Once again, my life is getting super busy. This was expected, I have actually been blessed to have the amount of free time to write as I have! Unfortunately, this means that updates won't come as fast unless they are stories that I have already written. You may have already noticed that I've slowed down. I'm immensely grateful for all the love and support I have already received, and I just ask that you hang on. I will never abandon my stories, no matter the length of time in between updates. I'm sorry for any frustration this will cause, and I will try to make as much time as I can!
Dimitri's face paled at the guardian's words.
"No," he whispered. "That can't be possible".
"As I said Guardian Belikov, Guardian Croft needs you in the office now".
The guardian turned away, grim resignation on his face, and left us alone.
"I'm sorry, Roza," Dimitri murmured, crouching down next to me and kissing my hair. "This will have to wait".
He stood up and gently helped me into the chair.
"I'll drop you home on my way," he said, turning us around.
"I... could I come in with you?"
It was a big step. Not only would people be seeing me in the chair, it would be hectic and demanding, but 5 attacks at once. I had to do all I could to help.
Dimitri nodded, knowing me well enough to not even try and put me off the idea, and we set off to the offices in grim silence.
I kept my face shut off in the guardian mask as gradually more and more people appeared as we got nearer to the centre of the court. It wasn't that people stared, they didn't, but I couldn't help but notice the eyes that flickered on my chair rather than my face.
Gritting my teeth, I reminded myself that this wasn't permanent. I would be back on my feet in a few weeks. Some people had to live with this for the rest of their lives. I was one of the lucky ones.
As we entered the guardian buildings, my fears were confirmed. There were people running all over the place, pieces of paper in their hands, as everyone scrambled for a plan. No-one even noticed me as Dimitri walked us through the chaos and up to the leadership floor.
"Thank God, Belikov," Hans sighed as he saw us, pivoting and heading for us.
"Come with me," he muttered, jerking his head as he headed towards his office, closing the door behind as we entered.
"How bad is it?" I whispered, not hiding the fear on my face.
"Bad. Fucking bad, Hathaway".
I couldn't remember the last time I heard him sound like this.
"Give us the facts," Dimitri commanded, pulling us back into the moment. He would ride us hard, not letting us focus on the dire situation and emotions until it was solved if I knew him at all.
The glint in Hans' eyes told me he thought the same. And approved.
Mouth pulled into a tight line, Hans began laying out pictures in front of us.
"Here are the few security shots we were able to pull. There were security cameras at two out of 5 attacks".
"Where were the attacks?" I interjected, desperate to know if anyone I knew was involved.
"3 attacks were at private moroi homes, families that chose not to live at court".
I shook my head. I understood the thinking behind living away from the court, full of its back-stabbing, power-hungry people, trust me I did, but it was a stupid move. Strigoi were known for lurking around the court, looking to attack people leaving, and yet these people lived out there, putting themselves and their guardians at risk.
"All dead," Hans said, pulling me back from my thoughts.
I nodded.
"The other two attacks were stranger. One was on a vehicle leaving court, the other was... well."
Hans paused and looked us dead in the eye.
"Nobody but me and my team knows this information, and I think you would agree that's the best way".
Dimitri held Hans' eyes. It wasn't challenging, but there was a clear sense of hierarchy. This would be Dimitri's domain in less than a week, and both Hans and he knew it.
"The last attack was on the north-west wall of the court".
I let out a tiny gasp as I realised the implications this would have.
"The tri-warding held, meaning the strigoi could only focus their attentions on the one wall, but it was strange. When the call went out and guardians intercepted them, they stopped fighting. It was like they wanted us there. And I don't know why".
Hans' words were enough to haunt anyone, but it was his expression. He had a deeply troubled look in his eye, and I had never yet seen a strigoi attack that Hans couldn't fathom out.
"How did they get that fucking close," Dimitri whispered, aggression coursing through his words.
"That," Hans growled, "is something I have yet to work out".
Once we had studied all of the information Hans had laid out, he disappeared, leaving Dimitri and me alone in the room.
"I'd much rather be doing what we did last time we were in an office together," I whispered, closing my eyes and remembering the feel of him. Anything to distract me from the horrors of tonight.
He stepped towards me and rested his hand on my cheek.
"Me to Roza, me too".
His words were soft, yet there was an undercurrent of passion in his tone as if he was re-living the experience too.
"What shall I do?" I asked, pulling myself out of the chair and resting on the table next to him. As I did, I shuffled the papers, revealing a photo I had missed. A photo that sent chills running through my body.
