Chapter 29: Safe House
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy
OPOV
It was after midnight when I was startled awake by a loud banging on the front door. My husband was already awake next to me with his stake grasped firmly in his hand. I shook my head at him.
"I highly doubt Strigoi would knock," I chastised him, but nevertheless he was protective of me and jumped out of bed first.
"Who do you suppose it is? Something must be terribly wrong to cause such a disturbance at this hour," he grumbled.
I flipped on the light as we entered the living room. Mark pulled the curtains aside and sighed in relief, but had an expression of concern on his face.
"It's Rose," he said before allowing me to open the door. I gasped at the sight before me. There wearing dirty clothes, covered in blood was Rose along with two male dhampirs and a petite blonde moroi girl who was unconscious. At once I recognized the golden aura on the girl and figured she must be Rose's bond mate. The strange thing was that Rose's aura was no longer darkened by the shadows the way it had been the last time I'd seen her.
"Rose, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.
"Can we come in?" she asked. She looked tired as she gestured to the three others with her. Mark nodded from his position on my left and I ushered them into the house.
"I thought I'd never see you again," I breathed hugging her tightly despite her less than cleanly appearance.
"That's me, always full of surprises." Of course she would be the type to joke at a time like this.
"Can I ask what you are doing in Russia and who are your friends?" She had promised Mazur that she would go back to the states. He had put her on the plane himself. Anyone who would dare defy the almighty Zmey was asking for trouble. I glanced curiously at the two dhampirs who laid the moroi girl on the sofa where Mark had spread out a clean bed sheet as not to sully the cushions with blood.
"Are you the only two here?" she asked glancing around nervously?
"Yes," I responded confusedly. She seemed paranoid as if she was being watched.
"You have to swear that what you hear and see will not leave this room," she said in a very serious tone. The other two dhampirs stood on either side of the couch and seemed to be guarding the injured moroi. She was covered in dirt and blood and her clothing covered up most of her body so I couldn't even get a hint as to what she looked like under there with the exception of her blond hairs poking out every which way. The only thing I knew for sure was that she was a spirit user.
"You have our word Rose," Mark told her coming and putting his arms around me protectively. We both trusted Rose, but we were unsure of her companions. They seemed like guardians, but who knew. The last time Rose was here she had broken out of the Academy and left her duties behind along with her bond mate. One couldn't be too careful these days especially with the major attacks that had occurred just over a day and a half a go at the Eastern European Council meeting.
"This is Guardian Eddie Castile and Guardian Anthony Phillips two of my guarding partners at the royal court," she explained.
"The royal court?" I asked. I had no idea she'd been working at the royal court. I'd expected they'd have kicked her out of the Academy after running away. They were usually very strict about those things.
"Yes, and this is my charge and my former bond mate Lissa," she continued pointing to the girl.
"Lissa?" I asked and Mark gasped beside me.
"You don't mean Queen Vasilisa do you?" my husband stuttered. Surely he was mistaken.
"Shhh!" Rose said over excitedly. "Yes I do." She gazed at the girl on the couch who was resting contentedly.
"But she was killed two days ago," I sputtered looking back and forth between the girl on the couch and my husband's wide eyes.
Rose shook her head. "We got her out, but no one knows. We were trapped in the catacombs and just barely managed to get out. I didn't know where else to go or who I could trust," she whispered. I could tell she was being strong and trying not to fall apart. Her aura burned with fear and exhaustion.
"It's okay Rose, you know you can trust us. We will keep you safe. What does she need?" I asked.
"She hit her head. She should wake up soon. She also used a lot of magic. That is why it is taking longer for her to come out of it," she said trying desperately to hide the fang marks on her neck with her hair.
"It's okay Rose, she is your charge and the Queen. No one thinks any less of you," I told her. She nodded her eyes betraying her guilt. I knew she had fed her charge in order to keep her alive. There was nothing more noble than that. I hated the idea of it, but sometimes it was the only option.
"Let's get you all cleaned up," I told them.
"Mark can you find some clothes for Guardian Castile and Guardian Phillips and I will see what I can do for Rose and the Queen. Also bring me the first aid kit," I told him. He nodded disappearing into the bedroom.
"You can call her Lissa. She hates when people use her royal names," Rose said following me into the spare bedroom. We kept some of our clothes in here due to lack of closet space in the bedroom.
"I'll keep that in mind," I told her rummaging through the closet. Rose was much shorter than I was. My pants should fit her, but my tops would definitely be too tight. She had a beautiful figure and I was typical stick skinny moroi.
"This should fit you. It's one of Mark's old sweatshirts," I told her tossing her the shirt and a pair of lounge pants I wore around the house. They would be long, but they were loose fitting so she should be alright. The Queen would be easier to fit. She was around my size. I grabbed a warm pair of flannel pajamas and waited as Rose changed.
"We should burn these," she said grimacing at the dirty coveralls. I could tell her regular clothes had been blood soaked as well.
