Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns VA and its characters. Plot is all I own. No infringement intended.


Chapter Seven: Wolves

At the gate of the mayor's mansion, a security guard asks for an invitation which Dimitri procures in a cream-colored envelope with Tatiana Ivashkov's signature. They're waved through security and up the opulent driveway lined with white rose bushes leading to the main entrance to the mansion. Two valets dressed in black attire jump forward eagerly. One moves for Dimitri's door while the other opens the passenger side helping Rose exit the car. She stifles a laugh when the young man's mouth gapes at the sight of her in the red dress and long curls.

"Thank you," Dimitri smiles placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I will take it from here." He takes Rose's hand from the valet's and leads her up the stairs.

"Wolves," Dimitri shakes his head in amusement. "Wolves are out tonight."

Rose lets out a laugh as Dimitri leads her into the mansion. The foyer takes Rose's breath away her eyes lingering in the high ceiling with a crystal-clear chandelier hanging like a waterfall. The light reflects onto it like stars in the sky. People mingle in the foyer with a glass of champagne in their hands all dressed in beautiful attires. Dimitri and Rose follow the soft melody, a songstress singing of love, deeper into the house. The smell of hors d'oeuvres fill the air calling Rose's name. Her stomach makes a noise when she gazes upon the shrimp and salmon making their way around the room.

"Soon," Dimitri chuckles pulling her away from the food. "I have to find Tasha and the mayor."

"Why? I mean I get why the mayor, but Tasha? She's just going to ruin the night," Rose rolls her eyes grudgingly allowing Dimitri to lead her away from the only reason she agreed to come to this in the first place. Dimitri had promised her food when he asked her to go with him weeks ago.

"Just so she knows I'm here and will leave us alone the rest of the evening," Dimitri interlaces his fingers through hers and pauses to look into her eyes. "Then I am all yours."

"Okay," Rose replies breathlessly. The way he looks at her makes her knees feel weak and her heart to drum against her chest. "Lead the way."

They dive deeper into the party; Dimitri nodding and greeting to several of his colleagues. He stops just long enough to officially introduce Rose as his girlfriend and every time Rose can hear the pride in his voice, and the unmistakable butterflies in her stomach never cease. But by the time they find the mayor, Rose is over the whole evening. She just wants to eat, drink, and take her Russian God home where she can ravage his body for the rest of the night. But his duties call him, and she must play the part. That's what girlfriends do, right? Suddenly, Rose is unsure how to act. As Dimitri pulls her towards the mayor, who is chatting animatedly with a group of important looking people, Rose feels her body sweating through the flimsy fabric of her dress.

Before accepting Dimitri, Rose didn't care much for this event. Sure, she is glad the mayor is attempting to procure funds to help families who lost their loved ones in active duty. But Rose knows it is mostly a show. Tatiana Ivashkov knows how to play the crowd; she's a politician with her eyes set on her goal. Rumors had been going around for a while that Tatiana would run for governor when elections came around once again. Rose thinks a simple dinner would have done just fine. No chandeliers in every room, expensive floral arrangements, and champagne flowing freely. Is there really such a need for this ostentatious party? Yes. She knows the answer as she looks around at the politicians mingling. She could tell the difference between humble police and rich politicians or business men. It is in the way they speak and hold themselves with an air of superiority. This party isn't just for the families, this is for Tatiana to procure future funds for her race. But as Dimitri's girlfriend, Rose must behave.

"Madame Mayor," Dimitri extends his hand out for Tatiana to shake.

"Oh," Tatiana exclaims waving his hand aside. Instead, she opens her arms motioning him forward for a hug. "There he is. The man of the hour, Detective Belikov. Thank you for joining us and thank you for catching the killer hurting our women."

"It was a group effort," Dimitri replies trying to keep his tone light.

"So modest," Tasha walks up behind him putting her hand on his shoulder. "Tell them how you did everything and more to catch the killer." Her eyes linger on Rose's hand in Dimitri's. "Hello, Rose."

"Tasha," Rose gives her a tight smile but says nothing else though she could say much more. Rose could mention how Tasha tried to thwart Dimitri's efforts, so she could steal the thunder. But Rose must play nice. For Dimitri.

"Who is this young lady?" Tatiana turns her attention to Rose.

"This is my girlfriend, Rose Hathaway," Dimitri says relieved and more than happy to shift the attention to the beautiful woman holding his hand tightly. He knows she's trying so hard to keep her thoughts to herself. "She is a nurse at Massachusetts General."

