Chapter 10:

Rose

I felt the back of my head, it wasn't bleeding anymore and I wasn't passing out, but I still had a killer headache.

I wanted to lie down and take a nap, but Mia told me I couldn't. If I had a concussion I needed to stay awake. But just lying in a bed, doing nothing, really wasn't my strong suit. So I did the only thing I could do. I visited Lissa.

She was sitting in her parlor with Christian and Tasha. They had been staying close to her since my departure and her announcement to run for Queen. She had a cup of tea in her hands that was supposed to be soothing. Ever since she had been elected a candidate, Lissa was very stressed.

I felt a bit guilty about that, but it wasn't like I wanted her to be Queen, I just needed to stall for time.

But she was gathering support and fast. Even now I could see a couple of people with banners outside her window, claiming the dragon had returned. It was causing confusion and uproar which is exactly what we needed, but Lissa felt the weight of her name. Even if she wouldn't be Queen, hopefully she would still be on the council and people are going to expect great things from her.

A quick probe of the bond told me her inferiority complex and stress might be a bit amplified with spirit, so I took a little bit, alleviate some of the pressure from Lissa. Once I was done, she could breathe a little easier.

She was about to take a sip of her tea when the front door opened and Adrian stormed in.

I took him in through Lissa's eyes. Probing her memory a bit, I learned Adrian had been rather drunk these last few days. Now he seemed sober - disheveled- but sober.

"They took her." He announced.

Lissa and Christian looked at each other confused. Tasha broke the silence first. "Who?"

Adrian landed in a chair - well, flung his body in one- and ran his hands through his hair a few times, first out of frustration, then to get it back into style and then out of frustration again, because he shouldn't be worried about his hair at a time like this even though it was a automatic response.

"My mother, they took her in for questioning."

Lissa and Christian looked at each other again, still very confused. "Your mother? what for?" Lissa asked.

"For Tatiana's murder." Adrian repositioned himself, took a few breaths and told them the story of how guardians had come into his house and not so kindly requested his mother to come to headquarters.

"Apparently they looked through Tatiana's things and found a letter my mother wrote…she basically threatened Tatiana."

He got up. He started to wave his hands in the air. "But my mother would never hurt Tatiana. the letter was completely out of context and now she is a murder suspect."

Lissa walked over to Adrian. She placed her hand on his arm, trying to comfort him. She sent a very small amount of spirit through him. He was so upset he didn't even notice, but he did calm damn a tiny bit.

"What was in the letter, Adrian?" Christian asked.

Adrian sat down again with Lissa next to him. "My mother was part of Tatiana's trial to teach Moroi how to fight. She wasn't very happy about that, but aunt Tati kind of ordered her."

"What?" This came from Tasha, who looked ashen. "Tatiana started a trial?"

Adrian nodded. "She was performing an experiment in secret, to see if Moroi could indeed learn how to fight. She had a couple of Moroi from different walks of life, my mother represented the royal Moroi, I guess."

Tasha sat down in a chair, she almost seemed more distraught than Adrian. But she recovered quickly, plastering on a mask that would have made Dimitri proud. I guess she didn't want to show Tatiana any sympathy. They really hadn't seen eye to eye on this.

"But a letter is hardly proof." Lissa said.

"No." Adrian responded. "But saying in the letter that she would regret her decisions, that certainly gives her motive."

That and people are often killed by those close to them. Daniella Ivashkov certainly fits that bill. Years of hardship between the two finally reaching a boiling point?

I was pulled out of Lissa's head and was met with chocolate brown eyes. His hand was on my arm, gently trying to pull me back to my own reality. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes. I was glad to know most of my dizziness had subsided.

"Hey." I said. "How are things going downstairs?"

Dimitri shrugged. "She still isn't talking. But we will crack her- eventually."

"Should you be here? leaving Mikhail alone with Sonya?"

Dimitri's gaze darkened a bit. He was concerned about Mikhail, we all were.

