Ch 3: TWO
DPOV
"My sleeping beauty awakes," I sighed happily when Roza's eyes fluttered open.
I'd been gazing at her while gently studying her body for an hour or so. She really did look beautiful and at peace when she slept. She looked like precious and vulnerable yet mature young woman she was, and it was my duty to protect and treasure her. It was astounding and exciting to think this stunning and lethal lady would be my wife in a month's time.
"Morning Comrade," she yawned. "Another day of torture awaits," groaned my fiancé and she buried her head into my chest.
"I'll be right here, Roza. We can get through this. We will. Now, where's that beautiful, bold and brave man eater smile?"
My fiancé peeked up at me and unleashed the requested smile. It lit up her face and melted my heart.
"There it is!" I teased lovingly. "Come on, let's get dressed and join the others for breakfast.
"Lissa and our sisters are already talking wedding plans and dresses," Rose smirked. Then an outright, excited grin broke free and she squealed. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes yes yes!"
"Roza? What just went through the bond?"
"It's two-way! It's somehow found a way to allow Liss to read and communicate with me!" Two seconds later Roza laughingly screeched, "Lissa! Get out! I'm busy here!" Rose then rolled her eyes at whatever her friend had just said.
"Rose," I chuckled. "You may wanna think about learning to respond without speaking."
Now Roza burst into hysterics. "That's gonna be a tough habit to break!"
"Clearly," I grinned. Whatever made her happy made me happy.
"Let's get to breakfast before Lissa has our wedding plans finished without us."
"Is that such a bad thing?" I said suggestively against my fabulous and famous fiancé's lips.
"Mmm. Maybe not... Actually... It's definitely not a bad thing." She only allowed me to respond her kiss, her body, her love.
It was tough, but we eventually dressed and headed to breakfast. Because one simply does not argue with my future wife when she's hungry.
"Who's reading next?" enquired Roza after breakfast. Which had been a considerably large even for her serving of Blini.
"I am," said Janine while retrieving Frostbite. Immediately opening up to chapter two. Rose snuggled into my side. I'd never tire of this loving contact with her. "Dimitri made one phone call
style="font-size: 22pt;"," Janine started. The group slipped into an intent silence, "and a veritable SWAT team showed up.
"It took a couple of hours, though, and every minute spent waiting felt like a year."
"That's what getting you back to the States felt like Kiz." Abe shook his head. "As was waiting for you to wake up from god knows what it was," spoiler alert before turning to face me. Uh oh. "I need to speak with you, Belikov. Now, if you wouldn't mind." That was a backhanded order.
"Of course." I pecked my fiancé's lips and gently disentangled, "I love you. You're strong, so so strong." I left a lingering kiss on her forehead and followed Abe out the door.
"Belikov," Abe sighed. "About Rose's time in Russia..."
"What about it, Sir?" I asked cautiously.
"Did my daughter drop out to hunt you down? And was the Strigoi responsible for all the bite marks and bruises on her neck when I found her on the outskirts of Novosibirsk? Did my daughter nearly get turned by the Strigoi you?"
Images of her and that tainted time together flashed in my mind's eye. The memory of the addictive taste and feeling of her blood flooded my senses. What I had done and what I had wanted to do to her assaulted my mind-the worst one was the number of times I had threatened to kill her and the number of times I tried to. I had forgiven myself. But that didn't mean it no longer hurt to think about, that I didn't struggle with accepting I had done the unimaginable to my precious Roza.
"Yes." I kept my voice neutral. Well I had tried to, it didn't work judging by the look on my father-in-law's face.
"Amazing." He shook his head in, well I'm not too sure what he was thinking. "Truly tragic. She loves you nonetheless. She's travelled the globe more than once and done things not even I'd be gutsy enough to try... all because she loves you more than life itself. If you think I'm a cunning mastermind she is far, far, far more dangerous and scheming. Don't underestimate her, Belikov."
"I won't. I've been on the receiving end of her scheming before..." I shook my head in something close to amusement, and definitely in awe at the memory of how she figured out how to escape Galina's mansion. "Truly incredible."
"Yes. She is. Look after her. I know she's good at holding her own, but I want her to have someone who focuses solely on her. You do. Make sure you continue to."
"I will, Sir. I can't not focus on her."
"Good." He gave a sharp nod. "Now let's return to our Hathaway women."
We returned to hear, "For half a heartbeat, I imagined seeing Dimitri dead on the floor instead. No. No way could I have stayed calm in her place. I would have screamed and kicked things. I would have hit anyone who tried to tell me things would be okay
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"Oh Roza," I interrupted and sat next to her. Promptly pulling her onto my lap. I ignored the fact we had the room's attention, she needed to hear this. "I had the same image flash in my mind, the same realisation. I simultaneously wanted to get you out of there and push you behind me protectively. I love you, always have and always will." I tipped her chin up with two fingers and placed a kiss on her lips.
I barely registered the "read, Janie," before disappearing into the universe that was my Roza and us.
"I love you," I murmured once I could breathe. "I love you and you'll never be alone, ever again."
"Save us the sight!" exclaimed Tasha. "No one needs to see you two get it on!" She wasn't grossed out, okay maybe a little but, more like jealous, extremely jealous. And maybe, just maybe, she also still saw Rose as a child and my student.
