Not the most exciting chapter, I'll admit, but there is a little bit more interaction with Abe and Rose. This chapter is really just about them getting to know each other a little more, but I definitely want to include more future chapters with those two. Anyways, here's chapter 14.

The interrogation wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. The officers were very serious with the situation, but they were still aware of making sure I was comfortable with their questions. It wasn't anything unexpected, but everything was very specific and detailed. They had spoken about the room where I was experimented on, but any documents that were in the room before were all gone. The computers had nothing on them either, and even the blood bags were gone. They hadn't found anything. Sebastian's people must have gotten rid of everything and sent them somewhere else to cover their tracks.

When the officers questioned me about it, I simply told them I didn't know anything. I hated having to lie about such a thing, but I couldn't reveal my secret. As much as I hated to admit it, I was afraid of what they would do to me. Maybe they'd realize I wasn't actually a threat, but there was the other possibility—thinking I was dangerous and locking me up. Or maybe even using me for research. My kind of mix was so rare, and it hadn't been reported for years. They would definitely want to know more about me, and I didn't want to give my body up for science.

Even with all of my protests, they still questioned Nevaeh. It pissed me off, but at least I was allowed to stay there with her. She didn't really say anymore than 'yes', 'no', and 'I don't know'. Sometimes, she wouldn't even answer at all unless I repeated the question to her.

The whole thing lasted a little over an hour. The air was getting stuffy, and being in a room with people I didn't particularly like wasn't exactly within my comfort zone. None of the guardians from the academy could go in there with me, and I was relieved when the officers finally let me leave.

I held Nevaeh's hand as I walked out and was surprised to see my parents waiting outside. Dimitri and Alberta were there too, but their conversation came to a stop when they saw me.

My mother was the first one to leave her seat. "How was it?" she asked.

"Brutally long," I muttered, running my free hand through my hair. "You know, it could have been a lot shorter. They didn't have to repeat themselves over and over again."

"They do that to make sure your answer is the same every time," Abe said casually, slipping his luxurious coat on.

"We still have to talk," I told him.

"I haven't forgotten," he said. "There's a coffee shop here if you wish to join me. I'm happy to answer whatever you want to ask me. Perhaps we can even discuss some life theories—"

"Okay!" I rasped, making him laugh. I let go of Nevaeh's hand, guiding her towards Dimitri. At least I knew she was comfortable with him. He smiled at her and picked her up effortlessly before looking over his shoulder.

"We'll leave you to it," Dimitri said, walking away with Alberta and my mother. I nodded, giving him a tight smile before facing Abe once more. He turned on his heels, gesturing for me to follow him.

"Do you like coffee?" he asked.

"I hate coffee."

"Oh. Good. Humans drink that stuff like water. I take it you're more of a tea person?"

"Yes," I answered, surprised by how natural and innocent our conversation was. "Jasmine green tea, especially."

"Ah," he said proudly. "Keeping things classy."

I scoffed. "Not really. I'm anything but classy."

"I'll be the judge of that," he said as we rounded a corner. "You know, breaking the rules doesn't make you a trashy person."

"What are you talking about?"

Abe chuckled. "I read your files. You've broken just about every rule in the book."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. It's not like I had anyone around to discipline me."

"Fair enough. But I must say, Guardian Belikov seems to be doing a pretty good job. Your behavior got better when he became your mentor."

He wasn't wrong. Dimitri was always harder on me than any other teacher at the academy. He was strict too, and although I had undoubtedly become his favourite student back then, he still made me work hard. If I slacked off, he didn't give me special treatment just because of our hidden romance. He had seen so much potential in me which was why he was so strict. He had indeed taught me some discipline, and I suddenly started thinking of other ways he could 'discipline' me.

"Rose?" Abe said, making my cheeks turn a dark shade of red. I could not be fantasizing about Dimitri right now.

"Yeah, he's great," I said a little too quickly, trying to hide the blush in my cheeks. God forbid Abe ever found out about us.

We finally arrived at the coffee shop. The smell of baked sweets and brewed coffee invaded my nose, but I didn't mind it. It wasn't very often that I got to smell such nice things, and it gave me a feeling of relaxation.

We sat down at one of the tables, and a middle-aged moroi waitress almost immediately approached us.

"Mr. Mazur," she said. "I see you've finally brought a guest with you."

"Hello again. Rose, this is Leila. Leila, meet Rose—my daughter." Abe exchanged gestures as he introduced us. Leila looked at me like I was a pot of gold.

"So, this is the famous Rose Hathaway," she said. If I didn't know better, I would have said she was checking me out. "You really are beautiful in the flesh."

"Oh. Thank you," I said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"She takes after me," Abe said smugly. I rolled my eyes in embarrassment. Leila laughed as she pulled out a small note pad and a pen.

"What can I get for you today?" she asked, turning towards me.

