Authors Note: Wow - a good seven months without an update. I apologise to those who are still by some miracle reading this story, or any of my stories for that matter. This chapter isn't my best, I would most definitely be the first to admit that but I haven't written anything in seven months so I'm finding my feet, once again. So I apologise in advanced if you feel as though you wasted your time but if by some miracle you still find this story somewhat entertaining and have the patience of saint to continue, then hopefully I'll get back into the saddle.
"But what happens if you don't show up?" Lissa had asked me less than a month ago, her voice filled with doubt and worry. I was like a dog with a bone when it came to her, my best friend and my future charge - determined to be there, I would move heaven and hell if two things such things existed to get to her, to protect her. The question reverberated through in mind, what would happen if I didn't show up? Well she was about to find out.
A cool harsh breeze brushed against her body, no doubt causing the tiny blonde hairs on her arms to stand up. Her whole body was trembling from the impact of whatever had penetrated through her skin and stabbed her abdomen. Her eyes were closed but that didn't stop the watery tears from escaping their home, the tears trickled quickly down the side of her white as snow cheeks.
'Come on, Liss' I pleaded mentally with her trying somehow to reach through to her mentally. She needed to open her eyes and scan her surroundings so I could get a sense of where she was.
Just as if she heard my plea, her eyes opened slowly and proceeded to narrow as she peered up at the darkened sky. The stars were out in full force tonight shining down on her.
"There you are," A male voice spoke to her. "We thought you had passed out on us for a second," the male in his tone very much evident. As Lissa turned her head to catch a glimpse of her attackers she was quickly blinded by black cloth which was pulled over her head.
"Come now, Princess!" Another man chimed in, laughing bitterly. "Did you really think we would give you a chance to compromise us?" She could feel his breath against her ear, even through the darkened cloth. "We know all about you."
The tears began to escape her eyes more quickly as she thrashed around on the floor. They may have blind folded her but they hadn't tied her down. She moved with the intention of trying to see if she could stand or at least roll but was rapidly pushed further into the hard ground. "If you don't let me go," Before she could carry out her threat, she screamed out in pain for the first time as a foot pressed against her abdomen.
"Not even the all powerful Dragomir's can fight silver...but please, entertain us..." I didn't need to see through her eyes to know that there was a smirk on his face. Mother f---. Lissa didn't need to be told twice her hands were like lightning, already covering the blood gushing from the wound.
"She's doing it" A female awe struck voice chimed in. Jesus how many gutless Moroi did it take to capture an unarmed and an unguarded princess and poison her?
And she was doing it. Lissa was healing herself but very slowly. The silver was quick to taint her blood and it took more of her energy than she had ever used before and she was still bleeding. Through the bond she reached out to me with what little energy she had left. Do it, I thought selflessly. It wasn't like I was getting up anytime soon. And like a vampire she started sucking the life from me.
"Rose..." Dimitri's frantic voice called out to me, willing me back to him. If it had been anyone else I doubt it would have worked, but he could always find me in the darkest of places and bring me back home, home to him. I opened my eyes to find his furrowed brow an inch away from my face. I shook my head as he went to ask me what was wrong - not yet. I rolled onto my side the best I could with his steel body fixed like a rock at my side and coughed up blood onto my perfectly clean beige carpet.
"Lissa..." Was all I managed to spit out before turning into the fricken exorcist child - only instead of spewing up today's dinner, I was apparently going hardcore and donating the majority of my blood supply to my carpet. Well that was just fan-freaking-tastic.
But instead of leaving my side as he should have done, he used the handy little radio in his that must have been stuffed into his trouser pocket and radioed a code black and with his free hand he stroked the side of my face, keeping my raven hair away from my face.
Faintly through the bond I heard Lissa scream out my name before both she and I blacked out.
---
It was becoming a habit of mine, waking up in the school's hospital wing - only I wasn't usually dressed like a patient or wired up like the terminator. There was an IV drip sticking out of my right arm, a long tube coming out of my nose and I was sporting one of those blue things on the tip of my index finger to monitor my heartbeat...what were they called? My mind drew a blank, in fact my mind wasn't up and running to its usual Rose Hathaway standard, if it were I would have been out of there quicker than a heartbeat. But as it was I found out as I tried to turn my head, I wasn't going to be doing much moving - at least within the next couple of minutes.
Apparently my kick ass dhamphir skills were on the fritz too because it took me more than a minute to realise there were other people in the room.
A man dressed in an ultra clean white lab coat came over to my bedside, his eyes widened when he saw that I was awake. "Welcome back, Miss Hathaway." I squinted trying to right my eyesight, he was wearing a name badge, I could see that quite clearly but what I couldn't make out were the little squiggles on it, squiggles which I presumed would have been his name.
