Hey guys, sorry about the wait between updates, I've been so busy with school lately. I was able to finish outlining the remaining chapters, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to wrap up Bloodlines in the next five chapters. I have every intention of starting The Golden Lilly right after so be on the look out for that. Be sure to leave a review and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, or any of its characters. All rights go to Richelle Mead.
"Rose, please sit down, you're making me nervous."
Dimitri and I had returned to our apartment after leaving Lissa's, and I had immediately started pacing the floor. I wanted to tell him what had happened during the interrogation, and I wanted to tell him what had really happened in my spirit nightmare with Robert. I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn't find the right words. So instead of bearing my soul, I had elected to walk back and forth with no real purpose. I looked down at the floor and half-expected to find a worn out trail where my feet had tread. I saw only hardwood floors.
I glanced up at his words and saw how worried he looked. He sat on the edge of the sofa, and there were obvious signs of tension in his posture. I wasn't being fair to him, he was obviously upset by what was happening, and a lack of communication on my part was only making matters worse. I ran my hand absentmindedly through my hair and let out a sigh. Time to be a big girl.
"Rose?" He called again.
His voiced, laced with a Russian accent, usually brought me comfort, now it just made me nervous. I knew I was being ridiculous, that this was Dimitri, the man that I loved. He had seen me at my absolute worst, when I felt I couldn't sink any lower, and he had still loved me. Surely what I had to tell him now wouldn't change that.
I strode over and sat down next to him on the couch, but did so in a way that I could continue to avoid eye contact. He placed one hand gingerly on my thigh and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Are you not allowed to talk about what happened?" He offered, probably trying to find a reason that might explain my strange behavior.
I shook my head, "No, it's not that."
"Then what, Roza? You know you can tell me anything."
"I know that," I told him softly. "It's just…complicated.
Complicated wasn't really the word I was looking for. In order to fully convey my fears to Dimitri, I would have to tell him everything about my encounter with Robert, which I didn't fully understand myself.
"Start with what happened during the interrogation," he said gently, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear.
I shivered slightly at his gesture.
"Victor is dead," I started off hastily. "It wasn't him."
"That's…" his voice dropped off.
It was obvious he was just as conflicted as I was about Victor being dead. It meant I was still guilty, still a murderer. Before the questioning, a part of me had hoped that what the guardians had reported was true; that Victor was out there, still breathing.
Dimitri chose not to continue with his original line of thinking and instead asked, "Then what happened?"
"It was Robert. He compelled those guardians to think that they saw Victor."
Dimitri didn't respond immediately, and I decided to finally glance up to gauge his reaction. His face was set in that neutral expression he had perfected over the years. His eyes gave him away though; what I had said made him uneasy.
"Why would Robert do something like that?" His tone was skeptical, and his doubt caused a bit of anger to flare to life within me.
"He's toying with me," I practically yelled. "He's trying to mess with me, he knows I still feel guilty over what happened, and he knows I can't let anyone find out about the truth."
Dimitri pulled back his hand at my sudden outburst, but he kept his eyes locked on me regarding me with utter seriousness.
"How can you be sure that it's Robert?"
"Because he sent one of those guardians with a message for me," I told him, trying to keep my tone even and calm. "Tell Rose Hathaway hello for me."
He blinked, not even bothering to hide his surprise from me any more. His face quickly turned dark and his eyes narrowed.
"Does Hans know?" He asked me urgently.
"He heard that part yeah, but I told him that it was just a way to get Lissa's attention…I don't think he suspects anything."
Dimitri continued to stare at me, appraising my words.
"He even complimented me, for figuring everything out," I added for good measure.
My words were supposed to assure Dimitri, but his eyes widened and filled with fear.
"You told him your theory about Robert?"
I nodded my head, "I told him my compulsion theory, not that I thought it was Robert."
"And what does Hans think of your theory?"
"He thinks it's a good one, but he wants to investigate the matter further."
"Do you think he'll turn anything up?"
I thought about his question for a moment, I wasn't entirely sure. Would Robert have been able to skirt the security cameras and avoid being noticed by the party guests? Surely some one would have noticed him. The events surrounding my daring prison break a few months earlier sprang to the front of my mind; Adrian had been able to disguise both me and Dimitri using spirit. No offense to Adrian, but if he could do it, then Robert most certainly could.
