Vampire Academy: Broken Trust

Chapter 30

ROSE

"It... isn't... your... fault..." and his eyes closed.

"No! Brother open your eyes! Please!" Yulian cried and hugged him. I was kneeling beside them and despite the battle I had a feeling that time has stopped.

Ivan lost his life to protect mine.

I will never forget that boy I punched in the nose the first time we met. I will never forget the time we have spent together. I will never forget the promise I have made.

I will take Yulian with me and take care of him like he is my family. I won't break that promise, Ivan.

"I'm so sorry..." was everything I could get out of my mouth. "No, this is my fault. I killed them all, Rose. I'm alone now." he kept saying while he was still hugging Ivan. "No." I take his hand. "It's not your fault and you are never going to be alone, okay?"

Poor Yulian was breathing heavily and shaking. He kept shaking his head. Then his look stopped on a strigoi. In the next second he stood up holding two stakes and ran screaming that he will kill him.

I looked around the place trying to find Lissa. I see them in a corner of the room. Karolina and Sonya are fighting strigoi and Lissa is using her last strenght to hypnotize another strigoi. I see Karolina's hand is broken.

It's too far away to run over there without getting hurt. And I'm too tired to do that. My back started to hurt. And my legs... oh I don't feel my legs anymore.

I see someone else. Victoria.

She is lying with her body leaned on the wall right next to the stairs. Her leg is all bloody, she has bruises on her whole body. She was breathing weakly and she was about to faint. I run after her.

"Rose, get the hell out of here!" Kaya yelled. But I can't, I have to get her out too.

I was so close to her, but someone pushed me on stairs. I fell down with my back. I stare at cold, bloody eyes of a strigoi that is licking his teeth, he's after me now.

I see a gun next to me. I take and shoot. I missed his chest and shot his shoulder. Dammit! But it didn't make any difference... This is one strong son of a bitch.

Suddenly, a stake flies directly in the side of his knee. It came from Dimitri. He is in a mood of throwing stakes today, I guess... Strigoi fell down but of course that didn't kill it. I see Dimitri coming closer but what can I see behind him are Lissa, Christian, Sonya and two of his sisters that want to get out. It's them or me.

'They come first' was something I grew up knowing and so did he.

"Dimitri stop! Look around!" I yell at him. Dimitri listens to me, stops gives me a confusing look and turns around. More and more strigoi are coming to feed with moroi blood over there and he realizes the choice he has to make.

He shakes his head and gives me a look that was telling me that he has to save me first. Only seconds passed, when he was looking from me to them and back and deciding what to do but for him the time stopped probably.

He turns to me. No. You decided wrong, Dimitri!

"Dimitri, they come first!"

"If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you." was in my head like a drum and I'm sure that he remembered those words too. But there are some other words I remember too"I'll always be there for you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The damage is already done. We are in love with each other. But we can't let them die. We are dhampirs, Guardians. It's our duty to save moroi life. No matter what.

Dimitri did now realize what have I been trying to tell him and now he stopped for real. He gives me one last glance, another to someone behind the strigoi (I couldn't see who it was) and with heavy feet he runs to help Lissa and others. Good...

Now, there is little time for me and my baby left. I touch my stomach and look at the strigoi. He is getting up and ready to feed to get healed.

I wish I could run, so I wouldn't die like this, staring directly at my death. But crashing down on stairs made me unable to. Pain was huge. If I would have contraction, I wouldn't even feel it. I'm sure of that. But it would be funny seeing that strigoi slipping on the stairs because of my water that would break.

When the strigoi gets close, I close my eyes to maybe make it easier for me. But that strigoi doesn't come for a long time. What is happening? I opened my eyes.

My angel came. I see Mark fighting with the strigoi to save my life. "Rose go!" I stand up and start walking up those stairs as fast as I can. There is the way out. I have to make it.

I am on half of my way and I hear choaking sound of a man. Like the one when somebody gets stabbed or something like that. Mark finished it. My hero. I turn around to see Mark going after me, but my happiness turns into horror.

Mark is laying on the floor with his neck all bloody. He doesn't move. No.

NO!

Strigoi just killed him. It fed with his blood. Mark is gone. He's dead. And the strigoi is back after me.

I couldn't even see where I was going because of the tears in eyes, and either way I couldn't run. He would catch me. It's over.

I start shooting at it just hoping that it would feel some pain before it kills me, but it just fed. It's strenght is back. Ready to get more blood.

Sorry, my baby but I can't save us. It's over for us.

"I love you Dimitri."