PART 12:

BELLAMY

Out of nowhere a surge of unyielding magic slammed against me, pushing me forward. I could taste metal on the tip of my tongue as it churned around the large room. I spun just in time to see Jesse's unusual burst of anger. He had Mason's hand and arm in a position to break them in seconds before me, Dimitri, or Shane had a chance to stop the escalating situation we found ourselves in. I had taught my Moroi well, but even I had not anticipated that he held the ability to subdue a Dhampir so fully. The gasps of surprise from Shane and Aaron were expected. A moment later, I felt my knees nearly give out. The clicking sound of a gun safety echoed through my ears. I heard one, then another, and another. My brain quickly noted no less than four guns all primed and aimed at my Moroi. I did not have any time to panic or consider the consequences.

"Drop your guns!" I shouted at those who had been deceived and misled into aiding Mason. "Drop your guns before three of the fastest Guardians you've ever met drop them for you." Without looking, I could feel Dimitri and Shane both ready to move and defend the Moroi in the room with me.

"They'll drop their guns as soon as your Moroi lets me go." Mason replied. Jesse tightened his grip, and I saw Mason wince in pain. I held back a laugh, enjoying the motivation Jesse had within him.

I had no intention of trusting Mason or his words. As soon as Jesse let him go, Mason would turn on him. I wondered if I had enough time to reach Jesse before anything happened to him. My brain ran through multiple possibilities. I had to make a decision. The tension in the room had reached its peak. The next decision made would determine the outcome of this entire state of play.

I could not ignore the overwhelming sense of consternation I suddenly detected coming from Jesse. He had made a choice to protect me without thinking ahead, finding himself now in a situation that he was unable to get out of on his own. It was up to me to help him, to defend him.

"Jess, you have got to let him go." I ultimately conceded with much difficulty.

"He's holding us here against our will." Jesse tried to argue and defend me still. "He lied to everyone. He shouldn't even be alive."

"I know Jess." I needed to get through to him. "But we won't get anywhere if you break him." My eyes met his. "Remember what we talked about."

Jesse nodded, wavering before making the decision to let go of Mason. He threw the Dhampir to the floor, looking to me as I rushed to get him behind me, to safety. I had his hand in mine, seeing the glint of silver in Mason's hand. I made the only decision I could, the only decision I had been trained to make. I moved swiftly, shielding Jesse with my body. A single shot rang out, and I saw Jesse's eyes go wide. I couldn't speak, and I couldn't move. Jesse's arms grabbed me as I felt myself fall. The bullet had missed my friend. It hit me, and now I could feel the sting in my side where I had been hit. I could feel the blood rushing and running to one spot. There was a small commotion in the room as my breathing labored. The pain in my body was crushing me. All of a sudden, I saw Jesse shouting at me. I couldn't hear him, I couldn't respond to him, but I met his stare. A pair of hands reached his shoulders, pulling him back as another set of hands took hold of me. My eyes closed slowly as I lost my battle with consciousness.

My brain was fuzzy. I couldn't fully concentrate on much. The pain I had been in earlier was gone, undetectable through the morphine I now felt swimming through my body. I didn't open my eyes right away, but I could sense movement around me. Even with my eyes closed, I counted four people surrounding me. I knew that Jesse was at my side. He was more worried than I had ever felt him. He was scared. I could sense loss in him. I struggled to push past the pain he felt. Yuri was to my left, and I could hear Dimitri speaking in a hushed tone to a fourth Guardian near the door.

"I can't lose her." I listened as Jesse started to say.

Yuri was quick to comfort and reassure my distraught Moroi. "We're not going to lose her. She is stronger than any of us."

"You don't understand. I really cannot lose her." Jesse repeated, taking my hand with his. "She'll deny it forever, but you all are right. She is the reason I've changed over the years." I heard him admit this out loud. "I give Sophie the credit she deserves, but Bellamy was the catalyst. I wanted to be better because of her. I won't lose her now because she decided to… What the hell was she thinking?" Jesse's emotions suddenly switched from reflective and scared to resentful and frustrated in a matter of seconds. "She didn't have to…"

"She was thinking about you." Yuri quietly consoled him, trying to explain my actions. "She is always thinking about you."

"Thinking of you is how she survives." Dimitri added in an attempt to help soothe my friend. "It is why she survives. She is willing to surrender her life for you at any moment. It is the promise she made to you years ago. She takes that promise very seriously."

"I don't want that."

"You don't get a vote." I groaned, shifting the pain I was starting to feel again.

"Bellamy! Bells!" I heard everyone in the room exclaim at once, crowding around the hospital bed I was in as I slowly tried to open my weary eyes. Yuri took my hand. I squeezed lightly, looking around at the flowers, cards, and well-wishing items that decorated every flat surface.

"You scared the hell out of me Bells." I could see the red outline in Jesse's eyes, emotion swelling. Anger was surfacing again.

I took a deep breath, prepared to have a difficult conversation with my Moroi. We had never sat down to have 'the talk' before this, nor had we much need to. Now, Jesse and I would need to discuss the very real possibility of me sacrificing anything I could in order to keep him alive. That was after all the most important part of my job.

"How long?" I asked my first question, wanting to know exactly how long I had been out. "How long have I been…"

"Three days." Yuri told me. "You've been medically induced to sleep for the last three days.

Both Yuri and Jesse went on to explain that I had been rushed into surgery at a London hospital, where doctors removed the bullet from my body, telling those around me that there would be a slim possibility of my survival. Soon after my surgery, I was transferred to our hospital on Court grounds. I was medically put to sleep, so that I would in fact, rest. Clearly the Court hospital staff was familiar with my reputation and refusal to remain still even when in pain. I listened to everything they had to say, and I listened to what they did not say. I knew perfectly well that there were things that Dimitri and Yuri would not say in front of Jesse. They kept the worst of any details to themselves, but there were things that I wanted to know. Without actually asking for privacy, I asked Jesse for some space, sending him home to grab some things for me.