"Oh," Tatiana nods appreciatively. "My nephew is a doctor there. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

"Doctor Ivashkov?" Rose exclaims excitedly causing Dimitri to frown. "Of course! I've worked with him. He's one of the best."

"Oh darling," Tatiana chuckles clutching the pearls around her neck. "You mean the best. So sad he is leaving."

"Leaving?" Rose frowns and her smile fades. "I didn't know. Where is he going?"

"I thought you knew," Tatiana sips her champagne. "Though it is not my place to speak of it, but I can hardly keep the excitement to myself. He has been offered a position as director at Brigham Hospital. It is such an honor since he is so young, but they recognize talent when they see it. I did wish he would stay in Massachusetts General, but he has fallen in love with one of the nurses. He can hardly stay there; it is unethical. But there is not much I can say."

"Oh," Rose blushes and shifts uncomfortably. In her mind, Adrian's attention begins to suddenly mean more. Is he transferring because of her? Is he going to try to make a move tonight? She's with Dimitri. How is she going to explain herself to both, Dimitri and Adrian? She shouldn't have been flirting with Adrian.

"How long have you two been dating?" Tatiana asks a little flustered she just told a nurse who works with Adrian his life story. She had promised to keep Adrian's private life to herself until he's ready to reveal the identify of the mysterious nurse he's so in love with he'd throw away working for the number one hospital in the state.

"A couple of days," Dimitri responds when Rose remains quiet.

"So, you're in the honeymoon phase," Tasha downs her champagne. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Very true," Tatian nods. "Before all the fights and you notice how incompatible it turns out you are. I am currently on my second divorce, I know."

Several people laugh. "Well, it's a good thing we're not married yet." Dimitri chuckles uncomfortably. "We have been friends since childhood, so I think our chances are pretty high."

Dimitri notices Rose's hand sweating profusely in his. He steers the conversation to other topics until he can no longer take Rose's silence and excuses themselves. Rose stammers out a goodbye as Dimitri leads her away from Tasha and Tatiana. He takes her to the dance floor where several couples dance to a slow melody. He places her hand on his shoulder and splays his palm on her lower back possessively pulling her firmly against him.

"What's wrong, Roza?" He whispers in her ear.

"Nothing," she replies shaking her head as if to rid her mind of all the thoughts darkening her mood and ruining the night.

"I know you better," Dimitri spins them around. "Talk to me. You don't have to hide what you really think from me. I can tell you're pretending to be something you're not."

"I just…" Rose sighs. He's right. She has been worried about saying the wrong thing and embarrassing him. But hard as she tries, she can't recall a time he's ever said he's embarrassed by the lack of filter in her mouth. "I feel so out of place. I don't understand why this is necessary. I mean, I get we're trying to get money from all these people, but I feel Tatiana's motives aren't so noble."

"Why not?" Dimitri continues to move them to the rythm of the piano and violins.

"I don't know," she shrugs.

"That's not it," he grabs her chin with his thumb and forefinger tilting her head up to look into her eyes. "Tell me what else is on your mind. You grew awfully quiet when Tatiana's nephew was brought up. What happened there?" Dimitri notices a hint of jealousy and possessiveness in his tone.

"I work with him. I didn't know he was leaving that's all," Rose bites her lower lip. "He may or may not be in love with me…"

"Oh?" is all Dimitri says when Rose doesn't continue.

"This was before we started dating," Rose continues speaking fast wanting to get it over with. Honesty, she's been told is vital in relationships which makes sense. And she wants her relationship to work so bad. "I flirted with him a little…"

"Mind if I cut in?" Galina taps Dimitri's shoulder. She wears a metallic, one shoulder, long sleeved gown with snake print and a high slit on the front.

"We do," Dimitri grunts turning to barely spare Galina a look.

"It's okay, Comrade," Rose caresses his cheek with her palm. "I'm going to powder my nose." She turns to Galina. "What a beautiful gown, Galina. Very fitting. Now you're snake on the outside, too"

Dimitri stifles a laugh as he watches her walk away. That's more like the Rose he knows and loves. He grows somber and frowns as he watches her move through the crowd. The men do double takes watching her gliding through the room pushing a lose curl behind her ear. The women are green with jealousy as their companions keep drooling after Rose. It's not a surprise Rose draws the attention of everyone when she walks in a room. She is the epitome of beauty and sexiness. Though Dimitri wants nothing more than to hide Rose from those without noble intentions, he can't be possessive. It's not what Rose needs but hearing that another man might be attempting to steal her affections makes Dimitri want to punch a wall. But he must hold off on punching any walls and hear the full story when Rose returns. Galina clears her throat demanding his attention. She steps into Dimitri's arms her hands roaming his chest imagining the hard muscles under the suit. Uncomfortable but knowing he must be a diplomat, Dimitri makes sure to keep a distance between the two as they dance.

