Part 12

I hadn't realised I had fallen asleep until I heard the door open and close. Instantly my body and mind were awake and alert. I was up from the bed and crouched, ready to attack, my eyes straining to adjust in the darkly lit room to see who had entered. It wasn't until the lights flicked on that I realised it was Dimitri.

He stood in the entryway, observing me, deciding if I was having another moment of darkness taking over, I realised. I felt shame wash over me, my actions haunting me. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under those blankets and sink into my despair, but I told Dimitri that I wouldn't let it destroy me. I have to forgive myself. So with a deep breath, I released the vice-like grip that guilt had taken hold of my heart.

"I didn't mean to wake you," His voice was controlled, mask in place.

Another memory returning. I had turned down Dimitri.

After all this time of wishing for it, Dimitri told me he loved me, but it wasn't enough for me. I didn't want him to pull away from me, but I didn't know what else to do.

I shook my head, "It's fine. Where did you go?" I felt awkward standing here in front of him after everything that was revealed between us. I fiddled with the material of my dress; it was torn and dirty.

In answer, he lifted his hands to show our bags and a brown paper bag and two coffee cups in a holder. Then I felt his apprehension, "I thought you might be hungry."

I glanced at the clock by the bed, it was almost six am. Last night's rest was the most sleep I had had since leaving Court. "Did you sleep?" I asked, venturing closer to him.

Dimitri placed the drinks and food on the desk and then the bags on his bed; the covers were pulled back on one side. "Some," He gestured to the paper bag, "I wasn't sure how hungry you were, so I got a couple."

Curious, I peeked inside the bag, eyes bulging. There were eight doughnuts inside the bag, a selection of icing flavours. "A couple?" I laughed, eagerly reaching in and taking one, half of it in my mouth before I noticed him still watching me. Mouth full, I got out a muffled, "Thank you."

He shook his head, a slight smile on his face, "You're welcome, Roza." Taking one of the strawberry doughnuts with him and his coffee, Dimitri sat on the side of his bed.

I watched as he fiddled with his cup, staring at his doughnut in silence. Eating was still a novelty to him; I noticed how he looked at his cheeseburger the other day like it was a thing of extreme fascination. I couldn't stop watching as he took a bite, eyes closing as he savoured the flavour. If I didn't understand why he was reacting that way I would have made a joke about him getting a room, but instead, I felt happy to see him enjoy it.

He must have sensed my eyes on him, quickly swallowing his bite. "I forget how sweet it tastes," feeling a need to explain it to me. Grabbing the bag and the other coffee, I sat across from him on my bed.

"Never have to explain to me why doughnuts are amazing, comrade," I placed the bag on the side table between the beds, encouraging him to take another after he finished the first one. "The chocolate ones are mine."

He chuckled, "Of course."

We finished eating in a comfortable silence, the kind that we hadn't experienced since the academy. There were multiple times I could feel him looking at me, knowing there was something on his mind. But I chose to remain silent and let him ask when he was ready.

I didn't have to wait long.

"I thought about what you said," He was pulling at the paper of his cup, "I haven't forgiven myself… I don't know how to. Not yet, anyway."

I focused on my cup, still half full, but now it was less enticing.

"And, I understand why you can't be with me," Dimitri looked up at me, "I一what I did, not just with the bond, but pushing you away, I hurt you. I want to prove to you that I'm serious. If you are willing, I would like to be able to prove to you that I do love you, Roza."

I hadn't been expecting this; I didn't even know how to respond. "Umm… Can I have some time to think about it?"

I could see that he was disappointed, but he tried to conceal it, hiding it from the bond. "Of course. Take as much time as you need. I will wait for you as long as it takes."

My heart was beating so hard I thought it was going to burst from my chest; even the bond was vibrating in response to his words. But that was why I needed to give myself time. I can't let the soulmate bond sway me, especially when it was still one way. Downing what was left of my coffee, I thanked him again and then took my bag and locked myself in the bathroom.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't sleeping.

Dimitri loved me, and he wanted to prove it. Did that mean dating?

We never got the chance to do that, having to hide any sign of our growing relationship. The only time we ever had together was training in the gym or the trip we took together before Christmas. Part of me treated that drive like it was a date when we stopped for food, pretending it was him taking me out for lunch.