"You're trying to get rid of me." Jesse easily surmised.

"Yes." I was not going to lie to him at this point. "I need a few confidential minutes with the Guardians in the room."

With that reasoning given, Jesse was still resistant but slightly more willing to leave my side, if only for a brief time. Eddie was willing to see Jesse safely back home, and I was grateful. Yuri closed the door behind the two as they walked out, and I struggled to find a more comfortable position as I started to question.

"Who is going to catch me up?" Neither my husband nor my brother volunteered. "Which of you wants to tell me what happened after I got shot?" I rephrased my question. "I have been out cold for three days against my will." I made sure they knew that I was not happy about that. "Let's start with Mason. Where is he?"

"We were able to break into the room after I regained control of the security systems." Yuri started, "but I was seconds too late. We heard the gun go off in the same moment that the locks were disabled." I kept his hand, comforting him as he recalled having to see me bleeding on the floor. "We got to you as soon as we entered. Jesse was inconsolable."

"What happened to Mason?" I asked again, and silence reclaimed the room. "Do not hide information to spare my feelings. Tell me what you know."

"He was subdued almost immediately."

I turned to Yuri, knowing that the language he used at times was coded for the benefit of others.

"Does subdued mean killed in this case?"

"No." Yuri was not happy to admit. He clearly would've preferred that the man who'd held me and Jesse hostage no longer be allowed to live. "He is in the Court cells, awaiting transfer to…"

Yuri paused, allowing Dimitri to go on.

"Bellamy, after Mason was subdued and placed into a secure cell, the Guardian Council made a unilateral decision. Mason is being sent to Siberia. Tarasov prison has a separate unit there that will hold him.

I blanched for a brief second or two, knowing enough about the place to know that it was a bad place to be. Bridgette had mentioned this particular subdivision of Tarasov once or twice, and how bad it could be. The location of the prison was hidden deep in the heart of Siberia, in a place where people and even animals dared not go. The transfer from here to there would be long and arduous, but Mason's stay would be worse. From my understanding, he would be under guard twenty-four-seven, allowed out of his cell one hour a day, and be put on the strictest of schedules to wake, sleep, eat, etc. This subdivision of Tarasov did not play games. There were absolutely no parts of the facility that security cameras did not see. There were no blind spots. But considering the punishment that had been given, I realized one thing.

"They didn't sentence him to death." I pointed out.

"No." Yuri said. "They feel a more fitting punishment is to let him live."

"He will live with the guilt and shame of his actions, and…"

"And the fact that he will never see another living person outside of that prison again." I confirmed.

"He asked to see you before he is transferred Bells." I listened to the request, wondering what I might do now that he was under full lock and key, guarded within an inch of his life. Would I go to see him? Should I?

ONE WEEK EARLIER

"The Councils have postponed the trial."

"Why? Why would they do that?" An extremely loud and public tantrum was surfacing within me. The Councils had managed to keep me at Court, they had used me as their spy for weeks, and were now trying to keep me at this even longer. "Why would either Council choose to postpone this trial again, so close to the start date?" I was no longer hiding the rancor within my voice.

Dimitri looked reticent. For the first time in a long time, he feared my venting. I could also see that he was keeping something more from me.

"While you were interrogating Mason, I went to them with my concerns."

"Your concerns? What good do our suspicions do us at this point?" I challenged. "We can't use any of it against him. We haven't proven anything." I carefully watched as Dimitri's demeanor and behavior gradually altered. He leaned nervously against the wall at his back. His foot started tapping, and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"What's with your nerves?" I pointed out his unusual movements.

I watched his shoulders sink as he sighed. "There may be a bigger problem. I don't know how to tell you…" He could not seem to keep eye contact with me.

"Just tell me." I insisted. "Whatever it is, it cannot possibly be worse than anything I've already heard."

"Don't be so sure."

I crossed my arms.

"On my way in to see the Guardian Council, I ran into Mia Rinaldi." He gained my full attention. "She was trying to gain access into the Council Command center."

"Mia? Why would she need to see the Guardian Council? They don't see Moroi, even here at royal Court, except under extreme circumstances."

"They wouldn't allow her entrance." I expected Dimitri's response. "She saw me arrive, and we talked." His breathing pattern changed. "Bells, you're going to want to talk to her. You are going to want to listen to everything she has to say."

"Why can't you tell me what she had to say?"

Dimitri simply shrugged, a strange look gracing his face now. "Please go talk to your friend. I told her I'd be sending you by to see her."

I nodded, agreeing to go talk to Mia. I made it to her apartment in record time.

"I assume Guardian Belikov sent you.' She said as soon as she answered the door.

I kept silent, wondering what sort of conversation she and Dimitri had shared. Mia allowed me inside, offering me a drink. I refused before she disappeared for a few minutes. When she reappeared, she held a stack of envelopes.

"Please don't be mad Bellamy." She appealed even before telling me what sort of trouble she could be in. "I know that you refused members of Court and even Guardians from seeing him, but," Mia briefly paused, "I had to know. I had to see for myself. I wanted to be sure. I wanted…"

"Answers." I replied for her, finally gaining a bit more information.

"He didn't say much."

I now gathered that Mia had gone to see Mason, without Guardian permission. She feared the repercussions of that decision but stayed forthcoming about her somewhat pithy conversation with Mason.

"He apologized." She told me.

Of course he did. Not that it meant much. "What did he give you?" I motioned to the envelopes still in her hands.

"These? He didn't exactly give them to me." Mia confessed, handing the stack over. They were letters. "Sophie mentioned that you are having trouble here at Court because of Mason." Mia and Sophie were pretty good friends, and I had to assume that besides Yuri and Jesse, Sophie would need a friend to confide in at times. Mia was there to listen, but she too had become concerned about me, even after gaining assurances that I was fine.

I flipped through the stack of letters, pursing my lips as I noticed one major fault. The letters were addressed to Mason, rather than from him.

"Bells, you might want to give one or two of those a quick read." Mia suggested.

