay for this!" Lissa brought the stake above Karp's heart.

"I heal you." Lissa whispered, and with both hands and using her full body weight, staked Ms. Karp.

Just with Dimitri, there was a blinding white light for a moment, then it disappeared, followed by a scream and wail of agony.

Immediately, we all got off of Ms. Karp.

"I'll take her some place safe." Dimitri said. "I want to talk to her, let her see new light on this, just as you have me," he said, looking at me. I nodded.

"I am coming with you." Lissa said with authority in her voice, just as she had with Dimitri's restoration.

"Of course, Princess." Dimitri said, and with that, scooped Sonya Karp, now a moroi, up in his arms and carried her off, saying soothing words. It seemed to that they had an immediate connection, and Ms. Karp would need all the help they could get.

Just then, I heard a cry of agony went through the air. The Cobra's whipped their head around and I saw Tamara lying limp in Lev's arms. Lev was sitting on his knees, holding Tammy in his arms.

And he was weeping, looking down on her.

In sync we all ran to them. When we got there, everyone gasped at Tamara's appearance. She took a much harder hit then what we lead to believe. Her ears were leaking out blood, indicating a fractured skull, but I believe that was the worst of our problems.

This is new, but I wanted everyone to get a feel of what was going on with Lev and Tamara. I wont be giving their relationship away straight away, so pay attention.

Lev's POV.

The moment Rose got Ms. Karp and told me to check on Tammy, I went. My whole essence was screaming at me to go to her. She took a deathly blow, and I wanted to kill this strigoi for it!

I sprinted to her, even though she was only a few yards away.

Yards. That strigoi hit her so hard.

I stood over Tamara and looked her over. Her breathing was labored and short. Her head was already swollen and turning blue and purple from where the blow hit her head.

"Ангел (Angel; sounds like: auM-bil)." I said her nickname that I came up with when we were. It meant to come out commanding, but it came out like I was choking on something.

To someone who isn't involved in her romantically, you wouldn't have noticed she moved. It was the slightest movement of her lips. I grabbed her held her in my arms.

"Come on Tam's, get up. Come on, Angel. We have moroi to protect, a war to fight."

She stirred in my arms. Her eyes never opened, but she spoke in a whisper. "Hot Rod." She addressed me in that nickname. She gave me that nickname before Rose came back. We went hunting two months before Rose's return, and we went to the club. As we walked through the parking lot, I fantasized about riding a black Harley Night Rod. Tamara noticed it and rolled her eyes. Since that night, 'Hot Rod' was my nickname from her.

"I'm here. Get up." I heard my heart pumping in my ears.

"I don't think I can get up this time." Her voice was a whisper, strained and tight and I could hear the terror.

"You're a tank, remember?" I said, encouraging her. "Remember that one time back in Kazan? You punched that strigoi so hard his neck broke."

"Levi Andreev." She sighed, but I could tell she was impressed with herself. I was even more impressed, but mostly proud. She had come even farther with her fighting skills than me in the last year.

"We didn't make it." She said in such a low whisper, I barely caught it. I knew she was fading away.

"No, Tam. We'll make it. We will tell them. Together." The last word came out shaky. My nerves were going on haywire; my heart seemed to be pumping a hundred miles an hour.

"I'm not-"

"Hey, we agreed we'd tell them together. Besides, I want to see Denis's face when Rose says congrats." Denis, we both knew, would reject our relationship. Rose, being in love with another dhampire, would understand. But Denis had told us that he thought it was a bad choice for our kind to be involved with one another. He didn't like the idea of Rose being with Dimitri very much, but he didn't say anything, fearing offending her and Dimitri's family. Though, I secretly think his views were changing when he saw how well the two love birds fought on the battle field today.

I was still gazing down at her, and in that way of hers, the smile she gave me stopped my heart and took my breath. In those smiles, I knew with a certainty, that this was the one woman for me. I would never give her up.

"Levi, I'm," she made a fist with her hand, but it wasn't very strong; her fingers barely curled up. "I'm losing strength."

