The Disappearing Act (Vampire Academy Fan Fiction Book 2)

Chapter 27: Whole Heartedly (The End)

Chapter 27: Whole Heartedly (The End)

The bastard got away.

Lissa sent Guardians out to Vegas to track him down, but he was long gone with not even a bloody stripper left in sight. He got away completely unscathed.

I was in the Guardian Control Center watching the security monitors as the team stormed the club, my eyes glued to the breathing movie that was happening miles away. They were so strong and confident; I couldn't help wondering what had happened to make me so different from them.

It was empty when they got inside. No one had remained after the battle that had brought us there last time; only broken chairs and shattered shot glasses littered the floor between the maroon-dyed bits of glittering lingerie left behind by the screaming employees. It was a ghost town.

"All clear," Eddie's voice came, echoed by Cassie's and Dimitri's. They'd all gone with while I stayed with Annessa. I'd been invited, of course, but I couldn't find the willpower to force myself into the uniform again. I didn't want to serve anymore.

The view on the helmet cams flashed with sunlight as the troops marched back into the alleyway. It was all over and no one was getting hurt yet.

I knew it was Adrian; all of it. From my wedding day massacre to the dead friends splattered across Europe, I was positive it was him. If there was one person who had the means, death wish, and money to create a Strigoi Mafia that spread across the world, it was the spoiled Ivashkov boy whose heart I'd broken years ago. We'd been friends, I thought, but he'd always struggled with Spirit.

Just like Lissa.

Was it really so hard to believe he'd turned into a Strigoi to finally, permanently escape the nightmare that was his twisted reality? He'd always been so pessimistic; I didn't doubt it'd boiled over too far one day. It was comforting to know he'd at least made something of himself, even if it was an evil king of the monsters.

It felt good to put a face to the demons of my last few years. I at least knew who to blame, and that felt more freeing than catching him. I knew he knew; he was too smart not to know we'd figured him out. It was only a matter of time until Hans and his troops shattered his organization into a million pieces; if anything, it was at least revenge for what he'd done to my soul.

I was looking forward to the day they killed him.

That was a frighteningly true thought that I couldn't hide, no matter how hard I tried to push it down. I wanted him dead. I knew I'd hurt him, but it hadn't warranted this disaster; it hadn't been worth the lives of my friends, family, and Dimitri. Dimitri and I were alive, yes, but it wasn't what it should have been because Adrian stole that from us. And, with the last part of my sanity, I believed in his death whole-heartedly.

The troops came home sometime in late May. They'd been gone three weeks, scouring Vegas and the surrounding territory for information on the Strigoi family Adrian had cultivated. It was a last ditch effort, and it didn't dig up much, so they finally returned with their heads already planning their next move.

I picked Annessa up from school early that day so we could meet Dimitri at the airport. We stopped and got ice cream on the way over; it was a treat I'd been indulging in since his departure and, while she wasn't old enough for the girl talk yet, it brought me peace just to be around her. She was as sunny as Viktoria had once been, and I was so excited to raise her to be as strong.

With a flash of my Guardian credentials, we drove onto the tarmac near the hanger the jet would be pulling up at any moment now. To my surprise, the Queen's limo was waiting to our left. Sitting in front of it were two chairs with a blonde woman and a dark haired child perched beneath umbrellas held by maids. They both wore sunglasses that covered most of their faces and their clothes were too regal for the humid day; it was very clear they were the Queen and new Princess Dragomir.

Annessa bounced excitedly in her seat when she saw her friend. Despite the bickering of the parents, she and Margaret were still close. I didn't allow the girl over to the house like I did with a few of the other kids in the class, but I couldn't prevent their bonding during class, no matter how much I tried.

From the backseat, Annessa chirped, "Mama! Can't I go play with Maggie while-"

"We're here to wait for your father," I said a bit too sharply. She quieted instantly. Pulling the SUV to a stop a decent distance from the limo, I cut the engine and turned to face her. Her eyes were wide with worry she'd angered me, but I gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, bunny, but we can't disturb the Queen. You know that."

Her lips puckered into a pout. "But-"

"Annessa," I said, quirking an eyebrow at her. She sighed dramatically.

"Yes, Mama," she said, unbuckling herself from her booster seat. I let her climb upfront where she eagerly leaned up onto the dash to watch the runway spread before us. "Will he be here soon?"

I smiled at her with a nod. "We'll have to give him a big hug when we see him."

She grinned with excitement. "Can I show him my drawings from school?"

"Of course."

"What about the bunny I made for Mrs. Weston?"

"That too," I laughed. 'Bunny' had been her nickname since we'd met her. It'd been inherited from her mother, who Dimitri had called 'zaika' during childhood and adulthood when he felt like pestering her. Now, it was Annessa's name, though I always used the English word as my Russian accent still lacked polish.

I was pulled out of my daydreaming by her squeal of delight and the roar of a plane's engines.

"Mama, look! It's a plane!" she said, bouncing once again. I had to pull her into my lap to keep her from rushing out of the car as the plane slowed on the runway.

The engines cooled down, their din turning to a growl as passengers flickered in the plane windows. I could feel my heartbeat quickening as the stairs were rolled up to the door and, one by one, exhausted Guardians descended with their few bags. They looked defeated underneath their masks, but I wasn't worried about them for now. All I wanted was Dimitri.

The moment his tall frame ducked out into the sunlight, I threw the door open and set Annessa free. She ran like only a little girl could as she ducked between pairs of Guardian's feet. Dimitri hurried down the steps to meet her, dropping his bags on the ground and lifting her into his arms as she collided with his chest. He buried his face in her blonde pigtails, crushing him to himself as she chattered in delight.

For one perfect second, I stayed frozen and so did they. Dimitri's eyes found mine as I leaned against the car door and I could see all the happiness we'd lost reflecting in the warm brown gaze. This was what we'd been fighting for; Annessa, our friends, freedom, peace, and our love.

We'd always keep fighting for that.