We separated a short time later, and I had a bad feeling. Driving through the gates leading into the Zeklos estate, I picked up one of the letters from the passenger seat, taking a closer look. Mason had been permitted to send mail out, but according to Court laws, he could not receive letters. Dimitri had gone through the same restrictions. After his transition from Strigoi to Dhampir, he was given permission to send notices to family and specific friends about what he had been through, giving as much detail as necessary. He was not allowed any other contact until he had been cleared by both Councils, to return as a Guardian.

But these letters were addressed specifically to Mason. The dates were recent, and that only meant more trouble. The laws at both Courts were made crystal clear, so as I considered more details, I wondered how he had been receiving mail. Did he have someone at Court helping to deliver the letters?

I opened the envelope as I parked the car and entered the house. As I read the first few lines, I immediately felt panic radiating over me.

"Yuri!" I called out to my husband. I felt my blood start to run through my veins in the most slow and cold manner. "Yuri!"

He came running down the left staircase. "Bells, what is it? What's…"

I thrust the stack of stationary into his hands. "We are in trouble. We missed this. I didn't see it." I stopped myself from pacing. "How could I not see this?"

"This is not your fault Bells." Yuri said, reading the same sentences I had. "None of us could've seen this coming. We need to…" Yuri's voice grew shakier at best. "We need to get ahead of this." He was far more focused than me in this situation, taking the lead. Call Alberta. I will head over to Court security. Mikhail needs to know."

Yuri left, going straight to the main security sector of Court while I made calls of my own. I did a quick check on Jesse while he slept through the day, oblivious to the potential threats to his life. Thirty minutes later, I was surrounded by three more Guardians. Our Court, our most dependable safe-haven was under attack, and we were the only few who were aware. Others needed to be alerted. The Queen would need to be made aware and secured away from Court if necessary. I needed a plan to keep Jesse unharmed. I handed a few of the letters over to Alberta. She, Hans Croft, and Dimitri all read through them.

Alberta looked horrified, and I thought Dimitri might be sick. He looked like he might run out the door at any moment to get to Christian, and I did not blame him. He was on the phone with Rose before I blinked.

"The Guardian and Moroi Council members?" I inquired.

"All safe and being escorted to their residences." Alberta was busy making sure her orders were carried out. So, why did she look so worried still? Everything in me started to vibrate as I was suddenly reminded of the last time I had seen this expression on her face.

"The last time I saw this look in your eyes was the battle of St. Vladimir's." I gained her attention again.

"Please don't make me say it." Alberta cryptically said. "I don't want to say the words."

I had no inkling as to what she might not want to say, and yet it made the stubborn part of me want to hear it.

"Fine." My Guardian friend closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. "You were right, Bellamy." It sure was not what I was expecting to hear. "You were right about Mason Ashford."

"We have to assume he is being aided by Guardians."

Where Hans remained skeptical of the situation, Alberta and Dimitri were not willing to take chances. There had been enough opposition and coups within these walls in recent years.

"Bellamy, where did you find these?" Alberta made the point to ask me about the correspondence.

I bit my lower lip, wary to tell her exactly how I had acquired Mason's personal property. I did not need to get Mia into any more trouble with Guardians.

"I didn't find them. A friend inexcusably defied my orders. She snuck in to see Mason and discovered these letters on a table. Hopefully Mason won't miss them."

"That is illegal search and seizure." Hans stated what I already knew.

"I know that. But technically, the Constitutional Fourth Amendment does not apply to our Courts the same way it does outside of our Court system." My argument did not completely go over, so I told the other Guardians what I knew, each of us attempting to design and offer plans for the safety of others.

"Yuri is over near the Security Head office. He may be able to find and review footage of Guardians or others who've helped deliver these letters, and the Guardians tasked to watch Mason."

"You're still tracking him." Dimitri solved one mystery I had been keeping to myself. He reviewed my responses, and our current situation. He immediately regretted his statement as Stan proceeded to challenge me.

"What?" As a Court Guardian, Stan was fully aware that these sorts of things were usually run by him, Alberta, and especially by the Queen. It was not the case this time. "You are tracking someone here on Court grounds? Under whose authority?" He demanded I tell him.

"Lola Ivashkov, whose authority comes from the Moroi Council, and Guardian Jordan, whose authority surpasses even my own." I came clean to the three Guardians about my purpose for continuing to follow, study, and question Mason here at Court.

"Court Guardians have jurisdiction over tracking here on Court grounds." Stan went on. "We would've been informed."

Alberta simply looked crushed that I had been keeping something like this from her for so long.

"Both Councils insisted that I do my job and keep it completely silent. They do not want Mason Ashford to know that I am still watching and listening. They asked that I look for anything suspicious or potentially dangerous. Alicia does not like what she isn't seeing on our security feeds."

"This is about more than just sending and receiving letters and messages from Court, isn't it? Alberta recovered, doing her job as well. Should we be more worried?" She wanted to know. "Is there anything you need us to do?"

I watched Stan out of the corner of my eye. He did not like not being consulted on this matter, but even more he did not like that I outranked him enough that he could not contest what I was doing.

"No." I told them. "I don't want him to know that I am still tracking him."

Not long after, Alberta and Hans were off to devise plans and alert the proper channels. Dimitri was on the phone with Rose as he and I worked out our own plans for Christian and Jesse if they became necessary.

"We have work of our own to do." I exhaled louder than usual, exhausted and frustrated by the new and bigger sets of clues we had received. "Dimitri, I need to know why he would want to see you harmed."

"You are worried." Dimitri confirmed, knowing the signs better than Alberta, Hans, or any Council member. He wasn't going anywhere until he had firm answers from me. "Rose will be working on keeping the Queen as safe as is needed. What can I do?"

I was ready to refuse his help under the circumstances, but I also had to consider that Dimitri was one of few to sit privately with Mason. There were things I could piece together still.

"You can tell me what Mason has had to say to you specifically in the last few weeks that made you suspicious about him? What did he say, or do?"

