Dimitri's POV in Blood Promise Vampire Academy

Chapter 22

The dark waters clashed and splashed around me, it was surprisingly peaceful. The water was ice cold, but that didn't bother me. The soothing rhythm of the waves made me feel content, relaxed, welcome. I was well aware of my surroundings but I didn't want this feeling to end. I had longed to live being powerful and fearless forever, but maybe I had been wrong. I hadn't ever considered eternal peace, and thanks to Rose, I finally realised what I would have been missing out. Right now, I was welcoming death, embracing it.

But it seems like death didn't want me. The Strigoi part of me, the one that had been silenced, disliked my attitude towards death. He compelled me to open my eyes, and force me to refuse my fate.

I glanced at the blue sky, filled with bright twinkly stars. They stood strong and continued to shine, even when the night sky wasn't strong enough to overcome the rising sun. The memories of the night's events struck me and I gasped, rushing to my feet. The same pain I had experienced the first time I had been staked, wasn't present and I anxiously glanced at my chest. I was completely healed, the silver stake wasn't there. I searched the river with my eyes but it was nowhere in sight.

It must have been knocked out by the water current. The dark water now mirrored the azure blue sky but it was the slight glimpse of an orange/yellow ray of sunlight in the sky's reflection that made me shiver with fear and wary. The sun's about to rise, I need to return back to the estate.

I climbed up the ridge, my muscles complained all the way but I ignored it. If I stay here any longer, well, then I won't be here. I'd burn in the sun. My muscles were weak, the only way to fix that would be blood. I could take a human servant when I get back, I thought, if I get back. It seemed like a challenge. Small sun light rays were starting to become visible, and when it made contact with my skin, flesh would start to blacken and mist. It hurt, but not as much as being staked. That thought made the pain a bit more bearable.

What was worse about the situation was that the burns wouldn't heal properly. I had lost a lot of blood, after being staked twice and I needed to refill. I shielded my face with my arms, as I continued racing towards the maze, and it shocked me at how slow I was. You could almost say I ran like a human sprinter, not the best time to be so slow. But I couldn't move any faster. Not with the damage inflicted on me.

Once I was at the maze, I took the quickest route and made it into the estate. The burns had partially healed, it was all I could manage. They looked like bruises, dark, purple and blotchy. When I entered my estate, I had expected, or at least hoped for, peace and quiet, like it usually was. Instead, I was greeted by shouts and chaos.

What must have been the whole estate, stood in the hall arguing with each other. There were about forty of them, all in the same room, making it extremely cramped and crowded. Some bared their fangs, some looked confused. And some of them lay on the floor. Dead.

"Who actually killed Galina?" Someone yelled. For a second, everyone was silent before they continued arguing.

I sighed. "I did." I boomed, triumphantly. They all turned towards me, no one dared to speak. It hadn't occurred to me that I may have just done something stupid. Until now. I wasn't at my strongest and they could team up and kill me in seconds. Familiar fiery red locks flashed in the crowd and Alex pushed past, standing beside me. She smirked at me, knowingly.

"He did," She agreed. "I saw everything." They all stared at each other, conveying a million emotions at once. They glanced at me with awe, wonder, anger, shock and fear. I had never felt so powerful in my life, and I lavished the feeling.

I didn't even have to mention it, they all believed me and knew what I am to them. I pushed past, masking my caution as I entered my office. Someone muttered something I would have killed them for, but I ignored it. I couldn't start a fight in my condition, that would be utterly foolish. I sat down in my office, idle. I was in power and it felt amazing, they all had to obey me. My only regret is that I don't have Rose to support me, but that seemed too far from reality to ever become a possibility.