Disclaimer: I don't own VA, only own the plot and a few characters.

Chapter 20

Right then I wasn't sure which one I wanted to do first. Kill them or help kill Lissa and Adrian. Both were deliciously tempting, but considering I was stuck in a room with three nutcases, all of whom are related, I decided to deal with them first.

All my weapons were made of silver with specially made handles in which I could grasp as I fought enemy Strigoi. The idea was genius but took a year's worth of saving up for all of my weapons. Defeating them would be a piece of cake. If they seriously thought I was going to kill them.

If it's one thing everyone knows me for; it's that I'm full of surprises. I ditched my original plan and created a new one within seconds. A much more interesting plan. Well, at least I'll be entertained. There's only one thing I needed to know.

My attention never left Raiden. His smell intoxicated me, those luscious lips dared me to taste them, and his eyes were wild and fiery. But I couldn't give in. I wouldn't. Seven years without him had taken its toll, but right now it didn't matter. He was no longer a friend. He was a foe.

"Tell me one thing," I said.

An eyebrow rose, although his dangerous expression didn't falter.

"What happened to my little Hope?"

A briefest awkward moment occurred before he answered. "She, along with the others, perished in the blaze," he said, unaffected.

"I don't believe you," I said lightly.

"Oh?"

"You're not that heartless."

Tallon burst into titters, doubling over to be over dramatic. Jenna smiled sadly at me.

"Of all people, you'd think it'd be you to know we are a heartless specie."

And as expected they bust into fits of laughter. It all happened in slow motion. I gave a wild, fake cough, bending over slightly and clutched my chest. My hand slipped into my jacket to retrieve my FYI A Stiletto blade. Just as Tallon gave a start at my cough, he started to straighten up again. Just as he was almost upright, I whipped it out and with all my might I flung it at him. He was caught off guard and not even he could stop the blade slicing into his neck. The blade broke out from the back of his neck and he started screaming and thrashing. Jenna tried to pry his hands away from the blade so she could rip it out but with the silver burning Tallon's skin and on the inside, he kept on screaming and tried to take it out himself. That left Raiden.

He lunged at me, sending us both crashing to the floor. He crawled on top of me and I blocked his fists, just barely. He attempted to use my own weapons against me but as he retrieved a knife from my jacket and cut the inside of his palms, he exclaimed in anger. That was all I needed.

With all my might I smashed my foot on the ground and pushed my body up with all my strength to send him off me. He went flying over me and as I got to my feet, I witnessed him colliding with his sister.

That was my cue to get the hell out of there.

I sprinted through the door and took a sharp right into a gift shop.

"Shit, shit, shit," I repeated about ten times as I tried to locate another exit. I failed to, so as I spun around and tried to run back the way I came in, I ran smack into Jenna. I lost my footing and fell into a plushy stand. Jenna stumbled backwards but was able to gain her footing. I sprang to my feet and delivered a lethal blow to her stomach, hearing her ribs crunch under my boot. She screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, too stunned to move.

I dashed out of there and dodged a very angry looking Tallon on the way out. He failed to get a punch in and sprinted after me. I heard a second pair of footsteps and assumed Raiden joined him too. I ran outside, trying my hardest to remember the Court's layouts. Where the fuck was the cells?

At the briefest moment of me halting in spot, Raiden came behind me and held in a headlock. Not good, considering he had the power to decapitate me then at there.

I briefly struggled from the lack of air but quickly regained my senses and attempted to be free of him. His left arm was secured around my neck, keeping me in place – and just then I saw Tallon come around to my front slowly. Time to act.

I grabbed Raiden's left arm with my left at his elbow from the outside and pulled downwards and lowered my body as far as I could go. As planned, his body moved closer on my right side to sustain his near-solid grip on me. With my right hand, I reached behind and grabbed the back of his neck and shifted my bodyweight up. I pulled on it with all my strength and lowered my body down as much as I could, which had little affect. I could see his confusion was growing – which I was amused by. So glad Sonya showed me this trick. Considering lowering myself didn't work, I started bending forward and purposely collided my butt with his groin. I heard him hiss but he hold never faltered. Maintaining a strong grip on his neck, I let go of his left arm and placed it on his shoulder above. I heaved forward, pushing my upper body down and sent him sprawling into Tallon.

Feeling smug and satisfied, I dashed passed them, entering another building. Inside were various luxurious shops and restaurants.

A memory came to me instantly. I was walking through the same doors with Lissa on my tail, giggling to ourselves about raiding the shops and buying every cute outfit. I gasped.