Dimitri sat down, immediately starting to talk, giving me more insight and one big answer that I had not seen coming.

"Oh." I breathed out, finally seeing the full picture. As Dimitri spoke I saw Mason's true game clearly.

"Bells?"

"He's leading us on purpose. He has buried the lead this entire time."

"I don't understand."

I placed my hand over Dimitri's, wary of how he might react to what I would say next. "He's after you and me. Just you and me."

"His list…"

"That list is a distraction, and it's fake." I explained. "We are the ones who betrayed him most. We're the ones that he wants." I thought longer about many things said and done over the last weeks.

"So, Jesse and Christian?" Dimitri still questioned the list Mason carried.

"Also a distraction. Don't misunderstand." I stood, trying to fit more pieces together. "Mason would easily kill them or have them killed if given half a chance, but he'd only be doing it to hurt you and me. Letting anyone hurt or kill Jesse is one of the few things in this world I would never recover from."

"He wants to see us suffer." Dimitri caught up. "But I still don't understand it all."

"Neither do I. But this does not mean our Moroi are safe."

"We need to get them off Court grounds." Dimitri insisted. "And we need to resolve this fight away from Court."

Part of me had to agree. Getting our Moroi as far away from Mason and any plans he might have would be best in most cases. On the other hand…

"I'm not leaving Court yet." I heard myself argue his suggestion. "As much as I would like to walk away from this Courtly cluster fuck, I can't. It's my fault Mason is here. It's my fault that he is a threat to others."

"And Jesse doesn't leave Court without you." Dimitri knew my most basic rules for Jesse.

"And you wouldn't let Christian leave without you or me protecting him. Therein lies our biggest problem." I said. "So, we figure out how to protect them from here until otherwise instructed."

Dimitri argued with me until I could no longer listen. I was not going to change my mind. Towards the start of the evening, once other Guardians were on the task of handling Mason, and looking for anyone posing threats to Court, I found myself sitting alone, locked away in my private office, staring down at the same piece of information, in the same folder for the last hour.

"Something is wrong." I lifted my eyes to the open doors. Yuri could spot the smallest amount of unrest in me. He had learned to pick up on my mood cues without any words or signals.

"Wrong?" I was more withdrawn than usual. "There are a lot of things wrong right now. A lot of things."

He moved into the room where I sat behind my desk. He lifted me to my feet, easily repositioning me onto his lap, his arms wrapping around me.

"I don't mean here at Court." His head rested against me. "There is something wrong with you. Something is different."

"There is nothing wrong with me." I grew more defensive.

"Bells, I know that you are dealing with a lot more these days, and with all of the new intelligence coming in about Mason, you are under even more pressure than usual. I'm here." He ran his fingers through strands of my hair. "If you need to talk, you can come to me." Yuri was as supportive as always, and really, if anyone could fully understand this level of guilt and acrimony, it was him.

I slowly shifted my body around to face him. I wasn't sure if he would have an answer to my questions, but truthfully, maybe no one could give me the resolution I needed.

"Can I ask you something about Katja and Illya?"

"Yes." My husband did not hesitate as I might have expected him to do.

"How did you erase your demons? I was eager to know how he and other Guardians like us had been able to exorcize the pieces of life that once troubled and prevented from moving forward. It was a fair question I thought.

"My demons? He added a soft laugh to my word choice.

"When you found out that Katja was still alive, and when you had to let your brother go, how did you come to terms with all of that? How did you accept it?"

Again, he found the smallest amount of humor in my questions. "I didn't."

His response did very little to set me at ease.

"Is this about Mason?"

Obviously it was. "Partly." I shrugged my shoulders. "Mostly." Yuri waited for me to go on, knowing me well enough to know where my head was, and that there might be more to my inquiries. "He is back from the dead, and honestly, I don't know what is worse." I felt myself wanting to hyperventilate again. This was not a good subject for me to visit. "His being alive or dead. It's no easier seeing him here at Court than it was getting over his death."

"I haven't exorcised my demons." Yuri explained to me. "Every day and night is a struggle." He admitted, and I was not thrilled to hear that my husband was struggling with anything. I wanted to put my arms around him and comfort him, but that wasn't what he needed either. "Guardians are always searching for the answer to this problem Bells. I guess I just try not to dwell on it. I have more important priorities."

"Compartmentalize." I did not like this answer, but what could I do? I felt a shred of acceptance knowing that I was not alone in my problem. I considered asking others but knew I might receive similar answers.

A small knock on the door frame interrupted our conversation.

"Jess." I noticed the tension in his face. His emotions were swimming in disorder. Jesse and I needed to talk. "Let's take a walk." I suggested to him, kissing Yuri affectionately.

As his Guardian, I made a promise to put Jesse's needs above my own, so that is what I did. We walked together into one of the five gardens on the property. We descended a long set of steps into the fountain garden, sitting at the edge of a high ring fountain. I let my fingers trace the top of the water, creating ripples.

Jesse sat beside me, clenching and unclenching his hands. He was looking at the ground.

"Jesse." I urged him to say something.

"It's an act, isn't it." He made a statement rather than questioning me. "The manic behavior, the chaos in your emotions, and the visual of you falling full tilt down doolally hill. It's all for show." He guessed. I had once pointed out to others that Jesse Zeklos knew me better than anyone else, and that truth had not changed. He could pin down my emotions and behavior even better than Yuri or Dimitri, so I had no choice but to come clean to him about more than just my behavior.

"Most of it is an act. I need Mason to think that I am a mess." I admitted to him. "Jess, there are a few things that I need to tell you."

"About Mason?" He asked. "Does he have anything to do with Guardian Reyes sending Aaron away from Court?"

His last question caught me a little off guard.

"Bells, what is going on? How much danger are we really in? Are you going to send me and Sophie away too?"

"No." I decidedly said, unsure of how he might take the decision, as well as how I was going to pull off my decision. It would be tricky. "I don't think that it would be wise of me to do that. For now, we stick to the plan."

