Ch. 22

Eva POV

Songs: Full Moon by The Black Ghosts

"Eva, did anyone try to come in here? Have you seen anyone drive by?" Christian's voice was frantic and breathy, all his usual sarcasm completely gone.

"No. There hasn't been anyone." I looked over each of them curiously, taking in their disheveled states.

Christian let out a relieved sigh then looked down to the stake in my hand. His gaze rose up to mine again with a questioning brow and I just shrugged my shoulders in response.

"Good. That means we have just under an hour to vacate," Pavel instructed, seemingly coming out of nowhere. How the hell did he do that?

I kept quiet, waiting for Zmey to instruct me what to do. He shut his phone off and slipped it into his pocket. "Arrangements are set. Grab what you need and meet out front in no more than 20 minutes," he announced to the room.

That was all I needed to hear. I raced upstairs and grabbed the few items I brought with me on the journey. I was slightly disappointed we were leaving this place. It was the nicest home I had ever been in—luxurious was definitely an understatement. I still wasn't sure what was going on but knew Christian would eventually fill me in. We seemed to get along well enough. He wasn't what you would call deep. I actually liked that about him. He blatantly spoke whatever was on his mind and didn't hide behind a mask or games. I could count on him to say what needed to be said. Adrian, however, was a whole different story. His posh clothes and laissez-faire attitude bothered me; not to mention the fact that his potential skills were untamed and being completely wasted.

From my understanding, the Dragomir Princess had been working with him on honing their Spirit magic, but I couldn't see why losing her would cause him to stop trying to better himself. I considered offering a couple lessons to him, but thought back to a time when a newcomer of the Salvatori pissed me off and I almost drowned him in his own water spell. Yeah, I was definitely not the tutor/mentor type.

I made my way out to the garage in just under 15 minutes and waited for the rest of the motley crew to rear their heads. To my surprise, Adrian was the first one out. He seemed distracted and was nervously running a hand through his hair. Finally noticing my presence, he jolted back a little then quickly averted his gaze to the ground.

Something was off.

Usually, he would try to strike up a friendly conversation, which was quickly rebuffed on my part, or "discretely" fish for information, but he was being peculiarly quiet. He brusquely walked to the back of the opposite SUV I was standing near and threw his expensive duffel into the trunk. I cautiously made my way over to him and asked, "Everything alright?"

His hands were raised above his head, holding onto the trunk of the car and he looked at me with emotion that I had never seen cross his features. Granted, I had only known Adrian for about a week, but he seemed like the type of person who didn't get rattled easily. He opened his mouth about to say something when a noise from behind me disrupted him. I turned around to see Chris enter the room before turning back to Adrian, awaiting his response.

"Fine," he said, slamming the trunk shut.

One-word response? Yep. Something was definitely off. That guy liked to talk more than anyone I had ever met.

Adrian walked around to the other side of the car as Christian approached and avoided our confused gazes. I decided to give him some space before I got the details of what had happened. "So, are you going to fill me in or what," I whispered to Christian.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way," he threw his bag into the trunk and opened the car door for me to get in. It annoyed me how polite all these boys were. I was fully capable of getting my own car doors, carrying my own bags, and fighting my own battles.

The rest of the group quickly followed behind us, Dimitri and Pavel getting behind the wheels of each car—of course. Did they ever let anyone else drive? Rose hopped in the front seat next to Dimitri with me and Christian in the back; Adrian silently elected to ride in the other car with Pavel, Abe, and Eddie.

As soon as we were off the property I turned to Christian, signaling I was ready for him to start telling me what the hell was going on. He let out an exhausted sigh and laid it all out. When he got to the part about the Dhampir guy being bitten by one of the hosts of the party, Rose flinched and muttered from the front seat, "His name was Arthur."

"You knew him," Dimitri questioned Rose, causing her to look down to her lap shamefully. I guess that was a yes.

Dimitri let a worried look slip out before turning his attention back to the road ahead. That guy was such a mystery. Through his aura, I could see his obvious feelings for Rose, not just concern— something deeper—but everything else about him was an enigma. He reminded me of the moon. Part of him was always hidden away.

