"Dimitri... Dimitri can you hear me?...Come on DImitri, I need you to wake up... come on man."
I could hear the voice getting louder and clearer as my conciousness slowly came back... I opened my eyes groggily to see Eddies frantic face over mine, His hand was on my chest as he leaned over me. As soon as he saw my eyes open he moved back slightly. I sat up slowly, shaking my head lightly, the dizziness still swirling in my head. I sat with my head between my knees for a moment, "What happened?" I asked, I honestly couldnt remember past Riley with his arm around my neck...
"Riley grabbed you, he bit you...then Rose... she drank from you... I swear I thought you were dead, I thought she had gone full strigoi and killed you...but then she put you on the ground and told me to check on you...then she beat the crap out of that Riley guy and staked him..." He spoke in a rush, still hovering over me.
"Rose?...Where is she!?" I asked, my head whipping up straight away, please god let nothing have happened to her! Little clips of what happened were flickering in my mind... Rose talking to Riley... Him sinking his fangs in... Being shoved around and then landing in her arms... Then... Then she bit me... Oh Roza, it must have been a struggle for her to stop, I cant believe she managed it... I owe her my life...
"Shes over there... I checked on her the minute she fell, shes still breathing, I think touching the stake may have just knocked her out." He said, motioning with his head over to where I could see two bodies on the ground.
I pulled myself up off the ground, stumbling slightly. She must have taken a fair bit of blood frm me for me to be this out of it.
I dropped down to my knees beside her head, moving the pieces of her silky dark hair from her face and brushing my fingers along her cold pale cheek. Eddie was right, she was still alive, still breathing but she looked so tired, so exhausted. I gently pulled one of her eyelids open to see the red ring around her pupil. I let go and moved back slightly, I looked at Eddie who stood a few feet behind me.
"Eddie... I think... I think its now or never..." I spoke quielty. I honestly couldnt believe I was going to do it now, but I had to...for her... And it would be easier to do if she was already unconcious first anyway...
Eddie nodded as he walked over purposefully and kneeled beside me, gently gripping Rozas shoulder and rolling her so that she was on her back and her chest was exposed. I studied her face for a moment, taking in every detail of her... just in case...
I could feel my emotions getting out of control, the pain of thinking about what I had to do was almost too much, I leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, savouring the taste of her. "I love you Roza... Im so sorry..." I whispered gently against her cold, still lips.
"It will work. I know it will Dimitri." Eddie spoke so surely, so confidently beside me, one of his hands was gripping Rozas as though it was a lifeline.
"I know. It just has to..." I replied as I shifted into a position where I could get one swift direct blow.
Taking in a deep breath and lining the spirit stake up to her heart... inhale... exhale...inhale...exhale... I closed my eyes tight as I focused on why I was doing this, about getting my sweet, strong, confident dhampir Roza back...inhale...exhale... She would want me to do this...inhale... I bought my arm and the stake down with as much force as I could muster as I exhaled, I felt it break the skin of her chest, slide through her ribs and hit straight into her heart.
It felt like I was being thrown across a room, like an explosion of air throwing me back off her and onto the ground. Wind was whipping at my face, but there was no sound whatso ever. I opened my eyes slowly to see a blinding white light slowly fade INTO Rozas body, it was like she was sucking the light into herself...As it disappeared completely I lifted myself up on shakey legs and moved slowly back to her still unmoving form. Eddie did the same, he had been thrown a few feet the other way, his eyes were wide and wary, probably the same as mine.
I pulled her hand into my own, willing her to open her eyes and look at me... but there was nothing... I could see her chest still rising and falling... With the only difference being that the stake was now laying beside her...
My eyes widened as I realised the spot where the stake had gone into her was fully healed over, like it had never happened... and her skin was slowly changing colour! It was going from a deathly cold white to a warm tan chocolate brown... she was coming back! she was really turning back into a dhampir! I couldnt help the grin that appeared on my face, I was ecstatic! I held my breathe as I watched her, waiting for her eyes to open... only they still didnt... nothing else happened.
I moved over to her face, cupping her cheeks in my hands, "Come on Roza... open your eyes for me... come on..." I demanded her, willing her to do what I said.
"Dimitri... is she... is she back?" Eddie asked carefully beside me, his eyes trailing her body obviously seeing the change in her skin colour as I had.
"I... I think so..." I said, moving one of my hands to her eyes I slowly, gently lifted one lid. I gasped as I saw her gorgeous brown eyes... no red in sight, before dropping my hands and rubbing my face.
She was really back to her old self, she was dhampir again! "Yes... shes dhampir again" I said, the joy and happiness I felt was obvious in my voice. My Roza was back.
