Part 9

The past hour hadn't achieved much, and with the weariness of my body increasing, I was seriously questioning how we thought we could scare a Strigoi enough to reveal their secrets. Sure Dimitri had done in the alley with Donovan, but he had been in a darker place, using a rage that thankfully he wasn't tapping into this time.

I tried to check in on his emotions now and then to ensure he wasn't falling back into that desperation again. Otherwise, I kept the bond closed, not risking upsetting him again by using it.

Of course, neither one of us had mentioned our fight in the hotel room or our shared dream experience. I would be very grateful if we didn't do that again. It had felt so real. And after the shock and fear had worn off, I realised just how turned on I was from it. The parts leading up to him biting me had been very vivid. It practically had surround sound.

I was trying very hard to pay attention and be vigilant, especially with Sonya's red eyes constantly gleaming at me, but my chest was aching, and my head was foggy and throbbing. My body leaned heavily against the wall, knowing at this point it was the only thing keeping me up. Plus, I needed to anchor myself or I would try to go to Dimitri for comfort.

"Rose," His voice drew my attention; I hope he didn't notice how zoned out I was. But it's Dimitri, of course he would.

"Huh?"

His eyebrows furrowed, "What happened to your head?"

Confused, I brush my fingers against the side of my face, pulling them back bloody. I blinked at them, perplexed. The dizziness and headache now making sense. "Oh. Table."

My explanation didn't make Dimitri feel better. The corners of his eyes pinched, but he didn't leave his spot guarding Sonya, glancing at Sydney, "Lay her down and take a look at it. Don't let her sleep in case she has a concussion."

I tried to wave them off, almost losing balance in the process. "I'm fine. I need to help you." Partly, I knew I should stay in case Sonya tried escaping, but I also didn't want to leave his presence. Taking whatever I could get to appease the bond.

"You need to take care of yourself now so that you can help me later." He told me, his tone becoming gentle, "Go rest."

I didn't fight with Sydney as she led me to the only bedroom in the house; it was very bizarre how normal it looked. It definitely wasn't my style, but it fits Sonya.

Sydney kept nudging me to make sure I didn't sleep, cleaning up the blood that had travelled down my face and neck. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed it sooner, though that did explain why Sonya kept looking at me like I would be a good snack.

After Sydney was done, I decided to slip into Lissa's mind, may as well spend my time doing something other than stare at the floral quilt and paintings on the wall.

She and Christian were at her townhouse, lounging on the couch together. I was honestly surprised that they were awake; it was late, almost the middle of their night. Pillows propped Christian up while Lissa cuddled against him, head on his chest.

Lissa let out a sigh as he played with the strands of her blonde hair. "I wish she would call. I don't like not knowing what's happening."

He hummed in response, "I know." I could feel him sending calming feelings through the bond to her. I wondered if this was what Dimitri felt when I did it? Lissa relaxed further against him, the tension leaving her. "Rose can take care of herself, and she has Dimitri watching her back."

Lissa chewed on her lip, "I wish things worked out between them. If I had known they were soulmates, I wouldn't have been pushing her away from him so much."

"You were trying to help Dimitri."

"And I hurt my best friend in the process," Lissa argued. "What if she hates me for it?" I could feel guilt building in her, blaming herself for something I was not holding against her. "I should have known." She scolded herself.

The feelings were churning, pulling at the darkness she was already holding. I couldn't let this affect her, not when I should have told her when I first knew. I opened myself up, allowing the darkness to move from her and into me. As I was doing so, Christian was again soothing her using their bond. The combined process helped her balance out; what bits I couldn't take, Christian was able to quell.

"I'm sure that Rose doesn't hate you. She could never hate you, Liss." His lips pressed against her hair, his love for her flowing through the bond.

Watching them like this, feeling how much their connection had grown the few days I had been gone, was disheartening. My bond felt like it was only getting worse. My jealousy rose to the surface, aided by the darkness I had taken.

Christian was right; I could never hate Lissa. But I envied her. Lissa had the person she loved and a happy future to look forward to. I just had heartbreak and pain, and most likely an early death in my future.

"Rose?"

A voice called to me, breaking the connection between Lissa and me, my mind returning to my own.

I clenched my fist, opening my eyes to glare at the person before me, "What!" I demanded, "What do you want?"

