AN: This is the first chapter in what I hope to be a full-sized book. It's also my first real FanFic. Be kind and enjoy.
Chapter 1
My hands ran over the jade chiffon dress that fell to my feet. One last check in the mirror told me that no, jade was not my color, and yes, Lissa definitely picked out the flowing empire styled gown. Green was totally her color and I imagined her rocking this dress. I made a mental note to send it to a tailor after today so that she could wear it in one of her fancy meetings. I was grateful she had told me to wear my hair down though. Without it, I'd look perpetually seasick. I'd styled it in thick waves and pinned one side back, but it didn't quite take away from the weirdness of seeing myself in a dress that would better fit a queen.
"Whatever," I mumbled with a slight smile. "It's her day."
That was all I had time for. I turned on my heel and walked away from the wall-mounted mirror that stood in the corridor to Lissa's suite. The small, cream box that I'd been holding in my hand was a reminder that I had to move quickly. It wasn't a long hall, but the gold heels I was wearing made it harder to balance. How great would it be if Guardian Hathaway needed healing for a twisted ankle on a day like this?
The thought of "Guardian Hathaway" made my smile grow and my stomach jump. It'd only been eight months since I'd been reinstated to protect Lissa, queen of the rare magic-using vampire race, Moroi, and my best friend since kindergarten. Of course, just over a year ago we'd been students at St. Vladimir's Academy, and a year before that we'd been on the run and living among humans. For all of that we were also psychically bonded. Honestly, I was surprised anything surprised me anymore.
Still, thinking of myself as a Guardian was the biggest shock of all. As a dhampir, I'd been trained since birth to protect and defend Moroi (the good guys) from the evil undead Strigoi (the bad guys.) After a seriously eventful year in and out of St. Vlad's with Lissa, I sort of ruled myself out of the whole "guarding" situation. My ideal future was to get a filing job at the Moroi court. Even that future was almost taken though, when I got accused of killing Lissa's predecessor, the late Queen Tatiana Ivashkov. Of course I had been innocent, but had most of the Moroi world believe that? No. The evidence was stacked high against me and I had to go on the run to avoid execution. Once the real killer was found, my Guardian status was reinstated, and I got Lissa.
After everything we'd been through since her parents and brother died, it was hard to believe we were getting a happy ending. Here it was though. I was walking towards it in a flowing dress and gold shoes, with a smile plastered to my face.
I opened the door and saw her familiar room pan out before me. Before she was queen it was decorated in red and silver, the Ivashkov family colors. Now that a Dragomir was back on the throne, greens and gold's filled it. It was Moroi afternoon, (middle of the night) so almost every light in the room was turned on. I don't think any of them could have outshone her, though. She stood in the center next to a full-length mirror, surrounded by busy Moroi women placing and lacing and adjusting. Her platinum hair fell in thick curls around her shoulders and her makeup was done flawlessly. I must have seen it on her five times already, but I'd never seen it like this, with her veil and her glow. I was willing to bet that her aura was shining.
Auras. That's another thing that makes Lissa… special. The magic that bonded us together for almost four years was brought on because Vasilisa Dragomir is a spirit user. Each Moroi specializes in an elemental magic: air, water, fire, or earth. When Liss didn't specialize, (she could do little things with each one but nothing major) people took notice. In the Moroi world, not specializing is like not hitting puberty. It's a major deal. But since she was the last Dragomir, they nodded and smiled and ignored it. When we started noticing that she could do other things though, things that transcended any known element, we started to worry. Her abilities were small at first, but in the car crash that killed her family and almost me, Liss manifested her most powerful gift on me: healing. I was close to death, but she brought me back. Because of that, part of me was bonded to her, something we'd learned was called being Shadow Kissed. There was more to spirit using however, and we found out because we found more people like Liss. (We even found another Shadow Kissed pair in Siberia.) Spirit users can heal, walk dreams, use super compulsion, and see auras. Within two short years, everything in our lives had completely changed because of the newly-discovered element. It gave both of us a lot of reasons to hate the magic, but we still didn't. Even though it took a huge toll on all who were involved with it, the joy it brought in return was definitely worth the sacrifice.
