DPOV

The first thing to run through my mind was Roza and Alex. Would they be safe? Are they protected? Who's guarding them? Who's keeping them safe?
I bolted out of the cafe like a bullet, vaguely aware of Hanz and Eddie yelling after me, I didnt slow down to hear what they were saying, nothing was more important to me in that moment than to get to my family. I raced across the courtyard, jumping a small brick fence on the outskirts of the little garden. I could see Moroi and Guardians running around all over the place, guardians moving their charges to a safer place, and others trying to get to the wards to check what was going on.

I was just about outside of the hospital when I saw a dark shadow flash across the corner of my eye, I turned my head mid-stride in time to see a strigoi moving towards a young moroi women hurrying past the little path. I barely thought about it as I abruptly changed my course, I couldnt just ignore a threat like this, "Run!" I shouted at the women, she gave me a startled expression before a noise in the opposite direction caught her attention. She turned towards the noise just as the strigoi was about to jump at her. She let out an ear piercing scream.

NO! I was almost there, I pushed myself harder Until I was able to launch myself at him. My shoulder connected with his chest, pushing him backwards with so much force that he flew into the side of the building. I stopped myself infront of him, whiping out my stake at the same moment.
"Run! Get out of here." I yelled at the women who I could feel staring at me from behind. I didnt turn to her, keeping my eyes fixed on the strigoi infront of me, until I finally heard her run away towards the hospital building.

The strigoi, a muscular, dirty blonde haired man. I presumed ex-guardian from the look of him, picked himself up and shook himself off, turning to face me with an amused smirk on his face. "Well that was certainly unexpected." He growled taking a step towards me.
I didnt say anything, just raised my arms up in a defensive stance, stake held out infront of me.
"The silent type huh?" He laughed taking another slow step towards me, he was trying to taunt me, to get some sort of reaction out of me. I let a half smile creep onto my face, yes I know it was cocky, but I knew I could take this guy down. Id been in far, far worse situations before.

His smirk dropped from his face when he saw the smile on mine, he growled menacingly and then in the blink of an eye he was racing at me. I barely had time to register that he had moved, I dodged slightly to the left as his fist flew out towards my face. I dropped low and swung my leg around, aiming to knock his feet out from under him but He was onto it enough that he saw the attack and flipped himself backwards. Landing smoothly on his feet and righting himself before I could attack again.
Yes, I was sure he was definitely a guardian before he was turned.

We circled eachother slowly, I waited for him to make the first move. I didnt have to wait long though, as he threw himself at me trying to use his full weight to push me backwards, but I faked a dodge to the left which he expected, although he didnt expect me to change at the last second and go the other way, flinging my arm up and plunging the stake straight into his cold undead heart. His body twitched and then he slumpt to the ground beside me.

I let out a breath and glanced around to make sure there were no more strigoi lurking close by, when I was sure that there werent I continued back to the hospital. When I got there I found two guardians standing guard out front, I didnt recognise them as anyone I knew, but nodded to them as they let me pass without a second thought. I basically ran to Rozas room, passing many more guardians stationed outside moroi patients rooms. I rounded the corner to find her standing outside her door, dressed in a black tank top and dark blue jeans, a pair of sneakers on her feet and her stake in her hand. She looked like a true battle angel, standing in a defensive crouch like that.

The relief I felt in that moment was beyond words. The second her eyes laid on me she ran and barrelled into me. I spun her around in a cirlce, "Roza... thank god" I breathed as I pressed my face into the crook of her neck inhaling her wonderful scent.

"Me? Youre the one that was out there Comrade! I had no clue where you were, wether you were fighting or in trouble...I couldnt leave Alex though." She replied pulling back slightly to look into my eyes. I saw a hint of saddness and fear there.

"Good. I wouldnt want you to leave him. You have to protect him with your life just as I will with mine." I stated back to her, using the tone I would give her back when I was her mentor. She smiled back at me, greatful that I understood her decision.

"So what exactly is going on? All Ive been told is that strigoi were spotted and then the wards went down? Lissa and Christian have been hidden away somewhere safe but even they havent been told exactly whats going on..." She trailed off.

