"Liss? I've been watching the way Tasha has been behaving around Rose and Dimitri…"
"And?"
"She's my aunt, and I hate to think this way, but it occurred to me she would have been happier if Rose had not reappeared." Lissa did not reply, giving Christian the time to find the words to express his next thought. "Then I thought maybe she might have been the reason Rose disappeared in the first place."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm wondering if maybe Tasha had something to do with Tatiana's murder," Christian whispered, hoping Lissa would immediately refute the idea. That her facial expression morphed into a look of sympathy quickly dispelled that wish. It was immediate confirmation that his fears were fact.
"Tasha murdered Her Majesty? Do you know for sure, and how long have you known?!"
"Yes, I am sure. I had suspicions from seeing Tasha's aura, same with Adrian. Since we've come to stay, I've learned more. There is no doubt about it. Your aunt murdered our former Queen."
Christian sat on the side of the bed they shared, looking more lost than Lissa had ever seen him. They were alone in their suite, getting ready for bed after spending the evening making charms for Rose. Now Christian had voiced his suspicions, bits and pieces were mentally falling into place. Tasha's odd looks and actions made sense after this revelation. However, suspecting something was one thing, knowing it to be the truth, was quite another. His aunt—his only remaining immediate family member—had killed their Queen, then presumably framed Rose for her murder. It was a difficult thing to wrap his head around.
"What's going to happen?"
"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is Rose's dad is taking care of it," the Dragomir Princess said, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend as he cried.
"Pavel? It seems like ages since we've caught up. My office after breakfast?" Abe said while sipping on his habitually strong Turkish coffee while seated at the head of the table between Adrian and his guardian. They were a motley and dispirited bunch breakfasting together. Lissa and Christian were both subdued, neither saying much nor interacting more than necessary with the others. Eddie, Grigor, and Celeste could feel the latent tension, so likewise, concentrated on their meals. Adrian was blithely chatting with Rose, much to Dimitri's irritation, while Tasha repeatedly tried to engage Dimitri in conversation, with limited success.
"As you wish, Mr. Mazur," Pavel replied, his voice glacial, without even looking up from the sports section of the newspaper.
"So, what's everyone got planned for the day?" Adrian asked, attempting to smooth over Pavel's rudeness. "There's a biathlon occurring today in Toksovo I thought I might attend if anyone would like to join me?"
"A biathlon?" Lissa asked.
"Cross-country skiing and rifle shooting," Grigor explained. "It's a popular winter sport, here."
"You want to go skiing and shoot?" Lissa asked, staring at Adrian in confusion, trying and failing to imagine the indolent Moroi Lord doing either.
"Hardly," Adrian scoffed. "It's a race. Competitors have to get through a cross-country ski course, stopping at several points throughout the course to take part in rifle shooting at targets."
"Near the rifle shooting areas, there are often spectator spaces," Grigor added, continuing Adrian's explanation. "Some of them are just outside tiered seating, but the better ones are enclosed taverns with drinks, food, and fireplaces, plus big glass windows overlooking the rifle range. It's common for people to gather inside there to eat, bet, and watch the shooting."
Having spent breakfast looking glum, Christian appeared interested despite himself.
"That sounds kind of interesting. Is it warm?" he checked, having a newfound appreciation for just how freezing St. Petersburg in December could be. Sitting outside on open metal seating for hours did not appeal.
"Inside one of the taverns, yes," Grigor was quick to assure him. "I have been many times. It is similar to a gathering in a sports bar to watch football in America. It can get noisy, but it's a lot of fun. If you wish to go, I would welcome the opportunity to accompany you."
"Let's do it!" Adrian said, giving Christian an encouraging nod. "Anyone else in?"
"Count me out," Lissa said. Sitting around drinking, betting, and watching rifle shooting was not her idea of a good time. "How about us girls go into town? We haven't seen much of the shopping here."
