A couple of things.

One. Thank you everyone for reading this story and sticking with it! I appreciate every review and like!
Two. Sorry this took so long, but I wanted it to be right for ending the story. Also it's nice and long haha.
Lastly.
I have decided to give it a go and wrote a smut one-shot that takes place between the last chapter and the epilogue. It is called Bound Forever, so if you would like to read it, I suggest reading it first. Nothing happens in it that is important to the plot, so you won't miss anything if you choose not to read it. I didn't want to change the rating of this story, so I decided to post it separately.

I hope you all enjoy the epilogue, it's been a long journey, but now it's all coming to an end. 3

Epilogue

Dimitri POV

Abe clasped his hands over his lap, legs crossed, watching me with sharp eyes. There was always an uncertainty when I was around Zmey without Rose. When with Rose, he was Abe, her father who cared greatly for her. But when I was alone, he was Zmey.

"So, you had a favour to ask me?" Abe prompted.

After the trial four days ago, I had asked to speak with him. For as long as I could remember, I was warned off from asking for favours from the snake, that it would only come back to bite me. But there was no way I could achieve this without his help.

I cleared my throat, "My family haven't yet been informed about my… return," I tried to choose my words carefully, "I had planned to possibly visit them in Baia, but with accepting the offer of being Christian's guardian, I am unable to do so. And I wouldn't want to take Rose away from Lissa."

"So you would like to bring them here?" Abe guessed, stroking his chin.

"Yes. I don't have the amount in my savings to fly them here currently. I can pay you back once I start being paid as Christian's guardian." I understood the terms of a deal with Zmey, you ask your favour and be prepared to pay twice in return. It was worth it though, to be able to see my family again after so long and to properly introduce Roza to them as my soulmate.

My soulmate. I could feel her in the back of my mind, our connection has grown even stronger now that we completed the bond. The night we completed it had started off a little unsure, but soon became perfect. Everything was perfect. Roza and I were tied together for the rest of our lives.

It had been difficult to keep my meeting with her father from her, I know she suspected something but didn't want to push. She trusted me to tell her when I was ready and I didn't want to tell her until I knew it could be done.

Abe regarded me for a moment, "You two completed your bond, correct?"

"Yes."

He hummed. "Very well then, I will give you the funds to bring your family here and arrange housing for them. I'm assuming you would like them to come soon, seeing you will both be leaving in a few weeks. I have a contact that can get them passports in a few days, I will just need their information."

My hands clenched together trying to calculate how much this was all going to cost. It would put a strain on my ability to save up for my future with Roza that I was planning, but I was willing to do it.

I needed to see my family again. My chest ached at the idea of them continuing to believe that I was dead, the pain they must be going through day after day. While I could try to get leave granted to go visit them, the likelihood of that being approved was incredibly low. That and I didn't want to leave Roza for that long, not after I just got her back.

Still, the image of her dead in my arms haunted me, to the point that it was hard to let her out of my sight. At least now I will always be able to find her easily. I sent love through the bond, feeling her happiness in response.

Focusing back on Abe, I wanted to work out the terms now before I agreed to anything, "How much will I owe you? I can give you what is in my savings now and then half of my pay each month." I would offer more, but I still needed to support my family.

Abe was silent for a moment before waving his hand, "That won't be necessary." At my look of confusion, he explained, "You are practically family now and I don't charge family. That and Rose would never let me hear the end of it if I robbed her soulmate of all his money for the next couple of years." He chuckled.

While I had experienced this caring side of Abe before, I was hesitant to believe it. "I would prefer to pay you back with money, rather than as an open-ended favour." I had heard stories of people whose life was tied to Abe's now from agreeing to such a term.

"No, this will be a no strings attached favour." His face became serious, "You saved my daughter's life, Dimitri, take this as a favour from me to you."

I felt speechless, "That is very generous."

Abe smirked again, "Rose is very important to me." There was an underlying meaning to his words. "You decide on the dates and tell me how many of your family need passports, and I'll do the rest."

He held a hand out to me, I paused a second before taking it in mine, shaking on the deal. This turned out better than I had expected. Abe maintained the grip on my hand, arching an eyebrow.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask?" His tone knowing.

I swallowed thickly. "Yes, there is."


