AN: Who else is super excited about Last Sacrifice? Who am I kidding . . . just a few more hours to go . . .

Only the Strongest Will Survive

Chapter Two

Reckless

"You alright?" Adrian asked suddenly, and Rose turned back to look at him.

They were travelling from the campus back to their car. Home was a twenty minute drive out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense forest and virtually no one else.

And it was precisely that twenty minute drive that Rose was dreading.

At the moment, all she wanted was a release – a release from the anger and rage that had built up in her.

Adrian had no doubt noticed the shift in her aura, a darkening of the light surrounding her.

Eddie seemed to understand this and came to her defense. "She's fine, we just need to get home."

Rose shot her partner a grateful look over her shoulder, while Adrian seemed suspicious.

Only Eddie knew the full extent of the power spirit's darkness had on her recently – and that was precisely how she wanted to keep it. It would be reckless to let Adrian know how vulnerable she was to it.

Despite that, they weren't able to completely hide it away from him. Her aura was a dead giveaway, so all they could do was deny the extent of its hold.

"If you'd just let me – " Adrian started in exasperation, reaching out his hand to touch her – to heal her.

"—No," Rose cut him off jerking farther forward and out of range of his reach, her irritation building to new levels. A low level pulse of heat and pain was building behind her eyes, deep in her skull. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to focus on her job, and getting to the black sedan at the far side of the parking lot.

School itself had cleared out a while ago, but Adrian had stayed behind to talk to a professor. Apparently his grade was in jeopardy, and Adrian had it in his head that he needed to simply 'talk' to the man, and everything would be sorted out.

Rose should have guessed that he'd never actually work his way through college. All of that talk before about copying off other people at the academy wasn't just talk. He had probably never worked for a grade in his life.

A sigh of relief left Rose as their car came into view when they turned a corner. Since they were one of the last ones to leave, it really wasn't that hard to spot it. Students tended to take courses early in the day, not after nightfall, like her Maori charge. Rose's pace picked up, as did Eddie's and since Adrian was sandwiched between them, he was forced to walk faster as well.

Not without complaint though, surely not.

But the words, whatever they may been were lost to Rose as she focused on remaining aware of her surroundings, and battling her own dark urges.

But the hold it had on her was undeniable. The rage and illogical aggression that she felt was nearly overwhelming – it had never been this bad before. But then again, she had never been gone a year and a half without contact with Lissa before either.

Russia may have been hard at times, but she wasn't gone for more than a few months – manageable.

But a year and a half away from Court, and she was nearly ready to go crawling back, groveling for forgiveness, and begging for a hit of the magical effects of spirit's healing abilities.

But that was unrealistic, and so she was just going to have to settle for the next best alternative – pain. The type that Eddie was willing to dish out in terms of brutally exchanged blows at their private training area back at home.

Hence the rush to the car.

Rose released a long held breath as they finally reached their sedan. Unlocking the doors, she opened the back passenger side, motioning impatiently for Adrian to climb inside.

Sensing her irritation and seeing the proof of it in her aura, he silently obeyed.

Right now, he'd play the part of the docile Maori, but as soon as she had bled out the effects of spirit, Rose knew there'd be time to pay for her rudeness.

Slamming the door shut, she made her way to the driver side door, but her hand stilled before opening it.

There, in the pit of her stomach, was the intense nausea that she had come to associate with only one thing.

Perfect fucking timing.

Her head pounded under the effects of spirit, but she was able to avoid the worst of the initial surprise attack.

Still, being slammed full force into the side of their car, wasn't exactly what Rose would call a good time.

Always quick on the rebound though she didn't miss a beat as she drew her stake and lunged for the large Strigoi in front her. His mocking smile seemed arrogant and relaxed, as though he expected her to react exactly that way. Lunging for the left, he batted her hand to the side, but missed the blow she dealt his thigh with her knee.

The Strigoi staggered back for a moment, allowing Rose to glance over towards the car. Eddie already had Adrian out of the car and was in a protective stance in front of him, eyes focused on her adversary.

The fact that Eddie was regarding the Strigoi in front of her as the threat, told her that there weren't any more lurking around – her partner was thorough. He was a professional.

He was exactly like her.

A quick feint to the right, and she was within striking range of the Strigoi, their eyes were locked. There was a flurry of blows, neither able to get the upper hand.

The world around her seemed to be amplified as she fought. The sting of her muscles as she tensed, released, and lunged. Her heart pounded powerfully away in her chest, reminding her once again how alive she felt as she battled.

There was a pause in their assaults against one another. And that smirk, that calm, confidant look infuriated her to no end. The pulsing in the back of her skull was immense, but a distant second to the feeling of raw power as they faced off.

There was a rush of gravel flying out from under her shoes as she propelled herself forward – a crunch of dirt. Putting her weight into her moves, she landed a kick to his right leg, and threw herself into him, propelling him onto the ground. But he wasn't going to die that easily, it seemed, as he thrashed and scratched, raining blows down on her from his precarious position straddled beneath her.

More than once, her fist connected with the ground rather than his face as they struggled – but she wouldn't allow that to distract her. Pain was a friend of hers – nothing to be feared.

Death however, was entirely different. And she had no delusions here, she knew that one wrong move could mean her end. One moment of hesitation could find her cold and lifeless.