I let out a small whimper that Dimitri caught on to immediately.
"Do you need help back into the chair?" Dimitri asked, presuming it was my body hurting me.
I batted away his hand and picked up the photo.
"That's... that's the strigoi that... the strigoi that got me," I whispered, forcing my bloodless lips to move.
They had made true on their threats. They really had made it to court, even if they hadn't gotten in.
I was sure that my face matched Dimitri's pale and worried one.
"I need to speak to Hans," he said after a few moments before rushing out of the room.
I sank back into my chair feeling my muscles start to quiver after the strain I was putting them under, even standing for only a few minutes.
Left alone, my thoughts started swirling through my head. The image of the strigoi that had attacked me kept flitting into my vision, along with thoughts about Lissa, my situation and... Dimitri. However nice this closeness was, however much I had promised to him that I would trust him, trust us and open up, I knew that I was still guarding my emotions and feelings. I was too scared of being hurt to surrender myself to him completely.
Activity in the hallway shocked me out of my thoughts, and after a few seconds, Dimitri walked in. Behind him was Hans, Vasily, two other royal guardians and Lissa. I turned to Dimitri, my eyebrow raised in confusion about our company.
"Rose," Hans started, moving to stand next to me. "After learning the disturbing news, we feel that it would be best to have you at your strongest."
I looked at him in confusion until it suddenly clicked. That's why Lissa was here.
"No," I spat, my voice firm and clear. "Not a chance".
"Rose," Lissa said calmly, stepping forwards to hold my hand. "I know we said I wouldn't do it again, especially as I'm queen now, but this is different. They have targeted you before, we don't know that they won't again. Even if they don't, you are one of our best fighters and... the only one who can identify the ringleaders of the group."
She paused and looked down at the ground.
"I hate to say it, hate to ask it of you, but we need you out there fighting. We need you on the front-line Rose".
I lifted her chin up to meet her eyes.
"What about the darkness Liss, I won't be able to help with it and healing produces a lot."
"I know, but we need this. Society needs this. If it means I have to go back on meds, I will".
Lissa had managed to come off her meds after going back on them for the first few years of her reign. She limited her magic use, but through trial and error, we discovered that so long as she didn't heal or use too much, she was ok.
Her words made sense, I understood why she was doing this, why they needed me to be able to fight, man I wanted to be on the front-line, but I didn't know if it was worth my best friends sanity.
"I'll be ok," she whispered as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.
Taking a deep breath, I gave a small nod, my mouth set in grim resignation. It just wasn't fair when she looked at me like that.
"Ok," I whispered. "Do it".
Clasping my other hand in hers, she closed her eyes in concentration. A few moments later, I felt warmth and life flooding from her hands into my body, filling me with a sweet, blissful feeling of peace, but also strengthening my weak and damaged body. After a few moments, she was done.
Dropping my hands, Lissa sagged back, but Dimitri and the other guardians were there to catch her. Pulling her to a chair, she slumped into it.
"Feeder," she whispered, her eyes closed and her skin deathly pale.
Hesitantly, I stood up, feeling a rush of joy as I realised my legs were strong and stable. Perhaps not as strong as usual, spirit couldn't build muscle, after all, just repair what is broken, but it wasn't anything a week in the gym wouldn't fix.
I rushed over to Lissa, clasping her forearms with my hands.
"Liss, Liss, are you ok?"
My voice sounded desperate.
She gave me a grim smile. "I'm fine, I just forgot how much it takes out of me. It's been a while since I've even tried. Go, go and prepare Rose. Your going to need it".
Her words sent chills through my body as I realised what was to come, realised what everyone was going to have to deal with. This was an all-out war.
I spent the rest of the evening planning, shut up in a small room with other guardians as we decided the best course of action. It was a fine line. We wanted to remove as many people as possible to ensure their safety, but it was essential the strigoi didn't catch on. We feared that if they saw people leaving, they would change their strategy and aim to attack moroi outside of court. We wanted to stop that at all costs, we were much better equipt to deal with them here.
Eventually, it was decided that the queen would be removed to an underground bunker deep below the court where she would be protected, but that everything else would go on as normal. We would recall some guardians and their Moroi back to court to help boost numbers, but not enough so it would be noticeable.
Pushing up from the table, I stood, bracing my hands and leaning forward.