"Bellamy, how bad are things here at Court?" Jesse asked me in that flat serious royal tone of his. It was fearless and demanding.

I knew that I had to tell him something. I had to give him some of the facts. If I didn't, I would soon have a full blown royal freak out on my hands. "I need to be straight with you Jess." I paused in order to gauge his attention, and to contemplate a more sensitive way to say what I would to him. "As of earlier this afternoon, you, Sophie, and this entire property are on lockdown. Yuri and I will be posting more guards at the gates, we are allowing Court security to do full checks in and around the property, and no one unapproved gets in until further notice."

Jesse both looked and felt extremely worried. I could not shake off his fear mixed with my own.

"That means something major happened. You and Yuri don't enforce total lockdown unless the problem is big." I should not have been so surprised that Jesse would comprehend the meaning in my words.

I still wasn't sure about how much I should reveal to him, but I did know that keeping certain details from him now, might be worse for everyone in the long run. He needed to know why he was being put under such heavy security.

"Under any other circumstance, I would not tell you these things." I prepared my Moroi, taking in a deep breath. "Jesse, when Mason was Strigoi he carried a small list of names. There were three people that he intended to personally kill or turn. You and I are on that list." I did not mention Christian or Dimitri.

"So what does…" I watched the wheels turning almost instantly as he caught what I had said to him. He had caught on, as I hoped he would. "Wait. You said we are on the list, not were on the list."

"There is a possibility that Mason is still in possession of his list, and that he intends on following through with it."

"He's coming after us? But he is guarded. You said that there are Guardians around him."

"There are."

Jesse groaned. Full panic was showing its face. "Finish the story, Bells. If Ashford is guarded…"

"He has been in contact with others. We aren't sure who."

"And you still find it unwise for us to leave Court? Bells, why can't we leave? We could go home. We are safe there."

"We can't leave yet."

"Why not?"

I didn't want to admit my real thoughts to him. I did not want to discuss my guilt over being the one to bring Mason here, though I had to assume that Jesse knew the truth.

"I need to finish this Jesse. I need to see this through. Please do not argue."

He agreed. We stood, less than a minute later, my phone rang, vibrating against my hip. I picked up before the first ring finished.

"Yuri." I spoke, knowing there was more trouble.

"Headquarters. Ten minutes."

That was all he needed to say. I hung up, acknowledging the short amount of information given.

"Jesse, I have to-"

"Go." He finished for me, insisting that I leave to find out more.

"You, inside." I ordered him. He gave a nod, prepared to go straight into the house. "No one comes in, and no one leaves." Again, Jesse agreed without words or a challenge. "Lock the doors, and don't scare your wife with this information. Why don't you order dinner from that Thai place we like."

Once convinced my Moroi would stay put, I made my way out of the estate grounds, putting the front gates on full threat watch as well. Walking back into Guardian Headquarters, I was met by Mikhail Tanner. Most days he looked thrilled to see me if I needed his help or stopped in for a few minutes to catch up, but now he only looked lost.

"They're waiting for you." He pointed to the nearby security room before I had a chance to ask any questions.

I left Mikhail to his own job, entering the protected security assembly room. I was met by Yuri, his face pale. I knew something bad had happened. Dimitri was sitting to the side of the room. He smiled at my presence, but the other Guardians in the room all looked as though they wanted blood. My blood. And if Guardians wanting my blood wasn't enough, it was a little difficult to ignore the cluster of Alchemists, their backs to the nearest wall, each of them on high alert in a room full of Dhampir.

While they were not ever going to be considered close friends, I had managed to cultivate several working relationships with members of the Alchemy community. Not only was it a good idea to keep a good report with anyone willing to clean up Guardian messes, I was taught to keep a mixed collection of allies in my pocket. But, we had not been visited by many alchemy officials in some time. I certainly had not seen anyone at Court since my arrival with Mason. This was an obvious clue that something much bigger was about to drop.

"Guardian Pearce." I recognized Guardian Kenley Price, as she acknowledged my arrival.

"Guardian Price." I sat down, looking to my left at Eddie Castile, Alberta Petrov, Hans Croft, and about five other Court Guardians. Shane was not in attendance, and I knew he'd already chosen to leave Court with Aaron.

"If this is about Mason Ashford…"

"This brief conference pertains to your mission in Vienna." Kenley stated. "I would like you to review your decision." She spoke without giving much clarification.

"My decision?"

"Your decision to save Mr. Ashford."

"Honestly," I now felt as though I was the one on trial at Court, "I was not sure how that mission was going to end. I could've just as easily killed him." My tone turned slightly defiant and defensive.

"Why didn't you?" Hans spoke up, gaining glares from Kenley, Dimitri, and Eddie.

"I made a judgment call." And as expected, that judgement was being called into question.

"And your judgment was to save him." Hans was accusing me of more than I wanted to understand. "You chose to bring him back as Dhampir."

I very much disliked all eyes on me. I was on display and my professional decisions were being brought into question. "No matter what decision I made in that moment, I was going to be wrong."

"Explain your belief to this room please." Kenley requested.

I side eyed Hans, giving my thoughts out to those in the room. "Many at Court seem to have their own opinions about the choice I was asked to make. Some feel that I should've killed Mason; Others think I made the right move to 'save' him." I pointed out. "If I had killed him, the opposite side would be up in arms now. I was damned either way."

Kenley did not seem to argue the point with me. She gave a satisfied expression, but I knew there was more to come. Before she could continue, Hans broke into the conversation again.

"Let's talk about you and Mason Ashford." He was digging into a past that should've been left alone.

Yuri was first to step in to help me. "She is not here to discuss her past."

"You were inquiring about the mission to Austria." I addressed Kenley.

"Your familiarity with the criminal relates." Hans cut in again. I highly doubted that his next inquiry would relate to Vienna, but what could I do? I turned to him as he sat at the table.

"I am told that you and Mr. Ashford have a complicated history."

I flinched unintendedly. "We have a severely complicated history." I confirmed without any details.