"Feisty," Galina comments dryly. "Or should I say immature."

"Is this why you interrupted us? To insult my girlfriend?" Dimitri raises an eyebrow.

"Girlfriend?" Galina repeats raising her voice in surprise. "Just yesterday, she was your dear, close friend. You two move fast."

"I don't need your commentary," Dimitri sighs already wishing Rose hadn't left. He almost wishes he hadn't picked this night to be their first night out as a couple. They should have skipped this party and gone to the movies or dinner. Somewhere more private away from everyone who seems to think they can voice their opinion about their relationship.

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you," Galina shrugs stepping closer into Dimitri's embrace pushing his hand lower on her back, keeping it there. "Also, don't say I didn't tell you how much fun you and I could have. I can do things to you…"

"Rose is the only one that can do things to me," Dimitri roughly removes his hand from her back and steps away from her. "She's the only one I want. What does it take to make you understand that?"

Without another word, Dimitri sets out to find Rose. After asking a couple people, Rose finds a bathroom. She locks the door behind her and looks in the mirror. Her lipstick is faded thanks to the champagne she managed to snatch on her way to the bathroom. She's going to need more champagne or something stronger to get her through the night. So far, she hasn't seen Adrian, but the night is young, and it's possible he will be here soon. She just hopes this doesn't ruin his night with Dimitri. As if she needs more reasons to make people question their relationship. What Tatiana and Tasha said struck a nerve in Rose. How long before the honeymoon phase is gone, and Dimitri and Rose are at each other's throats? How long before they turn into her parents?

"It doesn't have to be this way," Rose tells her reflection. "We can make it work. We are not my parents." She digs through her clutch for her lipstick and reapplies before heading back out.

Out on the dance floor, she no longer sees Dimitri. She moves from room to room snatching hors d'oeuvres and champagne along the way. She stops to admire a painting of Boston's harbor in the 1800s. Munching on a fingerling with smoked salmon and avocado, Rose doesn't notice the man slowly approaching her from down the hall. He looks her up and down, his eyes lingering on her ass. He howls startling Rose causing her to almost drop her food. She turns to face him her eyes immediately rolling to the back of her head in annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" She sighs crossing her arms over her chest.

"Same thing you are. Enjoying the party, writing checks, and all that boring shit." Once again, the man howls. "You are looking good, Rosie."

"Thanks, Jesse," she rolls her eyes again and makes her way back to the party. "I will see you at our high school reunion."

"Oh, come on," Jesse grabs her by the wrist pulling her back abruptly causing her to stumble into his arms. "Why don't we have our own reunion? Relieve the good old days. You remember, right? Sneaking into coach Petrov's office to make out in eleventh grade?"

"Yeah, I rather forget that," she tries to push away from him, but he holds her in place. "Let go."

"Why would you want to forget? We were so close." He licks his lips as his hand sneaks behind the back of her head tangling his fingers in her long locks. "Let's get reacquainted. You still like it when I bite your neck?" He pulls her head exposing her neck to him.

"Jesse," she fists her hands and tries to push away from him again. "I said let go."

"Let her go, Zeklos," Dimitri stands a looming figure in the hall. His hands are fisted at his sides, and his eyes burn with hatred as Jesse holds Rose against him. "Don't make me break your arm again."

"Belikov," Jesse removes his hands from Rose. She quickly makes her way to Dimitri. He throws his arm around her. "I forgot you're always there like a fucking lap dog."

"Watch it," Rose's chest raises and falls rapidly. "He's a detective now. He can make your life hell."

"Yeah, I heard," Jesse smooths his hair and smiles. "He's the one who should watch it. My family and I donate a lot of money to this thing. He wouldn't want us to pull our support for the police department because he threatened me."

"I didn't threaten you, Zeklos," Dimitri growls. "I'm simply reliving the good old days as you put it. Now, scram before I have you arrested for harassment."

"She asked for it," Jesse says hotly pointing at Rose. "You may not believe it, but Rose is no saint. She's always flaunting it. Whatever she gets, she deserves."