"Right folks, I think we can end the meeting here". Everyone looked at me, relief in their eyes. This had been a hard few hours and was the early hours of the morning. "Go and get some shut-eye and remember, secrecy is key here. If people catch on they will leave court and this will have been a huge waste of time. It's going to be a hard few days getting ready, but we need to be as quick as possible. We don't know how long we've got before the strigoi try again, and I would bet my life that they will all come at the court next time."
I hung my head for a few moments, the gravity of the situation hitting me before I straightened up and started gathering up my things. Everyone did the same and before long it was just Dimitri and I left.
"You stopping at Lissa's or going back to your flat now that you're better?" he asked, following me out of the room.
"I'm gonna go back to mine". My voice sounded weary.
"I'll walk you back," he said, following me out of the room.
I started to tell him that he didn't have to, but stopped, deciding that I liked the company.
The sun that hit my face once we made it out of the building was blissful and I couldn't help but look up and close my eyes. Dimitri paused alongside me.
"It's nice isn't it," he whispered.
"Mmhmm," I agreed, feeling a strong sense of companionship. It was almost like old times. Opening my eyes, I turned to look at him. He was looking up at the sky, but there was turbulence in his eyes that I knew wasn't good.
"What are you thinking?"
He turned to face me.
"I'm thinking that something big is coming. This feels like the calm before the storm".
He stepped closer to me.
"This feels like it did before the academy attack, and I'm scared Roza. I'm scared".
His words sent chills through my body, but I gently clasped his hand in mine.
His face was inches away and the fear in his eyes made my heart clench painfully.
"They've targeted you before, they might do it again". It seemed that he could truly register the emotions this was causing now that he had stepped out of the guardian building. This was just Dimitri I was seeing, not Guardian Belikov. Just my Dimitri.
"Hey, it was hardly a fair fight before," I said, trying to defuse the tension as I always did. "I'm ready Dimitri, trust my skills".
"I do Roza, I do, but I've already lost you once, I nearly lost you again a few weeks ago and I know that I can't do it a third time". His voice was vulnerable and open.
The seriousness of the situation, the knowledge I had learnt tonight seemed to add an expiration date to what we had. It reminded me how fragile life was, how I should treasure the small joys in case they weren't here tomorrow. That seemed to be the motto of my life, at least when there were blood-sucking monsters involved. Live life to the full, because you might not be around tomorrow.
All my previous worries and doubts seemed to melt away with his hurt-filled words and the reminder of the ticking time. I felt a chink in my armour break away. He was bearing his soul to me, admitting that he couldn't live without me, assuring me that he wouldn't ever leave again. I had to trust him, I had to give myself completely to this man that was so perfect. This man in front of me that competed me, made me forget about the world when I was with him, made my heart so full it could burst. I had to drop my walls now, whilst I still had the chance.
"I...I love you, Dimitri. I always have, I always will. We both know that we may not see the other again when we go into battle, we have experienced that before. This will be the same. But know, know that you are all I want. You, Dimitri. No-one else. Should I fall, I will fall with a love so strong in my heart that it hurts, a love that completes me. I will fall knowing that I was lucky enough to find my person. You are my person Dimitri".
I stepped closer to him and leaned up, capturing his soft lips in a gentle, love-filled kiss that was full of love and promise. The golden sun basked on us as we committed our souls to each other all over again, our tears mixing in hot tracks that cemented our bond.
After a few moments, he pulled away, resting his forehead on mine.
"You are mine Rosemarie Hathaway, and I am yours. I vow to always protect you, comfort you, and listen to you. I vow to be there when you need me but to give you space too. I vow to love you for the rest of my life, however long or short that may be."
I felt his forehead pull away. Opening my eyes, I was met with a sight that took my breath away. Dimitri knelt on one knee before me.
"Rosemarie Hathaway, will you marry me?"
A number of responses ran through my head, including, "sure, I have a 2 before my name now," or "I thought we were going to take things slow," but as I thought about everything we had been through, there was only one response.
I knelt down in front of him and clasped his hands in mine.
"I will marry you if you marry me".
He gave me a shaky smile.
"We are a partnership, Dimitri," I whispered. "We work together, two souls in sync, and we make all decisions together. That was what went wrong last time. It may have taken us years to figure it out, but we have. Will you marry me, Dimitri?"
He leant forward and captured my lips in a passionate kiss.
"It would be an honour".
A slightly shorter chapter, but this seemed like the perfect place to stop (mwahaha). Once again, I will try to update this as soon as I can and thank you so, so much for all of the incredible reviews and support.