There were other ways for me to get information. My skills weren't nearly as advanced as Josette's, but with a good amount of effort I could get some details out here and there. I normally tried to avoid using my abilities to get a read on people, especially without their permission, but Dimitri was one person that tempted me to find out more.

Christian drew my attention back to him as he finished telling me the rest of the details of the evening. When he was done, I finally asked, "And Adrian witnessed all of this too?"

"I don't know. I didn't see him until we got to the car," Christian replied skeptically.

"Why? Did he say something," Rose whipped around, her attention suddenly drawn to our conversation.

I just stared at her expressionless in response. It was no secret we still weren't too fond of one another yet, and I wasn't about to play chummy with her now.

I could see Dimitri peering at me through the rearview mirror, he seemed to be consistently keeping one eye on me, and so I decided to move the conversation in a different direction. One that might get him talking. "Why didn't you stay and fight? I thought you Guardians lived by some motto about putting the Moroi first."

They sat silent for a moment before Christian finally piped up. "Eva, it wasn't—"

"We do," Dimitri interrupted. "But right now, Lissa is the priority. If we stayed, it would've been a lost cause and we would never reach her. Part of being a Guardian is knowing when to fight, and knowing when to run."

Rose stared at him with admiration and when he turned to look at her, the two seemed to share a silent conversation. My temptation to listen into his thoughts grew even more, but I decided to let them hold onto what little privacy they had.

"Lissa really means more to you than any of the other Moroi there you could have saved?" I removed all sense of malice from my tone and spoke softly so that they understood it was just genuine curiosity and not an accusation.

"Yes," Rose and Christian answered in unison.

The rest of the ride was quiet. We drove for a little over an hour. Where Zmey's mansion had been secluded in a green, more rural area of Paris, it appeared our new destination was right in the heart of it. I had spent my life traveling from one small town to the next, never seeing anything of much importance, but since I enlisted with Zmey, I had witnessed miraculous sites that I had only ever seen in books and the occasional movie. I tried to hide the awe on my face as we passed one spectacular monument to the next, not wanting the others to see how inexperienced I was.

The car in front of us finally slowed to a stop outside an ornate hotel and Dimitri followed suit. The cream-colored building sat between a string of other similar structures, but the mass amount of tall windows and gold paned balconies made it stand out. As we walked up to the hotel's entrance, I was glad to see it was slightly overcast, which seemed to be a common occurrence in France. Once inside, it became apparent that the windows were tinted from the outside. We were able to see the busy streets and passersby without the emission of light or their knowledge of us watching. A slender woman with auburn hair slicked back into a tight bun scurried over to us.

"Monsieur Mazur," she greeted breathlessly. "All is as you requested. The rooms have been emptied and only a select few staff members are present."

"Thank you, Louise. Our guests are very weary from their trip. Won't you be a dear and show them to their rooms?" He flashed her his snaky smile and she nodded in return, emitting a tightlipped smile to show off her dimpled cheeks.

"Viens, this way," she motioned for us to follow. The hotel housed about 20 rooms, somewhat fewer than I would have expected, but when we entered them I understood why. They were enormous. We were all placed on the same floor with individual rooms, some connected and others standing alone. Zmey took one at the end of the hall on the corner lot. I only got a small glimpse into it before he shut the door behind him, but it seemed to go on forever. Walking into my suite I felt a pang of guilt rush through me that I was getting to experience this instead of Josette, but I quickly reminded myself why. It wasn't safe for her and even though she was my older sister, I knew I had to protect her.

Once we were settled Zmey ordered some feeders to the rooms for the other Moroi, but I refused. Growing up on the run, then with the Salvatori, I had gotten used to drinking from a blood bag. Feeders meant strangers, and strangers meant trouble. Zmey knew this. He had been supplying the blood to our community for quite some time after all. Eventually, Louise came to my room with a couple of bags, and I was grateful for it—not that I would let the serpent know that.