Roza was on the far side of the gym, sparring with Eddie. It was amazing how much they had both improved since the academy, though Eddie was still behind when compared to Roza. She was able to knock him off balance, not wasting a second to get in the finishing blow, effectively winning the fight.

"Ohh… Too bad, Castile. Maybe next time you can beat me," Roza teased, lightly patting Eddie on the cheek. He pushed her away.

"Just you wait. Your luck will run out."

Roza laughed, "That's where you're wrong. This isn't luck, it's pure talent." She glanced over her shoulder at me, feeling me approaching, "That and I had a great teacher."

I grinned as she gripped the collar of my shirt and dragged me down into a short kiss. I could feel her desire to do more, just as my hands itched to explore the exposed skin between her crop top and tights. As much as I enjoyed the sight, I was overly aware of others that also took notice. Not that any of them were willing to be caught doing so while I was here.

Thankfully, once it came out about Roza being restored, she didn't have to go through what I did. Most were accepting of what happened if not curious. We didn't want to talk too much about what happened, not wanting others to see it as a solution to turn dhampirs or Moroi that were near death. Restoring a Strigoi took a lot out of the spirit user, and we didn't want to put that pressure on them to risk their lives doing so.

A trailing of a hand down my chest drew my attention back to Roza, her head tilted to the side, "So are you going to tell me now?"

I nodded, "Yes, but not here."

Her curiosity grew, quickly packing her things, "Good thing Eddie and I are done. Let's go home, comrade."


Home was now our larger dorm room, once we had completed the bond, the approval was pushed through. There were a lot of extra questions about us both being dhampir, needing to prove the bond was real. I had to stop Roza from throwing a punch at the Moroi woman questioning us.

It hadn't taken us long to move our small amount of belongings into the room, and even then, most of it was staying packed so it was easy to move to Bethlehem in two weeks. The biggest improvement of the space was the larger bed and kitchen area, now with enough room to cook meals here rather than having takeout each night.

Roza threw her bag down by the door, kicking her shoes off beside it. We were still working through the adjustment stage of getting used to living with each other completely. I nudged her shoes so they were out of the way, slipping off my duster to hang it by the door.

"So what's up?"

I smirked, surprised that she had managed to hold off the whole walk here. I crossed the room to her to take her hand in mine, kissing her knuckles, "Well, I'm going to need you to get in contact with Viktoria."

She raised her eyebrows at me in surprise, "And why's that?"

I could feel her emotions change as her mind started to guess where I was going with this, "I need your help convincing my family to come here for a week. Very soon."


xXx


Rose POV

I kept fiddling with my phone, unlocking it to check the time and my messages. The sounds of families and other travellers were starting to give me a headache. That or what I was doing was giving me one.

Relax, Roza.

I scoffed at Dimitri's thoughts through the bond, the distance was easy for us to send thought through the bond now with it completed. But it wasn't good enough. Dimitri should be here, not me.

After Dimitri had filled me in on his plan to bring his family to Court for a week before we started officially as Lissa's and Christian's guardians, I had eagerly agreed. I even came up with an idea of what to tell them so that they were willing to make the trip. Dimitri didn't want to tell them he was alive over the phone, so we had to get creative.

I ended up telling them that Lissa was doing something to honour Dimitri's sacrifice considering he was her guardian at the time. I felt bad lying to them, but I couldn't think of a better reason for them to come so quickly.

Viktoria was excited to come to visit and it didn't take a lot of pushing to get the rest of the family, especially when Yeva agreed to go.

Dimitri didn't want to have their reunion at the airport, it was no doubt going to be emotional and loud. Better to have somewhere not surrounded by humans. So, that left me standing at the airport by the baggage claim waiting for Dimitri's family.

With so many people, I had to drive one of the nine-seater vans from Court to the airport. I was not looking forward to the hour drive back where I had to act like Dimitri wasn't waiting for us to arrive.

I'm nervous. I admitted to Dimitri, not that I needed to, he could feel it, just as I felt how nervous he was. Though it will be easier enough to prove Dimitri was dhampir again, it may not be their first reaction to be happy seeing him.

I was imagining yelling, denial, and then a lot of hugs and tears.

It'll be okay. Soon you will be back here and we can tell them everything.

I grinned, knowing that part of that everything we were going to tell them, we will be revealing the fact we are soulmates.

I checked my phone again. Their flight landed ten minutes ago, yet I hadn't seen any sign of them.

