While it had started off badly, the birthday party had ended up being a success. Abe had seemed pleased with the small presents he received and even blew out the candles on top of his birthday cake after we sang happy birthday. While pretty much everyone realized something major had gone down when he'd arrived, no one brought it up, and the tension finally dissipated, so everyone had an enjoyable night.
Pavel had sought me out inside during the evening to apologize profusely for telling me about Abe's birthday, feeling responsible for what happened. He claimed not to have known it was such a sensitive day, and I believed him. The guy had looked horrified when Abe exploded, and it was clear he'd been as surprised as I was!
The night had certainly been a success on the Kirill/Sonya front. The two spent the evening sitting very close to one another in front of the fire, and by the end of the night they were holding hands and sneaking little kisses when they thought no one was watching them too carefully.
"Will it be ok, Mama?" a worried Olena asked Yeva, observing the young couple as the night was wrapping up.
"They will love and fight like any other couple, but he will treat the child as his own, and he loves her. They will be successful and happy."
"But she's so young," Olena sighed.
"You had three by the time you were her age," Yeva reminded her.
"Yes and look at the trouble that came with that!" Olena said although with a twinkle in her eye. That she loved her children absolutely was never in doubt.
It was close to eleven by the time Abe, Pavel and the other Mazur Guardians took their leave. Kirill stayed a little longer, helping Eddie and Dimitri bring the last of the chairs and plates inside, and staying to speak with Karolina, Sonya, Meredith and I as we packed up the leftovers and washed the dishes before he too left for the night. The evening over, we made our way to our respective bathrooms then bedrooms.
"How are you feeling?" Dimitri asked as I climbed into bed next to him. I'd been quiet, running my head through what had happened with my father.
"I'm ok," I said wearily. I knew Abe felt horrible about what had transpired between us, and so I'd made an effort to gloss over it for the evening, but he had scared me. "What happened downstairs?"
My Russian God knew what I was referring to.
"It got a bit heated," Dimitri admitted. "Your father was initially convinced you had somehow set this up to upset him. I was trying to explain to him that it wasn't the case, but he was too upset to listen. Pavel stepped in and told Abe he needed to shut up and listen, or he'd regret it for the rest of his life. That's when I told Abe how you'd wanted to make his day special to show you cared. Abe still wasn't convinced and was asking about your necklace. I told him I knew nothing about it other than your mother had given it to you. Pavel suggested Abe give you a chance to tell your side of the story. I wasn't going to leave you alone with him, so I came upstairs, too. You were so upset I was about to suggest he leave it for a day or two, but then you were explaining your feelings, and he was in the doorway listening, and it seemed pointless to interrupt you. I didn't mean to deceive you about his presence."
"He scared me, Dimitri," I said in a small voice.
"I know," he soothed. "Are you feeling ok with him now?" I could tell my Russian God was far from happy about the situation, but was putting his feelings to one side so we could discuss mine.
"I know it was because he was caught by surprise, but now I'm going to be waiting for it to happen again. Does that make sense?"
"It does. If it helps, Pavel said in close to twenty years with Abe he's never seen him react like that before. Your father is no stranger to violence and intimidation, but he's usually much more in control. I'm not making excuses for him, I am furious he behaved like that to you, but I hope you'll never see that from him again."
"So do I," I said a little wanly, snuggling back into my man's loving arms as he spooned me. As soon as he embraced me I could feel the latent tension in me disappear – his arms providing my comfort, his heart my heart's solace.
"Do you think we'll get married one day?" I asked sleepily, my mind coming back to Yeva's prediction as I was about to fall asleep.
"We will if I have anything to do with it," Dimitri murmured contentedly, nuzzling behind my ear and pressing his lips against my neck as together we drifted off.
"It's no bother. Really. In fact, I insist!"
Abe was being his most jovial and agreeable this morning, showing up at the usual time with the usual mid-morning coffees. We were sitting off to one side drinking ours together when Abe announced he intended to pay for a night at Omsk's finest hotel for Dimitri and me when we visited with Sonya.