Of course. I now knew where I was. The Royal Court's prison was an entirely separate building not too far of a walk from here. But a thought occurred to me. Why would they put Moroi and whatnot inside the most obvious place?

I grimaced. I knew Raiden was too smart for that.

Then, on cue, Tallon entered the door and start bolting in my direction. I side stepped him and jump over a counter in the nearest restaurant.

"Did your mummy teach you that move?" he spat. He hopped up onto the counter just as I ripped the microwave off the power source and threw it at him, making sure one of the corners came in contact with his groin. He bit back a snarl and fell backwards onto a table.

I retreated out of the shop – then ran smack into Raiden.

"Nice move back there," he said, lunging forward. He held me by the neck and dragged me higher on the wall, making sure that my hair got caught and as he scrapped me higher, the more pain screeched from my head. My foot kicked out colliding with his hip, making him turn and I heard an excoriating crunch of bone. His grip weakened, letting me fall to the ground.

I gasped, momentarily out of it because of the lack of air. I staggered to my feet just as Raiden sat up. Another kick to his chest made sure he stayed back down for however long. I escaped the shopping center in a flash, knowing my free time was limited.

I lost my sense of direction. Building, shops, restaurants – all became a blur. A constant a blur. The only thing my mind was reeling about was to get away from the psycho siblings even though they played a major part in my plan. But how was I supposed to capture them and keep them sedated? They're Strigoi. I doubted anesthesia would subdue them for a while. And a stake would kill them. Unless…

I had to get to the car park immediately. I spun around on my heel and had to dodge Tallon's swipe of his hand. All three of them were on my heel so to dodge Jenna I had to step and attempt to run against the building's wall. I crashed to the floor, but just in time I was able to do a front flip and skittered to my feet before they took advantage of my position.

I was vaguely aware where I was – all the buildings looked too familiar to tell them apart. But as I sprinted closer I saw the building I went into first and flew inside. I went shoulder first into the closed door to the ballroom and sprinters of wood flew in every direction. I staggered inside and went to the nearest table and chairs and broke apart four chair legs. I heard footsteps and looked up just in time to watch Raiden's expression as his eyes drifted to my hands. His eyes told hold of mine.

"Wood doesn't kill us, Rose," he barked.

I shrugged, unaffected. "Who said I was going to kill you?"

At that he growled and continue to pursue me and I was chased out of the ballroom and into the nights breeze.

My eyes found Hayley almost instantly, tormenting Lissa and Adrian. From their expressions, she was doing a good job. At the commotion we made, all three pair of eyes glanced upwards in our direction. Lissa's eyes lit up with relief until she saw my eyes cut into hers. She knew she was in trouble. Big time.

But right now I needed her, so her punishment would have to come later.

I caught both hers and Adrian's attention. I held up one of the wooden stakes.

"See this? Watch carefully. It's not exactly easy," I said, before coming to a complete stop and as my body turned to the side, my arm shot out and buried the stake in Jenna's heart. Her scream was muffled as she collapsed to the ground. Hayley shouted in outrage and turned on Adrian. I threw another stake at Lissa, before turning on the brothers. Both were ready to rip me apart. How unfortunate for them, considering they wouldn't get the chance.

Raiden stepped forwards first as Tallon attempted to strike me from behind. As they both lunged, I twisted my body so they'd both only see my sides and as they closed in, I lashed out with both stakes, delivering them a harsh blow to their chests. I pushed them both in deep and let Tallon fall, unconcerned. It was Raiden I looked back at and my lips thinned in anguish. He fell at my feet and just before he was reduced to being unconscious, his eyes met mine.

I held back my hate and let him see that I pitied him for what he was about to face. No way was I letting him get out of this so easily. I turned back to see that Lissa had indeed staked Hayley. She stared at her hands, clutching the stake that was recently pushed into Hayley's heart.

"Let go, Lissa," I said slowly. Her eyes met mine and I could see tear tracks down her face.

"Rose, I-"

"We don't have much time," I said emotionlessly. I dug in Jenna's stake. "This only lasts for so long," I said, glancing up at them again. "Adrian, go find a silver stake."

He visibly gulped, looking uncertain. "What about the survivors?"

It occurred to me that in a way, I didn't care about the survivors. My only hope was to sedate the siblings long enough to complete my mission. But then it wouldn't be a bad idea to gather more survivors to fight against the siblings if it came to that.

I hauled all four bodies together. I dug in Raiden and Tallon's stake just as Lissa did with Hayley's.

