A/N: Happy Friday! : ) Okay, so this is where the story starts to become complex. The last couple chapters (and basically this one too) have been "filler". So I just wanted to put this out there, if you guys add a suggestion for the story in a review that intrigues me and complements the storyline, i'll send you a shout out in my A/N and you'll get a special sneak peek for an upcoming chapter that your idea inspired. Sound good? Let me know...

Or you could always PM me. I would love to answer your questions or chat about ideas. Don't be shy! I won't bite! ; )

And now on with the new chapter...

RPOV

My body felt sore and I could barely see through the darkness. My mouth had a metallic taste to it and my chest felt as if someone had set it on fire and then plunged a bucket of ice over it. I hear sirens wailing in the background and could barely make out flashing bright lights in the distance, but my vision was blurred.

I could smell something burning, but what? I heard a cough from beside me and I craned my neck to get a better look of the source and was met with Lissa's bright jade green eyes.

We locked gazes for a moment before reality decided to make it's presence known. At the same time we looked at our surroundings and the site I saw was horrifying. The car Lissa's family and I we driving in had been flipped over and slammed into a huge willow tree.

Lissa's parents' bodies were slack and her mom's head was twisted into a very awkward position. Her brother's body lay wedged in between the furthest back seat and some piece of metal that had been driven through the car from the roof. But the worst part was seeing all the blood.

Everywhere I looked I saw thick puddles of blood gushing out of the bodies and smeared on all the surfaces. I was soon pulled out of shock to the sound of Lissa's ear piercing screams...

I bolted upright in my bed panting. My sheets had been tossed around and my forehead was coated in a thick film of sweat. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and put one hand on the night stand and one over my heart as I tried to catch my breath.

It had been so long since I had a dream, or more like a nightmare, of when Lissa's family had died. Usually, when I was younger and under a lot of stress, I would have flashbacks of that terrible night in my sleep.

My breathing had slowed down to a more steady pace so I decided it was okay to actually walk now. Lately, I've been gaining my strength back. I got up slowly, making sure I had my balance and made my way over to the bathroom where I splashed my face with water and gulped down two large glasses of the cool, clear liquid.

But this wasn't helping much, so I threw on some jogging pants, and a loose cotton shirt. I slipped on my trainers and grabbed a stake and strapped it to my leg. On impulse I picked up my cellphone, turned it to silent and slipped it into my pant pocket.

My injuries were healing, and my rib didn't hurt all that much anymore. It was time I got a good workout out in. As I left my room, I noticed it was the evening and the sun had just begun to set. I made my way out of the hotel lobby and walked straight into the nearby forest.

I slipped into a steady pace jogging on the uneven terrain. After an hour my mind seemed to be calmed down. Seeing Lissa in that nightmare pulled at my heart strings. I knew I was running out of time before I would give in to my stubbornness and check up on her.

I could still feel the bond's hum in the back of my mind. But I just refused to investigate any further. I may still love her but that didn't mean I forgave Lissa for what she did. How could my best friend be so oblivious to my own feelings?

I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh piney scent of the trees. Running was something I learned from Dimitri. And although I was taught that it was great for teaching you endurance and giving you an option to flee if you found yourself outmatched or losing in a fight, I've grown to secretly enjoy it.

The feeling of wind brushing your skin, the harmonious steady pace of your limbs and heartbeat moving as one, the exhilaration of fresh air swirling in your lungs... it cleared my mind. I suppose everyone has their own special way of venting out stress and for me, running had become mine.

Unfortunately, it leaves me with loosing track of time. My stomach gave an upsetting growl as I glanced about my surroundings. I found myself a good eight miles away from the hotel.

Deciding I was calm enough to find something to eat, I turned around to start my way back to my room where I could order some room service. But no sooner had I turned around, was I met with the glares of five sets of bright red-ringed eyes. Great, can my night get any worse? I heard myself groan aloud, so much for relieving my stress...

Tasha's POV

I walked briskly down a narrow street at court. I had bandaged my arm up but it was useless- it was broken. I growled, I was going to have to go to the med clinic to get a cast. But I was running out of time and she said to be as unsuspicious as possible.

I wanted so badly to tell someone about what happened last night, but every time I tried I was blocked with a dark fog that clouded over my mind. And now I was terrified with what I was going to do, but I didn't have a choice. She was going to kill Dimka if I didn't.

