Chapter 39:

RPOV

That afternoon was pure bliss. I didn't think I could feel that anymore, but I was wrong. Dimitri made me feel that way. He made me feel loved. Although I was a long way from letting go of what happened, I would no longer hide who I was. Because that was the person that Dimitri loved. He didn't love me despite my violent nature; he loved me because of it.

"Maybe we should go away for a little while."

I looked up at Dimitri. I had been so relaxed lying in his arms, his fingers running through my hair, it took me a while to come down from my happy place.

"and go where?"

He smiled a brilliant smile.

"Sight seeing. I would love to show you Russia. Maybe we could go to St. Petersburg."

"What about Adrian?"

"He can't come. The things I plan to do to you do not require any witnesses."

He pulled me closer and seductively started to suck on my neck and my earlobe. Making his intentions very clear. But Adrian was still his charge. Sensing my apprehension Dimitri elaborated.

"Adrian can stay here. I know he wants to let Lissa know we are here and about Oksana, maybe she can come while we are away and you can decide if you want to see her after."

So that was what him stroking me was about. He was distracting me hoping I would give in and let Lissa come here. But he was right. Lissa deserved to meet other spirit users and who was I to deny her that. Maybe if we went away I wouldn't need to see her.

"Okay."

I could feel him smirk against my neck. I was about to tell him off when he moved his hands under the sheets and I couldn't speak anymore. Instead a moan escaped me. His smirk widened. Bastard.

The door flung open and I expected another angry sister. Instead we were met with a big smiling Adrian. Dimitri quickly covered us to hide any of our good parts but I could tell from Adrian's smile and from Dimitri's darkened expression he hadn't been fast enough.

"Well, well, well, finally broke through huh. Rose, I see your colors are back to normal."

He gave me a once over, obviously checking my aura. I imagine I had bright colors. It had been a while since I had been this happy, this light, even before I was turned. I do know that he wouldn't be able to see the blank rim around my aura anymore. I guess I had come out stronger and better.

But as much as I appreciated Adrian and all he had done for us, I needed him gone. It was my turn to kick somebody out.

I moved myself on Dimitri's lap, my back towards Adrian, my very naked back. I bent over so I could suck on Dimitri's earlobe like he had done to me before. I knew that drove Dimitri crazy and as if on command a certain part of him came to attention. I smiled. Still with my back turned I made sure Adrian knew he wasn't welcome here.

"Adrian, dear, GET. OUT."

As I continued my way down from Dimitri's ear all the way to his chest stomach and the V located on his hips, Adrian walked out laughing.

"Good to have you back Rose."

I simply waved at him without looking at him and continued my way down. Only inches above my price I stopped. I got up from him and wrapped the sheet around me. I saw confusion and desperation on his face.

"Actually I am really dirty. I think I'll take a shower."

I seductively walked to the adjacent bathroom and walked around the corner. I lifted the sheet from my body and held it up for Dimitri to see. I then dropped it and started the shower. Dimitri groaned in frustration, but realized my intention. It didn't take Dimitri long before he joined me.

I turned the shower on. I waited the few seconds it took to warm up before stepping under the stream. I had only gotten my first piece of skin wet when Dimitri joined me. He pulled me close underneath the ray. He kissed me, pressing himself against me. I felt the result of my games clearly pressed against my stomach. It didn't matter we had had two rounds already. He was ready for a third. I couldn't really blame him.

I stepped back from him a bit. He was hesitant to let me go, but also curious. I grabbed the showerhead from its handle. I started running it over various parts of my body, but still kept it rather demure. I could tell Dimitri was impatient to see where I was going with this. But he was allowing me to take the lead, even if I could see him physically straining not to put his hands on me.

"You know, before we got together at the academy I would often fantasize about you in the shower."

And as a way of showing that I would run the showerhead over my breasts and down my stomach my hand trailing behind it.

"Did you think about me?"

Dimitri realized where I was going with this. He didn't come any closer but the smile on his face grew. As did another part of him. He slowly started to stroke himself.