"I'm...not," My words came out stuttered and I found myself breathless.
The doctor nodded apparently understanding the unspoken words. "You lost a lot of blood." He looked down at my abdomen, my eyes trailed down the sheets covering my body. "The wound is healing but you're still under an anesthetic for the pain."
My brow furrowed, "Wound?" I asked confused.
The nameless doctor peeled back the sheets covering my body and lifted up the horrible white hospital gown past the pink boyshorts covering my modesty and up to the edge of my ribs. There just under my toned stomach was a good three inch cut covered with thin black crisscross stitches.
What the hell? I went to open my mouth to ask another question but the doctor silenced me with his words.
"The best you can do right now for everyone, is rest..."
I wanted to protest, I wanted to get up out of the stupid bed, go find my best friend and kick some serious ass but I just simply couldn't. My eyes began to droop as a warm masculine hand stroked the side of my cheek. A small smile touched my lips before I slipped out of consciousness ...again.
--
I think I slipped in and out of consciousness over the next twenty four hours. But this time, my eyes opened with no hesitation and no resilience. They must have lowered my dose of morphin because boy there was a sharp beating against my abdomen. A depressed sigh escaped my lips as I saw all of the tubes were still connected to me.
"You're awake then.."
I turned my head and found a somber looking Christian resting his chin on my bed, his eyes red raw from most likely sleep deprivation. "Anything?" I asked, my voice crackling rough like my throat had been dragged across sand paper.
He shook his head. "Where is she?" He asked me, expectantly.
"I don't know." I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying my hardest to reach through the bond to find her, to feel her. But there was nothing. Usually whenever Lissa's heightened emotions overtook, it was easy for me to find her, hell it was even easier to slip into her. But there was nothing. "Nothing..." I bit down on my lip in frustration and reached out further.
"What does that mean?" Christian asked his tone harsh.
"I'm not a god damn radio station, I can't just tune into her whenever I want." I snapped, opening my eyes and unleashing my icy glare on him. It was unfair but there was raw emotion inside of me that needed to escape. I wasn't sure whether it was my own emotions or some leftovers from Lissa's invasion into me.
"Screw this..." I pulled the IV needle out of my arm, my eyes widening from the pain. Next the stupid blue thing on my finger and last but definitely not least the attractive tube coming out of my nose was pulled down.
"Where are you going?" Christian sat up, surprised by my movements. "The doctors said you shouldn't be moving let alone..."
I threw him a glare that shut him up. "You've got two choices cowboy, run with your tail between your legs and tell the big bad doctor that I've broken protocol or light a fire under your ass and get over here and help me get out of bed."
He was out of his chair in an instance and rounded the other side of the bed. His arm snaked around my waist, to carry the majority of my weight as my feet touched the floor.
"And don't get too excited, you cop a feel, I'll break your face." I threatened him, even though I knew perfectly well that he had absolutely no intention of feeling the curves my body had to offer. His red raw eyes were for Lissa and Lissa only.
"And how are you gonna do that if you can't even walk?" He asked with a hint of his former cocky arrogant self peering its ugly head, though his real question was, how did I plan on finding Lissa if I couldn't even walk?
I threw my arm around his neck as he helped me walk towards the door.
There was absolutely no need for what I did next. The door was unlocked but I had a point to prove. I stepped out of his grasp and stood firmly on my own two feet. I stepped forward and wobbled slightly, pushing Christian's hands away when he went to steady me. Letting out a deep breath I took another step forward and balanced on my left foot as my right leg sprung up in air and my foot impacted against the door.. knocking it only slightly off its hinges.
"Trying to prove a point to me?" He asked.
"No," I sighed. "To me..." I took two more deep breaths and this clenched my fists as my body tilted down and to the right, time I kicked the door with all the strength I could muster.
The door swung off its hinges and fell to the floor, the sound echoed down the hallway. Okay so it was only a wooden door - but it was an important stepping stone.
"Miss Hathaway!" There down the hallway stood with her arms folded over her chest, Headmistress Kirova and four other guardians, including Dimitri. They had obviously been on their way to see me. "What on earth are you doing?"
I exhaled heavily, my nostril flaring with strong emotion that I wanted to channel through productive violence. The anger and control I fought on a daily basis was simmering at the top, about to explode. Seeing him standing here, inside of the school while Lissa was somewhere out there, being prodded and poked or who knows what had me seeing red. "Something you people haven't been able to do.." My eyes met his dark troubled gaze. "Protect Lissa!"