I was so drown in my thoughts of worry that I didn't notice someone was calling my name until a strong arm gripped my shoulder. I lurched to a stop and spun around. I looked up to see Daniil towering over me in all his 6'3 muscled glory. His dirty blonde hair was tousled in a messy style that make him look so- Stop drooling over him! I chastised to myself as I gave him a flippant glare and hissed, "What do you want?"

His sly smirk slipped off his face as he noticed the bloody gash on my forehead. I grumbled to myself, I forgot to clean it up. He gave me a serious look as he dropped his hand, "To see how you are..." he trailed off as his eyes went wide and filled with worry.

My gaze softened, he was just trying to be nice and here I am always bitching at him. I stared into his warm hazel eyes. I felt a small tingle crackle through my nerves. I could get lost in those mossy green eyes that radiated with warmth from their golden centers all day...

I shivered and shook my head, I shouldn't be feeling this way, I wanted someone else...

I glanced down to my watch. Fuck. I had three hours until my deadline. I looked back at Daniil, I had to get rid of him, he was slowing me down.

But as I lifted my head up, the curtain of hair I so tediously styled over my shoulder, flipped back exposing my neck. Daniil took a sharp intake of breath as he noticed the deep bruised bite mark on the side of my neck and the gruesome dark purple fingers imprints scattered over my throat.

His arms shot out and his hands grasped my forearms firmly. He bore his eyes into mine as he said, "Tasha, what the hell happened to you! Who did this? I'll make them suffer." I felt a flutter in my stomach, he was so stoic in his exterior, but somehow I knew deep down he was anything but in this moment. His facial features were splashed with traces of anxiousness and concern. I felt my heartbeat speed up at the feeling of his warm skin against mine. I flinched.

From this simple brushing of skin, I noticed the fog loosen up and dissolve slightly. Thinking he'd hurt me, Daniil removed his arms away from me at once. I felt the fog start to strengthen again, in a desperate plea I quickly grabbed Daniil's arm roughly, "Danni," I addressed him by his english nickname in the hopes of fully catching his attention, "you have to look over Dimka. You have to protect him."

"What?" he waved his free hand. "He's a grown man Tash, he can look after himself. Now what happened to you?" he persistently asked. The fog edged closer over my mind, I had to try a different tactic.

I locked gazes with him, and as I did his eyes glazed over, "Forget what you just saw. You cannot let Dimitri leave court. He has to stay safely within the protection of the wards. You must do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't leave." I broke the compulsion and he blinked a few times. Satisfied, I backed away from him just as the fog took control over me again.

I took off running, there was so much to do and so little time...

RPOV

I was shocked to say the least. How was I taken so off guard? I should of felt them coming. But I didn't, I felt no nausea whatsoever. I stiffened as the five strigoi moved and surrounded me in a tight circle formation. I quickly grabbed the stake concealed on my leg and gripped it firmly. I wasn't going to let them intimidate or over power me. Most of my injuries had healed, so I could take them down with ease.

But as they circled me, I noticed a sharp fiery sensation burst inside my stomach and then my vision blurred. My pulse picked up in speed, I couldn't see anything. But just as fast as it came, my vision focused back to normal except I saw everything with a red tint.

Without realizing what was happening, my body sprung into a defensive crouch and hurled itself towards one of the strigoi with a powerful kick. He went flying back a few yards where his body crashed into a tree and snapped it in half.

The other strigoi stared back at me with a look of shock of their own. My movements were powerful and spontaneous and I reacted without my full sense of will. I gave a powerful punch to the next strigoi and with my other hand stabbed her heart with the stake.

I sent a blow to the stomach of another as I dashed over to the one near the tree that had started to come towards me. I shot out my arm to his chest and knocked him over again. I sunk the stake into his heart and swirled around to see three undead figures approaching me.

I was distantly aware of long coils of shadows surrounding me from my peripheral, but that didn't matter at the moment.

I charged at one of the strigoi but abruptly staggered back as they slammed a hit to my stomach. I heard a vicious, feral growl rumble from my chest as I moved in a blur back up to him where I grabbed a hold of his neck and snapped it-making a loud cracking noise just as I dug my stake into his heart at the same time.

I deflected a blow to my head from one of the others. I sent an uppercut swing to their jaw where she staggered back as the other came up behind me. He had his fangs dangerously close to my neck. I elbowed him in the gut forcefully as I head butted the one I had hit that was now preparing to charge back at me.