Typing out another message to Viktoria I heard a familiar voice. "Roza!"

My eyes snapped up instantly finding a pair of warm brown eyes looking back at me, a large smile on their face. Shoving my phone in my back pocket I ran into the open arms of Olena. I had missed Dimitri's mother so much these past few months, wishing I hadn't had to leave them the way I did.

Olena squeezed me tightly, kissing my face. "Oh, Roza. It's so good to see you!" She pulled back to look at my face and then tugged me in close again.

"It's good to see you too," I returned the hug just as vigorously. I may be making an attempt at building a proper relationship with my mother, but she would never be like this.

Finally breaking the hug, I was instantly pulled into more with Karolina and Viktoria, even Sonya gave me a one-armed hug. Paul was talking a mile a minute about the flight and what he saw. Yeva stood back and stared at me, when I approached her, her eyes swept up and down my body before nodding.

"Good." She marched to join the others waiting for their bags.

Yeva totally knows. I told Dimitri, feeling his amusement in response.


It was a tight fit, six adults and three children. Dimitri made sure to install the baby seats properly before I left, even stocking the vans with some snacks and drinks. He knew his family wouldn't admit to being hungry, so he planned ahead.

Viktoria loudly called being in front next to me, the rest of the family were tired and didn't put up a fight.

Climbing behind the wheel, I felt my nerves increasing. Viktoria had a look in her eye that told me she wanted to talk. I prayed that she would just fall asleep.


We had been on the road for about thirty minutes when she finally turned to me, "Is it true you are dating Adrian Ivashkov?"

I choked on my spit, not prepared for the question. "What? No." I shot her an incredulous look, "Where did you hear that?"

Viktoria shrugged, glancing at the road rather than me, "I heard it from some people. He was at your trials, right?"

I couldn't believe that had somehow made its way to Russia, and yet the fact Dimitri was restored hadn't. Granted, Court was still trying to remain hush about it. Once Strigoi knew that they could be restored, all spirit users would have a target on their backs.

"No—I mean he was and we were dating, yes. But not anymore," My nerves were making me fumble with my words. I could feel Dimitri trying to help calm me, but it wasn't working well. Each time he did, it reminded me that his family had no idea what was happening and my nerves would be right back.

Anger flashed in Viktoria's eyes, "You didn't wait long did you?"

I stared at her in shock. Opening my mouth to reply when the car jolted and a strangle sound made me check my mirrors. Something wasn't right.

Roza?

Hang on. I told Dimitri. Pulling off to the side of the road, I glanced over my shoulder at the others, "Stay inside, I'll check it out." It was daytime, so the likelihood of it being an attack was low, but I didn't want to risk Dimitri's family.

Climbing out, I walked around the van to the back tires, sighing in frustration. Great. A flat tire.

What's going on?

I was feeling Dimitri's panic build, so I soothed him, responding, I have a flat tire.

My phone started ringing, I pulled it out and answered without checking the ID, "Comrade."

"Where are you? I'll come meet you."

I rolled my eyes, "And that will ruin our whole plan. You stay there and I'll take care of this."

I could feel his doubt, "Have you ever changed a flat tire before?"

"Technically, no. But how hard can it be?" I heard him sigh and some choice words coming through the bond. "Hey! No swearing in Russian," I scolded him. I had made it a rule that he can't swear if he wasn't going to tell me what they meant.

"I'm coming there."

"No," I replied. Dimitri deserved better than the side of the road to see his family again, "Just tell me how to do it."

"Fine," He agreed reluctantly, "Do you have a jack?"

I bit my lip. "Umm… Maybe. What's a jack?"

"I'm coming. Just wait in the van."

He hung up before I could tell him otherwise, instead, sending my irritation at him through the bond. Though part of me was a little grateful, I had no idea where to start with changing a tire. I could already tell there was going to be a lesson in my future where Dimitri will make sure I know for the future.

They probably taught it to the dhampirs at some point at the academy, most likely when I was on the run with Lissa.

I leaned against the back of the van, not yet willing to go back inside where I still had to deal with Viktoria. I had thought everything was fine between us, but I guess not.

After a couple of minutes, I schooled my features and climbed back into the front. "It's a flat, someone is on their way to help us." I could feel Dimitri already getting closer, no doubt speeding.

