Sorry for the delay everyone, but here's the next installment. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my first short story... "He's Gone"
I hope I did it justice... Oh and, Happy Mother's day to all the mum's out there.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Forty Three
About an hour later we heard the chime of the front door. As one of the Moroi on staff walked towards us, I saw Adrian's parents behind him. I looked over to Adrian and mouthed, 'they're here'. So he stood up and walked over to them.
"Mom, Dad. Thank you for coming." I couldn't help but notice how Adrian's father hadn't changed since the last time I'd seen him. Stoic as ever and that horrible bushy grey moustache still looked like it should be shot and skinned to make into a rug. Adrian shook his father's hand and gave his mother a hug; she looked like she still hadn't had that pole surgically removed from her ass yet either. But we all got the surprise of our lives when Tasha walked in behind them; apparently she talked the queen into letting her come see Christian. Adrian's parents greeted Lissa and Christian as one would expect, but when their eyes landed on me, I got a simple 'Miss Hathaway' from his mother, his father just glared daggers at me...
Yeah, this was going to be a great visit, at least Tasha was here.
Adrian took his parents inside for some privacy and hearing him tell his parents about Hope's...death, was hard. It brought up a lot of bad memories and with them, a lot of anger. It hurt me deeply that Adrian was hurting so much over the loss of his sister, but had Mason not killed her when he did, I would be dead and buried right now. But I would have liked the chance to tie her up and tortured her myself... I knew when he'd finally said the words as I heard his mother start to cry. We had all come up with a story to tell them concerning her death. Adrian used compulsion on them to make them believe that she'd been in another Academy in Europe and that she'd been killed by strigoi when she'd left the safety of the wards for a holiday.
I know how much it must have hurt Adrian to do that, but I also knew he didn't want his mother hurt by the knowledge that her only daughter had turned strigoi. His mother had been so distraught, they'd left almost immediately.
"Well that just sucked." Adrian said as he plopped down onto one of the deck chairs with a bottle of Vodka. He unscrewed the cap and gulped down nearly half of the bottle in one go. I quickly popped into Lissa's head when I saw her looking at him and sure enough, she was looking at his aura. I was shocked seeing his normally vibrant gold aura now colored in dull dark greens and blues all shaded in black; only small sparks of gold found their way through all of that darkness. I pulled back to my own head and was about to go to him when someone spoke.
"There is something that you all should know." Tasha said. We all turned to face her and saw how serious her face was.
"What's wrong Tasha?" Christian said.
"A lot has been happening since you've been gone. Word has spread amongst the Dhampir community about what the queen said at your 'trial'..."
"Yeah, we know." I said still more than a little annoyed. Her forehead creased in confusion. "A lot has happened here too, as you've just seen. Sydney told us a bit; the Alchemist...."
"Oh, is that what she is? Oh well, what she may not have told you is that because of the numbers of guardians who have walked away from service, the Moroi are now in panic mode.... extreme panic mode. The queen is scared that a mutiny is imminent by those who have seen the 'error of their ways' and have pledged to the guardians that they will embrace a new way of thinking if they come back." I looked at Liss and Christian and then to Mason and saw that they were probably thinking the same thing as me.
"Is this why Tatiana let you come here....to tell us this?" By the look on her face, I'd just hit the nail on the head. "Okay.... seeing as we have almost caught up, you may as well tell us the rest." I said.
"Well... she's had a – change of heart." I started laughing... disbelieving what I was hearing...
"Tasha, she'd have to have a heart in the first place to be able to change it." Adrian spurted out a mouthful of Vodka and started laughing hysterically when I said that. He'd been silent until now.
"You have...no idea...how funny that... *burp* is..." When I looked over to him, he had a cigarette in one hand, an empty bottle on the ground beside him and he was half way through the second one. "No...heart. You have... that...right. Queen Bitch..."
"I'll be back soon." I whispered to Dimitri. "I'll go get him into bed."
"Want a hand?" he asked.
"No... I'm alright; unfortunately this won't be the first time I've done this." He nodded and I walked over to Adrian.
"Adrian... I think you need to get some sleep. Come on, I'll help you to your room." He looked up to me from his chair and as drunk as he was, I could see how much pain and hurt was in his eyes. He grabbed my offered hand and staggered as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. As we started up the stairs he started to speak... well slur.
"You know Lil Dhampir... I love you sooooo much, and I think..." then he started to sway. "I think that she was a cow.... for doing this to us." I knew who he was talking about and it wasn't the queen. Adrian's mind was solely on his sister.
"I know Adrian. Come on, help me here please, otherwise we're both going to end up in a crumpled heap down the bottom of the stairs." He totally ignored my plea for help as we continued upwards; he was in his own little alcohol oblivion world and couldn't really hear anyone at the moment. We walked along the hallway that led to all of the suites and I had to get his attention off all the busts that lined the walls; he actually tried to kiss a few, some he tried to punch because they were looking at him the 'wrong way'... We turned the corner and I could see his door coming up.