I wasn't a spirit user though, and even the bond between us was gone now. Seeing her there in that dress though, I was still willing to bet money that her aura was as bright as the sun.
"Liss," I breathed.
Her emerald eyes fell on me and her smile widened. "I was wondering when you'd find me. You look amazing!"
I scoffed at her comment and walked closer. "Um excuse me, I think you need to see yourself. Lissa, you look like an angel." My hands found hers and gave them a gentle squeeze.
The dress she painstakingly had made fit her in all the right places. Like my dress, hers was chiffon, but hers was like Cindy Crawford chiffon. I'm pretty sure she had it imported from a different country; they didn't make fabric like that anywhere I'd ever been. It was sleeveless with a soft sweetheart neckline. Ruching hugged the tight natural waist and showed off her tall, slim build. It fanned out at her hips and into a beautiful train. She hadn't wanted the train, but her royal stylist had absolutely insisted. It was already unthinkable for a queen to be showing as much skin as she was, so Liss compromised. The only sparkle on the dress was at the back, where the waistline met the train. A thick patch of jade jewels mingled with shining diamonds and sparkled whenever she moved. The diamond jewelry she wore also added sparkle, but I seriously doubted any of it sparkled more than her eyes did. She was radiant.
"Rose," she laughed, "You'd look good in a brown paper bag with a ponytail."
My witty response was interrupted when Anna, a middle-aged Moroi wedding planner, came gasping into the room. The look on her face sent me into immediate Guardian mode. My senses were alert and my defenses up. I tensed and moved in front of Lissa, asking in a hard voice, "What's wrong?"
Anna, completely oblivious to my change in attitude, yelled "The florist is still placing center pieces in the cocktail room. The ceremony starts in ten minutes and he hasn't even finished that room!"
It took every ounce of my composure not to say what I was really feeling. Lissa, knowing me all-too-well, stepped around me and gave Anna a kind smile before I could give her a piece of my mind.
"I'm sure he'll be done soon. Anna, could you go check on the quartet for me?" Lissa's voice was velvet, and from the look on her face I sensed she was using the slightest bit of compulsion on the woman.
Anna's blue eyes relaxed and the tension in her face lessened. "Oh, yes. I'll be right back." She fluttered out of the room and closed the door behind her.
"Someone needs a drink," I murmured.
"Be nice," chastised Lissa. "Anna's been a big help. I can't imagine the pressure she's under."
"Oh?" I said slyly. "You can't?" Liss was not only the first-known queen to possess spirit, but also the first in history to attend college at the same time she ruled.
"No. I can't. Planning a monarch's wedding is a huge deal and there hasn't been one in almost 70 years."
"How sad for Anna. I should send her a card."
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh Rose. What would I do without you?"
"You wouldn't have this," I said as I placed the cream box in her hand.
She looked scandalized. "Rose! You promised me you wouldn't get any presents!"
I had promised her that. "Yeah well, I had crossies behind my back. Open it."
The look I got was one of disapproval but it didn't stop her from opening the lid and pulling out the necklace inside.
"I found it in an antique shop a while back. The jeweler said it's Alexandrite. Pretty rare stuff." A proud smile came to my face.
"It's so beautiful," she whispered.
"Right now it looks red, but in the sunlight it turns a greenish blue. I'm counting it as something old and something blue."
Her hands moved to the back of the diamond sheath necklace she already had on.
"No, you don-"
"Stop," she interrupted. "I want to." The smile on her face told me she meant it.
I helped switch the necklaces and we both admired the way it sat on her pale neck.
"Now all I need is something borrowed and something new."
I smiled mischievously. "I can take care of the something new, too."
I walked over to the bed and pulled out the bag I'd stashed under it a few weeks ago. She gave me some speech about how I was hopeless and needed to keep promises while I did.
"What's this?" She eyed the bag skeptically.
"It's something new," I winked.
She tugged the white tissue paper out and reached inside. When she pulled up the sexy lace garter, her eyes widened.
I laughed and fist-pumped the air. "I'd let you borrow some of my lingerie, but Dimitri would miss it too much."
The look of horror on her face turned into laughter, and between giggles I pushed the lace up her thigh.
