Chapter 14:

Rose

It took us a couple of days to move to the edge of the Indiana border. We hit three more hide-outs and killed another ten Strigoi. Having Sonya really was a godsend. She would heal the major injuries, which had saved Dimitri from bleeding out internally once. Mia had been proud to diagnose the bleeding and Sonya had been able to repair it on site.

We were all conscious that soon we would have to part. According to Sonya it was only a couple of more hours to our destination. We were currently in Fort Wayne and we decided to do one more run together before leaving Mia, Mikhail and Sonya to do their own quest.

Fort Wayne had a bigger Strigoi hide-out and we could use the extra help.

I also didn't know how many more hide-outs we could do after this. Not only were Dimitri and I rather bruised -Sonya only healed critical injuries- the Strigoi were also starting to wonder why every location Dimitri asked about had been hit with a guardian strike.

Dimiri had bought us some time by putting the blame on his former subordinates, he had accused them of having their phones tapped and not having secure lines. But that excuse wouldn't hold out for much longer.

So for all we know, this was the last stop on our Strigoi hunting mission anyway. I know Mikhail and Mia would like it to be. They understood why it was better for them to go with Sonya, but neither of them felt comfortable with leaving Dimitri and I alone to face Strigoi. I really appreciated the loyalty.

And I sort of wanted to go back to Court. Lissa had passed the second test. She had conquered her fears and was gaining more support every day. But I still didn't know who attacked her and who had killed the Queen. I felt like my place was by her side at Court. Funny thing was that Dimitri was feeling the same thing. He asked about Lissa a lot and we were both going through the information that we had to see if we could find either of the two culprits.

"Maybe it is one culprit?" Dimitri asked as we were going over the non-existent evidence again.

I frowned. "That would mean a conservative killed Tatiana, right? She said in her letter that there were people who had wanted to go much further than the age law. And it would make sense that they would attack Lissa after she was made a candidate. She probably is the most progressive out there."

Dimitri nodded, but he seemed unconvinced. "That is one possibility, probably the most likely. But Tatiana could also have been killed by a progressive. And if we are going with a 'one culprit' theory, they might want to take out the competition."

I thought about it. "So that would probably mean Ariana Szelsky right? She is the only other progressive that made it past the first test."

But I just didn't see Ariana do something like this. She had advocated for Lissa to run in the first place.

"It could simply be a supporter, Ariana doesn't have to be involved. But I think the progressive camp is more likely."

I had that feeling too, although on paper the conservatives had more reason to kill Tatiana and attack Lissa. But we were both leaning towards this conclusion because of one thing.

"Conservatives would never hire a Moroi fighter. And Eddie had difficulty with him. He was trained." Dimitri nodded at my observation.

"Although that might be a ruse to get people to think it was the progressive camp."

I groaned, my brain started to hurt. "We are never going to find out who is responsible if we don't get more evidence."

"Any word from Court or the Alchemists about the identity of Lissa's attacker?"

I shook my head. "No, and I know Sydney would tell me if they found something."

Dimitri smiled a little and leaned back into his chair. "How did you become friends with an Alchemist of all people?"

I shrugged. "I am just a likable person."

He chuckled and I didn't appreciate it. I was a very likable person. Just also wild and unpredictable and didn't really do authority.

"That doesn't matter to Alchemists." Dimitri replied after he was done laughing at me.

"No, you are right. When I first saw Sydney in Russia she was rather terrified of me."

Dimitri's face fell. Right, he didn't know I met Sydney in Russia. Anytime I mentioned anything of Russia he froze. He swallowed a bit, he was trying to work through the lump in his throat. I know he wanted to show me he changed and he was dealing with his trauma. And I could see it. But it wasn't enough. Not until we were done with this mission, and found the murderer and potential murderer so I could sleep easy again. Maybe then, I would have any space in my head and my heart to think about Dimitri again.

Normally, any mention of Russia would result in Dimitri going silent or leaving, but to my surprise he actually continued. "So what happened?"

"When she realized I was a novice who didn't graduate and didn't know anything about the Alchemists or how to clean up Strigoi bodies, she took pity on me I guess. I had been searching for Baia and she knew where it was. She was ordered to escort me there. We were attacked by Strigoi on our way there and I saved her, so that earned me some points."

I was looking at Dimitri to see if he could handle more. Sydney and I had bonded in Baia too. She had been my guide into the commune's customs. But I didn't really know if talking about his own funeral would help Dimitri now.

But even though I could see he was bothered by the subject he was also intrigued with me being with his family and hometown. He knew I had been there. Strigoi Dimitri and I had talked about it, but it had been rather superficial.

"When we got to Baia she translated for me when necessary, both the language and the customs. She stayed until after your funeral."

The mention of his family and his funeral put him in a grim mood again.

"Have you talked to your family yet?"

