It seemed like I had been pacing in front of the door and looking out the windows forever by the time Dimitri finally walked in. I rushed into his arms and held him there. All the anxiety rolled off my tensed shoulders and I could breathe freely. Every horrible scenario that could go wrong had been playing through my mind. Now, now they were nonexistant. I had him in my own very hands to prove it.

His hands ran through my hair, "Hey."

"Hey." I choked back a sob. I hadn't realized I had tears in my eyes until now.

He pulled back enough to look down at me, "What's wrong?" I shook my head and tried to turn my face so he couldn't see the tears. He just turned my face right back to his. He wiped away a tear with his thumb, "Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not." I pressed my forehead to his chest and quickly wiped away any escaping tears.

He chuckle softly, "I'm fine."

I scoffed, "Yea, well it sure took you guys long enough to get here."

"How could you be worried? It's Dimitri you're talking about here," Alek patted his back roughly as he passed us to go into the kitchen. He called back before disappearing, "You should know better than that by now, Rose!"

We shared a quick laugh. I eyed Dimitri, "Still I couldn't help but worry."

He tightened his hold on me, "I know. I'm sorry I worried you. But we were still pretty far when I got your call. I think we made good time getting here."

"That would have been some helpful information to have." I doubled back, "Wait, but you did say you guys found something."

His face grew serious, "Yes. Let's go discuss this with everyone."

I gestured into the dining room, "They went in for coffee and snacks when we got back."

"And you didn't join?"

I forced a laugh, "Yea, like I have time for coffee or snacks while you're in possible danger?" My stomach betrayed me as we walked in and I caught a wift of something sweet. It growled. My arms tightened around me. Why must you start up in the most inconvinient moments?

Adrian was topping off Sydney's cup with a refill of coffee. By my guess it could quite possibly be her third cup. Gabe was sitting opposite of them sipping his own drink. He looked neither happy nor upset. Just a look of pensiveness perhaps. Alek was at the coffee machine waiting for his turn. A large plate with rolls and pastries sat center table. Once that caught my eye every thing else was superfluous.

"Hey, I've got some news. Gather around." Dimitri pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and began to unfold it. "Alek and I found out some interesting things on our hunt." He laid it out. It was the list of names Gabe had given him. A few of them were circled and underlined in red and black ink. "Alek?"

"This particular man is associated with a clan that my family knows of. He is not from this country but is thought that he came from the states. Felipe Gregory." He pointed down on a name underlined two times in red. "And it just so happens that quite a few of these Strigoi are in that same clan with this man." His finger ran down to and tapped on the names that were circled in red. Looks like they coded everything.

"Now here comes some even more interesting news. That particular clan has been the most active one in these areas for the past three years for some reason. Nobody can quite wrap their minds around as to why. But the area of the club where we saw the girl is the area that he has been seen the most. And we belive he was the one." Dimitri was staring down at the paper with such intensity that I wouldn't have been surprised if it spontaneously caught fire.

Alek nodded, "And we know where the place is. It's a fortress and it'll be hard to break in. The security there is tight and we'll be dealing with humans as well as Strigoi." He shot a quick glance at Gabe. "I think you might know a bit about this topic."

"That's a low blow, Alek." I could hardly believe my ears. Was he really going to insult him just because he was Strigoi? Might as well go after Dimitri while he was at it!

Dimitri shut his eyes and slammed his hand down over the list, "I don't think so... considering that he knew these are Maestro's men."

All eyes flew to Gabe's stone face. He stood in the back of the group with his arms crossed firmly over his chest. He finally sighed heavily, "I had suspected as much. But I wasn't too sure. I gave you the names of the Strigoi I knew."

"But you never said you knew them like that. You worked with Maestro for how long now?" Alek's accusing eyes were hard and angry. I had never seen him like that. It scared me a little to think that someone like him could get so worked up. Why was this guy such a big deal?

Gabe's head dropped slightly, "Three years. But it was always the odd job and we never associated with the rest. Just directly from Maestro."

"So our targets work in this fortress?" Adrian's eyes darkened.