It bothered me that he knew so much about me when I knew close to nothing about him. It seemed to be that way with most people he associated with.

After a while, I decided it would be best to try and get some sleep. I wasn't nearly as tired as the others, but I needed to keep my strength up for what was to come.

RPOV

Songs: Fortunate Son by Cat Power, Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 1 – Pink Floyd

The bed was too soft. I had been tossing and turning all day and couldn't fall asleep. Maybe it was the lack of Dimitri's warm body next to me. Or maybe it was the thought of lying here in luxury while those we left behind were either lying in a coffin or trapped in immortal darkness.

The image of Arthur's oozing neck and hollow eyes burned into my vision as soon as my eyelids closed. I tossed the comforter off of me and threw one of the plush pillows across the room, finally giving up on trying to sleep. I resisted the urge to scream out into the empty room, and angrily stomped over to my suitcase instead. I rummaged through it, creating even more chaos in my already disorganized bag, and pulled out some clean clothes. It seemed like everything I owned was quickly becoming coated in blood. Blood of my enemies. Blood of my friends. The blood of strangers that didn't deserve to die. Assiduous red stains refusing to let me forget or move on.

After changing, I stormed out of my room towards the end of the hall. When I approached the door, I paused a moment to collect myself. I wasn't going to get any answers screaming and throwing a fit, although every fiber of my body was fighting against calmness. I clenched my fist and knocked on the door, still a little too firmly to resemble any kind of friendliness but at least my fist didn't shoot through the wooden barrier.

I heard some rustling from the other side before the clanking of the lock as it released. Pavel cracked the door open, checking behind me to see if I was alone. "I need to talk to the old man," I demanded.

Pavel's eyes furrowed at my abrasive tone and he stood a little taller. My demeanor was most certainly coming off as threatening, but I was doing my best. "You can let me in, or I can force my way in. I'd prefer the easy way, but after the night I've had I'm not opposed to handing someone their ass."

Pavel let out a small grunt to suppress a smirk forming on his face, but the look I gave him in return most definitely made him wish he hadn't. "Pavel. Let the girl in," Abe's voice called from the room.

He obediently moved to the side, pulling the door with him. I took another calming breath, realizing I was still shooting daggers at the complacent Guardian and entered Abe's suite. It was enormous, and I didn't even fight the urge to roll my eyes at its extravagance. He was seated behind a large desk topped with an assortment of papers strewn across it. To my left was an open door connecting to a modest room, most likely Pavel's. He never strayed too far from Abe's side.

Pavel sat in one of the many lavish chairs in the corner of the room, no longer seeing me as a threat, as I made my way over to Abe. I plopped down on the cushioned chair across from him and waited for him to look up from one of the documents he was examining. "I was wondering when you would make your way over," his eyes continued to roam over the contents in front of him as he spoke.

"I need answers," I deadpanned, not in the mood for his ambiguous games. He looked up at me, sensing the seriousness in my tone, and set down the crinkled papers on his desk.

"And what is it exactly you are looking for?" There was something new in his familiar eyes, a glint of hopefulness as he waited for my questions. Was there something specific he wanted me to ask?

"I need to know everything Arthur told you. Whatever information was so important that by giving it to you, he lost his life."

That hopefulness quickly vanished, and he sat still for a moment, considering whether or not he wanted to reveal this undisclosed intel. He let out a small sigh and clasped his hands together on the desk, "Yes. That was very unfortunate. Mr. Banks had been an associate of mine for several years. He was a good man and did not deserve to go out that way."

"What are you saying? That he was a Guardian," I asked.

"You could say that. I recruited him several years ago when I helped him out of some bad deals. He was never a sanctioned Guardian, he dropped out before his official ceremony due to unfortunate circumstances with his headmaster, but his skills were impeccable." The information stunned me silent. I caught a sense that Arthur had at least some training, but for Abe to mention his skills at that level told me I had highly underestimated him. "I caught wind of some elusive activity at Zavlekat' and had him working undercover for me there for the past couple of months," Abe continued. "He had been providing us information on the Mână's activities and possible motives."