I saw a few sparks flutter across my vision but I ignored it as I plunged my stake into her chest. But I missed the heart, she howled in pain as I quickly dragged the stake's tip up the ribs, breaking them as I went until I struck the heart. I pulled the stake out and then brought it back down fully piercing the heart.

The body slumped down to the ground just as I received a painful blow to my upper left arm. I grunted at the sudden throbbing pain that surged through my nerves from the impact. Thankfully the hit didn't cause any real damage, but that didn't mean it did not hurt.

I stumbled back as I bit down on my bottom lip. The strigoi gave me a twisted smile enjoying my sudden unease. I ignored the gesture and lunged at him. I knock him to the ground where I slashed the surface of his skin on his throat with the stake's tip.

It was then my turn to give a twisted smile as he screamed out in agony. He was about to send a defensive blow to my side, but I saw it coming. I quickly dragged the stake down his chest where I dug into the flesh above his heart. His limbs went slack as I paralyzed him. But I hadn't killed him yet, meaning he could still feel pain. I grated the stake across the surface above his heart and grinned watching the flesh burn. Even though he could not move, a whimpered growl sounded from inside his chest as his eyes said the rest. They were filled with misery and fear.

I grinned wider, I was going to have fun torturing him, Stop this and just kill him... a voice sounded in my head. I flinched, "WHO SAID THAT!" I shouted into the dark forest. I scanned the area, no one was there.

I turned my attention back to the motionless body beneath me, I had a task before me. I was just about the scrape the stake over his burning flesh again as my vision blurred once more.

I suddenly felt as if a fog had been lifted from my mind. My eyesight slowly faded back to normal with no trace of the red tint. The urge to torture dissipated as rolling waves of nausea tumbled around in my stomach. I glanced down at the stake I was holding and the bloody body before me. In one swift movement, I plunged my stake into the heart and stood up.

What the hell's wrong with me I mused as I saw the five strigoi bodies scattered before me. I killed them so quickly and with so much strength, it was like I was one of them. I was pulled out of my thoughts as I heard someone start to clap.

My nausea increased as a tall strigoi man emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree. He continued to clap his hands as he approached me. "Bravo Hathaway, you're as talented as they say-"

"Who the hell are you?" I cut in. I knew I shouldn't be carrying a conversation with the evil undead, but this bastard knew who I was and I didn't like that.

He chuckled, "Well you don't waste anytime do you? I've heard of your temper as well. And let me just say, for what's it's worth, you would of made a fantastic addition to my coven. And with your shadow kissed abilities, even better. It's a shame really, but I do have to kill you now."

That did it. I lunged at him, but he easily sidestepped and sent a blow to my chest. I stumbled back but caught my balanced and went in for a kick to his side. He dodged again and backed up.

"You know, there is another option to consider. I'd hate to waste your talent. If you agree to help finish off the Dragomir line, I'll awaken you."

A hissed erupted from my lips. Sure I was mad at Lissa right now, but I would never want any harm to happen to her. I felt my blood boil, this bastard needed to die.

"Now now... here me out." he said as he lifted his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "You could be free of her spirit darkness if you're awakened. And besides, you left her unprotected at the royal court. She's obviously not important to you, so why don't you take this offer?" he asked.

I felt my mind hesitate, maybe he was right. I could finally get rid of her. I looked away from him to think it over. And that's when the thought dissolved away. I felt my mind become more focused. Shit I thought. He tried to use compulsion on me.

I needed to stop hesitating. I focused my attention back to him just long enough to notice he came charging at me. I barely dodge out of the way as he stumbled past me, but in the process of falling, he grabbed my arm and took me down with him...

The next few minutes where filled with endless struggles as we tried to overpower one another. I closed my eyes and channeled my body to that super strength I had before, I felt an icy cold sensation brush against my hands and I snapped my eyes open.

I sucked in a breath as I watched grey smoke sliver out of my fingertips and wrap around the strigoi's neck. His struggles ceased as his body went very still. Unfortunately he was still capable of speaking, "Rose listen to me, my master said I had to kill you, but if you somehow agreed to take out the Dragomir girl, I could awaken you and you could join us..." he stopped his rambling as I punched him square in the jaw. "Shut up" I hissed.