Gabe frowned, "We can kill two birds with one stone."

I gaped at him, "What? Are you crazy? You think we can just walk into a place like that and take out a few people? Our targets are humans."

He nodded, "That work for Strigoi. What do you think their payment is exactly?" His expression faded into a fully serious one. "They are going to either be turned or killed."

"So you think we should just kill them!" I grabbed his shirt into my fist.

He just stood there, "I think we go in there and take them out. Maestro has the biggest ring of Strigoi coming and going at his disposal. If we take out his company we take out a chunk of evil." He stared down at me. "The humans can go free if that's what you want but know they will just look for another way. They want eternal life."

I shuddered and slackened my grip. He was right in some twisted real world way. They would probably go looking for more Strigoi to turn them. These humans were tainted in the worst way. But it still didn't give us the right to harm them. I couldn't kill a human. "I don't care. They go free."

He nodded, "Agreed then. But what about the rest?"

"We'd need a way to sneak in, right? Why not have Adrian make you all disguises?" Sydney had taken this time to sit down and finish up her coffee. "It worked on Maestro."

Adrian laughed, "I'm not too great at it. We're just lucky that our meetings were in a dim, dark club where we could mask our scents and didn't have too great lighting to see."

"But you also have complusion though. That could help strengthen your magic." Her faced reddened slightly. I don't think she was too comfortable talking about magic still.

He smirked, "Well look who's been studying!"

She full on blushed, "We study all Moroi magic and traits. It's part of my job as an Alchemist."

"When you were an Alchemist." He cleared his throat.

I wasn't was too great of a thing to say to her. She looked uncomfortable as soon as those words left her mouth. "That aside, you could use complusion on a number of them with your disguises. You could plant bombs or just take them out. Like a swat team."

I almost laughed at the image of us slowly working our way up the building, taking out Strigoi as we passed floor to floor. My ninja skills would come in handy as well. But that was quickly repleaced with the reality of ti all, "That's walking into our death."

"But it would be the smart thing to do. If we planned on doing it," Dimitri's voice boomed over us all. He was still staring down at the list of names. "Gabe is suggesting that we hunt down Strigoi. We started this going after one killer and getting Gabe out of trouble."

"By taking them out we would be getting Gabe out of trouble and taking out the killer." I couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. They were barely audible but from the look of things everyone had heard me.

Dimitri was the one that caught my eyes. He was staring at me with both caution and curiosity. "Do you want to do this?" He looked me over and I knew what he meant. I wouldn't just be putting us in danger but also the life of our child.

"We have some time to plan it out. Once we have what we feel is a fool proof plan then we can get back around to deciding if we want to go through with it. We could deliver justice and save a friend all at once. Plus we still have to find a way to those women." It was heroic in words but it was a whole other thing to actually put it to action.

He nodded, "Okay. Then we'll start now."

Sydney stood up and planted her hand on the paper, "Do any of you know the blueprints for the building? We could start there."

Alek slid the paper out from her hand and pulled out a pathetic excuse for a pencil. He flipped the paper and started drawing out a rough sketch of a blueprint. "There's three floors. I'll draw what I remember but it's not going to be accurate."

"We can work with that." I patted his back twice roughly.

He continued drawing out the plans, "But we'd need to know if Maestro's going to be there."

"He'll be there. He doesn't get his hands dirty. Never leaves unless we have a meeting." He tapped the third floor, "He's on top."

"How do you know?" Adrian glared at him.

I shrugged, "I can never understand why the bosses like the top floor."

"It's like having the seat of power." Sydney said absentmindedly until she noticed she had gained our attention. "It's a power trip thing."

Adrian half laughed, "You sure know alot, Syd."

"I actually know so much because I study and I like to read." She looked dead serious.

Dimitri took my hand in all the chaos and banter. He pulled me with him into the next room. "Sit outside with me."

"But what about...?"

He smiled, "They'll work it out amongst themselves. Unless you have any information about the place?"

I sank a little, "No."