"Hey!" she laughed, "that's too high!"
"Christian will appreciate it," I mocked.
The mention of her soon-to-be-husband made her eyes light up. Christian. The Ozera son met Lissa when we returned to St. Vladimir's. He was somewhat of a scandalous choice, seeing as his parents willingly turned Strigoi and his Aunt Tasha murdered the queen and framed me for it, but Christian was a good nugget. Our relationship hadn't always been great, but I knew that he loved Lissa and had every intention of taking care of her.
My thoughts were interrupted when Anna returned. "Your majesty, it's time! Everything is ready to go!"
Lissa and I exchanged an excited look and I gave her a quick hug. "It's show time," I said into her hair.
We followed Anna to the door and continued on, past the mirror I'd stood at only minutes ago. The grand building spread out before us as we turned left and right and then left again, into the foyer of the giant ballroom at the buildings' center. Double gold-plated doors stood before us with two guardians standing watch near them. Jill Mastrano, Lissa's newly-discovered half-sister, met us there with a small smile and a quick bow.
"Hi Lissa," she said quietly. She turned to me and gave a bigger smile and a louder hello, one that I returned.
"Don't be nervous," I said as I hugged her. "You look beautiful."
She really did. Jill usually had crazy, light brown curls that she let fly free. Thankfully, someone took a flat iron to it and styled a thick bun at the nape of her neck. She wore the same dress I did, only hers fell just above her knees and exposed her slender legs. I also noticed that no one had made her wear heels.
I was just about to protest the shoe situation when I noticed a familiar figure enter our gathering. Dimitri Belikov bowed cordially to Lissa and gave Jill a small smile. When his eyes met mine he nodded. The familiar electricity and love surged all around us, but his expression didn't change. I gawked inwardly at the sight of his 6'7", muscled and tanned body in a crisp tux. The soft brown hair that I loved so much was tied into a neat ponytail, and I could smell his aftershave. "Your majesty," his deep, Russian-accented voice said, "You look beautiful."
The history between Dimitri and I was almost as complicated as the one between Lissa and I. When Lissa and I returned to St. Vladimir's, it was against our will and at the hand of Dimitri. He was an incredible guardian who was once set to be hers, along with me. When he was assigned to be my personal mentor, we fell in love. The odds were stacked against us because of his age, position at the Academy, and his assignment to guard Liss. If she was attacked, he would need to protect her. We knew all of that, but I guess love and the universe didn't give a crap. During an attack on St. Vladimir's, Dimitri was turned Strigoi against his will. We found out about another spirit user who had healed a Strigoi back to their original state and jumped on the chance to save him. It worked, but his and mine's happy ending didn't come as quickly as I had wanted it to. Because of guilt over what he had done as a Strigoi, Dimitri pushed me away and insisted he'd never be able to love again. My great hair and our ever-present chemistry won his heart back though, and we'd pledged our love for one another almost five months after he'd turned Strigoi. After an agonizing year of holding back, losing him, and "moving on," he was finally mine to keep.
Lissa didn't care for him romantically, but loved him like she would a brother. "Thank you, Dimitri." She smiled. "But you know you're not supposed to call me Vasilisa. Lissa or Liss works just fine." Her voice took on a light, authoritative tone that made him smile.
"Right. Sorry, Lissa."
"Well," I interrupted, "are you guys ready?"
Nods and smiles were my response as Dimitri and Jill moved to stand in front of us. He offered his arm to her and gave her a warm, encouraging smile. I quietly laughed at the height difference but bit my tongue when I realized I was even shorter than Jill.
Christian didn't have much family that would willingly be around him, and as far as friends went… well, Lissa and I were about all he had. That is however, how it was until Dimitri was assigned to be his Guardian. They'd become fast friends who did normal guy things together when Dimitri wasn't on duty. Seeing them together made Lissa and I smile. It made sense when Christian asked Dimitri to be his best man.
Because Lissa's dad had passed years ago, and she had no other family besides Jill, I was the choice for her escort down the aisle. That didn't bother either of us; we'd been sisters for a long time. It was a little weird though, taking her hand under my arm and falling into step behind music. I'd always known this day was coming. I just hadn't imagined I'd be walking the aisle with her.
