Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-five

WE COULD ALREADY HEAR footsteps th under(a)ing through the house and knew we were seconds from the multitude take instairs heading up to the second floor. The three of us keep goinged a stylus, and to my surprise, it was Sydney who reacted first.Get aside. Ill distract them.Her distracting them would probably just mean momentarily blocking their bureau until they pushed her aside, except those extra seconds could take shape a huge difference. Still, I couldnt stand the thought of abandoning her. Dimitri had no such reservations, particularly when we heard feet on the stairs.Come on he sh placeed, grabbing hold of my arm.We raced d sustain the hall to the farthest bedroom, Victor and Roberts. Just before we entered, I yelled back to Sydney, Get Jill to Court I dont whop if she heard because by the sounds of it, the guardians had reached her. Dimitri immediately open(a) the rooms one large window and looked at me knowingly. As always, we needed no vocal communication.He jumped out first, no doubt wanting to take the full brunt of what of all time danger waited below. I immediately followed. I dispatchped onto the first floors roof, slid down it, and then made the longer drop to the ground. Dimitri caught my arm, steadying my landingbut non before one of my ankles twisted slightly in on itself. It was the same one that had taken the brunt of the fall out of doors Donovans, and I winced as pain shot through me, pain I then promptly ignored.Dark figures moved toward us, emerging from evening shadows and hidden espy around the backyard. Of course. Guardians wouldnt just come busting down a door. Theyd also subscribe the place staked out. With our natural rhythm, Dimitri and I fought back-to-back against our attackers. Like usual, it was hard to incapacitate our foes without cleanup position them. Hard, but necessary if we could manage it. I didnt want to kill my own people, people who were just doing their job to apprehend fugitives. The long dress did nt do me both favors either. My legs kept getting caught in the fabric.The others will be out any minute, Dimitri grunted, slamming a guardian to the ground. We need to movethere. That gate.I couldnt respond but followed his tow as we made our way to a door in the fence while static defending ourselves. Wed just taken out the backyard squad when more(prenominal) spilled from the house. We slipped through the gate, emerging onto a quiet side road flanking the Mastrano house, and ran. It soon became clear, however, that I couldnt keep up with Dimitri. My mind could ignore the pain, but my bole couldnt make my injured ankle work properly.Without missing a beat, Dimitri slid his arm around me, helping me run and take the weight polish off the ankle. We turned off the road, press clipping through yards that would make it more difficultbut not impossiblefor them to track us.We cant outrun them, I verbalise. Im slowing us down. You need toDo not say leave you, he interrupted. Were doing this together.Snick, snick. A flowerpot near us suddenly exploded into a pile of dirt and clay.Theyre shooting at us, I said incredulously. Theyre actually shooting at us With so much hand-to-hand training, I always felt like guns were cheating. still when it came to hunting down a queen-killing murderer and her accomplice? Honor wasnt the issue. Results were.Another bullet zinged by, dangerously close. With a silencer, said Dimitri. Even so, theyll be cautious. They dont want the neighborhood thinking its under attack. We need c everyplace. Fast. We mightve been literally dodging bullets, but my ankle wouldnt last much longer.He made other sharp turn, completely immersing us in suburban backyards. I couldnt look behind us, but I heard shouting voices that let me know we werent free yet.There, said Dimitri.Ahead of us was a false house with a large glass patio reminiscent of Sonyas. The glass door was open, though a screen blocked the way inside. Dimitri tugged on its latc h. Locked. But a screen was hardly a deterrent for us. Poor, trusting family. He took out his stake and slashed a long, vertical line that we hastily slipped through. Immediately, he jerked me to the side, out of view. He put a finger to his lips, holding me close to his body, shattering me in his warmth.Seconds later, we cut guardians coming through and searching the yards. Some kept moving on in case wed run farther. Others lingered, investigating places that made good hiding spots as the evening grew darker and darker. I glanced at the screen. The rail had been clean, not an obvious hole, but it was still something our pursuers might notice.Sensing this as well, Dimitri motorcarefully moved off into the living room, doing his best to avoid windows and keep out of sight. We cut through to the kitchen and found a door leading to the garage. In the garage was a red Ford Mustang.Two car family, he murmured. I was hoping for that.Or theyre out for a walk and about to come home when they notice a SWAT team in their neighborhood, I whispered. The guardians wont let themselves be seen. We began searching for obvious key locations. At last, I found a set hanging on the side of a cupboard and scooped them up.Got em, I said. Since I had the keys, I think Dimitri actually would have let me jump into the drivers seat. Thanks to my right ankle, however, I had to toss him the keys. The universe had a sick sense of humor. entrust they spot us in this? I asked, as Dimitri opened the garage door and backed out. Its, uh, a bit flashier than our usual stolen car profile. It was also awesome. Sydney, car geek that she was, would