One second, Dimitri is next to Rose and the next he's holding Jesse up by the throat. Dimitri holds Jesse against the wall, his large hand wrapped around Jesse's throat. Jesse struggles to breathe as Dimitri gets on his face. Rose looks around panicked hoping no one will notice the exchange. She moves towards Dimitri.

"Stay back, Roza," Dimitri growls. "This is long overdue. I tried to stay calm, Zeklos." Dimitri chuckles humorlessly. "You always did like to test me, so I dare you. Say something else about Rose, and I will break every fucking bone in your worthless body. I will start with your fingers. Now get out of here before you find yourself with five kilos of cocaine in your trunk."

Dimitri releases Jesse, who scrambles to his feet coughing violently before disappearing down the hall Dimitri came from. Fuming, Dimitri pulls Rose into his arms breathing in her scent and letting her arms wrap around his torso. Slowly, his breathing becomes more even, and he finally pulls away to look at Rose. She doesn't look harmed in any way just shook.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri places his hands on each side of her face holding her gently. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I'm okay," she sniffs and pushes the tears back. She has never been treated that way before. It's scary to think if Dimitri hadn't come along, who knows what Jesse would have done. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"What are you apologizing for?" Dimitri cuts her off perplexed.

"He's right. I do get into situations. I could have gotten you in trouble. I mean his family is really powerful. You could be fired for threatening him." She avoids eye contact once again thinking of her flirting with Adrian and her past indiscretions with Jesse when they were in high school. She has a knack for getting in trouble with men it seems.

"It's not your fault. Look at me, Rose." Dimitri wipes a tear Rose didn't realize had escaped. "You didn't do anything wrong. Come on. I'll take you home."

"No," Rose takes a deep breath. "I'm okay. We can't let him ruin this for us. Or Galina. Or anybody. This is our first night out. We can still save it."

"Okay," he concedes after looking into her eyes for a few minutes trying to decipher her emotions. "Let's go join the party. Sydney just arrived, too."

"Sydney?" Rose frowns and follows Dimitri back into the crowd.

Soon enough, Rose recognizes Sydney's golden mane in a braid cascading down the indigo gown Rose helped her pick out earlier. Next to her stands a tall man with tousled hair. His hand rests respectfully on Sydney's upper back as they converse with Tatiana. Rose takes lead as she moves towards Sydney. Rose's heart beats fast in her chest when she taps Sydney on the shoulder. Her and her companion turn to Rose. Just as she suspected, Sydney's secret boyfriend turns out to be Adrian Ivashkov.

"What the hell?" Rose says out of breath. "Sydney, would you care to explain?"

"Rose," Sydney blushes dropping her eyes. "I… Can we talk somewhere else?"

"Sure," Rose snaps and turns her eyes to Adrian. "Good to see you, doc."

The ladies make their way to a nearby sofa where they sit in silence for a few minutes. Rose tries to calm her breathing as several things run through her mind. Mostly, she feels shame. She assumed Adrian had been flirting with her. She assumed it was because of her he had decided to transfer! All those times Rose felt Adrian's eyes, they weren't on her. They were on Sydney. Rose covers her lips with her hands as she begins to laugh humorlessly.

"I wanted to tell you," Sydney begins worriedly her eyes on Rose's hand covering her mouth. "We couldn't share with anyone our relationship. It's not allowed for a doctor to date a nurse. We had to wait until he secured a position somewhere else…"

"I heard," Rose says through the laughter. "Congratulations to the doc. Now you can finally be honest with your friends."

"I'm sorry," Sydney closes her eyes at the way Rose spits out the word friends. "I really wanted to tell you, but I couldn't."

"Right. Because you couldn't trust your friends to keep this secret for you? Lissa and I tell you everything. How could you?" Rose shakes her head unable to comprehend how Sydney could hide this for so long. Never mind the embarrassment Rose is feeling now for pretentiously assuming Adrian was after her. What hurts Rose more is that Sydney didn't think she could be trusted.

"I don't know what to say," Sydney sighs rubbing her sweaty palms on her dress. She didn't know Adrian was going to bring her to this party. If she had known, she would have told Rose of her relationship with Adrian before coming here instead of letting her find out like this. She and Adrian had been so careful to keep a distance at work. "I love him, and he loves me. Can you just be happy for me?"

"Sure," Rose snorts getting to her feet. "I'm happy for you, Syd. Enjoy the rest of your night, friend."