He shook his head. "Maybe after we survive this mission. Before, I wasn't ready, but now I think I am, but I don't want them to hear I am alive again only to get the call a few days later I died in a Strigoi hunt again."

I suppose he was right. Even if they missed him terribly, I knew they had accepted his death and were moving on. It would be cruel to take him away from them twice.

"Do you have so little faith in me?" I said, trying to lighten the mood. "Your supreme leader doesn't let any of her subordinates die."

He laughed. "I called you fearless leader, not supreme leader." He joked. "Mikhail and I better check out the hide-out then, so you can keep that promise."

Dimitri

Mikhail and I were silent most of the way. We always were when we went scouting. And whenever we talked it always ended in conflict. He always pushed me towards Rose, even more now that he and Sonya were together again. He wanted Rose to get the same happy ending. And I wanted that too. But in a rare show of cosmic irony it was now Rose who needed some convincing.

"How is Sonya doing?" I asked.

Mikhail sighed and rubbed his eyes. "She is doing better on the surface. She is more stable than she was before she turned. But I can tell it bothers her a lot. She turned by choice, and she still has to drink blood to survive. Taking her to the feeders was not fun."

I hadn't considered that part. It hadn't applied to me. But Sonya would still need blood. I can't imagine what that was like. Just thinking about tasting blood again made me want to vomit.

"It will get better." I replied.

Mikhail laughed. "Speaking from experience?.. I noticed you have been doing a lot better too."

I nodded. "I came a long way, but I still have a long way to go."

I thought about Rose rejecting me, or at least putting me on hold. I had deserved it and she was right that it wasn't really a good plan right now. But this afternoon we talked like old times. About Lissa's attacker, about Sydney. She was sharing again. She hadn't done that for a few days after she made it clear she couldn't be with me. So it was progress.

"And you and Rose? I noticed some of the frost of the last few days has thawed."

Now I rubbed the bridge of my nose. It seems Mikhail and I both had some difficulties with our women, even though they were of a completely different nature. And just to be clear, Roza was mine. I would never give her up again. I just had to make her realize this.

"I told her I loved her and wanted to be with her, and she flat out told me 'No'."

This seemed to shock Mikhail. "Really? Because even without Sonya telling me all the time that your aura's blaze around each other, I can tell Rose still loves you."

He dragged out 'all the time', as if Sonya was discussing our dysfunctional relationship on an hourly basis.

"She does, but she says that it is too hard to be with me right now. She has too much on her mind. She is afraid something will drive us apart again, that I will leave her again."

"So, she is being stubborn for stubborn's sake and just wants to make you suffer a bit."

I laughed. "She has every right too… and I know how to deal with a stubborn Rose. But it would kill her to lose me again. And I think losing her would kill me too. So for now, until we are in a bit safer environment, I will respect her wishes."

Mikhail grinned. I couldn't see it very well, because I was driving and coming up on a busy intersection, but even from the corner of my eyes I could see the wide grin. "But when this is over?"

"Oh, I am going to throw her over my shoulders and take her to the nearest bed. All bets are off then. And the bed is optional."

Not half an hour later we were on a rooftop overlooking the compound, a grim look on our faces.

"You might want to get to that throwing-her-over-your-shoulder thing soon." Mikhail commented after having counted four different vehicles with blackout windows.

We had our heat sensing binoculars and could switch it to normal vision. Strigoi were hard to track using thermal imaging, but not impossible, certainly if they had just fed. I could see a few through the window and a couple in another room on the thermal. Mikhail tracked them separately and silently. We would compare numbers afterwards. This way you would have two independent observations.

I knew what this place was. This was where they laundered most of the money that was used in the U.S. It was by far the biggest source of clean money for the Strigoi on the east coast. It was a very valuable place and well guarded. So it wasn't just that there were a lot of Strigoi, they were also strong. Although a few were probably more for the business and accounting side. So here is hoping the dozen of Strigoi I had seen were all more interested in counting money than counting bodies.

"I counted eleven." Mikhail said as we rode back towards the hotel.

"I have eleven confirmed, but one possible upstairs. It is probably a feeding victim with a low body temperature, but better to be on the safe side."

Mikhail nodded, but didn't say anything. Twelve Strigoi between four fighters, or actually three fighters and one support was suicide, no matter how good we were.

"So, now what?" He asked.

I was silent for a long time. We needed to take this place out. Not only were there twelve murderers in there, this was also an important hub in their network. Taking out this place would mean crippling their finances, at least for a little while. It was too important not to take down.

"We call in reinforcements."

Rose

I pressed the green button on my screen and waited until the head of Hans Croft appeared on my screen.

"Guardian Hathaway Jr." He inclined his head in a form of greeting.

"Guardian Croft. "I greeted back. "and call me that again and I will have your head." I said with a rather large smile on my face.