I took my place behind Lissa as the maid of honor and watched quietly, slipping into Guardian mode: seen, not heard. It was a beautiful ceremony though, and I had a hard time not choking up. The room was packed with people because honestly, who wouldn't want to see a Queen get married? It was the embodiment of proper Moroi society and traditions, mixed in with what Lissa had wanted before becoming queen. The priest had them recite phrases in English, Russian, and Romanian (as per tradition) but stood silent as they exchanged their own vows. Christian's eyes burned with love and happiness as he told her that he'd never let her go, and Lissa's voice trembled when she said she'd always love him.
When it was over, everyone cheered. The quartet played some oddly joyful tune as we walked out. It was hard to hold back my wicked sweet dance moves. Christin and Lissa went first, I followed, and Dimitri and Jill took up the rear. The cheering crowd continued out the doors and into the hallway that lead to the getaway car. On the lawn around it, Moroi and dhampirs stood in groups and cheered for their King and Queen. I followed them all the way out and was the first to hug Lissa before she got in the car.
"I'll see you in a few hours," I said.
She pulled me to her in a tight hug and smiled. "See you."
I was about to turn around when someone grabbed my arm: Christian. A nod and smile would have been enough for me, but apparently his love for Lissa was compelling him to do amazing things.
"Come here you!" His hug wasn't as tight as hers was, but he held it long enough to whisper, "I love her, too," in my ear.
When I pulled back our eyes met, and a small message of "I know" was shared between us. After a few more hugs and goodbyes, they were off. A convoy of black SUV's followed, each filled with guardians. No matter where they went, they would never be alone.
Familiar arms circled my waist from behind. "You look beautiful, Roza."
"You know, everyone keeps saying that. I really disagree. This color? Not my color."
That got me a smile. "Anything is your color."
"Do you and Lissa practice your lines together? She said the same thing." I thought back to earlier in her room and smiled.
"No. We're both telling the truth." He kissed the side of my head and dropped his hands. Our fingers found each other and we made our way back inside through the crowd.
A group of guardians stood to the right in a small room and motioned for us to come in. "What's up?" I asked.
Among the group was head of Royal Court Guard, Hans. He was a middle-aged man who always rubbed me the wrong way. During the whole, "Rose killed the queen" thing, he'd been the guardian doing all of the work that kept me an outlaw.
"We're trying to figure out watch for the reception," he said.
"Didn't you have the shifts figured out weeks ago?" I asked.
"We did, but some last minute changes are making things difficult."
Last minute changes? Guardians were trained to be on-time and reliable. What could have changed so last minute when dealing with a group like us? Reading my mind like he always did, Dimitri asked "What kind of changes?"
Hans looked uncomfortable and hesitated a moment. "Well, someone sort of… er, got pregnant. So we had to issue maternity leave."
"Got pregnant?" I blurted out. "That isn't something you sort of just… do. It's somewhat of a planned thing. Right?"
My eyes moved to the faces around me and saw a mixture of amusement, discomfort, and confusion.
"Yeah well, we didn't ask questions. What we need to focus on now is fixing this gap."
"I can take it," said Dimitri. His face was calm but I guessed he was as confused as I was.
"No." That response came from Eric, a guardian only a few years older than me who had been transferred from Romania last month. "You're part of the wedding party," he said in an accent. "You'll have to sit at the front and take place there."
Dimitri's expression was calm. "I could help near the end, after dinner has been served." A smile came to my lips. What Dimitri was really thinking was, "Idiot. It's just eating at a fancy table and dancing. Protection is more important." Of course, I didn't share that with anyone.
"No, don't worry," Hans said. "Hathaway, your mother is here. Do you think Lord Szelzky would mind if we borrowed her?"
"I think so. I'll find her and ask."
"Thanks," he nodded.
With that, Dimitri and I left the room to find my mother. She wasn't hard to spot. Standing at only five feet with short, auburn curls, my mom waited quietly behind Lord Szelzky and his Moroi daughter, a focused look on her face.
I approached the royal man and put on my best smile. "Hello Lord Szelzky. Could I speak to my mom?"
