Due to the what is happening in the US and around the World, just a quick warning, things will be a little tense in this chapter. I am going to write at least one chapter of fluffy happiness after this before getting back into the heart of the story. Please feel free to skip the chapter if necessary, I will write a quick synopsis at the beginning of the next chapter.

Chapter 31: Adrian in Baia

It was such a nice walk down the streets to the town square. Today happened to be an abnormal high temperature where it was warm enough in just a light jacket. Okay, so I admit it, the weather was similar to Montana and not the artic wasteland that I thought it was.

Dimitri brought me out of my thoughts when he asked "Roza, what are you thinking about? I've called your name like three times."

A blush creeped up my face and Dimitri said in a low, husky tone "Roza".

"Not that, Comrade, I was just thinking how nice Baia was and how it isn't the artic wasteland that I thought it was".

Dimitri stared at me until he started with a rich, full laughter which triggered a laugh from me. 'It's not that funny Comrade" I said.

"Yes, it is!" He said as he continued to laugh.

Once we settled down and resumed our walk, I could see how at one time Baia was a thriving community that had come under hard times. The sidewalk is full of cracks and sometimes missing pieces. The concrete stairs to the houses were also full of cracks and missing steps.

The houses were in various stages of disrepair but beyond that you could see and feel the life of the community. Mothers were hanging out their laundry to dry while children played outside and ran around their mother's legs. There were toys strewn all over the yard and while the houses were well worn, they were also well loved.

As if Dimitri could tell what I was thinking, he had a huge smile on his face, he pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.

We entered the town square and I looked around, there was a huge fountain in the middle of the square. There were trees scattered throughout and benches along pathways. The outside of the square was littered with shops and while I couldn't understand the Russians signs, I could figure out what some of them sold by the pictures displayed on the signs.

A commotion on the opposite side of the square brought me out of my thoughts. When I looked in the direction of the commotion, it was hard to ignore the uniform of the Royal Guard and in front was Adrian.

"It's Adrian" I pointed out to Dimitri.

Dimitri was started speaking rapidly in Russian, and I am pretty sure they were swear words as he turned around to address our group. Dimitri had grabbed my upper arm and pulled me to his side. I felt like a rag doll because any time he moved he pulled me with him.

"Roza hit your panic button" Dimitri said and I complied and got my phone out and hit the panic button. All of sudden, Dimitri's phone started alarming, so he silenced it so he could give out orders, but Pavel and Baba would still receive the alarm as well.

"Vika and Logan, get in touch with Pavel and tell him Adrian is here, we are probably going to need Mr. Mazur as well."

As I watch Dimitri in action, I was in awe. But it was at that time that I realized Dimitri and all the guardians had earpieces with mics on. Vika and I were the only ones who didn't have an earpiece.

Dimitri took a deep breath and said into the mic "Alright, here is your crash course in Spirit. Adrian can read auras, which means he can tell if you are lying or telling the truth. He drinks and smokes to deal with the darkness and the more darkness he has, the more out of control he is. And since he's the Queen's favorite great nephew, he pretty much does whatever he wants."

"Rose" Adrian yelled across the square as he and the Queen's guard started coming over to us.

"Comrade just follow my lead" I said looking at Dimitri while fiddling with my necklace.

"Rose, thank god I finally found you. Are you okay?" he said with ingenious concern.

"Adrian, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here to get you and bring you back to court for your protection" Adrian said.

"Adrian, I am safe, I'm here with my parents and Dimitri."

"What the mobster, a mother who abandoned you and Tasha's lover?" Adrian angrily spit out.

The last part about Tasha's lover hurt a little bit even though I knew it wasn't true. Dimitri stiffened beside me and the grip on my arm became a little tighter.

"Well thank you Adrian for pointing that out. But I assure you that this is the best place for me" I said as I rolled my eyes. Adrian was now standing in front of Dimitri and me with his guardians flanking either side of him.

"I spoke with my great aunt and she told me to come get you. She gave me some of her Royal Guardians, as well as her jet. So, let's go and we can pick up Lissa along the way." Adrian said as he tried to grab the arm that was not held by Dimitri.

