Oksana spoke up, "but they can have children Karo. You forget Rose was shadow-kissed, a shadow-kissed person can have children with anyone."
"But she is not bonded anymore." Mia said.
"Yes, but remember, I said she still had all the same powers she had when she was bonded."
"Oh." Everyone supplied.
"Oksana are you serious? My Roza and I can really have children together?"
"Yes, I thought you knew. That is why I didn't bring it up."
"No, we didn't. That has been the bases for many a tear filled discussions between us."
"I am so sorry Dimitri. If I had known that you didn't know, I would have said something sooner."
"It's fine. At least now I know, that I can actually give her that."
Right then Paul came running in, "uncle Dimka, uncle Dimka."
"What is wrong Paul?"
"Auntie Roza…." He never got to finish, we heard a blood curdling scream. I ran as fast as I could move to my love.
She was thrashing all over the bed. Moaning loudly, then another scream. Zoya was on the other side of the room huddled in the corner crying, not knowing what was going on.
"No! Dimitri no! Please no." Oh God she is dreaming about me being a strigoi, I thought. "No! don't you leave me; I won't let you go this time. No! Please don't leave me." I was at her side in an instant, lifting her into my arms and rocking her shaking body.
"Roza, I am right here my love. I will not ever leave you again, never again my love, I promise. Shhh, I love you baby." The more I spoke to her the quieter her cries became. Finally, she once again slept restfully.
"Dimitri, she is not dreaming of the past. She is having a premonition." Oksana said.
"But I am never leaving her again, I would rather die than leave her."
"I know, and that is exactly what is going to happen. But it won't last long, you will come back to her."
"I am sorry Oksana, but what do you mean." She turned and looked at my babushka, who nodded her head. Oksana turned back to me. "There will be a massive attack, during the coronation." She took a deep breath and continued, "And Rose will fight. The two of you, Eddie and Christian will fight together, but during the fight you will get separated. During that time, you will be fighting a strigoi and another will sneak up behind you and break your neck." Everyone gasped and my family began to cry. "Rose's powers will explode when she sees what has happened to you, a light will explode from her. This light will encompass all of court, and it will incinerate every strigoi that remains anywhere around court. It will do the same to anyone that is already in the process of turning. She will have to shadow-kiss you to bring you back. But you should know, that Rose and Mark are only half shadow-kissed. You will be fully shadow-kissed. I don't know how any of that happens, but when she is doing it, don't argue just agree. Because if you die, she will follow you. And that will throw our world into a darkness, that we will never recover from." I gently and carefully lay Roza back in our bed and pulled the covers over her. We all went back into the living room.
Zoya was in Karo's lap crying, as her mother rocked her. "Zoya, auntie Roza didn't mean to scare you honey, she was just having a bad dream." I told her.
"I know unci Dimka. But she was so scared." She sobbed. For a four-year-old, Zoya was extremely bright. I wondered if mine and Roza's children would look and act like mini Roza's or mini me's. Probably a mixture of both, I decided.
I looked back at Oksana, "do I tell her what is going to happen?"
"She will remember everything that she saw."
"Can you tell me why all of this stuff keeps happening to my Roza?"
"Because she is destined to do great and amazing things, you both are. These are the trials that will prepare both of you for the future. But do not worry, her trials, and yours, are almost over. When she fully shadow-kisses you, things for both of you and our world will change, dramatically, for the better. She will be the greatest and most loved queen to ever reign. When the two of you retire and hand the control of our world over to your great, great, great, great, great granddaughter. You will both be worshipped as the greatest monarch's to ever live."
"Wait you said great, great, great, great, great granddaughter?" I asked confusedly.
"Yes, fully shadow-kissed people are immortal." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Holy shit." I heard Adrian say, and I had to nod in agreement. "Is that why it has been so difficult to kill her?" Oksana nodded.
"So all the problems Rose has had with being shadow-kissed, and she was only half shadow-kissed?" Eddie asked incredulously.
"Yes, that is why the problems. If Vasilissa had known how, and finished the ritual, fully shadow-kissing Rose. She would never have had any problems. The darkness would have been easily controlled, the pain she gets from being outside the wards, would never have happened either. And her sanity would never have been called into question either."
"Damn." Christian exclaimed, and again I had to agree. "So is Mark fully shadow-kissed?"
"No. He wants to live out his normal life span. So we didn't finish the ritual. But Dimitri, as I said, you and Rose do not have that choice. You have to complete the ritual. I don't know what it contains, but I do know you have to do it, both of you."
"Ok, if that is what it takes to protect and keep my Roza safe, then so be it." I said firmly.
"You really are willing to do anything for her aren't you?" Celeste asked.
"From the day I met her, until the very end of time." I looked at Mia, "if she is going to need to fight, we are going to have to make sure she is prepared. She can't fight in her coronation gown and high heels. Well, I mean knowing her, she probably could, but she doesn't need to." Everyone laughed but agreed with me. "So I need you to get her to wear a pair of workout pants under her dress, without telling her why. If I haven't already told her. And stash a pair of her combat boots near the stage."
