Rose's Point of View

Damn.

Isn't it bad enough that I'm stuck spending my holiday with Adrian "grab ass" Ivashkov, now I have to suffer through watching Tasha throw herself at Dimitri all night!

Wow, she didn't waste any time walking over to him.

"Just breathe Rose." Lissa encouraged next to me.

I knew I shouldn't be surprise to see her. Christian was here and he's the only family that she's got.

"A little warning would have been nice." I growled, shooting an irritated glance at Christian.

"Ahh there's my little girl." Abe bellowed, making a flashy entrance into the room. He was dressed in a ridiculous red suit, with a green tie and matching red hat.

Great, the circus has arrived.

"Old Man" I answered curtly, too annoyed to bother with pleasantries.

"Someone's in a mood." He observed, raising a curious eyebrow. "Could it be because Lady Ozera is over there getting chummy with your Dhamphir friend?"

A low growl escaped my lips and he laughed heartily at the sound.

"Oh Rosemarie, please do try and enjoy yourself. Its Christmas Eve darling, I would very much like to see my only daughter happy."

Despite his irritating behavior I could tell he meant it, and his sincere words sparked a wonderful idea.

"Do you mean that Daddy?" I asked, unleashing the full effect of my puppy dog eyes. His own eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed I was suddenly singing a different tune.

"Whatever will make you happy Flower, just name it and it's yours."

Check mate old man.

"Good! Then I'd like you to invite Dimitri to join us for dinner." I requested.

I had expected him to look angry or annoyed at my request, but instead he just looked amused.

"Well it's about time." He chuckled, shaking his head.

What the hell does that mean?

He must have caught on to my obvious confusion because he felt the need to clarify.

"How do ever expect society to accept you two if you don't start including him in these things? This isn't the academy anymore Rosemarie, no need for all the secrecy."

Did he really just say that?

"Wait, you're okay with this? I thought…well at the restaurant you said…"

"I was wrong." He cut me off, holding up a hand so he could continue. "You were right Rose, you deserve to live and love the way you choose. I got lucky when I found your mother, but just because you fell in love with a Dhamphir, doesn't mean you shouldn't get to be happy. Besides, Belikov is a good man, I can see that. Don't think I'm not aware of how well he's looked after you these last few weeks. You could do worse than to love a man such as him." He told me, before shooting a glance in Adrian's direction. I narrowed my eyes trying to decipher his intentions.

"Is this a trick?" I asked when I could find no trace of deception. He let out a boisterous chuckle that attracted attention from all over the room.

"No tricks Flower. It's like I told you before, I just want to see my only child happy." He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to my cheek before heading Dimitri's way.

"Merry Christmas Flower." He told me winking as he walked across the room.


Dimitri's Point of View

"Merry Christmas Dimka" Tasha purred once she'd made her way over to me.

I was doing my best to avoid eye contact with her and look distracted. God forbid Rose should look this way and think I'm flirting with her.

"Merry Christmas Lady Ozera." I told her formally, hoping she'd get the idea. Unfortunately for me she didn't.

"Don't be silly Dimka, you haven't called me by my title in years!" she giggled, slapping my arm playfully.

"Guardian Belikov." Abe Mazur called out heading my way.

Oh Shit.

"Good evening Prince Mazur, what can I do for you?" I asked, trying to completely ignore Tasha's presence. She was scowling at Abe for the interruption.

"It's funny you should ask that." He smirked looking between me and Tasha. "I was hoping you would join me for dinner; I know it would please Rosemarie greatly."

Was he serious?

I had no idea what was going on here, but one look at Rose's beautiful beaming smile and I couldn't refuse. She looked happier than I'd seen her in days, and I wasn't about to pass up the chance to be closer to her.

"Thank you Prince Mazur, I'd love too."

"Great." He smiled broadly, slapping me on the back. "Oh and Belikov, you can call me Abe." He winked, leading me away from Tasha.

When I arrived at Rose's side, I was more than surprised when reached out and took my hand. I shot her a questioning look, glancing around the room warily in case someone saw, but Rose just laughed.

"Relax Comrade, the jig is up." She told me, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.

"What's going on?" I whispered, wondering if this had something to do with the copious amounts of champagne Sophia and Lissa had plied her with earlier.

"It's simple really. I love you, and I'm done hiding it. I talked to my dad and he's okay with this." She told me, her smile brighter than any of the Christmas trees in this ballroom. I wanted to believe her, but given everything I knew about society I was feeling skeptic.

"Is this some sort of trick?" I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly at the cruel thought. But Rose's infectious laughter immediately lightened my mood.

"I said the same thing, but no. My dad just wants me to be happy, and you Comrade are what makes me happy." She stood up on her tip toes to wrap her arms around my neck, and pressed her lips firmly against mine. I was vaguely aware that now was hardly the time or place for this, but I had missed holding her in my arms and I happily gave her what she wanted.

"Ahhemm." A deep voice cleared their throat.

Damn Ivashkov.

