Vampire Academy: Last Sacrifice (Dimitri's POV)

Chapter 25

The next hour was a quiet one. We drove to a remote area outside of town, Rose in the front beside me, to dispose of Victor's body. She remained silent the whole time, staring out of the window whilst contemplating. I was struggling to watch the road, wanting to watch over her and make sure she was safe from the darkness. I wasn't sure how much I trusted the charm that Sonya had created for her.

When we reached the place, Sonya and I got out and hauled the body from the boot. I couldn't help glancing at Jill as I left the car, but she nodded at me and then gave me a fierce look. I hope Rose hadn't noticed. It wasn't that I doubted her, nor was I worried for anybody's safety but, being a guardian, I had to make sure everything was secure. If something happened to Rose whilst I was away, there would be no way that Jill would be able to help. She was just a 15 year-old-Moroi.

After that, we began the endless drive back to Court. We wouldn't be there for a day or so, but we still had to discuss plans. We hadn't heard anything from those at Court, so had no idea how far they were progressing with proving Rose's innocence. There was no way either of us could go back to Court. Sonya and I discussed this as we drove back, deciding that she would take Jill into Court in the car whilst Rose and I stayed in a hotel nearby.

"Can I call my parents?" Jill asked suddenly. "I want them to know that I'm okay." I felt unease curl in my stomach.

"I don't think that's a very good idea. The call could be traced, or you could accidentally give something away, or maybe your parents would turn us in after what happened at your house," I told her honestly. Sonya placed a reassuring hand on Jill's arm.

"I'll try and get to your Mum in her sleep, just tell her you're okay, alright?" she informed her. Jill nodded, look slightly more relieved, and I turned to Rose for a second before turning back to the road. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared straight ahead, obviously in Lissa's head. Would she have any new updates to tell us when she was back to herself?

And then I thought to myself, what if being in Lissa's head was making the darkness worse? It was stupid and irrational, as we already knew that Rose couldn't wield spirit, but in that moment I was so scared that anything would've made sense. I resisted the urge to shake her back to herself.

We drove for several hours and I tried to switch into guardian mode, not wanting to let my mind wander too far. Dwelling over my thoughts would only cause trouble. Jill had fallen asleep in the back, her head resting on Sonya's shoulder, who was looking pensive but kept her mouth shut. I wondered whether she had a plan she wasn't telling me, or whether she was waiting until we reached a resting place.

We eventually pulled into the car park of a typical hotel, a bright light flashing its name above the door. I shut the engine off and turned backwards. Sonya had dozed off slightly, but looked like she might wake up at the slightest noise. Rose blinked slowly and took in her surroundings, just as I'd taught her. There was no expression on her face, nothing to give me any clues about what had just happened, so I figured it couldn't be that important if she had nothing to say. She'd be ranting and raving if she'd missed anything.

"What's going on?" she wondered, turning to face me.

"We're stopping," I replied. "You need to rest."

"No I don't. We need to keep going to Court. We need to get Jill there in time for the elections." Right. The elections. As if the elections were on now. I turned the full force of my gaze on her.

"You were just with Lissa. Are the elections actually happening yet?"

"No." Her response was quiet.

"Then you're getting some rest."

"I'm fine." I let out an exasperated sigh. In no sense of the word could she possibly be 'fine'. Even if the whole spirit thing hadn't happened, we hadn't had a proper night's sleep for at least a few days; the night in the tent was nothing to live upon.