Celeste immediately responded she'd prefer to watch the biathlon with the guys, while Rose and Tasha said they'd shop with Lissa.
"Comrade? Which would you rather?"
Disinterested in shopping, and knowing he'd find it hard to keep his cool around Tasha now he knew what she'd done, Dimitri said he'd join Adrian, Christian, Celeste, and Grigor watching the biathlon, as did Eddie.
"Abe? Pavel? Would you like to join us?" Adrian offered. Rose's dad looked sorely tempted, however having already asked Pavel to join him for a talk after breakfast, felt he couldn't back out now.
"No. You young ones go ahead. I have enough business here to keep me busy."
Allocating a couple of his guardians to escort them to the biathlon, since his houseguests would almost certainly be drinking, Abe then tasked another to accompany Tasha, Lissa, and Rose as they shopped. Truth be told, he was happy to have Tasha out of the house for a few hours. Not only did he dislike her company, but he also needed a couple of hours to arrange the last aspects of her return to Court.
"What's the latest with Moore?" he asked Pavel once everyone had departed, launching straight into business.
"On route to Court. He should arrive an hour or two before Lady Ozera."
"And the witnesses?"
"All scheduled to arrive at the same time."
Abe nodded. While most of his house guests expected they'd all fly to Court together in a few days to clear Rose's name, he, Adrian, and Tasha would travel to Court earlier. Until Tasha's guilt was unequivocally proven to Her Majesty and the Guardian Council, and by extension Rose's innocence, Abe didn't want his daughter anywhere near Court. Better for her to stay in St. Petersburg until all was done and dusted.
"You still do not wish me to accompany you with Lady Ozera?" Pavel asked. There was no disguising his hurt tone.
"I'd like nothing more than to have you with me," Abe said, thinking about his daughter's discussion with him the night before, so choosing his words carefully. "However, there is no one I can trust as much as you to manage the household and look after Rose while I'm away. You're not just my Guardian, you're my best friend. And you're the only one I trust with my daughter's life, which is why I need you here."
Considering his charge's words, Pavel opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by a halting gesture from Abe.
"And please tell Lord Ivashkov to move out of your seat at the dining table. I prefer having you sit to my right so we can share the paper."
"Christian and I have been talking, and have decided to put Celeste in for reallocation when we return to Court so you can take her place in our guarding team at Lehigh."
Sitting in a warm, brightly lit café as they took a break from their shopping, Lissa delivered her news with an excited smile, confused when Rose did not immediately return it. Like Lissa, Rose had been thinking about the future and did not see it in quite the same way her best friend did.
"About that… Liss, there's no guarantee they would put me on your guarding team. I was on desk duty before this all happened, remember? Even once the Guardian Council knows it wasn't me who murdered our former Queen, they'll probably still have an issue with Baba faking my death and hiding me. I doubt they're going to forgive that, even once they know I didn't kill Tatiana."
"So what? You go back to desk duties?" Tasha asked, looking more than a little pleased about the idea. If Rose wasn't anywhere near Dimitri, it meant she was still in with a chance. "Where would that put you and Dimitri? Only seeing each other on college breaks?"
"We've talked about that. Dimitri is considering putting in for a leave of absence, and we thought we might go out into the human world for a while. He's still recovering and coming to terms with his time as a Strigoi. Being away from the Moroi world, at least for a while, might help with that."
"You wouldn't be Guardians?" Lissa gasped, looking every bit as horrified as Tasha now appeared. It hadn't occurred to the Dragomir Princess that Rose would do anything other than re-join their world and slip back into her former life—the life so closely associated with her own.
"Maybe just for a while," Rose said, recognizing Lissa's surprise and trying to soften the blow. "Other than when we were on the run, I've never really experienced the human world. Sure, I've been here the last few months, but it's mostly been hiding out in the house, so no one knew I was still alive. And the thing is, someone at Court tried to frame me for murder. After all this time, it's unlikely we'll ever discover who it was, but I don't want to go back to the Moroi world knowing someone out there is plotting against me and might try something else."