I brought her head up to the curve of my neck and shoulder and held her tightly. "Stay with me Angel."

We had kept our relationship a secret because of the fact of Denis's views. I wanted to come out with it when we were in Moscow, but Tammy said no and to wait. For her, I stayed silent, but I couldn't any longer. The men here were looking at Tamara in ways that some religions would chop heads or hands off. We soon agreed that we could call the Cobra's to a meeting and tell them.

Knowing Lissa, she would probably through a party for us. Denis…he well, we will find out. Denis isn't a stupid guy. He knows when something is up, and I have a feeling he knows about Tammy and I, but he's too polite to say anything, especially with Rose around. She'd kick his ass too.

"Lev," I shifted her in my arms and laid her down on my lap, her legs stretched to the side, my right arm (outer arm, from the way I was holding her), was cradling her. My free hand slid through her hair, to brush it back. Her fine, short black hair was in her eyes. When I slid her hair back, she finally opened her eyes. Her brown eyes seemed tired, but I could see how much she loved me. I saw her kindness and strength, both endless.

I traced her lips with my free hand. "Shh." I whispered, my throat feeling tight. "We'll get help." I traced her jaw line as I spoke, but I knew by the time we reached the aid tent, she'd be dead. It was clear in her eyes. She didn't have long. Mere moments, if that.

"Lev..." Her voice faded, but when she said my name, the tone was all I needed to hear to know what she was trying to say.

"I love you too Tamara, but damn it, you're going to be okay!" It was most likely the last time I was ever going to tell Tammy that I love her, and I was being an idiot. But damn it, she doesn't deserve to die yet, and not like this. Not in a war. Not young. And not when we were about to come out in the open! We haven't even been together yet, not really.

No! Anyone but Tamara. I could handle anyone's death. But hers?

I looked into Tammy's eyes, and tried to give her a smile, but it turned into a grimace. Her hand came up to my cheek, and she wiped a tear that somehow escaped. "I will be watching over you."

"Damn it! Don't talk like that! Don't you leave me!"

She gave me one last look, and it broke my heart. I love you is what she was saying in her eyes. I cried out loud. And I never cried before. "Tamara!" I yelled for her to come back, but it came out a cry. A cry of mourning. Her hand dropped down from my cheek and onto her stomach. I felt her last breath go in…and out. I looked at her, praying it was only my imagination. But it wasn't. Her eyes were open, but I saw as the light faded.

Tamara was dead.

Rose's POV.

I was standing two feet away from Lev and Tamara.

I couldn't believe what was in front of me. My friend and sister was laying in Lev's arm's, and something told me, something about her body posture, told me she had left us. I looked over towards Lev, and immediately, I understood why he was so grumpy towards Tammy.

He was in love with her.

I couldn't believe I didn't see it before. I should have known by the way those two argue so much, especially Lev's protective side just before the war with Tammy. He wasn't yelling at her because he thought she was being lazy, he was yelling at her because he was scared.

But, regardless, loosing Tamara broke my heart. The pain of a loved one had brought me to my knees beside her and Lev. I looked over at Lev and he met my eyes for long, brief moment. His eyes were red, and his frame was shaking. I was pretty sure my face conveyed grief as well, but nowhere near as much as his.

She was my sister and friend. She was his lover.

And I understood his pain so well, that it brought back a pain in my chest. I reached my hand out to Lev's shoulder and held onto it. "Lev…I'm…We are all here for you." I choked out. I had tears flowing down, but I was shaking; it was Lev. My throat felt tight all of a sudden.

"Carry her to the Aid tent. I want her to have a proper funeral." This came from Dimitri. His face was stern, but underneath it, I saw sorrow. He'd gotten to know Tamara a little bit, and had liked her friendly attitude.

Lev got up, but there seemed to be a robotic feel to it. I think it was only Tammy's name that kept him moving. For me, it was Lissa. The Cobra's have to be here for Lev now. He needs a purpose now. I got up soon after him.

