Dimitri's POV in Spirit Bound Vampire Academy

Chapter 8

The bright lights of the Luxor Casino were almost blinding to my sensitive eyes. I wanted to smash every single light and encase the area in darkness. But there wasn't much time left. A single security guard  stood at the end of the hallway yelling something, but I wasn't really listening. He pulled out his hand gun. But it was already too late. I grabbed him and smashed his skull against the wall, blood splattering everywhere. Just another addition to the collection of bodies.

Bodies? I looked around me at the masses of dead humans. Did I do that? Startled, I stepped back. There were so many . . . I felt something near my shoe and instinctively looked down. A head, covered in blood. Eyes wide, mouth agape. I yelled and pulled away. There were so many . . .

A pool of blood had formed around my feet. Shakily I outstretched my hands. Warm blood soaked my hands, dripping onto the floor. 

My head shot up from the bed as I woke up with a start, gasping. I stare down at my hands, they were slightly tanned, not sickly pale I noted. More importantly, they were clean. No sign of blood. In fact, there was no sign of blood anywhere. I scanned the cell, confused for a moment before reality sunk in. I squeezed my eyes shut, taking in slow breaths.

I got up, got dressed and tied my hair up in a low ponytail. My mind was restless now, the nightmare still fresh. I was wallowing in a deep pit of depression in this cell, alone with my thoughts. Hastily, I picked up favourite Loius L'amour western novels. Once the guardians finally deemed the books to not be a threat---though I don't know why that took long---they allowed me to have a few which I kept next to the bed.

I turned to the first page. Reading always brought some sense of normality for me, no matter how crazy the situation was. Particularly the American western novels. It was the sense of bravery and justice that I was drawn to. They would do whatever it took to fight and protect the vulnerable. The challenges faced were so similar yet very different to what I was used to.

I could hear faint snippets of a conversation going on in the hallway. It's pretty common for the guardians to gossip around here and normally I'd be able to drown out their talk. But one word caught my attention. Rose. I listened intently. Apparently she had tried to get in here to see me. From the sound of it, she really did put up a fight. That sounded just like my Roza . . . For once I was grateful for the high security here. I couldn't face her, not after everything. 

They continued their gossip in hushed whispers. "Isn't she with Adrian?" I froze. 

So she moved on . . . I'm happy for her. Really. I had known of Adrian's interest in Rose for a while now. Adrian would take much better care of her, I assured. But why did that sting? A lump formed at my throat, and I blinked back tears. What I did to her was unforgivable, she deserves better. Despite Adrian's playful and carefree attitude, I knew he really cared about her.

I suddenly lost interest in the book in front of me. I closed it and put it aside. I sat up facing the cell wall, hugging my knees. Mindlessly, I wandered back to the memories of that estate in Novosibirsk. I thought about Galina, my old instructor back at St Basils. Seeing her at the estate, at the time I was a little surprised. Now though? I felt a deep sense of sorrow for my fallen teacher. 

She was a very well respected instructor. With raw passion and skill, she fought like a goddess. She would readily throw herself in danger to protect others. I admire that drive. Being a female guardian was a rarity in itself, as most female dhampirs chose to start a family and raise their children. She taught me to fight with such efficiency, nothing seemed to faze her. 'Don't hesitate'. She had emphasised that so much in our lessons. 

'Strigoi are not the same people we once knew' she would say. And she's right about that, I would know. May she rest in peace. She would have wanted someone to stop her now that she was turned. I had helped Rose kill her at the estate in Novosibirsk. It almost felt unreal to think Galina was truly gone. I always envisioned her to be strong, fearless. Invincible. It scares me to think that someone like her could have ever been overwhelmed in battle.