I chewed on my lip as I thought, "I think its unlikely."
"We should consider telling the guardians that Robert is most likely behind all of this. Having a suspect could speed things along considerably."
My head whipped around to stare at him, "I can't do that," I told him fiercely.
"Roza, you need to start trusting in the guardians, we're all on the same side. We can find a way to protect you, to take down Robert without revealing what happened," he spoke his words as soothingly as possible, but it was no use.
"Don't you get it?" I asked him, voice frantic. "The only reason I even know Robert is because I busted Victor Dashkov out of prison to find him!"
Dimitri blanched, "You did what?"
"I told you I broke my own records this time," I huffed.
He let out a long, frustrated sigh before slumping back onto the couch and staring at the ceiling.
"If I tell Hans that Robert Doru compelled those guardians, he'll want to know why. I can't say anything without revealing Robert's motive. Which is revenge for a murder that I committed."
Dimitri didn't say anything so I decided to push forward with my defense, "It also means I have to talk about what happened in the dream."
He lifted his head to study me, "He threatened you and your loved ones," he stated matter of factly.
I looked away, worried by expression would betray my thoughts.
"I knew you were hiding something from me," he practically growled.
With guardian speed and grace, he had moved to kneel in front of me, forcing me to make eye contact with him.
"What happened? If he hurt you, Roza, I swear…" I didn't understand the rest of his threat because it came out in a flurry of Russian, but I did recognize a few of his favorite swear words.
"He didn't hurt me," I whispered. "Not physically."
Without even thinking about what I was doing, I brought my hand up to cover the scar that lay in the valley between my breasts.
"My aura…it's different now. It's not shrouded in darkness any more, because I'm not shadow-kissed. He wanted to know why, but I wouldn't tell him. He said he could pluck what he wanted to know from my mind like a daisy."
"Roza…" he murmured softly.
"So he did. I could feel him invading me, probing my mind, searching for the reason why. And when he found the memory, the one of me dying, he replayed it for me."
I clutched at my chest and tried to keep the tears pooling in my eyes at bay.
"He violated me," I told him, voice cracking. "And that's not even the worst part."
Dimitri raised himself back onto the couch, pulling me onto his lap as He did. He wrapped both of his strong arms around me, and I shuttered into his chest.
"He knows things now," I whispered. "He knows what scares me, and he's using it against me. He's going to try and destroy me with it. That's what this was."
"I'm not going to let that happen, we're going to figure this out," he told me gently.
He rocked me slowly back and forth, like I was a child. But I didn't care. I actually wished that I was a child, maybe then all of this would go away.
A sharp knock on the door reminded me that my problems weren't going anywhere.
"It's probably Lissa," I told him, rising from the couch.
I took a deep breath and wiped away a few stray tears. Dimitri Rose from the couch and made his way to the front door. He paused before opening it, making sure I had gathered my composure.
He opened the door to reveal a slim, blonde figure. One that rushed forward into my arms as soon as she was able to. I squeezed Lissa tightly, trying to let her know that I was okay without having to use words. She broke the embrace and stepped back to study me.
"What happened," she asked breathlessly. "Tell me everything."
The three of us took seats on the couch and I quickly recounted what I had learned during the interrogation.
"Okay," she said, trying to sound confident. "This means that Robert isn't as unstable or weak as I had hoped he was."
Dimitri and I nodded our heads in agreement.
"It also means he was being serious when he threatened Rose the other night. You're going to need this."
She rummaged through the pocket of her coat. I noticed then that she was dressed like she was going to a business meeting in slacks and a nice a blouse. She pushed the contents of her pocket into the palm of my hand. I looked down and saw that I held a tiny silver locket, looped onto a delicate chain.
"It's charmed," she told me. "It should protect you from any spirit user trying to connect with you, sleeping or awake."
Dimitri and I briefly made eye contact, Lissa had given me more than she realized. If this locket worked the way she said it would, then there would be no repeat of the events that took place in the spirit nightmare.
