Author's note:
Hello guys! Here's another chapter for you... I hope you enjoy it!
I want to thank my beta ( ilovesos9467) once again for her amazing help...
Thank you for all the reviews guys... I really appreciate it.
to bad ass4ever: thank you for helping me see the small things that my story was missing! I really hope to hear from you again...
to Analiesa: I thought cradle robber was appropriate in this situation. If I understand correctly it refers to a person who has a
relationship with someone who is much younger than he is. I'm sorry if I made a mistake but we don't have an exact word for
something like that in Italian and since I read the expression in other fan fiction, I thought it would fit!
Thank you for the review by the way, I'm really glad you're enjoying my story!
And finally a big thank you to all the reviewers who just told me to ignore inappropriate comments and keep up the good work!
You're amazing guys...
Have a great week.
Ciao
I woke up the next morning with the strong feeling that I'm forgetting something important, but I'm still too sleepy to grasp
what it is that I'm missing.
Maybe it wasn't as important as I thought if I can't seem to remember what it is...
I find that Dimitri is no longer next to me, and the fact that I didn't hear him when he left makes me realize that the barrier drained me of more
energy that I thought...
Well, it wasn't just the barrier that tired me out yesterday!
I blush thinking about how my Russian god made me feel last night, and even though I'm still a little embarrassed about the situation,
I don't regret that it happened...
If that was just foreplay, I can't even begin to fathom what sex with my Russian god would be like.
My wandering mind gets back to reality the minute that I realize I'm listening to somebody else's conversation...
Once again, I've been pulled into Dimitri's head, but this time is different: I know what is going to happen, so I don't panic. Instead, I just listen closely.
Dimitri is with Lissa inside Kirova's office and from their faces, I can clearly tell that they're in the middle of a heated argument.
"We need to send her away. She's a danger to this school.. If she hadn't been here, the Strigoi wouldn't have attacked us!" says Kirova assertively.
"Absolutely not! Rose is not going anywhere without me... Can you imagine what would happen to her if she were attacked while she was on her own?
This is the safest place for her to be right now..." answers Lissa, anger radiating off her body.
Seeing her mad is actually a very hilarious sight: her appearance is far too soft to scare anybody, but I know that when it comes to her friends' safety,
she can become quite dangerous.
"Princess, I need to think about the Moroi's well being...Do you know how many of us could have died because of her? I can't allow it!
Your life is too important..." Kirova insists.
"Our life is too important? Could you please point out to me what it is that makes us so special? Can you tell me why other people's lives, dhampirs or humans,
are worth so little to you? It's absurd! I will not send my best friend to die, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who sees it that way. Adrian and Christian...
I mean Lord Ozera and Lord Ivashkov agree with me!"
I can feel a tear falling down my cheek: seeing Lissa defending me so strongly, made me slightly emotional...
Dimitri doesn't say a word: he knows that if he gets in the middle of it, he will only make it worse!
He's pretty proud of Lissa at the moment, but as any good guardian, he's already thinking about a possible plan B in case things go south...
If they kick me out, he's already decided that he will come with me!
WHAT? Is he crazy? Absolutely not! I will not allow him to ruin his career because of me...
My musings are interrupted by Kirova's words.
"I'm sorry princess but my hands are tied."
When Dimitri's gaze lands on Lissa, the wicked grin she's sporting sends a shiver down my spine!
That expression would suit Freddy Kruger, but definitely not sweet, sweet Lissa...
The whole situation feels wrong, and when Lissa starts speaking, her delicate voice is in complete contrast with the whole ordeal.
My mind racing to understand what she's trying to accomplish.
"I'm the one who is sorry, Headmistress, but you asked for it!" says my best friend.
She starts concentrating, and then she focuses on Kirova's eyes.
"You will not tell anyone the real reason behind the attack... Rose will stay here, and we will do anything in our power to keep her safe!" Lissa commands.
I'm going to kill her! She's using compulsion, and if anybody finds out, she's going to be in so much trouble...
Kirova just nods; her eyes are blurry and unfocused.
"Of course, princess... You can go now!"
A satisfied grin appears on Lissa's face, and in a matter of seconds, she's out the door with Dimitri in tow.
"I don't need to ask you to keep everything you just saw to yourself, do I, Dimitri?" asks Lissa.
"Absolutely not, Princess. If this can help Rose stay safe, I will not say a word..." answers Dimitri with certainty.
Lissa stops in her tracks, and turns around to face my Russian god with a curious expression on her face.
"I've seen the way you look at her... You're in love with her, aren't you? " asks Lissa while sporting a gigantic smile.
Dimitri sighs and... I'm out of his head!
No, no, no... Why now?