"Rose." Zena chocked out. She was beside me. "NO! Oh, god, please no!" I held onto Zena, whose shock must have just worn off. I pulled her into a hug, and she started to sob. I rubbed her back, trying to sooth her. Then, after a moment, I urged her forward.

"I know." I said, and it came out thick. "I want to mourn to, but we have to get her body to a safe place. She deserves a proper..."I couldn't say it. It broke my heart to say it. It felt like a knife through the heart each time I looked ahead at Lev and Tammy.

Lev's pace was slow and painful. Each step must have been the end of the world for him. I could see it in his body posture. He's given up on everything. And from experience, I knew in his eyes, the world was unfair. And it was.

We reached the tent, and we all entered in a V shape. I was still at the pointed part of the V, but Lev and Tamara were a few feet ahead. All the guardians in there- and there were a lot- looked at us as we entered.

Lissa and Sonya looked up at our entry, but we didn't pay them any attention. Our eyes were only on Tammy and Lev. Lev laid her down on a bed. His hand went to the white sheet at the end of her feet. His hand stretched out, as if to grab a bunch of it, but then froze.

He fell to his knees, took one of her hands, held it in his, and buried his head on her stomach. Their hands went to the back of his head.

He started whispering words to her in Russian. It was loud enough that I could hear- all of us could hear; we were standing only a few yards away. I turned my head to the side, feeling as if I was invading on their privacy. As I turned my head, a few tears slid down. I looked at Dimitri, and he was watching me. I could tell he wanted to comfort me from the long look in his eyes, but I shook my head. Lev was the one that needed the comforting.

"What is he saying?" Adrian came up to me, causing Gabe to step to his right a little bit to make room. "The mourning is thick. It's bad enough I could read aura's, but damn, you could feel the tension as you guys came up the hill!" He didn't even mean it as a joke; he said it as a glum fact.

I listened to Lev, and when I spoke, my voice shook. "He is yelling at her for leaving him alone." I gave him a very small smile. "But now." I looked back over at Lev. "Now he is telling her he's sorry. He's confessing that the only reason he was mad at her before the war is that he was so scared. Scared of this happening." A sob broke through and I tried to smooth it over with a breath, but a hand grabbed my shoulder in comfort and another sob broke through, this time I closed my eyes tightly. That hand tuned into a chest and I her fiercely.

"Shh." Larisa soothed, but I knew she was only trying to be strong.

"Rose…" Adrian said, and there was curiosity in his voice. "Do you think I can…"

I lifted my head up to see him, and I shook my head. "She's been dead too long, I think."

"Only a few minutes," Lev said in English. "Try." He looked at Adrian with the most sorrow filled eyes a man could have. He also looked at him like Adrian was his last hope. And I do believe he was. "Please."

I think Adrian was a little bit overwhelmed that Lev was talking to him at all. Lev was always quiet around Adrian. But he quickly recovered and walked over, putting a hand over Tamara's heart.

In unison, we all held our breaths, praying that this would work. Lev was beside Adrian, but I could see his face clearly. His shoulders were so far back, that I knew he was going to be developing knots soon.

I knew Tammy wouldn't like being shadow kissed, but I also knew that she would rather have a chance at any life than being dead.

In a few moments, sweat broke out across Adrian's forehead, and his crystal that was on her heart, seemed to glow, but her eyes never opened. However, to my amazement, Adrian kept trying.

"Come on, Tammy girl!" Adrian whispered.

Moments later, the crystal stopped glowing, and Adrian just stared down at Tamara in disappointment.

"Please, try again." Lev begged, looking down at Tammy.

Adrian nodded, and did try again, but this time, when he put magic through the crystal, the crystal didn't even light up. Adrian tried a third time and the crystal still didn't light up. I looked at Lev and he had on a pained expression. He knew it wasn't going to work. We all knew it.

Adrian looked over towards Lissa.