"Where would they hold their prisoners?" I murmured with a frown.

"The Court's prison-"

"They're too smart for that," I bit out, looking down at Raiden. "Well, at least one of them is."

There was a brief pause before Lissa spoke.

"I-"

The sound of screeching made us look up in surprise. I couldn't believe my eyes. What looked like some kind of lifted up truck, perhaps a F250, screeched into the parking lot after effortlessly driving over the debris from the front gate that spilled out onto the road. The driver was a lunatic; I'll give him that. He swerved, skittered and finally came to a stop in front of us.

The windows were tinted but I could see them as clear as day even before they got out.

Distaste filled my mouth.

Christian sprang out of the drivers seat before taking us all in with those icy-blue eyes of his. He looked shaken up, but determined. Almost resembling a dark, gothic prince. How ironic, considering his 'princess' perceived to be sent from above. He was wearing all black and on him was a fair amount of weapons. Surprisingly, tucked in its stealth at Christian's side, was a stake.

All the weapons, and a bloody cut on his forehead finally made sense. He was captured and had escaped. Like a gallant warrior, he's come back to save the others. How heart-warming.

My disgust furthered when two others stepped out of the car.

When I saw Jesse's face, I had mixed reactions. Part of me wanted to take Raiden's stake out and set him loose on the Moroi. But then again, jealously wasn't a favored emotion. If anyone was doing any butt whopping, it was going to be me.

And as another figure emerged from the truck, my self-control was slipping.

Ralf. Of all people… Ralf.

Perhaps seeing me Strigoi for the first time was terrifying and yet intriguing for them, considering Christian's already seen me like this. And to say they didn't know whether to run or stay added to my amusement.

Then an idea occurred to me.

"No blood whore jokes? No mischievous and yet dumb remarks?" I said, a little too calmly.

Jesse's eyes had widened when I spoke, while Ralf cowered behind the truck as much as he could without appearing to be a sissy in front of everyone else.

"No?" I said innocently, my head turned slightly to the side to give a more of a cute effect. "Well then," I said, straightening up and narrowing my eyes to slits, " I'd be more than happy to give you a demonstration of just how intoxicating a Strigoi bite is. It forms an addiction immediately. You won't be able to resist not feeding me. Care for takers?"

All that met me was silence. Christian hadn't moved from where he stood, frozen in place, and the other newcomers? I'm surprised they haven't run away screaming yet.

Lifting my head up higher to show more authority, I said, "You were captured, is that correct?"

"Yes," Christian answered. He started to move to Lissa's side, not once removing his eyes from mine.

"Where were you all held?"

"All of us were scattered in different places because of our element. Jesse and I were handcuffed and thrown into a freezer, which then dimmed our ability to bend fire. The water-users where just placed behind bars."

I bit my lip. Jill and Mia's element was water.

"They killed every Moroi that used air because one of them managed to suffocate Tallon before his twin figured it out."

I looked down upon Raiden. Damn him and his intelligence.

"The earth users were kept hostage in the spa area," Christian said, pointing to another ornate stonework building to the left, which was known as the 'luxurious' building. "Each of them were handcuffed and then thrown in the water. All their energy was put on staying afloat. I don't know how many of them are left-"

"Jill's locked up somewhere then," I interrupted, knowing all the information I needed. I nodded to Christian. "Do you know whereabouts?"

He shook his head. "The sisters," he said, motioned to the Strigoi sisters on the ground, "were bickering about everyone's whereabouts. They constantly checked on us, oblivious to the fact that they were sharing information. They were obviously confident enough to think that we wouldn't have a chance in hell in escaping."

Jesse gave a sarcastic snort, momentarily forgetting me and my 'deathly form'.

I jerked in Raiden's stake again, along with Tallon's. Following my move, Lissa did the same to Hayley and Jenna, although her bewilderment was always evident on her face when she stared at them.

"Seeing as water isn't a threat, they'd be secured in the Court's prison," I muttered, assuming Raiden had made a mistake. Securing the water users there was too easy for me to find. If they were there, then I'd be disappointed in Raiden's tactics. Really, it was a shame. I thought he was smarter than that.

I started walking in the direction of the prison, determined to find survivors. If there were any.

I heard light footsteps behind me, followed by numerous pairs of feet. I briefly glanced behind me, slowing my pace. Lissa was the one who started walking, and the others simultaneously followed.

I turned back to face in front of me, suddenly realizing we had left the siblings behind.

Numerous swears left my mouth as I darted back, nearly knocking Lissa off her feet on my way. Christian was just able to catch her.