"Are you injured?" I asked as she removed a bullet proof vest tossing it on the pile of clothes.
"I'll be okay. I just got clawed by strigoi," she responded casually. I gasped at the sight of the gashes on her back. They were long and jagged and would definitely need to be bandaged. There were dark purple bruises covering her arms and abdomen as well as on her lower back as well proving just how tough she really was.
"Before you put on your shirt, let me clean you up," I told her.
"Thank you," she responded after I had cleaned her wounds and applied antibiotic ointment. I covered the area with bandages and she winced as I taped it on.
"Does it hurt a lot?" I asked feeling guilty for not offering to heal her. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but Mark and I had found out a few weeks ago that we were expecting a baby and I didn't want my magic to affect our child.
"Not too much," she responded. "Lissa needs to be bandaged up as well," she said taking her dirty clothes and stuffing them into the garbage bag Mark had brought from the kitchen. I noticed the two male guardians take turns watching over the Queen while the other changed. I watched as Rose lifted her charge off the couch and into the sitting position.
"Hey guys, why don't you take a break while I clean her up," she told them. They bowed out and Mark offered to make them some tea in the kitchen.
"Should we call the courts to let them know what happened?" Guardian Castile asked.
"No!" Rose and Guardian Phillips cried at the same time.
"Okay," he said backing off.
"Sorry Eddie, it's just that it's better for us to stay off the radar until Lissa is feeling a little better. We don't need the entire royal guard storming the house alerting every Strigoi in the world of our location. They think she's dead right now and I think it's best to keep it that way until we get home."
She had a good point. There were rarely any Strigoi attacks in Baia. There was no one noteworthy around to provoke an attack. It was mostly a peaceful community of dhampir women and their children intermingled with humans.
"What about Belikov and Christian?" he asked pointedly. An odd look came over her face as she pondered his question. I'd almost say it was longing. I wondered what Belikov they were talking about. I know she was staying with them the last time she was here and it was rumored that she knew their son who had been turned.
"We'll call them when it is daylight. For now we stay quiet," she said leaving no room to argue.
I watched as she took special care to clean the blood and dirt from her charge's face and limbs. She then tended to the wounds on her shoulder and arm bandaging them tenderly. I could see the love and worry in her aura as she cared for her best friend. I'd never seen anything like it before. When she was finished she dressed her in the pajama's I'd laid out and covered her with a blanket kissing her forehead.
"Rose can I ask you something?"
She turned towards me hesitantly. "You've noticed that we are no longer bonded huh?" she guessed.
I nodded. "How did that happen without one of you dying?" I asked.
She gulped. "It didn't."
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "I died." My eyes widened.
"What? How? When? She didn't heal you again? How are you alive?" I hadn't meant to sound rude, but it bewildered me. This peaked the interest of my husband who joined us from the kitchen.
"You probably heard about Queen Tatiana's murder?" she asked. I nodded and then she went on to explain a very complicated sequence of events from her being accused of murder to finding the long lost Dragomir to jumping in front of a bullet to save the then Princess's life.
"You are a miracle, you know that," I told her amazed at her strength. "Are you glad to be free of the darkness?" I knew I was being nosy, but I often wished Mark could be free of my senility.
She sighed heavily taking a sip of tea Mark had brought in for her. He sat listening as intently as I was.
"Yes and no. Yes, I feel better without her darkness seeping into me, but now I have lost the ability to know where she is twenty-four seven and my Strigoi radar is gone and now instead of me going crazy it is affecting her," she said. I could see the regret in her aura. In order for her to be free, her bond mate had to suffer. Mark gave her a sympathetic look patting shoulder lightly. I knew he understood what she was feeling. I would give anything for him to be free of my spirit darkness, but he would never allow me to suffer like that. He wanted to shoulder the burden for me just the way Rose did for her friend. That was what love was all about.
"You should all get some sleep. I can keep watch while you're resting," Mark offered.
"Are you sure?" Rose asked.
"It would be our pleasure. We have the highest respect for Queen Vasilisa and all that she stands for. We also consider you our friend Rose," he assured her. She looked exhausted.
"Why don't you take Queen Vasilisa into our room? You two can share the bed in there. Guardian Phillips you can have the spare room and Guardian Castile can rest on the couch," I suggested.
After they'd all fallen fast asleep I sat at the kitchen table with my husband.
"What are you thinking?" he asked me taking my hand in his.
"I just knew Rose was something special the last time she was here," I told him remembering the things Yeva Belikova had told me. She said she'd seen Rose do great things and she just needed a little help finding her way.
DPOV
We walked back through the caves and climbed back up the trap door ladder into the charred board room dirty and discouraged. I checked my phone realizing I probably did not have a signal down there in the catacombs. There was one missed call from a private number. I put my phone back in my pocket and followed Christian, Janine and Abe back into the hotel. Adrian and Sydney had taken Jill back to the suite Lissa and Rose had been sharing. I didn't know if I wanted to go in there, but I figured we owed them an update.