"Just green tea," I said, still feeling a little awkward. In the past, I would have definitely ordered a meal along with some sweets, but my appetite was still laying low.

"Certainly. Anything for you, Mr. Mazur?"

"I'll have the same thing—but maybe with a drop of my favourite substance, if you can."

"I'll see what I can do," Leila said quietly before hurrying off into the back.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked when she was gone.

"Everyone knows me," Abe said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I've been living here for the past few months to investigate your earlier disappearance. Even before that, I made several visits—for business purposes, mainly. Consider me a regular. Sort of."

"Great," I said sarcastically. "Everyone knew you except for me."

Abe's face started to change, and I could've sworn there was some regret in his eyes. "That's my fault," he admitted. "I didn't want you to be involved with my life for several reasons. I never had the intention of abandoning you, Rose, but I understand if you feel that way."

I shrugged. I was used it at this point. If anything, it felt weird for me to say I even had a dad. I still addressed him by his name as it was too strange for me to call him anything else.

Something else was bothering me though. There were so many blanks that needed to be filled, and I hoped he would at least open up to me. He still almost felt like a stranger to me.

"Can I at least know why you decided to leave?" I asked. Abe's eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to say something before closing it. As usual, I spoke before thinking.

"Was my mom just...a cheap hookup?" I continued before I could stop myself. "I mean, she was pretty young when she had me—"

"No, Rose, it wasn't that," Abe interrupted. "That's not how I see your mother. I have a lot more respect for that woman than you think I do."

"Then why did you leave?" I prompted. Our waitress came back in that moment, setting the two cups of tea down.

"Thanks," I said, wrapping my hands around the hot cup. She pulled out a small tube of some sort, and as soon as she took off the lid, I immediately noticed the strong smell of blood. I repressed the urge to snatch it out of her hand as she poured the red liquid into Abe's tea.

"Much appreciated," Abe said with a wink.

"Anything to get your energy up," Leila said. She walked away again, leaving us alone. Even in the tea, I could still smell the damn blood. Abe, of course, had no idea. I hadn't actually fed in almost two days, and I was starting to feel the effects already. A part of me wanted to chug his drink down, but I couldn't let him see that. Instead, I took a sip of my own drink to distract my thirst. At least my eyes weren't red right now.

"The things I do...well, it's the sole reason I didn't want to get you involved in my life. Now that you're older, you'd probably understand, but as a child? It was far too dangerous."

"Was Adrian right, then? He said you were—" I looked around, making sure nobody was around to hear us. "You know...involved in that kind of business. Like, the dangerous kind."

Abe chuckled. "Bingo," he said, taking a sip of his blood-mixed tea. "I'd rather not discuss it with you. I can only let you know so much—for your own safety, of course."

"Don't a lot of people fear and respect you?" I asked. "They wouldn't hurt me."

"And this is exactly why I couldn't let myself into your life for so many years. You're partially right—as long as people know you're my daughter, they wouldn't lay a finger on you. And, yes, I'm aware of the strigoi attacks and all the kills you've made. You're a tough woman, and I can admire that—but you have no idea how the mafia works, sweetheart. It doesn't matter if you're a strigoi or a human or whatever else. Innocent or not, people get killed if you mess with the wrong person."

"I'm no expert, but I think I have some idea. I was trafficked by them for over a month."

"I'm aware," Abe said reluctantly. "I was contacting my people all over the place. Eventually, one thing led to another, and there you were."

I blanched as I thought back on the day I was rescued. I still remembered being naked and tied to the ceiling while the strigoi were feeding off of me.

"Did you see me when they found me?" I asked, hoping he would say no.

"The first time I saw you, you were in Guardian Belikov's arms," he said. "You were clinging onto him for dear life." Well, at least he hadn't seen me when I was naked. It would have been horrifying for both of us.

"I was just cold," I said, averting my eyes.

"Right," Abe said hesitantly, remaining totally unconvinced. He took another sip of his tea, and the smell of the blood was actually starting to bother me. I still had another day here, and I had no idea how I was going to retrieve blood. The royal court obviously had a feeding department—multiple actually—but I couldn't risk sneaking in there. I wished I had brought a bag with me.

"I hope you understand why I'm not there all the time," Abe continued. "I checked in with the academy every few years to make sure you were okay, but I get it if you feel some kind of resentment towards me."

"Well," I said, "I don't hate you, if that's what you're wondering. I appreciate you for finding me. Don't take this too personally, but it's just hard for me to call you a dad. I don't know you very well."

"That's fair," Abe said. "But I'm hoping we can eventually establish some kind of understanding."

"I hope so too." And I meant it. I could take care of myself, but I didn't entirely want to shut him out of my life. It would take time, and I knew he couldn't always be there as my father, but I was willing to at least be civil with him.

I would have chatted with him longer, but the blood was still bothering me. I needed to get out of here before my thirst took over.

"I should go," I said, stepping out of my seat.

