RPOV
I looked around at the familiar scene unfolding in front of me: The bright lights of the grand ballroom, the sound of cries and chaos while people scampered about.
The already crowded room was suffocating in panic, but all I could see was Lissa.
She was standing there in the center of the storm, arms outstretched towards Tasha.
She cried out to her over the crowd, the gun still shaky in Tasha's unsteady hands.
My eyes darted between the two women as I saw Tasha register the sound, and when Lissa took that one small step, I knew exactly what would happen next.
In a flash Tasha swiveled in her direction pulling the trigger with abandon.
The sound of gunshots echoed throughout the great hall, but I could barely hear it.
All I could feel was the searing pain that ripped through my chest. And then my eyes flew open.
"Roza…wake up Milaya." Dimitri murmured gently in my ear.
I could feel the beads of sweat that trickled down my face, and my shirt clung tightly to my now damp body.
Once again I found myself in familiar surroundings, yet I still couldn't control the sobs that were wreaking havoc on my body.
Dimitri did his best to console me; both arms wrapped tightly around my chest. He didn't bother to ask me what was wrong, he already knew.
Instead he continued to gently stroke my hair while speaking softly in Russian and waiting for my sobs to subside. Most of what he said was lost in translation, but I still felt comforted all the same.
When I finally regained my composure I spoke.
"You'd think as often as this happens I could recognize the dream by now…. but each time it feels so real..."
I hated that this kept happening. Not because I couldn't handle the dreams, but because I knew what it did to Dimitri to see me like this.
"Roza for you it is real." Dimitri reasoned. "It's a memory."
It had been four years since that night.
Four years since we'd learned who really killed Queen Tatiana, and four years since Tasha had shot me.
In the months that followed, I'd had this dream nearly every night, but as the time passed it happened less and less. I knew the only reason it was happening now was because of the trial.
The Council had been busy spending the last several weeks planning for Tasha's appeal. Her first trial had happened quickly, her guilty verdict unanimous. But her counsel had been poor and she'd fought hard for an appeal. Most didn't feel she deserved it, but Lissa had granted her wish anyway. She was nothing if not a just ruler, and we all knew it was more for Christian's sake than anything.
Tasha was Christians only living relative, the aunt who practically raised him when his own parents turned Strigoi.
"You know as much as I'm dreading this second trial, I wish we could just get the damn thing over with already."
"I know my Milaya, so do I." Dimitri whispered back as him arms tightened around me.
I couldn't help the over whelming guilt I felt admitting that out loud.
I knew all too well the fate Tasha faced if found guilty. I had faced the same fate when she'd framed me for murder. But despite all of that and the atrocity of her crimes, somehow I still felt that execution was too extreme.
You know what they say, an eye for an eye just makes the whole world blind.
"Has Christian mentioned the trial lately?" I asked after a few moments of silence. Dimitri let out a heavy sigh beneath me and even in the darkness I could imagine the pained expression he wore on his face.
Christian was Dimitris charge and one of his closest friends, but he too knew the pain Tasha had caused us and it made him reluctant to talk about her.
"You know him; he doesn't like to say much. He did ask however if I minded taking him to see Tasha before the trial."
In the past four years they had only been to visit Tasha twice. Both times Dimitri refused to actually speak to her, choosing instead to watch his charge from the opposite side of the glass.
My mind began to wander with the possible reasons for their visit. Last I'd heard he hadn't changed his position on supporting her…despite her best efforts otherwise.
"If I had to guess, he probably just wants to share his and Lissa's good news." Dimitri offered as if he'd somehow been reading my mind.
Thinking about their good news brought a small smile to my face.
It had only been 3 weeks ago that we'd learned the news of Lissa's pregnancy. Adrian and Sydney were expecting late November, and with a little research and the help of spirit, Lissa had somehow made the impossible possible for Dimitri and I as well.
The idea that we would all be belly buddies had us squealing nonstop.
As if once again reading my mind, Dimitri's large hands snaked down from my shoulders coming to rest on the small bump that had formed on my once flat stomach. His breathing had slowed to a deep heavy rhythm, and as the comfort of his embrace washed over me, I mercifully fell back into a quiet and dreamless sleep.
DPOV
It seemed as though Roza's nightmares were becoming a regular thing.
I knew it was on account of Tasha's upcoming appeal and for once I found myself curing the Queen's extreme generosity.
As the offensive alarm beside me began to blare, I quickly reached over to silence it, praying it hadn't woken up Rose. She'd never been a morning person, and now with the nightmares and the pregnancy, well let's just say more than one alarm clock had met its maker against our bedroom wall.
Not wanting to wake her any sooner than necessary I slipped carefully out of bed to start the coffee before my morning shower.
I had just begun to rinse the shampoo out of my hair when I felt two small hands slide up my chest from behind.
"Morning Comrade" she purred seductively, her lips pressed gently against my back. I smiled to myself before turning to face the beautiful woman in front of me.
"I'm sorry, did the shower wake you?" I asked as I quickly brushed her lips against mine.
"Nope, the smell of coffee did. The shower just gave me the incentive to get out of bed and join you."
She gave me her best "man-eater" smile before placing both arms securely around my neck, pulling me down for another kiss. This one she held longer and I let it build into something headier as my hands roamed freely over her bare skin.