Blood spurt out of his mouth as he started to laugh, "You'll never win you know. She won't always be protected. Hundreds of others want to end the Dragomir line and to carry around you're head as a badge of honor! When I kill you, I'll be worshipped like a hero! My master will be so proud!"

I had had enough of this loon. I wanted answers from him, like how he knew I was shadow kissed. But I never would know because my hand instinctively gripped my stake and rammed it into his blackened heart. His face went slack as the grey smoke in my fingers recoiled back into my hands and disappeared.

I felt a painful throbbing in my head as I stood up. It was then that I noticed my breathing as hitched and my heart was pounding roughly against my chest. My mind was a jumbled mess of questions and thoughts.

How did this strigoi know so much about me? And why were there so many out here together? And what the hell did I just do! I'm starting to think that maybe I wasn't hallucinating anymore. I saw shadows earlier when my vision was red and I did have super strength and then that grey smoke attacked the strigoi like I was compelling it to. I remember the ghosts back at the cavern had a similar reaction to it too...

Maybe the spirit darkness that I siphoned from Lissa caused me to have shadow kissed side effects... I shook my head, I could worry over this later.

But one thought continued to echo loudly in my mind, it was what that tall strigoi had said ...you left her unprotected at the royal court. She's obviously not important to you... So many emotions swirled in my mind. I had to stop being so stubborn. I need to confront my problems head on. And one of them being Lissa's safety. I hadn't checked on Lissa since I left. I kept the bond blocked out, but right now I needed to know that she was still alive.

I closed my eyes and gently checked the bond, and sure enough it was still there humming strong but every few seconds it would flicker and twinge. I noticed she was asleep, so I wasn't going to get much of an update on her at the moment. Which was weird, because if it's night right now in human time, it's part of the day for Moroi. What was Liss doing sleeping?

I immediate stopped my musing. I could worry over this later. She was alive and that was the most important thing on my list of things to do at the moment. Before I stepped out of the bond, I felt a thick covering of the darkness surrounding her side of it. I involuntarily took it from her, and the bond went back to it's normal hum without any flickering.

Satisfied, I pulled out completely and lifted my barriers back up over them, and as I did this my already pounding headache increased. I gritted my teeth together but managed. My jaw was still sore, but I just didn't care right now. I realized I didn't want to feel the bond for anything else, I didn't want to know her emotions or thoughts.

Because right at this moment I was consumed in all of my own emotions and thoughts. Remembering my hatred for how Lissa had betrayed me.

And that's when it suddenly clicked in my head. What I was doing was idiotic and reckless. Sure both Dimitri and Lissa pissed me off to no end, but me just suddenly disappearing wasn't helping my situation very much. If anything it just made things worse. By running off, I opened myself up to a guilt trip. Me leaving just caused them to pay attention long enough to pity me. And I was not someone's pity.

Regret illuminated my every thought and emotion. What I did was stupid. Sure I had a hell of a good time, but I had just made things worse. I was attracting more attention to myself, and my sole purpose in all of this was to attract the attention away from me, not towards. I couldn't believe I just further fucked up my career and future all because of these two morons.

It was always these two. Lissa and Dimitri. They fueled my every reckless, crazy move. I was unknowingly manipulated by them. I was nothing but their mere 'sock puppet'. They would barking out orders to me, and me all too eager to please. All while they laughed it off behind my back. I was the one being foolish.

I was going back to court. But I sure as hell wasn't doing it for them. I was going to start out in a new life without them in it. Tasha had once offered me to be her guardian, so why the hell not? She wasn't too bad. Plus she was kind of badass herself with the whole defensive magic thing.

With this newfound revelation, I turned to the six strigoi bodies before me and piled them all up into a heap. It was then that I noticed I didn't have anything on me to set them on fire. I grumbled to myself as I realized that even if I did have something to torch them with, I was currently out amongst humans. Someone was bound to see a blazing fire in the middle of the night and I sure as hell didn't want to have to explain to them why I was suddenly setting a pile of bodies on fire.

I dug my hand into my pant pocket and pulled out my cellphone, I knew just the person to fix this mess...

I stood silently behind a large tree, trying my best to stay awake. It had been almost an hour since I called Sydney where she told me she'd send someone out here to clean up the bodies. I decided to stay and stick around, hidden of course, to make sure there were no more strigoi lurching around that could attack the alchemists.