"What's wrong?" Adrian asked, glancing around at me.

"Christian, you better be one of them kinds of dudes that like four wheel driving," I growled.

"Rose, what kind of man do you take me for?" he teased, and briefly, I was reminded of our old unique, hate-love relationship. I saw regret and sadness flash through him although it was gone as quick as it appeared. I quickly looked away from him and gestured to the vehicle.

"Reverse it to where they are and I'll lift them in the back," I said.

Christian got to it, jumping into his monster of a truck and reversed easily. When he stopped, I grabbed hold of Jenna, as she was closer, and slid her body in the tray, being as cautious as possible. Last thing I needed was for the stake to fall out and Jenna doing a somersault in my arms and knocking my head off. No, thank you.

When the other two where placed in the tray, although I had a hard time not chucking Tallon in there, I moved to lean down and grab Raiden – and saw he wasn't there.

There wasn't a body there. No Strigoi with a wooden stake stabbed in the heart. Raiden was gone. My bewilderment met Lissa who stood ten paces away from me. Her eyes bulged and her mouth opened a second later, letting out a silent scream. It was Jesse who reacted.

"Rose, behind you!"

I spun around just in time to see Raiden flying at me, his hands outstretched and aimed for my neck. On instinct I jerked my arms inside of his and with all my strength I slapped them away. He had to take a step back to regain his footing but as he took the step back, before he managed to take that action I pushed savagely against his chest. His eyes flashed with annoyance the split second before he fell backwards. I stalked forward but before I was able to advance on my target, Christian lurched forward and the silver stake he held in his hand connected with Raiden's upper forearm.

"No!" I screamed, jumping forward and without thinking, I grabbed the stake by the blade. Pain exploded from my hand and surged through my body, erupting an ugly roar from deep within me. My scream wailed through the night and for some stupid reason, I was unable to let go of the stake. Another scream pierced my ears and I didn't have to look up to know it was Lissa. But what surprised me the most was when Raiden pushed Christian out of the way before grabbing me and wrenching the stake away from my hand. He yelled out in pain but the yell was then filled was a bloody gurgle sound. I turned, still in immense pain, but no matter the pain, I was shocked to see the wooden stake piercing him from behind. Raiden's eyes locked unto mine before he fell to the ground, once again unconscious.

Christian stood behind him breathing heavily. I growled at him, flashing my teeth.

"You could have killed him!" I spat.

"Good! I'd gladly do it all again!"

"I need him!" I snarled, my eyes narrowing dangerously. I started to crouch into a defensive position before Lissa ran in the middle of us.

"There's no point arguing when we have shit to do!" Lissa yelled, looking between us.

"Perhaps you'd be smarter if you were one of the undead," I said, taking a step forward, warning him.

"Rose, please," Lissa said, her eyes were begging. "Please stop this. We need to find Jill," she whimpered.

Whether it was because I wanted to keep my uncontrollable anger in check or the fact that Lissa was practically on the verge of tears, I backed off. I took a deep breath, trying to defuse the anger, which was near impossible.

"Drive beside us," I reluctantly spoke to Christian "We have to keep them sedated."

After practically kicking the wooden bastards into the siblings, I hopped down and continued to walk on the grass. Christian followed slowly behind us, cautiously watching the siblings through the review mirror every few seconds. When we made it to the entrance of the prison, I held up my hand, gesturing for him to stop. Once he got out I huddled them all together.

"Christian, Ralf and Adrian will stay here," I said, waving off the protests. "Stake them every two minutes. If you see anything out of character or any intruders, light them up," I said, looking at Christian and Ralf. They both nodded.

"Jesse with provide backup for me and Lissa will heal Jill if she is seriously injured."

Lissa nodded, determination flashing through her eyes. Jesse walked up to me, and the three of us made it to the entrance. The doors were shut but unlocked. We slid through the gap and walked passed the front desk. I stopped in mid-step.

A tangy odor collided my senses, making me both cringe and crave it.

Blood.

"Shit," I murmured, continuing on.

"What?" Lissa asked anxiously. Her senses were strong, but mine were intensely stronger.

"I can smell the blood of both Moroi and dhampir. It's not a good sign," I stated the obvious. Lissa shivered, and I knew it wasn't from the cold. Lissa walked between Jesse and I and I was surprised to notice he no longer wore the cocky, stuck up look he constantly wore. Now he was determined and on edge, ready for everything. Thank God someone or something knocked some sense into him.

I rounded a corner and another corner after that and finally found the cells.

I paused, turning to Lissa.