The children were asleep, so it was quiet in the van.

"So, how are you honouring Dimika?" Olena asked, her voice tight as she mentioned Dimitri.

My heart ached for her, wishing I could just reveal the truth and take the pain from her eyes. But that wasn't for me to do. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, "Umm… Lissa knows more about the plan," I lied, hoping that she would forgive me for misleading her.

"Do you care that little that you don't know?" Viktoria scoffed, though I could tell she was upset. She thinks that I just moved on to Adrian and stopped caring about Dimitri. "I thought you loved my brother."

"Viktoria." Olena reprimanded.

I gritted my teeth, "I do—did… I mean…" I rubbed my forehead, "It's complicated okay."

"Is that why you left? Because you wanted to come back here to Adrian?" Viktoria demanded, hurt in her voice.

My eyes flicked to Yeva in the rearview mirror, I swear she was enjoying this. "No. I had to take care of stuff. That's why I left."

Please, tell me you're close. I pleaded Dimitri.

What's wrong?

I shot a look at Viktoria, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I'm going to punch your little sister.

"Don't listen to her, Roza. We know that you had your reasons," Olena assured me, reaching forward to pat me on the shoulder. I reached up to rest my hand over hers.

The van lapsed back into silence which I welcomed. Dimitri was getting closer and it wouldn't be too much longer until he was here and I wouldn't have to try to dodge their questions anymore. But then Yeva decided to cause chaos.

"She has a soulmate."

I dropped my head into my hand.

"You found your soulmate? I thought Dimka was your soulmate." Somehow Viktoria sounded even more pissed off. I didn't bother to explain that I wasn't eighteen before Dimitri was turned.

Olena's face became strained, but I could tell she was trying to be happy for me, "That's wonderful, Roza."

"What are they like?" Karolina asked.

I sighed, "He's perfect," I admitted. There was no point denying I had one, everyone knew Yeva wouldn't lie, and Dimitri would be here soon enough. "I love him."

I looked in the rearview mirror to see Olena's eyes misting over, but her smile was genuine. "That's good. Dimka would have wanted you to be happy."

"Is it them that is coming to help us?" Sonya questioned from the back of the van. I nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. They were going to lose their minds when they see who gets out of the car.

Viktoria scoffed, crossing her arms, "Is it Adrian?"

I groaned, "God, what's your issue with Adrian? It isn't Adrian. I haven't been with him in a while. Not since–" I cut myself off. Clenching my fist. Thankfully at that moment, I noticed one of the standard guardian cars drive past, making a U-turn to park behind us. I couldn't see Dimitri through the tinted windows, but I felt his excitement and anxiety as he worked up the courage to climb out.

I spun in my seat, "Okay. This is going to be a bit shocking, but I need you all to keep an open mind right now."

"What do you mean?" Olena asked, tilting her head at me.

I watched as the car doors opened and Dimitri and Pavel climbed out. I climbed out as well, stepping up to the passenger side door and sliding it open. Reaching in I took Olena's hand, encouraging her to climb out. "Just trust me okay?"

Dimitri was standing just behind the van, eyes wide as he watched his mother climb out. The emotions flowing from him were overwhelming, jumping from one to the other. Olena was watching me curiously until she looked to the side, doing a double-take.

I think if I wasn't holding her hands, she would have fallen. Her hands squeezed mine tightly, eyes flicking to me and then back to her son. Olena took in a shattered breath, whispering, "Dimka? How…? It's not possible."

"It's really him. I promise you, it's him." I implored.

Dimitri took a tentative step forward, "Mama," He faltered, feeling unsure by her lack of response. As if his voice broke the trance that Olena was stuck in, she released my hands and ran straight into Dimitri's arms.

Her wailing drew the attention of the others in the van, the three sisters sticking their heads out of the van. Viktoria was the first to react, squealing before running to join her mother, Karolina and Sonya were quick to follow.

I was grateful that they didn't take a lot of convincing that it really was Dimitri, it helped that he was standing in broad daylight. I stayed back at the van, checking in on the children who were surprisingly still sleeping. Yeva sat looking pleased with herself.

I leant against the door, crossing my arms, "You knew this whole time." She eyed me, not replying. "You enjoy messing with me don't you?" I accused her, making her laugh.

"It's good to keep you on your toes." Her eyes became soft, "You took good care of him."

