"You're getting married?!" Lissa exclaimed. I'd spilled the news to her a week after Dimitri had asked me to marry him. While things between me and him were amazing, he still wasn't allowed to leave his room without supervision. He wasn't allowed to see Nevaeh either and it was starting to piss both of us off. Since the night we formed our permanent two-way bond, his thirst hadn't been an issue. He still had impulses, but it wasn't to the point where he might accidentally kill someone or go out of control.

"Well, not for a while," I told her. We weren't sure when would be a good time to even have a ceremony. We didn't want a huge venue or a bunch of people. We wanted it to be small and beautiful with close friends and family, but that was it. We needed to find a place to settle down, and we were still planning on fostering Nevaeh.

"There's too much going on right now. It's bad enough that Dimitri's been under house arrest for two weeks. After everything we've been through, the least we deserve is family time."

Lissa sighed, placing her tea mug on the table in front of her. "It'll get better, Rose. You just need to wait a little longer."

"I know," I muttered, sitting back against the couch. Tatiana had requested to meet Nevaeh tonight and I was going to take her. The meeting had originally been scheduled a few days ago, but it was postponed until today as I had been too busy.

I heard the bathroom door open and Nevaeh came out, skipping over to where I sat. She wore a sleeveless baby pink dress that fluffed out at the bottom, and the front sections of her hair were braided and tied together at the back. Some children at court were given makeup when meeting with the queen, but I refused to do that. Nevaeh was a child and the thought of caking her face with makeup for any other reason than shits and giggles felt wrong.

"You look so pretty, Nev. The queen is going to love you." Well, I hoped she would love her. How could someone not love her? She was the sweetest kid I'd ever met and she rarely gave people a hard time. Although Tatiana always favoured royalty, she couldn't tear her down. If I didn't know Nevaeh, I would have thought she was from a royal family. With the way she was dressed, she looked like a princess.

"What if she doesn't like me?" she worried. "I see the other kids here. They're all so pretty."

"Don't think about that. Hey, listen," I said firmly. "You are so beautiful. If anyone says something mean, you tell me. I won't ever let anyone tear you down, you hear me?"

Nevaeh nodded, but she still looked nervous. I couldn't blame her since she wasn't usually up for meeting new people, but she needed to step out of her comfort zone.

"Hey, remember what Daddy always says?" I asked, hoping she would cheer up if I mentioned Dimitri—and she did. She missed him so much and she needed his strength and encouragement too.

"He always tells me I'm a champ," she said. I smiled, proud that she remembered his words.

"Do you want to talk to him before we go?" I asked. We didn't have much time, but I could spare her a few minutes.

"Yes, please," she said. After I briefly slipped into his head to see that he was still in the suite, I pulled out my phone and dialled Dimitri's number.

"Hello?"

Instead of speaking, I pressed the phone to Nevaeh's ear and she held the phone with both hands. "Daddy? Is that you?"

Whatever Dimitri said on the other end made her smile brightly. I stepped into the washroom while they talked to check my appearance. I made myself look presentable once again and smoothed out my clothes one last time before walking out, listening to the last few words of the phone call.

"...I love you too. Bye-bye," Nevaeh said, pressing the red button on the screen to end the call.

"Feel better?" I asked, slipping my phone back into my pocket. She smiled and nodded, slipping her tiny hand into mine. I left Lissa's place and headed for the elevators in the hallway, pressing the button to go down.

"You remember the manners I taught you, right?" I mentioned, stepping into the cubicle when the doors opened.

"Yep. Bow, be nice, and call her 'Your Majesty.'"

"Good." There were a lot of manners people had to use when speaking to the queen, but those were the most basic ones and they were enough. While we walked towards her office, I had to walk slowly to match Nevaeh's pace since she had short legs. She had her hands in her mouth, biting her nails nervously as we approached the door.

"Nevaeh," I chastised, kneeling in front of her and pulling her hand away. I noticed she had a habit of doing that. No wonder children got sick so easily. "Don't put your fingers in your mouth like that. Do you know how many germs there are?"

"Sorry," she said, wiping her hand on her dress. I sighed and brushed my thumb against her cheek before standing up and facing the guards at the queen's door. They stepped aside and opened the door for me, gesturing for me to go in. I stepped inside, still holding Nev's hand. The room was the same as I'd last seen it, but Tatiana was quick to greet me. I bowed when I saw her, addressing her by her title.