"What interest in the Mână do you have?" From what Dimitri and Eddie had told me, Abe was a businessman and rumored gangster. So why would he have someone spying on a group of cocky Royals?

"I heard rumors that they were possibly working with a particular group of…ahem, people," he stumbled over the terminology, "that I have spent many years keeping secrets from."

"What kind of secrets," I interrupted.

"Secrets that I plan on keeping." Abe's tone emanated finality, and it was easy to tell there was no budging. I was about to argue, but his stern glare suddenly made me feel like a scorned child. "Anyway," he sat back in his seat and returned to a more relaxed position, and I found myself letting out a small breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Arthur relayed a lot of pertinent information, but it still wasn't enough to confirm my suspicions. I am working on a way to gather enough evidence to bring the transgressions of these factions to court, but I need hard proof."

"Proof?! You have it! What they did at the ball goes against our laws and morality for crying out loud," I was practically yelling at this point and I could see Pavel go rigid in the corner of the room.

Abe let out a dejected sigh and rubbed his right temple with two of his fingers. It was then I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and wondered again why this was affecting him so much. "I wish it were that easy, Rose, but by now they have most likely compelled or convinced others that it was a Strigoi attack rather than foul play. Do you honestly think the Moroi Council would take the word of renegade Dhampirs and a couple Moroi boys over that of elite Royals?"

"Adrian is the Queen's nephew." I was pulling at strands to try and come up with a solution. "She would listen to him."

Abe looked at me like he was sympathizing with a naïve child. "I'll admit, Lord Ivashkov has proven to be greater than his reputation suggests but unfortunately, that is the only view he has at court. Even with his influence, it won't be enough. However," he paused for a moment and leaned into the desk again gaging my reaction at his next words. "Your friend Vasilisa will have in-depth knowledge of their plans and locations. Her first-hand testimony coupled with other hard evidence will give us what we need. But one without the other may not work."

I thought about this for a second. Even though he wasn't giving me all the details, he had just insinuated that the so-called "people" he was keeping secrets from associated with Strigoi. Strigoi directly connected to Lissa. "So, that's why you're helping us? To get to Lissa," I criticized.

"Hmm, that particular part turned out to be a welcome coincidence," his snaky smile started to form. "But no. That's not why I initially took your Russian companion's offer."

"Then why else?" I was growing more and more impatient. It was a question he had been avoiding since we met, and I suddenly felt a deep, incessant urge to know.

He held his position, elbows on the desk and hands clasped with his smile growing bigger by the second. "Because your mother asked me."

My mother? I knew she had gotten him in contact with Dimitri, but why would he go through all this trouble just because she asked him to? You would think if anything she would have told him to find me and send my ass straight back to the Academy. "And how is that you know my mother exactly?"

"We've known each other for quite some time," he ruminated. "Long before you were born. But we've been…out of touch, you could say, for a while."

"Ugh, you and your vague responses. Don't you ever give a straight answer? Or is that part of the whole allure of being Zmey?"

The more annoyed I grew; the more amused Abe became. Which only infuriated me more. "Well, if you want straight answers, maybe you should speak to your mother."

"Ha! And I thought you said you knew Janine Hathaway," I protested. "She is the least open person I have ever met. I'd have better luck scaling the Eiffel Tower undetected than getting any information about her past out of her."

He looked to his window with a clear view of the monument and let out a small laugh, "That, my dear, would not surprise me." Did he just give me some twisted form of a compliment? "Besides," he said knowingly. "You two are more alike than you think."

I rolled my eyes for the second time since entering his room. "Hate to break it to you, old man but I'm pretty sure a mean right hook is the only thing me and my mother have in common." I felt my eye twitch a little at the memory of our family talk turned sparring match.

Abe looked at me curiously for a moment, obviously not understanding the full meaning of my screwed up inside joke. "Well, Rose if it's alright with you I think it's best we put a pin in this conversation and pick back up after I've had some rest. It's well past midday and I'd like at least a few hours of sleep before you start plotting your next grand scheme."