"Mia is with him. He is trying to see if there is still something from his Sonya left in her. But I am not sure which answer he hopes for."

I looked down towards my hands, not meeting Dimitri's gaze. I understood Mikhail. Seeing your lover like that, so similar and yet completely different, it throws a person. I spent quite a bit of time with Strigoi Dimitri and I still couldn't answer that question. I had seen a resemblance to this Dimitri, but most of that was endorphin and denial induced. I had wanted to see my Dimitri in him, because then he wouldn't be gone.

"How are you doing?" It took me a moment to realize Dimitri had meant my head wound.

"I am fine, a bit of a headache, and a bump, but I don't think I have a concussion."

He nodded, seeming relieved. Concussions healed quickly in Dhampirs, but it would still mean I would have to take it easy for a few days. And we didn't really have a few days.

"How are things at Court? That is where you were right?" I nodded at Dimitri's question.

"Lissa is okay, but Adrian's mother just got taken in for questioning. They found a letter in Tatiana's things where apparently she threatened the Queen."

Dimitri seemed to mull that over in his head. "That would make sense, and she would have had a motive to frame you."

I hadn't thought of it like that. But I shook my head. "Daniella wasn't thrilled with me and Adrian, but she wouldn't frame me."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow obviously not believing me. "You don't know what Royals will do to cover up a scandal or to break apart a less than desirable couple."

I knew that to be true, but still. "Daniella wasn't thrilled, but she accepted me and Adrian because she believed we wouldn't last. She knew once I got an assignment, that would come first, before Adrian."

I got up from the bed and walked to the window. Sonya's garden was looking very pretty in the afternoon light. It amazed me that such beauty could come from such an evil person.

"Which is exactly what happened." I muttered.

Dimitri now stood next to me, his hands crossed over his chest. He didn't say anything but he was practically begging me to continue.

I looked out the window again, not wanting to meet his gaze. "When we got the assignment from Hans, I went back to my room, Adrian was there and when he learned of the mission his first reaction was to try and get me out of it."

It had been eye opening for me. It was sweet he wanted to try, but he had assumed I had wanted to get out of it. "I know many guardians would want to get out of this kind of mission." Certainly when you have only been selected because they would rather get rid of you. "But…".

"Not you." Dimitri supplemented. It wasn't a question. He knew this about me because he was the same.

"Not us." I told him. "I believe in what we are doing. I know why we were selected, but Hans was right, we are the only ones who can do this. It will help people, it will protect people. and that is all I ever wanted." I sighed, expressing the words I had long known, but always ignored. "And Adrian couldn't see that."

I looked up towards the one person who did understand. Who I knew wouldn't have fought this mission either, even if he wasn't forced into it. Because this is where we belonged.

His eyes bore into mine and the world stopped. The intensity in them was something I hadn't seen for a few months. I felt it too, his body was so close to mine, it was radiating warmth and… something. That tension that always seemed to crawl into my body when he was near. Slowly- oh so slowly- he moved closer. We were drawn to each other, like a moth to the flame. We were inches apart. I swallowed, not trusting my voice to say anything. I didn't really trust any part of me right now.

I knew what I wanted, but something was stopping me from taking it. And it seemed he was having the same internal struggle. I saw the moment he made a decision and leaned in. My heart was racing but if it was from anticipation or fear, I didn't know.

I would have a while to analyze that feeling because we were interrupted - loudly - by a crashing down stairs. We both ran down the stairs, Dimitri- with his long strides- was first to get downstairs.

The crashing had been the chair Sonya had been attached to and she was struggling to get free from her restraints and doing a good job of it too. Mikhail was fighting her, but with it being Sonya and a Strigoi he was at a disadvantage. Mia was helping and trying to restrain her with a sort of lasso made of water. It was stopping her movements enough that she hadn't been able to kill Mikhail, but neither of them could last long.