"Roza!" Olena rushed back to me, gripping my face in between her hands, kissing my face again. "You brought him back to me. Thank you. Thank you!" She pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

Looking over her shoulder, I caught Dimitri's eyes, tears glistening in them. Thank you, Roza.

I smiled at him, Your welcome, Dimitri.


As Dimitri spoke with his family, Pavel changed the tire. I stood with him in the guise of offering to help, but I just wanted to give them time alone. They were all talking a mile a minute in Russian, so it wasn't like I could join in anyway.

When we were ready to go, I passed Dimitri the keys. "I'm going to ride back with Pavel."

His eyes searched my face, "Are you sure?" I reached for him through the bond, feeling him reach back. When we touched, it was like a moment of peace, feeling one another's love. It was one of my favourite things to do.

"I'm sure," I assured him, "Besides, you all have a lot to catch up on and I can't understand what you are saying."

Dimitri chuckled, bringing his hand up to cup my cheek. "I'll see you at the house." He bent down as I reached up until our lips met.

Pulling back, I grinned at him, "By the way. They know I have a soulmate. Have fun."

I felt his shock and then apprehension as I dashed away from him, leaving him alone with his sisters that will all be asking for every detail. I was not envious.


Abe had pulled all the strings in preparation for Dimitri's family, arranging for one of the guest houses in Court to be made available. Originally we were going to find rooms at the guardian dorms where most visiting dhampir families would stay, but Abe insisted. The house was huge, with enough bedrooms that even Dimitri and I could stay there for the week.

It definitely wasn't the kind of place the Belikovas had stayed at before, which was proven by the shocked faces when exiting the van. Dimitri's face was serene as he gazed down at a sleeping Paul in his arms, the pure elation he was feeling was rolling off him in waves that it kept bringing a smile to my face.

It was probably for the best that the children were still sleeping, especially Paul. I'm sure they wanted a chance to explain it properly to him. Even his sisters looked like they needed it explained a bit more.

Dimitri had told me through the bond that he wanted to wait to answer all their questions, the van wasn't the best place. I took the keys from Pavel and raced up the steps of the house to unlock the door, ushering everyone in before returning to the van to help bring everything in.

I wanted to give Dimitri as much time with his family as possible. They were going to be here for a week, but that time will go fast, and considering how long it's been since he last saw them in person, he deserved every second.

"Oh, Dimka. This is too much," I heard Olena fretting, standing in the middle of the living room as if she was too scared to sit down. Yeva hadn't wasted any time, taking the wooden rocking chair by the front window.

I placed the suitcase I was carrying at the foot of the stairs, "Don't worry about it, Olena," I assured her, "This way you can all stay together under one roof."

"Really, Mama, it's fine," Dimitri told her, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. He turned to me, "I'm going to put Paul down."

Olena still looked unsure, so I took her hand and led her to the couch, sitting down beside her. "It's really him," She whispered, eyes following Dimitri as he disappeared upstairs.

"Yeah, it is."

She turned to me, gripping my hands between hers, looking at me with tears in her eyes, "Are you two really soulmates?"

I laughed, feeling like my heart was going to explode from how happy I was, "Yes, we are."

"There's even a pool out back!" Viktoria yelled, running back into the living room, body vibrating from her excitement.

Karolina and Sonya both shushed her, "You'll wake Katya," Sonya scolded her. The sisters had all taken a seat by the time Dimitri joined us downstairs again.

His eyes swept over everyone in the room, taking a moment to truly look at them. I felt a little awkward, like I was interrupting a family moment. I started to stand, trying to think of an excuse to step out when Dimitri stepped towards me.

"Roza," He cupped my cheek, "you are family. Stay." Gently pushing me back onto the couch, I shuffled over so that he could fit between his mother and me. Olena's hand clasped his, gazing up at him in awe.

"So, he's your soulmate?" Viktoria asked in a small voice.

I shot her a look, "Yes."

"Not Adrian."

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Not Adrian." Dimitri raised an eyebrow at me but I waved him off. Later.

"How long have you been…back?" I felt Dimitri tense at Karolina's question.

He cleared his throat, his other hand interlocking with mine. "Over a month ago now." Guilt flowed through him, dropping his eyes. I squeezed his hand.