Now he might do it for real.

But was I willing to take the chance?

He was sincere in his offer; even from here, I could feel his affection for me. Was it enough to let him prove his intentions?

I didn't know…


Once dressed and ready, we met Mikhail, Sonya and Jill outside by the car. I had already called Abe and told him to expect us. We planned to meet an hour away from Court, where Sydney and Jill's parents were waiting for us. And then we would go together before the Queen and announce Jill to her.

And Lissa will also be there.

I didn't know if giving her a heads up would make it any easier or hurt her less. I would much rather do it in person if I could, rather than calling her from the road. I had to speak to her before we went before the Queen.

Mikhail and I were dressed in our uniform; Dimitri wore jeans and a black shirt with his ever-present duster. He still hasn't been reinstated yet. And based on the lack of strong emotions from Lissa I'm assuming that Council hadn't reached a decision in the meeting yesterday.

"So, is everything okay?" Mikhail asked me, the others already climbing into the SUV, leaving just us two. Dimitri paused to glance back at me before taking his spot in the back; Jill would be travelling in between us.

I thought over everything that had happened between Dimitri and me, how far we had come since leaving Court. I shrugged my shoulders, "I think so. Things are still… confusing, but it's getting better."

He eyed me before nodding, seeming to accept the answer. "That's good. Sonya has been reading your auras, but I thought I would check."

I smiled, appreciating his concern. I couldn't help nudging him with my elbow, "Now we are both the weird ones with ex-Strigoi soulmates."

This made him chuckle, more life in his eyes than I had seen before. He reached forward and pulled me into a tight hug, surprising me. "Thank you for bringing her back to me, Rose." With that, he pulled back, his mask slipping into place and heading for the driver's side.

I couldn't hide the small smile as I climbed into the back.


I crossed my arm, staring back unflinching. When he said nothing, I raised my eyebrows, snapping, "What?"

Abe didn't react, continuing to study me, tapping the bottom of his chin with his finger. The others had noticed our little standoff, and I know they were somewhat worried about me losing my temper. Dimitri was more concerned about how I was talking to Zmey.

He may know now that the Moroi was my father, but he had grown up in Russia being warned of the snake. Dimitri's back became stiff, standing beside me, ready to spring into action if I needed him. Of course, him doing that drew the attention of Abe. His smirk grew at the sight.

"Hmm," Abe mused, eyes back on me.

I rolled my eyes, "Hmm? Hmm, what?"

"Oh, I'm just wondering if I should tell you or not."

Did I mention that I hate my father? Sure there were times where I was grateful; even the fact I knew who my father was is rare enough for a dhampir. But when your father is a mob boss who clearly takes joy from irritating others, it makes it hard to like him. I forced myself to take a deep breath. I was pissed off, but I knew that this wasn't the darkness controlling this emotion. No, this was just the usual Hathaway temper.

"Tell me what?" I grounded out. And from the glint in his eye, Abe was enjoying this.

He gestured between Dimitri and me, "So have you two worked things out?"

I clenched my jaw, "None of your business."

"If I were you, I would soon," He glanced at me, and I knew I wasn't going to like what he was leading up to. "I have been informed that your mother is going to be arriving at Court in the coming days."

And there it is.

I covered my face in my hands, groaning. "Of fucking course she is." Before leaving, I was the talk of the Court, and no doubt after as well. If even Victor were aware of my soulmate dilemma, then surely my mother would be as well. Granted, her making the trip here was unexpected. I looked back at Abe, narrowing my eyes at him, "If you had anything to do with this -"

Abe laughed, "Why would I bring your mother to Court, Rose?"

He totally did.

"I'm sure she is just concerned for you and interested about who your soulmate is," His eyes moved back to Dimitri; they were almost predatory. A dangerous warning in them still for Dimitri.

I may not have forgiven Dimitri for how he hurt me, but I know it wasn't entirely on purpose, at least with the bond anyway. But he had his reasons, and it was between us. Not for my parents to stick their noses in. I stepped in between the two men. "And I repeat, this is none of your, or her, business."

Dimitri's hand pressed against the curve of my back, causing me to shiver, "It's okay, Roza."