By the time I try to read his thoughts, it's too late, and they've already move on to another topic...
Damn!
Involuntarily, I start thinking about our relationship, and how things changed between us in a matter of weeks...
I'm sure it's not normal! I've always thought that falling in love required time and...
Oh my god! That's what I was supposed to remember a few minutes ago...
Last night, before falling asleep, I told him I love him!
How the hell did I forget something that important?
I'm so embarrassed! What do I do the next time I see him? Do I pretend that I don't remember saying it?
Maybe I was lucky, and he fell asleep before I even said anything... Oh God! Please let's hope so...
I clearly hear people walking outside my room. By the time somebody's knocking at my door, I managed to get my emotions under control.
Lissa and Dimitri smile at me after getting inside while they look around trying to find a place to sit.
I know, I'm messy, but what can I do about it?
Lissa finally succeeds in finding a little space for her on my bed, but I don't know where Dimitri is... I'm too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.
"So... how are you feeling?" asks Lissa
"I'm feeling better. I don't feel tired anymore... Don't worry! My energy is back..." I answer looking straight at her.
"Lissa, I saw what you did in the headmistress' office... You shouldn't have done that! You know what would happen to you if they found out?" I ask,
really concerned about her well being...
"You were in my head, weren't you?" asks Dimitri out of nowhere. "I thought I felt something, but it was different from when you read my thoughts..."
"Yes! After I woke up, I found myself in your head. I heard your conversation with Kirova" I answer trying to look at everything but him.
"Rose, she wanted to send you away... I couldn't allow it! Besides, nobody will notice, and in the meantime, we can interrogate our friend in jail
and try to really understand what's going on." says Lissa, resuming her previous speech.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going too find Christian and Adrian... I promised them that I would explain everything as soon as I got through with my little
chat with Kirova"
Before Lissa reaches the door, I stop her hug her, whispering "thank you" in her ear.
"You're welcome." she answers, smiling, and then she quickly exits my room.
Dimitri and I stay quiet for a few seconds before I hear him walking towards me. He puts two fingers under my chin, gently forcing me to meet his eyes.
"Hey"
"Hey" I answer, completely lost in those chocolate irises that make me feel weak in the knees.
Suddenly, his lips are on mine for a sweet kiss that promptly turns into something more.
When our need to catch our breaths becomes too much, I take a step back, and stare at him realizing that those words that seemed impossible
to say out loud before, come naturally now...
"I love you" I say without losing eye contact.
His breath hitches for a few seconds, probably surprised at my words, but then, an amazing smile appears on his face.
"I love you too, Roza!" he says sweetly.
When my eyes fail to see any sign of doubt in his gaze, I resume our previous activity; kissing him with more fervor and more passion.
Dimitri's hands are everywhere: on my back, on my hips, in my hair, but mine are hardly less so.
When my fingers slip under the hem of his shirt to caress the muscles that pull taut under my touch, Dimitri reluctantly takes a step back.
"Roza maybe we should stop. Otherwise, there's no way that I will let you out of this room..." he says with a wicked grin on his face.
I blush at his comment, and even though I find the idea greatly alluring, I know that we both have more important things to do...
Besides, the only reason why I'm letting him go is because I know that we will have time for this later.
Dimitri nods at my last thought, and after leaving a quick peck on my lips, he says his goodbye with the promise to find me after his shift ends
so we can both interrogate the Strigoi.
When he's gone, I hastily walk towards the library with the clear intention of doing some research. I'm not prepared for the surprise that's waiting for me:
Adrian, Christian and Lissa are there, already focused on some books.
"Guys... what are you doing here? " I ask, although I already know the answer.
"We thought you could use some help, so while you were heavily making out with your cradle robber...Don't even try to deny it! Your aura is practically glowing...
we started to do some reading.." says Adrian, incredibly amused by my blushing cheeks.
I heavily clear my throat and trying to sound casual, I look him in the eyes.
"I've never seen these books before... Where did you get them?" I ask looking at the new books on the desk.
"I asked my aunt, the Queen, to send me some of her books at Court, trying to pass it off as a simple interest in other people's weird powers.
They arrived a few minutes ago..." he says looking incredibly smug.
"Adrian, I can't believe you came up with this idea... You're a genius! Thank you!" I say actually launching myself at the books.
"Don't sound so surprised little human... I might be a drunk, but I'm a very smart drunk... " he says chuckling.
We spend the next three hours reading, finding some information about other people like me, but nothing extremely useful...
I'm ready to call it quits when Lissa practically jump in her chair, squeaking loudly!
"I think I found something guys..." she says pretty excited before starting to read out loud.
"Mind readers are definitely the most intriguing people in our world. They are a small community that prefers to live among their peers, isolated from the others
in this world.