"I did think about you, a lot. Certainly after I saw you in the shower naked. After that my mind went wild and my showers became longer."

I smiled. I thought maybe Dimitri would have had more discipline and wouldn't have fantasized about his student that way, but I knew now that the attraction we had… couldn't have been denied even by him.

"I imagined your big strong hands running over my body. Cupping my breasts. Slowly squeezing them."

And as those words left my mouth I would enact them with my hands.

"How you would slowly make your way to my dripping wet pussy, claiming your prize."

And I moved the shower head towards my clitoris and my fingers found their way inside. I let out a moan at the feeling, momentarily I couldn't speak.

Dimitri took over and continued our little game, while I pleasured myself.

"I imaged your body pressed closely to mine. Your breasts squeezed between us. I imaged your mouth around my cock sucking me dry. Your tongue licking as if I was a popsicle."

He was starting to increase the pace with his hands. He was getting caught up in the game. So was I. The hard ray of the showerhead was nearly becoming too much for me to handle. My knees started to buckle and I knew the perfect position to make it feel better.

I lowered myself onto my knees and in front of Dimitri. One hand reached for his cock while the other was still gripping the showerhead keeping it in place.

I was stroking it and Dimitri threw his head back. Oh but I wasn't done yet. We had pleasured each other in many ways. Dimitri had on more than one occasion gone down on me. But I was always too desperate to have him inside of me, and frankly so was he, to return the favor. But not today. We had already gone two rounds, and although I wouldn't object to a third, we could use the variation. I wondered what he tastes like.

I started licking the tip of his member and I felt him take in a sharp breath. I licked up and down his shaft but avoided what he wanted most. I could feel him bucking against my face, desperate for the release my mouth promised.

I finally gave in and put him in my mouth, well a bit further than the tip. He didn't fit all the way in. I used my hand to run with my lips so I could also accommodate the piece of him that didn't fit, slowly twisting my hand as I went up and down. While my hand was focused on the length, my mouth was focused on the tip. I started to suck and while sucking swirled my tongue over his tip. This made him shutter. I knew he was holding back sounds that would otherwise alert people in this house to our activities.

I started to suck faster both Dimitri's movements and the intensity of the showerhead driving my actions. I wasn't going to last much longer. But neither was Dimitri. He was holding on to my hair and was guiding my movements. I started to moan on his tip, my own climax only moments away. I couldn't focus on him anymore and my moans became loader. I had to let go of him to scream a silent scream as I came. I had my eyes closed as the orgasm washed over me. I heard Dimitri grunt and I felt something warm on my face. I opened my eyes and saw the last bits of semen come out of him and land on my face and breasts.

It took him a moment to come down from his high.

"That was amazing. Best blow job ever."

I stood up after my own legs permitted it again. I tilted my head.

"You have had many blowjobs, have you?"

He smirked. He was so handsome when he did that. I do imagine the other women he had been with would have wanted to please him to see that sexy smile.

"One or two."

I felt good about that. I had never done that before. The only sexual experiences I had were with Dimitri. I knew Dimitri had had women before me, I just didn't know the details. Were they better than me, worse? How many? Something occurred to me then.

"Dimitri. How was I as a Strigoi?"

He stopped in his tracks. He was shocked by the question no doubt. Hell I was shocked I asked it.

He took a towel off the rack and handed me one too. He sat on the side of the tub. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Honestly, you weren't all that different. You were a bit more dominant than you usually were but only the end reminded me that you were Strigoi and not my Roza."

He sighed, and kept running his hands through his hair even if his hair hadn't changed since the last time he had done it.

"I am sorry Roza, I got carried away. I was starving, not just for your body but for you. I hadn't seen you in four months."

I sat down in front of him. We had talked earlier about it before. But there was something I wanted him to know about our time together. Something I hadn't been able to voice earlier.

"When I was with you I was more myself than any other time. I regret almost everything I did as a Strigoi, but not that. Not you. Well maybe the last bit."