"Will do. Anything else?"
"Make sure all of our family gets into the safe room. Well except for Chris apparently. That goes for all of you, as soon as you know it is time, you all run to the safe room. Because if we have to worry about whether or not you made it safely…"
"We understand Dimka, and we know what is at stake." My mother said.
When it was dinner time I went and woke my sleeping beauty, so she could eat. After dinner everyone was getting ready to leave, when Roza remembered the other gifts she had bought at the jewelry store.
"Before you leave, Belikova's, Mia, aunt Tati and Oksana. I have somethings for you." I brought her the bag full of jewelry boxes. "When I call your name please come up, once everyone has their box then open them." After they were passed out, they were opened to ohh's and ahh's from everyone.
They all had diamond tennis bracelets with accompanying stones to match their dresses. Along with a ring, necklace and earrings to match. Roslyn's and Zoya's were different, theirs held no earrings or rings. They did have necklaces but theirs were gold chains with a two carat diamond pendant. They also had miniature tennis bracelets, also with stones to match their dresses. Their bracelets were built to where more links could be added as they grew older, so they would always be able to wear them.
"Roza, you didn't need to do this." My mother said. While the rest of the women in our family nodded at her.
"It was nothing, plus it was fun. Pasha are you ready for yours?" My Roza always preferred giving gifts to receiving them. It was just another example of her giving heart and nature. Usually she either had to make them or Lissa would pay for them, but now she could afford anything she wanted.
"Auntie Roza I already have the ring you gave me."
"I know, but I wanted you to have something else, something special to remember the day of my coronation with." She handed him the box and inside the box lay a gold chain and a gold link bracelet with barrel cut onyx stones each lined on both sides by round cut diamonds. Paul's could also have links added as he grew.
"Auntie Roza, it beautiful." Paul hugged her as he cried.
"Pasha, what's wrong?" She became worried. I think she was afraid he didn't like it, and just didn't want to tell her.
"I have never had anything like this before." I watched as her shoulders sagged in relief.
"Oh my little Pasha." She kneeled down in front of him. "You nor anyone else in our family, will ever want for anything else ever again. Whatever you want, it is yours. I would give you three the world in a bottle if I could." They hugged and cried.
"I don't need the world auntie Roza, just our family." Which was followed with more tears and hugs. Paul was also very mature for his age. I guess that came from being a damphir, well a lot of damphires, but unfortunately not all.
Zoya not wanting to be left out ran over and embraced her aunt and brother. Calling out, "me too, me too." Causing everyone to laugh. My Roza knelt in the floor with one arm around Paul and the other around Zoya, all of them laughing and crying together.
After everyone left, except the on duty guardians, who took their stations. Roza and I sat on the sofa to relax. It had been a long day for everyone.
"Dimitri?" I figured she was about to tell me of her dream.
"Hmm?"
"I had a very bad dream earlier."
"I know love, you were screaming and crying."
"It was horrible. It was at my coronation, and…and…" She faltered.
"And there was a strigoi attack." She looked at me stunned.
"How did you know?"
"What you had was a premonition Roza."
"No, it can't be. Please don't tell me that, I can't lose you again." She started crying hysterically. Huge wracking sobs escaped her chest.
Bringing her into my lap I said, "tell me what you saw baby, and I will tell you what Oksana and babushka saw."
"Shortly after I was crowned, my strigoi nausea started. We got everyone into the panic rooms, but you, me, Eddie and Chris all went out to fight. We were fighting back to back, all four of us. But the fight drew us away from each other, not far but far enough for a strigoi to get between us, sneak up behind you and…and…" She couldn't finish.
"And break my neck."
"Yes!" She sobbed into my chest. I kissed her head over and over again telling her everything would be fine, while brushing my fingers through her beautiful hair. "When you fell I ran to you, and held you. That is all I know. But you died Dimitri, I couldn't protect you. I fought so hard, and I still couldn't keep you safe. I can't live without you Comrade, please don't leave me." She implored me with her eyes to tell her that this would not happen, but I couldn't. As much as I loved her, I would not lie to her, ever, about anything.
"Calm down my love, everything will be fine, I promise. Oksana saw the same thing, but she also saw past that. She saw that when it happens a light burst from you, large enough to encompass all of court. That light incinerates every strigoi remaining near court, it also does the same to the ones that are already in the process of turning. Once that is done, somehow you access spirit magic, and shadow-kiss me, bringing me back to you. She didn't see everything but she did see that. She also saw that you are only half shadow-kissed. Lissa didn't know how to finish the ritual to make you fully shadow-kissed. She didn't really know anything about what was happening, as you know. That is why you had all of the problems you did with being shadow-kissed, because you were only half shadow-kissed. She said that you will be told how to finish the ritual, and when we finish the ritual we will both be fully shadow-kissed and bonded to each other. Apparently there is magic that only a fully shadow-kissed person can access. Once we finish the ritual, we will be immortal, and when you get ready to retire as queen you will hand over control of our world to our great, great, great, great, great granddaughter." I waited for her to process everything I had just told her. A little while later I saw her smile.