"So, what is so important it couldn't be talked about in one of your riveting reports."

They had been boring for a reason. If Hans knew the stuff we had been up to, we would be in big trouble, and by we I mean me of course.

"We found a hide-out with a dozen confirmed Strigoi." I stated, all humor gone and grimly professional. "It is a money hub on the east coast and taking it out would mean crippling their finances. So leaving it is not an option."

He nodded as he wrote something down. "Where are you now? Last time the report said you were moving North."

"Fort Wayne." He wrote something down again and typed something in his computer, probably checking out if there were Guardians stationed nearby.

"Dozen confirmed? Meaning there could be more?"

I nodded. "We made a thorough check and watched the place for a while, so I doubt there were more than twelve in there at the time we scouted the area, but the night is still young. There could be more coming in before dawn."

He leaned back in his chair, he seemed deep in thought. The frown on his face didn't give me the warm and fuzzy feeling of 'reinforcements are on their way.'

"I will talk to the Council. We will need at least half a dozen Guardians to add to your numbers before we can even consider going in."

I didn't disagree with him. Dimitri and I have proven ourselves in battle and can take on two maybe three each, just not simultaneously. but even in the best case scenario it still meant there were another six Strigoi we would need to deal with. Mikhail and Mia could join the fight even if I wasn't loving that idea, but they couldn't handle six between them either. And that is if no more Strigoi would come in tonight.

"Just stay put for now. I will contact you again soon when I have talked to the Council."

We exchanged goodbyes before logging off. I closed the laptop and slumped in my chair. We had been doing so well until now. Small outposts with a couple of Strigoi. We were protecting people and killing as many as we could find and were still able to go home- or at least the hotel- afterwards. But this. A congregation of twelve together was large.

We had seen more together at the Academy and at Galina's estate, but keeping twelve Strigoi in one place for extended periods of time was hard. Dimitri speculated they probably had a clear division of labor. Part accountants and part fighters as protection. Mikhail and Dimitri had been able to confirm three ex-humans, most probably turned for their calculating skills. Also at least two ex-guardians were spotted. It would make sense that a stronghold as important as this one was protected by the strongest warriors they had. This usually meant ex-guardians. but what the ratio was, nobody knew.

And really how many accountants do you need?

We couldn't do anymore until Hans called back with orders from the Council and an ETA of when the reinforcements would arrive. And I was exhausted. Our plan would be to strike just after dawn as it always was, and Hans would need time to mobilize. So I decided the best way to spend my time was to sleep. Sleep always made things better - well, if my sleep was undisturbed by spirit users or nightmares.

I crawled into bed, I had taken off my jeans, but I hadn't bothered changing into full pajamas. If word came from Hans we would have to move fast. I told everyone else to rest too. We were going to need it.

I snuggled under the blanket and was surprisingly fast asleep.

A mouth pressed firmly to mine. I was in half a daze, responding instinctively before I realized who it was that was kissing me. All the fears I had had seemed to melt away as I stared into his eyes. They were so vibrant and alive, it took my breath away.

"Roza." He purred in my ear as he was trailing kisses down my neck. His hands moved lower and lower. I had on a loose shirt and no pants. So his hands had free reign over my ribs, my stomach and my hips. When his hands brazed my inner thigh I gasped.

Dimitri kissed me hard again, trying to suppress the sounds. "That comes much later, my Roza. For now, you have to be quiet."

Right, people in the other room- people in this room! Mia had been here when I went to sleep. I turned around in shock trying to find Mia, but she was gone. "She is long gone, they all are. It is just you and me Rose."

I looked around the room but I no longer recognized it as the hotel, but it felt familiar. It was a small cabin. The bed was soft and big, big enough to house my Russian. As if it was made for him. I looked to the nightstand and recognized a picture of the two of us. I had seen this picture once before in a dream. It was Dimitri and I together in . This had been my dream world when Avery had thought to control me. This was what the perfect life with Dimitri had looked like.

It had broken my heart back then, because I believed I had killed him. But now I had him back and we could have this. The thing that was standing in the way, was me.

"This isn't real." I said, trying to suppress the moans because what Dimitri was doing to me felt real, very very real.

"It can be." He brushed the palm of his hand over my breast and grazed my erect nipple. The sensation ran right through my body and I responded with a shiver. His smile was all male pride before he claimed my mouth again.

The last time we had been together- the only time- we had been desperate, it was sweet and gentle and assuring yet blinding at the same time. We hadn't had time to carefully and thoroughly explore each other. But now, Dimitri was taking his time. He was exploring every damn inch of my body. He was licking it, tasting it, caressing it, with his tongue, his fingers, his stubbles, anything he did felt amazing. And everything he did made me want more.

The moment one of his fingers entered my wet heat he thrusted his tongue inside my mouth, mimicking the rhythm he was holding with his fingers.