He nodded in approval and my smile widened. I took her arm and led her to a quiet spot underneath a staircase.
"What's this about?" My mother still wore her guarded expression, but I sensed worry in her voice. It wasn't often that Rose Hathaway sought out Janine Hathaway.
"I need a favor. The guards are somehow short for the reception, and if they can't find a replacement Dimitri will have to stand in." I didn't mention why they were short because honestly, it still confused me.
"Why can't he stand in?"
"The other guardians didn't want to take him away from the festivities. Do you think Lord Szelzky would mind? He'll still be well-guarded without you."
She thought for a few moments and then nodded and walked away.
"Wait!" I started to follow her when she waved a hand and dismissed me. I met with Dimitri's eyes and shrugged my shoulders. Who knew what my mother was going to do? I sure didn't.
The next hour went by quick enough. It was filled with chatting royals and finger foods. Dimitri and I found a quiet corner where we snacked and talked. Many Moroi passed us, completely oblivious to anything that wasn't dripping with money and a good name. Some stopped to smile and say hello, and a select few gave us hugs and actually made conversation. One of those was Daniela Ivashkov, mother of my ex-boyfriend, Adrian Ivashkov.
"Rose! It's so nice to see you." The slender Moroi royal was wearing a pale blue gown that looked like it was made out of cloud fluff and magic. It took every ounce of my self-control not to grab a section and rub it between my fingers. Once I got past the perfect fabric, I let the situation hit me. Why was she talking to me? I had broken her son's heart only months ago, and even though I had it on good authority that he and my Alchemist friend Sydney Sage were hitting it off, you just didn't make small talk with an ex-boyfriends mom. You also didn't grab folds of their dress and rub it all over your body.
"Um, hi Lady Ivashkov. It's nice to see you, too." We hugged awkwardly and I forced myself to make eye contact.
"You look absolutely stunning, Rose. And please, call me Daniela." Her smile was friendly… too friendly.
"Thanks. You look great, too. What's your dress made out of?" My inner child really wanted to know where I could get cloud fluff and magic, too.
"I really don't know," she laughed. "I just put on whatever color I feel like wearing that day." Okay, adding a fake laugh into the mix of creepy smile and cloud magic was just too much for me. My self-control slipped and I said exactly what I shouldn't have.
"Lady Iv-er, Daniela, why are you talking to me? I'm pretty sure I don't get spoken fondly of at your house." Immediately after saying it I felt stupid. Whatever. There was no going back. I looked her in the eyes and waited for her response.
The hurt expression on her face made me feel even worse. "Rose, you can't think that I would be so petty as to not speak to you?" Actually, I did.
"Well, no, I guess not." I lied.
"After everything that you and Queen Vasilisa have been through, and after everything Adrian has been through, I really feel it's best to all just stay friends. Besides, you and Guardian Belikov make a lovely couple." Her smile returned on the last part, and that was when it hit me.
Adrian was a royal Moroi, I was a dhampir. Sure, flings between our races happened all the time, but settling down and making a life of things didn't. Daniela Ivashkov knew her son very well, so that meant that she knew how he felt about me. Adrian had every intention of settling down with me, which meant Daniela had every intention of being embarrassed and ashamed about it for the rest of her life. Saying that Dimitri and I made a wonderful couple was just her "nice" way of saying, "You're not good enough for my son, dear."
That put me in a bad mood. A really bad mood. Dimitri, knowing me all-too-well, sensed that and chimed in before I could share my jolly attitude. "Thank you, Lady Ivashkov. Did you enjoy the ceremony?" His voice was professional and kind, completely opposite of what mine would have been if I'd have spoken.
They made small talk for a few moments while I reeled over everything in my head. When Dimitri had been restored and rejected me, I tried my hardest to put my all into Adrian and I's relationship. It wasn't easy and to be honest, I could have tried harder. In the end though, Adrian wanted me to be strong for him in all the wrong ways. Our last conversation had been a sad one, one where he told me just how badly I'd broken his heart. When I'd learned of him and Sydney (courtesy of Eddie's every-watchful eye,) I was happy for them. That happiness was much harder to remember as I glared at Lady Ivashkov.
