Hey everyone! It's great to see the response this is getting. I was thinking of doing a small prologue to explain what happened to bring Dimitri back, and they're bond so others don't have to read the first story. What are your thoughts on this? Please review if you think this is a good idea!
I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I wasn't sure how to fix it. In any case, reviews are LOVED. They make my day and only take a second.
hugs and kisses and lots of a bad ass sexy Russian!
-Catherine
Sauntering onto the stage I tried not to let the eyes of the students dig into my back. And they shouldn't, I told myself. After all, only a few months ago I was the one in charge of the school. So why should I be scared of a bunch of students? The fluorescent lights shone upon Dimitri and me as we reached centre stage of the large auditorium. Guardians lined the exits like we could be dangerous; as they saw Dimitri with me their positions instantly stiffened. Restraining myself from leaping off of the stage so that I could tell my fellow guardians that we weren't a threat; we were only trying to help them, I glanced at Dimitri in order to help me find some control. But his gorgeous face did nothing to help burn the flame that sweltered deep inside of me, testing my supervision over myself. He had his guardian's mask on. Sighing, I placed myself so that I could see every one of the students and teachers. Tatiana sat in a large, deep blood red throne in a corner, above everyone else surrounded by her usual entourage – including Jimmy.
Grinning, I tried to catch his eye and shoot him a dirty look knowing that his words had done nothing to decide what I was going to have to say. "Can everyone stop staring?" I said abruptly, trying to ease the tension in the room – and get this over with. "Obviously we're here for a reason. I really have no idea what the queen told you, but I'm guessing that it had something to do that moroi always have to be protected. Am I right?" In the crowd I saw several heads nod, so I took that as an indication that I should continue. "Well, it's true. But instead of getting into why she told you that right now I suppose we can start with why Com- Guardian Belikov is standing next to me, clearly no longer a strigoi."
As the truth of my words set in I saw the guardians ready themselves for an attack of some kind. These guys could really be idiots sometimes. I did just tell them that he wasn't a strigoi, right? Glancing up at Dimitri, I wished that he would take over, not knowing how to explain how I had changed him back into his usual self. Unfortunately, however it seemed as though he was at a loss for words as I, and probed me forward gently with his hand.
"Alright then, it seems like it would be a good idea on how he got back to his usual self." Sighing, I readied myself for a long lecture; which certainly would not be enjoyable. There was just something about the word 'lecture' that didn't sit well with me whether I was the one presenting them or listening. "It all started when I went to Russia to kill Dimitri," I began, and saw many of the student's faces light up in alarm. My reason for running off never had been confirmed although several rumours had circulated St. Vladimir's while I had been gone and once I came back. However, no one had been spot on and the only ones who knew the truth were the guardians along with Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie and a few of the teachers. "Obviously I failed, but when I got there I met another spirit user like Adrian and Lissa. She claimed to know another spirit user who had reversed a strigoi to its former self." I spoke my words slowly, careful not to speak any names, I didn't want another crazy like Victor who would try and capture my friends for their own selfish reasons. A small growl urged to come out of my throat as I remembered how Victor had tortured Lissa. That was something that I never wanted to undergo again, and I knew everyone else in their right mind would have to agree. "This spirit user knew a process in which we could return Dimitri to his former self." Remembering that exact process I decided to skip it, it was too complicated to explain to a bunch of novices, and realistically I didn't think that any of them had the need to go through it. Dimitri's hand nudged the small of my back, making me realize that I had been completely absorbed in my own thoughts. "Anyway, let's just say that it wasn't easy and very, very painful. But no one else would be able to do it," I said extinguishing some of the vampire's hopes of reversing someone they knew as well. "It requires a certain time of the century, not to mention a few different people and a lot of pain for one of them." Grimacing as I remembered the needles shooting my brain and the blood that felt like it was pouring out. Not to mention the acid, the fire, the burn, the cold. It was everything not wanted in a person, and I had sucked it all up willingly in order to save my soul mate or what most people thought my mentor.
"Why did you do it then?" I heard someone shout from the crowd. My eyes scanned it quickly, coming to rest on a junior – or senior boy now – who had been one of Jesse's followers. Ryan Badica. Pausing, I wondered whether I should tell the truth or not about mine and Dimitri's relationship. It was no longer illegal, but still frowned upon. Not to mention it wouldn't give Dimitri a great reputation. "That's none of your business! I know that Dimitri would throw himself in front of a bullet to protect anyone, and so would I, so when I had the chance to save one of my friends for pain. Well, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't do that!" I smirked, as I saw the arrogant gleam in the royal moroi's eyes disappear. Yeah, what a prick. Deciding to ignore boy – he wasn't worth my time, besides I was a guardian now and I should have more self control now – I continued to get on with my point.