After the adrenaline of my fight had worn off, my slightly battered body had started to whine with aches and pains. Although I didn't sustain any major injuries in this fight, my body had still gone through a lot of physical strain in the past two hours.

Something it wasn't fully adapted to just yet after the past fews days of me practically doing no physical labor at all. I didn't know how much longer I could wait here until I collapsed in fatigue. Just then I heard the rustling of leaves as I saw someone approach the strigoi heap.

It was just one lone person, they had the golden tattoo on their cheek that all alchemists had and it glimmered as the moonlight shone down on it as the clouds cleared revealing the person's facial features. I sucked in a breath, I knew this person.

"Sydney?" I questioned as I emerged from my hiding place. She jumped a good foot off the ground as she clutched the cross necklace that was dangling from her neck.

I stepped closer to her as she flinched and said, "R-Rose? What are you doing out here? You told me on the phone you were in a hurry to leave."

"Well I decided to stick around until uh, that" I pointed to the pile of bodies, "was taken care of..." I trailed of as I noticed she produced a small glass bottle in her hands from her bag. She unscrewed the top and poured the bottle's contents over the pile. I heard a fizzing sound as a large black cloud covered over the heap.

After a few minutes, the cloud cleared away and there was nothing left of the bodies except for a pile of ashes. Alchemists were scary people with all their creepy potions... Swallowing, I cleared my throat, "And I could say the same for you, I thought you were in New Orleans."

She grimaced and quickly replied, "I had to run an errand for Mr. Mazur."

At the sound my father's name I grimaced too, "Ah, I see Zmey is behind this. Sydney whatever my father has on you, I swear I can try to make him see reason and leave you alone."

She put up a hand to stop me, "Rose believe me, even you couldn't help my arrangement."

"Gee thanks, that makes me feel loads better. But whatever, I'll respect your privacy." At that she seemed relieved but her brow soon furrowed and she suddenly glanced back up to me.

"I know this isn't my place to mention this, but Rose you need to go back to court. I have a feeling you're not really on 'vacation leave'."

Crap. I knew she wasn't going to buy my story that I was simply on vacation before the Guardian Counsel assigned the newly graduated guardians to their charges.

I nodded my head in agreement, "Actually now that you mention it, I am heading back to court."

She gave me a skeptical look before she glanced down to her watch on her wrist. She seemed to be bothered by something as she glanced back up to me, "I really do hope that you mean that because Mr. Mazur is meeting me at the royal court in a few days. And I don't think he knows you're not there."

That made me a little on edge, what was Zmey up to sending Sydney all the way out here in Minnesota just to drag her over to Pennsylvania? I pulled out of my musing as Sydney picked up on my troubled mood.

"Look if anything else happens just call me again. And-" she pulled out her cellphone and scrolled through her contacts until she clicked on my name, "this is your current number right? Just in case I need to contact you?" she asked as she held the screen up for me to see. I nodded my head.

"Good, well if that's all you need me for I really do need to go." I knew that even if I wasn't a strigoi, she was still uncomfortable near any type of vampire. Even hybrids like me. I sighed, it wasn't her fault. She was brain washed by her nutcase religious freak 'superiors'.

"Yeah, thanks for the uh, help. Where are you parked? I'll at least escort you to your car." I didn't want her walking around in these woods alone.

"You don't have to do that, I've got a navigator..." she trailed off as she produced some tech device out of her bag.

I waved my hand, "Nice try. Now where are you parked?"...

After I walked Sydney to her car I went back to my hotel room, packed up and checked out. I left the hotel and drove to a nearby airport.

I ordered a plane ticket for Pennsylvania. I was hauling my own ass willingly back to court. I was going to accept whatever penalties this 'vacation time' had caused me and I was going to own up to my badass reputation and become twice the guardian I already was.

Dimitri wanted me out of his life so I was going to do just that. But as for Lissa, some part of me still wanted to be her guardian. I secretly wanted things to go back to normal with us. But I just couldn't ignore how much she'd hurt me. So I came up with the plan to show her just how much she had screwed up.

I decided I was going to try to get a charge other than Lissa. Maybe I was being petty but all I wanted to do now was forget the demons of my past. I wanted time to just forget. And most importantly, it was time for me to move on.

A/N: Review! The reviews are my favorite part of writing this story, it encourages me to write more and to make improvements. after all, i want you guys to have the best experience in this little world of mine that i get to share with you.

: )

~Fabulous