He gaze softened, "Then enjoy what's left of the night with me." He still held my hand so gently in his. His skin was warm and soft. He had such tender hands for a trained Guardian. I soaked in the feel of him.

My head finally nodded automatically, "Okay." I followed him outside. He was right. The night sky was starting to fade into a softer dark blue. The stars were still visible but the moon was long gone. The night air was crisp and cool on my skin. Goose bumps trickled over my arms and neck.

We sat down on a long bench. Dimitri pulled me down beside him and I rested against his shoulder. He rose his hand and held a strand of my hair. He twisted it around the tip of his finger before letting it fall away slowly. He watched it with admiration. I loved seeing him so content. "Roza, I need you to promise me something," he said still staring at my hair.

I turned my face so that I could see his profile. He was still as gorgeous from this angle too. "Depends."

He grinned, "If we do what we're planning I need you to promise that if anything goes wrong that you'll run. Even if I'm in danger."

"Run away? You're dense if you think I'd just leave you there."

"I'm serious, Roza." He looked it.

I scoffed, "I'm serious too! I've already lost you once don't think I'd do it a second time." My eyes burned from the tears that were trying to fight their way to the surface.

"But you know it's not just about us anymore." His tone stayed low and careful, "If things go bad you will run to save yourself and the baby." He placed his hand over my stomach. "I don't even think we should do this. It's too dangerous."

My hand was barely enough to spand the width of his hand but I managed. "But it's the right thing to do. We could save Gabe. We could save alot of people by taking out this clan. Imagine how many lives they take a day." It made me angry as I said the words. Strigoi were the monsters you heard about in scary stories. They were the real life boogie man, the monster in the closet or under your bed. The creepy shadows that stalked you in the dead of night. And once they had you in their clasp it was nearly impossible to escape. You were either turned or killed. And those that are turned end up carrying on the processes. It was a never ending link of death and evil. If we could put even just a dent in it then maybe it would all be worth it.

He must have read my mind, "You're right." He brushed my hair back behind my shoulders and traced my jaw line. "I just want you to be safe." His eyes were looking at each part of my face. They finally rested on my eyes. Those deep brown burning eyes. So full of fire and life. My heart fluttered. He still had that affect on me.

I knew what I had to do, "I promise then. I'll run. If it comes to that point." It was nearly impossible to get the words out. But it was the only way we were going to go through with it. It's the right thing to do. I reached out and tucked back a loose piece of hair behind his ear. His hair was so soft and smooth. I hadn't realize just how much I missed that feeling until that moment.

He made a lobsided smile, "Thank you, Roza. I don't even think you realize how brave you are. How selfless." He placed his hand over my heart and just rested it there for a moment. His smile intensified, "You have the best heart."

I felt my heart skip a beat, "I learned from the best."

He chuckled, "No. You've always been that way. Since the moment I met you. You threw yourself in front of danger for Lissa the first time I saw you. Fearless." He eyes were looking into me. Like he could see more than what was on the surface. He could see my soul. "One of your many qualities that make you so beautiful." He ran his hand over cheek and cupped my face. At first I thought he was going to pull me in for a kiss. But he just leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on my head. His lips lingered there for a moment.

"And here I was thinking it was my ninja skills that realed you in." My voice cracked as I tried to joke. It was an ill attempt at humor but I needed to see him smile. I was yearning for one of his genuine smiles. I hadn't seen one in a while.

He quickly and gracefully manuvered me, tilting me over his lap and bringing his lips to mine. It was a strong and hungry kiss. It made my breathing quicken and my chest fill with warmth. For that moment it was like the dark sky and it's remaining stars shattered into nothing. All that mattered was that kiss. His lips on mine. The taste of his mouth and the electricity coursing through me. It was perfect. He pulled back but kept his mouth dangerously close to mine. "I love everything that is you, Roza. Every smile, laugh, sarcasm, and tear. All of you. I just want you."

I smiled and felt my heart swell, "I'm yours." I pulled him back to me and resealed that kiss. I tightened my grip around him so much that I was able to catch a scent of his breath. It was sweet and alluring. I suddenly wanted so much more of him than a kiss. "Do you want to go inside?"

