A/N: Who doesn't love Abe, right?
Again, thank you for your feedback. I am really glad you are all enjoying this story so far. Enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter 4 – The Meeting
The following day our entire group was summoned directly by the queen to a meeting room near her chambers. We had finally learned the reason for why we were called here, and it wasn't just because they wanted to give us accolades for what we had done with fending off the Strigoi, and saving additional lives with the rescue mission.
"Thank you for coming," Queen Tatiana said, in her prim and proper queenly voice.
It had been my mother and Dimitri as our school approved chaperones—and being that Dimitri was Lissa's current official guardian—Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Adrian, and myself in the room.
Dimitri and I stayed closer to the back of the crowded space, as Queen Tatiana and Hans, the head of guardian security, informed us of the real reason for our visit. That what we had done at St. Vladimir's had now caused a debate among the prominent Moroi and the royal council to propose to amend the age law.
They now wanted novices to be full-fledged guardians ready to fight and protect Moroi at the age of sixteen instead of the age of eighteen. Eighteen was already young as it was…but now wanting us two years younger and ready to go was just asinine.
I managed to keep quiet a few times, both Christian and I protesting our thoughts that instead of lowering the age it should be looked at for Moroi who were capable—like Christian had obviously been—to be trained and join in the fight. That had been the tide in turning the tables on the Strigoi attack at the academy.
Queen Tatiana let us know right away that option was the last on the table. After all, they came first was thousands of years of tradition. Moroi lives were treasured, but guardian's lives were expendable. It was apparently the only reason we were bred in the first place.
The only promising thing had been Hans looks of displeasure a few times at the way Tatiana could sound so callous when she spoke about guardians. I could only imagine what it must be like to be one of her royal guardians. I knew it was one of the highest honors to be bestowed, but one I would gladly pass up if I was given the opportunity.
Hans at least had the respect to let the two best guardians in the room speak. That being my mother and Dimitri. Both that were dead set against the idea as well. With how much I had learned in just the six months from when I got back the academy to now, was instrumental in my survival. I grimaced at the thought of us being put into action two whole years earlier.
Tatiana brought the meeting to a close, saying she had heard all that she needed to hear from us. Honestly, twenty minutes of a discussion with those that were there and lived to tell the tale was certainly not enough time. Especially, when it was going to be those that lived from these protected walls that were making these decisions about our lives.
"This is ridiculous," I whispered harshly to Dimitri once the meeting was over.
His arms were still crossed against his chest, his brows drawn together. His expression told me he was just as distressed at the news as I had been. "We can discuss it later."
As everyone started to file out of the room, I caught the mixture of nervous, disgusted, and sad glances from Lissa and Christian. They weren't like normal Moroi. They never looked at Dimitri, Eddie, or me as just expendable bodyguards.
I did what I did best. I plastered a smile on my face and gave my best friend and future official charge—hopefully—a reassuring smile.
"Rose Hathaway!" My eyes snapped up to see that Queen Tatiana was looking at me. "I would like a moment alone with you, please."
Lissa grimaced as I turned to Dimitri whose back was now to Tatiana. He liked it less that she was requesting a private audience with me, but even he would not defy the queen herself. His hand grazed my fingers as he passed, walking out of the room, my own mother giving me a reassuring nod as she walked out. I could sense that similar to Dimitri, she too did not like that the queen wanted a word with me.
Tatiana's earlier prim and diplomatic smile was gone now that it was just the two of us in the room. The fact that she had her own official guardians waiting outside instead of at least being in the room with me had me more on edge.
The last time we had been here at court, and she had requested a private audience with me, it seemed to start off the same way. She had warned me to stay away from Adrian—thinking that him and I were in some sort of romantic relationship—because she had some plan to want to marry off Adrian and Lissa instead. Even if Lissa's heart didn't already belong to Christian—the sooner she just admitted it the better—Tatiana would see how pointless her plan really was.
I cleared my throat. "If I spoke out of line—"
My words were cut short with a single raise of her hand to let me know I wasn't obliged to speak any further. I gritted my teeth to make sure to avoid letting out any sort of remark that would make things more difficult for me.
"I didn't ask you to stay for that," she replied sharply.
I nodded curtly. "How may I serve you, You're Majesty?"
Her lips quirked upwards into a grin. That seemed to be an acceptable response for her. "I need you to do me a favor."
The way she drawled out the words and accented them made my hackles go up. There was a bit of a wicked look in her eyes, that all but confirmed her next words out of her mouth had been exactly what I thought they would be. Something I hated.
"Victor Dashkov has always been a good friend of mine," she commented.
I attempted to school the look of incomprehension off my face. Victor Dashkov. The man was like a bad rash. I thought after his trial and conviction, that I could finally be rid of the man, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"I know what he did was unfathomable. But…what kind of queen would I be if I didn't believe that my people could be worth redemption."
I had to hope she wasn't saying what I thought she was saying. It was already bad enough they were thinking about sending guardians into the line of Strigoi at the possible age of sixteen, but if she was thinking about letting Victor Dashkov out of his punishment because they had been friends…she was really going to see me explode.
I don't care what line of crap he was selling her from whatever friendship they may have had in the past. He kidnapped his own niece, tried to harm her for her abilities, encouraged his daughter to turn Strigoi—even if they felt they couldn't prove that point—and tried to have me killed. Almost succeeded if Dimitri hadn't stepped in at the last minute to save the day.
