The Hidden Blood (Vampire Academy)

Discovered Blood - the next book!

Finally posted the next book guys, thanks for all the support!

A breathless, "No," passed from my lips, and panic gripped my heart. My grip loosened on the silver knife, slick with nervous sweat as terrified panic settled in.

No!  I yelled in my head. I didn’t have any time to panic. There are five Strigoi ready to drain all the blood from my body and then Dimitri's. Plus my children's lives are in danger. I have to focus... Even if I can't fight them, I need to distract them long enough for someone to notice the threat and get away.

The Strigoi who pushed me is leaning next to my ear, and with a painful thud, I connect my head with his nose. It doesn't do much, but I roll over and prepare to attack him when a foot collides with my back. I hit the ground painfully, and another foot, (possibly the female Strigoi with the screeching voice) kicks my side. The air vanishes from my lungs, and I feel an ache in my ribs.

I want to scream for help, but Dimitri would rush to my aid (as much as the situation doesn't call for it, I feel a rush of satisfaction in knowing he'd react to my screams the fastest) and that would only put him in danger.

But as I'm picked up by my neck and thrown aside, I didn’t even realize I screamed his name.

I lay on the ground, panting for breath when the female Strigoi walked into my line of vision. I could only see her combat boot clad feet, yet her red ringed eyes were implanted into my brain. I stared at the sky until her face blocked it out.

"I think we've played with you enough," her voice grated along my ears like nails down a chalkboard. I tried to get up, but she pinned my chest down with her foot, the sole of her boot was digging into my breath.

I clenched my teeth, feeling the ache and pain wrestle inside. I fidget slightly under her pressed and groan while glaring up at her.

“Let's eat,” she murmured. She removed her foot just as another two Strogoi went down to take my hands. Her teeth grazed over my neck and snuck down into my skin where a bite already existed. “She’s the one,” her bloody lips were in front of my face. My vison starting to blur the slightest. “Take to Marcel, he’ll want a taste of her sweet, sweet bl-“

Suddenly, she went flying off of me, and landed on the ground with an enraged screech.

Dimitri, my knight in shining armor, kicked the other two Strogoi off me swiftly. Her bent down and hoisted me up by the hand quickly and swung around swiftly to slash at an approaching Strigoi. Several charged at him, and with what seemed little effort, warded them off long enough for me to steady myself on my own and clear the hazy spell.

I joined the battle, and as caution as I was, still got wounded frequently. One Strigoi had already been staked, thanks to Dimitri and he was now dealing with the woman that apparently hadn’t gone through puberty.

Although the two Strogoi attacking me now were young, they fought ferociously. I felt the burning pain of a punch and a throbbing ache in my skull from a severe kick. I side stepped another blow, but was flipped on my back again when one of the young males kicked my feet from under me.

By this time, the commotion was too much and too loud for the residents to be oblivious to it, and Viktoria had emerged from the house. I didn't see Olena’s reactions who was standing behind Vik, but I heard a shriek and the screen door slamming.

“Dimitri, behind you!” Vik screamed throwing something in his direction.

I was kicked in a sore side of my ribs, and I groaned, beaten and bruised. I fought to stand, but after getting me on the ground again, they kept me on it.

Dirt sprayed and a body thudded loudly next to me. Vikortia helped me stand since Dimitri was otherwise preoccupied, and I was surprised to find that all the Strigoi were killed within the second.

"We need to move, and now," Dimitri said rushing towards the house.

Moving hurt, hell, breathing hurt but I ran to the house with Vikoria catching me if I fell. Once inside, Dimitri rushed to find our kids. I was praying, hoping that they were okay. I couldn't bear life if they...

"Damon! Mariah?!" I tear through the house furiously, mindless panic trying to force reason from my head. Oh god, I just can't lose them…

"Mommy!" Twin squeals sound from the bedroom they're in, and I rush in to see broken glass, a Strigoi, and Olena shielding my children with… A frying pan. A blast of cold air blew in from the shattered window, and it was obvious a Strigoi had sneaked around to break into their room.

“You’re gonna hit me… With that?” the Strogoi just laughed at her. “Oh, lady-“

Olena whacked the Strogoi in the head quickly and continued to ram it into his head, ribs, everywhere!

Damn, I thought while running toward the closet that held one or two (or ten) spare stakes.

“Hurt’s doesn’t it?” Olena backed away so that I could frantically steal the frying pan from Olena’s finger tips and intervene.

“Cover their eyes!” I back hand the frying pan into the Strogoi’s face and jam the stake into the Strogoi’s chest.

Sometimes I wonder what I did wrong in that moment, probably put my back to the window where another Strogoi came bounding through. All I know is that the Strigoi knocked me to the side, and grabbed for Mariah. A heart stopping panic gripped me, and I stood frozen for all the time it needed to grab her. It was too late for me to attack him, because that split second of fear had given him enough time to take my daughter. One more Strogoi slipped through the window to reach for my son, and I threw the stake in my hand at him. The silver weapon collided with his thigh, he screamed while falling to the ground.

Damon wailed, fighting against the grip Olena had on him. I assume he was trying to get away from the Strogoi, or go after his sister, whichever, I couldn’t focus on that right now. I ran after the Strigoi, its body half out of the window. Mariah tried to break free, but he was too strong, and she hasn't developed enough power to truly hurt him. I made a wild, frantic attempt to grab at him, but as he held my daughter with one hand, he used his other to pull me up by my hair and throw me aside like I didn’t weight a hundred and fifty pounds. With that, he scrambled away.

I try and push myself to my feet, but I couldn’t feel anything in my body. I felt dread take the hope I'd had, and snuff it out. I whispered Dimitri’s name and then screamed for him. My heart tearing in half as I watched her get pulled farther and farther away. Her pitiful cries for help were like daggers into my heart.

I sank to my knees as Dimitri came into the room, stake ready and taking a head count. He noticed a Strogoi still living but once he noticed that Mariah wasn’t in my possession, rightfully in my arms, he let the bastard live.

I only watched as that thing fled, using its speed to put more and more distance between me and my baby.

My sweet, stolen child.