They're mostly human, although research led me to believe that in the past, at least one Damphir possessed the same ability, and the number of mind readers
is rapidly decreasing.
I managed to convince them to let me stay with them for a while, just to get a sense of what they're really about, and I must say that the entire experience
was fascinating.
Just seeing them interact with each other was enough to fill this journal, but what shocked me was being able to see what they can really do.
Mind reading is just a small part of their powers, and when I managed to talk to one of their youngest member, Akim Mazur, I was able to understand more
about their living arrangements."
I gasp loudly and everybody's attention turn to me.
"What's wrong Rose?" asks Christian slightly concerned.
"I know that name... That was my grandfather's name! Is there something about a date in the journal?" I ask Lissa
"No day or month, just the year... 1955!"
"If that really is my grandfather, he would have been ten years old at the time..." I say unable to contain a smile at the memories.
"I met my grandpa. He was an amazing man: sweet, considerate and he always had time for me...
When he died because of cancer, I was devastated! I really miss him..." I practically whisper looking at the ground.
Adrian's hand squeeze my shoulder in a comforting gesture and I smile at him.
I look back at Lissa, encouraging her to continue reading, and after nodding, she lowers her eyes to the book again.
"Akim told me that his community doesn't trust easily. In the past, different people tried to exploit their abilities, and that is why they prefer living in isolation.
He told me that mind reading is just the first power they come to posses: as they get older, they become more powerful, but the real change happens
when they find their mate.
He told me that what he was about to tell me were just speculations, but I was and still am inclined to believe him. He said that since they were so powerful,
people would have been scared of them and as history teaches us, humans and Moroi alike, do not react well to what is different. Because of this,
nature found a way to protect them: creating a soul mate with the ability to defend them in case of danger, and usually the ability to make them stronger.
These soul mates are usually human, without any powers, but with enough physical strength to keep them safe.
Although the most amazing characteristic of these unions is the fact that mind readers start developing new powers once they meet their other half.
Akim wasn't able to prove any of this, being too young to have found his soul mate, but he told me that he'd seen it.
The powers vary from person to person, although the ability to create barriers is the most common among them.
He told me tales of people with telekinetic powers, mind readers able to control other people's minds, and so much more.
I don't think a lifetime will be enough to learn all that there is to know about them, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to study them up close...
It was a fascinating experience indeed."
When Lissa finishes reading, everybody turn to look at me with a strange expression on their faces...
"What are you really able to do? Why are you so important?" asks Adrian studying me intensely.
"I'm sorry?" I manage to choke out
Dimitri appears in my line of sight and from the expression on his face I can clearly tell that he heard everything.
"What Adrian is trying to say is why did you get a soul mate who is not human? Why did you get me? You must be pretty important if you need a Damphir
to protect you..." Dimitri states, matter of factly.
"I don't know... I haven't even heard about all of this before. I..." but then a thought hits me.
If all of this was destined to happen, are my feelings for Dimitri even real? Would I have fallen in love with him no matter what?
Or did I have a say in this situation...
'Don't think like that Roza. Because no matter the circumstances, I'm glad this all happened... I've never loved somebody the way I love you,
and I cannot find it in me to regret meeting you, even if it was decided by fate.'
Dimitri's words make me blush, but I realize that he's right... It doesn't matter that I was destined to meet him; I'm still incredibly happy it happened...
I couldn't have found someone better, so I'm really in no position to complain.
I smile at his thoughts, but then I keep replaying Adrian's words in my mind: why am I so important?
Is this the reason why the Strigoi tried to grab me during the attack?
Maybe Lissa was right, I'm definitely not safe out of here, but I'm not sure that staying here is a good idea...
I could put them all in danger, and I don't want my friends to suffer because of this.
Dimitri's eyes lock with mine and I know that he's been listening to my thoughts.
'Don't worry Roza! We'll keep them safe, but if you want to leave, know that you're not going to be alone out there...
I'm coming with you!'
'Dimitri I don't want you to leave your life behind because of me...I don't want you to make that choice for me!'
'Roza... there's no choice to make!' Dimitri thinks looking me straight in the eyes, and his words cause my heartbeat to quicken.
'I love you comrade...'
'I love you too Roza...'
I get back to reality when I hear somebody's clearing his throat quite loudly.
I turn and I realize that my friends are looking at us slightly amused...
"Sooo... now that you're done with your private conversation, can we go and see what your friend in jail has to say?" asks Adrian, grinning like a mad man.
God! He loves to embarrass me...
Trying not to kill the guy since he's supposedly my friend, I just nod, and in a matter of seconds, we're all out the door, walking quietly behind Dimitri.