Without another glance, Rose stomps away her eyes already searching for Dimitri. She couldn't wait to get out of there. In fact, she couldn't wait to tell Dimitri everything. They are surely going to have a laugh about the whole situation. Her eyes fall on Adrian talking with Tatiana. He notices Rose looking and waves. Rose flips him off and stalks away from the crowd. She decides to find a quiet spot to sit and call Dimitri. There's no reason for her to be searching for him and risking running into Sydney, Adrian, or Jesse again. Dimitri could just come to her.

Making her way through the mansion with her eyes fixed on her phone as she composes a text to Dimitri, Rose hears voices nearby. Galina. Rose rolls her eyes and is about to change directions when she hears Dimitri's voice as well. Rose drops her phone back in her clutch following the sound of voices.

"- it doesn't match," Galina says. "Someone wants to sabotage your case, detective."

"Tasha," Dimitri runs his hands through his hair. "It has to be Tasha. No wonder she is so eager to put this case to rest. I didn't know she wanted the case so badly."

"Doesn't matter. Alto will investigate later. What's important now," Galina moves close to Dimitri pushing a loose lock of hair behind his ear. "Your killer is still on the loose."

Dimitri clears his throat standing up straighter. "Thanks for the heads up, Galina."

"Of course, darling," her hands run over his chest. "We have to stick together, you and I. We could be the ultimate dream team. A power couple. Think of what we can accomplish if you just drop the nurse."

"Galina," Dimitri grabs her by the wrists and pushes her back. "Not this again. I don't understand your obsession…"

"Oh, can't you?" Galina pulls away from his hold. "I have shown interest from the beginning, and you have never given me the time of day. I know it's because of Rose now. But how can I compare to her?"

"Exactly," Dimitri says making for the door. "You don't. She is everything."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Galina rushes forward and pulls Dimitri by the hand. He spins around to once again tell her to back off. The sleeve of her dress is pushed down exposing her breasts to him. Caught off guard, Galina takes advantage of his shock guiding his hand to her breast. "I am much more than her. Come and find out for yourself."

She claims his lips just as Rose opens the door catching Dimitri with his hand on Galina's breast and his lips on hers. And that is the last straw for the night. Without saying anything, Rose turns around and slams the door shut. Dimitri regains control of his brain. He pushes Galina away and storms out of the room knowing full well Rose caught him in a compromising position. He scans the room searching for the red of her dress. He spots Sydney dancing with Tatiana's nephew.

"Sydney," Dimitri taps her shoulder gently. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Have you seen Rose?"

"No," Sydney frowns. "I assumed she went to find you. We, uh, we argued, and she just walked away."

"Thanks," Dimitri murmurs as he continues scanning the crowd.

Doubtful she will linger in the party, Dimitri goes outside asking guests along the way if they have seen Rose. They all shake their heads. Once outside, the valets tell him the same thing. It's like Rose has vanished and no one has seen her. Dimitri tries her cellphone, but it sends him to voicemail after a couple rings. Desperate, he heads back inside determined to search every single room and find her. If no one has seen her leave, then she must be hiding in one of the mayor's many rooms.

Rose snuck out while the valets were smoking. No one at the gate paid her any mind either as she made her way out of the mayor's grounds. She thought the guards would stop her to ask questions considering she sniffed and wiped the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. This wasn't how Rose expected to end her night. She expected to drink more champagne, eat more shrimp and salmon, dance and laugh with Dimitri until her feet couldn't hold her up anymore. Dimitri would carry her up to her apartment, and he would either have her way with her or tuck her in. Rose didn't expect betrayal from her friend or boyfriend.

Her heart broke in her chest while her mind kept repeating over and over again, 'I told you so.' It had told her this couldn't end well. There are too many things against her and Dimitri being together. Her past growing up in a dysfunctional family, and the fact that every woman in the planet want him. She doesn't have the energy to fight every single one of them especially if Dimitri isn't willing to fight by her side. Because how else is he going to explain his hand on another woman's breast? Honestly, Rose can't wait for tomorrow to hear how Dimitri accidentally must have fallen on Galina's bare chest. How could Rose be so stupid to think she could function in a relationship? That they could make it work?