"Baba," I started, using the Turkish word for father to let him know I was not rejecting his offer out of anger, "Dimitri is planning this little get away for us. He's already booked the accommodation and everything."
"But he's a Guardian, Rose. He wouldn't be able to afford the same sort of places I could provide for you."
"That's right," I agreed. "And can you imagine how hurt he'd feel if I passed up what he'd organized for us in favor of something more luxurious that he couldn't afford? I don't care where I stay – I care that it's with him and I won't hurt him by accepting your offer."
Abe shook his head ruefully.
"I didn't think about that. I guess I have a lot to learn."
I laughed. "I'm just working it out as I go along, too!" I joked.
"I'm excited to see Omsk," I said quickly changing the subject now I'd declined Abe's offer. "All I've seen is the airstrip and some buildings. Is there much there?"
"It's Russia's seventh or eighth largest city. Lots of students there. A small Moroi and Dhampir community, although a lot of the Dhampir there are unpromised and live in the human world."
"That seems a lot more common here?"
Abe nodded.
"It is. In Russia, there's always been a decent number of unpromised Dhampir who work as mercenaries or who choose to live a life away from Moroi."
"I'd never really heard of that until I came here. I mean, I've heard of a pair of Guardians resigning to be in a relationship together, but it was a scandal."
The brouhaha when Abby and Xander Badica's Guardian resigned to marry another Guardian had been monumental. Literally the talk at Court and the Academies for months, the condemnation for the Dhampir lovers had been almost universal.
"Is that what people will say about us?" I asked nervously, my eyes flicking across to where Dimitri and Pavel were chatting a few feet away. "We both plan to guard, but we want to be together, too, and we don't want to hide it."
"Not if they want their tongues to stay in their heads, they won't," Abe said with a distinctly menacingly tone. I knew he meant it supportively, but it was too soon after last night. I flinched and moved across to where Dimitri stood – signaling our coffee break over and time to get back into training.
"What happened last night?" Meredith asked a little later when we were using the weights. Pavel and Dimitri were doing some technique training with Eddie, and Abe was on the far side of the gym with his laptop, so it was just us two.
I trusted Meredith, and she was a great sounding board, so I ran through what had taken place, although only mentioning my father had lost his family on his birthday – not how they were murdered or any of the circumstances. I also told her about the nazar and how it had been stolen.
"Do you think your Mom took it?" Meredith asked.
"Maybe? You know we're not close. Most of her life is a mystery to me. She could have been a topless waitress, and I'd have no idea."
Meredith snorted, her eyes meeting mine, and in moments we were laughing maniacally. I was actually lying on my side I was laughing so hard, and Meredith was making little snorts when she laughed which just made me laugh harder.
"What are you two giggling about?" Dimitri asked, coming over with Eddie and Pavel.
"Topless waitressing!" I gasped, surrendering into another fit of giggles.
Eddie's lips turned upwards in a smirk.
"You've been training them too hard, Belikov. They've finally snapped!"
We stopped for lunch. Sandwiches brought from home. Usually we went home for lunch, but Dimitri said since Tuesday and Wednesday would be spent in Omsk we needed to make the most of training today. The selection of sandwiches was varied, but since pretty much all of them were unfamiliar to us, Dimitri cut them into quarters so we could try a little of everything.
First up was an eggplant spread sandwich. It tasted exactly like it sounded, and I wasn't a fan. The hot smoked salami next up was more to my taste, and I managed to gulp down the pickled herring with cheese spread, too. The roasted red pepper sandwich was awesome, but I declined the one with zucchini spread. The last two, pickled cucumbers with hard-boiled eggs and pate, radish and cucumber were quite good. I'd still go a peanut butter and jelly if I got the chance, though!
"How are we getting to Omsk tomorrow?" I asked over lunch.
"We'll take Mama's car," Dimitri said unhappily. Not only would taking the vehicle leave Olena, Karolina, and Yeva without transport, but the car was ancient. I had my doubts it could get to Omsk, and it looked like Dimitri shared those concerns.