The last point was purely for Tasha's benefit, given Rose and Lissa both knew of Tasha's guilt and that she would soon be called to task over it. Glancing at her boyfriend's aunt, Lissa saw a flash of relief color Tasha's aura. She still did not know they were on to her.
"Dimitri is so damaged after what happened. If I'm truthful about it, so am I. Nothing's been decided, but I'm going to talk with Baba about different options."
"No matter what you decide, it's going to be with Guardian Belikov, isn't it?" Lissa asked.
"Yes. I'm not clear on where or how, but Dimitri and I want to be together."
As they left the café to check out a few last shops, Tasha's mind was reeling. Once she'd learned the bitch was alive and would be cleared of murder, she'd figured Rose would return to Court and petition for a place on Christian and Lissa's team at Lehigh. That she might not return to Court, and worse still, take Dimitri with her, had not crossed her mind. Paying scant attention as Lissa pointed out various items of interest in the handful of shops they visited, Tasha was keen to wrap their shopping mission up and return to the house. She needed time to consider her options and think about her next move.
Rose knew Adrian, and the others had enjoyed their day at the biathlon as soon as the van they traveled in pulled up outside the mansion. A decidedly slurred and off-key rendition of Tubthumping preceded their appearance in the vestibule downstairs. Peering over the gallery balcony on the first floor, she could see Grigor and Eddie holding up an inebriated Christian. Listing perilously to one side, Adrian was leaning against Celeste, who looked like she might also need someone to steady herself. Beside them, Dimitri and Abe's Guardians were doing their best to guide the group inside, but it would have been easier herding a clowder of cats.
"He drinks a Vodka drink, he drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink… He sings the songs that remind him of the good times, he sings the songs that remind him of the better times," Adrian tunelessly belted out.
"It's Whiskey drink then a Vodka drink," a tipsy Eddie corrected, almost entirely drowned out by Christian enthusiastically chiming in with, "Oh Danny Boy, Danny Boy, Danny Boy."
Giggling, Rose's eyes met Dimitri's. "Have a good time, Comrade?"
Dimitri grumbled something in Russian before declaring his companions "Lightweights who can't hold their liquor. And they've been singing this since we headed back!"
Rose laughed, imagining the hour drive with pissed idiots singing the same song on repeat. No wonder her man was irritated.
"Don't mind him, Rosie Posie," Adrian said, bleary eyes finding hers. "He's just annoyed we all beat him at the betting."
"Oh, for the love of Vlad—why did you let him drink so much?" Lissa said, joining Rose on the balcony and looking down at her boyfriend and his companions, sounding every bit the royal Princess. "Can you lot get him up to bed? Use the elevator. I doubt he can cope with the stairs. Rose? Can you find me a bucket?"
For the next half an hour, Rose, Lissa, and Pavel settled each of the group into their rooms. Christian, by far the most intoxicated, was the only one likely to need assistance, so Lissa declared she'd forgo dinner in favor of a tray in their suite as she kept a watchful eye on him.
With almost everyone else indisposed, only Abe, Pavel, Dimitri, Rose, and Tasha were present for the evening meal. Dimitri was decidedly out of sorts, although Pavel seemed pleased to take his usual seat on Abe's right, Adrian having passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow in his suite.
"Tell me about the biathlon," Rose coaxed, rubbing her hand along Dimitri's thigh soothingly. "I've never heard of it before Adrian mentioned it."
"It was kind of fun," Dimitri admitted, his eyes softening as he met his love's. "The 'stand' was a massive log and glass tavern with an enormous open fireplace in the middle. The windows faced out onto the mountainside, so we could see the competitors complete that part of the snow course. In front of the structure was a flat area where the shooting was taking place. We had a table beside the window, so our view was excellent."
"At least you were warm. There was obviously alcohol served. What about food?"