"Wait here," I said, walking off before she could complain.

I wasn't stupid enough to believe there was a trap set up. Even as a dhampir, I would have concluded that this place looked suss.

And the fact that Moroi blood was attacking my sensitive smell, it definitely was a suss scene. I envisioned corpses on the ground, drowned of blood but when I passed a few empty cells and came to one that was occupied, I almost leaped back to the wall.

Blood was smeared on the walls, on the creaky bed, dripping down the silver bars. It was a Moroi and looked like he'd be mauled in there. The only thing that I could distinguish as a body part was the head, which was dangling in the middle of the cell, secured by rope and hanging from the light above. The face was hanging away from view, and I sourly thanked Raiden that I couldn't see who it was.

My hope started to fade quickly after that. Cell after to cell was the same thing.

I forbade Jesse and Lissa to come any closer. I was shocked, and inwardly freaking out. But I still walked down past the victims.

Until I reached the last cell. I'd been holding in my breath until this point, scared out of my wits because I couldn't see who the victims were so I had my doubts. Doubts that Jill was no longer here. No longer kept in this hellhole.

The last victim was a Moroi and judging from the small body, I knew it was a woman. Or a girl in fact, considering she wasn't cut up like the others. But for some reason, she was the worst case I saw. Her wrists and ankles were tied up, and were separated, as if she was doing a star jump. The rope was tied so tight that blood was seeping from where it touched. Her unruly light brown hair was crazier than ever and was matted with blood. Her eyes were closed but if they were open, I knew they'd stare at me in horror. Those beautiful light green eyes…

Jill's neck had been sliced open so it'd be a momentarily painful and quick death.

I fell to the ground, staring up at her with horror. She wore an innocent white dress that was covered in blood. So young and innocent…

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Lissa take a step forward.

"No." I barely recognized my voice. "No closer. Go back to the others. Now."

She must have realized what I'd found because she burst into tears and ran out of the prison with Jesse on her heels. Once outside, I heard her wails scream into the night.

I just sat there. Sitting there and staring into another nightmare. That's all they were. To stare at an innocent young woman and knowing she'd never have a husband, never have children, never get married…it made my blood boil.

Around an hour later, I stepped out of the prison. The others looked up at my sudden appearance. I couldn't look at them so I stared at the buildings that made up the Court.

"Where are the labs?" I said harshly.

Everyone flinched at the tone.

"Labs? What labs?"

"The labs where they took tests on Dimitri," I said dully.

Another lost soul. A soul lost to the sea.

"Rose, I don't think it was a lab. I think they took the samples to the doctor and-"

"Then where can we hold the monsters?" I gestured to the siblings. Calling them a monster had then retaliated, considering I was one of them. No matter. Once I'm done with them, they sure as hell will think I am a monster.

"Wait, there are labs," Lissa said softly. I turned to her and tired to soften my expression as much as I could so she'd continue and not be scared of me.

"On the west side of the campus. They held Dimitri in some sort of room that look like it's can keep even a Strigoi in it."

After more walking and more driving for Christian, we arrived in front of a two-storey building. The building loomed over us, giving the impression that serious shit has happened behind these doors. I ran up to the wooden door then before I reached it, I spun around and kicked the door with all my strength. Judging from the Moroi in front of me, I'd say it was quite a site. I then turned around and walked in without scanning the area, although I didn't need to. The receptionist – obviously a dhampir – was face first on the pine desk she sat at. There was a bullet in her forehead.

I sighed when I saw the gun in her hand. Right. Because she really did do that to herself and it wasn't the Strigoi raiding the Court. Intelligence might not run so deep in that family after all, I thought.

Lissa stepped through, cautious, and whimpered when she saw the fallen dhampir. Christian followed close behind her, grabbing her forearm when he saw the site.

"Come on," I muttered. "Let's get them and then find a place to keep them."

We assumed the labs were on the second floor after scouring the first. Jesse stayed with the truck as I carried in Tallon, while Christian and Ralf grabbed a sister each. When I doubled back to Jesse, he looked a bit shaken up.

"He shifted," he whispered. "It was only a little but it scared me shitless."

I patted him on the back before I grabbed a hold of Raiden. Jesse followed me inside and into the elevator and down the hallway. We entered a room and relief coursed through me. We found them.

"Whoa," Jesse breathed.

The lab was like any kind of lab with a freaky genius with whacked up hair mixing chemicals around. A few dozen beakers – all different colours – were positioned on a long white table where all sorts of equipment were placed. Charts spread across every wall, all containing information and one was – dear lord – a poster of Elvis Presley.