"He was in love with you."

"Was he?" I shrugged. "That may be true." I questioned Mason's true feelings for me. "I was in love with him at one point in my life, and he may or may not have been in love with me. What does this have to do with anything?"

Dimitri interrupted, coming to stand closer. "There are a few security feeds you should see Bells."

Yuri set a laptop in front of me.

As it happened in front of me, I had to pull myself together without others noticing. An unexpected visitor made an appearance onscreen. Mason opened his door, and the cameras were clear as day. I slid my chair back a few inches, my heart falling all over again. He kissed the familiar woman ready to greet him. I recalled being in this very same position back at St. Vladimir's.

Honestly I should not have cared as much after all this time, but having to sit and watch Mason kiss Meredith Nikolai again, made my stomach knot and turn. Beyond my own emotions, I found myself putting smaller pieces of my puzzle together. I knew what this scene meant. I answered a few of my own questions.

"She has been aiding him, hasn't she?"

"We think so." Dimitri and Kenley shared. "She has been seen in more footage, meeting with Mason." Dimitri added.

"Bellamy, there is something more." Alberta softly approached as though trying not to vex me any more than I was.

"There cannot possibly be more." I said.

"We found Guardian Nikolai an hour ago."

Was this really part of my job? Was this my responsibility?

"Good. Bring her in for questioning. Do your jobs while I continue doing mine."

"We can't bring her in." Eddie finally spoke up, adding to the madness I could not escape. "She's dead."

I found myself unable to speak. What could I say to Eddie? Meredith, despite my history with her, was Eddie's friend. For the first time I really saw his face. He was sad and betrayed. It was a combination I knew well these days.

"Cause of death?" I had to know more.

"Asphyxiation." Eddie continued, clearly feeling the weight of this death too. "Her body was found near her apartment. We were lucky she was not found by Moroi." Eddie grieved his friend.

"Lucky?" Hans was not ready to let up. "You've seen the video footage. She was giving support to Mason Ashford. He killed her!"

"You don't know that." Eddie growled back, still giving Mason the benefit of the doubt.

The two were loudly arguing across the table within a matter of minutes, and once they started, others chimed in with their own opinions, pulling apart and debating pieces of this mess.

"Alright, stop!" I shouted. Feeling the stress of this moment increasing, showing on my face. I kept my composure, standing, my palms face down on the table, doing what I could not to frighten the Alchemists still quietly keeping to their small corner. "I don't usually do this sort of thing as a matter of principle, and because I really do not like the position it puts me in, but you are giving me no choice." I stood, feeling all eyes in the room concentrated on me, every voice silenced. "I am pulling rank on everyone in this room." I commanded, using the power I held over others, aside from Guardian Price. "We have a serious problem to deal with. We need to deal with it, quietly. Guardian Belikov, Guardian Castile, have a seat. Guardian Tverskaya, you too." Yuri kissed my forehead, passing by me to sit and listen. I often wondered if it turned him on to watch me take command of others. "Alberta." I addressed the Head Court Guardian.

Alberta sat down between Kenley Price and Hans Croft, who now looked positively incited by me. Yes, I technically outranked him and Alberta, but I had never once actually outright stated the fact or used it against either of them

"I get it." I continued to say. "Court Guardians can find it difficult to cooperate with field Guardians and other royal Guardians."

"You're giving us a lecture on cooperation? This is not Sesame Street." Hans retorted.

"You're right. But," I directed my irritability upon him, "you do not get to question my judgement Guardian Croft."

"Without questioning your judgement," He changed his tone, "what do you suggest of us? If Mr. Ashford is responsible for this terrible act of treachery, we have protocols in place to correct the situation."

"But you have not enacted those protocols." I challenged. "I can tell you why you haven't. Because you do not know what to think yet. You do not know the who, the why, or the when. And you certainly don't know how."

"Do you?" Hans continued to question me.

"I know enough to make a positive guess."

"Because you are tracking Mason Ashford without Court authorization." He repeated his earlier sentiment.

"I do not need your permission." I wanted to argue, provoked by his behavior.

"She is doing what she is good at." Eddie stopped me from saying anything that would get me into trouble. "She is doing the thing that makes her the best tracker our ranks have had since Bridgette Pearce. She is finding a way in."

I could see the look from Dimitri out of the corner of my eye. He too wanted to help in any way he could. He too wanted to keep the peace, but he was worried. While we sat here arguing semantics, our Moroi were without us. I had seen the wheels in Dimitri's head already spinning wildly when I first arrived. "I'm not an idiot. I see the widespread damage Mason's arrival has caused. Just like me, you are trying to separate fact from speculation, so that no more damage can be done."

"What are you thinking Bells?" Dimitri asked.

"I think that everything is connected. I think that I need to work this out quicker."

"Bells," Dimitri whispered, standing, touching my hand, "can I speak to you in private?"

I stood, following him out of the room, away from the increasing anger and continuing arguments. Dimitri slipped into the adjoining room, that strict unyielding look written all over his face.

"I apologize." I assumed he might be upset about me using my rank against him and others. "I don't especially like utilizing the power I hold."

"You have earned that power, and you did what you had to Bells." He closed the door, sitting down, motioning to the chair across from him. All of a sudden, I flashed back to St. Vladimir's. I recalled Dimitri asking to have a 'heart to heart', in order to get my head back in the game. It had worked back then.

"Actually, I asked you to step away, hoping you might finally be willing to give up your secrets; to talk about Vienna." His words were meant to gently coerce information from me. "Let's you and me talk privately about why you saved Mason before it comes up in there. There is more to this that you aren't saying to anyone else."

"Which is it? Do you want to know more about Vienna, or do you want to know why I saved him?"

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"No."

"Okay." Dimitri stood, his arms crossed again, nervous about what I might say, and wary to ask more questions on the matter. "Start with Vienna. There is a reason he wanted you to go after him there." He correctly emphasized. "What is so significant about Vienna?"

