Chapter 30 - The Journey

Present day - March

Dimitri POV

On the outside I was poised, an unreadable mask of calmness. I walked confidently towards the jet, following Spiridon's steps on the tarmac. He was carrying most of our bags, along with the camping gear, while I dragged the suitcase with Rose stuffed in it behind me. I wanted to wince as I felt the small wheels of the suitcase hit all the little bumps in the concrete below us. So far, there wasn't a sound coming from Rose and I could only hope she was doing okay.

When we reached the stairs to the jet, Spiridon turned around briefly to make sure I would manage the suitcase. I would have to in order for us not to raise any suspicion, it was hardly inconspicuous for the two of us to carry it together. I lowered the retractable handle back into the suitcase and grabbed the external handle. My jaw locked as I lifted the suitcase, breathing steadily trying not to give away how heavy it was. I carried it with one hand and thanked myself for doing all the different farmer's walks throughout the years. When I reached the top of the stairs a flight attendant dressed in an emerald green uniform greeted me with a warm smile, and I forced myself to smile back. I ducked my head and entered the aircraft, the suitcase safely next to me.

"Allow me, sir."

I turned around slightly only to find the flight attendant looking at me with an expectant smile, one hand reaching for the suitcase.

"It's fine ma'am, my mother didn't raise me to allow women to do the heavy lifting for me. I'll stove it away."

I moved further into the plane only to find a flickering Spiridon smirking at me. He was stoving our gear into the storage shelves, leaving the bottom one empty for Rose. I set the suitcase down and he immediately took the handle, carefully lowering it to the ground. We both shoved it into place, hopefully not drawing attention to us. I heard the flight attendant close the door to the aircraft behind us, and a quick glance over Spiridon's shoulder into the cabin almost made me sigh with relief.

I immediately spotted princess Vasilisa Dragomir, her blonde hair and bright green eyes giving away who she was. In the seat next to her holding her hand was Tasha's nephew. They both shared the Ozera genes with intense blue eyes and black hair, but there was also something about the shape of his cheek bones and the smirk that revealed his kinship with Tasha. My gaze didn't linger on them and I continued to assess their guardians. Luckily there were only two of them onboard and I didn't recognize either of them. I locked eyes with the one closest to Vasilisa and we greeted each other with a curt nod. The other guardian was busy getting something from his bag, but he briefly looked up with a tired smile before continuing his task. My eyes flicked back over to the first guardian, noting the shadows under his eyes.

It looked like both of them were tired and waiting for an opportunity to rest up, probably meaning that they would be asleep even before the fasten your seatbelt lamp was turned off. With them asleep, Christian and Vasilisa might avoid conversation in order to let them rest.

The whole situation was better than I could've hoped for.

In the back of the cabin was a more casual seating area with a sofa and a tv, currently empty as we were waiting to take off. I was pleased to note that the kitchenette was also in the back, hopefully meaning that the flight attendant would stay there at least some periods of time allowing Rose to stretch. In the middle of the cabin were the rows of seats, two and two per row divided by an aisle. The rows closest to the tv area were occupied by the two other guardians, and Christian and Vasilisa were sitting in the seats that had a table and two other seats facing them. Spiridon took off to the right, sitting in front of the guardian who had been shuffling through his bag and was already leaning back with his eyes closed. When he sat down he gave Vasilisa a respectful nod and slumped down into his seat, stifling a yawn and earning a sympathetic look from the guardian sitting behind the Morois.

"Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, on behalf of both of us I'd like to take the opportunity to express our gratitude for allowing us to fly with you," I murmured in a quiet voice. She watched me intensely and was about to open her mouth when one of her guardians gave out a low snore, and with a brief glance I confirmed that he had earplugs on, hopefully the other one as well. Instead of answering me, she frowned slightly and settled for a nod and an appropriate smile, not wanting to disturb the tired guardians. Spiridon yawned again and settled further into his seat.

I took the seat closest to Rose and tried to shake off the unsettling feeling of Vasilisa's stare. I prayed that the charm was working as it should, but I couldn't help but worry.