Reluctantly, I looked up at her, doing everything I could to mask my expression and keep my voice calm. "I'm sorry, You're Majesty, but what does this have to do with me?"
She sucked in a large breath. "Victor has asked to have a private word with you. He would like to atone for his crimes against you."
I was unable to keep the snort from leaving my lips. I remembered all too well what happened the last time I entertained a visit with Victor Dashkov. He had used the fact that I didn't know much about myself being shadow kissed to lure me down there.
Once he had, it was all to put his plan into motion. To have Natalie kill me, so he could escape from prison to never have to face trial. If I had to guess, he would have attempted to try and kidnap Lissa once he was free again if he had been successful in killing me so I couldn't be around to stop him. He wouldn't have succeeded with Lissa still having Dimitri as her official guardian watching her back.
When I was here last; and Dimitri and I had made the visit before his trial, even then he was still trying to make my life miserable and a living hell. Trying to scare Dimitri and I into the fact that he was going to out our relationship to everyone. Take pleasure that Dimitri would be fired or worse. Thankfully, he had failed there too.
"I'm sorry, but I'm—"
"Ms. Hathaway, let me make myself clear…this isn't a request," she said in her authoritative voice. She could have fooled me. She not only a few seconds ago called this a favor. "I have arranged for you to meet with him once you leave my office." Her diplomatic smile returned. "I have no doubt that you will have no problem obeying your queen."
My jaw clenched. "That would be no problem, You're Majesty."
She smiled triumphantly, waving her hand up in a dismissive manner. "You may go. My guardian will escort you to the cells."
I didn't bother nodding or curtsying as I left. When the door opened, I had hoped to see Dimitri waiting on the other side, but that hope was crumbled when only the waiting guardian that Tatiana had promised was there to greet me on the way out.
"Ms. Hathaway, this way," he beckoned, not even waiting to see if I was following him. He knew I would be based on the queen's orders.
This day had turned from crap to worse in the matter of seconds. My guard was definitely up now, knowing that I was going to have to go back and see Victor again. Part of me dreaded wondering what it was that I was going to walk into this time.
As we walked away from court and towards the area, I remembered this from last time as being the route that held the cells for those who committed crimes. It would be the last place that Victor Dashkov would ever see until his disease ended up taking his life.
The guardian escorting me came to a stop when we reached the first security station of the cells. A guardian in his late twenties, with brown hair and blue eyes greeted us.
"Guardian Tanner, delivering Rose Hathaway to see the Dashkov prisoner."
Guardian Tanner stood; briefly glancing at me. "I will take things from here," he stated. He waited until the other guardian walked away. "It's nice to meet you, Rose. You can call me, Mikhail."
Despite my gloomy mood knowing that just behind us a few feet I was going to have to see Victor again, I smiled warmly at him. He seemed nice for someone that had to have to work down here. "Likewise."
His friendly smile dropped, as he turned back to business. "I understand that you have a history with the prisoner."
I nodded. "More than I care to have."
Mikhail turned back to a metal box that was behind him, placing a key that was around his neck into the lock. Once he opened the door, there was a row of sliver stakes lined up. He grabbed one from the shelf, locked up, the cabinet and turned to face me.
"I read his file and his crimes," he said, handing the stake out to me.
I extended my hand out to take. I was surprised that I was actually getting a weapon, but then again, if Mikhail really did really the file of all of the things that Victor had done, then I knew exactly why he was giving me this stake.
"Thanks," I said, taking the stake in my hand, squeezing it tightly in my palm at the familiar feeling.
"Our security protocol is tight around here. He is under constant surveillance, and you don't have to worry about any possible escapes or attacks," he added, alluding to what had occurred when he was in prison back St. Vladimir's.
I gripped the stake tightly again. "All he has to do is give me a reason."
Mikhail looked up at me, his face showing his approval. "Follow me."
I fell into step with him as we started walking down the corridor. I glanced at him in curiosity. He looked like the kind of guardian that was being wasted down here. Better off protecting a Moroi outside of the royal court. "What made you want to be a prison guardian?"
"Hours," he said simply, but I could tell there was more to that reason. Something that he was trying to hide even though I could tell by his expression it was something painful.
I let the subject drop, as he reached the end of the corridor that required another keycard for us to through. That was where the cells actually were. Mikhail grabbed his card that was clipped on the chest pocket of his uniform and swiped it against the magnetic mechanism. The light turned from red to green, before the bolt unlocked and the door lurched open.
"Mr. Dashkov is the only prisoner in this block. You will find him in the second cell," he stated.
I glanced over at him. "You won't be escorting me?"
He shook his head, his eyes dropping down to his feet. "My orders were that this was a private conversation." He pressed his lips tightly together as if he didn't like that anymore than I did. His thumb came up to point to the door we had just walked through behind him. "I will be right here though. If you need anything, if he does anything…"
I smiled. "I'll let you know. Thanks."
He sighed. "Be careful. Good luck."
I turned; taking in a large breath, before I put one foot in front of the other and started moving in the direction of Victor's cell. I passed the first empty one, each step taking me closer, filled me with more dread.
Once I reached his cell, I came to a halt. Victor was turned away from me, standing as he looked towards the wall. The cells were made of thick concrete walls, almost double what the normal allotment was used for security protection. In addition, they had special wards placed around the area to prevent powerful Moroi's like Victor from being able to use his earth element to try and break free.