"No." I said to him, knowing what he was thinking. He looked at me. "She can't. If she bond's with more than one person, she will end up like Avery."

He looked down at Tamara. "I did my best…but it wasn't enough." He looked pained. "Why couldn't I bring her back?"

"Because she's been gone too long. Either that or she's in heaven." Dimitri said.

Lev got up and left the tent. I watched him leave, and it was hard to see him in such a state. I wanted to follow after him and tell him everything will be alright, but I knew it wouldn't be. It just wouldn't.

"How is it out there Rose? And no lies." Adrian said with a stern voice.

I looked over at Dimitri as I spoke. "It's not good. There are more strigoi than guardians."

I saw Adrian's shoulders droop down in defeat. "Then we are goners." He stated.

I didn't reply on that, because I didn't know the answer. I could feel Lissa walking over to me. True panic light the bond, and I knew for a fact that her facial expression was the same. She had seen what went on with Tamara.

Rose. Help has arrived. Mason said, looking like a commander and at the same time smug. Walk outside with everyone.

"Cнаружи (means- outside: sounds like; snah-dOgh-shur)." I addressed the Cobra's. They nodded once, turned and walked out. I walked out last, but with haste. I didn't want to talk to Lissa about Tamara now.

I looked back over to Mason. We were a couple steps away from the tent, and still under the protection of the ward.

Watch this. He winked to me. I looked up and saw helicopters still in the air, firing at strigoi. They had managed to blow the strigoi helicopters up, it seemed like. I noticed more debris on the ground... along with more bodies.

No Rose, not the ground; the sky.

I looked back up and sunrise was soon to come. I saw nothing but stars. I smelled nothing but the rusty smell of blood and

Keep looking.

I looked over at the horizon, and suddenly, there was a glow of light. "What the..?" As I gazed at it, the more it felt familiar.

"What is it, Rose?" Dimitri asked, looking at the horizon.

"That light." And as I said that, I knew why it felt so familiar. It was the light that claimed the dead. Was it coming to claim the spirits that were still around the battle field?

Just wait. Mason thought to me smug. Is that a no?

Shut up and watch.

Then, like angels descending down from heaven, ghosts came down with weapons. They formed a straight line, facing their opponents. Then, at once, they attacked. Their weapons met the strigoi's bodies, allowing them to kill them.

The gasps from the Cobra's told me that they could see it. The strigoi ran through them, trying to defend themselves from the ghosts, but it was no use. They ghosts were air tight, and the strigoi ran through them.

Quickly, the ghosts ended the strigoi and lengthened our rate of survival.

"Come Rose, we need to help them." Zena said, her eyes red.

I looked over to where Lev was standing, or well, slumping against, a tree. "Lev."

"I'm going to stay here." He didn't look at me or anyone as he spoke, he just stared at the battle field, but I knew he wasn't actually seeing anything.

"Stay alive Lev." I said in a soft voice. "We need you." I was about to turn, but quickly added "всегда (always; sounds like: sig-dah)."

I didn't know if he would listen to what I had said. Maybe it went right in one ear and out the other, but he knew that his guardian status was important. His guardianship was essential to the moroi and to us. But mostly to us; the people that love him.

I turned and started jogged down the hill, following the others who were ahead of me. Dimitri looked over his shoulder and saw me coming. He stopped and waited for me.

"You ready for this? How's your headache?" He said as I came up to him. We immediately quickened our pace to ketch up to the others.

"No headache. If you can see them, then I guess they chose to let you see them. With me, I think, they are forced to being seen."

I looked around in the crowd and saw that the ghost left the guardians alone and only damaged and killed the strigoi. I noticed familiar people that I knew that had passed on. The most important person I noticed was Tamara. She was in the front of the line, doing more damage than anyone else.

She wasn't paying any attention to us, only her kills. She looked fierce as she plunged the sword Abe had gotten for her, into the strigoi's heart. She turned around, pulling the sword out, and sliced a strigoi that had quickly approached her.