"Do you still love me Lil Rosie...?" I'll let that pass....
"Of course I love you Adrian, you know that." We finally reached his door and as I reached to open it, he swung his body in between it and me.
"Really? How mush....do you love me?" I smiled at him as I took a deep breath and pushed his suite door open behind him.
"Lots, now go to bed Adrian." I pushed him inside as best I could without knocking us both over and walked him over to his bedroom; he babbled incoherently all the way. As I went to push him onto the bed, he grabbed me around my neck and I ended up lying on top of him. He may have been drunk but he was still quick. His hands came up behind my head and he pulled me hard to his lips. I didn't know what to do at first; I didn't want to hurt him...physically, so I couldn't punch him or kick him in the gonads...so I decided to not do anything... I just went perfectly still. After a few seconds of not responding, he stopped and pulled away from me. We stared at each other without saying anything and then a tear escaped his eye and fell towards his ear.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered. I rolled off him as I felt him let me go. "You can leave now, I'll be fine." He said. I could hear the hurt and anger in his voice, so I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into me. He struggled at first but then he relaxed and for the next hour I held him while he cried and yelled and cried some more. Then when that was over, he apologised for his sisters actions and fell asleep... After pulling his shoes, button up shirt and slacks off, I finally got him under the blankets and left his room. Dimitri was waiting at the end of the hall when I came out.
"Is he alright? I heard him crying before when I came to see if you needed a hand." I knew that Dimitri didn't really like Adrian all that much, and that was purely because of our previous relationship and Adrian's constant flirting, but he knew I still cared for him and put up with it for me.
"He passed out. Until he works through this sober... it's never going to get any better for him. I hate seeing him in so much pain." He nodded and kissed me softly before pulling me into a hug. I took a deep calming breath; pulling in his wonderful scent into the very depths of my body. I could stay here forever.
"Come on," He said. "Tasha's been waiting to talk to us all." I nodded and then we went back downstairs and into the large lounge room where everyone was now sitting.
Is he alright? Asked Liss through the bond.
Yes and no. He'll be out of it for a while though. She nodded as we approached the sofas. I was about to sit beside him when Dimitri pulled me onto his lap. Even though everyone here knew about us, we'd never been overly 'in your face' with our public displays of affection, the fact that he was being so bold made me curious. I certainly wasn't complaining and I was about to ask him what was going on until our eyes locked. I saw fear... I reached my hand up to the side of his cheek and rubbed my thumb over his eye.
"Humour me. I just don't want you too far away from me." He said. I didn't need to be convinced to stay where I was; I loved being held in his arms.
Rose... we're waiting... I could feel that Lissa was a little impatient to hear what Tasha had to say.
"I'm listening..." I said to her sarcastically. I relaxed into his arms; stretching my legs out across Eddie's lap and layed my head against his chest.
"Okay then..." Tasha said with a smirk. "As I said before, a large number of guardians have resigned. At first Tatiana accepted the resignations, saying that she didn't want guardians around that had such disregard for the Moroi well being... but it soon got to numbers where she could no longer deny that she had a problem. At first, most of the Royals agreed with her about the resignations, but they soon changed their minds when their guardians left too. There have been...rumours, that they want her to stand down, hence her 'mutiny' paranoia."
"From the throne?" Lissa said incredulously.
"Yes. They want someone else leading them; someone who they think will be the only one who can rectify the situation."
"Who?" Asked Christian. Tasha's eyes went from him to Lissa but she didn't say another word. Everyone was silent for a few seconds before seeing what was going on.
NO! Liss said to herself.
"You're joking, right?" I asked Tasha. She looked at me and shook her head.
"Who? What am I missing here?" Christian asked, but I couldn't take my eyes off Tasha's. So much was going on in my head, what this could mean for Lissa, for us... I always thought that she'd make a fantastic leader; she could do a lot of good for the Moroi but I knew that she'd never even entertained the possibility of it before.
"Gees, you'd make a great detective Christian." Dimitri said flippantly.
"Shut it Mountain man..." I couldn't help but laugh at the memory of when I first saw Dimitri walking towards us on that dark, deserted street all those months ago, it was exactly what I'd called him. "Will someone tell me before I get all hot and bothered."
"They want me." Lissa said in an almost whisper.
"Holy shit..." Christian said slightly stunned.
"And what does Tatiana think about it all?" I asked.
"Well, she's not too happy as you could imagine. But if too many more guardians leave then she's not going to have any choice in the matter and I think she's trying to find a way to rectify the situation and keep her monarchy." I looked over to Liss and her face showed as much confusion as her emotions inside. She didn't know what to think but she knew that there was no choice but to go back to the Royal Court.
What do you think? She asked me.