My eyes glanced up to see what he was looking at, the small sliver windows at the top. Too small to climb out of, but just enough light to bring through that it didn't bother Moroi. Unlike human prisons, those in our prisons didn't get the opportunity to go outside with good behavior. This was the only glimpse of outside he was going to get.
Even turned away from me, I could see that in the short months since I had seen him last, that his Sandovsky's Syndrome had gotten worse without any spirit user to heal him. Part of me actually wanted someone to heal him, because I felt death by disease was too easy for him. He deserved a long life of suffering then the hand he was being dealt.
"It's nice to see you again, Rose," he said, his voice coming out brittle.
"Can't say the same," came my snarky reply.
He turned to face me, giving me a good opportunity to look at him. How bad his actual appearance had declined over the months. His skin was shriveled and wrinkled as if someone had taken a grape and sucked out all of the moisture to make a prune. He had dark black and purple circles under his eyes.
If I was even worried that he could try and harm me physically, that was no concern now. He still had his cane which was the only item he was permitted in his cell, and by the looks of it, if he didn't have it, he would keel over. As it was, if I even touched him, his bones might break.
"I heard what you did at the academy." He hobbled over until he could sit on the bench in his cell, his hands clasped on the top of his cane. "I'm proud of you. Of all that you accomplished."
My eyes narrowed. "Are you for real right now?" He looked up at me with confusion. "You think I could care at all what you think? I'm only here because you sold the queen some bullshit story about your needing atonement for redemption that we both know you are uncappable of feeling. So, spare me your proud of me speeches."
His expression morphed into disappointment. "I was hoping we could put the past behind us, Rose. We have a history before what occurred at St. Vladimir's."
I shot him a scathing look. "Any history, any positive feelings I ever had about you, they died the day you tried to harm Lissa." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Any chance for redemption, died the day you tried to go after Dimitri," I hissed.
The flash of his hidden psychotic self-surfaced, before he managed to mask it again. It only provided what I already knew. He was past redemption. He wanted no atonement. Whatever he wanted, it was to once again inflict some sort of pain or annoyance in my life, which I was done letting him take any part in.
He grinned. "How is our Dimitri?"
I crossed my arms over my chest, my eyes narrowing. "We're done here," I snapped. "The queen only asked that I meet with you. There was no timetable requirement. I've done my part. Good-bye, Victor."
I turned to walk away, but I knew it couldn't be that easy.
"I wouldn't be so hasty to leave, dear Rose. We have a lot left to discuss."
I turned back to the bars, getting close so that I could almost grab hold of them. "We have nothing to discuss. I am tired of you attempting to worm your way into my life. I am bored of your games. You stay the hell away from the people I care about, and you stay the hell away from me, or so help me, I will kill you."
He chuckled. "There is the fierce Rose Hathaway I have been waiting for."
I ignored him. "Remember my warning," I reminded.
I only got two steps away from his cell when his voice reached me. "Maybe you should hear mine…"
I stopped, closing my eyes. It was a trap. I knew it to be. He was locked in a fortified prison with no means for outside help in any fashion. Even his friendship with the queen couldn't help him. If she went against the people after what he had done and helped him in anyway, they would revolt. Rightfully, so. They could get in line after me.
Everything in me kept telling me to keep walking. Mikhail's head raised seeing that I was facing in his direction, asking me if I was ready to leave. All I had to do was keep walking and not let his words get to me.
I shook my head at Mikhail instead and turned back until I was facing Victor's cell again. He looked right at me; his smug sinister smile plastered on his face. I so wished the bars weren't between us right now, because my knuckles itched to connect with his face.
"I'll give you two minutes, and that is all you will get," I snapped.
He made a move to stand. It was slow and clunky, but he finally managed to get himself to a standing position, using the side of the cell to help balance himself. "Oh, Rose, you're going to want to give me more than two minutes."
"Talk…or I leave."
He licked his lips. "My dear Rose, I called you down here, because you are going to do me a favor."
What was with everyone thinking that I was just going to go along with favors left and right.
I balked, letting out a humorless laugh. "Now I know you have gone crazy. The only thing I will do is help lower your body into the ground the day you die."
He shook his head. "I see that mouth of yours still hasn't gotten any better." He paused. "Personally, I don't know how Belikov even puts up with you."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You mention his name again, and I walk. Understand?"
He snickered. "I see there is still a sore spot from last time."
I made a point of looking at my wrist even though I wasn't wearing a watch as I tapped my foot impatiently. "One minute left."
"How about I give you four reasons." I cocked my head denoting my attitude. His sinister smile returned, an uneasy feeling beginning to churn in my gut. "Olena. Karolina. Sonya. Viktoria."
I flung myself against the bars of his cell. "What did you do? If you hurt them in anyway…"
I struggled to calm myself down, but I could only see red. Victor Dashkov had just named Dimitri's mother and sister's names. By my reaction he knew he now had my attention. He also wasn't stupid to keep far enough so that I wasn't able to yank him close enough to the bars and put a world of hurt on him.
"Nothing yet…" he let the words hang out there.
How could he? He had been locked up here for the last six months. Dimitri's family was back in Russia. How could he have any sort of communication that he could do anything that could put them in harm's way?
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're bluffing."
Only he hadn't been. He knew the town. The road they lived off of. He was even able to describe their house. All things I had known from pictures that Dimitri had shared with me. Stories that he had told me about, whenever we talked about his home.
"If you hurt them…"
He smiled sadistically. "Their safety depends solely on you."
