"I honestly don't know which one, Comrade. I'm going to look like hell either way… Which one do you like?"

Rose and Dimitri were in one of the largest fur stores trying to chose a dublyonka for her. She'd tried on numerous and finally narrowed down the selection to a black leather lined with a pale fur, or a brown leather with a tan fur. Rose wasn't exactly in love with either which seemed ridiculous given the astronomical price of each. Finally, the salesperson, sick of her vacillation, suggested she try on some pukhoviki instead. And she found it – the perfect coat!

Black leather, padded with down, knee length and fitted with a matching leather belt - it was fur trimmed at the collar and cuffs, had a detachable fur lined hood and matched perfectly with the boots, gloves and ear muffs Dimitri had insisted she'd also need. While she was no expert on Russian women's fashion, Dimitri's smoldering look when she tried on the whole ensemble suggested that she looked hot.

"You won't be as warm as with a dublyonka – but we'll be inside most of the time, and Mama has a few shuba at home you can borrow if we're going outside when it's really cold or at night," Dimitri had said. As promised, Dimitri handled all the negotiations, bartering in Russian and getting a substantial discount for paying in Euros.

"What do I owe you?" Rose asked as they headed back out to the car.

"Nothing," Dimitri said with a determined look on his face.

"Comrade? I'm still figuring out the currency conversion, but I know that all cost a bomb. You can't go around spending your money on me like that!"

"And why not?" he turned to look at her, quite serious. "Milaya – a man likes to spoil the woman he loves. Every single time you wear that jacket, those boots or gloves I'm going to get a lot of satisfaction knowing I bought them for you. We didn't get a chance to date and romance the way I would have liked to – so please let me do this for you?" Dimitri looked so earnest, Rose didn't have the heart to say no to him. So instead she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him – telling him she loved her gifts and she loved him.

"Are you hungry milaya?" he asked solicitously. It was midday, and they were preparing to leave Novosibirsk for Baia.

"Not at all – I'm still having trouble moving after breakfast," she said truthfully. Dimitri had taken her to a typical Russian canteen and ordered one of just about everything. The two of them sat there, Dimitri feeding her bits of food and explaining what each was. It was all delicious, although she'd particularly liked the dumplings.

"I can make those," Dimitri had told her with a pleased look on his face.

"Comrade if you make those for me, I'll be yours for life!"

"Deal," he'd whispered, leaning in to kiss her softly, caressing the side of her face. Although there had been a lot of food, being Dhampir they'd managed to make their way through all of it.

"I think I'm going to have to be rolled onto the plane to return home," Rose had joked.

Having determined that lunch was not going to be required, Dimitri headed to a petrol station to fill up ahead of the two-hour drive to Baia. "Petrol is cheaper in Novosibirsk, so you always fill up before you leave town," he explained. He went in to pay, coming back out with some chocolate. "This is Alenka chocolate. Every time I have it, the taste reminds me of my childhood," he laughed. "Nothing else tastes quite the same." He handed her a bar, which she promised she'd try once her stomach had stopped wanting to explode from breakfast.

Dimitri pulled out his mobile, placing a quick call Baia to tell his mother they were on their way. Speaking in English so that Rose could hear his half of the conversation, she couldn't help but notice how excited and nervous he looked.

"… paid in Euros which worked out well. Yes – and boots and gloves… I'm sure she'll love it, Mama. We had Russian food for breakfast, and she liked it all… No don't worry about it – just put extra blankets and maybe hot water bottles in my bed, she'll be sleeping with me… Yes – I bought some Alenka Chocolate, too… Yes, Mama, we'll see you soon!"

He hung up with a smile, checked his safety belt and pulled out into the traffic. "We'll be driving for two or three hours. It's usually two, but Mama said it's been snowing near there, so our time will be slower. It's good we'll be in before dark because there's a big storm forecast for tonight. We often lose power in a heavy storm, so Mama's preparing the house."