have loved it. I bit my lip, still guilty that wed left her behind. I tried to push the thought out of my head for now.It is, agree Dimitri. But other cars will be driving down the street. Some guardians will still be searching the yards, and some will be guarding the Mastranos. They dont have infinite numbers. They cant watch everything at once, tho ugh theyll certainly try.I held my breath anyway as we drove out of the subdivision. Twice, I thought I spy stealthy figures by the side of the road, but Dimitri was right they couldnt check every car in a busy suburban neighborhood. The darkness also obscured our faces.Dimitri remembered the way wed driven in because a few turns later, we were merging onto the freeway. I knew he had no destination in mind, except foraway. With no obvious indications that wed been followed, I shifted my body and stretched out my throbbing leg. My chest had that light, nebulous feeling you got when too much adrenaline was pumping through you.They turned us in, didnt they? I asked. Victor and Robert called us in and then took off. I should have kept watch.I dont know, Dimitri said. Its possible. I saw them just before I talked to you, and everything seemed fine. They cherished to go with us to find Jill, but they knew it was only a matter of time before we turned them over to the authorities. Im not surprised they came up with an escape plan. They could have used the feeding as a distraction to call the guardians and get rid of us.Crap. I sighed and pushed my hair back, wishing I had a ponytail holder. We shouldve gotten rid of them when we had the chance. Whatll happen now?Dimitri was silent for a few seconds. The Mastranos will be questioned extensively. Well, all of them will, really. Theyll lock Sonya up for investigation, like me, and Sydney will be shipped back to the Alchemists.And what will they do to her?I dont know. But Im suppose her helping vampire fugitives wont go over well with her superiors.Crap, I repeated. Everything had fallen apart. And what are we going to do?Put some distance between us and those guardians. Hide somewhere. Wrap up your ankle.I gave him a sidelong look. Wow. Youve got everything planned out.Not really, he said, a humiliated frown on his face. Thats the easy stuff. What happens after(prenominal) that is going to be the hard part.My mag netic core sank. He was right. Provided the Mastranos werent indicted by Moroi authorities for helping criminals, Emily now had no one forcing her to acknowledge Jills heritage. If Sydney was being hauled back to her own peoplewell. She couldnt help either. I was going to have to tell someone else, I realized. The next time I made interlocutor with Adrian, Id have to wear the truth so that my friends could do something about Jill. We couldnt sit on this secret any longer.Dimitri took the next exit, and I tuned back into the world. Hotel? I asked.Not quite, he said. We were in a busy, commercial area, not far from Ann Arbor, I thought. One of the Detroit suburbs. Restaurants and stores lined the road, and he turned us toward a twenty-four-hour superstore that promised to carry everything. He parked and opened his door. Stay here.ButDimitri looked meaningfully at me, and I glanced down. Id come away from our fight more scuffed up than I realized, and the dress had torn. My ragged ap pearance would seduce attention, as would my limping. I nodded, and he left.I spent the time turning over our problems, cursing myself for not having found a way to turn in the brothers once Robert had roostored Sonya. Id been bracing myself for betrayal in the form of some magical attack. I hadnt expected something as simple as a call to the guardians. Dimitri, ever the efficient shopper, returned soon with two large bags and something slung over his shoulder. He tossed it all in the backseat, and I peered back curiously. Whats that? It was long and cylindrical, covered in canvas.A tent. wherefore are we I groaned. No hotel, huh?Well be harder to find at a campground. The car will especially be harder to find. We cant get rid of it quite yet, not with your foot.Those poor people, I said. I hope their car insurance covers theft.Back on the freeway, we soon left the urban sprawl, and it wasnt long before we saw advertisements for campgrounds and RV parks. Dimitri pulled over at a p lace called Peaceful Pines. He negotiated with the man working in the office and produced a number of crisp bills. That was another spring we couldnt get a hotel, I realized. Most required credit cards, and Sydney had had all those (in fake names, of course). We were living off cash now.The clerk gave us directions along a gravel road that led to a spot on the opposite end of the campground. The place was busy with vacationing families, but no one stipendiary much attention to us. Dimitri made sure to park as close to a cluster of trees as possible, in order to obscure the car and its plates. disrespect my protests, he wouldnt let me help with the tent. He claimed he could do it faster without me and that I should closure off my feet. I started to argue until he began assembling the tent. My bedevil dropped a myopic as I watched how quickly he put it together. He didnt even need the directions. It had to be some kind of record.The tent was small and sturdy, giving us both room to sit and lie, though he had to hunch just a little when we were sitting. Once inside, I got to see the rest of his purchases. A lot of it was first aid. There was also a flashlight he propped up, a kind of makeshift lamp.Let me see the ankle, he ordered.I stretched out my leg, and he pushed my dresss skirt up to my knee, fingers light