I released my hold on her, keeping one arm on her hip, I couldnt bare to let her go completely, not yet. "I dont know, Eddie ran into the cafe I was at and I over heard him saying the same thing to Guardian Hanz. I ran into one strigoi on the way over here, it was only him though, I didnt run into anymore." I replied watching the concern in her eyes as I mentioned my run in, I saw her eyes run up and down my body assessing me for injuries. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and a smile when she realised I was perfectly fine.
"Im going to go find someone and find out exactly whats going on, you have your phone on you?" I asked her, raising one eyebrow. She nodded her head, pulling it out of her pocket. "Good. Call me if anything happens here, and as soon as I know something I will let you know. Stay safe my Roza." I kissed her forehead and turned on my heel running back outside.

The scene outside shocked me, there were strigoi bodies littered in corners, and a couple of guardians still battling it out, trying to keep the strigoi from getting further into court. I glanced around until I saw Guardian Marnia struggling to hold her own against two well built strigoi, I raced to her side and threw myself at one of them, pinning him against the wall and using that moment of shock to drive my stake into his chest killing him instantly.
Guardian Marina used the distraction to stake the other strigoi at the same time, she turned and nodded her thanks to me before heading out to find more.

I moved my way around to the back of the building, towards the wards to see how bad the fighitng was around there and almost stopped dead in my tracks. I could see fire shooting up in bright bursts and I could hear the sounds of struggling and then a slight scream. I raced further around the corner until I came to a horrifying scene. There were guardian bodies on the ground, all of them had their throughts ripped out, there was so much blood I had to gulp back the bile rising in my stomach.

My head snapped up as I heard someone shout. I ran foreward in time to see Eddie get thrown against the brick building behind him. His head snapped back in a painful sounding thud and he slumpt slightly to the ground. He wasnt knocked out so much as just stunned. He looked up as I moved foreward. The strigoi that had been fighting him turned to me at the same time, the menacing smirk was much the same as the strigoi I had fought and killed before. His hair was black and matted, and his eyes looked like they had been a soft blue before being defiled with the red strigoi ring. Moroi, I thought to myself, by the look of his height and size.

He took a step towards me and crouched, letting a growl escape his lips but then he surprised me as he stopped, stood up to his full height and smiled at me. It confused me untill I felt a pair of cold hands grip my arms and twist them sharply and painfull behind my back, forcing me down to my knees.
Damn it! How had I been so distracted that I hadnt noticed my surroundings! Id let another one sneak up on me without knowing it. I mentally slapped myself for this possibly fatal mistake.

I tried to yank my arms free a couple of times but it was useless, whoever was holding me had an iron firm grip.
"Now, now Belikov." The black haired strigoi sneered, waving his finger at me, like I was a child who had done something wrong. "One wrong move and we'll rip that pretty little head off." He stepped closer to me, bending down infront of me so that we were both at eye level with eachother.

"What the hell do you want." I hissed at him, surely a group of strigoi would have a purpose for breaking into court, and it would have to be something big for them to recruit this many strigoi.

"Its not what we want... but WHO we want." He smirked. "You see, we have eyes and ears everywhere. We know who the best of the best are, and so... we're here to collect and recruit." He grinned widely at me this time.

"What...What do you mean recruit? No one here will go with you, not without a fight." I growled back at him, of course I knew what he meant, and I also knew that it wasnt a choice we got to make if they were able to incapacitate the guardian that they wanted... like the way they currently held me. I shunted slightly as he suddenly jerked my face closer to his, forcing me to look directly into his eyes.

"You dont have a choice." He laughed in my face before releasing me again and standing to his feet.

"Who are you after anyway." I spoke, I figured they were either going to kill me any minute or someone would be here to help. There had to be more guardians on their way around here right?

"hmmm lets see..." he said, looking up and tapping his finger against his chin as though he was thinking really heard, "Well... theres Calito, Knight, Castile..." He spoke, turning and stepping back infront of me and forcing me to my feet, "Hathaway... and you." He growled the last part, My eyes went wide and I let out a gasp just as he yanked me towards him and I felt his fangs graze my neck.

ohhhhhhh cliff-hanger!

Review or someone dies :D