"Why don't you take my van?" Abe immediately offered. "We won't be needing it for the next couple of days. You could give your sister's young man a lift back to Omsk, too?"
"Are you sure?" Dimitri asked Abe before dipping his eyes across to mine to check my thoughts on accepting Abe's offer.
"Of course. It's the safer vehicle, and we won't be needing it while you're away."
I nodded, so Dimitri accepted.
"Well thank you, Abe. I'll take you up on that."
The transportation decided, Dimitri was about to ring Kirill to offer the young man a lift. The plan had been for him to leave by train this evening, the Belikovs' car not being large enough to accommodate six.
"Check with your sister first," I suggested lying on the gym floor and relaxing before we had to start our afternoon session.
"I'm sure she'll be fine with it," he said dismissively.
"Check with her, and if she wants to give him a lift, she can ring and ask him," Meredith agreed. "It will give her an excuse to call."
"If she wants to call she can just call. She doesn't need a reason," Dimitri reasoned.
Meredith and I stared at him, and I shook my head.
"I'll never understand women," Dimitri muttered under his breath – but when he placed the call, it was to his family home and not Kirill's.
We were all up, dressed and ready by 7 am, Sonya complaining it was far too early, despite being subtly made up and looking gorgeous. After the first night Kirill had visited, Meredith and I had had a bit of a fashion makeover with her. Her wardrobe, to date, seemed to be tight and a little on the flashy side. Now she was expecting she wanted to morph into a more mature look, so we'd promised her an hour or two shopping to pick up some new basics.
Once we were in the van, Dimitri drove us to Kirill's house where the young man was waiting out the front. I was riding shotgun, Sonya, Eddie, and Meredith each in a row of their own in the back. In minutes, Kirill was installed on the bench seat beside Sonya, and we were on our way.
"I thought we'd go to my current flat first and drop off our things? Then I could show you the new shop and my new flat?"
Although Sonya and Kirill both referred to it as 'his' flat we all knew the reason we were here. In fact, Sonya had already confided to us she didn't like the old-fashioned domineering décor typical of most Russian apartments and wanted a more modern, simple look. We'd spent an hour the previous night on a Russian real estate site discussing her preferences, and I was glad we had. Apparently the average unit in Omsk was tiny with lots of dark, heavily patterned wallpaper, exposed water pipes and electrical conduit along with different floor coverings in every room. Furniture seemed large, oppressive and patterned, which seemed ridiculous given the small spaces.
Kirill nervously warned Sonya that the entire unit was a gut job, so not to be disheartened when she saw it. On the plus side, the apartment was huge by Omsk standards – almost 90 m² - and since new everything was required, she'd have the opportunity to make her own selections. Fortuitously, Omsk had an IKEA, and Sonya had already checked out their website for ideas.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to see in Omsk, ангел?" Dimitri asked, dropping his hand onto my knee as he navigated the highway.
"I'm happy to see whatever you want to show me – although I should warn you, Sonya wants us to go to IKEA."
Dimitri rolled his eyes.
"I'm not putting together anything flat pack," he declared defiantly.
As soon as I stepped foot in Kirill's current digs, I was relieved Dimitri and I would be staying at a hotel! While it was clean enough, it was run down and super cramped. His bedroom had a double bed that Meredith and Sonya would be sharing, while Eddie and Kirill would each be claiming one of the two sofas.
"It's just for a night," I said under my breath when I caught Meredith eyeing off the bathroom disdainfully.
The baggage dropped off, we proceeded to the new shop, getting a lengthy tour from the proud business owner. We obediently admired everything before finally making our way upstairs to the flat.
"Being over the shop means it will be lovely and quiet up here," Kirill said optimistically, carefully leading Sonya up a steep, dark staircase. "No neighbors to bother about. It's also very conveniently located. Groceries, green grocer, and butcher all close by. It doesn't look like much now, but we'll be tearing out all but one wall and starting from scratch," he promised.
We walked in, and I could see why he was selling all the good points. The unit itself was a dump. A series of interconnected tiny rooms, wiring was hanging out of the walls, the kitchen cabinets were swollen with water damage from a leaking roof, and even the tiles on the floor were chipped and cracked. There was not a single thing in the place worth saving. One look at Sonya's dismayed face showed she thought the same.