My gut clenched. "And if I help you," I guessed.
His eyes gleamed. "Now, are you feeling more generous than two minutes of your time?"
I grabbed hold of the bars, my hands gripping them so tight, my knuckles started to turn white. "I promise you this…when this is over, I will kill you."
He laughed, finding my threat comical. "Until then, if you want to keep the Belikov's alive and safe, you will agree to my terms."
A combination of rage and darkness started to swirl around me, as I closed my eyes, releasing the bars of his cell to try and push it back down. I couldn't believe I was finding myself in a situation that I was in. He was in jail for heaven's sake. If he could still get to me when he was like this, then death was the only acceptable option left.
"What is it you want?" I asked through clenched teeth.
"There are two things that I will require your help with," he answered.
I crossed my arms over my chest, my brows lifting. "Two? You really are out of your mind."
"You see, I think when you hear what they are, you might end up being more reasonable about wanting to help me."
I shot him a look of incomprehension. "I doubt it."
"Your first task is going to be to break me out of prison."
"Are you out of your mind?" I asked in surprise. "Breaking you out of prison at St. Vladimir's would have been a feat, but you want me to try and break you out of the royal court that has more guardians than anywhere else! I can't perform miracles. Even for me."
He shrugged. "Then the Belikov's die," he commented nonchalantly. I was about to come at him again, when his next words stopped me short. "And any help of saving Sonya Karp dies with it."
"What did you say?"
He grinned. A grin that just said the cat got the canary. "You mean that by breaking me out of prison, I, Victor Dashkov, will help you, save Sonya Karp."
I shook my head. "That's impossible. Sonya is a Strigoi. The only way to save her is by killing her."
The gleam in Victor's eye caused me to pause. It was…wasn't it?
"Rose?"
I looked away from the bars, to see a conflicted looking Mikhail coming to stand next to me. "Mikhail, I'm…not…we aren't…"
Victor stepped closer. "Oh, he's not standing here because of you, Rose."
I looked back at Victor whose entire face brightened, making me look back at Mikhail. He was no longer looking at me, but at the floor, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"Mikhail, what's going on?"
Victor clapped his hands together, making me look away from Mikhail and back at him. "I guess you wouldn't know the details. After all, you left St. Vladimir's before Sonya decided to turn Strigoi."
Mikhail's head jerked up, his eyes narrowing at Victor. "Don't speak of her," he snapped, his words laced with anger hearing her name come from his mouth.
"You know, Sonya?" I asked.
He swallowed; his eyes flickering from Victor back in my direction. I saw it there in that moment. I saw pain, grief, torture, and love. My hand came to my mouth that had fallen open.
"They were lovers," Victor supplied for me, even though I had already figured that out.
Mikhail's jaw clenched. "Is what he says, true? Rose, I need to know." He closed his eyes, and I could see that confliction in his expression again. "If…if I am going to help…"
I gasped. Victor really was a rotten son of a bitch. He was going to use Mikhail's grief and love—both of us really—in order to get what he wanted. I wanted to ignore my previous purpose to not hurt him until I finished hearing everything, but he was making it really hard at this point.
"I…I don't know."
"Maybe that is where I can fill in the information for you," Victor spoke up, bringing both of our attention back to him.
I hated that already after only being here for a couple of minutes he seemed to have the upper hand against the both of us. Using Mikhail's love for Sonya against him, and my love for Dimitri against me. I still didn't believe what he was saying might be true, but if there was an ounce that it could be…could I risk doing what was right by walking away?
Victor took a step forward. "You think when I kidnapped Lissa months ago, that I only wanted her because she could heal me. That was only part of it," he said. He looked and sounded just like the Victor we had stopped that day months ago. Twisted and dangerous. "You see, Rose, I know much more about spirit then you could even fathom. How else do you think I knew about your shadow-kissed situation."
"The same way I learned what I know…a library," I replied haughtily.
"Not everything can be learned from a book," he retorted. "I've had personal experience with the spirit element. It doesn't just heal, Rose. It can restore."
I looked him squarely in the eye, studying his face for any ounce that he might be lying. "You're telling me that spirit can restore someone back to being a Moroi or dhampir?"
He didn't even bat an eye. "I am. I've seen it done personally."
"How can we trust anything that you say?" Mikhail said sharply. "You would say or do anything to barter your freedom."
Victor didn't bother looking at Mikhail as his eyes stayed wrapped around me. "Rose, knows what I am saying is true. Don't you, Rose?"
I opened my mouth to refute his claim, but the words died in my throat. Victor saw the moment it made sense to me why I would find truth in his statement.
Mikhail's hand was on my arm. "Rose?"
I slowly looked up at him. "I…I think he is telling the truth."
His eyes furrowed together. "You do? Why?"
"You read his file?" Mikhail nodded. "Then you know that when he tried to escape back at St. Vladimir's, he had almost succeeded. Because his daughter, Natalie, had turned herself Strigoi and managed to subdue the guardians."
Mikhail's angry expression returned to Victor. "What kind of father would want that for his daughter."
"It makes sense now," I muttered.
Mikhail turned back to me. "What does?"
"I couldn't understand why he would have had Natalie go to such extremes to break him out. To turn Strigoi." I paused, turning back to Victor, whose expression turned to one of elation that now I had put the puzzle pieces together. "He did it thinking that once they were free, he would be able to restore her back to a Moroi."
"Until your boyfriend got involved and ruined everything," he hissed.