That was the tipping point where things started to go very bad, very quickly. Dimitri immediately pulled me behind him causing Adrian to lose the hold he had on my arm.

"Don't touch her again!" Dimitri said emphasizing each word.

Yuri was by my side with Celeste backing him up and Cooper and Volkov quickly closed in behind us. The guardians in the SUVs had pulled up to the side of the square we were on and in position to get out of the area and back to the compound quickly if needed. The rest of the guardians had flanked Dimitri and me, ready to protect me with their lives.

Suddenly we heard screeching tires and I turned to look and saw Pavel, Mom and Baba getting out of an SUV and another SUV pulled up with ten additional guardians. Baba and Pavel quickly reached us and stood in front of Dimitri and me and my mother came to the side opposite Dimitri.

"Adrian, so good to see you again, we are attracting a crowd, might I suggest we go back to my house and discuss things?" Baba said trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Yeah, I don't think so, I am not going anywhere with a mobster. I'm here to take Rose home with me" Adrian said focusing his stare on me.

"Well, how about we go inside the hotel and talk. This midday sun isn't good for us" Baba said. Adrian looked around and sized up the situation and agreed "fine".

We walked into the hotel and Baba went to speak with someone, shortly thereafter, we were shown to a conference room.

Adrian approached me with his hands up while we were waiting for Baba "Rose, could I speak with you, alone" he said and looked at Dimitri when he said alone.

"Not right now Adrian" I responded trying to keep things calm and neutral as possible.

"Please Rose, it will only take a few moments" Adrian all but begged, I thought I could hear the distinct sound of him trying to use compulsion. If he was trying to use compulsion than the necklace was working.

"Maybe in a little bit" I said. Dimitri still had an iron grip on my arm and I knew that he would not leave my side for a second and it seemed as though neither was my mom, Celeste or Yuri.

We all walked into the conference room and Adrian went and sat on one of the tables and the Royal Guardians flanked behind him. Baba was in the center of all the tables. I sensed that he was doing this so Adrian's attention was on him and not me. It seemed to me that he has used this tactic in past negotiations possibly. Pavel was leaning on a table opposite Adrian, but inside the square that made up the tables.

Dimitri guided me to a seat close to the exit of the conference room. Dimitri sat so close to me that I would've been in his lap if I had been any closer. Mom had entered the inside of the conference tables and was leaning on our table.

Yuri and Celeste were standing behind Dimitri and I and the rest of the Mazur Guardians were either along the wall, at the doorway to the conference room and in the SUVs outside waiting for us.

It was then that I realized that maybe Stan knew what he was talking about, god I hope he never finds out that I thought that. Since the Royal Guardians were used to being inside any room the Queen was normally in, it caused them to be used to being the furthest away from the entrance. At the moment I realized it, Baba smirked at me and I gasped slightly. Baba had planned for this or had been in a similar situation. I had much to learn from the old man.

When I gasped, Dimitri quietly asked me what was wrong and I told him I was fine and I would tell him later.

"Well now, Adrian what brings you to Russia more specifically Baia" Baba asked.

"When I explained to my great aunt that Rose was in danger, she insisted that I take her jet and some Royal Guardians and to bring her safely back to Court, where she will be under the protection of the Royal Guardians." Adrian replied.

"Now why do I find that hard to believe, from what I hear the Queen hates Rose." Baba started.

"I think hate is a strong word Abe" Adrian countered.

"Nope, she hates me" I interjected "and the feeling is mutual" I mumbled under my breath.

"Careful Roza" Dimitri mumbled.

"Rose, she just hasn't had the chance to get to know you like I have. And if I could just talk to you alone for a minute, this will all be cleared up." Adrian pleaded.

"Adrian, I'm not going to Court with you. I am staying here with my parents and Dimitri" I told him.

Adrian got up and started pacing back and forth. "Tell me again, why do you want to stay with your mobster father and the mother who abandoned you!"

"Adrian, you don't have all the information and frankly it's none of your business" I responded. I noticed Pavel and Baba were having a side conversation but were still monitoring Adrian.

"Your right, I'm sorry Rose, but Lissa really needs you now, she's having a hard time right now" Adrian said as he continued pacing.