And I didn't, he had told me the same. In a strange way we were still us. And he was right. It has led us here. But now that I knew he didn't resent me or blame me for our time together, I could see it for what it was. A speckle of love in a place nobody even knew it could exist. And I could let go of the guilt because I had enjoyed it so much.

He smiled. I kissed him. I wondered what I would have done if the roles were reversed. If he had been turned in those caves. I would have followed him as he had followed me. But would I have been able to resist? Or would I have clung to the last piece of him. Anything being better than nothing?

"I love you."

There was an apology in his words. He wanted my forgiveness.

"I love you too." And with those words I asked the same. I think it was the last piece I needed to fully become myself again and let go of some of the things I did.

St. Petersburg was amazing. We had been here for two days and it was amazing. Being away from everything was good, for the both of us. I had never seen Dimitri so excited. I knew me being me again had a lot to do with him being happy, but also being able to show his home proudly to the woman he loved made him carefree for the first time since I have known him.

He showed me all the sights and I knew now that Dimitri was right when he had said that Russia would look like a fairy tale compared to the US. The buildings weren't just beautiful. They were old. You could just feel the history when you entered those buildings. Nothing in the US was that old. Hell even the country itself wasn't that old.

We were currently lying naked in a nice bed in a nice suite in a nice hotel looking over the skyline of St. Petersburg, courtesy of Adrian. I think he too wanted to butter me up so I would agree to see Lissa when I came back.

This trip made me realize something. Although I loved St. Petersburg and I loved staying with Dimitri's family, it wasn't our lives. And eventually I would have to face reality. That included Lissa. It also included letting the world know I was still alive. Well alive again. Dimitri and Adrian had suggested coming up with a story about how I was kept alive for feedings and eventually escaped. I thought about it, but even if people were gullible enough to believe it, it wouldn't be right.

What Adrian did for me, how he saved me, it could change our world. We still didn't know the extent of what Spirit could do but people needed to see what miracle had occurred. The world needed to know, Lissa needed to know. But I knew what it meant for me. People will never look the same at me. Maybe they would even try and hurt me or try and do experiments on me. But I had to take the risk. I knew they would at least want to run some tests, to which I had no objections, as long as they were reasonable. Otherwise they would realize Rose Hathaway wasn't going to come quietly. And I knew my friends and family wouldn't let that happen either so I think I am safe.

But that didn't mean that I was looking forward to facing that world again. I was finally in a good place and I didn't want everything to fall apart again. I sighed a deep sigh alerting Dimitri to my train of thought.

"What is wrong?"

He was always so considerate. I turned around and faced him. He was playing with my hair again, trying to tame the hot mess, that he so meticulously messed up only a few moments ago.

"I love where we are now. I know we have to go back. Not just to Baia but to our lives. But I don't want things to change from how they are now. I don't know what will happen when we get back and that scares me."

He pulled me closer and he kissed me. His lips left mine and stayed only inches away. He whispered.

"Marry me."

I swear my eyes grew three sizes. I pulled back slightly.

"What?"

"Marry me."

I didn't know how to respond to that.

"I can't promise nothing will change when we get back. That is out of my control. But what I can promise you is that I will always be there. And then the world could see that too. Whenever you are scared you can just look down on your finger and know that no matter what the world may throw at us. We will always be together."

I liked his sentiment. But was I ready for this? I mean I was eighteen. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I just never thought I would get married. I just never imagined myself with a big dress and hundreds of guests like Lissa had. I just never saw the appeal. But I realized he wasn't asking for a wedding, he was asking for a marriage. And although I was young. I had died twice already. I didn't know how much time I had left. Our lives weren't exactly hazard free. I thought about dying without being married to him. Without the world having known we belonged together. Even when our bodies were long dust, there would be a record of us together.

I noticed Dimitri looked scared. I had been thinking about this for a while I supposed, he wanted an answer. He was afraid I would say no.

"Okay."

He looked slightly shocked.

"Okay?"

"Okay, on one condition."

I saw his happiness change into wariness. It was never good when someone came with conditions. But I think he was going to like this one. Even if I knew his mother and Lissa would kill us.