"I really don't care about what you think anymore, Tasha. I really don't care who sees, if you don't like it then you don't have to watch. In one year Rose has been through far more than you ever have so excuse me for wanting to let her know how much I love her." God, I sounded so much like Roza. I was kind of glad in a way, because she was teaching me to live my life and express my love without giving a damn what others thought of us and our past roles.
"That little blood whore can't have been through worse than I have!"
"You take that back!" Roza and I growled in unison.
"No," was Tasha's adamant and defiant response.
"Yes," responded Rose firmly. "You will. You just insulted me and my family. You're just as prejudiced and bigoted as all other snobby and stuck-up royals."
"Dimka," the thirty-something woman pleaded with me like a child. And in that moment I truly realised and appreciated Roza as the more mature and respectful woman. It was then I saw Tasha as Rose did and firmly sided with my fiancé.
"No. Natasha. You just insulted my soon to be wife and my family. Roza is right, you hold the same prejudices regardless of what you stand for."
"Lady Ozera," started Abe, giving Tasha one of his most icy and menacing glares. "If you won't hold your tongue and respect my daughter and her soon to be husband-my son in law-or any of the Belikova's- I will hold your tongue for you," threatened Abe.
Tasha paled three shades.
After that drama, everyone was silent. Janine returned to reading. "And thinking of Lissa-thinking of Strigoi wanting to wipe out her family too-stirred up a dark rage within me.
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A myriad of expressions crossed Lissa and Rose's faces. Looking like what would happen during a typical conversation. The two seemed to be holding a conversation through the bond. Meanwhile, Janine continued reading. As if that bond wasn't confusing enough already. And now I had no way to stop them from planning anything and those two were known for getting into mischief together... Usually with Rose considered the influencer and Lissa the influenced. Though god knew that wasn't always true.
As Janine covered Rose's outburst, Lissa and Rose's faces contorted with musing expressions. Clearly, a philosophical discussion was going on. Probably over how darkness-influenced that moment was.
The look of hopeless romanticism shone on the young women's faces at the mention of my stolen moment with Rose. The moment when I comforted her in the personal sense but contacting a semi-professional place. A few others reflected the looks being worn by the bound pair.
There were a few clarifications I wanted to tenderly whisper in my Roza's ear, but knew better than to interrupt the nearly inseparable best friends when they were in the middle of a discussion. I also knew better than to break Rose's concentration on anything.
Janine continued reading. A wary and weary silence engulfed the room.
"When we got back to St Vladimir's Academy around midnight, everyone knew about the massacre."
And on Janine read. Rose and Lissa were still locked in a mental conversation, with Oscar-worthy facial expressions. Christian and I exchanged worried and amused glances as we watched our women run their Ping Pong match of a mental discussion and interesting accompanying facials. The others, meanwhile, listened intently to my Roza's version of events.
I pulled Rose closer to me and started trailing kisses over every available and easily accessible area of bare skin. Upon hearing, ""I was supposed to," I said. "It was just a wrong-place-and-wrong-time kind of thing. The guardian who was going to give me the test lived there. Dimitri and I walked in, and..."
"I couldn't finish." Janine kept reading.
Oh, Roza. So much trauma. Far too much before graduation, far too much overall for someone your age. No wonder you are as you are-so mentally developed, yet still wanting to embrace all the good your life throws your way. No wonder you're so forgiving. And it's no wonder I love you so much, or that I want to protect you the way I inherently feel I have to.
As Janine kept reading the bound pair kept up their mental conversation. Janine managed to cover Christian asking Rose about her experience with only a stern look-from Tasha and the guardians in the room-sent to the Christian in question. Then covered without interruption was the trio's musing over the adjustments to the royal's calendars.
My fiancé and her best friend were still learning the perks of a two-way bond while Janine read through her daughter's comparison and opinions of Moroi versus dhampir ways of dealing with situations. Also covered without interruption by the room or to Roza and Lissa's mental conversation was a recap of Christian's past and her then-current views of him. As well as why Lissa had so much of society's attention on her. Next thing to be covered was Lissa and Christian zoning out and Rose's jealousy.
Our then screwed-up situation could not have been helping matters any. This had to be the beginning of building resentment towards Lissa. The bound pair's expressions confirmed they were reflecting on the fallout and toll it had taken on the other. Meanwhile, I returned to showering my Roza in long-overdue affection and support.
"... It was my job to keep her safe. She shouldn't be troubled about protecting me-especially if Strigoi had suddenly decided to make a hit list of royals
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She'd always been the more duty driven one. She'd always known where her priority lay, and devoted her brain power, heart and soul as such. And it had only made her that much more attractive, made me fall for her further, deeper, harder.
That thought was reconfirmed when Janine ended with, "As soon as my back was to them, my smile vanished. I walked back to my dorm with a heavy heart, hoping I wouldn't dream about the Badica's tonight
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After a quick glance at how I was all but tearing her daughter's clothes off, and Christian all but ripping Lissa's off, she commented, "get a room, lovebirds! Both sets." Lissa and Rose exchanged a mischievous look before turning their charm on their man.