"Here," she said, pushing a silver ring into Dimitri's hand. "I made one for you too."
"What about you Liss?" I asked her.
She pulled back the sleeve of her coat to reveal a thin silver charm bracelet.
"This is the best we can do for now," she said briskly.
"What do you mean?" Asked Dimitri.
"We can't do anything more, it puts Rose at risk."
"You can't be serious! I have to do something about Robert. You said it yourself, this proves that Robert isn't weak."
"No, Rose," she snapped. "You can't do anything about this, not without giving yourself away. I won't lose you."
"Lose me?" I asked. "He's not after me, Liss. He's after you!"
"Im not talking about Robert," she hissed. "If you do this, you risk exposure. I can't protect you if you get arrested for murder. People are already questioning my rule, don't put me in that position, Rose."
"Lissa is right," said Dimitri. "This is enough for now."
Lissa stood up abruptly and then turned to me. "I have a council session, Hans pulled Mynor to talk about the security at Lehigh. He's all freaked out about what happened, he's talking about not letting me return to school until next week," she said, a little irritated. "That makes you my only near guard for the time being."
I tried not to glare at her or Dimitri. I hated when they ganged up on me.
"Fine," I spat. "Let's go."
I stalked off toward the door, but not before I saw Dimitri and Lissa exchange concerned glances.
The walk with Lissa to the council chambers was silent, tension crackled between us. I found myself wishing that the bond was still in tact. I used to consider myself an expert on all things Lissa, but Queen Vasilisa Dragomir was mostly a mystery to me.
The council chambers were already full by the time we had arrived and the soft murmurs of the members filled the air, but they fell silent as soon as Lissa entered. Lissa, not bothering with greetings or formalities strode to the head of the long mahogany table that adorned the far end of the room. I became a shadow and melted into the background, choosing to stand at attention near the entrance.
"Esteemed council members," began Lissa. "I officially call this session to order."
She glanced around, making sure she had everyone's full attention.
"First things first, as many of you are probably aware, Victor Dashkov was supposedly sighted earlier this evening. I can neither confirm nor deny the truth of what those guardians reported, I can tell you that we are investigating the matter further and should know more at the end of this week."
The council members stared at her, but it was Nathan Ivashkov who broke the silence.
"Confirm nor deny?" He snorted in disgust. "You're treating us like commoners, we deserve to know what's going on, surely the guardians know more than what you just told us."
"Prince Ivashkov," said Lissa coolly. "When I know more, you will know more. We need to move on to more pressing matters. Tasha Ozera's trial."
"I thought we had already voted to send her to trial?" Asked the Voda Prince.
Lissa nodded, and then swallowed, like she was trying to gather courage. "True, but after what transpired at the hearing, I think we should rethink the sentencing process."
"What do you mean rethink?" Asked the Tarus Prince.
"I move to forgo the trial altogether."
I heard a scoff, and assumed that it must have come from Adrian's father.
"Can she do that?" I heard one of the members ask another.
"She can," stated Ariana. "With a majority vote."
"The sooner we put this issue to rest, the sooner we can move on," said Lissa exasperatedly.
"You mean the sooner we put her to rest," snarled Nathan.
"I do not appreciate your candor," said Lissa. "You've heard the evidence presented by guardian Hathaway, and Tasha's own admission of guilt. I think that is more than enough to vote on."
"Is it enough to send a woman to her death?" asked the Lazar council member.
"The penalty for high treason is death," said Ariana without flinching. "If we vote now, the sentence could be carried out within the next few days."
Days? Tasha could be dead in a matter of days? My heart slammed against my chest with every beat. I was surprised no one was looking around to figure out where that loud thumping noise was coming from.
The council members all glanced around to look at each other, most of them seemed understandably nervous.
Lissa took a deep breath before speaking, "All those in favor of finding Tasha Ozera guilty of murder, high-treason, attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, and conspiring against the throne, say aye."
No one spoke at first, but the ayes trickled in over the next sixty seconds, and soon every member seated at the table had agreed.
"This council has passed judgment on one Tasha Ozera, and has found her guilty of all accused crimes. The penalty for those crimes is death. I hereby sentence Tasha Ozera to die via lethal injection."