"What?" worry still in his voice.

"We get married here. Tomorrow. I don't want a big wedding. I want it to be just us."

The worry on his face transformed into the biggest smile. He kissed me hard. I guess that was a yes then. He was starting to trail his hands down my side again reinitiating earlier events. But I stopped him.

"Well, don't I get a ring or something?"

He looked slightly guilty.

"I don't actually have a ring. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

I just stared at him. Dimitri doing something impulsive? Doing something like this on a whim? The man plans his bathroom breaks.

"If you want I can go back to the house and get it. I have an engagement ring in my top draw. Babushka gave it to me before I left for the US, saying to take it with me. I now know why."

I stopped his very cute rambling. God, I had made Dimitri ramble.

"I don't need an engagement ring. I will have a wedding ring very soon. Besides, Baia is hours away. And I would like to spend my time differently." wiggling my eyebrows.

The ring was long forgotten and Dimitri showed me what a lifetime of being with him would entail.

The next morning I woke up in an empty bed. I was thoroughly disappointed. Last night had been amazing. But I also loved our little snuggle sessions before getting up. Basically if I was close to Dimitri I was happy. But Dimitri was nowhere to be found.

I heard a knock on the door and I got up to open it. I realized I was still naked and quickly put on one of Dimitri's T-shirts.

I opened the door and I saw two women in the doorway one carrying a case and one a giant bag.

"Miss Hathaway, Mister Belikov has sent us to prepare you. He is busy making preparations and will join us later."

One of the girls said in heavily accented English.

I let them in and spend the next few hours being groomed and overhauled. They did my hair and make-up and hoisted me in the dress that was in the giant bag. I was afraid of the dress. What on earth did it look like if it had to be in such a big bag?

But when I had everything on and I looked in the mirror I knew it was just right. Both girls nodded.

"Mister Belikov has great taste."

Dimitri picked this? I didn't know he knew fashion, but he did. The dress was a V-neck off the shoulder dropped waist gown with a long train escaping from my hips. It was classy but not poofy. It was also a real wedding gown and not an evening dress. The dress itself was ivory and it had white embroider lace over it, it really worked with my darker skin tone. I was admiring myself in the mirror when I heard a small inhale of breath coming from the doorframe.

"You look beautiful."

I looked around at Dimitri and smiled. He didn't look too bad himself. He looked good in a tuxedo, very good. His tux was a dark blue, almost black. His tie matched the color of my dress. I heard ahhhs from the two women.

Dimitri held out his arm for me to take.

"Ready to go. You can still back out now."

I took his arm and smiled at him

"Never."

Dimitri had arranged a limo to a small church. It was a beautiful church. There was stained glass letting in the sunlight and created many different colors on the floor. There was a priest standing at the center of the isle. I wasn't very religious, but I knew Dimitri was or at least was raised that way. There was also another man, probably a clerk from the county office, to authorize a legal marriage as well as a church marriage.

He had organized it very quickly. I can imagine there was some red tape. For instance, I didn't have a real passport. I only had the one Adrian had forged. I didn't know all the intricate details about what was needed to get married legally, but I doubt it had been easy. Maybe here in Russia rules weren't that strict, maybe he paid someone off. I almost giggled.

Dimitri and I stood at the front of the church. There hadn't been much of a procesion seeing as we didn't have any guests. I stood across from Dimitri, we were facing each other. He held my hands in his. The light from the stained glass illuminated our faces and clothes to almost something magical. I wanted to stay in this moment forever. Dimitri looked at me with so much love. I heard the priest talk in Russian. It was melodious, but I couldn't understand anything. I knew the clerk would use a translated version for me in a minute. I was so caught up in our own world I nearly missed the priests asking if I wanted to marry Dimitri. Luckily that part he did in English.

"I do."

Dimitri smiled and when the priest asked him the same question he answered.

"Yes, I do."