It was also time to come clean with him about more between me and Mason. I wanted to ease his concern, but this conversation was not going to do that. I was afraid that it would make things worse.

"I really wish I had known then what I know now." I started. "There is no extradition in Vienna." I then said, knowing that I would need to further clarify what I was about to say. "Well, Vienna does not extradite in certain cases." I swallowed hard, leaning against the chair at my back. "Mason and I talked about going to Vienna after graduation. We…"

"For what purpose?"

"Marriage." I revealed. "Back then, I was so enamored with Mason. He and I were seriously considering running off to get married."

"Alright." Dimitri sat back down, interlacing his fingers, tightly shutting his eyes, pushing away his oncoming headache. "But why Vienna?" He wanted the full story. He wanted to fully understand what lay behind Mason's dark energy, and my reasons for saving him.

"If we had gone through with it in Vienna, no one could stop us. Guardians have a similar law."

"Bellamy," Dimitri was doing what he could not to lose his cool, "that particular Guardian law pertains to…"

"Marriage." I confirmed. "The fine print in our laws pertains to marriage, allowing Guardians to marry the person of their choosing, be it Dhampir or Moroi, without retribution or reversal."

He opened his mouth to speak. "That's…"

"I know this is a big thing to take in. I came to my senses right after I started training in Hungary, and really this was just one potential path before Mason decided to… leave." I avoided using any words or phrases linked to Mason's 'death'.

"Well, thank God for small miracles."

"Mason becoming Strigoi was no miracle, but yes our split is something we can all be eternally grateful for."

A few short minutes more of letting this news sink in, and we could no longer ignore the shouting Guardians still in the small room. Before we could re-enter, Kenley exited. She stood silent briefly catching her breath before informing me and Dimitri what we should know, purposely doing it away from any others.

"You both should hear this from me." She did not sound happy about what she had to say. "The Moroi and Guardian Councils have given Mr. Ashford slightly more freedom for the next several days, under the ruse that he may meet with his Counsel. He will be free from his Guardians for a few hours throughout the day while Moroi sleep."

"Why?" I fully understood why Kenley was not thrilled about this particular piece of information. She didn't like it any more than we did.

"We have made this decision so that you can do your job Bellamy. If he is allowed his freedom for a few hours a day, he will trip, making it easier for you to do your job."

Dimitri and I both had to agree with that logic. Given enough freedom, Mason was bound to slip and either make a mistake or show more of his intentions. While others argued back and forth about Mason, Dimitri and I exited the building, intent on not only coming up with more restrictive plans for our Moroi security, but I needed to track down Mason. He would develop a pattern with his short amount of freedom soon enough. I needed to know those patterns as soon as possible.

DIMITRI

"At the request of the Courts, Mason Ashford has been given a measure of freedom. He is provided time and privacy to speak with his counsel to prepare his case." Kenley Price said these words, looking dismayed and tense. Her tone and body language left me and Bellamy to unravel clues, guessing at the new set of problems we would face.

"He is going to escape." I said the words out loud, causing Bellamy to groan in what I knew was her frustration coming unstitched. It angered me that she had been put in this situation at all; forced to see, speak to, and accept Mason's return without complaint. Her past with him was tricky and fragile on its best day. The past between the two was understood by few at Court, leaving others to assume that Bellamy's decisions were made out of pity rather than rational thought. Anyone else put in her position might have cracked long before this, but Bellamy had a resolve and strength that even I envied.

"He will undoubtedly make the mistake of attempted escape." Kenley agreed. "But he remains a larger threat to others while on Court grounds." She reminded us.

I expected Bellamy to start shouting. Instead she kept calm and quiet for a few minutes.

"Bells, you know what this means."

"He'll be on the move, and Kenley is right. Mason remains a threat to this Court." She confirmed, a smile appearing. "The game is afoot."

"Are you sure about this, Bells? It means putting our Moroi in danger."

"Our Moroi are in less danger by our sides than they would be if they stay behind." She confirmed. "We have prepared both Jesse and Christian for this possibility. They know the risks, and they know that this is a last resort. It is the option we choose when we are to the point of no return."

I was aware of Bellamy's plans from the start. We'd spoken privately, shortly after she and Jesse arrived. I was wary of her plan, but I trusted her with Christian's life and my own. This was not the first monster we had faced together. Now, I had to agree with her thoughts. Christian and Jesse being at our sides was much safer than leaving them at Court while we ran after Mason. Being at our sides also made many others at Court safer. I saw the logical side of this. But that did not mean that the royal Council and the Queen would see this so clearly. Bellamy sent me in to the remaining Guardians while she made sure Mason was planning to leave Court. After appeasing them, I found myself in a room with the royal Council, waiting for the Queen. My pleading to the Council had fallen on deaf ears. Once present, Lissa immediately called Bellamy in alongside me, and now we were both arguing with the high members of this Court.

"Do you have an actual plan?" Lissa inquired of Bellamy.

"Sort of." Bellamy responded, cringing as she reacted to the knowledge that others would not agree with her plans. "But, you are not going to like it."

The whispering began as assumptions were made.

"What is your plan?" Howard Zeklos pointedly questioned her.

"My plan is to follow Mason when he does leave Court. My plan is to take a specific team of Guardians and Moroi, and my plan is to allow him to capture us."

And that was it. The room was not shy of opinions, erupting into arguments and strongly opinionated disagreements.

"I know this sounds dangerous." Bellamy attempted. "It is dangerous." She was not helping her case. "But, it is the only way Guardians will get close enough to Mason. I have studied and tracked his behavior, his patterns, and thought processes for weeks, months now."

"Studied." One of the Council members scoffed. "And after studying his every movement, what do you guess he wants?"

"Me." Bellamy did not need to guess. "He wants me, he wants Guardian Belikov, and he wants our Moroi."

"And your plan is to give him what he wants? He wants to kill royals from this Court." Lissa began her questioning, her tone storing an edge of cynicism and antagonism.