"Things were complicated at first," I explained for him, "Not everyone was willing to accept that he was dhampir again, and Dimitri needed some time to heal." My heart clenched thinking of those days after he was restored, I understood more what he was going through, but it still hurt to think of it. I was pulled back to the present by Dimitri reaching for me through the bond, soothing my pain.

"How did this even happen?"

"Spirit," Dimitri started. We took turns retelling the events of what led up to Dimitri being restored and what happened after, choosing to leave certain bits out. Dimitri didn't like talking about the people he hurt, still feeling lingering shame and regret that I knew would never leave him, no matter how many times I reminded him it wasn't his fault.

The Belikovas were on the edge of their seats listening to the tale, not speaking until we were done. Olena was crying again, patting Dimitri's hand, "I'm so sorry you went through so much." She started talking in Russian, whatever she was saying caused Dimitri to dip his head to her shoulder.

I felt sorrow through the bond, but also some of his inner turmoil leave him. He had been holding on to a fear that his family would reject him, and be ashamed of his action when Strigoi. There were still some at Court that would openly stare at us in disgust and fear, they didn't believe we weren't monsters still. If his family had looked at him that way, it would have broken Dimitri.

Viktoria looked deep in thought, then tilted her head at us, "Have other's been restored as well?" Her voice full of curiosity.

Dimitri and I shared a look. It's up to you. He told me.

I shrugged. There was no point in hiding it, an hour wandering around Court and they would find out.

"There have been two others who are at Court right now," Dimitri started, squeezing my hand, "Sonya Karp, another spirit user, and… Roza."

The room fell so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

I shifted in my seat under the weight of their eyes, "Yeah, that was a stressful day," I joked, trying to break the tension.

"You were Strigoi for a day?" Viktoria exclaimed, jaw hanging in shock.

"A couple of hours. It was a desperate situation because I was dying." I cringed when they gasped at my words.

Olena covered her mouth with her hand, "What happened? Why were you…?"

I looked to Dimitri for help, but he had a shadow over his face lost in his memories of that day. "There was an incident and I got hurt. The only way to save me was to turn me and then restore me. Thankfully, Lissa and Adrian were able to bring me back," I gave them the shortened version, not wanting to go into it too much.

"Oh…" Viktoria replied, eyes dropping to the ground.

"It's fine. I mean, I'm fine now. Still a guardian for Lissa," I brushed it off, hating the awkwardness of everything. Thankfully, Karolina changed the subject to something lighter.

"It must have been so romantic when you two realised you were soulmates."

Nevermind.

A laugh bubbled out of me, I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth. I sent Dimitri an apology. He rubbed the back of his neck, nervous, "That was also… complicated."


I have never been so happy to be on a food run as I was right now. Everyone was a lot less quiet throughout the retelling of our journey to reach the point of completing the soulmate bond. Even Yeva had scolded Dimitri in Russian, I have no idea what she said, but it made Dimitri's face heat in shame.

I made sure to reassure him throughout and told everyone to back off when they were blaming their brother too much. Once everything calmed down, it became happier and questions of marriage. Lots of questions.

I told them to text me what they wanted to eat and I would pick it up, escaping before anyone could stop me. Dimitri and I hadn't spoken too much about marriage, not at length. The last time it was mentioned was the night we completed our bond and Dimitri whispered that he wanted me to be his wife.

Those words gave me a feeling of joy that I wasn't expecting, and since then, it's made me uneasy. It was strange for such a thing to scare me considering our souls were bound together for life. Marriage was just a piece of paper and rings, right?

A hand dropped on my shoulder, making me turn around in fright, fist ready to punch.

"Whoa! It's just me!" Christian cried, hands held up in defence, Lissa beside him with a raised brow.

"Are you okay? I was calling you for ages." Lissa explained, eyeing me.

I sighed, relaxing again. "Sorry, I'm tired." I brushed them off. It wasn't a total lie, the sun had almost set now, the Moroi world awake and moving. I just realised there won't be a lot of places open at this time. Fuck.

Maybe I did need some sleep.

"I thought you would be with Dimitri and his family." Lissa tilted her head at me, stepping forward to loop her arm through mine, "What's wrong?"

I eyed her, "There's nothing wrong." From the look she gave she knew I was lying. Keeping secrets is hard when your friend can read your aura. I groaned, "It's nothing. Just a long morning, okay."