We put the wedding band on each other's fingers and I stared down at them. They were beautiful. Simple, but beautiful. They were made out of two materials, one a bit darker than the other, connected in the middle in a sort of swirl. Mine had three small diamantes in them whereas Dimitri's was plain. They were white gold, or silver or some kind of white metal. I think it represented us perfectly. The dark and the light mixed together. Now that he was shadow-kissed and I wasn't I would be his light.

And that was it. We were married. Dimitri kissed me and we signed the papers. I noticed Dimitri hadn't changed my name. It was still Rosemarie Hathaway. I looked at him confused.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"There is only one Rosemarie Hathaway. If you start calling yourself Belikova now, people will get confused."

I giggled. He was right. For good or bad I had made a reputation. Once which will only grow.

Afterwards we got back into the limo and drove back to the hotel. I wondered how he had been able to afford the bribe, I still believed he had to pay for the short notice and my official records, or the limo, or the dress for that matter.

"Dimitri, how did you pay for all of this?"

He shrugged.

"Adrian's credit card."

I laughed. But if one person didn't need the money it would be Adrian Ivashkov. Besides wasn't Dimitri sort of Royal Ivashkov too? I knew Dhampirs didn't get titles. But wasn't he entitled to a little of his father's riches?

Back at the hotel, Dimitri had arranged for the suite to be decorated and for dinner to be served when we got back. It was heaven. During dessert I was sitting on Dimitri's lap feeding him the 'wedding cake'. They had actually prepared a small cake with congratulations on it. And like you do at all weddings I shoved a piece in Dimitri's face.

I saw he didn't expect that, he looked confused, huh, it might be an American thing.

But to stop him from doing the same to me and ruining my beautiful make-up and hair, I started to lick the pieces off of him. I heard him groan. I took the bit of cake he had out of his hands and placed it on the table and continued to kiss him anywhere he was exposed. I started to take his tie off and unbutton his shirt. He started to unbutton my dress but didn't find it as easy as I did. There were buttons running along the entire length of my back and he was getting frustrated. He simply ripped the back off the dress open. Zipper and buttons in all.

I was a little shocked and I didn't want to ruin this beautiful dress.

"Adrian is paying remember." He smiled into my neck. God, I loved it when he was being a bit bad.

I got up and he helped me out of my dress, revealing a corset and stockings. He looked me over and he liked what he saw. Although I had worn sexy lingerie before, this was a different story. This was the whole shebang. Thong, stockings, garters and corset. I am guessing he didn't pick this, just told them what kind of dress and the works. Well this was the works.

His shirt came off and next his shoes and pants. He walked over to me and picked me up and carried me bridal style to the bed. Very appropriate. He hovered over me and started to remove the stockings, his hands sliding over them and pulling them slowly down. He was kissing me everywhere he removed the stockings. He flipped me over and he was trailing kisses down my back until he reached the zipper on the corset. He pulled the zipper down, his hands following, sending shivers down my spine. Next was the thong. He caressed my ass while one hand took the thong down over my feet removing it completely. I felt him take off his own boxers as well. He kept me on my stomach and I could feel him between my cheeks while he was rubbing my back and running his hands through my hair. Then he slipped one hand down the front and inserted it into my already wet core, the feel of my juices making his cock harder against my ass. He lifted me up a bit and the moment he replaced his fingers with his cock I nearly fell over the edge. His mouth was on my neck panting in my ear as he pounded into me. I silenced my cries with the pillow in front of me, but Dimitri wouldn't have it. He turned my head to the side and I let all of my cries out.

"Oh God, Dimitri, I can't take much more."

But he wasn't done yet. He turned me around and slipped into me again. One leg raised against him, his strong muscular arm keeping it in place. He pounded into me deeper and I had a hard time not screaming. I was close. So close. Dimitri slipped his hand in between us and stimulated me on my sensitive node. I lost it. I cried out and I felt my walls grip his cock as they clenched in ecstasy. Dimitri came inside of me hard, my pussy milking him for all he got. He fell on top of me spend.

It didn't feel that different as husband and wife and yet it did. But as I fell asleep, spend from the busy day and vigorous night I knew I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, wouldn't want to be anyone else but his wife.