Part 2 Chapter 36
RPOV
Songs: Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones, Madness by Ruelle, Thrills by Donna Missal
I had another dream about Lissa. Images were still a blur and nothing really made sense, but I could feel her.
There was something weighing on her. Something making her sad. I could tell she was trying her best to hide it from others she interacted with, especially the brown-eyed mystery person, but it was there. In these dreams, I tried my best to focus on Lissa and what she was feeling so I could maybe, just maybe get a hint of what was going on but for some reason, my thoughts were often drawn to that other pair of eyes. At first, it was just genuine curiosity.
Who did they belong to?
Why were they so often near Lissa?
But the more I saw them, the more I began to search for what was behind them. Most of the time they gave nothing away, but every once in a while I'd catch the smallest glimpse of emotion. Worry, heedfulness, loyalty, but above all else...pain.
I couldn't understand what was causing it and if Lissa even knew, but the lingering vision of those brown orbs often left me distracted. So much so, that I hadn't realized how far I had wandered until I found myself bumping into another body.
"Pardon me," I said distractedly as I continued staring off into nothing.
"It's no bother," a deep voice replied. I nodded and continued down the hall until the man called out to me. "It appears something has you distracted."
Finally noticing the strangeness of his voice I turned around to get a look at him. I realized this wasn't some regular old Ivashkov roaming the halls searching for an opportunity to socialize. He was someone I had never seen before, and thanks to Daniela, I had seen practically everyone who lived there.
"Yes," I vaguely responded as I observed him, trying to see if there was anything recognizable that could pinpoint who he was. He was Moroi, that was for certain, but his complexion was slightly darker than the others in the Western Isles. Almost like a human man with a tan who was feeling under the weather. And after giving him a once over, it was easy to see that his accent wasn't the only thing that was strange.
His clothes, although extremely expensive and posh looking, were unlike any I had seen around these parts...or any. Rather than the usual heavy velvets and decadent silks, the stranger's clothes were obviously meant for a much warmer climate. His bright orange tunic and gray overcoat were both made of linen, the edges of it lined with gold stitched paisleys and ornamental symbols to match a fully decorated vest peeking out were complemented with pants made from a shiny material that I couldn't place and boots that had laces going up the front almost reaching his knees. I'd say he looked more like some kind of pirate rather than a rich Moroi.
A snakey smile of glaring white teeth peeked out from behind his dark beard as he said, "You should be careful. Distractions oftentimes lead us along dangerous paths."
I let out a scoff and crossed my arms over my chest. "Is that your illusive way of trying to tell me you're dangerous?"
"Depends who's asking, Miss..?" He took a few steps towards me and I could see a glint of gold hanging from one of his earlobes.
"Hathaway," I replied, still not moving from my guarded stance.
"Ah, what a lovely name," he dipped his head in a short bow, keeping his eyes fixed on my face. "Not one that is heard often in the Western Isles."
The stranger seemed to enjoy speaking in riddles rather than flat out saying what he was thinking—so I did it for him. "But you have heard it? My name that is."
"I've met many people over the years," he stood up tall, running a hand along the edges of his neatly trimmed beard. "I'm sure there was at least one Hathaway who had the pleasure of making my acquaintance."
I let out a humorless laugh and moved my hands to my hips. "Well excuse me if I'm not as equally enthralled as the others, Mister..?"
His dark eyes lit up with amusement and for a split second, I thought there was something familiar about them.
"Ah but that is half the allure, Miss Hathaway. Without the mystery, where's the excitement?"
Before I could form some kind of sarcastic response to rival his, a tall Guardian walked up behind him and discreetly whispered something into his ear. Whatever was said quickly caused the amused grin on the stranger's face to dull and a dark expression to take over. I had to admit, even though I knew close to nothing about the man, there was something about that look that gave me the feeling he wasn't entirely kidding about being dangerous.
He gave a sharp nod and seriously replied, "Thank you, Pavel," before turning his attention back to me. "Well, I must say it was a pleasure meeting you. I do hope we run into each other again."
Without another word, he whipped around causing the light from the lanterns to reflect off the gold patterns of his clothes almost blindingly. I watched him and his henchman sleek down the hall curiously before turning and heading out into the gardens.