I am too good enough, I thought. Your son plays the helpless victim and he's just angry that I called him out on it. Besides, you'd take me over his newest choice. How are you going to cover up a human, huh? What lame excuse are you going to make? Just let him live his life. Not everything is a parade of royals, or at least it shouldn't be.
My thoughts were interrupted by Dimitri's lips on my ear. "Rose, where are you?"
"Sorry," I murmured. I saw a bare space where Lady Ivashkov had been and relief flooded through me. Looking up at him I said, "Did you catch her wicked dig at me? She doesn't think I'm good enough for Adrian. He probably didn't even tell her that I was the one who broke it off."
After I said it, I realized how bizarre things had gotten in the last five minutes. First I was confronting my ex's mom, and now I was talking about my ex to my current boyfriend. What was wrong with me?
"Yes, I did notice that. Are you unhappy with your current choice?"
That snapped me out of whatever love-crazed thought I was on. I looked deeper into his eyes and didn't hesitate when I said "Not at all. In fact, I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life."
That brought a smile to his lips and his hand found mine again. "Good. Now, don't worry about Lady Ivashkov. The reception is going to start any moment. You should go find Lissa."
"Right." I took his advice and forced all thoughts of Daniela and Adrian away. Before I left, I laid a kiss on his cheek. I gave one last glance at that tux and the way it made his muscles look. "Have I told you yet that you look drop-dead handsome in that? Who knows, I might marry you sooner if this is what I have to look forward to."
In Australia lives one of the rarest things in the world, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat. I'd been thinking for a long time that I should submit some kind of report to all the smart scientists telling them that, really, the rarest thing in the world was catching Dimitri Belikov off guard. But, the mention of marrying him sooner did the trick. I laughed at the shocked look on his face but turned away before he could say anything. We probably wouldn't get to talk much the rest of the night and I figured that was a good topic to leave him on.
I made my way upstairs and through doors to Lissa's suite. She was sitting near the mirror while a dhampir woman pulled her blond curls into an artfully messy bun.
"Well your majesty, I have to be honest with you. That was the most romantic wedding I've ever been to. And seeing that it's only the second one, you're definitely ahead of the curve."
She gave me a bright smile but turned pensive when she asked, "Was it too much? I didn't want to drag it on, but I also didn't want the entire thing to be in Russian and Romanian. I love tradition, but it gets so exhausting."
"No need to worry, Liss. It was really beautiful." The tone of my voice put her at ease and she sighed in contentment.
We shared more smiles and I helped finish getting her ready. The dress she chose to wear for the reception was almost identical to the ceremony one, but with cap sleeves and minus the train. It flowed out more at her hips to give her room to move and dance. When her hair was done, she stood and spun a few times. As I watched I felt tears come to my eyes. I wiped them away quickly, but not before she saw.
A look of concern lit her face as she hugged me. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," I smiled. "Really. I'm not sad. I'm actually happy. It's amazing, you're amazing. After everything… "I faltered, thinking back on the previous years of struggle and heart ache. "After everything we've been through, it feels too good to be true. At the same time though, I couldn't be happier for you. There aren't two people more deserving of this than you and Christian."
When she finally spoke, it was quiet and gentle. "Wrong. I can think of two people who deserve this even more. I'm happy for you, too. Even though you aren't married, I see the way you look at each other. We both made out with our prince charming."
We laughed at the last part and hugged one more time. It was such a brief, sweet moment, but it filled me with joy. Lissa was right; we both came out of our struggles with the man of our dreams. If I had to do it all over again for Dimitri, I would. I knew she would do it for Christian, too. I couldn't help but notice the mention of Dimitri and me getting married, though. It made me a little nervous.
Our moment was cut-short when Anna bustled in to us. I was getting tired of her doing that.
"Your majesty, King Dragomir is waiting outside." We both smiled at his new title.
That brought a question to my mind though. "Hey, why isn't Christian in here getting ready with you?"
Lissa nodded to Anna before answering me. "We did get mostly ready together, but I told him to go out when we started on my hair. Element of surprise, you know?"
I nodded in agreement and gave her one last hug. "I'll wait for you with the others."
