A/N:

Hey, guys! Here's your promised weekly update! =) Just a warning, this chapter is Rated M for lots of swearing and violent scenes. So if you don't have a strong stomach, you might want to skip it. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy! See you guys next week!

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

RPOV:

My head was killing me. Every beat of my heart was like getting socked in the side of the skull. I fought to open eyes and instantly regretted it. The lights seemed blinding.

"Fuck me." I groaned.

Touching the left side of my face gently, I winced. I felt my way up to where it hurt most and discovered sticky, warm liquid. And lots of it. Blood. "Shit." This wasn't good.

For a very brief moment, my thoughts went wild. Maybe this was just a test Dimitri and the other instructors had designed for us recruits. Maybe it was part of the graduation exam. Maybe I had to find all possible escape routes and deal with any possible obstacles on the way out. Maybe I was on a time limit and had to find a way out of here quickly before I failed the assessment.

Thank god rationality set in. Because I knew, no matter how evil and entirely brutal Dimitri could be a times - okay, most of the time - he would never, ever take something this far. And I certainly knew that, though the urge to kick my ass had probably run very strong multiple times daily ever since I had met him, Dimitri wouldn't knock me out cold. At least not without getting me medical treatment immediately thereafter.

I certainly wasn't in a hospital.

Peeling my lids open, I fought past the eye-watering pain, and inspected my surroundings. I searched for escape routes and anything I could possibly use as a weapon to defend myself. Just like Dimitri had taught me. As it turns out, he actually came in handy here and there. Damn, I missed that dickhead. If I made it out of here alive I was going to tell him just how much I loved and cared for him.

It was a room. A very large and luxurious one, I might add. It had shiny hardwood floors, a crackling fireplace, a bed fit for a king with a silk white blanket and a fancy canopy overhead. For some reason, I expected Hugh Hefner to pop out. That's how bomb this place was. And I don't use the word bomb lightly.

"Rose? Rose?" Came a low, hysterical feminine voice.

I looked to my right. "Tasha." the word exploded from my lungs like I had been punched in the gut. "No. They got you, too. Not you."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine enough." I said. "Do you know where we are?"

Wherever it was it wasn't good. She was duct taped to a chair. I noticed a gash above her eyebrow, but other than that, she seemed in decent condition. At least physically speaking.

Tasha nodded frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Well, come on, we don't have all day!" I growled, and instantly regretted it. She whimpered. I needed to be more gentle and not scare her. Otherwise she'd be useless.

"Honey, please, tell me. I need you to help me. We need to get out of here sooner rather than later."

"Ambrose." That one word was all I needed to know. That snake. "We are in Ambrose's bedroom."

I jumped up. The world spun. I moaned in pain as dark spots showered my vision. Regaining balance, I told the pain to fuck off, and began ripping the tape of Tasha as fast as I could.

"Hurry up. He'll be back any moment." Tasha urged.

"I am." I snapped. Blood dripped faster, covering her lap. Then the dripping turned to a stream of crimson. Everything got blurry. Then even more blurry. The pounding in my skull became unbearable, until it was all I could think about. Damn it. I was failing her. I was failing both of us. All over one stupid injury.

I swayed like an idiot, fought to keep ripping the duct tape off her body, focused hard on staying conscious...

"Rose! He's coming!" Tasha cried. "Run! Please, get out of here!"

I turned around. It was too late. Ambrose came at me full speed.

Ducking just in time to miss his fist, I scrambled across the floor and jumped to my feet.

"Miss me, cupcake?" I smiled. He hadn't expected me to be up so early after such a significant injury. He'd probably assumed me dead.

"I'm going to make you regret that, bitch." Ambrose drove his hand against my throat and slammed me against the wall. "You took her away from me! You shouldn't have done that!."

Beside us was a polished grand cherry-wood vanity, with vases filled with yellow roses and a silver tray holding an array of expensive looking perfumes. I assumed they had been Tasha's when she lived here. Sorry, girl. I'd have to buy her some new ones for her birthday. It was a sloppy grab, but I managed to get a handful of mini bottles. I smashed them against Ambroses head, aiming for his face and eyes.