The strange encounter should have been enough to pull me from my distractions, but as soon as I made it outside my thoughts became consumed by Lissa. Feelings of worry and panic seemed to course through her and I found myself desperately wishing there was a way for me to take her anxiety away. My brow scrunched in frustration as I focused on those troubling emotions willing myself to try and pull myself into her mind. I hoped that if I tried hard enough I could somehow enter her mind as Adrian had explained she could with me, however, something else happened.
Rather than pushing myself into her, I felt like I was pulling her into me. All those bad feelings began slowly leaching out of her, leaving behind a sense of calm and comfort. After a brief moment, I could sense that her mood had drastically changed and a wave of exhilaration coursed through me as I considered the fact that I had somehow eased her discontent. However, not a minute later a much darker feeling filled my insides. It felt like her earlier worried thoughts were surrounding me in a dark cloud, hovering up above in idle anxiety before plunging deep into my stomach to form a nauseating pit.
I felt miserable.
I quickened my pace, trying to find my way back to the palace to get some water, but my next step sent me careening to the ground. I thought I had tripped over a loose rock, another clumsy mistake in my distracted state. I let out an agitated groan as I thought about the dangerous path the strange man had mentioned, but when I craned my head over my shoulder to inspect what I had stumbled on I realized the fault hadn't been entirely mine.
There was a dark vine tightly wrapped around my left ankle with the other end leading towards a nearby shrub. High-pitched giggles began to fill the air, only solidifying my assumption as three shadows formed on the path around me.
I quickly sat up and yanked the vine from my leg, thorns piercing my skin in the process. A few droplets of blood dripped onto a growing white rose at the end of the vine as I stood up to face my favorite trio.
"Seriously, a rosebush? Real original."
Lana whipped her silver hair over her shoulder in a way that I'm sure she thought was attractive, but really just came off as desperate for attention. Her conceited attitude and the way the other two continued to chortle behind her gave her ability away.
"I'm assuming you're the earth user then?"
The waify Moroi cocked a half-grin and raised her hand in the air as if presenting herself. "Indeed."
"Good," I gritted through my teeth. "I've been hoping one of you would give me an excuse to bash your pretty little teeth in." I took a step towards them, causing Lana to flinch, but before I could reach her stringy neck waves of frozen wind rushed down my throat.
My hands shot up to my neck as I gasped for oxygen, but my attempts were useless against the icy gusts. I looked over to the girls again to see Gwyneth and Iris using a combination of water and air to assail me. My eyes began to water as the burning wind continued plummeting down my throat. I tried to back away, but the weight of their magic caused me to fall to my knees as I continued choking on thin ice. My lips began to crack and my eyes drifted shut as one of my hands abandoned my throat and clutched the ground. Blackness began to close in around my vision and I was certain I would pass out.
Suddenly, the raging blasts stopped and my body immediately began heaving and hacking as I tried to recover. Their giggles escalated into cackles as I tried not to vomit in the middle of the path.
I could see their shadows creeping towards me along the ground but I still couldn't lift my head up to look them in the eye.
"Stupid Dhampir harlot. Did you really think your salacious actions would go unnoticed," Iris jabbed.
Confusion began to rise, but I still couldn't control my breathing enough to form a proper sentence.
"I think it's about time we showed you your place," Lana added as she moved to my left.
Gwyneth moved to my right and flung the ends of her skirt behind her as if even her fabric coming in contact me was an insult. "If you ask me, I'd say it's long overdue."
I took a few deep inhales through my nose, the air burning slightly less as it entered my lungs. I was no longer dry heaving but still felt like my stomach was doing backflips. However, the more they spoke, the more I could feel myself begin to change. The nausea I felt from their barrage somehow amplified the dark pit that had already formed within me and rather than the anxiety and distress I had felt earlier, all I felt was rage.
"You're nothing," Iris sneered from above me, my long hair hiding the incensed expression forming on my face. "No matter what title or name that worthless king gave you, you'll never be anything more than what you are in this very moment. A pathetic, broken bitch whose true place is in the dirt on her knees."
With those biting words, something inside me snapped. It was so palpable I could've sworn I heard the cracking sound. I whipped one of my legs out to the side and jammed my foot directly into Lana's ankle. She shrieked in a combination of shock and pain as she fell hard to the ground landing directly onto her boney hip. The fragile Moroi rolled to her side, wailing as one hand reached to clutch her now bent ankle and the other wrapping around her hip.