"Roza" I hesitated not really wanting to break the kiss. "You're going to make us late" I murmured against her lips.
But she didn't relent in her quest and as usual I couldn't refuse her.
Even after five years together I still regarded her as the sexiest creature to walk on two legs, and looking at her now I was confident I would always see her that way.
Thirty minutes later we were reluctantly drying off when I heard the sound of a key in our lock. I knew it would be Lissa or Christian, further confirming my suspicions about running behind.
We had barely emerged from the bedroom when Lissa came bounding over to us.
"OMG Rose can you believe it! In less than 48 hours you'll officially be married!"
She grabbed Rose in what she affectionately called the "Lissa death grip" before dragging her across the living room and over to our small kitchen table.
The look Rose shot me implied it was simply too early to be this excited, but as she eyed the box of Krispy Kreme's before her, I saw a significant change in her mood.
Rose hadn't even managed her first bite before Lissa started in on all the last minute wedding details.
As the conversation veered into place settings and seating charts I drifted towards the kitchen to join Christian.
"Did you hear that Belikov, your windows closing fast. Only 48 hours left to make a run for it."
"Not a chance" I replied and watched in amusement as Christian sank back under the scrutiny of Rose's death glare. I was just about to join Christian at the table when Rose eyed my coffee mug sheepishly. As I handed over the mug I saw Lissa's eyes grow wide.
"Rose, please tell me that is a decaf coffee you are drinking!"
"Liss, there is a time and a place for decaf coffee, and it's never and in the trash." Rose winked before taking a long sip of her beverage.
"Rose!" she chastised again. "You're not supposed to drink caffeine when you're pregnant."
"Oh would you relax already. One cup isn't going to kill me. Even the doctor said so. Besides after last night, I deserve this."
In her irritation she'd let the words fly out without thinking, and for the first time since Lissa arrived she really stopped to get a good look at her.
Rose moved quickly to put her guardian mask in place but it was too late.
Lissa's tone shifted from scolding to sympathetic as she placed one hand gingerly over Rose's.
"More nightmares?" she asked softly, probably hoping to spare Christian any further guilt.
No one blamed him for Tasha's actions, least of all Rose, but he carried a sense of guilt with him anyway. Sure he and Rose liked to antagonize one another, but you'd have to be blind not to see the love underneath. She was every bit as much his family as Tasha was, and I knew he felt responsible for the pain Rose was in.
I shot him a sympathetic look as he joined us at the table.
A heavy silence hung in the air and I found myself surprisingly grateful to see Adrian Ivashkov barge through my front door. Sydney trailed in behind him with one hand placed gently over her growing belly. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of that soon being Rose.
Right now her bump was small, unnoticeable to most, and part of the reason she'd insisted the wedding happen right away. She was adamant that this not look like a shot gun wedding, and no way did she plan to waddle down the aisle. Personally I thought she'd never looked more beautiful, but I wasn't foolish enough to argue.
"Hey Little Dhamphir, Cradle Robber" Adrian called as he set some luggage down by the front door.
"You do realize the flight isn't for another 9 hours right?" I asked as I pulled out a chair for Sydney at the table.
"Yeah I know, but the girls said they had wedding stuff to talk about and who knows how long that might take. Add in my two meetings before we leave court, and I figured we'd better come prepared." I would have been impressed by the responsibility of that statement if Sydney hadn't snorted into her own coffee.
"Actually I was the one who insisted we come prepared. Adrian fought me kicking and screaming all the way."
"Yeah yeah, my wife's the responsible one; tell them something they don't know dear." Adrian teased affectionately before closing the door behind him.
Even after three years of marriage they were still an odd sight to see. Adrian was careless and carefree, while Sydney had remained studious and well organized. I suppose that's part of what made them work so well, they balanced one another out.
It was the sound of Christian's phone that brought me back to the present.
"Go for Christian" he answered and we all rolled our eyes. "Oh, hey Mikhail" he responded as his expression dropped slightly.
He listened intently for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Yeah okay, thanks for calling." He said before hanging up.
"Congratulations Sparky, your greeting is even more obnoxious than your ring tone" Rose teased once he'd hung up the phone.
Unfortunately she didn't get much of a reaction.
"Is everything alright?" I asked eyeing him curiously.
"Yeah, I just need to take care of that errand we talked about." He said running a hand nervously through his hair. I immediately knew which errand he was thinking of, but apparently Lissa didn't.
"What errand?" she asked before he shot a meaningful look towards Rose.
Understanding lit her features as she quickly returned to the conversation Rose was involved in.
"Forgetting something Comrade? Rose asked as she saw me reaching for my duster.
Leaning down I pressed a soft kiss against her waiting lips and she gave me a loving smile before returning her attention to the girls.
I hadn't known when Christian planned to visit Tasha; the trial was still two weeks away. But as I watched Rose laughing easily with her friends I was suddenly glad we'd be doing this today.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Christian asked, once we were settled in the car.
"Let's just get this over with…" I told him honestly.
Sure the idea of seeing Tasha was torture, but at least it'd be over quick. I could leave for St. Vladimir's tonight without the thought looming over me, and simply enjoy getting married to the woman I love.