"Why are you out here?"

"Well, mom," I mocked, "I am getting food for everyone."

Lissa grinned, "Where from? We'll help you take it back."

Double Fuck. I glanced around us, trying to think of what would be opened. "I don't actually know." I finally admitted. Christian laughed.

"Of course, you don't." He shook his head at me. As awkward as things had been between us, things settled once the trial was over. Christian was still upset about it all but was no longer avoiding me, which I was thankful for.

Lissa shot him a look, then gave me an understanding smile, "There's a bakery around the corner that we can go to." I squeezed Lissa's arm in thanks, letting her lead the way.


It was good I had Lissa's and Christian help carrying the pastries and coffee I bought. Even Sage was carrying a box as he trailed behind us. Somehow Lissa and I got him to agree to give me the week off from guarding Lissa. Dimitri didn't start officially guarding Christian until we moved to the house in Bethlehem. He and I were going to move there first so that we could set everything up, and then help Lissa and Christian move in.

I was excited for my first real guardian job outside of Court. The fact it was for my best friend and I got to live with my soulmate were added bonuses.

Walking in I noticed Dimitri and Olena sitting on the couch still, deep in conversation. It felt like he was blocking me a little, but I didn't mind, their conversation was personal. If it was something I needed to know, I trusted him to tell me.

I waved the others in behind me, leading to the way to the kitchen where Dimitri's sisters were sitting. I was quick to offer them the food and make introductions to distract them from continuing the line of questions I had skipped out on.

Karolina happily took her coffee, greedily drinking it in the same fashion Dimitri often would. The last time I had been around them all, everything they did that reminded me of Dimitri used to give me a feeling of grief for the man I lost. Now I could enjoy the fact the siblings were so similar.

"Wow, Abe got you a nice place," Christian commented, picking out a doughnut for himself. I couldn't help but agree, the house was bigger than I thought it would be, with ten bedrooms, a theatre room, a pool, and huge living areas. Just staying in the house was basically a holiday for Dimitri and me, I could only imagine how his family felt.

"Abe?" Karolina asked, seeming more awake after her coffee. Sonya had taken a pastry and disappeared back upstairs. Viktoria sat quietly at the table holding her coffee, looking over at me occasionally. When I looked back, she turned away.

I took a long sip from my cup, needing it after being awake so long, "Yeah, my dad has connections," I commented offhandedly. Just who my father was was another snippet of information I would need to fill everyone in on, something I needed to finish all my coffee for first.

Karolina raised her brow but didn't press.

Not long after Dimitri and Olena came to join us, he stopped behind my chair, rubbing his hand over my shoulder. Is everything okay?

I nodded up at him. How about you?

"What are they doing?" Viktoria whispered.

Christian sighed, "They do it all the time now." I smirked at him in response. He had been a bit jealous by how quickly Dimitri and I learnt to communicate through the bond, whereas Christian and Lissa still had issues sending thoughts from a long distance without using a lot of concentration. He scowled at me, "Show offs."

"I was talking to Roza," Dimitri explained, taking his coffee and dropping into the seat beside me.

Viktoria gasped, "You can really do that?" I had forgotten that living in a dhampir community she wasn't exposed to many soulmated couples, especially not dhampir ones.

"Yeah, we can send thoughts and emotions. Even find each other if needed," I grinned at Dimitri.

She rested her chin on her hand, making a face, "Sounds like you have no privacy."

Karolina slapped her arm, "It's romantic."

I couldn't help but laugh, my thoughts had definitely been similar to Viktoria's before I met Dimitri. And now with that connection between us, I could never go back to being without it. I reached through the bond to him, and he reached back, staring at each other with loving looks.

"Eww, are they going to do that all the time?" Viktoria muttered.


I was right about the days passing quickly, being around Dimitri's family had an effect on the both of us, healing something. It was like closing a chapter and now we could keep going forward in our lives together. Olena had a large smile on her face each morning that she was able to greet us both, holding Dimitri close in long hugs that he was more than willing to return.

Dimitri has been back for over a month, and I still had moments where I needed to hold him tightly to remind myself he was alive again. Olena had only had a couple of days, the shock of it all was still there.

It was weird when I first introduced my parents to them, strange to watch my mother talking to Olena. Just as I'm sure it was strange for them to learn that Zmey was my father and to see him being affectionate towards me.