My face shot to Gwyneth to my right and the shocked expression she wore quickly began to morph into something that suggested she was more concerned with self-preservation than her friend. Her hands began to lift from her sides and I could sense she was going to try and use her magic against me again, but I didn't give her the chance. It was like my body was taken over by some outside force, manipulating my limbs to react with deadly speed.
I lept off the ground and latched on to her wrist, simultaneously yanking it down as I rose to stand. Her body quickly followed out of instinct as her shoulder dislocated and I used the momentum to completely flip her over. Gwyneth landed beside her friend on the flat of her back, gasping for air as I had just been moments ago.
Without hesitation I charged at Iris, the fiery redhead backing away in attempted flight. I could feel dark anger wrapping around me, driving me forward as I bounded at her and pulled the dagger out of its hiding place under my dress. I pounced on top of her, refusing to let her get away and thrust the blade against her throat.
But despite my obvious conquer over her, she refused to back down.
"What are you doing you crazy bitch?!" She tried to wiggle out of my hold, her feet kicking below me and her hands trying to claw at my sides, so I pressed the cool metal harder against her throat and latched onto one of her arms. I twisted it harshly until I heard a snap, and continued to put pressure on it despite her cries of protest.
"Who's broken now?" I moved my face closer allowing my threat to sink in and daring her to move again.
Tears flooded her pretty face and a wicked grin inched across my teeth.
"You-you can't. You won't!" Her eyes flicked down to the knife at her throat then back up to my face, the panic in her voice betraying her feeble claims.
"Oh I can, little dove," I dropped my voice to an eerily calm tone causing her pulse to quicken. "But where would the fun in that be?"
I slowly moved the knife from her throat to reveal an angry pink line where it had been resting, but kept the cool metal in contact with her skin as it made its way up to her right eye.
For the first time since meeting her, there was a striking look in her grey eyes that required no interpretation. It was an emotion I realized I was all too familiar with and had seen in others within my grasp before. Fear.
I couldn't remember exactly when or how I had caused that look to arise, but I knew for certain that I had caused it and the thought alone was enough to slide me out of whatever dark haze I had fallen into. I began to move the knife away slowly starting to calm, but Iris didn't seem to notice. Tears were gushing out of her now and her chest was heaving with frenzied breaths.
"You Dhampir beast," she cried out. I thought she may have resorted to begging or at least a simple 'please no' to keep me from gouging out her eye, but it looked like she would stay true to her wicked, insulting self to the end. Her cheeks reddened and spit flung from her mouth as she dramatically shouted, "You have no right to Adrian. His family should have never agreed to a marriage with you. It should have been me!"
"What did you just say?" I leaned back giving the both of us more room to breath and trying not to let the shock of her words overtake me. Regardless, whatever lingering rage I had been using to lash at her was now completely gone at the sudden realization of what she was suggesting.
"Oh please. Beating me up wasn't enough, now you've resorted to rubbing your engagement in my face?"
I could easily argue that she and her friends were about to do the same, if not worse, but I was overcome by the information that had just unfolded.
Was this something recent? Did Adrian's father somehow negotiate a marriage during my stay?
It didn't make sense after the trouble I had gotten into with Daniela recently, not to mention the Queen wasn't particularly fond of me. Then a stirring thought arose. The hearing. I thought back to that night and remembered Adrian had stopped Tatiana short. She had begun to say, "Just because the two of you are—" but for some reason, he hadn't let her finish. At the time, the interruption had made me wonder, but I had completely forgotten about it since then. Was it possible that we had been engaged this entire time?
I noticed Iris' eyebrows scrunch with curiosity as she observed me, causing me to jump up off of her to prevent her from catching on to my surprise. Even if the truth was I was just hearing about this now, I didn't want her thinking she had somehow gained the upper hand.
I stood above her menacingly and slowly holstered my dagger, probably a little too dramatically than necessary but I was going for effect. "Next time you and your little posse try anything, and I mean anything...I'll cut up that pretty face of yours enough to make sure Adrian isn't the only man who wants nothing to do with you."
She scoffed at me as she cradled her injured arm, but I could see that spark of fear in her eyes still stirring from my threatening words.
I turned around, heading back towards the castle archways making a point to rub my dirty shoes along the hem of Gwyneth's skirt as I passed the other two girls. They were still laying on the ground grumbling in pain and I couldn't help but smirk to myself at their fallen states.
When I arrived at Adrian's quarters, I didn't bother knocking before bursting into his room. The last time I had been there I was practically throwing myself at him. This time, I was tempted to do the same...but in a much more hostile manner.