An eyebrow rose. These scientists must have jammed it out to Elvis in their spare time.

It was every bit of a clique lab, apart from the poster and also because there was around half a dozen fairly large cages in the middle of the room. The cages stood three by three, making a complete rectangle.

Lissa had walked up to it and met my eyes. "It's made out of silver."

A grin spread across my lips. "Perfect."

I bundled up the siblings in separate cages. The only way for them to get out was to throw their weight against the door and so I tried to get out myself and found it was indeed a heavy-duty silver door. I was relieved.

After taking the stakes out of all of them, I quickly locked the door, even put a chain around one of the bars and around the door for safe measures.

One by one they twitched and woke up. Jenna clutched her chest which was already half healed. Hayley hissed, while her brothers slowly and menacingly got to their feet, glaring at us. Raiden sought out my eyes but I didn't give him the satisfaction.

"You bitch!" Jenna growled, slamming her weight against the door, having less luck than I did.

I laughed at their attempts. Nothing would work. Nothing did. All the more enjoyable to watch.

The others backed away, somewhat frightened that the siblings would escape. I pre-warned them this would happen and that I'd only take action once they'd given up. Which occurred two hours later.

Now, Jenna and Hayley glared at us, mostly me, while Tallon tried to figure out what we were up to. Knowing I was the ringleader, he watched me intently. The only one to not glare or accuse me was Raiden, which angered me. He was trying to win this game nicely and convince me into thinking he was innocent. Nice try, buddy.

Finally, I turned to Lissa. My eyes went to Christian's hand to find the stake he still clutched. I gestured to it, glancing at her.

"Charm it," I said emotionlessly.

Her eyes widened in shock. "You…w-what? You want me to change them back?" she half screeched.

"The hell you are!" Tallon barked.

I shook my head. "You'll be staking me."

That's when all hell broke loose. All of them spoke at the same time, and I subconsciously rubbed my left temple.

"You fucking go near her with that stake and I'll rip out your heart!" Raiden barked, slamming himself against the bars.

"Why the hell would you do that!" Jenna yelled.

"You coward!"

"Are you crazy? What will we do if they got out?"

"I'll do it."

As soon as it all started, it was finished like a whack in the face. My eyes met Lissa's and a mutual understanding flew between us. I doubt she knew my real plan, but her eyes calculated my ever move and emotion that sprang on my face.

She thought I was probably going to kill them as a dhampir. Not even close.

The siblings, well mostly Raiden, started mouthing off at Lissa once again. I gestured to the door.

"Do it in the hallway," I said, and then nodded to Christian. "Go with her."

Once they left, the siblings were even worse than before. It was a risk but I reckon I could handle it.

"All of you get out," I said, my voice pitch low. The Moroi flinched, surprised by my sudden decision.

"With four psycho Strigoi? Hell no, Rose. We'll-"

"Once I killed ten Strigoi men after they fed. I think I can handle them."

Adrian walked up to me and grabbed my arm, attempting to bulge me towards him. I stood there, unmoving. I heard Raiden growl at Adrian viciously.

"You better call out if you need us," Adrian said, half frightened of my presence and half choked up in some sort of bravery act. I nodded, knowing I wouldn't. I could take care of myself.

Adrian walked out first but not before giving my arm a little squeeze. Jesse then left the room followed by Ralf.

I turned on them, keeping my expression bored.

"Have you thought of the possibility that she'll do it wrong and instead it'll kill you?" Raiden snarled, gripping a pole in each hand.

I shrugged. "Doesn't phase me whether it works or doesn't."

"You're weak!" Tallon spat. "A shame to our race! The fact my own brother would settle in for the likes of you is beyond-"

With incredible speed, I was in front of his cage and gripped his neck with one hands through the bars. He gave a startled yelp.

"I'm a threat to all Strigoi. Ever damn Strigoi that walks this earth is frightened of me, even when I was dhampir," I whispered, then pulled him close and shouted, "You call that a shame to the Strigoi? Perhaps you'll be my next victim."

The last word I spoke didn't sound normal. It wasn't my voice, not even close to my I'm gonna rip your head off voice. This was pure hatred. It was pure Strigoi. From deep within me, something had finally erupted. I was going to kill him. I wanted to kill him.

My grip tightened drastically and Tallon finally saw what was going on. He thought I was just threatening him but not any more. No longer was I calm and collective. No. I wanted to kill them. All of them!

