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'Decent into Darkness'

Rose's POV

We arrived at the warehouse in time for dawns approach. Despite the danger Lissa was in, they wouldn't let us go near the site until the sun had started rising. I guess when you had a warehouse full of the undead; you didn't want to give them the chance to ambush you. I felt my blood thrumming in my veins with anticipation and nerves. The bond was still inaccessible, but I could still feel it there. And that had to mean Lissa was okay. She had to be okay.

As we approached the warehouse the nausea I got whenever a Strigoi was near hit me. It was usually easy to ignore, but with Lissa's life on the line the feeling just made me feel worse. I couldn't lose her. Not when we'd just had a falling out. Not after I'd left her behind in my anger.

Oliver and Dimitri were on either side of me as we made our way to the warehouse door, while Christian was behind us all. The rest of us were all trained Guardians, and while Christian was great in battle he was still a liability as his only weapons were his firepower. The rest of us were weapons, so we were to protect his life at all costs.

Dimitri was a born leader, so he was ahead of us all. Despite the pain he had caused I still respected him and his ability to save Lissa. She was, after all, his charge and he had sworn to protect her. Sure, his time as a Strigoi meant he wasn't technically her Guardian anymore but I knew he would always protect her.

"Once we're inside we need to stay together," Dimitri stated, watching the warehouse door intently. "Don't wander off. Not even if you see her. We don't know how many are inside."

We all nodded in agreement.

I turned to Oliver, "Stay with Christian. Make sure he stays safe. If I have a shot at saving her I'll take it."

Oliver looked grim but nodded, while Christian was quick to interject. "I can protect myself, Rose." As if to demonstrate the point his hands erupted with flames.

"I know Sparky." I gave him a small smile. "But we need you safe."

We made our way inside, leaving the huge door of the warehouse open to let in as much sunlight as possible. Of course, no Strigoi would be stupid enough to be in the building when the sun was up but it never hurt to be careful. We began a search of the premise and soon found the door that led underground. My heart began to beat faster. The rush of killing a Strigoi was so unique. But until the moment of a fight, I was always consumed with worry. I knew I was a kick-ass Guardian, but even the best of us could be beaten. That's why Guardians have a shorter life expectancy and also one of the many reasons I'd always been reckless.

Dimitri lifted the door and we all stared into the abyss at the bottom where there was nothing but darkness waiting. He led the way down after pulling out a flashlight. You'd think Guardians would have invented something better, but no. Dimitri, Oliver and I all had our stakes in hand and I knew Christians fire would pour out of him the second we needed it.

We found the first sentry not long after, but Dimitri – the God that he was – dispatched him in seconds. It was a shock to see. In fact, I was sure he was quicker now than he had been before his brief stint on the dark side. Maybe he'd retained some of the speed and power he'd gained while awakened.

Everything seemed to blur after that. We walked for what felt like hours, yet also felt like seconds and fought with any Strigoi we encountered along the way. Some were incinerated by Christians fire, impaled through the heart by Oliver's stake and mine, or decapitated by a ferocious Dimitri.

It occurred to me that this was the first time Dimitri had come face to face with a Strigoi since being saved. In the panic, it hadn't even crossed my mind. But now, now I looked at him and actually saw him for the first time in days. The face that was set in grim determination, that was carefully stripped of all emotions. The body that was coiled so tightly – In anger or fear, I couldn't tell. And he killed with such force, such precious. Where he once had a lethal beauty, a grace, he now stormed and stabbed and destroyed. I realized, in a way I hadn't before, that the old Dimitri had been destroyed as well and despite being forged again you could still see the cracks, the scars.

"Are you okay?" I whispered when there was a cease in the fighting. Christian and Oliver were lagging behind and protecting our backs.

Dimitri's eyes found mine and for a second they were emotionless before they flickered slightly with…something that I couldn't place. Maybe hope, or thankfulness. "I'll be okay." He replied before continuing on.

Finally, we came to what seemed like the end of the underground. There was a wooden door, and from behind that door, we could see the faint glow of light. I wagered it was from a lamp because no way would these freaks layout candles or anything else requiring a flame.

"She has to be in there." Christian's eyes sparked with relief. "The bond?" two simple words, but I knew what he meant.

"Still there. Dark but there." I replied. I still felt nauseous, which meant there had to be Strigoi inside still. We'd taken out a huge chunk of their forces though, so I guessed whatever Strigoi were left were supposed to be guards.

"Ready?" Dimitri asked.

Oliver shrugged. "Can't be worse than what we faced out there." We all nodded in agreement. We'd taken down roughly twenty Strigoi outside. And considering we had such a meagre force it was a great achievement.

Dimitri turned back to the door, determination on his face. Using all his strength he kicked the door open, breaking the lock and shattering the doorframe in the process. My mind processed three things very quickly; there was a Strigoi perched atop a throne. He was surrounded by at least ten Strigoi guards, and Lissa...Lissa was one of them.

She stood regally beside the throne wearing a deep crimson dress that flowed delicately to the ground. Her silky platinum blonde hair fell down past her shoulders. She had always been captivatingly beautiful, but her looks now had an otherworldly glow. And her eyes, her beautiful jade green eyes that I had grown up staring into in times of joy and pain were now ringed with crimson and her skin was deathly pale. But the most startling difference was her smile. She had always smiled without showing her fangs as a way to blend into the world of humans, but now…the light glinted off her fangs as she leered at the three of us.

My heart sank. I'd been sure she was safe…because the bond was still there. I could feel it. Sure, it had gone dark. I couldn't access it like I normally could…but this. I never expected this. My brain couldn't process the sight before me. My Lissa.

"Welcome." The male Strigoi chuckled.

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