Each time the day ended, I couldn't help but feel sad that they would be leaving soon. Dimitri would hold me close in bed, whispering to me how grateful he was that I brought him back, giving him this second chance.


On the last night of their trip, we decided to do a big barbeque with everyone, it was still warm enough to be using the pool even without the sun.

Paul had refused to leave Dimitri's side for most of the week, even dragging him into the pool. I watched with barely concealed desire as Dimitri stood shirtless in the pool, hair pulled back into a low bun to keep it out of his face. His eyes caught mine, gleaming with knowledge of where my mind was.

He strolled over to me where I sat perched on the edge of the pool beside Lissa and Jill. He leant in close to me, arms on either side of my legs. Being around his family brought out a more playful side of Dimitri, being more affectionate in front of others.

You need to stop staring at me like that. He warned, his face was impassive but the bond told me exactly what he was feeling. My foot hooked behind his leg under the water.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied with a cheeky smile. Holding his eyes I sent him a burst of lust, watching as they darkened.

His hands moved to rest on my hips, "I think you need to cool off."

I had a moment for his words to register in my mind before I was lifted in the air and thrown into the middle of the pool. A surprised yelp escaped me before I hit the water, being fully submerged. When I stood up, sputtering, there was the sound of laughter.

"Oh, she is going to kill you," Eddie commented, swimming to the edge of the pool to not be in my warpath. Dimitri didn't look worried, laughing at the glare I was sending him.

I knew that in the pool right now, he had the higher ground, but I could still mess with him. I gave him a grin, one I saved for when I was planning something. "No, it's fine," I replied in a sweet voice, swimming to be closer to Dimitri. I lightly patted his chest, "You wanted me to cool off. I doubt I'm going to be feeling hot for a long time now," I murmured low enough that only he could hear me.

The way his eyes widened slightly told me he understood my meaning. You wouldn't.

Guess you're going to find out, comrade. I winked at him as I swam away.


The sun had risen and was shining down on me as I laid out on the grass. Dinner was over and I was definitely full. Everyone else had moved inside the house, the sound of voices travelling outside. I heard footsteps approaching me, already knowing who it was.

Dimitri came to a stop beside me for a second, then dropped down to sit. "Having fun?" His fingers brushed through my hair, having dried since being in the pool, it was extra frizzy.

I hummed at him, not wanting to open my eyes yet. The sun felt good, drying the last of the dampness from my clothes. I could feel nervousness from Dimitri, it had been growing more in recent days. I assumed it was because his family would be leaving tomorrow. I blindly reached out to grab his hand. "It's going to suck when they leave, but we'll see them again soon."

His fingers laced through mine, "I know." He became uneasy again before changing to determined. "Roza, I promised you once that I was going to spend my whole life proving to you that I love you, and I fully intend to. Those that know us know that we are bound to each other, but I would like the world to know as well."

His words surprised me, I cracked my eyes open to look up at him. Instead of his face, my eyes focused on a silver ring, it was simple with a small emerald in the middle surrounded by a cluster of small diamonds. Shocked, I flicked my eyes from the ring to Dimitri's eyes, then back.

"I know it isn't something you have considered, but, Roza, if you would have me, I would like to make you my wife."

His words and feelings brought tears to my eyes, "Dimitri…" Words failed me. Instead, I put everything into the bond, my love, my happiness, and how much I wanted to be his wife.

I felt him respond in kind, a slight hesitance, "Is that a yes?"

I laughed, nodding my head, climbing up to be on my knees so we were eye level, "Y—yes. Yes, Dimitri!"

The way his eyes lit up, and that full smile covered his face, I knew I had made the right choice. The pure elation was intoxicating, a feeling I wanted to capture and always remember.

I held my hand out to him, watching with a large smile as he slipped the ring onto my finger, the fit was perfect. Laughter bubbled out of me again, I leapt forward, wrapping my arms around his neck, catching his lips with mine. Dimitri pulled me flush against him, kissing back with so much passion that it took my breath away.

Dimitri pulled back, gazing deep into my eyes, "I love you so much, Roza. My future wife." His joyful voice was like music to my ears.

I giggled, "My future husband, I could get used to saying that." I reached up to caress his face, "I love you too, Dimitri. Forever."

His smile grew at my words, "Forever."