"Was she ok when you told her I'd be sleeping in your room?" Rose asked apprehensively.

"She's fine. She was checking so she knew which bedrooms to stock with logs for the fireplaces."

"Your room has a fireplace?"

"Yeah. All the bedrooms do. The house has heating as well, but if we lose power, we'll use the fireplaces as a backup. They're not enough to heat the whole house, but they can keep a single room toasty. My sisters will bunk in with the kids, Mama will bunk in with Yeva, and we'll be in my room."

"It sounds very romantic," Rose murmured, her thoughts returning to sharing a bed with him tonight and everything that meant.

"I suppose so, milaya," he said softly, stroking her leg tenderly. "I hope so." His thoughts were headed in much the same direction as hers.

"Ok, when we come around this corner, we'll be on the outskirts of town." Dimitri was grinning ear to ear. "So we're less than five minutes away from home!"

"You look like a kid on Christmas morning," Rose joked, looking at her six foot seven inch Russian God, who looked happier than she'd ever seen him.

"And you look very nervous, but there's no need to be milaya. I told you – they're going to love you!"

And then before she knew it, they were pulling up in front of a huge double story timber house. It had the look of a house that had once been smaller but had been added and added to over time. The roof was covered in snow, but the front path was clear, and there were lights flickering in the downstairs windows. Dimitri shut off the engine, honking the horn in excitement, quickly coming around to open her door before turning as the front door of the house opened.

"Mama!" he cried excitedly, racing forward to pick up a surprisingly small woman and swing her around in the air. In her late forties or early fifties, Dimitri's Mama looked a lot like him. Or rather, he looked a lot like her. He had her eyes, and something about the set of her lips was his, too. She had a kind face, which right now was beaming up at her boy.

Hanging back, Rose waited for them to finish their greetings before moving around from the side of the car. Stepping over to usher her forward, Dimitri introduced her. "Mama? This is my Roza. Rose this is my Mama Olena."

"It's lovely to meet you, Rose. We've all heard so much about you! Now come inside – it's cold out. Dimka – get the bags now while I introduce Rose to the family and get her a hot drink."

Dimitri shot Rose a look that seemed to say 'Yes I am a huge scary Guardian who kills Strigoi for a living, but I'm still putty in my Mama's hands' as he obediently headed back to the car to lug in their baggage.

Inside, the house was beautifully warm and rustically comfortable. A short corridor was filled with coats hanging from hooks. On one side, a door opened into a tiny formal parlor, on the other side, the door opened into a formal dining room. Then the corridor opened out onto a comfortable living area. There were several saggy but comfortable looking sofas as well as a couple of armchairs. A cozy fire was lit in the fireplace, and there were handmade quilts draped over the sofas. Sitting in an armchair beside the fireplace was a woman in her seventies knitting.

"Mama? Mama this is Dimka's Rose. Remember I told you they're coming to stay for the weekend before going up to St. Basil's? Dimka is working there for the next few months. Rose this is my mother, Yeva."

"I'm old, not stupid Olena. Come here child," Yeva said imperiously, beckoning Rose over to stand beside her. Reaching up, she grabbed her chin, looking into her eyes deeply. "You have lots of fire. That's good. Dimka needs a woman with fire to thaw his ice."

Dimitri had hauled the first of the suitcases in and dumped them beside one of the sofas. Looking at Yeva, he said something in Russian, sounding exasperated, before saying to Rose "I'll leave the bags down here – my sisters will want to go through them with you to claim their spoils."

"Dimka! You're here!" an excited voice said from the stairs. "And you must be Rose! I'm Karolina – we spoke on the phone. This is my son Paul, and this little one is Zoya," she said, handing Rose the baby she'd been carrying.

"Whoa! I'm not good with these things!" Rose exclaimed startled, holding Zoya rigidly while Karolina laughed at her alarmed expression.