"It's been a while, Rosemarie," she said, clasping her hands together. Her eyes glanced to the side, and I felt Nevaeh squeeze my hand.

"This is Nevaeh?" she asked, smiling down at her. Nevaeh only stared, not quite sure how to respond. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, rubbing her back.

"Introduce yourself," I reminded her, hoping she would respond.

"That's me, Your Majesty," she said nervously. She grabbed the skirt of her dress in her hands and lifted it slightly, doing a little curtsy.

"Aren't you a little princess? Both of you, please, take a seat."

I smiled and nodded, taking my place on the couch. Before Nevaeh even sat down, she eyed the cupcakes on the table and grabbed one.

"Nev!" I pulled it out of her hand, giving Tatiana an apologetic look. "You can't just take one without asking." Damn it, this was something I should have taught her a long time ago. She was supposed to use basic manners, royal setting or not, but that was my fault. I was the one who was supposed to teach her these things.

"It's alright," Tatiana said softly, glancing at Nevaeh. "You can take one, dear. Just make sure to use a plate so you don't get your dress dirty."

"Thank you," she said, grabbing one of the tiny plates in front of her and placing the cupcake on top. I was relieved that she at least knew how to express gratitude.

"So, tell me. How is school going for you? I understand you're in junior kindergarten and are attending St. Vladimir's?"

Nevaeh nodded. "Mhm. My teacher says I'm a star student."

"Is that so?" Tatiana asked in amusement. I was always proud of Nevaeh's academic performance. She was only reading picture books with a few sentences, doing one-plus-one math, and learning to write letters properly, but she was good at keeping up. She was optimistic about learning and she reached out for help when she needed it instead of throwing a tantrum. She was going to be intelligent later on in life.

Nevaeh smiled. "Yeah."

"And do Rose and Dimitri help you with your schoolwork?"

"Oh, yes. All the time."

"Interesting." Tatiana started pouring herself a cup of tea. "You consider them as your parents?"

"Of course! I met Mommy in the old house. She saved me, and so did Daddy. He's a superhero."

I had to laugh at that. Her words weren't far off. Dimitri was a superhero in his own ways. If he hadn't found me in that disturbing place, Nevaeh and I would still be stuck there.

"Well, it sounds like they love you very much." Tatiana smiled again, taking a sip of her tea. She focussed her attention on me, and I squared my shoulders, crossing my legs.

"How is Dimitri doing with his transition?" she asked.

"He's a lot better now. His thirst is under control and so are his emotions. He's been forced to stay away from Nevaeh and it's been hard on us. I understand it was a concern in the beginning, but things are much better now."

"I believe you," she said. "I just think it's best to wait. Give it another week. There's no rush."

"Right," I replied, trying not to sound dry. My relationship with Tatiana was better now, but a part of me was angry that she was keeping Dimitri so isolated. When he went out, he had guardians following him everywhere, watching his every move.

"I'd like you to live around this area," she brought up. "A house near the residence within the wards. If you plan to live somewhere else, I'd have to allocate a guarding team."

"Wait, Dimitri isn't my guardian anymore?" I asked worriedly. He definitely wasn't going to agree with that. He was still so protective.

"He might still be. He hasn't turned down from his position and he's been communicating with headquarters to remain as your primary guardian. It seems like no matter what anyone throws at him, he refuses to stop protecting you. While he's just as valuable as you, only you can turn another person, being that you're shadow-kissed. In that case, he can still protect you, I suppose..."

I had a hard time understanding why only I could turn another person, but I remembered something Sebastian had said right before I was rescued from the house: your inheritances can only come from the original source, so make sure she stays alive.

By 'original source', he had meant me. I had no clue why and I probably never would.

"Your Majesty, if Dimitri wants to continue being my guardian, he will. I know him better than anyone. When he's set on something, he sticks to it. Whether you assign him to me or not, he'll still protect me. I mean, we'll be living together, so nothing will stop him. I could have a whole guarding team, and he'd still be the one by my side to shield me."

"Yes, he proved that when he was shot. I have no doubt he can protect you, but you two are the only strigoi hybrids we know. You're very valuable and we need to keep you as safe as possible."

Valuable. I hated that word. It made me feel like they just wanted to use us. Had I not been so rare, she'd still be treating me like a peasant.

"Both of you can heal people. I know it's a lot to ask, but we'd like you two to give monthly donations to the hospital here. It would help a lot and it can be used on anyone, whether they are a moroi, human, or dhampir. It'll be in a safe place and your identities will not be revealed to the public."

