Chapter Eleven
I finally do fall asleep, and Lissa isn't here. Instead, I once again start to dream of Dimitri. We're in that cozy cabin, and he's running his fingers through my long dark hair. I try to enjoy it, but in the back of my mind I just know something is going to happen. He's whispering my name ever so softly.
"Rose," he sighs.
Like a flash of lightning, Dimitri forcefully pushes me onto the bed and pins me by my wrists. I struggle to get back up, for I fear that my very life is in danger, but he's so strong. It seems like the harder I resist the more power he has. I have no choice but to give up. Dimitri lowers his face to mine with such a glare on his face that I feel like a horrified little girl.
"I warned you once, this means war. You would be wise not to continue on this path, or there will be great sacrifice," he warns in an icy voice.
I don't know why, but I feel the sudden urge to challenge him.
"You're not Dimitri," I spit.
He's gone. And I awake with a startled expression, tears stain my dirty cheeks.
Lissa is by my side trying to comfort me; at least I thought I had woken up.
"Rose, what happened? I've been trying to reach you for at least an hour," she says frantically.
"H-he," I sputter.
I'm so startled that I don't even realize where I am; Adrian's garden. He appears beside a pear tree, and refuses to come any closer to me.
"What's wrong with her?" he questions Lissa.
"Tell me what has happened Rose," Lissa says to me.
I take a couple of seconds to gather my bearings. After I'm calm I say, "It was only a nightmare."
They both give me a skeptical look, neither of them buys it. But that's just too bad.
I quickly change the subject, "So where are you guys?"
"We're pretty close Rose; we should be in Indiana by tomorrow afternoon."
"No, we're not going to meet in Indiana; we're going to meet in Ohio. That's where he is."
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Adrian flinch at this. And for some reason, this makes me furious. I don't know, I guess the whole depression thing makes me madder than usual. Why is he so uncomfortable with Dimitri when he was in the picture way before Adrian? I know why- because Adrian is so used to having what he wants when he wants it, and right now that happens to be me. Well that's his problem.
"Ok then, we'll meet at the Tuttle mall, that's where you said you found him last night right?"
"Yeah, that's where I saw-"
Adrian intrudes into the conversation. "There are certain matters we need to discuss, things that need to be answered. For instance, what is going to happen to your boyfriend?"
His name is Dimitri.
"I've been thinking about that," Lissa says, "will he be shadow-kissed like you Rose? I mean what if this works? Will he be just like he was?"
"I don't really want to talk about this," I confess. And I don't, because what if it doesn't work? All of these thoughts and hopes are too painful.
"Yeah well more than just your life will be affected here!" Adrian booms.
It's so unexpected; it takes me a minute to recover from it. And when I do, there's hell to pay.
"You have absolutely nothing to do with it Adrian! Why are you even here? To make me feel bad for having feelings about Dimitri and not you? Because if that's the case than just leave, this doesn't concern you." I say coolly.
He turns around and walks into the unknown, toward the light.
"Just give him a minute to calm down," innocent Lissa says, as usual just caught in the middle of things. Even this makes me mad, but I hold it in. Because I know that I don't truly mean whatever wants to come out.
She's right, after a couple of minutes Adrian returns, an uncaring mask hiding his emotions.
"We're meeting in Ohio," I declare, "There's nothing further to discuss. Whatever happens happens. We'll go from there."
Without a word, Adrian disappears.
As if on cue, Lissa says, "Okay, now that he's gone, tell me what's up."
"The queen," I mutter.
"What's the deal with her?"
"She's ordered two guardians to hunt me down and have me killed," I mutter.
Her jaw drops, and at first she thinks I'm making this up.
"But why?" she demands.
"Beat's me. As far as I know it's for her own amusement."
"We're not going to let her get away with this! As soon as we settle this Strigoi thing, we're going to deal with her," she promises.
But we both know there's hardly anything we can do about it.
Lissa gives me a hug goodbye with promises of meeting up in person tomorrow.
When she's gone, I find myself lying awake in bed, unable to return to sleep.