Sydney flinched back from me, surprised by my reaction and a little hurt by it. I took a breath, remembering the darkness I had taken. Softening my eyes, I gave an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I'm stressed, and you startled me." It was half-assed, but Sydney nodded, accepting it with a shrug. I could only hope this didn't affect the progress we had made in our friendship. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Sydney appeared uncomfortable, crossing her arms, "Victor Dashkov and his brother are here."


Everything had happened so quickly that even now, in the silence and darkness, I was still trying to process it. Not long after Victor had arrived, Sonya took her chance at escaping and almost succeeded. But then Robert had surprised us all.

He restored Sonya.

After witnessing it once before, you would think that I wouldn't have been so amazed seeing it a second time. But it was a miracle.

Just like Dimitri's soul returning, now Sonya's had as well.

Dimitri had become protective of her; I couldn't blame him for it. Of all of us, he was the one person that could understand what Sonya was going through. He could help her, and maybe, just maybe, it could help him.

While he claimed I was the only one he could speak to about what had happened because I had seen it, Sonya had experienced it. They could understand each other in ways that I could never understand Dimitri.

I had been vigilant to keep the bond closed. What he was going through right now was personal.

While I was happy to have Dimitri keeping an eye on Sonya, I was left out here keeping guard in case any of Sonya's Strigoi friends decided to come for a visit. So that meant me sitting on a wooden kitchen chair, staying aware of my surroundings while my head was pounding from the second hit it took. To make things even better for me, it had been hours since Dimitri and I had any physical contact, and due to the damage he caused to the bond back at the hotel, the pain was starting to become impossible to ignore.

"Are you okay?"

I jumped at Sydney's hushed voice. So much for being aware of my surroundings. I hadn't even noticed she was awake. I glanced at her, her eyes studying me. "I'm fine," I managed to reply.

She gave me a look that told me she knew I was lying. "You are breathing so heavy I thought you were having a panic attack. And you look like death, really."

I hadn't realised that I was practically panting until she pointed it out. I clenched my fist around the stake I held to stop myself from rubbing at my chest. I didn't want to show my weakness. I forced myself to take deep, slow breaths, breath through the pain. Just as we are taught, breathe through it, don't let yourself be distracted by it.

Sydney shifted closer to me, lowering her voice more, "Is it because of…." She gave me a pointed look. I almost smiled at her trying to keep it secret, it was a waste to try considering that Victor already knew, but I appreciated it. "Do you want me to get Dimitri?"

I shook my head, I didn't want to alarm Dimitri, and I rather he stayed with Sonya. Besides, this was good practice for the future. After we got answers from Sonya and found Lissa's sibling and brought them to Court, I was leaving. If I couldn't handle one night away from Dimitri, how was I going to survive weeks, months even?

Who knew how long it would take for me to get over my feelings for Dimitri. A small voice in my head kept whispering You never will. I ignored that voice.

"Maybe you should try to get some sleep?"

I turned her down, "Someone has to keep watch. You haven't been trained for that."

She gave me an unimpressed look, "I'm pretty sure I can tell when a Strigoi is trying to break down the front door. Sleep."

I wanted to fight her on it, but the idea was extremely appealing. She could see I was close to giving in.

"If you sleep now, then you can relieve Dimitri later."

That made me agree. I would need to give Dimitri a chance to sleep; we can't both keep going non-stop. Nodding, I switched spots with Sydney. Despite being on the ground, the blankets she had laid out felt like heaven. My body quickly gave into sleep.


I shot up from my spot, the sound of a door closing waking me instantly. I searched the area around me, finding no immediate threat. Instead, I was surprised to see sunlight. The next thing I noticed was Victor was no longer on the couch.

Sydney, who had been watching me in amusement, answered my unspoken question, "He went to the bathroom."

I breathed a sigh of relief, my guardian instincts calming, knowing there was no danger. But of course, that didn't last long as the pain returned, biting my lip to hold in my groans. I was surprised I had managed to sleep for as long as I did with it. As I moved to stand, I paused; I was no longer covered by just a blanket. Laid across me was a jacket, Dimitri's duster.

I could smell the lingering scent of his aftershave on it; when I inhaled, the pain lessened a little. Well, now I know how I slept. I gathered up the duster, trying to be subtle about how tightly I was clutching it. It wasn't as good as the real thing, but it helped enough that I could stand and make my way to the kitchen.