Spiridon was still pretending to be asleep. The fact that I knew him so well that I could tell when he was sleeping and when he was not, having spent countless times next to him, was a testimony that we really needed to sort out some distance between us. The guardians were also still asleep and Christian had taken up the sofa in the back of the cabin, lying on his stomach. All lights were off except Vasilisa's reading light. For the past two hours I had waited for her to fall asleep but so far she had been engulfed with her book. I almost felt like asking her what book she was reading so I could give a copy to Rose but decided to wallow in frustration instead. Rose had not made a sound and she had not pushed her finger through the zipper hole signaling to me that she needed to get out.

I listened carefully, not hearing any slight clattering from the kitchenette anymore. The flight attendant must also be resting in the back. I got up and under the guise of stretching my limbs I turned around slightly only to find Vasilisa's observant eyes trained on me. The uneasy feeling of being seen washed over me and I felt almost certain that she saw through the charm. I moved towards the toilet in the front, breathing shallow breaths as soon as I closed the door behind me. I needed to vent out some of my stress regarding the situation. I cursed the small space and fought the claustrophobic feeling as I took care of my needs.

Just as I was about to exit we hit some turbulence and my mind immediately snapped to Rose's wellbeing. I quietly got out and quickly scanned the cabin, relieved to find the guardians and Christian still sleeping. Spiridon had apparently woken up and was now talking to Vasilisa in low voices which meant that her attention was not on me for once.

I lowered down to a crouch and opened the zipper to the suitcase. I lifted the cover enough to see Rose's damp forehead and alarmed eyes trained at me. I gave her a reassuring smile and motioned towards the side with my eyes, conveying a silent question. She gave me a tense nod and I knew she needed to get out of the suitcase. I closed the zipper slightly and walked to the back towards the kitchenette and grabbed a bottle of water and a sandwich. I was pleased to find the flight attendant strapped to her seat and catching up on some sleep.

On my way back I noted Christian and the other guardians breathing heavily, fast asleep despite the turbulence. I locked eyes with Spiridon for a brief second as I made my way towards the front, avoiding Vasilisa's stare.

I sat in my seat waiting for my opportunity, stashing the water bottle and sandwich in my pockets.

"I'm going to grab a soda, would you like one, princess?" Spiridon murmured and I heard his movement as he got up from his seat.

"A coke, please."

The sound of her turning a page of her book was accompanied by Spiridon's silent steps. I was tense, sprung up tight listening to everything going on behind me. The sound of a can of soda being opened, poured into a cup. His silent steps made their way back towards us.

"Here you go, princ-"

Vasilisa gasped, luckily not loud enough for her guardians to stir. I wondered what they had been through to sleep that deeply and a part of me was immensely displeased by their lack of awareness of what was going on right in front of their noses. I would never opt for earphones or earplugs around my mark, no matter how secure the location seemed.

"I can't believe I did that, I'm sorry. Let me go get the atten-"

"Please, don't wake anyone up. There's really no need."

Their hushed voices barely carried over to my seat. I heard her getting up from her seat, both of them moving towards the back of the plane. Quickly and quietly I got out of my seat and with a quick glance over my shoulder I could see Spiridon wetting a towel and blocking her view and passage effectively by the kitchenette in the back. When I reached the front I pulled the curtains shut behind me and opened the suitcase. Rose was startled but relieved as I helped her out of the suitcase. My gaze silenced her groan as her legs stretched straight and her hands were massaging them, drawing back some blood after being in the same position for so long.

Without a word or giving her any time I ushered her towards the toilet and tried to convey with my eyes that she needed to hurry. I gave her the water bottle and the sandwich, and let her have a moment of privacy inside the toilet. I walked back to the shelves with our gear in case anyone would wonder what was going on, and waited there. I faintly heard Spiridon apologizing over and over again to Vasilisa as they tried to clean her up. Spilling the soda in her lap had been a brilliant idea.