"I have to think about it," I told her. They could use my blood to heal Tasha for all I knew. If Dimitri and I were going to donate, I would rather do it after Tasha was sent to Tarasov prison.

Beside me, Nevaeh finished her cupcake and put her place on the table. She stood on the ground, walking around the table and pointing at Tatiana's neck. "I like that thing."

"Nev," I started again.

"These?" Tatiana lifted the pendants around her neck. "It's a necklace."

"Yeah. They're pretty." Nevaeh looked around the room some more, running up to the mahogany structures by the wall. She started touching all the expensive items on display, picking up what looked like a glass structure that was shaped into a bird.

"Mommy, look! It's a birdy!" she squealed. To my surprise, Tatiana wasn't even mad. She was laying back across the back of her couch, resting her chin on her hand while watching Nevaeh curiously.

"Nevaeh, please put that down—"

"Ooh! Look at that thing! It's a tiny earth!" She put the glass bird down and ran towards the dark wooden desk on the other side of the room, reaching up as much as she could to spin the rotating globe with her finger. I tried to catch her, but she was already looking at something else. Oh god, why was she so curious about everything?

"Look at all those crowns!" she gasped, looking up at the display of diamond tiaras and crowns through the glass cabinets. She pointed to a pink tiara in the corner. "Can I have that one?"

I sighed and picked her up, taking her back to the couch. When I sat her down, she knitted her brows together, looking at Tatiana. "Why don't you wear a crown?"

"Pardon?"

"You're the queen. You should have a crown on your head."

Tatiana chuckled. "Only to special events. Crowns aren't very comfortable for daily usage."

"But they're pretty," Nevaeh pointed out. "Why do people wear them?"

"That goes back centuries. A crown exists for symbolic reasons. It represents power, honour, and victory. A princess would wear a tiara like that pink one you pointed to earlier."

"How do you know so much?" Nevaeh asked.

Tatiana smiled and took another sip of her tea. "I know almost every story in the book."

"Ooh, tell me! I want to know more," Nevaeh said excitedly, flailing her feet around. Tatiana looked at her, taken aback by her eagerness. She was speechless which was a first for her.

"She can get carried away," I said apologetically, and she waved me off.

"No, that's quite alright. I wouldn't mind telling her a few stories while we're here. Why don't I give her a tour of this place?"

"Actually, I was going to head to the feeders. I haven't gotten anything in my system tonight."

"You can still do that, Rose. I can take Nevaeh around the court with my guardians and have someone escort her back to her room."

"That's a lot to ask of you. Are you sure?"

"I'm offering. Why don't you go wait outside?" Tatiana said to Nevaeh. She nodded and slid off the couch, giving me a tight hug. I kissed the top of her head affectionately before letting her go, waiting for her to leave the room.

"Your Majesty, I know she might seem a little intrusive, but I promise you, I'll do my best to teach her manners. Things have been crazy for me lately."

Tatiana nodded and leaned forward, crossing her legs and placing her clasped hands on her knees. "I'll admit, there are things she needs to learn, but I understand you've been through a lot. Your little girl is lovely, and to be honest with you, I've never met a child with so much eagerness and optimism about learning the history of this place. However, you need to step up and take responsibility if you want us to approve of the adoption."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I promise you I'm capable."

"I'm not telling you this because I don't think you're capable. I'm telling you this because that little girl deserves to have a loving family, and I have no doubt you and Dimitri love her. She is shadow-kissed as well, yes?"

I jerked my head up. "How did you...?"

"It doesn't matter. It's not hard for us to find out. The point is that it makes her endangered and vulnerable, and I believe you can protect her. Her real mother is dead and her biological father is nowhere to be found. You're young to raise a child, but I can see that you love her and I think you'd make a good parental figure. Show us that you can do this. Show us you can give her the guidance she needs."

I nodded, letting her know I was listening to her every word. She was right about everything she was saying and I intended on keeping my promise. The last thing I wanted was to see Nevaeh end up as an orphan. Technically, she was, but she wouldn't be forever. Not with me and Dimitri by her side.

"I wouldn't want to keep her waiting. Let's step out, shall we?" Tatiana suggested, gesturing towards the door. I complied and headed towards the door, holding it open for her. We stepped outside and saw Nevaeh running down the hallways, touching the occasional statues at the side and the frames on the wall.