I had spied Victor's car keys, discreetly taking them and then passing them to Sydney so she could make sure that they weren't leaving here anytime soon, and then I sent her to get food. I figured she would like a moment away from here.

Knowing that the brothers wouldn't be going anywhere, I walked through the house to Sonya's room. I had temporarily opened the bond, happy to feel the guilt wasn't as overwhelming today. I had been worried that they would fall into a deep spiral together, thankfully that wasn't the case.

Sonya was awake, sitting crossed-legged on the bed, with Dimitri speaking to her in hushed tones. When she noticed my presence in the room, her expression shifted between emotions—fear, astonishment, and finally, recognition.

"Rose?"

The difference in her appearance was stark, from the Strigoi form to her now Moroi, as was her presence. As Strigoi, you could feel the waves of danger and power coming off of her, but now she was meek, practically curled into herself. It reminded me of how Dimitri was in his cell, trying to appear small, non-threatening.

I gave her a kind smile, "It's good to see you again."

Her eyes dropped from me, down to her hands. The way that she was glancing around like that of a scared child, a mixture of wonder and fear. It was obvious that she was still fragile, more so than Dimitri was. Granted, Dimitri was always a strong person, and he hadn't been Strigoi as long as Sonya.

Unsure of what else to say to her, I turned to Dimitri, "Sydney went for groceries."

His eyes were on me, dropping to my arms and then back up; a pulse of content flashed through the bond. I was confused until I realised he was looking at his duster that I was still clutching close.

Blushing, I held it out to him, "Thanks. You can rest too. Eat and stuff, and I'll keep an eye on everyone."

I felt the hint of disappointment from the bond as he took his duster back, our hands briefly touching; the spark from it made me inhale sharply. After so long apart, the touch was exquisite. I quickly stepped back, so I didn't throw myself into his arms.

"I have it on good authority that Victor's going to have car trouble. Also that Robert really likes Cheerios, so if you want some, you're out of luck. He doesn't seem like the sharing type," I was rambling, fiddling with the hem of my shirt to keep my hands to myself.

When a small smile graced Dimitri's lips, my breath caught. He hadn't smiled at me like that since…

"There's another spirit user here," Sonya interrupted my thoughts and thankfully pulled Dimitri's attention. I didn't need more complications in our relationship. Sonya continued, "I can feel it. I remember him. We're not safe. You shouldn't have us around."

"Everything's fine," Dimitri assured her in a gentle voice. My mind instantly reminded me of the times I had heard him use that voice on me. That night in the cabin came to the forefront of my mind.

I tried to ease Sonya's panic, her guilt about choosing to turn. The remorse in her voice made me wonder if Victor was wrong, that she wouldn't try something like that again. I considered bringing up Mikhail, also curious if Sonya could feel her soulmate bond to him again, or was she like Dimitri.

Did Mikhail feel the bond again? I would need to check back in on Lissa soon to confirm. If he did, we should get Sonya back to him as quickly as possible, which meant we needed to move this along. I took a step towards Sonya, "We need to know if -"

"No." The firmness in Dimitri's voice made me pause. The gentleness was replaced with a warning aimed at me. "Not yet."

"But -"

"Not yet."

I glared at him, not showing how his hostile tone affected me. Though maybe I should have listened to him when he said Sonya wasn't ready. When I attempted to ask her questions about the bank account and the child, things didn't go to plan. And to top it off, I was hit on the back with a chair, which was just great—added to my list of injuries in the last three days.

Of course, when Dimitri found out about it all, we argued, it's what we were good at.

The most surprising part was Sydney figuring out a way around Sonya's unwillingness to break her promise. So after some more discussions and some disagreements, we were all loaded into Sydney's car. Victor hadn't been too pleased when his car didn't start but had no choice but to travel with us. I wasn't a massive fan of it, but this way we could keep an eye on them, and when we are ready, we can recapture him.

I didn't want a large guardian presence and wouldn't need one to take Victor in. Deciding that once we were where Sonya was leading us, I would call Mikhail. I trusted him with both detaining Victor and the knowledge of why we were on this mission.