"Need I remind you the last plan was your idea," I critically pointed out. "My plans might be crazy, but at least they work…well, most of the time." Abe flashed another crooked smile and I stood to leave. I flashed a salute to Pavel in the corner and called out, "At ease," as I headed out the door. I started to make my way back to my room but knew sleep still wasn't going to be an option. So, I opted for the next best thing and began walking downstairs towards the gym.

Eva POV

Songs: Raise Hell by Brandi Carlile, Personal Jesus by Marilyn Manson

It was early, too early, but guilty thoughts of my family were creeping into my dreams and I couldn't sleep anymore. I decided to check out the hotel instead. I hoped it would help distract me from the dark anxiety haunting me.

As I quietly made my way down the hall, it appeared the majority of the group was still asleep but making my way towards the stairs, I thought I heard the sound of a door creaking open at the end of the corridor. Zmey's room most likely. Peering around the corner I caught a flash of long dark hair whipping into the room just as the door shut. I considered stopping and attempting to eavesdrop on any conversation they might be having but kept towards my original goal instead.

When I arrived at the gym, it looked like I wasn't the only one with the idea. The sounds of grunting and a faint smell of sweat tipped me off first. I slunk through the door, wanting to get a look at who was down there before they discovered me. I spotted two male Dhampir's and from the looks of it, they were alone.

Dimitri's skills were obviously superior to Eddie's, but Castile was still holding his own. He would no doubt stand strong against the Strigoi. I had to admit, I was slightly impressed as I watched them spar. It didn't last too long though. After another couple minutes, the match was over when Dimitri got the upper hand and pulled Eddie in for a headlock.

He quickly released him as soon as Eddie tapped his elbow. They stood in place chatting for a bit, and I slowly made my way into the room to try and get a better listen. It appeared that Dimitri was giving Eddie some pointers on how to improve, but their conversation unexpectedly veered in another direction.

"I should have tried harder to get to him. I should have done more to save him. He didn't deserve to die like that." I could only assume Eddie was talking about the Dhampir they had seen killed at the ball last night.

"You did the right thing, Eddie," Dimitri calmly replied. "We were already outnumbered and there's no telling how many more were there." He seemed less like a detached Guardian/teacher at that moment, and more like a friend to his younger companion. "You took care of your charge and got Christian out safe. And you two certainly helped us out at the front door with that surprise attack."

Eddie let out an amused huff. "Yeah right. You and Rose could have taken them."

Dimitri crossed his arms over his chest and looked up contemplatively as if he was assessing the situation. "Hmm, maybe."

Eddie grinned and shook his head, clearly not believing him but appreciating the gesture all the same.

"Now, shall we try again?" Dimitri dropped his arms and took a few steps back, sinking down into an offensive pose.

"Might I have a go," I called out to them, tired of hiding on the sidelines. They both whipped their heads towards me, no doubt surprised that it was me the request belonged to.

"I, uh," Eddie nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know if I could take a swing at a Moroi." Well, at least he didn't say girl.

"Not you, pansy," I huffed as I picked up one of the wooden practice stakes from the ground. "Him." I pointed its tip at Dimitri, taking another few steps forward. Eddie's eyes widened, and the Russian just stood there completely emotionless.

"You think you're up for the challenge, Belikov?" I met his gaze with intensity to show him I was serious. Eddie alternated looks between the two of us before putting his hands up in surrender and slowly backing away.

I took his place in the position he was standing and crouched down to show Dimitri I was ready.

"You might want to pull your hair back," he said, looking at me speculatively. My disobedient hair was always in and out of my face. I was used to it by now. I knew Dimitri didn't really mean much by it and was just trying to help me out, but I couldn't resist a jab.

"Why, are you going to pull it?"

"No." Straight-faced and surly as ever. Did this guy ever smile?