"Nonsense, she's a natural isn't she Karolina?" Dimitri said before coming around to stand behind Rose. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and the arms she was using to hold Zoya, kissing the top of Rose's head gently, before making faces at baby Zoya over Rose's shoulder.

"Dimka you're such a softy! I can't wait for you to be a Dad one day! You'll love it!" Gasping and looking at Dimitri, Karolina quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry Dimka, Rose – I didn't mean…"

Rose just shrugged while Dimitri jumped in to smooth the awkward moment.

"It's ok, Karo. I don't need to be a Dad when I've got a handsome nephew, a gorgeous niece and another little one on the way. Besides, this way I can hand them back," he laughed as Karolina reached forward to take Zoya from him and Rose. "Hey, Paul – you're going to be taller than me if you keep growing like this," Dimitri said to his nephew who honestly was a mini-Dimitri. "Where's Sonya?"

"She'll be home any minute. She's working half days at the pharmacy. I'll warn you before she gets here, she's been super moody. Her morning sickness has only just stopped, but last week she got her first stretch marks, so she hates the world. Whatever you do, don't mention that she's glowing or even your Guardian training won't be enough to protect you," Karolina laughed.

Paul nodded. "She's scary, Uncle Dimka. And she spends hours in the bathroom. I mean what does she DO in there?"

"That's enough of that" Karolina gently chided Paul but with a twinkle in her eye. "It's taken Dimka twenty-four years to bring a girl home – we don't want to frighten her off on the first afternoon!"

"Come sit down, Rose. Are you warm enough? Would you like a hot chocolate?" Olena asked appearing from the kitchen with a tray loaded with mugs.

"Oh that sounds heavenly, thank you." Rose sat on one of the sofas, leaning back into Dimitri as he sat beside her draping his arm across the sofa back behind her. Olena and Karolina were sitting together on a sofa opposite them looking at the two of them smiling.

"So Rose? Are you finding Russia different to where you grew up? Where's home for you?" Karolina asked kindly.

"St. Vladimir's is home. I've been there since I was four and I can't really remember anywhere specific before that."

"Oh – does your Mom work there?"

"No. She's a Guardian, so she signed me over to the care of the Academy when I was in kindergarten, and I've been there pretty much ever since. I did live in Portland and Chicago for a couple of years with my friend Lissa when we ran away from school, but then Dimitri tracked us down and brought us back."

Oh shit, if it's not bad enough that he's with a seventeen-year-old who was his student, now Dimitri's family probably thought she's some sort of delinquent, too!

"Karolina – Rose is shadow-kissed, which means she has a bond with her friend Princess Vasilisa Dragomir who is a Spirit user. There was a plot against the Princess, so Rose had to take Lissa out of the Academy for two years to protect her. I was the one who headed up the team who recovered them."

"Shadow-kissed? Doesn't that mean brought back from the dead by Spirit? You'll want to meet Oksana and Mark, then. He's also shadow-kissed and bonded to Oksana," Olena said. "They're family friends and live not far from here."

"You know another shadow-kissed person, and you didn't tell me?" Rose squealed turning to look at Dimitri incredulously.

"I'm sorry, milaya. Either I never knew, or I'd forgotten. Of course, I would have told you. Mama, Yeva? Can we see them as soon as possible? One of the reasons we're visiting Russia is because Rose has side effects from Lissa's magic and she needed to be away from her for some time so it can disperse. Any information Mark or Oksana might have about preventing it happening again could be a huge help to Roza."

Yeva put her hand up in the air to stop them talking. "I've already organized for us to have lunch with them on Saturday. There's no point trying for tomorrow because the storm tonight is going to knock out the power and block the roads until Saturday morning. Now Rose, show me your foot. Since you forgot to pack enough warm socks, I'll knit you some while you're here." Obediently Rose showed Yeva her foot size, thanking her profusely.

"Comrade? I know I hadn't planned to call Lissa while we're away, but this is huge news. I'm just going to ring her quickly."