He traced the edge of my lips with the tip of his finger, "Tired already?"

"Not exactly what I was referring to." I turned my face inward and kiss his hand.

His hand snaked into my hair and he tugged it slightly causing me to move towards him even more. He ran his lips along my jaw, gently letting them graze against my skin. My body heated and burned. I felt my heart begin to thud hard within my chest. His put his mouth to my ear and breathed out softly. Chills ran through my core. "I'm pretty sure I know what you were referring to."

I turned my body around and straddled him on the bench. He pulled me to him until there was no possible way for me to get any closer. My posture was incredibly straight and our chests pressed firmly against one another. I felt every rise and fall of his chest. I could even feel the thumping of his heart. I ran my hands though his hair relishing the silky feel and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands slid carefully under the back of my shirt. His fingers caressing my skin as he moved up my spine. "If this lasts any longer I don't think I can control myself", I rested my head on his shoulder and buried my face into his neck. The smell of his sweat and soap was pretty sexy right now.

He chuckled and it rumbled into my chest. His hands slowly slid down my back and rested at the lowest part. His fingers splayed out and gently tightened. "Let's take this inside then before one of us loses control." I felt his lips curl into a smile on my cheek.

I was reluctant to get up. My body was resisting the move and complained by filling the warmth with emptiness. I wanted his touch beyond reasonable doubt. The loss of the feel of his skin was too much. I nearly rushed him inside as he stood beside me.

When we stepped inside we found Alek was sleeping on the couch. It looked more comfortable than when I had last set up there. We could hear Sydney and Adrian still up in the kitchen talking. And th smell of coffee was still strong in the air. That didn't surprise me as much as the sudden notice that Gabe was gone. Then again I knew he didn't want to stay here. He had probably left earlier to stay at Oksana's and Mark's house. Other than the soft spoken words the house was pretty quiet. So we snuck up stairs to our room.

The door wasn't even closed when I found myself tangled in Dimitri's arms. He lifted me off the ground and pressed against him. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I in turn wrapped my arms around him. He slid me onto the bed and straightened up only to throw off his shirt. His naked torso looked so smooth and inviting. I reached out and ran my fingers over his skin. The scar over his chest was the only flaw. Even that looked like it had been perfectly placed on him. A real work of art.

He leaned over me and held himself up on all fours. His hair hung forward and shadowed his face. So I tucked some strands behind his ear. Couldn't have someone so handsome being hidden. And there it was. That smile. Pure and genuinely happy. I loved that smile. My heart melted. And I lost all control.

Every touch so familiar yet it he could make it all feel so brand new. Each time was like the first time. I realized I would always get those butterflies in my stmoach. Always blush like a teenage girl. Always fall in love all over again.

We laid there naked in each other's arm. His skin was so warm against mine. It opposed the cool air hitting my uncovered skin. He took my thigh in hand and wrapped my leg over his hip. I pulled him closer. I opened my mouth to speak but he pressed his finger to my lips to silence me. Instead I settled for a kiss. A long, passionate, and fiery kiss. The kind that leave you breathless and wating for more.

I rested my head on his chest and laid there staring into space. There was still something on my mind though. "Dimitri?"

"Mmm?" He sounded sleepy. I wasn't surprised.

"About the plans..."

He sighed heavily, "We can discuss it tomorrow."

I bit my lip but carried on, "I think we should call in some back up."

He shifted and I realized it was to look down at me. I turned my face upward to meet his gaze, "That's going to be hard considering that nobody knows about Sydney's or Gabe's situation."

"We still have some options."

His eyes shot away from me and off to nothingness. Something had struck him. His features softened as his gaze found mine. "Don't worry about it. I think I have an idea." He ran his hand through my hair and kissed my head, "Now go to sleep. The sun's already out."