"Lissa! We have to-"

The only thing I could hear at that point was thud of my heartbeat. Other noises were cut out, with only the terrifyingly loud sound of my heart in my ears.

Everything happened in slow motion. Tallon reached up and with all his might he attempted to pry my fingers away. Jenna and Hayley were screaming in fear, something that made me consider listening to the warning bells flashing in my head. Raiden was shaking, punching, thrashing wildly against the bars to try and stop me. Nothing worked. My brain no longer functioned anything apart from fantasizing about killing him.

And then it happened.

Bright white light flashed before my eyes, illuminating the whole room. A severe pain to my back and in through my chest exploded within me, but that's not what captured my attention.

The light created something quite…beautiful. Almost unreal. My eyes adjusted to the brightness and even though it was bright, I no longer squinted at it. My eyes no longer burned at the brightness, as if my sight was no longer as strong. I felt weak, and for the first time in a long time, I was hungry. But the sensation wasn't in my throat, causing my fangs to tingle.

I was astonished that the hunger was coming from my stomach. The idea seemed almost laughable. Could this really be happening? Was this a dream?

The light disappeared and I fell to the ground. Who ever it was behind me shouted something but everything seemed so foggy so I didn't catch what was said. I fell to the ground, unable to catch myself or ease out my arms to avoid the awkward fall. All I know was that as soon as my head had contact with the ground, blackness took over and it was the last thing I saw.

Walking up and feeling groggy wasn't ever a pleasant experience, and to top it off with a bit of disorientation as well. My eyes took a few seconds to adjust and when it did, I was astonished. I was lying on a table. My eyes narrowed as I eased up into a sitting position – which I regretted immediately when my head spun. I gripped my head in my hands, no longer feeling the deathly coldness of my skin. I gazed up from my hands and examined them. They were warm. Mortally warm.

I was a dhampir. My thoughts reeled all over the show as I tried making sense of the situation. I had asked Lissa to change me back. But why? For the life of me, I couldn't remember why on earth I had asked her to do that. My eyes went to the door before the doorknob turned and someone came in.

Lissa.

My throat closed up with so much emotion that a tear fell from my eye. It was astonishing, but a nice feeling. It was Lissa. She was here with me. She never abandoned me or betrayed me.

And like before, my mood darkened. Why, I was not so sure. All I knew was that my hatred was directed at Lissa and I had no idea why.

Abandoned me.

I was no longer disoriented or dizzy. I slid off the table just as she came running towards me and embraced me. Momentarily I forgot the darkened mood and hugged her back but all too soon reality sunk in.

I stepped out of the hug, and saw hurt flash through her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Hungry."

And with that she smiled and shook her head. "It's good to have you back."

Hmm, sure. I watched her closely, although I betrayed nothing. My memory will readjust itself and I'll find out what she did one way of another.

We exited the room and entered a hallway where – oh god – Christian, Adrian, Jesse and Ralf were slumped against the wall. All eyes were on me, taking it all in and seeing if any bit of Strigoi was still left.

A memory played out before my eyes as I saw Christian. He was driving a truck and in the back tray were…four bodies. Their hair, their complexion – seemed so familiar that –

"We got you McDonalds," Adrian said, walking up to me and giving me a paper bag with the recognizable 'M' on it. I smiled softly and thanked him before slouching down the wall myself. Adrian crouched in front of me while Lissa sat beside me, watching me with concerned eyes.

"How are they?" Lissa suddenly asked.

I glanced up as Adrian spoke.

"Restless. They've been staring down at us all night. Raiden's still barring his teeth and trying to escape," he said, continuing to talk but I no longer heard him. The half eaten chip I ate fell in the bag.

Did he just say Raiden? Raiden? My Rai-

No. He's not yours anymore!

Memories started to abuse my head – the first one being of me on the verge of killing Tallon, and then of Raiden taking a stake off me. It all came rushing back and the mystery of Lissa's betrayal had finally played before me. The scene with Jill's body, staking the siblings, and then finding out about Hope -

I jumped to my feet and tore down the hallway and into the lab I recalled the Strigoi were held in. My food flew everywhere and before anyone could react, I had already opened the door and froze at the sight before me. All four of them turned to me. And to my surprise, they were all mortified with what they saw.

Jenna, someone I've learned to hate, gasped and started mouthing off to Lissa, who appeared behind me. Hayley was growling and whacked her fist out onto the bars, and having no success in breaking them. Tallon had his back to me and sat as far away from anyone as he could. And Raiden-

My sweet, sweet Raiden stood there frozen at the sight of me. His hands gripped the poles and his white complexion looked almost angelic. If not for his eyes and his barely visible fangs seeping out from his mouth. His brow furrowed and he looked at me in anguish.