Rose and I pulled apart reluctantly and she gave him an overly annoyed look.

"Sorry to interrupt" he told us, although he looked anything but sorry. "But dinner is served."

He lingered a moment longer before walking away with a knowing smile.

"Are you ready for this Comrade?" Rose asked as she linked our hands back together. "You're about to face the wolves head on." She smirked.

I had no idea what to expect from this end of a royal dinner, but with Rose's hand tucked securely in mine, I was confident we could handle it.


Rose's Point of View

"Unbelievable!" I screeched, slamming the door behind me.

"Roza, calm down." Dimitri pleaded, taking me gently into his arms. The moment I was enveloped in his warm embrace I felt slightly better.

Dinner had been a disaster, and that was putting it mildly.

*Flashback*

"Rosemarie, what is this meaning of this?" Queen Tatianna asked, gesturing rudely in Dimitri's direction. We had just sat down next to one another at the table and in a show of solidarity I had taken his hand in mine.

"Auntie, this is Dimitri Belikov, Rose's boyfriend." Adrian smirked wickedly from his seat next to her at the table.

"Boyfriend?" she screeched. "But he's a Dhamphir!"

"He is?" Adrian asked, feigning outrage.

It was actually hilarious to watch him goad her this way, and he was the only person she'd ever let get away with speaking to her like this.

"Rosemarie, this is absurd." She told me with me a stern glare. As a child I had always hated when she looked at me like that, and apparently some things hadn't changed.

"With all due respect your majesty, I don't agree." I told her politely. I'd long since learned my typical brash and bossy attitude would get me nowhere with Tatianna. She required a more delicate touch.

"Rose…" she chastised shaking her head. "You are of Royal blood, in a noble family with an impeccable reputation, don't be so foolish. You have no future with this Dhamphir!" she cried waving her hands in Dimitri's direction. I felt Dimitri's hand tighten around mine and my self-control snapped.

"Stop talking about him like he's not sitting right here!" I yelled, standing up from the table. I could feel Dimitri trying to pull me back towards my seat, but I jerked my hand away and slammed it down on the table.

"Dimitri isn't just a Dhamphir; he's a person, and an incredible one at that! We love each other, and we look out for one another which is more than I can say about most of the greedy power hungry couples here at court. Maybe the other mindless drones around here are okay with a marriage of convenience, but I'm not. Dimitri and I are a team and I'm not about to sit here, even in front of the Queen and let anyone make him feel otherwise. He is my equal in every way and for the record he's not going anywhere, so anyone who has a problem with that can either accept it or go to hell!"

The entire room had fallen silent at my outburst and the longer it dragged on the more uncomfortable I felt. The Queen just stared at me shell shocked, while my father wore an amused smile. Ivan and Christian were smirking at my serious lack of decorum, and Lissa and Dimitri just looked mortified. The only person whose expression I couldn't read was Adrian's.

After an incredibly long silence, I sank back down into my chair. Dimitri's hand immediately reclaimed mine in a supportive gesture and I smiled at the warmth that flooded through me.

*End Flashback*

"It wasn't as bad as you think Milaya…"

Oh that's a load of crap.

"Please Comrade, I basically ripped the Queen a new one in front of the entire court. She's going to kill the both of us just for sport!"

He let out a soft chuckle as he hand brushed gently against my cheek.

"Not if your father has anything to say about it." He reminded me, and I recalled Abe's encouraging words when we left the dining hall tonight.

I let Dimitri lead me over to the bed, and when he laid down I slipped out of my dress and slid in beside him. For once I wasn't even going to try to seduce him; I just needed to feel his safe embrace.

"Dimitri, how did my life get so complicated?" I asked, thinking about all the millions of ways the universe seemed to be plotting against me.

"I hate to break it to you Roza, but your life has always been complicated."

I knew my sexy Russian was right, my life had always been a disaster. My mom died as a kid, my dad was MIA, my stand in family died a horrible death, and one of my best friends died saving me from the fate of becoming a Strigoi breeding machine.

"That's not helpful." I sighed, slapping his chest playfully. He let out another laugh before grabbing my arms and pulling me into his lap.

"Maybe not, but if it helps, I think your little speech tonight was incredibly sexy…" Something in his tone peaked my curiosity and when I met his gaze I saw his eyes were clouded over with lust. He was looking at my scantily clad body like a starving man stares at a piece of steak.

"Comrade…I thought you wanted to wait?" I didn't know why I was reminding him, this was exactly what I have been begging him about for weeks. "You said you wanted it to be special" I mocked, saying the last words in a poor Russian accent. He laughed lightly before the intensity returned.

"Roza Milaya, you stood up tonight in front of the most important people in our world and declared your love for me. What could be more special than that?"

I was about to try and answer but he never gave me the chance. Instead I let him pull my underneath him and got lost in an oblivion of passion. When it was over I curled my naked body into his and sighed.

"That was definitely worth waiting for." I murmured, pressing a kiss against his soft bare chest. He chuckled in response. "I love you Comrade."

"I love you too Milaya."