Using my dagger that I had only used for interrogations, I ran towards her to help her with Dimitri on my heels. I was sure the others haven't seen her.

"Tammy!" I yelled. She didn't look at me, she kept fighting. Dimitri and I got closer to her, dogging dead strigoi bodies.

"Do you see her?" Dimitri asked as he came up to me. Do I see her? She was only a hundred yards away! How could he not see her?

"Yes, she's fighting with the others. You can't see her?" It came out a hard question, because my breathing was labored. With me being upset over Tamara's death and running right after, my lungs didn't agree with me.

"They are all blurry. I can't identify any faces."

When we got to her, I ran through her, wanting to give her a hug. But, just like the strigoi, all I got was air.

This time, Tammy looked at me and she gave me a sad grimace. She shook her head and her mouth moved as if she was speaking, but like Mason, nothing she said was audible.

She says that she didn't want to die so soon. Like you, she had a life to live, but she accepts it. Mason thought to me, being our translator.

"I don't see how you can accept it, Tamara." I said in Russian. "I sure wouldn't. I would be so bitter." Then a thought occurred to me. "Wait- how can you understand Russian Mason?" This question, I asked in English.

I can't, but here on this astral plain, we all understand each other, no matter their native language.

I couldn't talk anymore, because just as I was about to speek, I saw someone coming to swing at me. Luckily, I dodged far enough that my shoulder would take the impact. Using the dagger I had in my hand, I swung it around and caught skin. Tamara was by my side instantly, and once she saw an opening, which was right after I sliced the strigoi open, she went for the heart.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri fighting a strigoi who had tried to get to me and Tamara. Tamara and I forced our way forward. The Cobra's had joined us and were by ourside, dispatching more strigoi. Gabe and Denis had a rutine down. One would slice the ribs open as a distraction. Then the other while the other held them down while the one who had sliced the ribs went for the heart. It was a great tactic.

Part way through, I looked down and saw a piece of clothing. I took it and wiped the blood off my dagger as we walked, then I put it back and drew my sword.

"Dimitri." I whispered. I felt his weight in the earth as he turned to approached me, several feet behind me. I had noticed that he had to dance with a strigoi, just like me. Most of the strigoi were guardians.

"I'm here." he said, drawing his sword. I heard the metal scraping metal. "Let's get this over with. I'm tired."

"Agreed." Abe said, coming beside me. I noticed some moroi had joined in, but I didn't know had was one of them. I looked at my father and he was sweaty. His t-shirt soaked in perspiration, and his skin was sweaty and red. "I've been using a lot of magic, little girl. Moroi get like this after using so much magic." He said, knowing I was observing him.

"I don't want to know how you know that." I said, thinking that my mobster father used his fire magic like a villain.

Abe didn't speak again, confirming my thoughts are correct.

I headed forward, drawing my sword in front of me, holding it like the alter boy's would a cross. Abe was on my right, Dimitri on my left. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Abe had a fireball in both his hands, the midnight ring was still on his right thumb. The Cobra's were in the back of us, in rows of two, but one spot was missing. An ache in my heart bleed over that fact still.

As we walked forward, strigoi would be taken down as ghosts would step before us, protecting us before we could do any damage. Occasionally, some would slip through them, so the Cobra's and I would take care of that.

My time to protect you and Guardians. Mason and Tamara's thoughts were in my head. I had no idea how Tamara was able to talk to me like this, but I bet it had a lot to do with Mason.

I didn't understand why they were protecting me. I was meant to be out there risking everything that I had, but it was nice to know that I had more people (or in this case ghosts) looking out for me.

We walked at a fast pace. A strigoi stepped up to me and I did the most stupid thing.

I charged him. The strigoi obviously didn't expect that. I kicked him right in the croch, and with my sword, ran him through in the heart. Then another slipped through. I stepped on his toes, hard enough to brake a couple, then swong my sword over and chopped his head off. More stepped through and we dealt with them.