I ignored him, still glaring at Abe, "Just drop it, old man. Can we just focus on getting back to Court and what we are going to do?"

Abe held his hands up in surrender, moving his attention away to the others still with us. Mikhail stood with his arm around Sonya, protective of her since we arrived, and I was sure it would continue once at Court. Jill was with her parents, who were still not happy about doing this, but Jill remained firm in her decision to come forward and help Lissa.

And then finally, Sydney stood off to the side. She had been quiet, observing my interaction with Abe, equally as shocked as Dimitri was at how I spoke to him.

"Yes, we should move on with things," Abe agreed, inclining his head in greeting to Jill and her parents, "You must be Jill. I'm sure you have many questions, and unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer them. But once we get everything settled, I'm sure you and Lissa can sit down and work things out." Abe was being his usual charming self, putting Jill at ease, though only slightly.

I gave her a reassuring smile, "I'll be there the whole time," I promised just as much to Jill as to Emily.

It was decided that Dimitri and I would go in with Abe, then the others with Mikhail, following us to the palace, where the Queen was already expecting us. I was hoping for a chance to go to Lissa's first, but I don't think I would have an opportunity now.

I crossed over to Sydney; she wouldn't be coming in with us, her part in this now over. I decided to surprise her by pulling her into a hug, "Thanks for everything," I told her, standing back after a moment.

"It was an… interesting experience," She replied. She glanced over at Abe before leaning closer, "I don't envy you for having him as your father."

The look on her face made me laugh, "And you haven't even met my mother."

That made Sydney scrunch up her nose. "Well, as fun as all of that was, I'm looking forward to not risking my life anymore. But I'll keep looking into things for you, see who took our records."

I grinned. It seems that we really had built a friendship between us. "Thanks, Sydney."

"Time to go, Rose!" Abe called over to me.

I waved at Sydney before climbing in beside Dimitri. Rather than keep a distance, I slid into the middle seat and threaded my fingers through his. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, a slight joy bursting from the bond.

I shrugged, "I don't want to look worn out in front of the Queen. I'm going to need everything I can get to tell Lissa about all of this," I explained, not missing his frown.

I hadn't responded to his question of being able to woo me yet, not even sure what I wanted. I didn't want to confuse him, but I was still feeling the effects of the strain on the bond, though it was much better than what it was. Once everything with Jill and Lissa was sorted, I could allow myself a chance to think about Dimitri and me. Then I'll decide what I'm going to do.


As soon as we arrived outside the palace, the Royal Guard guided us to the Queen's private study. She was determined for this news to not get out until she knew everything. My hopes of talking to Lissa before the meeting were gone, especially when I realised that Lissa was already in the room with Tatiana.

I told Jill to stay outside until we called her in, wanting to talk to Tatiana without her there first. The guardian at the door opened it for us, letting me enter along with Dimitri and Abe.

Lissa turned as we entered, sensing my presence. I could feel her apprehension at being summoned by the Queen, though seeing me again gave her some joy and relief. My eyes travelled from hers to Tatiana, where she was perched on her chair behind her desk. Surprisingly, beside her stood Adrian; his eyes were looking everywhere except for me.

"I have been informed that you were successful with your task," Tatiana says as I approach her desk. Skipping greetings and straight into business.

I glanced at Lissa, then back to Tatiana, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"And?"

I clenched my fist, "And, I would like to speak to Lissa first." If Dimitri thought anything about me already being disrespectful to the Queen, he didn't let it through the bond. Tatiana, though, narrowed her eyes at me. "She deserves to know about this before you just drop it on her."

For a moment, the only sound in the room was Tatiana's nails tapping on the wood of her desk. Finally, she conceded, "Very well."

I quickly turned to Lissa; she stood clasping my hands in hers. "You are going to want to sit for this," I told her.

"Rose, what's going on?" She asked. She was scared but kept a brave face in front of the Queen. This is exactly why I wanted to tell her privately.

I squeezed her hands, "Liss, the reason we left was because I had to find someone. Someone that can help you get what you deserve," I explained in a gentle tone. I could feel her confusion, but she let me continue. At this moment, I was very glad that I had the ability to deliver bad news without hesitation, "Your dad had an affair and had another kid."