Checking the time Rose saw it was coming up on 4 am in Montana – late afternoon their time. Dialing the numbers, getting Dimitri's help with the international dialing codes, the phone made some electronic tones before finally ringing at the other end.

"Lissa?! It's me, Rose! By now you'll have figured out I'm in Russia! I'm at Dimitri's family's house – but I guess you know about that, too. I just found out they have family friends who are a Spirit shadow-kissed couple! We're going to see them in a few days!"

"Ahh hi, Camille. Look right now isn't a great time. I'm in the middle of something major here. I'll call you later."

"Lissa? Can you hear me? It's ROSE, I'm calling from Russia!"

"Yes, no problem Camille – I really need to go – sorry I have a sort of a situation going on here. Perhaps you could talk to Celeste about that? Chat later!"

Rose disconnected the call, looking at Dimitri with concern. "Something's going on, Comrade – Lissa pretended not to know it was me. She said she was 'in the middle of something major.' I'll have to see what's going on…"

Closing her eyes and concentrating, momentarily oblivious to the impression this was no doubt creating with Dimitri's family, Rose slipped into Lissa's head. It was much easier than usual – in fact, it was almost like Lissa wanted her to see what was going on. Looking around through Lissa's eyes, Rose could see she was back in the Academy guest quarters – specifically, the suite she'd shared with her Mom and Dimitri. But it didn't look like it had when they'd left it – the place was trashed. Curtains were ripped from the tracks, the sofa cushions slashed, something had been set on fire and scalded the kitchen counter-top, and there were several broken vodka bottles – one with liquid still running down the wall from where it had just been hurled. Plus virtually every stick of furniture in the place which could be broken had been. And at the epicenter of this maelstrom was Adrian, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"How dare she leave without telling me?! I wouldn't have even found out if I hadn't come to visit while the cleaning team was going through to reset the suite. How long has she been gone?! Where did she go? TELL ME!" he was screaming at Lissa.

Christian was with Lissa and stepped forward. "She didn't tell us she was leaving either," he said with complete sincerity. "We had no idea!"

Clever Christian, Rose thought – with uncharacteristic pride. As an aura reader, Adrian was adept at picking up lies when he was told them, so Christian had avoided saying anything untrue.

"And where the hell is Belikov? Why is he always getting in between Rose and me? He needs to realize she's mine. I want to have her, and I'm going to get her!"

Rose could feel Lissa freaking out. They were in the guest quarters, which was completely deserted other than the three of them, and Adrian was becoming less and less rational. Ripping herself from Lissa's head, Rose picked up her phone and dialed frantically. It seemed to take hours for the tones to click through and the phone to ring at the other end but in reality, it was only seconds. And then the phone was answered.

"Alberta? It's Rose. I was in Lissa's head, and she's in trouble right now. Adrian has discovered I'm gone and has trashed the suite where Mom and I stayed in guest quarters. Lissa and Christian are there, but Adrian's gone apeshit. No one knows they're there with him. Lissa gave me a coded message to tell Celeste, meaning Guardian Matthews. You need to send a team of Guardians there now before he hurts Lissa and Christian."

Alberta confirmed she was on it and terminated the call. Rose put her phone on the table with shaking hands and looked at Dimitri.

"Adrian's gone crazy. He's destroyed the suite where we stayed and is threatening Lissa and Christian. It was terrifying."

"Who's Adrian?" Karolina asked concerned and confused.

"Lord Adrian Ivashkov," Rose replied. "I met him only recently, but he's kind of become obsessed with me. We left the Academy without telling him so he wouldn't try and follow. He just wasn't taking no for an answer."

Olena looked at Rose and then Dimitri. "He's only a couple of years younger than you, isn't he Dimka?"

Dimitri nodded looking confused.

"Yes, I remember the celebrations when he was born. The first male Moroi Ivashkov for that generation. And, of course, he's your first cousin".