"Now, we wouldn't have come here if we hadn't had a purpose, and let's face it telling you about Belikov's transformation isn't really a huge purpose. But when I brought Guardian Belikov back a bond was formed, a spirit bound, which makes our auras connected." Seeing the faces of confusion, I chuckled grimly. "Adrian will explain it later," I reassured them. "But this process has been done four times before Dimitri and me, a long long long time ago. Trust me." My eyebrows crinkled as I tried to think how to explain it. Finally Dimitri stepped in. "About time," I grumbled under my breath as he began to speak.
I didn't concentrate on Dimitri's words – I already knew what he was going to say – instead I tried to do that thing where you look, but you aren't really looking. Except my gaze was only aimed at Dimitri. His brown hair was pulled back neatly into a pony tail and his dark eyes were serious, but I could see through that. Dimitri was complicated, but to somebody who didn't know him well I knew they would think differently. To someone else Dimitri was clean cut: A guardian – and a badass one at that - but a guardian none the less with no emotions and complete self control. Chuckling internally, I was too caught up in my own comedy to notice the words that he was speaking clearly, in his sexy Russian accent. And no one interrupted as they had been doing in my speech or talking amongst themselves. The entire auditorium was quiet and after a while so was Dimitri. Everyone was also looking at me. Shit, I cursed mentally wondering what I was supposed to be talking about.
Apparently my luck was out though, as Dimitri only chuckled as I began to get more and more flustered. Fine then, if that's how he wants it. My control burst and well, a string of profanities came out of my mouth. "Okay, I really don't give a shit about how Dimitri got back here, but he did, obviously. I also don't have a friggin' clue what he just said to you all, because I was in Lissa's head," I covered hoping no one would notice that I was lying. Glancing at Dimitri I saw that even he seemed shocked. "She's fine," I reassured everyone. "But since I already know every detail over and over and over again I really didn't see any sense in me listening, again. Hell, I was the one who planned this entire," I waved my hands around and around trying to find a word before settling, "thing. And I don't know if Belikov explained to you all about the four other bonds." Looking around the crowd, I waited for someone to answer. When they didn't I tried to raise one eyebrow, but failed miserably. I placed my hands on my hips instead. "Well?"
Suddenly I saw many elementary kids nod their heads furiously. Shit. I just cursed in front of like kindergarteners. That was comforting. In an attempt to calm myself I breathed in and out and clenched my fists again. It was only a side effect to the bonds I reassured myself. Since I was constantly taking away Lissa's bad energy, it was a second instinct to take away Dimitri's as well. He was always trying to get me to stop, but I couldn't stop. Besides I had been dealing with it longer and I could deal with it better. But sometimes, well sometimes, my control slipped and it exploded. Luckily today was not one of those days. Today it merely was slipping out slowly, and now I had it restrained once again. My temper really wasn't helping with this.
"Okay," I said, reaching into my dark brown locks and running my hands through it several times. After I was content that no matter how much I repeated the action, this wouldn't solve my problem I tied it up into a high pony tail and started to talk again. "Obviously, that was an effect of the bond." I prayed that Dimitri had explained that to them. "But I'm really not going to get into that, because while the effect it has on me isn't important to you, what it does for the dhampir population is." I sighed. "The four couples we're everyone who can reproduce. You know moroi-moroi, dhampir-moroi, human-moroi, human-human. But now we created another bond creating a fifth couple: dhampir-dhampir." Quickly, I rearranged my words as I saw many faces become alarmed at my outburst about Dimitri and I being 'together'. "Not that we're a couple, I meant with a bond," I stuttered, hoping that I hadn't been too obvious. "Anyway, now. Now-" Dimitri cut me off. Usually I would have been pissed, but now I had to admit that I wasn't handling the situation as well as I could have. "Now what Rose means to say is that Dhampir couples can reproduce. We don't understand it – no one understands it. It's ancient magic after all, but it is apparently true according to the spirit user who aided in bringing me back. And this means that now it will affect every dhampir; not only Rose's and my descendants if we chose to reproduce with another dhampir."