My eyes lifted back to his face. "You sent your daughter to kill me," I shot back.
His words came out callously. "There was no use for you. You were a means to an end."
The other puzzle piece clicked into place. "That's why you are going after Dimitri's family."
His tongue gritted across his teeth. "He is the reason my Natalie has been taken from me."
I leaned in, my voice dangerously low. "YOU are the reason that Natalie is dead."
"And I am now the only hope you have if you want to restore Sonya Karp."
I studied his face. "Maybe you overplayed your hand. You just told us that it takes a spirit user. I knew a few. Who says that I need you any longer?"
He laughed. "Child, do you really think it is that easy? That I would have just freely given that information away? No, there is a process, and I know the only living person who has successfully done it." I opened my mouth to combat his comment, but he could read me easily, beating me to reply before I could get the words out. "We destroyed the only copy of handwritten notes on the process. You won't find this in any library."
I could feel the anger seething out of Mikhail. I couldn't blame him. He was being told there was a chance to save the woman he loved, but that chance rested only with the dying man behind the bars of this cell. A man that was childish and petty enough to lets hundreds and thousands of former Moroi and dhampir suffer if he didn't get the price for the information he had.
Something was still bugging me. "Why, Sonya?" I asked.
Victor seemed a bit astonished by my question, but he recovered quickly. "Incentive for Mikhail here to help aid in the escape."
I shook my head. "Not buying it. It's part of it, but there is always more with you, Victor. You need Sonya for something."
That caused a feral growl from Mikhail who stepped closer to the bars. Unlike me, he was taller, and his arms stretched further. His movements were quick and stealthy, grabbing a hold of Victor's prison uniform and dragging him to the bars of his cell.
"Answer her," he demanded.
Victor looked down at Mikhail's hand, fixing him with a reproachful gaze. "She may have information that I need. Information that as a Strigoi she won't willingly provide."
A rebelliousness in me wasn't going to let him get away with keeping all of the information close to the vest. Breaking him out of prison—even if to save the lives of Sonya Karp and Dimitri's family—meant that I could face prison or death myself. Whatever information Sonya Karp had, it had to be something important. Something Victor wanted just as bad as Mikhail, and I wanted the opportunity to restore Sonya.
"What information?" I asked, no longer amused.
"That's not your concern."
"Oh, but it is," I said looking right in his face. "If there is one thing I learned about you, Victor, is that you always seem to have a plan. If you want my help, you are going to tell me what the information is you are seeking from Sonya Karp."
His eyes narrowed. "Do you really want to risk their lives, if I don't?"
I was going to call his bluff. "Do you want to risk yours?"
We were in an old fashion stand-off, and it had been small, but Victor Dashkov just blinked. He looked back and forth between Mikhail and I, letting out an exasperated sigh. "By now, you've heard about the age law?"
I nodded, looking at him suspiciously. "Yes. The question is…how do you know about what is going on?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "Believe it or not, Rose Hathaway, there are many people on the outside that believe I am exactly what is needed on the throne."
"You're never going to see it," I said indignantly.
He shrugged as if that remained to be seen. It would seriously be over my dead body before I ever saw Victor Dashkov as a King over our people.
"There are enough on both sides to argue the point. It will come to a vote," he explained.
"It's suicide," I exclaimed.
Again, it seemed to Victor that the actual vote on the subject meant nothing to him. It was the vote that did. "Our dear Lissa, can't vote in the quorum. No one from the Dragomir line can ever be a part of the quorum if they are the only surviving family member."
"It's not like she can help that," I argued.
Victor's eyes gleamed with mirth. "That's not necessarily true."
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, finding myself moving closer to the bars of his cell. "What do you mean?"
"What your dear Lissa didn't know, was that her dear old daddy, Eric ended up fathering an illegitimate child. Lissa has a half-sister."
My mouth fell opened. What he said couldn't be true. Lissa's parents loved each other. Her father doted on her mother all the time. There was no way that he would have cheated on her mother and end up fathering another child. Eric Dragomir had always been the perfect loving father and husband. If this had been true, he would have recognized the child. He would have, welcomed them into the family with Lissa and Andre.
Victor laughed at whatever expression must've crossed my face. "You think you knew Eric Dragomir, but you didn't. Just like Lissa didn't really know all about her dear brother Andre, did she?"
Victor's pointed look at me, was a punch to the gut. Not long after Lissa and I had made it back to the academy, we had learned a lot about the kind of secrets and things that Andre had been into. It had shocked both Lissa and me, needless to say, but that still didn't change Lissa's love for her brother.
Would this be any different? Even if it did, they were all dead now. But…if Lissa did have some half-sister out there, she could still have a family. She could have someone that she could bounce ideas off of when it came to royal business.
I could be a part of giving something back to Lissa that I knew she desperately missed. If it was true…
"How did you come to get this information?" I asked.
"How I got the information is not important," he rebutted. "But I will tell you that Spiridon had acquired it for me back when I had Lissa brought to me."
I ground my teeth. "You son of a bitch!" Anger exploded out of me again. It seemed to happen more and more now that my new ghost friends were sticking around me. "That was why you didn't even blink about bleeding Lissa's spirit powers dry. You knew if she died you could just produce another Dragomir heir and still claim the throne!"
Victor looked at me, his jade-green eyes, nodding approvingly. "It was a failsafe plan."
"If you think I will let you hurt Lissa or her half-sister that is out there somewhere, you are sadly mistaken," I hissed.