"Lots of vodka," Dimitri confirmed. "For food, just zakuski; buterbrod, vareniki and pelmeni. Christian and Adrian drank more than they ate, which is why they are so drunk."
"Adrian said you lost the betting?"
Dimitri shrugged. "None of us knew anything about the competitors, so we chose names at random. Mine came second last."
"I hope you didn't lose too much?"
"Not much," Dimitri replied. "A hundred rubles."
Still relatively new to Russia and its currency, it took Rose a moment to do the conversion. About two dollars American. No big deal.
"You should have asked me. I had Alekhin put 60,000.00 on Semenov for me," Pavel said. Dimitri explained to Rose that Semenov had been the victor.
"What were the odds?" Abe asked.
"Twenty-two to one," Pavel declared, sounding smug. He had reason to be. With a stake of just over $1,000 USD, Pavel had netted a tidy twenty-two thousand dollar win!
"You could have mentioned that before I left," Dimitri grumbled, but without true rancor.
"I guess all that time reading the sports pages paid off," Abe joked, pleased for Pavel. Reflecting upon his chat with Rose, he was starting to appreciate how much Pavel did for him, and how he truly was Abe's best friend. Abe needed to show him that more often.
Tasha had little to say over dinner, speaking only when spoken to. Distracted, as soon as the meal was over, she claimed a headache and retired to her room.
"Baba? Do you have time to talk? Dimitri and I wanted to speak with you about something."
Pavel took his napkin from his lap, standing to depart the room to give the trio privacy.
"Please stay. We'd appreciate your thoughts on this too," Rose said.
"Then let's take this through to my office," Abe said, concerned about the serious look on his daughter's face and what she wanted to discuss. Once the four of them were seated, Abe poured each a shot of vodka. After they all downed their drinks, he gestured for Rose to raise her issue.
"Baba? I've been thinking about what's going to happen when Tasha goes back to Court, and it's proven she killed Queen Tatiana. I know we all just assumed I'd return to Pennsylvania—either to Court or with Lissa and Christian at Lehigh—but talking with Dimitri, I'm not sure that's what I want to do."
Lifting his eyes in surprise, Abe met his daughter's gaze.
"So, kiz—what do you have in mind?"
"Dimitri and I have talked about it. With everything that's happened to me and him, we thought about taking a break from the Moroi world for a while. Maybe work and live in the human world for a bit?"
"Together?" Abe clarified.
"Yes. I love your daughter, and we see our future together. It's hard to work out what that future looks like when we're bound to our charges and confined by our role as Guardians," Belikov explained. "In the Moroi world, we have little choice in where we go and how we work. Our lives are not our own. Roza and I need to figure out how our relationship works before having other people's rules influencing it."
"Well, you can both stay here for as long as you want. Rose is always welcome here, and you for as long as she wants you." Abe wasn't about to give a carte blanche invite for Belikov to move in, yet if the Russian Guardian's life was now tied to his daughter's, it made sense where she was he would be, too.
Rose looked at Dimitri, communicating without words the way they often seemed to.
"Thank you, Baba. We appreciate that and may stay a little longer. Really, though, we want to go out on our own. Find jobs. Work. Live."
"What would you do?" Abe asked, more confused than perturbed.
"With our backgrounds, we thought perhaps security? Lots of businesses need people to watch over their buildings, and then there are nightclubs and casinos that need staff. I am sure we could find something."
"That sounds pretty dangerous," Abe mused.
"More than devoting our lives to fighting the undead?" Rose said, grinning as Pavel erupted in laughter, the first to see the irony of what she'd said.
AN: I am so sorry I have been MIA the last month or so. Thank you for the lovely messages of support here and on my FB page. Don't want to go into it too much online, but basically we have had very serious illness in the family (more than one family member on both sides) as well as caring duties associated with that. To be honest, it's been a complete shit-show :( Everything has now stablised, and I am very much looking forward to having my own life back! xoxo Swim