Dimitri and I went into action. I relieved Mikhail and took point trying to inflict damage on Sonya. Dimitri would try and take an opening to restrain her again. The chains were still partially wrapped around the chair so we couldn't use them. We didn't have time to untangle the chains and then restrain her again. Which meant we only had one option left.

I vaguely heard a commotion behind me, but I was too busy trying to keep Sonya from killing everyone here.

I grabbed my stake from my front pocket and waited until Dimitri had her immobilized. He had been able to grab her arms and had her pinned against his chest. He wouldn't be able to hold her like that for long. But it would be long enough.

I lifted my stake up, reading myself to send my former teacher to the afterlife when Mikhail pushed me out of the way. Then it wasn't my stake that penetrated Sonya's chest. It also wasn't Mikhail's.

There was a white light so bright, I had to close my eyes. There was a moment of absolute silence, like everything was absorbed by that light. Then there was crying, so much crying.

The light faded and I tried opening my eyes. I still had my stake ready, but I knew what had happened. Well, no, that wasn't correct. I had no idea what had happened. But I knew that Sonya Karp had been restored. Someone, somehow, had restored Sonya, and she was now a wailing mess in front of me.

It took Mikhail less than a second to get over his shock and move towards his love. He pulled her into his arms and crooned soft and beautiful words to her to calm her down. She grabbed him as if her life depended on it and sobbed into his chest, chanting 'I am sorry, I am so sorry' over and over again.

I dropped my arm and returned my stake to my pocket. My eyes briefly met Dimitri as he took in the scene in front of him, but he was in utter shock.

I had witnessed a restoration before, but he had lived it. It must have been weird to see it from the outside.

I let Mikhail handle Sonya for now and allowed Dimitri a moment too to compose himself. I wanted to figure out what the fuck was going on.

I turned around and saw Robert Doru on the ground, panting hard, a stake in his hand. That answered one question. Mia stood a little further away, her mouth open. It was almost comical. She was moving her finger from Sonya to Robert, she was moving her mouth but no words came out. Then she focused on the man beside her and so did I.

He had Robert alter him in the dream. He had looked bad, but now he looked at death's door. He hadn't asked Robert to heal him, not even a little. I could only assume it was because he didn't want Robert to become more crazy. But then he had Robert restore Sonya, and I knew this was Viktor's doing, because Robert didn't have a single thought of his own. I wouldn't feel sorry for either of them, but I did have to acknowledge what this had cost them.

"Viktor." I nodded in his direction as a way of greeting. "You do have impeccable timing."

He shrugged. "Now we can finally get some answers."

I looked back towards Mikhail and Sonya with a frown on my face. I don't think Sonya would be able to talk anytime soon.

Dimitri was taking in the scene now too. It had only taken him an extra second to get over the shock. Our eyes met and there was a silent message between us as I saw his eyes move from my face towards our new guests. I tilted my head to the stairs and he understood as he took Mikhail and Sonya upstairs.

He would make sure they were alright. I would deal with things here.

"Mia, could you help me get Robert on the couch?" I asked as I was already walking towards the man still lying on the ground. It took her a few moments to respond.

Like everyone else she had heard of what Lissa had done, but hearing of a restoration and seeing it were two different things. But Mia was a trooper, she shook her head and moved towards me and put an arm underneath Robert's shoulder. I took the other and together we moved him to the couch. Viktor had already taken a seat next to his brother. I don't think he could hold himself up anymore.

I looked from Viktor and Robert to Mia. It would be a mistake to underestimate these two men. They may be weak physically right now, but neither of them have relied on physical strength in their life.

I grabbed the credit card from my back pocket. "Here Mia, take this and the car and get some supplies. Some food and drinks would be great."

Mia looked at me funny, knowing exactly what I was doing by sending her away, but she was also excited to drive and apparently get out of the house with a convicted felon. One I let out of a maximum security prison.

I leaned back into my chair. Thinking of what a gigantic clusterfuck my life had become and as much as I wanted to blame Viktor for this….This one was on me.