"He is not going to harm anyone. If I go to him as I plan to do, he won't…"

"So, you are going to sacrifice yourself to Mason?" Rose too sounded far too cynical, speaking up out of turn.

"Not a bloody chance. What would that solve?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand." The Queen was still unwilling to agree with Bellamy. After dismissing her Council members, she kept me and Bellamy behind to better explain. Bellamy made a quick call, summoning both her Moroi and my own. Chris and Jesse each arrived within minutes of each other.

"We did things the Council's way last time." Bellamy spoke as we all sat listening. "We are doing things my way this time around."

"What does that mean?" Lissa insisted on knowing.

"I suppose you have an actual plan." I jumped in, hoping that my Guardian half-sister and friend would admit to something more.

"More or less."

"Bells…"

"My plan is to do what I should've done to begin with. While he has been here, Mason has been studying us too. He is ready for a fight. When we get him away from Court, he will take Dimitri first." She finally gave in, giving up a little more information. "He will want to take our strongest line of defense."

"Second strongest." I corrected, smiling.

She winked and kept going. "He's smart to take you first."

"I don't like this." Rose had stayed mostly quiet while Bellamy let us in on her plan, giving small hints at what she had learned. Rose was resistant to see me hurt by Mason. "Bellamy, when you say that you are going to 'do what should've been done to begin with', what exactly does that mean?"

On this point, Bellamy was not willing to say much more, leading Rose and Lissa to jump to their own conclusions.

"Are you going to kill him? Is that what it means?" Bellamy still said nothing, pushing my wife to further press the issue. "Bellamy, please don't pull the 'I can neither confirm nor deny' card with me."

"Rose, I have said everything that I am permitted to say on that matter."

"By whose orders?" Lissa demanded, her tone harder, intending to intimidate the one person who could not be intimidated by her in this situation.

"The Guardian Court Council."

"The Guardian Council does not have my permission to…"

"With all due respect your majesty, the Guardian Court and its Council does not need your permission to manage and resolve Dhampir matters at this Court or any other." The tone in Bellamy's voice changed. She was bordering on disrespect towards the Queen. The two women were locked in a battle of something more. My friend had never once challenged Lissa like this and it had me questioning whether the matter was wholly about Mason and his impending escape. It hit me later than I cared to admit.

"Bellamy." I tried to stop her from upsetting the balance of both Courts.

"I will not give you my permission." Lissa challenged her in return.

Bellamy scoffed, silencing the Queen in her anger. Rose looked to me for an answer. She too knew that this was suddenly turning into more than it appeared to be on the surface.

Bellamy could easily push the limits of others when necessary, but she never did it intentionally, and she never opted for pushing the Moroi Queen.

"Again, I am not seeking your permission. I am simply informing this Court of my plan. As a Guardian who resides off Court grounds, Jesse and I do not require permission to leave and return to our home."

"That can change." Lissa fired back. "Your Moroi is under my rule first and foremost."

"Bells, you need to back off." I tried again, but without warning, we watched as Lissa pulled Christian away into the adjoining room.

The door closed, but much of the conversation could still be heard as the pair argued loudly.

"How long have the two of you been plotting this?"

"No one is plotting against you Liss."

"Oh no?"

"Dimitri came to me. He asked me to do this. Not Bellamy."

"But she went to Dimitri."

"Probably." I swear I heard Christian sighing loudly.

The two quieted, still debating the connotations of whether Christian had known more than he was saying.

"This is about something more." I accused Bellamy.

"Yes." The admission came as no surprise.

"Well?" I urged for more of the conversation, but we were joined by Christian and Lissa.

"We should speak alone." Lissa offered, and Bellamy accepted.

The two disappeared into the same room, having a much quieter conversation than the last. It was an hour before they both rejoined myself, Jesse, and Christian.

"Let's go."' Bellamy said with less force in her tone now. We exited the royal conference room with only the knowledge that we would be leaving Court very soon.

While we did not have full Court permission, Bellamy was right. We were now positioned to do what needed to be done. Jesse stuck close to Bellamy, as was to be expected knowing that there was more of a threat lurking behind our protected walls.

"How did you get the Queen to agree to all of this? Christian questioned Bellamy as we made our way to her vehicle. Secretly, I wondered if Bellamy would say.

I learned early on with Bridgette that tracking required the ability to keep the most difficult of secrets. Tracking at its core was more like spying. Bridgette had been exceptionally good at her job. The best. She had trained Bellamy herself, and that made Bellamy the best.

"A high ranking Moroi in the Queen's service owes me and Yuri a favor. I am calling in that favor on behalf of Lissa." Bellamy continued to keep her methods closely guarded.

While our Moroi fell into a conversation of their own, I took the opportunity to further question my friend, doing it in a way that most people would be unaware of. I used the lowest, almost inaudible volume. Guardians were trained to use many verbal and non-verbal tones and cues in order to get in and through places normally unreachable.

"Which Moroi owes you a favor?" The real question was who did not owe Bellamy a favor. She had many friends and allies.

"Kree." Bellamy said the name and I only had more questions.

Kree Lachlan was the hardest member of Court to get a meeting with. While he was not a member of any royal family, Kree was made a member of the aristocracy through his many contributions to charity and business deals with Dhampir and Moroi alike.

"Yuri and I were successful in securing a small but effective Guardian team for his family last year."

"But the Lachlan family is not royal."

Bellamy knew that my silence as I considered my own words meant I understood. For Kree and his family to legally employ Guardians at his back was a big deal. It was a big 'ask'.

"So now Kree owes you a favor."

"Favors are at their heart, what makes this particular society function."

"I pray that is not true."

Bellamy smirked. "You don't want to believe that is true." She and I went silent, both looking to what was coming next.

"When do we leave?" Jesse leaned forward to ask Bellamy.

"Dawn." She was certain of her response. That meant that she had thought every detail of her plan through. She had planned for the expected, and for the unexpected. "Mason will use the evening crowds at Court to his advantage. We are giving him a head start. I want him to think that we are panicking over his escape."