I sat beside the bed, just watching her sleep. She looked like something out of a fairytale... My own personal sleeping beauty, only she wouldnt wake up when I kiss her. I rubbed small circles on her hand hoping that some sort of movement would stir her into waking up.
Ive been sitting here in mamas house, in my old bedroom for the last two days. Eddie and I bought her straight here once we were certain that she had no more physical traces of her strigoi self. It was just a matter of waiting now...
"She hasnt woken up yet...?" Mama asked quietly, her head poking around the door.
I sighed before answering just as quietly, not moving my eyes from Roses face "No... not even a twitch..."
"Dont worry... atleast shes still breathing... " Mama murmured before closing the door and moving down the hallway.
Thats when it finally happened, my heart skipped a beat as I saw one of her eyes flutter then squeeze shut again and a soft groan escaped her lips. She shifted her body slightly, she must be uncomfortable...
I moved closer to her, so my face was resting next to hers, "Roza?" I spoke, letting my worry for her leak into my voice.
She responded by lifting her arm and dropping it heavily over her eyes. I couldnt help the chuckle that escaped my lips at how childishly cute the gesture was, before getting up and switching the lights off for her.
I moved back to her side quickly, not wanting to be any sort of distance away from her. She lifted the arm off her face before opening her eyes slowly. I moved closer, so that I was almost standing over her, I had to see the proof for myself one more time. I had to see the swirling brown depths of her eyes as she looked at me as if for the first time again.
The arm that had been covering her eyes moved so that her soft warm hand was cupping my cheek, I leaned into the feeling of her skin sending a tingle straight through me, that was something I realised that hadnt been there while she was a strigoi. I sighed quietly, looking into her gorgeous deep brown eyes, I would never take that mesmerising colour for granted ever again.
"You're back... my Roza...thank god it worked." I breathed as I mentally ingrained all of her features into my mind, watching in awe as a deep red blush crept up, colouring her cheeks making her look absolutely stunning.
"Stop looking at me like that Comrade." she smiled at me, her eyes averting so that she was looking towards the wall. I couldnt help it, I ran a finger along the heated skin of her cheek, under her chin and tilted her face so that she had no choice but to look at me.
"You cant tell can you?"
"Tell what? Ive been knocked out for... how long?" she asked, trying and failing to lift one eyebrow, I loved how she did that.
"Two whole days Roza. We bought you here after... that night... and you've been sleeping for two whole long days." I said quietly, I couldnt keep the smile off my face though, "I thought after... after I changed you... that you would wake up straight away, but no, you had to sleep and worry the hell out of me." I chuckled, watching her face as I spoke.
She looked confused, like she hadnt actually understood a single word I had said. Then, slowly And hesitantly, she lifted a hand infront of her face, turning it over and studying it. Her eyes growing wide with shock as she took in the changes. I hadnt expected her to shoot up and race from the bed, but thats exactly what she did. She was in the bathroom before I even had a chance to move.
I smiled at her impulsive lack of self control, sighing lightly, my Roza. I decided to give her a minute to get a hold of herself...then two minutes... Three minutes... Five minutes... After ten minutes I gave up, wondering if she had gotten lost, or fainted from shock... I walked silently to the bathroom, pausing for a second at the door to see her standing so still she could have been a statue. Her eyes were transfixed on her reflection.
I moved behind her and it wasnt untill I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her shoulder that she came back to life. Her eyes flicking in my direction then back to the mirror.
"So beautiful..." I couldnt help but whisper my thoughts as I looked at her standing here in my arms. I expected her to smile, or blush... But instead her face dropped, her brows furrowed slightly and she frowned, I could tell she was deep in thought about something. She suddenly shrugged out of my hold, walking straight out the bathroom door and over to the dressing table. She tried to make herself look busy, I could tell just by watching her that she was blaming herself for what happend.
"Roza... I know what you're thinking And stop. I dont care about what happened, Im still here, Im still alive, because of you... because you had the will to stop." I strode purposefully over to her, stopping right beside her and waiting untill she finally looked at me, her eyes held guilt and saddness.
"I could have killed you... I wanted to keep going... Dimitri I almost didnt stop. Im a monster... I dont deserve-"
I couldnt stand her blaming herself, thinking about what could have happened, I gripped her upper arms tightly as I practically yanked her into me, crushing my lips to hers. Both of us getting lost in the sweet, passionate kiss.
"Roza. Just shut up." I laughed pulling away only to lean my forehead against Hers "You didnt kill me, Im still here, still as in love with you as ever. Please dont beat yourself up about whats in the past. You're back now and nothing, especially not your stubborness, is going to keep me away from you." I said as I looked straight into her amazing brown eyes before bringing her lips back to mine so I could convey just how much I truly did love her.