I waited for him to finally make a move, but when it looked like he was only going to play on the defense, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I knew he was probably used to sparring with someone my size after fighting with Rose, so I decided to do the unexpected and instead of going low—went straight for his pretty face. He blocked my attack easily, but I could tell it threw him off the tiniest bit.

I tested him with another few jabs and kicks. "Come on, fight back," I shouted, but he only moved and blocked, not even attempting to throw a punch at me. His skills were beyond impressive and even his blocks held enough power to nearly knock me over, but after a couple of minutes, my patience wore out and I went for something more…drastic. I feigned left with a bow and a knee, drawing his attention away from my right arm, before swinging it across his face, slapping him with the back of my hand. I knew it was a bitch move, but I had to do something to hopefully piss him off and make him throw a decent punch.

The cracking sound reverberated off the gym walls and I heard a sharp intake from Eddie on the sideline. Dimitri's nostrils slightly flared, the only sign that my disgraceful move had any effect on him, and he reached back to finally throw a punch. I should have let him. Especially after what I had just done. Just one attempt at a hit to soothe his ego, but this is what I had been waiting for.

He moved with incredible speed, so much so that I almost didn't have time to catch him. But just before his fist collided with my chest, it halted mid-air as if hitting an invisible wall. I stood there perfectly still as his eyes darted from his fist to my face, stupefied as to what was happening. I held him in place, frozen like a granite statue of a Greek god in the midst of battle. Droplets of sweat pooled on his brow as he tried to fight against it, but he was no match for me. Not on this front.

I held him for one more instant before simultaneously dropping my hold and whipping around to his side. His fist flung through the air, pulling his body with it and I yelled out in a valiant battle cry as I stabbed him in the back with my wooden stake.

He stood still, confused and slightly dazed with my stake pressed to his back. I dropped it down to my side and Dimitri let out a small breath.

"How—the hell—did you do that?" I looked over Dimitri's broad shoulder at Eddie wearing a dumbfounded look. I couldn't help but smile at that face and walked around Dimitri towards him.

"It's all in the mind," I pointed the wooden stake to my skull. "Dhampirs are easy, brute force and all. Magic is somewhat trickier." Dimitri scoffed from behind me at my accidental slight. I didn't look down on Dhampirs, quite the opposite really. I admired them. But facts were facts. Magic was much more difficult to control, especially for longer periods of time.

"Red," Eddie chuckled, "you are a secret badass."

I laughed with him and moved around to face Dimitri in the center of the room, this time between the two of them.

"Shall we try again?" I looked over at him with a mocking smirk. Eddie let out another laugh and took position behind me, preparing for a new match.

A thunderous noise echoed through the room as the door to the gym slammed shut.

Rose.

"Why don't you leave big bad Belikov alone and pick on someone your own size."

Her voice had a sing-song note to it, but I could tell she was deadly serious. I knew Rose has been dying to fight me since we first met. In a reasonable fight, I could most likely take her; even after seeing my advantage she still wouldn't be able to get the upper hand. But if I was being honest with myself—I was scared. The darkness in her aura was beyond anything I had ever seen and if she knew how to properly harness it, there's no telling what kind of raw, unstoppable power she could unleash. Rose could rip my throat out in a split second before the thought even registered in her mind, and I would be powerless to stop her.

I tossed the practice stake and headed for the door, brushing her shoulder as I passed by. "Maybe next time then," she called out from behind me.

"Sure," I lied as pushed through the doors, hoping she would continue mistaking my uneasiness towards her as disdain.

A/N: A lot of you have been wondering what the heck is up with Abe. Hopefully, these last two chapters shed a little light on his intentions. Now that we have gotten a good amount of insight from Eva, next chapter you'll get a POV from someone we haven't heard from in a while. As always, thanks for reading! Y'all are awesome!

Also, the VA Does Disney project is well underway so if any of you haven't had a chance to view VAFiction on Tumbler, do yourself a favor and check it out. There are some really great projects on there.

Credit: Eva's view on Dimitri is quoted from Bleeding Violet - Maybe she and Dimitri have a love for reading in common ;)