Luckily, he was fully clothed but I was fuming with so much anger and confusion that even a stark naked royal wouldn't have stopped me from berating him. He turned to face me, a small smile forming on his face when he realized it was me who had barged in.
Before he could say anything, I barked out, "Why didn't you tell me we were engaged?"
His smile immediately faded. "Who told you that?!" He looked a bit shocked by my outburst, but I just continued to stare at him blankly, refusing to respond without an answer from him first.
A couple of silent moments passed between us as Adrian tried to wrangle his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and collected but I could still detect that small hint of uncertainty he sometimes had around me. "I didn't want to put pressure on you when you were still trying to figure out who you are."
"That doesn't matter. You shouldn't have hidden it from me. You should've told me the first time we met!"
"What was I supposed to say? 'Hi, I'm Adrian Ivashkov, your glorious savior and intended groom?' It's not nearly as appealing as how we originally met."
I crossed my arms over my chest, letting him know I wasn't amused in the slightest.
He let out a low sigh and scratched the back of his neck. "Besides, you haven't technically accepted yet."
"I didn't think I needed to. It sounds like it was an arranged deal." My voice dripped with sarcasm, which normally annoyed others but instead, my words seemed to shame him.
Adrian looked away focusing on an insignificant spot of his room as his voice dropped in volume and morale.
"Maybe. But I want you to."
There was only a small pause between his thoughts, but it was long enough to allow a semblance of curiosity to creep up inside me. When he turned back, his green eyes held such sincerity I felt like I was being pulled in.
"I want you to know you have a choice in the matter. In being with me."
Even though Adrian wasn't like most royals I had met, it was still staggering to hear one say something like that. As a high-born lady, I knew I had duties and responsibilities I would eventually be forced to uphold, but even more so as a Dhampir. My wants and needs would always come second, yet Adrian was telling me that to him—they came first.
My mind was racing, my anger quickly fading with the swirling thoughts. With his position and obvious favor from his queen, Adrian could have anyone he wanted and they wouldn't have any room to argue; not that any of the women in this kingdom would with the way they talked about him. His admission rattled me too much to form a clarifying question, so instead, I just asked, "Why would your mother even agree to it? You're royal."
"So are you," he smiled back in that devil-may-care way he did.
I rolled my eyes and dropped my arms as I took a few calculated steps towards him. "Yeah, technically, but you're a Moroi. With a legitimate claim to the throne, nonetheless. It's no secret your kingdom still follows the old ways and believes in keeping the lines pure. Pretty much everyone here looks down at me besides...well, besides you."
He seemed bothered by that statement, although I couldn't understand why. It shouldn't have been a surprise to hear, yet the look of disgust that briefly crossed his features said otherwise.
But rather than fixate on it, he answered me instead. "My mother isn't the one that agreed to the arrangement. My father did. He would do anything to get me out of the kingdom so I'd no longer be a blatant reminder of his failures."
I thought about the times I had been in the presence of his father at various dinners and admittedly, there was nothing pleasant about the man. I could count on one hand the number of times he had actually looked in my direction. Still, knowing that your own father would rather arrange a match he himself thought to be inferior just to get you out of his hair had to hurt.
I could see Adrian's fingers twitch at his side and his jaw click in frustration. His eyes flicked over to a pot of wine across the room, but rather than trudge over to it and chug down a glass like I knew he wanted to, he ran his restless hands through his hair and let out a calming breath.
I started to feel kind of bad for my initial approach. Sure, I was still pissed that he had kept this information a secret, but if I was being honest, I wasn't sure if I would have allowed myself to be as open around him if I had known before. If anything, I most likely would have wanted nothing to do with him. I glanced up at him and gave him a small, sassy smile. "So, does this mean I have to start referring to you as my fiance?"
He let out a short chuckle and shook his head. "Although that does have a nice ring to it, I was thinking we could try courting for a while first. See how that goes before you commit to anything so...permanent."
My smile grew and I moved my fingers up to the ruby buttons at the top of his shirt. "Well, now that you mention it, there are actually a few things I would like to try."
He raised an eyebrow at me, no doubt catching on to the suggestiveness of my tone. I caught his eyes shifting to the space above me—that I now recognized as my aura—as I moved another step closer. I wondered what he searched for when he did that, but my close proximity quickly brought his gaze back to mine.
