One of the benefits of living and working at the Court was the flexible schedule and the ability to exchange shifts. We liked to take advantage of this, and as a community of guardians, we often tried to help each other so that everyone could benefit from it. That's why when Christian wanted to go to meet one of the magic users who was willing to fight with magic, I arranged to accompany him and Dimitri. I was already bored with Royal Council meetings and dealing with Moroi politics, while Christian's other guardian, Gerard, preferred to stay within the Palace walls. We officially swapped our charges for the day and I set off with my boyfriend and Christian on a day-long adventure.
I never expected a ride with the two of them to be so much fun, but I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Christian and I teased Dimitri about his terrible taste in music, and he had to put up with our mean commentary. Christian was also quite excited about this Moroi we were going to, who was supposedly engaged in discovering new ways to fight using magic for over two decades. Christian felt that this could have been a breakthrough in his efforts to encourage others to use magic.
After a two-hour drive, Dimitri parked in the driveway of a one-story house on the side of the road, without any neighbors or other prying pairs of eyes. Moroi usually chose properties on the outskirts of society so they wouldn't have to hide. We arrived long after sunset, but the moon and stars sufficiently lit our way.
"I felt uneasy for some reason. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and my stomach twisted into a tight knot. The house seemed too... abandoned to me. Christian unbuckled his seatbelt and with vigor began to open the door, but Dimitri and I exchanged glances and I knew he was thinking the same thing as I was.
"Wait, Christian," Dimitri ordered, glancing at him briefly, but immediately going back to closely watching the house. "Are you sure this is the right address?"
"One hundred percent. Look, someone is waving to us" Indeed, in the window facing the driveway stood a figure, waving to us in a friendly manner. In the dim light, I couldn't make out the figure's features, but it was clear that she was awaiting us.
I looked at Dimitri and we decided to go and approach the situation with caution. Christian eagerly retrieved his laptop and the documents he had prepared for this meeting, Dimitri positioned himself next to Christian, and I moved ahead, taking on the role of the far guardian. I knocked on the door, though my body was stiff and tense, and my stomach clenched uneasily.
It was only when I heard the door groan open that I realized what I felt was not mere anxiety but nausea. I finally understood that behind the door there were Strigois.
I pushed Christian to get him as far away from the threat as possible and took out my silver stake, aiming it straight at the heart of the monster that opened the door, hoping to surprise us. His red eyes widened, seeing my weapon.
"Stay back!" I shouted to Christian, driving my stake into the heart of the Strigoi, who then collapsed to the floor. I kicked the door open and saw three other monsters ready to attack us, two women and a man.
We couldn't run away. In the middle of the night, they would outrun our car and kill us. We had to put up a fight. I threw myself at the first Strigoi, who was already running toward me, with bared teeth, roaring like a wild animal.
"Drive away, Christian!" shouted Dimitri, and I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was running towards the male Strigoi who was trying to grab Christian. As I delivered more blows to my opponent, I realized that my friend had not listened to us, when the third Strogoi burst into flames, with an awful yelp.
My opponent was a tough fighter, but she lacked skill. She relied on her strength and speed, which I was able to use to my advantage. However, when she punched me in the stomach and I flew to the wall, she still managed to surprise me.
"It's a pity you didn't take the queen with you," she hissed, approaching far too slowly, "We had hoped she would also come here. So we could be the ones to kill her."
She came up to deal me the final blow, but I was faster and did a dodge, wounding her in the neck. Blood gushed and she screamed, losing her focus. I took advantage of this, plunging my stake straight into her heart.
I glanced at my companions to assess the situation. Dimitri continued to fight the Strigoi - this one seemed a much more serious threat than my previous opponent. Moving gracefully, he precisely avoided Dimitri's blows. I had no doubt he must have been a dhampir in his previous incarnation, probably a guardian too.
Christian was standing in the doorway, using all his strength to keep the last Strigoi ablaze. The woman screamed shrilly, burning from every scrap of skin, but the flames still didn't consume her. I noticed Christian's rapid breaths and the sweat glistening on his forehead. So I ran towards the burning Strigoi to finish her off, thinking that once I eliminated her, together with Christian and Dimitri, we could defeat the third monster.
And that was a mistake.
I managed to jump to my victim and aimed my stake, trying to strike at the heart, but before I could do so, I saw that Dimitri and his opponent were dangerously close to Christian. The Strigoi also noticed this, although Christian was concentrated on keeping the flames above the female Strigoi. The man took advantage of this and tried to strike him.
But Dimitri wouldn't allow this. From his position, he could not repel this attack, but he could shield Christian with his body. He threw himself in front of him, and the monster's blow fell on him, on the right side of his chest. I heard a cry of pain, and then Strigoi threw my boyfriend across the room so that Dimitri fell on the china cabinet. It shattered, covering him with glass shards.
I shouted his name, but couldn't run to him before I eliminated the threat. I plunged my stake into the woman's heart without hesitation, and she stopped burning. She screamed in pain and despair, and I kicked her away from me as she tried to plow into my face with her charred fingers. heard the last Strigoi's shriek and saw him burning. Christian was lying on the floor, looking determined as ever. I reached the monster less than a heartbeat later, piercing him from the left side, crushing his ribs and muscles until I reached his heart.
"Are you all right?" I asked Christian as Strigoi was falling down. Christian was already rising to his knees.
"He didn't even scratch me," Christian promised, and his gaze fell on Dimitri, to whom I was already running.
My boyfriend was breathing with difficulty, trying to stop the bleeding from his right side. I whispered his name, kneeling right next to him on the glass pieces. The nausea stopped, so I decided to assess his condition first, check the house later. Sometimes being shadow-kissed had its advantages. My hands began frantically pulling up his shirt to look at the wound.