"If you want to help Lissa, then you should do this."
"I don't know about this, Rose," Mikhail finally spoke up after remaining silent all this time. "Helping Victor escape to restore Sonya is one thing. I can't in good conscience send him to her doorstep if she was entrusted to protect a secret that could end up harming this young girl."
Victor rolled his eyes, making an exaggerated sound. I ignored him and looked back at Mikhail. "You didn't know that Sonya knew this secret?"
He shook his head sadly. "No. But if Sonya was entrusted to keep a secret, even restoring her back to a Moroi won't help."
"I have ways of making her talk," Victor said, his voice filled with menace.
Mikhail whirled on him, his lip curling back into a snarl. "You even touch a hair on her head, and I will kill you myself. Forget your disease finishing you off."
I pulled Mikhail back from the bars, getting him to focus back on me. "Mikhail, I hate to say this, but it's important. They want to start sending guardians off at the age of sixteen. It's suicide."
He frowned. "I know," he said dejectedly.
"Lissa would be against this. What if it came down to one vote? Her vote. But she couldn't, because of this stupid quorum. Lissa has a right to know she has a sister, and so do they. They have a right to insert their family's authority."
He sighed. "I agree with you." His head tilted in Victor's direction. "What about him?"
I drew in a breath as I studied Victor. "I'll handle him."
Victor chuckled. "You are in no position to be giving me orders," he said snidely.
He was right. In a way. Mikhail may have a choice whether to help or not, but Victor was still holding Dimitri's family hostage for my help. He needed me if he was going to get out of here. If there was any hope in Sonya wanting to help us if and when we were to find her. Having a friendly face for when her life got turned upside down again was exactly what she would need. Victor must've known that too if he had been privy to the time, he had witnessed seeing someone restored.
I turned back to Victor, crossing my arms, and steeling my gaze. "This is what is going to happen." I paused, because I couldn't believe I was going to say my next words, but I loved Dimitri. By proxy, that meant his family was my family. I would never let anything happen to them. "I break you out of here, and we go and find Sonya Karp. We restore Sonya, she tells me the identity of Lissa's half-sister, who I will bring safely back to court. Once I do this, you leave Dimitri and his family alone. Whatever sick obsession or vengeance you have against him…it ends here," I warned.
He thought about my proposal as he looked at me, before finally nodding. "I can agree to those terms." He stepped closer to the bars of his cell, his hands wrapping around them. "And when you hold up your end of the deal, I walk away."
I shook my head instantly. "No! You will answer for your crimes. You will come back here."
He laughed. "No deal."
Mikhail groaned. "I agree with you, Rose. We can't let him walk away."
"Then the Belikov's go boom!"
I growled.
"What's he talking about?" Mikhail asked in confusion.
"Secrets. Secrets. So…many secrets," Victor teased. I gritted my teeth again. "You aren't the only one considering doing something for love," he added sarcastically to Mikhail.
Mikhail's gaze landed on me, making me flush slightly. At this point, Mikhail and I were considering breaking Victor out of jail and me going on the run. I doubt letting the cat out of the bag of my relationship with Dimitri Belikov could be more scandalous than any of that.
Mikhail arched a brow. "You…you and Dimitri Belikov?"
"Yes, but—"
"He could be fired and let's not forget the number of laws that he has broken—"
"Shut up!" Mikahil and I both shouted in unison.
Mikhail grabbed hold of my arm, pulling me away from the cell and out of earshot of Victor. "We can't let him go free," he said.
"I know," I agreed, even though my tone said that was exactly what we were going to do. "Dimitri killed his daughter to save me. He foiled his plans at trying to kidnap Lissa—killing his guardian in the process—and I suspect when he tried to enact his revenge at his trial by trying to bring my relationship with Dimitri out in the light—and that didn't work—that is the reason he is targeting him." I looked up at Mikhail with pleading eyes. "It's not just Dimitri he's after. He's threatening his mother and three sisters. I can't let him hurt them."
He sighed. "Your right."
"We have a chance to save Sonya," I added, feeling horrible that I was using his emotions as well to get him on my side. My hand came out to his forearm, where I squeezed it lightly. "I will handle, Victor. Trust me, no one wants to see him pay for what he has done more than me. I will make sure that he finds his way back to a cell."
"You don't have to do this alone," he commented.
I smiled ruefully. "But I do. They can't know of your involvement. Your no good to Sonya if you get locked up too."
"It's not fair. I'm not letting you take the fall for this."
I swallowed slowly. Because at the end of the day…that is what would happen. Victor Dashkov had been my problem since we had returned to St. Vladimir's. It should be me to make sure that no one else ever has to be hurt or threatened by him again.
"I'm going to need one friend on the inside. I can't do that if you are compromised," I pointed out.
Mikhail brought his hand to his forehead, the guilt of all of this weighing on us both heavily. "What if…"
"We can't," I cut him off knowing exactly what he was going to propose. "If we tell them, we can't protect them. Besides, Victor won't allow us too. It's how he will keep us both in line."
What Victor was asking us to do was take on impossible odds. Breaking him out of jail. If we managed to get out of here unscathed, having to live a life on the run knowing the full weight of the guardians from the royal court would be after us, made this all the more a shot in the dark.
But I loved Dimitri. I loved him so much that I couldn't breathe if I lost him. I could never live with myself if something happened to his family, and I could have stopped it. After all, they were essentially my family now too.
"I don't like it," Mikhail noted.