He roared and dropped his hold on me, stumbling backwards. I sprinted for Tasha but never reached her. Ambrose grabbed my leg and ripped me back with a force that stunned me. My body dropped to the floor, and all of the air escaped me. I desperately gasped for oxygen.

Ambrose went to jump on top of me. Before he could, I lifted my leg and kicked him, with all the power I had in me. The sound of the impact made me cringe.

"Shit." I worked hard to control my breathing, dangerously close to hyperventilating. "Your bitch ass is going to be down for a while."

Struggling to my feet, I used the walls and the edge of a dresser to keep me elevated, and stumbled over to Tasha. It took longer than I had liked it to release her from her binds.

I should have never turned my back on a snake. It was an incredibly stupid move. I would have gotten shit about this from Dimitri. I nearly smiled, wishing more than anything to have him pissed off at me one more time. Anything was better than this.

Tasha screamed, "Rose! Watch out!"

But it was too late. I took another blow to the head. And the world vanished.

I was so over this pain in my head. Really, it was just getting old. I needed a break. Too bad I wasn't going to get one anytime soon.

"Don't act so innocent, baby girl." That was Ambrose's voice. "You're in this just as deep as I am. If not deeper."

"I would have never done it on my own. You made me do it. It's your fault!" Okay, Tasha's voice.

"Not entirely. Remember that before you decide to run your mouth next time."

I heard a scratching sound, as if someone was gathering saliva in their mouth. Then the spitting noise.

Slap.

A painful noise escaped Tasha. "I hate you! You disgust me on a level I never knew existed before."

I groaned and tried to move. Bad idea. The pain shot from my skull all the way down my spine, like a million needles. I gasped from the pain that nearly made me pass out again.

"Look who's awake." Footsteps. And then the blindfold was ripped from my face. Ambrose grabbed hold of my jaw and smiled down at me.

"You better hope I never get out these ropes." I told him.

"Why is that?"

"I'll kill you. That's a promise."

"What if I kill you first?"

"Fuck you."

My head kicked to the side, and surprisingly not completely clean off with the amount of force he'd put behind that bitch slap. I tasted salt and warmth.

"I know you killed Mason," I spit out blood. "How could you do that to your own brother?"

Okay, I honestly didn't know who killed Mason. I just figured I'd throw that out there and see what happened. Maybe he would slip up and tip me off to who had really done it. In all honesty, I couldn't seem to comprehend the words that were coming out of my mouth, or anything that was going on around me for that matter. Maybe I was losing my mind from all the blood loss and pain.

I never, in a million years, expected Ambrose to say what he did next.

"My brother liked to run his mouth a lot. Sometimes about things that were meant to be a secret." Ambrose ran his finger gently along Tasha's jaw. "He had to be taken care of. Isn't that right, baby?"

If I hadn't felt so numb, so drained of energy and life, I could have given some reaction, felt something for his confession - sadness, maybe. Confusion. Rage. But nothing happened inside of me. It was like I was blank. Like I'd seen and heard too much to even care anymore.

"Why are you telling me this?" I slurred, jaw working slowly and painfully to pronounce each syllable. "Aren't you afraid I'll turn you in?"

"No." he replied. "You wouldn't do that."

"Why not, asshole?"

"Because I know you wouldn't do that to Tasha...even though she deserves to pay just as much as I do, if not more." Ambrose said. "Besides, you'll be dead before you ever have the chance to."

The significance of his words finally registered with my brain, and it shattered my heart into pieces. It had nothing to do with the fact that I would never make it out of this situation alive. But the possibility that one of my closest friends had something to do with murder of someone I had loved very dearly.

I managed to look over at Tasha with question in my eyes, and the answer was crystal clear in her ice-blue ones.

"I'm so sorry," Tasha sobbed, water spilling down her cheeks. "Oh, my god. I'm so sorry, Rose."

Tasha had been the one to come into our apartment that night. The one dressed in all back. The one who had put the pillow over Mason's face while he slept and pulled the trigger. The one who had jumped out of the window before I could do anything about it.

I saw the raw guilt on her face. She looked utterly torn apart, like she'd lost the fight. And she had.

I had nothing but room for forgiveness in my heart. "It's okay..." I told her, throat burning from the huge lump in my throat. "It's okay. I still love you so much. Never forget that. No matter what happens. It's not your fault."