"Nevaeh, get back here," I ordered. "And no running in the hallways!" Did the teachers at the academy not teach her that?

She skipped over, running into my legs. "I said no running."

"You didn't say I couldn't skip."

This little devil. Whenever she did things like this, I was tempted to laugh or do something cute, but I needed to learn when to stop doing that. I could still have fun with her the way every parent did with their kids, but sometimes, I was too lenient. I needed to be strict even though I wanted to give in.

I leaned down and tipped her chin up. "Queen Tatiana is going to take you around the court. Promise me you'll be on your best behaviour."

"I promise, Mama."

After getting my daily blood intake from a feeder while Nevaeh was with Tatiana, I ended up running into Dimitri on the way back to our room. As usual, he had two guardians behind him.

"Comrade? What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning in to peck him on the lips.

"I was about to go to the gym. I can't go another day without working out. Aren't you supposed to be with the queen?"

"She's giving Nev a tour of this place and moroi history lessons, so I grabbed a quick snack."

Dimitri smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and walking forward. "Why don't we go for a run together?"

The sound of a run with Dimitri sounded really nice right now. It made me think of us back at the academy and the way we warmed up before sparring. I grinned, going up on my toes to kiss his cheek. "I'd love to."

For the next hour or two, we both warmed up with a decent run, did some weight training, and sparred. We were laughing happily afterwards on our way back to the suite, feeling carefree for the first time in ages. It made me realize that small moments like these were so important. I would never take it for granted again.

Our laughter died down when we saw Lissa at our door. "It's inside," she said, winking at me when we approached her. She was talking about the bracelet, but there was a mischievous grin on her face that told me she was hiding something else.

"What's inside?" Dimitri asked.

Lissa giggled. "You'll see. Just go in."

Dimitri eyed her suspiciously as he turned the knob and walked inside. Lissa came in after us, quickly shutting the door. I was a little confused at first since the room was empty, but when Dimitri walked past our bed, something flew out of the open closet and hit his head. I was worried for a second until I saw what it was—a plush toy.

"Gotcha!"

"Nevaeh!" Dimitri exclaimed, holding his arms out. Her little figure came out of the small space and she jumped into his arms, squealing excitedly as he swooped her up. She was no longer wearing her dress and had changed into her pink pyjamas.

"How'd you sneak her in?" I gasped, pulling Lissa into a bear hug. I squeezed her until she could barely breathe before finally letting her go so that she could speak.

"Well...it's actually a funny story." She started laughing again. "I dressed up as one of the maids and hid Nevaeh in the cart full of towels!"

I burst into a fit of laughter, slapping a hand over Lissa's shoulder. "I'm sorry, what?! You, a royal moroi—the Dragomir princess—dressed up as a maid, and no questions were asked?"

"Nope. I just put on a pair of sunglasses so no one recognized me from a distance. When I came to your room for 'housekeeping', I told her to hide in the closet. By the time I changed back into my regular clothes, you two were heading back here."

"I can't believe it!" I laughed, putting a hand over my stomach which was starting to hurt from laughing so hard. "You hid her in a towel cart!"

"Oh, she loved the ride. I think she liked the outcome even more."

I looked over my shoulder to watch the two. Dimitri had no problem with his thirst and I was beginning to think it was my blood that had helped him so much. He tickled Nevaeh's stomach and she giggled again. After being kept away from her despite being under control now, Dimitri was ecstatic.

"You look different," Nevaeh observed, touching his face with her small hand. "Woah. You're like Mommy now."

"Yeah, I am," Dimitri said. He was anxious to see her reaction.

"It's okay, Daddy. I still love you!" she said, smiling brightly and giving him a bear hug.

Dimitri shut his eyes and I saw a tear fall down his cheek. Her words almost made me cry too. She was one big bubble of love and it made both of us emotional.

"I have a present for you," she announced, climbing out of his arms and going back into the closet.

"A present?" Dimitri asked in surprise, wiping his tear away. "For me?"

"Yep!" Nevaeh came back out with the black bag from the store I had purchased the bracelet from. She handed to Dimitri, and he quickly snuck a glance at Lissa and me before reaching in. He dug through the tissue paper, pulling out the black leather bracelet. When I came closer, I found the two silver beads on each end, right where the adjustable strings started.

"I got it for you a few days ago," I informed him. "Lissa and Adrian used their magic on the silver beads. It's to help you with the side effects."

"You didn't have to do that," Dimitri said to Lissa, sounding both surprised and apologetic. "Doesn't this affect you?"