"Lissa's fine Adrian, I just talked with her a few days ago" I responded.

"Rose, why are you being so difficult about this, just get on the plane and we can be done with this mess." Adrian said as the level of his voice was starting to rise.

"Adrian, why do you want me at Court so bad?" I asked.

"Because I need you" he huffed out.

"Have you ever considered my needs. That maybe I don't want to live at Court." I said as I got a pointed look from Baba and growl from Dimitri inferring I was pushing things with Adrian.

"Why wouldn't you want to come to Court. Everything you could ever need is at Court. We can pick up Lissa and Christian on the way home. If you want, we can have Lissa and Christian stay at the Palace, if you would like." Adrian offered.

I didn't like that offer, he was almost treating Christian and Lissa as second class people. While I couldn't hear any conversation going on, I had the sense that Dimitri was hearing someone on his earpiece. Not wanting to give Adrian any idea that all the guardians were receiving information, I continued talking to him, misleading him into thinking I was pondering his idea.

"Adrian, I have spent a lot of my life training to be a guardian. It would be weird not to have that in my life." I said as neutral as I could, I looked at Baba for confirmation that I was going in the right direction and I perceived a slight nod from him.

"There are gyms at Court or we can have one built specifically for you." Adrian said. He started looking around the room detecting that something was going on.

Baba again tried to deflect the conversation. "Adrian, I think you have given Rose a generous offer. And even though Rose is a few weeks away from her 18th birthday, we are still her parents and will decide where she goes."

"But" Adrian started to speak but Baba put his hand up. "I have a house at Court if it is still standing. I will have a few guardians check it out, since it has been awhile since I have been there. Then Janine and I will discuss whether or not to bring our daughter to Court. As you can understand, it doesn't have happy memories for us." Baba explained as walked over to where Janine was leaning against our table. I quickly realized that Baba was blocking Adrian's view of me just long enough for Dimitri to tell me that when he says run, RUN.

I nodded to let Dimitri and Baba know I understood. Adrian seemed to realize something was up and his anger and darkness seemed to increase, possibly since he was attempting to use compulsion and it was not working, so instead Adrian went straight to threats.

"Rose, if you don't come with me, Dimitri will never work as a guardian in our world again and I will have him charged with statutory rape" Adrian spit out.

"He works for my father, so technically, he doesn't work in our world." I fought back, I felt a hand on my back, Dimitri still had an iron glad grip on my arm, so I knew it wasn't him, it was either Celeste or Yuri trying to calm me down.

"Are you fucking him" Adrian yelled at me.

"Really Adrian" Dimitri yelled back. I knew it was only a matter of time before Dimitri lost his cool with Adrian. And it was about to go to hell in a handbasket.

"Did he tell you that he is still fucking Tasha!" Adrian directed towards me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Well Tasha say he is." Adrian said with a satisfaction laced in his voice.

"Adrian, when is the last time you spoke with Tasha?" Baba asked.

"Yesterday" Adrian said with a smile on his face "Oh, and she turned herself strigoi".

I think I heard swears simultaneously in English, Turkish and Russian and probably a few other languages. I heard Dimitri yell "RUN" and as I stood up Dimitri pushed me to the door. I saw Royal Guardians spring from against the wall behind Adrian to prevent me from leaving. Out of the corner of my eye, just before I reached the door, I saw my Mom fly at the closest Royal Guardian to me.

Once in the lobby of the hotel on our way to the SUV, I heard a high pitched scream and Baba yell "Janine". I started to turn my head to see what happened, but Dimitri said "Keep going Roza".

I was pushed into a SUV, but instead of going home we headed for the airport. I hadn't realized I was gasping for breath until Dimitri said "Relax Roza, you're okay. As soon as we get you to the plane, we check on your parents, okay?"

I nodded and tried to slow my breathing. I looked around for the first time and I realized I was between Dimitri and Celeste and I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw that it was Yuri's. He was presently looking out the window for threats but he was lending me support.