By the time I looked around, I realized we went all the way from the north to the south wall, where Gideon should be. I looked around for Gideon, and that was my mistake. I should have been watching my father.

A strigoi slipped through, and went to attack my dad, not bothering not act dumb. The strigoi has been a strigoi for some time, and knew when he smelled a moroi. My father was too busy lighting other strigoi that were five feet behind him on fire, to noticed another coming at him from his front.

Before he knew it, he was on the ground.

As I said, I wasn't paying any attention to my father. I was too busy looking around. I had just turned my head to check on him and found him laying on the ground, with a strigoi on top of him. I waited for my father to light the strigoi on fire, but it wasn't coming. And I knew that was a bad sign.

I sprinted towards my father, hoping and praying that he was alive. It was bad enough I already lost a friend, but my father? I had just got to be part of his life.

With blind rage, two sprints brought me over to him, and using all my upper strength, ran my sword through the strigoi's head. I didn't chop it off, I ran it through the center of the back of his head, instantly killing him. After a moment, I drew it back and kicked the strigoi off my father with my right foot.

"Dimitri!" I tried to yell for him, but it came a whimper. Luckily, Dimitri was still by my side and he already had my father in his arms, and lucky for us, the Aid tent wasn't too far away.

Mason, I have to turn back. My father's hurt. I thought to him as we took off with my dad. I hated to go back to the Aid tent. It felt like all I was doing was going there. First me, then Tammy, and now my Dad. Jeez!

Abe looked to be out cold, but I couldn't say for sure what was wrong. I could see that he was breathing, but something about his normal breathing patterns bothered me.

Making haste allowed us to be there faster than when we had departed with the group, because the white tent was within my view in moments. I looked around and saw that Lev was sitting down, his knees were drawn up towards his chest, his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He was sitting on the grass, by the ropes and nails of the tent. I felt for him, I really did. My heart went out to him more than he would ever know.

As we approached, he looked up, sensing it was us. His face shows shock as he saw my father in Dimitri's arms. Lev stood up and waited until we were by him and he started walking with us. "Is he…"

I shook my head. "He's breathing, but something about it bothers me. It's too…"

"Still." He finished and I nodded. "Where at on the head did he get hit?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. The ghosts took care of most of the strigoi, and he was doing a good job at lighting them all on fire. One came and he didn't see it."

We had already entered the tent and Dimitri had set Abe down on the table.

"Rose," I looked up at Dimitri. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to leave him now. You are needed outside."

"But-"

"I'll stay." I turned to look behind me. I saw my mother coming in.

"I had to help carry in a guardian to get healed." She said, knowing I would ask why she was here. She dragged her eyes up from him to me. Her expression said that it had taken a lot of will power to drag her eyes up. "Go." She said.

Giving me no choice, Dimitri took my arm and dragged me out. "I didn't want to do that, Roza, but we have no choice."

I knew he was right. We needed to help the ghosts in destroying the strigoi. But as I looked around, I saw more strigoi bodies, than guardians. I was relieved slightly. Did that mean that the war as about over?

When that thought hit me, my body yearned to lie down and rest. I was so tired. I felt like I could sleep for days!

Dimitri had let me go after we exited the tent. We headed in the direction we came, except we went faster.

By the west wall. Mason's voice had flickered through my head.

"West wall, D." I said. He nodded, knowing why I said that. We made a sharp turn around a building at a dead sprint. We passed buildings that looked like they had been blown up by the grenades. The moroi government are not going to be happy about that. I would most likely get a bill from them. I would just rip it up in their faces.

Dimitri and I made a few more sharp turns around buildings. On the last sharp turn, we almost ran into Gabe and Larisa. "Is Lev with you?" They asked in unison with hope in their tone. They were standing in a relax posture. Denis was in front of them, along with the ghosts. The ghosts watched as Denis took care of the last strigoi that they saw in the west wall.

I shook my head, and their faces fell. "Most the strigoi have retreated or have died, but we still need to scout the area. The ghosts are doing that, since they can walk through walls and all. But…"

"But what?"

