Chapter 18

TBH I DONT OWN VA

"I still don't like this…"Dimitris' knuckles turn white against the steering wheel.

A deep sigh runs through me. We've been over this a million times. Meet my mother in France, spend the night and go back to the safe house in Italy. It's only lunch, and honestly the small army Abe has sent to accompany us is armed ready to take on just about anything. "Dimtri it's going to be okay. You'll be with me the entire time, we'll be okay." my hand grazes my belly indicating the little boy growing inside. Small kick against my palm offers reassurance, pushing away lingering fear. I honestly just want to get this over with. I don't know how I expect this to turn out but this suspense it too much.

"We're here." Dimitri pulls into a parking lot and shifts the car into park. " I'm here Milyla no matter what happens I am here, if you decide its too much just let me know and we're gone."

"I know Dimitri. I love you"

His hand finds mine placing his lips softly against it "I love you too. Now let's get this over with."

The restaurant that Abe chose is layered in plants and walls filled with wine. There's a tall wall encasing the entirety of the building, careful not to trip over my ever swollen feet. There's only one entrance located behind the gap of the wall. This place is a fortress easy to defend, not that there will be much of a need considering that it's 12 in the afternoon and the sun is high and bright. Following the path inside I scan the tables finally placing the red curly hair in the far corner of the room. Dimitri helps me waddle over pulling the chair out for me before taking a seat next to me. The smile on my mothers face is tight, straining against her normal guardian mask. "Hello Rose."

"Mom." A tense silence follows only interrupted by the waitress asking for our orders and reclining the table as soon as she leaves.

"I can see you're ready to pop. You must be what 8- 9 months along?" her voice is layered thick with perfunctory , which is weird since you know she is the one who asked to meet us.

"8 Months, although it feels like it's been a lot longer." I try forcing a small chuckle.

Dimitris' arm drapes protectively over the back of my chair and my mothers eyes lock onto it fire building within. The tension becomes too much for me. "I need to use the bathroom."

Before Dimtri can protest my mother stands "I'll go with her." so much for escaping the tension, I guess it's just going to follow me then.

His eyes meet mine silently asking if I'll be okay. With a heavy sigh I nod letting him know that I don't really like it but I'll deal with it. He offers a soft kiss before I turn towards the heavy marked doors in the back of the restaurant. I can feel his eyes on me the whole time I move away and I can't help but feel a heavy weight inside my stomach. Something doesn't feel quite right only, I don't know what it is…I try to shake as I step into the stall and do my thing, before going to wash my hands.

My thought of impending doom are interrupt by my mothers voice "So what happens when it get here?"

It? Damn could she be more cold? "We stay here until we can figure out who has been hurting us. Then I don't know? Dimitri goes back to guarding and I take the full year of leave and I guess we go from there?"

"So you don't plan on guarding?" her voice seems off. My heart speeds up pounding in my ears. "I don't know, I want to be Lissa's guardian eventually but I need to think of my family." My voice is stern, hiding the fear building up inside my chest making it tight and heavy.

"You're such a selfish brat, I can't believe you wouldn't just drop the kid at the academy. You have people to protect, that's why you were born to protect Morio, and here you are putting them last." Her voice is a matter of fact no emotion as she rummages through the bag I didn't realize she had.

"Excuse me? Did you just says that's why I was born? Are you seriously telling me you had me purely out of duty to build up the guardian count?"

Shrugging she pulls whatever she was looking for out of the bag "That's our duty as female Dhampir, this kid will make a fantastic guardian, it's just genetics. I'll admit I thought it was irresponsible and selfish of you to keep it but I can see now I was wrong. "

"Would you stop calling my baby it? HE is a BABY BOY. and HE WILL have his mom and dad raising him not the academy. Maybe when he's older he'll go but certainly not as a literal infant." Struggling to keep my voice low I decide it's time to end this little reunion and turn away towards the door, only to feel a sharp sting in my neck followed by the most terrifying words I have ever heard. "That's where you are wrong Rosemarie , I will make sure of it. You really should have listened, now I have to be the bad guy."