Stifling the sobs wrecking her body with her hand, Rose walks through the quiet streets. A slight breeze ruffles her hair and makes her shiver. Or perhaps is the pair of eyes watching her from a distance that makes the hairs on her arms stand up. Rose pauses and looks around. She sees nothing out of the ordinary. In the distance, she can hear the music from the mayor's mansion. A couple cars drive by, a dog barks in the distance, and a trash can falls over somewhere nearby. Her hand instinctively reaches for the necklace around her neck. She grips the crescent moon in her hand as she resumes her walking this time berating herself for leaving on her own without a word to anyone. She should send a message to Dimitri to pick her up. She can duck into the nearest bar and wait for Dimitri to come to the rescue again. But just thinking of him with his hand on Galina's breast kissing her makes her so mad and hurt. Just call him, her brain tells her over and over. She can give him the silent treatment as he takes her safely home. Her pride wins out and she picks up her pace still clutching the necklace.

Out of nowhere, an arm wraps around Rose's neck, the hand pressing a rag to her mouth as she's pulled out of the light of a lamp post into the darkness of a nearby alley. Rose struggles to pull away, but her reflexes are impaired slightly by alcohol and the strong smell of whatever is on the rag. Chloroform, Rose realizes as her eyelids drop heavily and her body loses all energy to fight the human abducting her. With her last moments of consciousness, Rose calls out Dimitri's name, but it comes out muffled by the rag over her mouth. Tears run down her cheeks as she realizes she may never be found. Dimitri won't know where to even look. Her body will one day be found in this alley lifeless, and her only regret is to have left Dimitri like she did. She should have called him. She should have swallowed her pride and talked to him. Now, she is going to pay the price of her stubbornness.

The man usually doesn't do the heavy lifting. He had someone for that. Grunting, he lets Rose fall limply to the ground. Out of a nearby trashcan, he pulls out his bag and out of it grabs a couple zip ties. He sets to work on Rose's wrists tying the ties behind her back followed by her feet. Out of the bag, he also pulls out a rag to wrap around her mouth and a pillowcase to put over her head with a hole cut so she can breathe. The last thing he would want would be for her to suffocate before they have time to have fun.

He hadn't expected to act tonight, but when he saw her leave the party alone, he couldn't pass the opportunity. Who knows if he would ever have another chance like this? He followed her at a distance making sure the detective didn't follow her. He almost got caught when, in his hunt, knocked over a trash can. Grunting, he drags Rose behind a dumpster where he hides her while he goes to get the car. Honestly, he never realized how much work it was to procure the prey. If he had known, perhaps he would have appreciated Isaiah a little more. He parks the car as close to the alley as possible and struggles to pick Rose up in his arms. He tosses her in the trunk and pulls away. He can hardly contain his excitement as he drives through the streets of Boston towards his secret place. He lets out a howl followed by deranged laughter. He finally has her.

Dimitri stumbles into Rose's apartment. In his desperation, he had driven all night searching for her until he realized perhaps she made it home safely. Rose is smart. She probably called a taxi or her mother. Rose is safe at home, surely. The lights are all off when Dimitri practically knocks the door down calling her name. He will take her wrath for waking her and for allowing himself to be entangled by Galina. He will take her eyes full of hurt and anger just as long as she is safely in her bed wearing his shirt and her wild hair sticking everywhere. The bed looks the same as earlier. Dimitri reminds himself not to panic. Rose is in Lissa's bed. Lissa's bed remains untouched, however. It is then Dimitri must do the unthinkable.

"Sorry to wake you, Janine," Dimitri's voice shakes on the phone. "I was just wondering if Rose came home to you."

"No," Janine replies all sleep leaving her voice. "I thought she was at the party with you?"

"Yes," Dimitri clears his throat. "I… I can't find her. I don't know where Rose is."


AN: A couple of things to say. First, as always, thank you for your reviews, favs and follows. Second, a lot of things happened in this chapter. I do feel sometimes it's rushed, but when I started this story, I never expected it to stretch so far. Having said that, it brings me to the third thing. The story is coming to a close in the next four chapters or so? For the mean time, no lemons since things are getting serious. Which brings me to the last thing. Rose will NOT be raped. I've been asked not to let it happen, and I promise I will not. I cannot write stuff like that, and I will not subject my readers or characters to that type of torture. Only reason why I mentioned violence in the description is because we all know that when Dimitri finds Rose, our kidnapper is going to get it lol. Thanks for reading, and I apologize for the lengthy AN, but I had to get some things out of the way. Also, call me predictable, but some of you already know what's going to happen next, but I do love it when my readers figure it out. Thanks once more for reading and allowing me to share this story with you.