I looked past him, over his shoulder. The thick curtains were still dark but I could see the light highlighting the edges. As if it was fighting to reach inside the room. The sun was definitely out. Which meant bed time for us until the day cooled once again. I relaxed into his arms. Slowly I felt myself drift off into sleep. I know I was floating in darkness for some time. Then came that soft glow that I had grown accustomed to in my dreams. Adrian. Sure enough his face emerged from the light. He was leaning against a cherry tree with a look of contentment on his face. Someone's in a good mood.

"Hello, little Dhampir." His trademark smirk was on display.

I walked over to him and leaned beside on on the tree, "Adrian. You look pretty happy."

He sighed loudly in the most exaggerated way, "I feel happy."

I laughed, "Okay. What's got you so happy?"

"I don't know. I just feel good. Great even!" He sat down in the grass and patted the spot beside him.

I took the invite. "Is this Sydney related?"

He tried to hide the smile but there was no denying it. "Why do you ask?"

"Did something happen?" In my head I was imagining that she made a mistake. Possibly ending up with a confession of love or even a kiss. But even that might be pushing it too far. This was Sydney we were talking about after all.

He shrugged, "Nothing huge. But I think, I don't know, that she might like me." His smile brightened a little as he spoke.

My hope sparked up, "What happened?"

"We just stayed up all night talking. At first it was about the suicide mission but then" he sighed and a dreamy look took the excited one's place. "She's so smart. Have you ever noticed how smart she is? And she's selfless and kind hearted." He plucked a long piece of grass and twisted it until it could take no more.

I grinned, "Aren't you just the complimenting type."

He grinned in return, "I don't what it is about her. She's a pain in the ass at times but she's like no one I've ever seen." His gaze drifted off to the skies. He raised his hand to block the light and ended up casting its shadow across his face. "Even her aura is amazing."

I sank into some sort of 'awe' as it hit me, "You're in love with her."

His eyes pierced me at he set his sights on me. "Rose..."

"You do! You love her!" I felt like thorwing streamers and confetti into the air. He finally found someone. And by all accounts I could almost verbally swear that she loved him too. Except I couldn't. Sydney would never confess to it. My hope slightly dwindled. "And you think she might care about you too?"

His smile faultered a little but he recovered by turning it into a smirk. "I'm not completely positive." He paused, "Who knows, maybe I'm just fooling myself?"

I turned to him and grippe dhis shoulders, "You're crazy if you're just going to give up on her!"

He looked shocked. "Why do you care so much about this?" He squinted at me, "Do you know something?"

I released him and sat back against the tree, "What a stupid question! I know alot of things. I'm not a idiot."

"You know what I mean. Do you know if she does care about me?" His eyes were pleading with me. Those capturing emerald eyes.

"Well..." I wanted to say something. Anything to keep his hopes high. "I'm not professional on the matter but I think she does. She's even mentioned that she likes having you around."

He looked surprised, "Really? You're not just messing with me?"

I scoffed, "Why would I toy with your emotions?" My gut tightened and I regretted that statement. Of course I had toyed with his emotions before. Not intentionally but I had ended up hurting him in the end. It didn't seem to phase him. His thougts were clearly somewhere else. " You should pull her here."

"What? That's insane."

I glared at him, "Why not?"

He frowned, "This is Sydney. The same girl that doesn't like being around magic. Did you hear how much she complained about wearing the charm to disguise herself when we went to meet with Maestro?"

"She complained?" This was new news to me. I hadn't known about it.

"She would freak if I tried to pull her into a dream."

I smiled mischievously, "Then don't let her know you pulled her into a Spirit induced dream."

He caught on, "I couldn't trick her like that."

"It's not even considered a trick. Just pull her in and act like it's just a dream. You could possibly even learn about how she feels. This way you could talk to her about it." I was really hoping he would at least consider it.

"I'll think about it." He smirked. "You're pretty clever, little Dhampir."

I was awakened suddenly by someone pounding on the door. "Rose! Wake up, wake up!"

"I'm up!" I crawled out of bed. It seemed like minutes had passed since I had fallen asleep. I looked around. Dimitri was gone. And I was tangled in the blankets. On the floor. Great.

"Rose!" It sounded like Sydney. "Unlock the door!"