Meanwhile the Strigoi was putting up a massively good fight, evading her hits, and still managing to defend his chest from exposure. But he was weakening – she could tell, and a few more moments of struggle and she finally got the opening that she sought.

Using all the force she had in her, she plunged her stake between his ribs, watching with satisfaction as the surprise and anger flickered across his face.

She had done it before – the death by staking. That was how most – nearly all – of her kills had happened. It was always an immediate reaction. They simply go unnaturally still, there's no thrashing or fighting, just a profound calmness.

And so that was the case now, only Rose's head felt as though it were going to explode – a deep ridge down the center of her skull was going to crack open, and release the pain and tension she'd been battling with recently.

A blackness surrounded her for a moment, followed by an intense lightness – the type that she wasn't sure she had ever experienced before. It reached deep inside her and lifted the darkness from her and for a moment, she saw the ghosts that haunted her from time to time, and as though they recognized her, they came forward, looking on in curiosity.

But as quickly as they appeared, they were dispelled by a flash of darkness that originated from somewhere deep inside her, and like a blanket, it muted everything around her.

Moments may have passed, but the next thing she knew was Eddie pulling her to her feet, anxiousness settled over his features.

"—said are you okay?" he asked, apparently not for the first time. His grip was tight on her upper arm and she leaned into him fully for a moment before all light and sound returned to her with alarming rapidity.

Rose blinked dumbly once or twice, her mind finally catching up with her surroundings.

The car sat not yards behind her, Adrian tucked inside in the backseat, watching her, watching him. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he had his head cocked to the side. He seemed nervous, and excited all at the same time.

"Come on, get in the car," Eddie finally said, leading her towards the sedan. "And I'll drive," he added, plucking the keys from the ground where she had dropped them.

Rose nodded belatedly, before allowing herself to be guided into the passenger seat. Eddie shut the door behind her and she could immediately feel Adrian's stare.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, after a few moments had passed. His tone seemed almost angry.

Rose shrugged, still fighting off the aftereffects of that unexplainable experience. "Strigoi. First one we've had to kill since we've been up here."

Adrian made an odd noise before gripping her shoulder, leaning up over the console to look at her. "I meant, what happened? You killed the guy, but then something else happened, too." He seemed rather tense, and was searching her face for the answer. "And your aura," he half whispered, "it was the most incredible thing I think I've ever seen." The serious expression didn't leave his face as he amended, "I mean besides the first time I saw you naked."

Rose smiled, and even laughed lightly. But it seemed that once she started, she wasn't going to be able to stop, and the giggles frothed forward.

Eddie who had been dragging the Strigoi out to the edge of the trees, where it would be incinerated in the morning, finally reappeared and took his seat behind the wheel. He arched an eyebrow at Adrian, who merely shrugged, as Rose finally calmed herself down enough to look at both of them straight.

God she felt – good. Like, really good.

"I think that's the first time you've laughed at my witty comments all week, little dhampir," Adrian said lightly, almost uneasily. Like he wasn't sure what her reaction would be. Since when did he censure anything that came out of his mouth?

Rose didn't dwell on it, and instead she exhaled slowly, then inhaled deeply, loving the feeling of the air entering her body. She closed her eyes. She felt weightless. As though something had been sitting on her chest for some time now, only to be removed just now.

Her eyes flickered open and she met the curious expression of her partner and charge . . . her friends.

She smiled broadly. "I feel fucking fantastic," she announced, sitting back in her seat. "Whose down for a game of poker when we get home?" There was silence for a moment, as the two men exchanged wary, disbelieving looks. "And beer. Poker and beer," she added.

"Strip poker?" Adrian asked, laughing lightly at her.

Rose gave him a smoldering look, one that didn't need accompanying words.

Adrian raised one eyebrow in answer. "Well then." He sat back in his seat as well, casually buckling himself up, as though he had all the time in world. "What are you waiting on then, Castile," he said languidly. "You heard the lady."

Eddie smiled lightly at that. "Sure thing, boss," a hint of mocking in his tone.

Looking at her two friends, Rose realized that it had been a while since she had seen them so relaxed and happy.

Not to say that they weren't unhappy before, but over the last year and a half since the trio had left Court, there had definitely been a dark cloud hanging over them.

And now, Rose realized that dark cloud had been her. In her fight with her own personal darkness, and her need to battle it alone – and suffer the pain alone – she hadn't been able to keep the effects of that from bleeding into them. Eddie and Adrian had been suffering along with her. Her attitude and mood had tainted them.

Debating with herself over the merits of the plan forming in her head. She realized that she couldn't put them through that anymore. They trusted her to make the right decisions – loved her enough to let her make her own mistakes, so the least she could do, was swear to herself to never put them through that again.

But most importantly, she had found an outlet – a cure for the beast inside her, however temporary it may or may not be. A cure that didn't require her to go back to Lissa or risk Adrian's sanity by allowing him to heal her. The only question that remained was whether she could maintain it. In the year and a half that they had been on New York, that was the first and only Strigoi she had come across. So how could she seek out Strigoi in order to kill them and gain a release, without putting both Adrian and Eddie at risk?

Rose frowned. She knew the answer to that, but it was something she would avoid at all costs. Leaving them, no matter where, would be akin to abandoning her post – and she wasn't going to allow herself to do that.

But perhaps she would have to? Perhaps she would have to tuck Adrian back into his home, safe at Court in order to keep herself sane – and to keep them alive.

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Theodora