As the time passed of us driving on the endless highway, not knowing where we were going or how long we would be driving, I felt myself growing tired. Dimitri had encouraged me to sleep on the drive before we left, eyeing me; I know I looked terrible. Lack of sleep and the stress of the bond was showing on my face.

Dimitri was being different, I realised. He smiled at me again when I was telling him of my plan. Less guilt and remorse was coming through the bond to me as well. He was lighter, and I didn't know what to make of it.

The atmosphere in the car had calmed, making me feel better about letting myself doze. What I wasn't expecting was being pulled into a spirit dream.

I was surprised to find myself standing in the middle of Sonya's garden, the collection of flowers surrounding me in the morning light. I noticed the ones she had pointed out to me that were only opened when the sun was out. They really were beautiful.

"Rose."

I spun to see Adrian standing on the deck, his hands deep in his pockets, a look of agitation on his face. I didn't expect him to be dream walking, especially in my dreams. "Adrian," I greeted, shuffling awkwardly. "How are you?"

He huffed, a scowl on his face, "I've been better."

I had honestly expected him to be still drinking; it was what Adrian did when things became difficult. "What are you doing here?" There was no way this was a personal visit.

"Lissa asked me to check in on you."

That made sense. Despite my promise to call her, I never had the nerve to do so, mainly because I didn't know what to tell her. I didn't want to lie and withhold the truth from her, so I just avoided it. But it seems that Lissa found a workaround. "I haven't had a chance."

"Been too busy making up for lost time with cradle robber?"

I clenched my jaw, "Adrian, that's not -"

"Whatever," He cut me off, "Just call Lissa and tell her how your little mission is going so I don't have to come back here."

"You don't know what we are doing?" I cocked my head to the side. I had been expecting Tatiana to tell him, considering how close they were.

"Why would I care what you are doing?"

That one hurt a little. We had grown close these last few months, and losing that friendship stung. I crossed my arms, his words returning to me, destroying everyone's life. When I told Lissa the truth of what I was doing, I would be destroying hers, changing everything she knew about her parents. And then whoever this child was that we were going to find, would I be destroying theirs?

"I'll call later," I told him, "I have to talk to Mikhail anyway." I hoped bringing him into everything wouldn't make things harder between him and Sonya. If Sonya rejected him as Dimitri did me, I would never forgive myself for causing him the same pain I felt. I would never wish that on anyone.

"Fine." He practically spat the word at me. I expected him to leave, but instead, he paused, his inner war showing in his expression. "Just be careful, Rose."

Before I could respond, the dream faded.


I woke up in the car, we were still on the highway, but the surrounding area looked different now. My emotions were muddled, unsure what to make of Adrian's guest appearance. And what's more, the dreams that followed that one were filled with Dimitri, which did nothing to help the incessant need I felt to be near him, to touch him.

My eyes moved towards Dimitri. His eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror; I quickly turned away only to jump, finding Sonya staring straight at me.

"You were having a spirit dream."

I cleared my throat, looking anywhere but the front of the car where I could feel Dimitri becoming remorseful. He knew only one person that could visit me in my dreams. "How did you know?"

"I can see it in your aura. Was it Lissa?" She inclined her head in question.

"No, it was… a friend." I didn't know what to call Adrian anymore.

Sonya continued to stare at me intently, studying me, occasionally shifting her eyes to Dimitri. Finally, muttering, "Interesting."

"What is?"

Ignoring my question, Sonya pointed at the road, exclaiming, "This exit!"

The car jerked, knocking us all about as Dimitri pulled a risky maneuver to make the exit we were already passing. Anyone sleeping before was now awake, including Sydney, who made her displeasure known from the very back of the car.

I could see Sonya becoming more uncomfortable as we drove; the guilt at revealing this location to us weighed down on her. And when we finally reached the house, she had locked down again.

Before climbing out of the car, I shared a look with Dimitri. I wished we had a connected bond at that moment so he could give me comfort through it, maybe a little courage. My thoughts from earlier returning that this had been the wrong idea, that I would ruin someone's life.

Looking into his eyes, I saw the confidence he had in me, the warm smile he gave me loosening the twisting in my chest. "Be careful," He told me.

"You too," I managed to reply.

Victor smirked at me, enjoying our little display. Scowling, I climbed out of the car with Sydney and Sonya, together we walked up to the front door. With one last glance at the two with me, I brought my hand up to ring the doorbell.