My world is fading as the realization dawns on me "It was you, it's been you the whole time." I don't hear her reply before the darkness takes over.

Dimitris point of view

I follow them with my eyes. I hate to think Janie would ever hurt Rose on purpose but something just isn't sitting well with me. I try and fail to sit still in my seat as the time passes. I keep expecting them to come out but they don't no matter how long I wait they never come out. I keep telling myself to sit still for just another minute. Everything will be okay but after 15 minutes I can't take it. I walk towards the bathrooms trying to be casual and push the women's bathroom door open just a crack "Rose, Janie is everything okay?" I am meant only with silence. Fearing the worst I barge in the door and find the bathroom completely empty, the loose paper towels billowing in the breeze of the open window. Shit… I knew this was a bad idea, why would Janie take Rose though? As I turn to leave the room when my foot kicks something sending it clanking across the floor. I bend down picking it up and rolling it in my hands, the needle at the end of the syringe is gone but there's still a little liquid inside. Careful not to spill the last few drops I wrap it up in my pocket , trying to stifle the panic building inside. I pull out my phone dialing the first number on the contacts "Abe, we have a problem." I fight to keep my voice calm despite the tight fear pulling my chest inward and clenching hard against my heart. I don't know what happened but I do know my family is in serious trouble.

Rose's Point of view

The pounding in my head is interrupted by a sharp pain in my lower abdomen. Fighting against the pain I pry my eyes open struggling to sit up against the black of the room. I try to stand only to have my wrist pulled back with a clink against the metal frame of what feels like a bed I am sitting on. There are no windows, and I can't make out the door. The sound of water dripping slowly against the floor echos, with my frantic breaths. Sweat coats my face running down my neck as the chill rubs against me, it's only when I feel that cold I realize I am no longer in my clothes but a hospital gown with nothing else. The rancid smell of sour water doesn't help calm me as I try to breathe deep. What happened? I was at the dinner with Dimtri and … my mother. That's who did this. As if on cue the door opens and she steps through pulling a string I can't reach to light up the room. It's as if she's put me in a thick cement box, with the only light a small bulb in the middle of the room.

"I see you're up." I am about to reply with my signature Rose attitude when another pain rips through my body. "I see things are moving along." what in the hell does she- oh no not here not with her. Not without Dimitri.

"Please you have to-"

She cuts me off "Oh shut up it's not that bad it will be over before you know it and I'll let you go, you not the child. The child I'm sending to be trained as a guardian. But you, you can go slut around however you want, keep making those guardians for Morio.." her breath makes me gag. It's worse than a frat house after a Friday night. The woman has to have downed at least a bottle of vodka but she's as steady and alert as always, which means she has a tolerance to it. Janie Hathaway has officially lost it. All I can do is pray Dimtri finds me before this baby gets here, because I am in no shape to fight.

Dimitris point of view

"Well what did he say?"

Abe hangs up the phone before rubbing his temple. "He said Janie hasn't been with him since the attack on the school. Apparently she hit her breaking point. She started drinking pretty heavily and became unstable. She couldn't even manage to hold down a job at the academy. Apparently Alberta tried to get her into rehab but she bailed."

I can't feel anything. My fingers are numb and my world is spinning "We have to find them she's not stable Abe who knows what she'll do."

"Yes, she can't be too far from France we only just told her where to meet you, she wouldn't have a lot of time to find a discreet place to hold Rose."

Pulling out a map and smoothing it I zone in on the area we meant Janie at. There's little bundles of small townships scattered about for miles in every direction. It would need to be off the grid somewhere no one would come to question her. Starting with where we met her I tear into the architectural history of the town, refusing to think about what Rose must be going through. I make a silent promise to find her at all costs.