When I was too impatient to wait any longer I walked back to the toilet and scraped the door slightly with my nail. She immediately got out and handed me what was left of the sandwich and the water. A part of me registered that she had only taken two bites of the sandwich and drank barely a quarter of the bottle but she'd survive. Being uncomfortable was better than being in danger.

She scrambled into the suitcase again and I felt a pang of guilt in my heart when I noticed the scared and uncomfortable look on her face.

I didn't even have time to give her a reassuring smile because someone was coming towards us. Based on the lightness in their steps, the decisiveness, I was certain it was either Vasilisa or the flight attendant. I quickly closed the zipper to the suitcase, leaving it slightly open to allow Rose some air.

I barely managed to stand up when Vasilisa pulled the curtain to the side in a swift movement.

"Is everything alright? Can I help you?" she asked, her tone mild and conversational but her eyes suspicious.

"No princess, just trying to find my book but I seemed to have misplaced it somewhere," I deadpanned. I made a slight shift in my stance and the polite thing would have been to step aside and give me room, but Vasilisa did not move.

"I can help you look for it," she said and glanced around. "What kind of book is it?"

I examined her half-hearted attempt to locate the missing book. "It's a western novel."

"That's not a very common genre nowadays. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't, princess. My name is Pjotr Kuznetsov."

She continued to stare at me, her emerald eyes boring into mine. I knew my expression didn't give away anything.

"You know, Tasha never mentioned anyone called Pjotr. Or Peter," she added, nodding towards Spiridon.

I wanted to cringe, I imagined walking over to Spiridon and slap him with as much force I could conjure. And then slap myself. In our haste to make the new plan work, we hadn't really had the time to think about the minor details such as names. What were the odds of him coming up with Peter and me coming up with Pjotr? For fuck's sake, Pjotr is Peter in Russian. We were fucked, so completely and utterly fucked.

My exterior did not faze one bit as I continued to meet her gaze.

"The only one I've ever heard her mention is Dimitri Belikov. How do you know Tasha?"

"Natasha and I went to St. Basil's at the same time. Or almost, I was one year younger than her and we didn't really hang out."

The use of Tasha's real name did not go unnoticed by Vasilisa, enforcing my story that we indeed did not know each other well.

"If you don't know her that well, how did you end up on this flight?"

"If you have to ask that question then I think I know Natasha better than you. She always gives a helping hand to those that need it. It was either this or commercial flights with four transfers." I laced my answer with a smoke screen, playing on Tasha's willingness to help others and the way she never looked down on dhampirs. I saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "Excuse me, princess," I said and this time she let me pass. I locked eyes with Spiridon before sitting down in my seat, we were both nervous despite the calm exterior. I didn't look up when she moved past me and got back into her seat.

Not even ten minutes later we hit some turbulence again that was rough enough for some of our bags to fall down the shelves. Once the plane was steady again I got up to stove the gear back into place and risked a glance to my side, immediately noticing Vasilisa's eyes on me again. I needed to check on Rose, I needed to be sure she was okay.

I had just bent over to pick up Spiridon's backpack from the floor when I heard her come over again, giving me no time to check the suitcase.

"Are you flying with us to St. Vladimir's Academy?" she asked, dismissing my attempt to ignore her.

When I had placed the backpack back on the shelf I turned towards her, trying to be open and friendly despite feeling the complete opposite. "No princess, Peter and I are getting off in Albany where the plane is re-fueling. It's closer to Court from there compared to Montana."

"And what are-" she started asking me, but we must have hit an air pocket or something because the entire jet jerked roughly causing her to lose her balance and stumble into the shelves with the bags and gear. Without years and years of honing my balance I would've done the same. I would've steadied her but the sound of Rose yelping slightly from the suitcase made me freeze in my place.

If I had heard it, then the princess must've heard it too. Vasilisa straightened herself and looked up at me with confusion that quickly morphed into anger. I could see the realization dawn on her.

Before she could open her mouth my arm moved past her and closed the curtains while the other hovered slightly in the air, preparing to silence her if needed. I could not believe I was actually considering incapacitating a Royal Princess, partially ashamed of how far I had strayed from my education. From everything that I had been taught. But truth to be told, ever since I first met her, Rose has always come first for me, not Moroi.