"I don't either," I agreed.
"Your braver than anyone I have ever met."
I smiled. It made me think back to Dimitri's words about being a force to be reckoned with. I would need that now. I would need all the strength in the world, because if I didn't succeed, I was going to lose it all.
Lissa.
Christian. Eddie. Adrian.
My mother.
Dimitri.
Mikhail and I walked back over to Victor, whose head snapped up the moment we were back in view. "Do we have a deal?" asked Victor.
"It's not like you left us much choice," I answered sardonically.
He grinned. "There is always a choice, Rose. Sometimes those choices make you learn the hard way."
"It will be amazing if I don't kill you—if we somehow even make it out of here alive."
"Splendid," he said victoriously. He looked between both of our faces. "You two better get your plans in order. You're breaking me out of here tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" I exclaimed.
He grinned. "Did I forget to mention that if my contact hasn't heard from me by tomorrow that I am on the outside that well, you know…" his hands once again made the motion of boom which was alluding to the fact of what would happen to Dimitri's family if I failed to make that deadline.
I growled. "Fine."
As Mikhail and I turned to start walking away, Victor's final parting words reached the both of us. "And I don't need to remind either of you that if anyone finds out about this little plan…"
I thought I might find comfort and peace here.
Dimitri always did. Although he had told me recently that he found more peace with me. That made me smile and sad at the same time.
I looked up from my lap to the front of the church, my hands resting on my upper thighs.
I was really going to break Victor out of prison in less than twenty-four hours. A man who literally kidnapped and tried to kill my best friend. A man who attempted to ruin the life of the man I love and tear us apart in the process.
Now, even in his own prison, he was about to do it again.
It was dark now, the sun having gone down over an hour ago, making the darker looking ambience even bleaker to me in this moment.
"Tell me I am doing the right thing," I whispered, looking up at what was the altar of the church.
I already knew I was. I would do anything to protect Dimitri's family. If there was an opportunity to restore Sonya Karp, she deserved a chance. If there was a half-sister out there for Lissa, one that Victor already had his eyes set on, she would need protection. Lissa would become my charge one day. That meant I would want to protect anyone that she could lose that could cause her pain if they were lost to her.
The church had been quiet since I had come in almost twenty minutes ago. A few came in and out, sitting down silently as they said whatever prayers they wanted. No doubt came to reconcile whatever items were on their mind.
I closed my eyes, a small smile spreading on my lips. He found me. He always found me no matter where I was. No matter what.
"Rose?"
"Hey, Comrade," I said, my eyes still trained straight ahead.
He slid into the pew, coming to sit directly next to me. His massive and powerful thighs butted up against my own, our shoulders touching. Just in that simple action alone, I was already feeling better.
He glanced in my direction for another moment, before he too looked straight ahead. Out of my peripheral vision, I could tell his eyes were closed. His presence was comforting enough as the silence lingered between us.
"I was looking all over for you," he finally said after minutes had passed. "This is the last place I expected to find you."
"Yet, you still looked here anyway."
He tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. "I've been worried about you," he admitted.
I knew it without him even saying it. I could hear it in his voice. I wanted to run to him immediately after leaving Victor's cell, but then decided against it. I needed a moment. A moment to try and figure out how I was going to do all this while keeping him in the dark.
I was feeling like a complete and utter hypocrite. The number of speeches and outbursts I had hurled his way, when it came to try and keep me out of important events. Even if he didn't want too. But this…this was different. I was going to have to lie to save him. Save his family.
That didn't make it any easier.
Dimitri was like a human lie detector. He was going to know that something was wrong, if I couldn't find a way to separate all of my emotions and feelings and lock them away to get what needed to be done.
The hardest part…it was that we had promised each other that there would be no more secrets between us. That we were done hiding things from each other. The first possible thing thrown our way; I was already going to have to break that promise. I just hoped when it was all done and over with, Dimitri might be able to forgive me.
I let out a long sigh, appreciative that Dimitri didn't feel the need to push the conversation until I was ready. "Do you believe in redemption?" I asked.
His brows drew together, before he looked away from the altar and in my direction. "I believe everyone has an opportunity for redemption," he answered honestly. His palms flattened on his thighs as they traveled towards his knees. "Everyone but Victor that is."
There was a bit of a teasing note in his words, no doubt to try and lighten the seriousness of my question and my darkening mood.
"You know," I guessed. He gave a blunt nod. "How?"
That same fierce look I associated with him was dawned on his face. He leaned into whisper, since we were still in a church. "I've told you once before, Rose, I have a lot of weight among the guardians. There isn't anything I wouldn't do or find out to protect you."
Those words sent a flutter and an ache at the same time to my heart. Because I knew he would do anything for me. Just like tomorrow I would be breaking countless laws and potentially going on a dangerous mission for him. It was what we did.
My hand shot out from my lap, reaching for his instantly. His long, callous fingers from years of weight training and fighting wrapped around my much smaller one and squeezed tightly. Here, we didn't have wandering eyes that we had to worry about. Even if we did, I really didn't care in that moment.
His thumb slowly traced circles over the palm of my hand, making goosebumps appear in its wake on my flesh.
"Why are you interested in redemption?" he asked.
I looked at my lap. "Just something that Victor said," I answered evasively. I couldn't let too much slip, or I worried he might figure things out.