When we arrived up there it was already morning and the sun was rising. Adrian and Sydney sat at the table fully dressed while Jill was sprawled out on the ottoman at the end of the bed flipping through the television channels.
"Did you find anything?" she asked hopefully clicking the television off and standing to greet us.
"Nothing concrete," I responded.
"What's our next move?" Adrian asked as Sydney handed the four of us steaming cups of hot coffee. I felt like I hadn't slept in day and in reality besides the few minutes of rest I'd gotten on the plane, I hadn't. Truth was I didn't want to sleep without her by my side.
Supposing they were the ones to bust through that rock, where would Rose go? She doesn't know anyone around here?" Janine wondered aloud.
A light bulb went off in my head and I could tell that Sydney, Abe and Adrian were having the same moment of clarity.
"Yes she does. She knows people in Baia," I breathed. She knows my family. My heart began to beat rapidly at the thought of seeing my family again. I hadn't considered it an option. Rose had been pestering me about it for months, but I wouldn't hear any of it. In our culture once someone was turned, they were dead. I didn't know how they would feel about me being back and I wasn't sure I could handle their reactions to the things that I'd done while I was Strigoi. It would be too painful. In reality I supposed I was a coward and Rose was too kind to tell me about it.
"Belikov, you gonna call home?" Christian asked with a hopeful expression on his face. Everyone was looking at me expectantly.
"Mazur why don't you do it?" He eyed me suspiciously, but agreed.
"You haven't told them you're alive yet have you?" Jill asked bluntly as Abe stepped aside to make the call. Leave it to the youngest one to call me out. I shook my head and I could feel the pity in the room as everyone nodded in understanding.
Abe was speaking to who I guessed was my mother rapidly in Russian. I longed to hear her voice and as childish as it sounded all I wanted to do was go back to a time when she could hold me in her arms and tell me everything would be alright and assure me I'd see the woman I loved again.
He hung up with a grim look on his face stroking his beard lightly.
"They haven't seen or heard from Rose or anyone else," he said and I could feel the energy that had been present in the room snuff out along with the hope that we'd see our loved ones again.
"They actually seemed confused as to why I asked and very eager to hear any news concerning her and asked me to call if we heard from her saying she left abruptly last April without explanation. Olena seemed very worried about her. I'm not sure they have been informed of Rose's position as a guardian to the Queen and why they should really be worried," he added. I knew that was a dig at me and I deserved it.
"So what now?" Jill asked and I sighed in exasperation.
We all knew we were out of ideas.
"Let's let those of us who haven't slept rest for a few hours and we'll regroup around ten am?" Janine suggested.
"Why don't you guys go get some food and see the feeders and we'll meet back here at ten." We all agreed reluctantly and Adrian, Jill and Christian headed to the feeders, Sydney joined them and Abe and Janine went to the connecting room leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat down on the edge of the small cot in the corner of the room. I knew full well that although her stuff was strewn all over it, Roza had not slept here. Lissa would never allow it. I picked up her night shirt and brought it to my nose inhaling deeply. Her scent hit me like a wrecking ball and I broke down and wept into her nightgown. As I continued to break down my eyes fell on a little black box on the table. It was open and revealed the necklace I'd made her for Christmas. I wept even harder as I lifted the delicate chain out of the box and held it in my hand.
Suddenly my sadness was replaced with anger. "Why her?" I roared slamming my fist down on the cot so hard that the cheap metal snapped in half. My chest was heaving and I felt myself losing control as I grabbed the nearest object hurling at the door. It was a vase and it shattered into a thousand pieces. The door to the adjoining room opened cautiously revealing Janine armed with her stake in hand.
When she saw I was alone she glanced around the room seeing the broken cot and the shattered glass she gave me a look of understanding and closed the door behind her. What am I doing? I thought to myself sitting down on the edge of the bed. I realized I was still clutching Roza's necklace and that the Rose had made an imprint on my hand.
I sighed unclasping the necklace and putting it around my neck. I wanted to keep it safe and close to my heart until I could put it around her neck where it belonged. I lie down on the bed and crashed hard. I hadn't realized just how tired I was until I closed my eyes.
I was woken several hours later by my phone buzzing in my back pocket.
"Belikov," I rasped still not entirely awake.
"Did I just catch the almighty Dimitri Belikov sleeping on the job?" I shot straight up in bed as I heard the most beautiful sound in the world, my angel's voice and she was wisecracking.
"Roza," I breathed into the phone. If I'd have been standing I would have fallen to my knees and thanked God for keeping my Roza alive.
Aww so now we know that they ended up at Mark and Oksana's and that Rose contacted the Russian. Next chapter will be one you won't want to miss. Reunions of all kinds=) Reviews make me write faster=)
Those of you waiting for my first chapter of "The Next Nine Months" the Sequel to "When He Returns" be patient. I only have five more days of work and it should be up before then. I just got a little carried away with this story. Look out for an attention on "When He Returns" by the end of the week.