It hadn't even occurred to me that the door had been locked. I made the thin sheets wrap around me like a make shift dress and opened the door. "Morning."

She looked me up and down. "You're not a morning person." She walked in behind me. "Dimitri's down stairs cooking."

My stomach growled at the mention of food, "What's he cooking?"

"Looks like pancakes", she shrugged.

"Blini?" I almost ran out. But then realized I still wasn't dressed. Wouldn't that make for some interesting morning talk.

She laughed, "What?"

"It's thin pancakes that are topped off with fruit and stuff. Russians call it blini." I was gesturing with my hands like an idiot. I gave up on my failed attempt to describe it and decided on an abrupt change of subject, "What's with the wake up call?"

"Oh, there's something I need to talk to you about. Really, I just need a friend." She looked sheepishly to the ground.

I nodded, "Okay. I'm here for you, Sage. What's on your mind?"

She took in an extremely deep breath. It almost made me light headed. "It's about Adrian."

I nearly choked on my own breath, "Oh?"

"Yea. Last night he kept me company. We talked and he really seemed so interested in what I had to say. Like really interested. And these days nobody really seems to care about anything I have to say. But he's been there for me. " She exhaled and took another breath. "Even when I was acting like a total jerk to him last night after the meeting. He still tried to comfort me. He even made me coffee. And honestly it was some pretty good coffee," She smiled and her face flushed pink. "But I don't know what to think about it. I mean, I feel..." she placed her hand on her chest and sighed.

I waited for her to continue. When she didn't I thought I'd urge her on. "You care about him?"

She looked at me with both shock and dismay, "I guess. I don't know. I think I might. But what do I do? He's a Moroi. A vampire. I'm human. And not just human, I'm Alchemist."

"Ex-Alchemist," I corrected.

She shut her eyes, "It's still frowned upon by your people too. I couldn't do that to him." She placed her face in her hands in defeat.

"Sydney." I put a hand on her shoulder for comfort, "As a friend I say do what you feel. Screw the system."

"But it's wrong."

I scoffed, "Says who? Vampires? Alchemists? If it weren't for Moroi mixing with humans my kind wouldn't exist."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "You really think something like that could last?"

"Love has no guidelines." A voice from the door made us both jump up from out seats.

Sydney's face was bright red now, "Yeva..."

"Humans and vampires once shared their love freely for one another. They cherished each other talents and strengthened one another's weakness. Only a fool would tell you otherwise." She grinned and turned her back to us, "Давай вниз по лестнице, когда вы готовы, чтобы поесть."

We stayed silent in shock. Great. Now Yeva knows. But then again she probably saw it coming. Sydney finally turned to me, "I'll leave so you can get dressed."

"But don't you want to finish our conversation?" I know I wanted to.

She shook her head as she walked out, "I'll have to think about this more." She smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Rose. You're such a good person." She rethought that, "I'm pretty lucky to have a friend like you." She shut the door.

I sat there in disbelief and feeling a little proud. Disbelief that she had confessed her feelings to me. The feelings Adrian and I were discussing just moments before she woke me up. I had to tell him. This could be his push in the right direction. This could be the key to finally making him happy. And I wanted Adrian happy. I owed him that much after all I had put him through. And proud because of what she said. She thinks I'm a good person? Lucky to have a friend like me? I smiled to myself and threw off the sheets. I started tugging my shirt on over my head. My pants slipped right on and I hopped out the door lacing my shoes.

I couldn't get down the stairs fast enough for many reasons. One was that I had to find Adrian to deliever the news. The other was just to see Dimitri. And of course last but not least to eat some of his undoubtably delicious blini. But I was unexpectedly met with three bodies standing in front of an open door.

The sun was pouring in through the doorway. Adrian was the one holding the door open. Two shadows cast across the floor reaching for my feet. "You all seem like you could use some help." The male voice that finally broke the silnce was all too familiar.

"Eddie?"

It was then I noticed the second person. Mia. She smiled sweetly and posed innocently in her babydoll top and skinny jeans, "Did someone call in the cavalry?"

By Shadow Kissed Mori