"Not that much. Plus, it was a three-person job this time."

Dimitri narrowed his eyes. "Nevaeh used magic?"

"No," Lissa said. "We thought about it and decided it was best if she only watched. She only put the beads on. Adrian and I used our magic and we let her watch us. She didn't use anything."

Oh, thank goodness. I was seriously worried about that.

"Thank you, Lissa. I'll have to call Adrian to thank him too. And, thanks to the both of you as well," he said, hugging me and Nevaeh at the same time. Through our bond, all I could sense was pure happiness and gratitude.

"Can I put it on you?" Nevaeh asked, pulling away and loosening the strings.

"Of course," Dimitri said, holding his hand out. She placed the bracelet around his wrist, pulling on the strings to tighten it.

"Thank you, sweetie." He kissed Nevaeh's forehead and pulled her in for another hug. "How's school going?"

Nevaeh gasped. "Oh, I have so much to tell you!"

For the next few hours, Dimitri radiated with happy energy. He helped Nevaeh with any homework she had from school and listened to her chat away about her friends at the academy.

While they spent time together, I hopped into the shower. I got the hot water going, standing under the showerhead for a few minutes to let my muscles loosen up. I scrubbed every part of my body, taking my time so that I could give Dimitri more father-daughter time. I had spent a lot of time with Nev to catch up, watch movies, play with toys, help her with homework, and take care of her well-being. We had fun and I loved seeing the smile on her face, but she still needed Dimitri too.

Any little giggles and chatter from before had died down. I quickly dried myself off with a towel and changed into Dimitri's shirt and a pair of comfy shorts. I wasn't sure how long I had been in the shower for, but the sight in front of me when I walked back into the bedroom made my heart melt. Dimitri laid on the couch with his eyes closed, holding Nevaeh against him. Her small body was curled up in his big arms, her head resting against his chest as she slept peacefully. Dimitri's head laid on hers, also sleeping.

I was tempted to get them into bed so that they'd be more comfortable, but I didn't want to wake them up. This had to be the most heart-warming thing I'd seen in ages. I retrieved a soft blanket from the closet and unravelled it, carefully draping it over them. When I got close, Dimitri suddenly made a noise in his throat which sounded a lot like a whimper.

"Please don't," he said. I knitted my brows together. His sudden anxiety was the complete opposite of what he had been feeling earlier. Was he dreaming?

"Dimitri?" I whispered, touching his cheek. With his eyes still closed, he instinctively tightened his arms around the child as if he was trying to protect her.

"Please don't take her away," he murmured. "Don't...don't hurt her."

Dimitri sounded like he was truly afraid and maybe even upset. He had to be dreaming or hallucinating because he knew I would never do such a thing. He started fidgeting, tightening his arms even more and moving his head from side to side. He was having a nightmare.

"No, no, no—"

"Dimitri," I repeated, shaking him slightly. He was struggling to wake up. I came closer and held his head in my arms, calming him down and alleviating his anxiety. He slowly started to relax, and I pulled away as his breaths evened out.

"Roza?" Slowly, Dimitri's eyes started to open. His eyes found mine, and he loosened his hold.

"It's okay," I purred. "It's just me. I'm right here."

"I thought..." He sounded confused, but when he looked down and saw Nev still sleeping in his arms, he calmed. "Oh, thank god. I thought something bad happened."

"You were just dreaming, baby. You're safe," I said softly, stroking his hair. "Do you want to get into bed? You can make yourself comfy."

Dimitri nodded and stood up without waking Nevaeh from her sleep. He placed her in the middle of the bed and we crawled in on either side, intertwining our hands together and keeping her warm.

"Tatiana liked her," I whispered.

"Who doesn't like her?" Dimitri asked. I chuckled, running my thumb over his knuckles.

"You know, it's crazy to think about what could've happened to us if you hadn't found us so many months ago. Nevaeh was brought up in a brothel for the first four years of her life. If she had continued to grow up there, they would've used her for..." I trailed off. The thought was too painful and I couldn't say it out loud.

"That'll never happen," Dimitri said, squeezing my hand. I smiled sadly and decided not to think about it as I didn't want to go to bed feeling upset.

"I'm just happy you finally got to see her again. I've missed family time."

"Yeah," Dimitri agreed, smiling down and pressing a kiss to Nevaeh's temple. "I have, too."

I hope you all enjoyed the reunion! Let me know what you thought of it :)