We were in the gym now on one of the mats. His finger was joined by another, the stretching sensation delicious. He had let go of my mouth so I could breathe, and I had needed it. My chest was heaving up and down in rapid succession. I had to remember that, this was a great workout.

His tongue moved down to my neck, then to my breast- when had my top gone off? Or my bra? And where was Dimitri's shirt? I swear he just had it on a moment ago. But one couldn't argue with the results. It was a sight to behold. His slightly tanned skin, rippled with lean muscles that flexed as he pleasured me.

His tongue moved lower and lower, over my breasts, over my stomach down to meet his fingers. He slowed down his fingers as he used his tongue to suck and circle my sensitive nub.

"Oh God, Dimitri."

I could feel him smile against my flesh, his stubble adding to the overwhelming sensation.

I grabbed his hair as I spread my legs a little further. I was practically pushing him down in there. But I needed the release. I needed it so bad. I needed him so bad.

That we were currently in the gym on a mat and it was almost time for class didn't register with me. The only thing that registered was the rocking of his fingers and the swirling of his tongue.

"So close."

"Roza…Roza…Rose…Rose." It was a chant. a plea to the goddess that was me. I would let him worship me.

I heard a loud squeaking noise and turned my head to the side to see the gerbil I had agitated when I was fifteen. He looked pissed and a little turned on?

"Rose… Rose…"

Dimitri had stopped his sucking on my clit and he had moved down towards my feet and was now suckling on my big toe. What?

"Rose!"

I woke up and sat straight up in bed, looking into the baby blue eyes of Mia.

"What?" I asked, still trying to catch my breath. That was one intense dream.

Mia had a grin on her face. "Sorry to wake you up, it sounded like you were close. But I thought it better to wake you before anyone else heard your cries."

I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to wake myself up and come down to earth.

"Although it certainly answers that question. Dimitri seemed to be amazing." Again that grin. I hated that grin. It had been used against me so many times. I wanted to slap it off of her face. But really that was because I resented her for waking me up. Although I think her reasoning was sound.

"How do you know it was Dimitri?" I asked, trying to play dumb.

"The 'Oh God, Dimitri', 'right there' was kind of a dead give-away." Mia answered. I just planted my face further into my hands in embarrassment. "Don't believe everything you dream. Dream Dimitri had a foot fetish too." I said, trying to steer away from the awkward conversation.

This made Mia laugh. "But if you dreamed it, doesn't it mean you secretly have a foot fetish?"

I frowned, maybe, but that might also mean I like gerbils to watch and that just didn't sound right.

"I think it is just my brain mixing crazy things together."

"uhuh." Mia leered.

"Stop it. It doesn't mean anything."

She threw her hands up in the air. "You are so stupid."

I raised my finger to argue with her, but somehow I had to agree with her.

"You have the ability to make that dream come true. He is right there." She said gesturing wildly with her arms to the door that led to the sitting area. "He wants you, you want him, it doesn't have to be so complicated."

Mia hadn't been very lucky in love, so she knew how complicated it could get.

"I wouldn't survive if I lost him again."

Mia shrugged. "Or maybe you both survive, or both die, there are a lot worse outcomes than you having one last hoorah with a hot guy. Besides, you don't have to marry the guy right here and now. Just get some release, you obviously need it. It might keep you focused in a fight."

Maybe she was right. Who was I fooling? My body was still humming from Dimitri's ghost touch and I had the real one on the other side of the door. The pull to him was too great.

There were really a million reasons we shouldn't. And only one reason why we should.

It was inevitable. That is what Dimitri and I were. Inevitable.

"I think I am going to get a snack," Mia told me. "I might be a while, I am pretty hungry."

I smiled, knowing Mia was giving us privacy. I heard her tell Dimitri that 'their fearless leader' wanted to talk to me.

Great, Mia. Way to prepare a girl. I looked around and combed through my mess of hair with my hands as I checked the mirror. I was still only in my panties, bra and shirt. But he had seen me in a lot less, not lately, but hopefully soon again.

Dimitri stepped inside the bedroom and when he noticed my attire, his gaze darkened and moved from top to bottom and back. His lust was evident and it made me kind of weak in the knees. This is the Dimitri that I wanted to explore. The one I didn't have a chance to meet when he was so brutally taken from me.

"Mia said you wanted to see me?"

All of you, yes, now, naked and spread out on the bed so I can have my way with you, damn the consequences.

But before I could say any of that, my phone pinged with a text. I reluctantly got my phone and read the message. I sighed deeply. Pure disappointment crossed my face but I tried to hide it quickly.

I held up the phone. "Hans wants to talk."

I instructed Dimitri to pull up the video conference on the laptop as I dressed in something a little less… Well, less. A sweater and a pair of pants went a long way. I sat next to Dimitri on the bed and I clicked Hans's contact name.

And people ask why I have problems with authority.