"So have you tested it out yet? Rose is looking a bit bigger!" Someone shouted where the schools we're sitting. That did it, my legs pumped as I ran towards exactly who it had been. It was Ryan Badica, of course. That guy really needed to learn a lesson in respect. Before I could get there, however, guardians were on me. I threw them off me, knowing that I would have bruises tomorrow morning. Next, it seemed like the rest of the guardians we're around me. Kicking and punching in robotic motion, I didn't hesitate to see if I knew them. For all I knew I could be punching Lissa – except I knew that I wasn't because I could feel her anxious in my head. Finally, one guardian got me pinned. Sweeping my feet so that his weight was no longer on top I lifted my leg up to knee in from the behind. Before I noticed exactly who it was who had me pinned. It was Dimitri.
His eyes held worry and sadness. He didn't fight me, and slowly, slowly I lowered my leg and succumbed to the floor. This wasn't me. This was the darkness, slipping through my cracks again. I tried to calm myself, knowing that the worst part of it was over; after a quick training session in the gym I should be okay. Calmly, Dimitri got off of my body and held out a hand for me to get up. I did as followed and he – as well as several other guardians – began to escort me to the stage. I couldn't help but want to shout that I was fine. There was nothing wrong with me. Except that there was. The darkness had taken over, badly this time. And I knew that I had to get out of there as soon as possible. But I couldn't. I had to finish the presentation. Groaning, I waved off the guards as we reached the stage and I saw them proceed backwards, hesitating. Dimitri looked down at me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Roza, that was bad. These students don't know what just happened." Shaking my head in trying to clear it, I narrowed my eyes. "What do you want me to do, Guardian Belikov? You know that I can't control this. I try to, I really fucking do!" I whisper-yelled in outrage. Couldn't he see that the darkness was a part of me? Even if he didn't like it, it was a part of me. A part that I hated, but inevitable all the same. "Come on Rose. You know this isn't you. You're better than this. This isn't you," he repeated sincerely. Except he was wrong.
"It is me! No matter how hard I try it is a part of me. And maybe if you don't love every part of me we shouldn't get married," I spat, looking down at my fist that was still clenched, the same fist with my ring on it. Suddenly Dimitri pulled my body towards him, rubbing my back repeatedly. In my ear, he whispered quietly. "I do love you. Every single part of you. And this isn't a part of you Roza. This is a part of your aura, but it's not a part of you. And it will never touch the glory of your soul." Speculating him through the top of my dark eyelashes, I smiled grimly all darkness evaporating. "Looks like we're going to have to practice my self control some more," I mumbled ruefully and heard him chuckle.
"See the zen lessons aren't so stupid now, are they?" Dimitri asked sarcastically.
"Haha, Comrade. I wouldn't go that far," I said punching him on the arm lightly. Well what I thought was lightly. Apparently the darkness still had a bit of an effect over my power. As he put his guardian's mask back on, I whispered mockingly, "Did I just hurt the famous god unintentionally?"
Instead of answering me, he dragged me onto the stage, telling me that he was stronger than me. Ouch, couldn't he pretend that I was better than him for once? As we went back to center stage and Dimitri began to explain about the effect of our bond, mine and Lissa's bond, and the transformation it had on me and the darkness. I tuned in and out, but one thing got my attention. Ryan Badica. I was really starting to hate him.
"But Guardian Hathaway," he began. "Don't only the knocked up get engaged?"
Glancing down at my left hand, I realized that I had forgotten to remove the evidence of mine and Dimitri's engagement. The diamond on the ring shone, each tiny faucet and rainbows danced across the ceiling. Suddenly all eyes were on my ring, and I shot the room a death glare.
"This ring is nobody's business, but what is your business is that now dhampirs can reproduce. Nevertheless moroi need to be protected. No matter what. Even if we can reproduce now, it doesn't mean that they need to be any less protected. The evil still lurk in the shadows, waiting for us to let down our guard, only so they can attack. And while dhampirs may no longer need the moroi to continue on our race we do need them. They're our friends and our family. And their magic keeps us alive. Without the moroi, no silver stakes would be made. The earth wouldn't be as good, we wouldn't be heated, the earth would be dry, and no one would be healed. And you spoiled assholes who think you own the entire world, I only have two words to say to you," I stopped myself suddenly as I glanced down at the smaller children I had frightened earlier. "But I won't say it here."
"Now I'll let Adrian and Lissa explain to you about spirit and bonds," I finished quickly, walking off the stage and towards the gym with the rest of my control. I really needed to go beat up a practice dummy; preferably one that looked a lot like Ryan Badica.