"Why so soon?" Abe asked.

"Nevaeh's probably waiting for me. I'll see you later." I strolled out of the cafe without hesitation. I didn't try to see Abe's reaction at my sudden need to leave. I hated having to do this every time I got thirsty, but it was too risky to stay there.

I was relieved when I stepped out into the hallway, finally feeling like I could breathe again. I pressed my back against the wall and slid down. I was so frustrated that I had to live like this. It was taking so long for me to adjust. Maybe I would get used to it or figure something out over time, but in the moment, it was painful. I even contemplated running away from the academy a few times, but I still wanted to protect the people I cared about. They spent so long trying to find me when I was gone. I at least owed it to them to stay, but I still wanted answers. No, I needed answers.

Sebastian was definitely in the royal court prison. Seth was probably here too, but he definitely wasn't going to cooperate with me. I wasn't sure if they were keeping Damian here since he was a human, but if he was here, I would definitely have to find a way to talk to him. I wasn't even sure how I was going to talk to Sebastian. I'd have to sneak into the court's prison and convince the guards to let me through.

I took advantage of the time I had left by myself and rushed through the hallways. The court was huge, and I had to walk for almost ten minutes just to find an entrance to the basement. It was a lot colder down there, but cold temperatures didn't really bother me that much.

I had to ask guardians for directions in order to actually find the prison cells and interrogation rooms. They must have known about my disappearance, or maybe they just knew me as Abe's daughter or whatever, because most of them recognized me and didn't try to block off my access. When I finally arrived at the main area of confinement, however, it took a lot more convincing.

A young guardian stood at the door. He was extremely hesitant in accepting my request, and it took everything in me not to use compulsion on him. Since my transition, I actually had the ability to do that, but I refrained from ever doing so. I thought it was wrong and immoral, and I would only ever use it if it was really necessary.

"Please," I begged. "I'm only here for another day. I just need to talk to him. That's all."

The guardian who was standing at the door—a young dhampir with dark brown eyes and black hair—finally stepped forward after realizing I wasn't going to leave.

"Let me see your ID," he said. I complied right away, pulling my driver's license and my St. Vladimir's student ID out of my wallet. He exchanged glances between me and my ugly pictures.

"I heard about what happened to you," he said sympathetically as he returned my cards. "I'm not usually supposed to let visitors in, but I can make an exception for you. Just give me a few minutes."

"Thank you," I said gratefully, leaning against the wall. He pulled out his phone before dialing a number. He said something about a unit followed by a few numbers before asking for someone to come down. Whoever he was speaking to must have been on duty, because after just a few minutes, another guardian walked into the hallway. He was older and had some slight wrinkles in his face, but he was still packed with muscle underneath his uniform. He nodded his head at me, but didn't say anything.

"Take her to unit 106," the young guard said. "The prisoner should be ready. I've already ordered him in."

"Got it." The older guardian that just recently walked in placed a gentle hand on my back as the door was opened.

The guard's voice was tight. "So, you're the famous Rose Hathaway everyone talks about."

I rolled my eyes. "Um—yes. I'm sorry, does everyone here know me?"

"So it seems. You're quite the celebrity."

"I'm guessing it's for all the wrong reasons," I rebuked. "I don't have the most flattering record."

"No, but from what I've heard, you seem to have a very inspiring ethic. We don't have a lot of female guardians nowadays, but there are a lot of people—girls in particular—that look up to you."

"Oh." Even people at the royal court knew about my strigoi killings. It shouldn't have been so surprising considering I hadn't graduated when the huge attack happened. I hoped Christian was given just as much credit after setting half of them on fire.

There was a bit of an awkward silence between us as I followed him through the dim hallway. The walk wasn't too long though, and we finally reached a door with a small window on it. The number 106 was engraved right beside the glass.

The young dhampir unlocked the door, glancing at me with a look of uncertainty. "Are you sure you're ready?"

No.

"Yes," I said, trying to ignore the painful anxiety that invaded my head. I hadn't seen my abductors since being recued, and I wasn't sure if I was actually ready to face them again—even if it was just one of them. I just had to suck it up and be brave. None of them could hurt me anymore.

"Alright. Just be careful. He's unpleasant," the guard said. I shut my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath as I walked in.

The room was dark, and the only light we got came from the ceiling above the metal table in the middle of the room. The walls were a dark grey, and there was a large mirror on one of the walls.

The first thing as I saw as I looked at the person sitting in one of the chairs was his face. A vicious grin stretched across his lips when he saw me, and I just stood there, my feet glued to the ground as my heart raced. Goosebumps started to form on my arms as I looked at the man I tried to forget about, the man who had created the monster inside me.

"Marie," Sebastian laughed. "I knew you'd come back for me!"

Like I said before, Rose doesn't actually know Abe very well but at least finds some common ground. Hopefully I can have them work together in future chapters. Still not sure yet, but I'll figure it out! :)