"We got a few demands to know where Sonya is."

My blood ran cold. Some strigoi must have seen the transformation. "What did you say?"

"I said 'over my dead body.' Of course, they said 'that could be arranged.'" She rolled her eyes. "Strigoi are so cocky."

I nodded. "Agreed." I glanced around, seeing more dead bodies. It was disturbing. I never wanted to see this many bodies, strigoi or not. The stench of the bodies was getting to me, and I wanted to hurl and my eyes were stinging so bad, that my eyes started to water.

Is your father ok? Mason asked, coming to me. My body tensed up, worried not knowing what was going on with him. looked at Mason, knowing my answer was plastered to my face. "Let's move to the south wall, then to the west. Mason, have some of your men scout the inside of Court. Make sure the homes are still safe. Some moroi weren't able to get out in time before the gates closed."

He nodded. "Consider it done."

Together, we all went to the west wall. To my relief, there were no strigoi there. It was a refuge place, just as I had thought it would be, but as we went to the south wall, that was when I had brought my grenades out. There was a group of ten strigoi standing in a tight circle. It seemed that word of the ghosts have gotten around, and they were thinking of what move to do.

They saw us approach, but they had too much vanity to move or be afraid. They stayed where they were and glared at us as we approached them. Most of them, went into a fighting stance that guardians know by heart, telling me which ones were once guardians.

When we were a hundred yards from them, I threw one of my grenades at them. In my throw, I put as much strength as I could behind it, to make the ball go flying and be as invisible as possible to the strigoi.

Just as I had wanted, they didn't see it coming until it was too late. Limbs flew everywhere, along with spraying of blood. Once again, a copper smell filled the air. It was a foul smell, one I knew I would remember for the rest of my life. I have also been smelling it for the past eight hours.

"Dawn!" I heard someone yell. I looked up into the sky where the sun would be rising and I saw pink clouds. It was the most beautiful thing I have seen in what felt like years. Every part of my body was aching. The hits that I have received, I could feel now.

Only a few more minutes, and I could go see my father and Lev…then go to bed.

I put one foot in front of the other, and threw another grenade at another group of strigoi. That one was smaller, about eight in the circle. I saw two strigoi quickly approaching. I drew my sword, just as Dimitri stepped up, his sword was in his right hand. Right then, he looked like the god I had imagined the day I met him. His face was of steel, his breathing was heavy, and his biceps contracted in anticipation. He was ready for this.

As the strigoi met us a few feet away, in unison we both kicked the strigoi down onto the ground. My strigoi only lost his balance and backpedaled, Dimitri's was knocked on his ass. I charged my strigoi, giving him no time to recover. I punched him on his jaw bone, right beside the Adam's apple. He flinched away, a few steps, but I stepped towards him and quickly and efficiently, I brought my sword over to his neck and finished the job.

When I looked over to Dimitri, he was already done and was scouting the area for more coming at us. There were a bunch in the area when we arrived, but as I looked around, I saw that almost all of them had retreated outside. Where too, I had no idea, but their time was up, and they were already goners.

As I had looked up, the sun had decided it was it's time to grace us with its presents. Because of the C4, the wall was completely knocked down, giving the strigoi no place to hide in shadow. I watched as I saw them burn in the sun.

I looked over to Dimitri and he had on an exhausted smile. It wasn't of them dying, it was of the war being over.

People walked up beside me and put their hand on my shoulders. I looked over and saw Lev. He had decided to join us. I gave him a gentle smile. He didn't give me one back, his eyes met mine only briefly, then he looked out into the distance. The other hand was of Larisa, but she didn't meet my eyes, her's were out into the distance. I saw exhaustion written on their faces.

"It's over." I said in Russian. I couldn't help but a smile in my tone. We could rest.

Please review! I only got eight people who reviewed last time!

PS. Thank you to jshagan for the ideas! Keep reading, you may like it. Tell me if I had written it to your liking. There will be more of that drama next chapter.