"Rose." He tugged my hand so this time I had to look up at him. I could see the concern in those warm brown eyes. My hand itched to want to come up and smooth out the puckered lines just above his eyebrows. Lines I was putting there. "You actually have to want to atone your sins if you want to be redeemed."
The comment made me smile. "I know more than anyone that Victor Dashkov doesn't have an ounce of remorse in his body."
I saw the questioningly look on his face. I noticed then that he started to put it together that this was more about me than anything else. "Why do you feel you need redemption?"
As I looked up, I was aware he could see the battle raging within me. "Sometimes…it feels that anyone associated with me, only gets misery and pain."
The look he gave me was one of incomprehension and bewilderment. It was obvious to me that he did not feel that same way. His hand gave my own another squeeze. Another reminder that it didn't matter what I or anyone else said. Deep down he knew me better than possibly even I knew myself.
"Rose, you can't honestly believe that."
I shrugged. "I'm not so sure," I replied gravely. My voice turned thickly. "Ever since I came back…I've brought nothing but destruction with me. Mason's death. Ghosts that are trying take over my mind almost driving me to kill Jesse." I looked up at him. "Then there's you. I singlehandedly almost ruin your reputation and get you fired. Let's not forget nearly getting you turned into a Strigoi—"
"Stop!" He wore a displeased look. It took him a minute to release the anger my words had caused, before his expression returned to a calmer one. "I knew exactly what I was getting into when I agreed to mentor you, Rose." Our gazes locked and held there. "I have lived a live without you, and now a life with you. I have no interest in going back to the first," he stated emphatically, only soothing some of that fear in me that I truly was a mark of death. He shifted his long legs so he could angle his body and turn towards me. "I don't know what Victor said to you in that visit, but don't believe a word, Rose. He is the monster, not you."
Dimitri was right. He was a monster.
But what I was about to do, even with the noblest intentions, could make me a monster if anyone got harmed along the way.
I didn't want to talk about Victor or what I was going to have to do tomorrow. I just wanted these last comforting moments with Dimitri, not knowing when it was, I might be able to see and touch him again.
I scooted the last few inches closer to his side, resting my head against his shoulder. There had only been one other guardian in the church a few pews ahead of us. Wearing the more formal guardian attire. They hadn't even paid us any attention.
I felt the sigh of content leave his body, as he turned to place a long slow kiss to my forehead. I brought our still clasped hands to my lap. "Can we sit here for just a few more minutes? Before we have to go back out there."
Dimitri's lips were still pressed against my skin. Wonderful and sweet. "We can stay as long as you like," he whispered.
We must've sat there for another thirty minutes or so, before I had finally realized that I couldn't hide out here forever. No matter how much I might want too. I had a long day ahead of me, and Mikhail and I agreed that planning the escape just at the break of dawn when the Moroi were getting ready for bed, would be the best time to put the escape plan in motion.
As we left the church, Dimitri and I fell into step together as he started to walk me back to my temporary housing here. I was glad we took the longer route from the church through the courtyard. Even though I needed to try and get as much sleep for tomorrow, I wasn't quite ready yet for my time with him to end.
I was sure that he was well aware of my subtle glances in his direction every few steps. It was as if I was trying to remember every feature of his face. Every ounce of his strong and powerful body.
Just as we passed through the courtyard, Dimitri grabbed my upper arm, throwing me off kilter, pulling us off the smoothed pathway. My back slammed into a tree, Dimitri's hulking body pinning me there. I had to look up to see his brown eyes blazing down at me.
My chest started heaving up and down, as small pants escaped my mouth. The silence along with the intensity burning in his eyes, started to make my knees go weak.
Then he kissed me.
It wasn't slow and sweet like some of our other kisses. This was rough, passionate, and claimed me just like he had when we had made love in the cabin. It was everything I needed and more. My arms came up instantly to his chest, as I grabbed the lapels of his duster and pulled him to me.
His tongue traced my lips, my mouth opening instantly to grant him access. This kiss…it was as if Dimitri knew I needed this. Knew that I needed him to claim every ounce of my body and soul to keep it protected securely with him. The only thing that would make it better would be if we could continue this to one of our rooms, but that would certainly be pushing our luck.
Only when the need for air came up, did we both finally pull back. I could feel the swollenness of my lips, as I licked them. I had been kissed and ravished like I had always dreamed about. Only this was far better than a dream, because it was Dimitri that had been the one doing it to me.
He looked at me with hooded eyes, but I could still see that earlier bit of concern there too. "Talk to me, Rose. Let me help," he pleaded.
I realized my hands were still clutching his duster to me. I slowly eased my grip, until my palms were flat against his chest, feeling the powerful thump of his heart beating under my hands. "You already did," I whispered.
He studied me silently. I sensed he knew something was going on with me far deeper than just my concern about whether someone could be capable of redemption. Maybe they could. OR maybe I had already been marked for death and this mission I was about to embark on was my redemption for all of my past sins. Either way, I was sure that if angels existed, Dimitri Belikov was mine.
"You know I love you, Roza. You know that don't you?"
This smile reached all the way to my eyes. "I do." I pushed my hands out until my arms reached around him, so I could pull his body to me. I laid my head where my hands had been, hearing his heart beating in my ear.
His chin rested on the top of my head. A second later, I could feel his lips in my hair on the top of my head, his breath fanning around me.
"I'll always be here for you," he said, his words spoken as a promise.
I just wished I could have made that same promise in return.
I closed my eyes tightly, wishing this moment never had to come to an end.
I love you, Dimitri. Always.