"Everything is fine" he choked through clenched teeth. "I only broke a rib and that son of a bitch cut my skin."
"Everything is not fucking fine," I hissed, but he knew that my anger wasn't directed at him. I focused on assessing his wound. It was quite deep, with shards of glass from the fucking china cabinet stuck inside. In addition, it was bleeding quite profusely. A little above it, a forming hematoma could be seen where he had a broken rib.
Feeling panic rising, I stifled it, forcing myself to think clearly. I had to help Dimitri. I took off my blazer and threw it to Christian.
"Stop the bleeding, I'm running for the first aid kit!" I shouted, rushing to my feet. Before I ran outside I made a quick round of the entire house, making sure there were no more Strigois in it. I didn't feel nauseous, however, I had to make sure. I then ran to the car to take out a special first aid kit for the guardians. When I returned to my boyfriend, it seemed to me that he had turned pale and that his breathing was getting faster and faster. I hastily pushed away the pieces of glass around Dimitri and knelt by his side.
"Call for help!" I commanded Christian and took over applying pressure to the wound while rummaging through the first aid kit I had brought. Dimitri hissed and involuntarily moved away when I pressed too hard. "I'm sorry," I whispered, but he shook his head, letting me know it wasn't my fault.
I pulled out the antiseptic liquid and warned Dimitri before pouring it into his wound. Dimitri drew a sharp breath through clenched teeth, arching his body slightly. I ran my hand gently over his sweat-wet face.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, and he tried to shake his head again.
"Don't worry, Roza. Do what you need to do," he whispered back. I looked at the wound. I hoped that the shards of glass would flow out along with the fluid, but they nestled in. My heart clenched, knowing that I would have to take them out. I took out the gauze and tried to stop the bleeding, but I couldn't do it without adding pressure. Dimitri flinched, holding his breath and clenching his teeth to keep from screaming.
Christian approached me, ready to help, but I only offered him a scathing comment.
"How could you not realize that you were writing emails with Strigois!" I growled at him, continuing to put pressure on the bleeding. My boyfriend let the air out through his mouth, trying to control his breathing.
"How was I supposed to know? If I knew who it was, I would never have let it happen!"
"I didn't know that we should also control your emails to keep you safe!"
Christian didn't answer anything, and for a second I regretted lashing out at him. I lost my temper seeing Dimitri in this state. Taking a deep breath, I gathered myself under control. I had to focus on first aid.
When the blood coagulated and stopped flowing briskly I dried the wound a little, and Dimitri flinched when the rough gauze touched the hurt, sensitized skin. Knowing that the next step would be especially painful for him, I suggested that he wanted something to hold between his teeth. He sighed and nodded. I took off my belt in a flash and handed it to him.
"Bite down on this," I offered.
"Thanks. Don't hesitate, I can take this."
He put the belt between his teeth, and I took a deep breath and prepared the sterile medical tweezers. I asked Christian to shine a flashlight directly into the wound so the light would reflect off the glass shards. I could see that it made him unwell, but he bravely held the light for me, for which I was grateful. I calmed my frantically beating heart and got to work.
I carefully extracted the shards to avoid irritating his already oversensitive skin, but with each piece pulled out, I could feel him tensing his muscles and clenching his teeth to keep from screaming. I wanted to perform fast, but I needed to be careful not to hurt him or to drop any shreds back into the wound. While removing the largest piece, Dimitri couldn't stand it and I heard a stifled groan as the glass irritated his skin. He stilled a moment later, trying not to show his discomfort.
I tried to speak to him all the time, and it seemed that hearing me relaxed him a little. I spoke without knowing what was coming out of my mouth, but the words continued until I removed the last shard. Dimitri was breathing heavily and visibly lost color in his face. However, when I communicated that it was over, he looked at his wound, which I had bandaged meticulously and tightly, and then at me.
He smiled faintly and said, "Thanks, Roza." The sight of love and pride in his eyes completely disarmed me and I stroked his face, leaving bloody streaks under my fingers. "You did everything by the book."
"I had a good teacher," I replied, and Dimitri snorted with laughter, although he then croaked in pain. I looked at Christian, who turned off the flashlight. "Sorry, that I snapped at you."
Christian also snorted and waved his hand.
"Come on. It was kinda well deserved"
I smiled at him. We helped Dimitri up - because he obviously insisted that he could walk on his own - and he lay down on the couch while I examined the area in detail. I found the computer from which Strigoi had written to Christian to lure him here. While waiting for the guardians, Christian browsed through the Strogois' emails, and I sat by Dimitri, combing through his hair, as this motion seemed to relax him. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and I monitored his condition for fear that something might happen to him.
The guardians arrived a short time later, and the medical vehicle quickly took Dimitri despite his protests. I stayed to report and dispose of the monsters' bodies. The guardians swept through the rest of the house, but we found nothing worthy of our attention. Christian and I packed into the back of a car with another guardian - after going through the fight and killing four Strigois, no one wanted to let me drive. I insisted on leaving as soon as possible, wanting to be next to Dimitri immediately.
"Well, things didn't turn out the way I wanted," Christian commented as we were leaving.
"That's an understatement" I countered, resting my head, getting comfortable in my seat, and closing my eyes. The adrenaline was wearing off, and fatigue from the fight was beginning to take its toll.
"However, once again, I proved that fighting with magic helps save the lives of Moroi and guardians. "
I had to agree. Our chances of survival would have been very slim if Christian had not helped us. This was not the first time magic had saved my life, but I still wanted to tease him.
"Or it was me who proved that I'm fucking awesome guardian" I smiled, keeping my eyes closed. Christian snickered.
"Well, certainly not the most modest," he chuckled, but there was warmth in his voice. I smiled wider and soon drifted off into sleep.