On my way back to the reception hall, I passed Christian in the small corridor outside Liss's room. "Hey there, your majesty." I dramatically bowed to him and we both laughed.
"You're looking rather… nice, today." His joking toned remained and I got all sorts of excited. Bantering with Christian was one of my life's many joys.
"What was that? Lord Ozera gave me a compliment? I'm shocked. Did we get that on tape?"
He grinned. "Hey, watch it. I've got a new title, haven't you heard?"
"Oh right. Sorry, your majesty," I said in a posh, British accent.
"You know, I'm glad you'll be sticking around. Everyone else is going to have to be nice to me now, but I can always count on you, Rose. If I'm ever feeling too happy I'll come find you so you can bring me back down to earth."
I laughed and said, "Yeah, I'll always be here to tell you how much you suck and how much I hate you."
He started to say something when Lissa's double doors opened and out walked the queen. "Aw man!" I mocked. "We were just getting to the good part."
"Mhm," agreed Christian. "Rose was just about to yield to my wit. You'll just have to wait till next time, Hathaway. Come prepared."
"That I will," I winked.
Lissa looked between the two of us and just rolled her eyes. She was smiling, though. Even she couldn't ignore the fact that her husband (woah, Liss is married,) and best friend were hilarious together.
"Your highness," Christian said as he pulled her to him. Their lips locked in a deep kiss, which doubled as my cue to leave. I remembered the days when we were bonded and I got pulled into moments of intense emotion, like that kiss. Chills ran over me as I thought of how grateful I was that their sex life was no longer my problem.
I found my way to the doors outside the reception hall where Anna, Jill and Dimitri stood. Today has had a lot of walking-through-fancy-door-ways, I thought.
"Oh there you are!" Anna fluttered over to me and pulled me into position behind Dimitri and Jill. She held a clipboard and had a black earpiece tucked in her right ear. "You'll go in the same way you did for the ceremony. Guardian Belikov, I want you to spin Princess Jill after about five or six steps." Dimitri nodded and looked down at Jill expectantly.
"I… I'm not very graceful," she muttered.
Dimitri put on a warm smile and looked her in the eyes. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall. Hold onto my hand tight and just let me lead you." A memory of Dimitri talking with his younger sister Viktoria flashed in my head. In many ways, he was treating Jill as kindly as he would his own family.
I touched Jill's arm and lowered my voice to whisper in her ear, "I speak from experience. He is very good at leading." I sealed the deal with a wink that sent Jill into giggles. Dimitri's face showed that he'd heard what I said. I laughed at the scandalized expression and gave him a peck. "No worries, comrade. I believe in you."
A commotion behind me turned out to be Christian and Lissa. It was time to go. Before the doors opened I found Anna's eyes and asked, "What am I supposed to do?"
"Something original, but not too flashy."
Well that was helpful—not.
"Hey, I dare you to do a front handspring." The voice belonged Christian.
"Oh yeah?" I asked.
"Yeah. It'd generate a lot of excitement, especially in that dress."
I looked to Lissa and she just shrugged. Before I could say anything, Anna let out a shocked gasp. "You will do no such thing! It's bad enough we have dhampirs in the wedding party."
The last part was something I wasn't supposed to hear, or at least, I assumed I wasn't supposed to hear. She had lowered her voice but most likely wasn't aware that dhampirs had excellent senses. The looks on Christian and Lissa's faces gave away nothing; they hadn't heard. Dimitri's was different, however. His eyes burned, and I knew exactly what he was feeling.
"Okay," whispered Anna as the doors began to open. "Let's go!"
I watched as Dimitri led Jill into the giant room, and after five steps, I watched him spin her around. The young Moroi had gangly limbs but Dimitri was so strong. He kept her hand tight in his and didn't let her spin too far away from him. The crowd cheered as they moved past and sat at the long table. It was my turn now.
The walkway was wide with plush, gold carpet. It was perfect. Seven steps into the room, I took one extra-large step, raised my hands above my head (and somehow managed to toss my bouquet to a Moroi woman standing at the nearest table) and did not one, not two, but three front handsprings. The crowd erupted in cheers, everyone except for Anna, whose blood probably went cold when she saw the look I shot her. I had a feeling she knew that I'd heard her.