"Ms. Hathaway, are you listening?"

I jerked my head up and my gaze met with Kirova's narrowed Hawk-like eyes. They weren't the largest to begin with, but with this face she was making they were so damn tiny you couldn't even see what color they were. Probably black, to match her soul.

"Of course I am."

"Hm." Her tone was disbelieving. "As I was saying, there has been a massive amount of Strigoi attacks in the bigger cities of Russia lately, and they don't have nearly enough Guardians to address the issue." She paused, seeming to contemplate her next words. "We are therefore inclined to send our own, which is where you come into the picture."

"That's a bit delusional, don't you think?" I snickered, slouching back in my chair just to annoy her. "I'm not a Guardian. I don't take orders from you."

"I know that," said Kirova with a disgruntled sigh. "But the Guardian numbers have dropped tremendously these last few years and despite your… status, I would have thought you still had our society's survival as a priority –"

"Give me a break" I interrupted, annoyed with her choice of words. "I'm pretty sure I've done ten times more than these guys –" I randomly gestured towards Kirova's three Guardians standing behind me, "– for our survival and you know it. What I don't get is why you suddenly want to send me, an 'irresponsible rogue', on a mission as important as this."

Kirova took off her horn-rimmed glasses and began to casually polish them, avoiding my piercing gaze. "No matter how I feel about you abandoning your duties, I cannot deny that you are one of the best fighters there is, and as I told you – with the Guardians dropping in numbers there aren't many options left."

"Gee, that really makes me feel special. But thanks, I guess."

"Does that mean you accept?"

I grinned. "Duh. I would've done it anyway, but I wouldn't be me if I just let you boss me around like that. I have a reputation to maintain, you know."

Kirova grunted and annoyance was clear on her face, but there was also relief and gratitude.

That was a first.

"So what's the plan?" I asked. "Do I just head over there and take them down? Man, it's been way too long since I did something like that!"

It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited about this. Ever since Christian – my partner in crime – and his girlfriend Lissa decided to spend six months at St. Vladimirs Academy because of the possibilities of learning more about the recently discovered and very rare element of Spirit, which Lissa possessed, I felt like I was missing out on all the action and quite frankly, it was killing me. I needed to do something useful soon or I was going to burst, and I had no doubt Pyro felt the same though he'd never admit to it.

The two of us had been thick as thieves since what seemed like forever, bound together by our mutual dislike for the society we lived in. Christian was a fire user, something we realized had its perks when we'd faced our first Strigoi in Spokane a couple of years back, and as soon as he graduated – I was only seventeen at the time, which meant I hadn't ever gotten my promise mark – we ran off to New York to hunt down and kill more of them. We were an unbeatable pair, what with his magic and my fighting skills, and had become quite feared among the Strigoi population. Not that anyone in our society acknowledged that of course, but still. Christian's parents had willingly turned Strigoi when he was a small child, and if it hadn't been for his aunt Tasha they eventually would have turned him as well. As it were, Tasha managed to detain them with her fiery element until Guardians arrived and killed them both, but from that day onward the Ozera name had gotten a bad ring to it and Christian in particular, being the closest relative, was shunned. This was the reason for his aversion to the system, and as for me, well… I never knew my father and my mom, the famous Guardian Hathaway, had dropped me off at the school when I was four years old and had never visited me since. I grew up to resent her and everything she stood for, that immaculate sense of duty most of all. I didn't want to throw my life away for the Moroi when it stood clear as day that with their magic, they could make a contribution to our front lines instead of cowering behind them in fear of breaking a nail.

Anyway, when we visited Tasha at Court a while ago, Christian met Lissa, the last Dragomir. Queen to be, we were told. And of course, the idiot fell in love with her. At least, that's how I saw it at the time. But as I had gotten to know her and realized how right they were for each other, I changed my mind. She became my friend, almost as good a one as Christian, and it all changed from there, for the better or worse. The three of us stuck together, no matter what.

And here I was, a year later, starving for some danger.

Kirova's voice brought me out of my memories. "That is exactly what you will not do," she told me indignantly, referring to my suggestion earlier. "We suspect these attacks are a part of a whole, which means you will be operating under strict orders."

I started to protest, but she nailed me with a stern look and I painfully held my tongue.

"I'm sure those orders will be more or less in line with what you usually do, but they will be carefully planned and most likely involve questioning rather than mindless killing." She sent me a pointed half-glare which I promptly ignored.

"What, you mean we'll let them live?"

"Of course not," Kirova scoffed. "You will kill them, but they are to be interrogated before that."

"Oh," I said dumbly. "Well, if that was all I better go pack. When am I leaving?"

"Tomorrow, 09:00. Don't be late."

I flashed a charming smile and stood up. "Wouldn't dream of it."

I know this was pretty short, but it's my first fanfic and I'm still trying things out. Feel free to give me some constructive criticism or correct any grammar mistakes, I appreciate anything you've got!