Lissa's knees gave out and fell back down into her seat. I managed to catch her and help her down. "N-no. He wouldn't… Rose, he loved my mother. He wouldn't." The whole time her eyes were on me, not blinking, searching for anything that said I was lying. But I knew she could see my aura. It was all the truth.

I crouched down beside her, not releasing her hands, "I'm so sorry, Lissa. But this means that you can be on the Council. That's why I had to go find them."

She squeezed her eyes closed, emotions jumping from one to the next一anger, sorrow, betrayal, shock. Christian must have felt it too, because soon he was sending soothing waves to her. I don't think they were at the point that they could send thoughts to each other through the bond, but he knew that she was distressed.

Lissa looked back at me, moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes, but determined not to let them fall. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

My heart broke at the betrayal she felt from me, "I didn't want to say anything in case I found nothing. And then when I did, I wanted to do it in person, but everything happened so fast."

"Who… who are they?"

I knew it took a lot for her to move past the bombshell I just dropped to ask about the lost sibling. Deep down, she was curious. Lissa had thought she had lost all of her family in that car accident. And now there was someone left.

Giving her what I hoped was a reassuring smile, I replied, "You already know them. I was a little surprised myself." I turned to Dimitri and nodded at him. He walked to the door, opening it enough to let Jill in.

Lissa's grip on my hands got much tighter.

"Your Highness, this is Jillian Mastrano Dragomir," Abe introduced Jill to Tatiana, the only one in the room that didn't know her.

Adrian smiled, "Jailbait?" His greeting brought a smile to Jill's face.

Abe nodded to her, silently telling her to bow to the Queen, standing at her full height with more confidence than I thought she had, Jill addressed Tatiana, "Your Highness. I am Eric Dragomir's daughter."

I was proud of how brave she was being, knowing that this couldn't be easy. Still crouched in front of Lissa, I turned back to her feeling her reaction to Jill. She didn't have a close relationship with her, especially since she had accused Christian of having feelings for Jill. But Lissa was used to concealing her emotions and putting on a fake smile.

Lissa stood from the chair and faced Jill, "Hi, Jill. Thank you for coming forward. It means a lot to me."

"Yes," Tatiana spoke again, deciding she had remained quiet long enough, "I can see the resemblance. Though there will be some that will claim she is lying."

"A simple DNA test will prove it," Abe interjected.

"And we shall do one soon. Once that is completed, we will announce Jillian and Vasilisa will take her place on the Council." Tatiana smiled, clearly pleased with herself, not caring for the mixed emotions of the room. "See that it's done by the next public meeting. I think that would be the best time to announce it."

Lissa blanched beside me; the next public meeting was only a week away. The idea of everyone knowing that her father had an affair was becoming too much for her. I gripped her hand again, trying to comfort her. "If that is decided, perhaps we should let Lissa and Jill talk privately."

I felt both of their eyes snap to me, but at least this way, it gets them both out of here, and Lissa could go to Christian.

Tatiana considered it, finally nodding. "Very well, we can discuss those details at a later time."

I squeezed Lissa's hand, leaning close to her to whisper, "Go to Christian. I'll be there soon to explain more." Lissa quickly bowed to Tatiana and then, with Adrian tagging along, left the room with Jill. At least with Adrian with them, he could stand in as a buffer until Christian showed up.

"I was surprised how quickly you managed to find her," Tatiana commented, drawing my attention back to her.

"Dimitri helped a lot with getting that information." I wanted to hold her to her word that she would help Dimitri be accepted back into our society. "He's a great guardian, and his talents shouldn't be wasted."

Dimitri bristled under my words, "Guardian Hathaway was the one that made it possible, Your Majesty."

I dropped my eyes. Why couldn't he just let me do this for him?

Tatiana laughed; it was light and poise, just like her. "I will be sure to let the Council know of your involvement and Guardian Croft of your contribution, Guardian Hathaway."

It wasn't much of a promise, but it's the most we were going to get.

"Now, if that is all -"

"Actually," I winced, knowing I had just cut off the Queen but pushed on, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing we need to discuss with you." I took a deep breath, praying that this went well. "It's about Sonya Karp."