It was Ambrose's. Tasha would never commit such an act on her own. He had likely threatened to kill her if she didn't comply with his orders - just like he had done so many times before. What a manipulative, evil, psychotic snake.

LPOV:

"Right here! Turn left here! Right fucking here, Christian!" I covered my mouth. "Sorry. That's not like me. I'm just really stressed right now."

Christian cracked a smile and made a sharp turn. "You sure this is the place?"

"Yes, positive." I glanced in the review mirror. Following behind us were two patrol cars and Dimitri's black Escalade. "This is where we picked up Tasha that one night in the school bus."

He laughed heartily. "I still can't believe you and Rose did that. You two are the shit."

I smiled. "Thanks. Okay, that house!"

I jumped out of the passenger side before the car even skidded to a halt. Doors slammed shut.

"Easy there, tiger. You can't just charge in there." Christian came around and forced me behind him. His hand was on his gun holster. "You need a search warrant or permission from the owner to enter the house legally. Let's go try the door and see if anyone answers."

"Ha! You're joking, right?" I reached down and picked up a heavy rock. Then flung it right through the window. Glass exploded everywhere.

"Lissa, damn it." Christian cursed. "What the fuck are you doing?"

I kicked out some nasty looking large shards. Then climbed inside the mansion and into what appeared to be the dining room. Then I turned back and tossed Christian a grin. "Here's your reason to enter the house. Come and get me!"

RPOV:

Glass shattered. We all looked up. Ambrose ran over, peered out the window, and cursed. "No. Shit no. Fuck no! No! No! No! This is not happening right now."

"Cops, huh?" I laughed in relief. Thanks for saving my ass, Liss. "Karma is a bitch, huh? What goes around comes around. Looks like you're finally getting yours, asshole."

Ambrose ignored that and rushed over to Tasha. He grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her long and hard, like he was saying goodbye. Oh, lord - don't tell me the little bitch was going to run.

Ambrose reached down into his pocket. "I'm so sorry, baby. This isn't how our story was supposed to end." He said, kissing her cheek one last time. Then he raised the gun to Tasha's head and pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered everywhere, covering the room. My face. My ears. My eyes. I could even taste it on my tongue.

I screamed. This had to be a bad dream. I prayed to God. Please let this be a bad dream! I never wanted to wake up so bad in my life.

As it turned out, this nightmare was far from over.

Ambrose came towards me, raised his arm, and shot me in the chest.

LPOV:

"Shots fired! I report shots fired!" Dimitri barked into his radio. "We need backup and ambulances at 8370 West Ryland Road."

The police men and women knocked me out of the way to get by. I followed them. They headed upstairs towards where the sound of shots had come from.

My heart was pounding like a drum from adrenaline. I had never been so terrified in my life. But I wanted to do whatever I could to help protect my best friend, even if it meant risking my own life. I only hoped it wasn't too late to save hers.

I had the most sinking feeling of dread as the police entered that room, weapons drawn. Victoria, the closest officer to me, gasped and said a rushed prayer in her native tongue. She ended it by kissing the cross around her neck.

"What? What is it?" I demanded.

Christian turned around and grabbed me, covering my eyes with his hand. "Don't look. Don't look. Come with me."

"Let me go!" I growled, ripping free of him. I instantly wished I had listened to him. Dropping to my knees, I immediately began violently vomiting.

It was like the scene of a horror movie. I had never seen so much blood in my life. "Is that...Rose?" I screamed. "Rose!"

This time when Christian grabbed me, I let him. He hugged me and I wrapped my arms around him. I watched over his shoulder as the world went by in slow motion. All of it just didn't seem real to me. This couldn't be happening.

Pavel's face was blank and grave as he walked over to Tasha, and as gentle as could be, shut her eyelids. She looked more peaceful that way, like she was resting.

"She was too young." was all he said as he stared down at her destroyed body. It was a blank stare, as if he was looking through her and not at her.

Dimitri pulled out his knife and released Rose's limp arms from their binds. "I'm so sorry I failed you, Roza..." He bit through the words, as he grabbed hold of her wrist and kissed the inside of her lifeless palm.

"I can't see anymore of this." I told Christian. "Take me away from here. Please."

"Of course."

And then I heard the most beautiful words...

"She has a pulse!"