against my skin. I shivered as a sense of deja vu swept me. It seemed to be happening to me a lot lately. I thought back to all the times he had helped me with other injuries. We could have been right back in St. Vladimirs gym. He gently tested the ankles mobility and did a little poking and prodding. His fingers never ceased to amaze me. They could break a mans neck, bandage a wound, and slide sensually across bare skin.I dont think its broken, he said at last. He lifted his hands, and I noticed how warm Id been while he touched me. Just sprained.That kind of thing happens when you keep jumping off roofs, I said. Jokes were my old standby to hide d iscomfort. You know, we never practiced that in our training.He make a faced and took out bandaging material, wrapping the ankle until it was supported and stabilized. After that, he producedA bag of frozen peas?Dimitri shrugged and rested the bag on my ankle. The coolness instantly made me feel better. Easier than buying a full bag of ice.Youre bonny resourceful, Belikov. What else do you have stashed away?The rest of the bags contents turned out to be blankets and some food. I gave him a big grin when I saw hed gotten me sour cream potato chips and a bar of chocolate. I loved that he remembered such little details about me. My smile faded when another problem quickly popped up.You didnt buy any clothes, did you?Clothes? he asked, like it was a foreign word.I gestured to my torn dress. I cant wear this for long. What am I going to do? Make a toga out of a blanket? Youre such a guy, never thinking of this stuff.I was thinking of injury and survival. unexampled clothings a luxury, not a necessity.Not even your sandstorm? I asked slyly.Dimitri froze for a moment and then swore. Hed had no need to wear his coat at heart at the Mastranoshonestly, he didnt need to outside eitherand had left it there in the ensuing fight.Dont worry, comrade, I teased. Plenty more where that came from.He spread blankets over the tents floor and laid back on them. There was a look of woe on his face that was almost comical. Raids, bullets, criminals no problem. A missing duster? Crisis. Well get you another one, I said. You know, once we find Jill, clear my name, and save the world.Just those things, huh? he asked, making both of us laugh. But when I stretched myself out beside him, both our faces sobered.What are we going to do? I asked. Tonights most popular question.Sleep, he said, clicking off the flashlight. Tomorrow well get a hold of Abe or Tasha or someone. Well let them handle it and get Jill where she needs to be.I was surprised how small my voice sounded when I spoke . I feel like we failed. I was so ingenious back there. I thought wed done the impossible, but it was for nothing. All this work for nothing.Nothing? he asked in astonishment. What we did this is huge. You found Lissas sister. Another Dragomir. I dont think you still really understand the weight of that. We had almost nothing to go on, yet you pushed forward and made it happen.And I lost Victor Dashkov. Again. Well, the thing about him is that he doesnt stay hidden for long. Hes one of those people who always has to be in control. Hell have to make a move eventually and when he doeswell get him.The smile returned to my lips, though I knew he couldnt see it. And I thought I was the optimistic one here.Its contagious, he replied. Then, to my surprise, his hand found mine in the dark. He laced our fingers together. You did good, Roza. Very good. Now sleep.We touched in no other way, but his hand held all the warmth in the world. This was hardly a unblemished moment, like in the libr ary, but our familiar connection and the understanding between us burned brighter than ever, and it felt good. Right. Natural. I didnt want to sleep. I just wanted to stay there and savor being with him. It wasnt cheating, I decided, thinking of Adrian. It was just enjoying this closeness.Still, sleep was essential. We worked out a schedule where each of us took shifts. He would stay awake now while I rested, and I had a feeling if I didnt sleep, he wouldnt either when the shift change came. I closed my eyes, and it wasnt my heart I had to slow down this time. It was my mind, the hamster wheel that went nowhere trying to figure out what to do next. Just get Jill to Court. Just get Jill to Court. That was all that mattered. Wed contact someone who could reach Jill. Dimitri and I would lie low, everything would soon fix itself.Thank God.I spun around, not even realizing Id fallen into a spirit dream. I was back in Sonyas garden with all its sunshine and color, and she sat back in a ch air, looking expectant.I was afraid youd be up all night, watch your back, she continued.I would if I had my choice, I replied, strolling over to her. She wasnt quite whom Id expected to see in my dreams, but at least Id made contact with the outside world. I wore the black-and-white dress here, but unlike reality, it was clean and intact. Dimitri thinks were in a secure locationthough hes awake, of course.Of course. There was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, but it was brief.Where are you? I asked. Did the guardians put you in holding?They didnt get me, she said smugly. You were their priority, and a little compulsion made sure they didnt see me. I took off I hated to leave Emily, though.I empathized but was too excited at Sonyas escape. Good news, finally. But you can get Jill to Court. Youre free.Sonya looked at me as those Id just spoken French. I cant get to Jill.I frowned. Is she under that much security?Rose, said Sonya. Jill isnt with the guardians at all. Victor and Ro bert took her.