At this point, I started to wonder if I was ever really capable of guarding Lissa, watching how seamless this extraction went down. I would have to talk with Dimitri at a later time about this, but right now I just wanted to get to the plane, even though it was likely to produce a mind-numbing headache. Once we reached the airfield, Dimitri had literally pushed me up the stairs and placed me into a seat and he sat down next to me. We took off as soon as everyone was on the plane, once we leveled off in the air I asked "Dimitri, where are we going?"

"I don't know Roza, your father thought it was better this way because we couldn't give anything away."

I nodded at his answer and asked "Are you ever going to let my arm go?" as I looked where he was holding my arm.

"Sorry Roza" he said as he rubbed my arm trying to restore some circulation to it. Then he peppered it with kisses as he asked "How is your head feeling?"

I thought about it, "There is a little bit of pressure but otherwise it's okay" I said surprised that I had no pain.

"Abe said that he had the plane warded as well as being stocked with medication for you in case we needed to fly urgently. But I am happy to hear that warding the plane worked or maybe it's the necklace that has been charmed with Spirit. Here, turn around, I'll take it off you and we will see what happens." Dimitri instructed.

As soon as it was off the pain came back "It's the necklace" was all I could groan out.

"Hold on" Dimitri said as he placed it back on. "Better?"

I took a deep breath and sunk back into my seat "Better, thanks, so that answers that question, at least we know now" I said as Dimitri pulled me closer to him.

A dhampir man in a pilot's uniform walked up to me and said "Hi Miss Hathaway, I am the Scott Evans, the copilot, and I along with the pilot William Smith, are here for you. Per your father's order, we are flying you to his home in Turkey, outside of Istanbul. It will take us about three and a half hours, if you need anything please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Mr. Evans, is there any way to call my father?" I asked.

"Yes, there is a phone in the galley that you may use" he said and headed back to the front of the plane.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. Dimitri stood up and grabbed my hand and said "Come on, let's call Abe?"

Dimitri led me to the gallery and we found the phone on the wall, there was a flight attendant whom Dimitri spoke with briefly. I didn't hear what he said, but she quickly left us alone to make our call. As much as I wanted to make sure everyone was okay, I was also afraid to find out what happened. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Dimitri picked up the phone and dialed Baba's phone and put it on speaker. After the third ring, Pavel answered the phone.

"Pavel, it Rose and Dimitri, we are calling to see how Janine and Abe are?"

Dimitri had pulled me to his side and I was clutching his shirt waiting for Pavel's answer.

"Rose, everyone is fine" Pavel finally said "Your mother charged the Royal Guardian who went after you and she broke her clavicle when they collided. But Oksana came down and has already healed her."

"Can I talk to her? Wait, why are you answering Baba's phone?" I asked.

"Well" Pavel hesitated "They are currently arguing with each other, Abe is not happy with what she did. But don't worry I'm sure they make up soon."

"Ewe, Pavel, I don't want to know that!" I screeched and Dimitri chuckled at my reaction.

"What happened with Adrian?" Dimitri asked.

"After you left, the Royal Guardian in charge convinced Adrian to leave, hopefully that means Adrian will return to Court. We still have a few guardians at Court, so they will let us know if Adrian returns to Court or not. As for Tasha Ozera, I have alerted the guardians in Turkey about her as well as your impending arrival."

"Okay, thank you Pavel" I said. We hung up and Dimitri led me back to our seats and as I sat down, Dimitri handed me a coke and a brownie.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Sugar" Dimitri stated "When a moroi has a stressful experience you give them blood, when a dhampir or human has a stressful experience, you give them sugar."

"Thanks, Comrade" I said as I devoured both. Dimitri raised the armrest and cuddled me to his chest and placed a blanket over the two of us before turning off the overhead light. The next thing I knew Dimitri was pushing hair out of my face and peppering me with kisses.

"Roza, wake up, we landed". I opened my eyes and saw his gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. "Come on sleepy girl, let's check out your new place."

I noticed that most of the guardians had already walked off the plane. Dimitri walked in front of me and walked down the stairs in front of me surveying the area. As soon as Dimitri stepped on the tarmac and moved aside, I was almost knocked over by a mass with blonde hair.

"Rose!" Lissa yelled.

Stay Safe! (Which has so many more meanings right now)