Another battle (A Vampire Academy Fanfic)

Chapter 4

I awoke an hour later still in Alberta's office with Dimitri, Mom and Alberta locked in a tense, whispered argument about my relationship with Dimitri- what else would it be? "You know I'm right here guys?"

"Roza" Dimitri kissed my cheek then added 'you need to feed' through the bond. 'Not yet' I replied.

"Rosemarie, I know you've done some stupid stuff in your time but this is beyond ridiculous!" My model mother all but yelled at me.

"Mom, you don't know me- you have no right to judge. No one really knows me except Dimitri- he's the only one I've truly let in, truly made myself vulnerable to."

"I'm not leaving her side Guardian Hathaway, never going to hurt her. She's my world, I won't live in a world without her."

"Since when were you sappy Belikov? And why my reckless daughter?"

"Since the moment I laid eyes on her and she's the only one that understands me- forces me to be vulnerable to her."

"I can see I'm not going to win this one. Look after her Belikov or you'll have me and her father to answer to."

"Yes Guardian Hathaway, understood."

"Mom, who is my dad?"

"He's a businessman with many enemies" Dimitri gulped"he's coming to meet you for your birthday."

"Is he who I think he is?" Dimitri asked.

"Ibrahim Mazur? Yes."

"What?!" Dimitri visibly paled. "No wonder your so dangerous Roza."

"Yes she has my Guardian instincts but her fathers look and attitude- that's what makes her a force to be reckoned with."

Just then all 160 Guardians coming on the mission entered the room. Alberta and I relayed the plan everyone signing on with the novice and Moroi idea- it was their fight too. Half an hour later we dispersed to get ready to leave at noon- Dimitri and I went to the cabin and had an intimate shower and feeding. I used spirit to heal the bite marks and we got dressed in seconds and had some of the food and met everyone else at the wards.

We had 160 Guardians, 50 novices, 20 Moroi fire using teachers and myself. We split the group in half, I was going in with the group on the far side with Dimitri. We made good time and entered the cave at 1pm on the dot.

We battled it out in the confined space. The Moroi were lighting rings around the heads of as many Strigoi as possible. Like the attack as soon as I was recognised I was ambushed. Similarly I used the darkness magic to push my advantage and kept channeling and pulling from Liss the darkness she'd built up healing other guardians and students alike earlier. I also searched out Adrian's aura and pulled the darkness from his. Being able to pull Adrian's darkness was a great thing- I relieved him of years of spirits side effects without letting the accompanying madness touch me. I sent it out freezing as many Strigoi as possible then whirling around and staking them. I took down Strigoi after Strigoi never faltering, never hesitating as I let battle-lust consume me.

We worked our way though the caverns, I sent feelers out and when I found any Strigoi I sent the darkness out to freeze them and was to lazy to walk around to stake them so I sent a flame their way and in milliseconds they were ash and my group were on the move again. We repeated the process til we met with the other group. The magic use was tiring me but I pushed through the exhaustion and pain to send a layer of darkness through the entire cave and froze any and all Strigoi in place. We quickly decided that half would retreat taking all the escaped captives, novices and Moroi back to behind the wards while we stole had about 2 hours of sun on our side and only 56 Strigoi left.

I released half my darkness magic and unfroze about 24 Strigoi including one of the remaining 3 ancients. The remaining 32 Strigoi I sent a burst of fire magic their way and turned them into piles of ash. I turned to see what was going on with the other 24 Strigoi and found one with his fangs about to bite into Dimitri's neck and before I knew what I was doing I had Dimitri out in the sun with a shield around him and the Strigoi a pile of ash at my feet. I released the shield from Dimitri and pulled him back into the fray. That close call had my adrenaline running at its max and I was so pissed off at the Strigoi I froze them all and told everyone except Dimitri to retreat back to the wards there were about 10 Strigoi left and 20 minutes until the sun was down. They all left and I burned the half the frozen Strigoi at once and Dimitri staked the rest. I again sent feelers out through all parts of the cave and came up with out 3 hidden Strigoi and burned them. I double checked using my nausea alarm and came up with nothing. I took Dimitri's hand and sent a steady hum of spirit through his body healing all cuts and bruises, a couple of fractured bones and sprains. I sent the darkness through me healing any injuries then turned with Dimitri's hand still in mine and ran. I put a spirit shield around us and pulled on shadow magic to make us reflect the shadows we passed until we reached the wards 10 minutes later.

I withdrew the magic and found the surprising sight of Liss at the edge of the wards. "I felt you pulling the darkness Rose, I saw practically all of Adrian's disappear to no where- he said he felt it too. There's practically no darkness in your aura- just the ring to say your shadow-kissed. What the hell happened?" She rushed without a breath.

"Liss I'll explain it later, but we need to get to the clinic- your needed."

"Fine but we're talking and your explaining later- you too Guardian Belikov." She warned. Uh-oh.