"Wow! Look at this space!" I enthused, trying to boost her spirits. "This place is huge!"
Once I got over the shock of the state of the place, potential did start to present itself.
"Is there anything you can't move?" Eddie asked, moving from room to room.
"Only the plumbing," Kirill said. "And this central wall. Because we're on the top floor, the rest of the walls are not structural."
We checked out the bathroom and toilet.
"Both of those rooms will be completely redone," he quickly pointed out. It was just as well – it looked like there was more rust on the bathroom tiles than glaze!
Eddie started walking around the place, asking where South was and carefully looking at the windows. He was looking at the smallest dining room I'd ever seen when he shook his head.
"You know – if you took down the walls between the kitchen, lounge and dining room, you'd have an enormous space back here. You could have a modern open plan kitchen/living with a dining table and even an island bench."
He was wandering around, gesturing toward which walls would come down. Spinning he looked at the other end of the unit.
"If you put the bedrooms along there, you'd have a large master and a very good sized spare and both would have two windows. If you did things that way, you wouldn't have all this wasted space in the hallway. The bathroom and toilet can stay where they are, just redo the walls to make the bathroom wider, so there's room for a larger shower. Then you could put the laundry in a cupboard here with an outside vent through the ceiling."
We all looked at Eddie in surprise. He'd taken a series of tiny, gaudy rooms and managed to visualize something astounding. The problem is not one of us could picture it.
"Have you got paper?" he asked Kirill in exasperation, drawing a quick sketch on the back of an envelope when Dimitri found one and handed it over.
"If you put doors in here, and insulate the new walls, the back area would be easy to heat. It's South facing so it will get most of the sun, and it would be a pleasant place to spend the day. There's room for a dining table, sofas, and a TV."
Kirill and Sonya were both looking from the sketch on the envelope to the space in front of them, excitement erupting on their faces.
"What do you think, Sonya?" Kirill asked his girl hopefully.
"I can see a long white kitchen against that wall," she said pointing to the diagram and then the corresponding wall where the small water-logged kitchen currently sat. "With an island bench and stools. The TV could go there, sofas facing it, and there'd be plenty of room for a dining table, too!"
"You could add lots of storage in the hallway," Eddie continued, "and since you're redoing walls, you could add built-in closets to both bedrooms. That would save you needing to buy closets and would make the space seem larger."
He continued scratching at the back of the envelope, adding storage where he'd mentioned. I was no expert, but what he was suggesting seemed practical and made the most of the space.
"What about the floor?" Kirill asked. "It's an old building and the floor isn't perfectly flat. Tiles will lift and crack over time, but carpet is not practical in the kitchen."
"What about vinyl tile? You can get nice ones that look like timber flooring. It has enough give that little dips in the floor won't be a problem, it's soft underfoot, warmer than tile and easy to clean. It's also inexpensive. You could put it in throughout the entire place, even the bathroom, then use rugs in the bedrooms for extra color and warmth?"
I think by that stage I was looking at Eddie with my mouth hanging open.
"How do you know so much about this?" I asked.
"I've always liked building and that sort of thing," he admitted. "If I hadn't been Dhampir, and had to be a Guardian, I would have been gone into remodeling and construction."
Amazing. I'd known the guy for almost fifteen years and never known that about him.
Dimitri and I stood cuddling as Eddie led Kirill and Sonya through the unit explaining his thoughts in greater detail, Meredith joining them.
"So what do you think? Good enough for your little sister?!" I teased.
"If they go with Eddie's suggestions, this will be one of the nicest flats in Omsk," Dimitri said with surprise but looking pleased.
I was smiling. It was all coming up trumps for Sonya.
But as I stood cuddled in my lover's arms, I felt the bitter pang of regret. Renovating and decorating our own place would probably never be on the cards for Dimitri and me. Our lives would be spent guarding – living with our charges in whatever room or space they deigned to give us. And that's assuming we'd even be able to live together.