I honestly don't know Liss. On one hand, it could be a good thing, but if she does find a way to mollify the others and keep her throne, what then? What will she do with us once she has us at Court? She looked away from me in thought for a second and I saw all sorts of possibilities run through her head, but one thing popped into her mind....one thing I'd never expected.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I said aloud. She looked at me slightly confused.
"What?"
'They're your people?' What's that supposed to mean?
Well they are Rose... The future of my people could hinge on what happens next. Why are you so upset?
Why? I said standing glaring at her. Since when have we ever been two races in your head, a 'my people, your people' attitude? We need each other to survive. Think about it Liss... Only a few short weeks ago, that bitch stood there high and mighty wielding her axe. She threw me out like yesterday's garbage and then proceeded to walk all over the sacrifices that every guardian has ever made for your people...
She threw me out too if you remember correctly. She was now standing too, glaring at me with probably the same look as I was giving her.
No, she didn't... You threw yourself out; she just couldn't look weak in front of her minions by trying to make you stay. She would never have let you leave otherwise. Why do you think she had us followed huh? Do you honestly think she would have done that if it had just been me and the other Dhampirs? Of course she wouldn't have... Wake up Liss... Once she has us all there at Court, you'll be thrust into the politics of trying to save your people... and every Dhampir that was 'thrown away' will be locked up, including me.
No, you won't, don't be so melodramatic Rose. My mouth dropped to the floor... I couldn't believe her...
Melodramatic? You think I'm overreacting? Lissa, we've been banned, stripped of our guardianship, she's trying to hold on to her throne... do you honestly think that she's going welcome us back with open arms especially after everything that's happened? She stood up in front of everyone and told us that our lives are only worth dying for them, we're only bred so that they can live...like some, dog. I would die in a heartbeat for you Liss, not because I'm your guardian but because you're my sister and I love you. But I will not put my life on the line for her or any of the others who think so little of what I risk and have risked every day.
She looked at me blankly for a few seconds; a mixture of emotions swirling around in her, anxiousness, anger, betrayal... and then I felt her mental walls go up. She turned away from me and looked at Christian and his aunt.
"When do we leave?" she asked Tasha. I looked around and saw that everyone was staring at us anxiously. They could see we'd been arguing silently and knew not to interrupt but once she'd spoken to Tasha, Dimitri grabbed my hand. I looked down to him and saw that he wanted to know what was going on, but I just shook my head slowly. Lissa was going back and as much as I knew I'd regret it, I was too. I was bound to Lissa in more ways than one and where she went, I would follow, as always.
"She's sending a car for me in three days, so I can call them to send more if you'd like." Lissa nodded and then without a backward glance, she walked upstairs with Christian following. I was so angry right now and I needed some release so I stormed away from everyone. The gym was at the back of the house so I walked over to the doorway that was beside the staircase on the far wall of the lounge room. I walked down the corridor past the media room and two lane bowling alley. As I got to the last door I reached for the handle and swung it open. It felt like ages since I'd been in here and truth be told, it had probably been nearly two weeks, but I made a beeline for the punching bags. I didn't care that I wasn't in workout clothes; I just needed to hit something and the bags were a better choice than Lissa. Luckily, no-one came near me.
Lissa didn't come down from her room that night at all, she even had her food was sent up. Her walls were still up, so I knew that it was pointless to try and talk to her. Dimitri and the others had given me the space I'd needed and not asked about what had been said between her and I and I was thankful for that. The next morning Alberta came to me in the kitchen as I was eating breakfast.
"Morning Rose." She said.
"Good morning Alberta."
"Are you going back?"
"Yes. My place is by her side, always will be. I'm not looking forward to what awaits me though."
"We're all coming too." I looked up at her shocked.
"You don't have to do that Alberta. You know as well as I do what is probably going to happen once we get there." She took a deep breath and nodded.
"Where else are we going to go? We have nowhere else... we don't have homes; most of us don't even have families to go to. If prison is what waits for us, then that's better than living on the streets and running the risk of being killed....or worse."
"Is that really what you all think?" We looked up to see Lissa standing in the doorway. "Do you really think I'd let that happen?"
"No Liss, you wouldn't. But you wouldn't be in a position to stop her if that's what she wanted to do." She dropped her barriers and I felt the regret over our fight, over the things she'd said. "You were right nonetheless Liss. We are two races....with different rules for each."
"That will change." She said confidently. I wasn't the only one who heard the steel in her voice. I saw Alberta looking at me from the corner of my eye as I looked at Lissa. "I have no intention of allowing her to keep the throne. That will be one of my condition to return....she must abdicate." My mouth dropped in shock... I couldn't tear my eyes away from her as I heard Alberta drop the mug she'd been holding only seconds before. "But as I said, there will be other conditions for my return – for our return. Rose, could you gather everyone into the boardroom for me please, I need to make a conference call and I would like everyone here to be present." I smiled at her seeing what was going on in her mind. The next few weeks were going to be one hell of a ride....
Bring it on I say!