I took one step forward and he threw out his arm through the bars trying to reach for me. I don't know why but my feet moved on their own accord. I found myself filling in the distance between us, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of him.

"Rose, no!" Lissa screamed dashing forward just as Raiden pulled me to him and flipped my wrist over. He leaned down quickly and I saw a brief view of his fangs. My eyes widened in horror. He was going to turn me back into a Strigoi.

I wrestled with him, but he was too strong and I was way too weak. Suddenly a burst of heat coursed around me and Raiden screamed, dropping my hand and staggering to the floor. I jumped back as Christian steeped in, his eyes brazing with hate and a ball of fire swirled around his hand. Impressive. So he's gotten better at it then.

Shaking that thought away, I turned back to Raiden. His shirt had been singed in places. Grief closed in on my throat and I had to look away. A movement caught my eye and I looked up, wishing so badly that I didn't. Raiden had removed his shirt, seeing no use of it, and flung it through the bars and onto Christian blazing hand. Christian dropped it and stamped on it until the fire was gone.

I didn't take my eyes off Raiden. Well, more like I couldn't. I couldn't force myself to move away and neither could he. Raiden knew the effect of just seeing him bare-chested had on me. I was mesmerized by his strength that was so detailed in his arms and his chest. Even if he wasn't Strigoi, the effect would be the same. His eyes stared intently at me, seeing right through me like he always did.

It occurred to me that he was trying to seduce me. My eyes narrowed and I staggered backwards, running smack into Christian. He caught me and held me upright. I didn't look at Raiden again, knowing my anger was about to return.

"Find me a shotgun," I said to Christian. He raised his eyebrows and was about to protest but my look silenced him. In remembering what happened before I was turned back, I also recalled my plan. It was risky and probably wasn't going to work, but hey, it was worth a try.

By now everyone was in the room and Jesse and Ralf moved closer to me to protect me. I tsked at them when I turned around. "I can take care of myself."

Christian came back and hesitantly gave me the shotgun. I gripped the handle so hard that if I was Strigoi, it would have broke.

Lissa flinched when she saw it, and looked up at me with horror.

"Are the bullets silver?" she asked shakily.

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

I started to lift the gun up to analyze it. I was shaking because part of me was wondering if it'd work a second time. It could, but also couldn't. And if it didn't, then I'd fail Hope and possibly send the Moroi in the room to their deaths. But I had to try.

"Jesse, Ralf, stand near the door," I ordered.

Confusion crossed their faces but they obeyed. I looked at Christian. "In my opinion, this might be hard for you to see so I need you to be prepared," I said, lifting up a hand when he was about to protest. "Trust me. Stand near that table," I said, gesturing to the table that stood away from the door and the cages.

Lastly, I looked at Adrian and Lissa. They both looked so nervous, that I wanted to stop this and comfort them but I couldn't. I took a deep breath.

"We're running out of time so this has to happen now. I need answers and with them being like this," I said, nodding to the Strigoi, "its not going to work. Lissa, you've brought me back from the dead once. I'm going to have to ask you to do it again."

Lissa gave a mortified wailed that was muffled when she lifted her hand to her mouth. Adrian was frozen on spot, unable to comprehend what's happening.

I sighed, briefly closing my eyes. When I opened them, I had the determination to go on. "It may work, it may not. All I'm asking is for you to try," my voice broke and I cleared my throat. "Just try, and if it doesn't work then know that it's not your fault. It's my decision," I said, loosing control all over again.

By now Lissa was crying. Adrian was shaking his head, unable to believe any of it. And all this time, the Strigoi were watching with suspicion. "Just what are you doing, Rose?" Raiden barked, gripping the bars yet again.

I looked at him, really seeing him this time for what he was. He was Strigoi, someone who's put me through hell, and stolen someone that meant the world to me. He deserves to see hell, if my actions would even cause him anything close to heartache.

I looked at Lissa, putting all my faith in her and Adrian.

I lifted the gun higher, held it to my chest because it'd be the easiest place to heal rather than aim it at my head, assuming it'd be easier for them.

Another tear fell as I took the safety off. My last thought was of Hope smiling at me, and then I fired.

A/N: Since the Internet is no longer available AGAIN to me, because of various reasons, I wanted to make this chapter extra long as a poor way of saying I'm sorry for the delay. Truly, I am and I know how frustrating it is for not to be able to UD. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and again, I'm sorry that it's late.