"Kiss me," I whispered seductively.
He didn't hesitate or ask if I was sure, like some of the more insecure guys did. No, he knew what he wanted and he took it without the waste of a single breath.
After a short moment, I pulled my lips from his, keeping my face only an inch away. His eyes were still closed and he took a subtle inhale as he stood above me.
"Adrian," those emerald eyes fluttered open and fixed with mine. "Don't ever keep secrets from me again." Although my voice was low, there was a deliberate bite to it so I was sure he wouldn't mistake my seriousness.
I wrapped my hands around his collar as he nodded in agreement and began to pull him to the bed behind me. As soon as we sat on the edge his lips were immediately back on mine. There was a hunger behind his movements that overwhelmed my senses. His hands worked their way around my body, feeling each crevasse, each line along my physique.
I clutched onto his chest and tilted my head back gasping for breath. His eager lips refused to part from me as they made their way down my throat. A soft moan from him reverberated along my collarbone, causing a shiver to run up my spine. I could tell by his maneuvers that he craved something more. He wasn't overzealous or pushy, but knowing what men wanted was a gift I had been blessed with.
At first, the idea thrilled me. My body had been practically aching for his attention since that first night we kissed. However, now that the opportunity had presented itself and all I had to do was dive in, I found myself hesitating. I wasn't sure why; Adrian was gorgeous and it was obvious that he completely adored me. Maybe the unyielding trust still wasn't there, or maybe I just wasn't ready—as unlikely as it was. Either way, something was telling me to hold back.
But even though my mind was telling me to shy away, my body still searched for some kind of release—so I decided to try something that I never thought I would.
As Adrian continued to ravage my neck, I pushed my chest forward and slightly arched myself in offering. "Adrian, you can...if you want to," I raspily breathed out.
My eyes were screwed shut but I could feel his lips pull back allowing his teeth access to my skin. They traced a path from my nape to my jaw at an excruciatingly slow pace, lightly nibbling along the way. Bursts of heat bounced across my skin at each new point he reached and I felt like I was about to explode with anticipation. Each of my senses were completely seduced as sparks threatened to fly in every direction.
Then suddenly, his touch vanished. My eyes drifted open and I pulled my head up slightly to find him waiting for my attention.
"As tempting as that is, Little Dhampir, I wouldn't want to damage that perfect neck of yours," he said as his fingers traced along the path his teeth just had.
"Really," my voice was still shaky with desire, but I was certain he could sense my surprise. "Are you sure?"
I knew of his preference in drinking straight from the source, and adding in the fact that biting someone during these instances could really heighten things...well, I had to commend his restraint. He drew back a little more and studied my face, causing a twinge of pink to rush to my cheeks.
The seam of his lips parted into a small smile and his eyes softened into tenderness before sparking with something else. "Maybe some other time. For now," his hand moved under my jaw with his fingers wrapping into my hair, "this is enough," then he consumed my mouth with a kiss that was a promise of paradise.
A/N: Sorry for the brief absence. I spoke with several of you already but for those of you I didn't get a chance to, I was in the process of moving and unfortunately, my time was monopolized with packing, moving, and unpacking. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into a more steady rhythm now.
Anyways, this chapter was a fun one. We got to see Abe make his first appearance (always such a fun character to write) and some Rose darkness creeping in. It's about time she started kicking some ass. Next chapter will most likely be the last one with Rose in the Western Isles so buckle up!
And I know I'm going to get an earful from several of you over that last bit but at this point, I don't care. Since starting this story I've been really excited to do a play on the original biting scene from Spirit Bound. It's by far one of the steamiest if not THE steamiest scene from the series and I really wanted to do my own twist on it. I never really liked that Adrian bit her, so I changed it up a little to show that he isn't just after her hot bod (although it's one of the main things that draws him to her) but really cares deeply for her.
For those of you still pissed about Rodrian action, I've heard you, I get it, but I'm not changing the story just to please those who are unhappy. I didn't put all this effort into the plot of the story just to write 30 chapters of smut. Now, that's not to say there won't be any more (bc I can't stay away from Romitri too long), but I really want to challenge myself and complicate these characters' lives while diving deep into what makes them tick. If all you are looking for is Romitri lemons, then I'm sorry but this isn't my main goal. Feel free to message me though and I'd be happy to give you some suggestions on some of my fav lemony fics.
Thanks to everyone out there still reading!