"Please, princess, it's not what you think." My accent was thicker than usual.

"Open the suitcase," she said in a hushed voice. I did not comply, still trying to get out of the situation and refusing to believe we had failed this close to landing. I shook my head slightly, meeting her unwavering gaze. Suddenly I felt like she was drawing me in and I could not look away, the green in her eyes somehow more intense than before.

"Open the suitcase," she repeated, and this time I lowered myself and dragged the suitcase into the aisle from the bottom shelf. I felt my hands move towards the zippers on their own accord and I tried to stop them but couldn't. I knew what was happening, I knew she was compelling me but I couldn't resist her. My hands were shaking but I still opened the suitcase slowly, not lifting the lid. She dropped to her haunches in front of me and her pale hands reached towards the lid and lifted it.

I couldn't even breathe as I took in the situation.

Rose looked absolutely terrified crammed into the suitcase, but didn't make a sound as she looked up at Vasilisa. My gaze flicked up and I saw Vasilisa getting red and drawing in a gulp of air. That gulp of air was dangerous as I knew she was getting ready to scream. With the speed only a guardian could possess, my hand covered Vasilisa's mouth and I stood up, dragging her with me. My foot kicked the lid closed and I pressed Vasilisa against the wall, my hand still preventing her from screaming. She was too stunned to make any noise and breathed harshly through her nose.

I focused on a blond strand of hair and avoided her eyes as I spoke, my voice husky with despair. "Please, princess, it's not what you think."

Vasilisa turned even more rigid in my grip and from my periphery I saw that her eyes flicked between mine, searching.

"I'm going to release you, but I beg you not to scream. You'll endanger her, please don't let them know she's here."

I stopped breathing for a moment when my hand released Vasilisa. I was sure that she would notify her guardians but instead she stood in front of me, silently observing me.

"Take it off." Her words were low but authoritative.

My gaze flicked over to her eyes and she wasn't compelling me, at least not yet. She was giving me a chance, she was hesitating and that was all that I needed. I took off the silver ring that had kept my identity hidden.

Her gaze flickered all over my face taking my new features in. "Why are you hiding her?" she whispered.

This time I hesitated. I couldn't tell a Royal Moroi that I was harboring a taken one, but I didn't know any way out of this situation. I tried to think of an explanation but couldn't find any plausible excuse for hiding a girl in a suitcase. I pondered whether it would be better for her to think I was trafficking Rose since the truth was too dangerous. I tried to look away from her eyes but they were like magnets drawing me in.

"What's your real name? What's going on?"

I knew she was using compulsion again and I couldn't blame her. The regular curriculum didn't include training against compulsion but Galina had secretly made sure that we were exposed to that. But even with the training I had been given Vasilisa was too strong, stronger than anyone I had felt and I caved into her will again. Not to mention the whole fiasco with failing to detect the Institution, surely that was evidence that I no longer could hold against it as well as I had. I hated to admit it, but my mental perseverance was sub-par.

"My name is Dimitri Belikov, and I've come to escort her back to the States, princess."

Her mouth popped open into a slight o as she gasped. "Who is the girl?" she questioned.

Through gritted teeth I answered, hating how I was unable to resist. "She's a taken one, we are trying to protect her." She gasped again, and after a few steady breaths I felt relieved as Vasilisa eased her hold of my mind and I quickly added pleadingly. "Please, they can't know. Nobody can know."

"I need to talk to her," she said in a hushed voice. I was about to argue with her when we both heard the sound of Spiridon's footsteps closing in on us. He slipped past the curtain immediately noticing the tension and the suitcase in the middle of the aisle. He bent down and closed the zippers to the suitcase, pushing it back into place. I saw Vasilisa flinch back slightly when he straightened himself up. We were both towering over her and I was sure she was intimidated by us. "Trust me," I breathed.

"Why should I trust you?" she demanded and searched my eyes for the truth.

I answered without hesitation, without uncertainty, without lying.

"I've dedicated my life to this person and I would rather die than to see her come to harm."