Hey loves! I'm so sorry for my late updates. There is an author's note at the bottom to explain my reasoning. I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)
Since Abe had gifted me with a house, Dimitri and I spent some time looking around and admiring the place. It already had all the essential furniture, but we were left to put our own things in and decorate it as much as we wanted. There was a living room, a dining room attached to a kitchen with a separate island, a family room with a TV, three bedrooms, and three bathrooms. The backyard had a swimming pool that Nevaeh was beyond excited about, but there was also a decent amount of yard space where we could sit or play in the grass if we wanted to.
Since we were going to live here, we had to go back to the academy to clear our dorms. Nevaeh was going to do online schooling for the rest of the school year which was only another three months, and then she had her summer vacation time. After that, she'd have to go back to St. Vladimir's and continue the rest of her schooling from there. She didn't have to clear out her dorm since she was going to live on campus when she went back, so Dimitri and I decided to fly back to the academy on our own.
"Why am I getting emotional?" I muttered as soon as we landed in the academy's runway. "There was a time where I wanted to get out of here, and now that I'm leaving for good, I just feel...sad."
Dimitri walked slowly beside me, lightly swinging our hands between us. "You grew up here. All your childhood memories, all the friends you've made—they all came from this place."
I sighed. Cleaning out my room wasn't going to be easy, but I'd rather do it than have the janitors take everything out. We went to Dimitri's room first which wasn't as hard since he hadn't lived here as long as me. He only really had basic necessities in here along with a pile of western novels, but my dorm had a lot more. Lissa had cleared her things, so everything that was left in here was mine.
Dimitri helped me pack everything, taking the time to fold my blankets and towels while I stored my clothes into a suitcase. When the bed had nothing more than the little toy lamb on the side, I picked it up and brushed some dust off, smiling sadly before packing it into another bag.
Taking another look at the now empty room, I started to get emotional. This wasn't even the room I had lived in for almost my entire life. I used to live in a much smaller room with only a twin bed and a desk—something basic and more confining. It was only this year that I got to live with Lissa after dealing with PTSD and the fear of sleeping alone. It was sad to see the room so empty.
"Ready to go?" Dimitri asked. I smiled and nodded, taking one more look before leaving the room. We brought all the baggage up to the jet which wasn't quite ready to leave yet.
"I think there's one more place I want to go to before we leave," I whispered, picking up one of my bags. I wasn't sure how much time we had, but I couldn't leave without seeing the one place I was probably going to miss the most.
"Where?" Dimitri asked. I smiled, staring off into the woods.
"The cabin."
As I stepped into the old wooden cabin, I was engulfed in a familiar warm feeling of love. This cabin held happy memories for us and I wanted to spend more time here before we had to leave. The last time we had been here, Dimitri had tanned my bottom and later made love to me. The memory was still very clear in my head and I felt myself longing for it again.
"You want me to do that again?" Dimitri asked. I constantly forgot and still wasn't used to him being able to read my thoughts.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and nodded, sitting down on the bed with him. "I do. This place is just so warm and so...us. Every time I step foot in here, I think about us." I scooted closer and hooked over his, resting my head on his shoulder as he looked down at me. "I think about the way you touch me. So gentle and soft, yet firm and commanding. I think about your lips on mine, the way you hold me in your arms...and how safe you make me feel when I'm with you."
Dimitri cupped my face and kissed me deeply, slowly pushing me down so that he was partially on top of me. "Will you let me take you here again?"
"Yes," I said breathlessly, feeling that natural submission come out whenever I was intimate with Dimitri. "Do whatever you please. I'm all yours."
Dimitri moved until he was completely on top of me, sealing my lips with his again. My legs came up, embracing his hips and pressing him closer. He skimmed his tongue against my lips and I parted my lips more, allowing him to slide his tongue into my mouth. I tangled my hands into his hair and he gripped my wrists, pinning them above my head.
"Not so fast, sweetheart. I'm in control tonight, is that clear?" he asked. Although his tone was dominant, I felt something in him that actually sought for my approval. He didn't have the mentality of wanting to control me for his pleasure. He wanted me to make sure I was okay with everything, and that I wanted it just as much as he did.
"Yes, sir," I answered with clear sincerity, keeping my hands above my head.
"Good girl," Dimitri said, sliding down until his mouth was right above the waistband of my leggings. He pulled them down slowly, sliding them off my legs. While keeping his eyes on me, he lowered his mouth down and kissed my sex, running his fingers over my entrance which was still blocked by the thin lace panties I wore. I moaned and bucked my hips up, reaching down to grip his hair and press his face against my clit before he had my wrists in his hands again. He stood up and dragged me to the head of the bed before removing my shirt and bra within just a few seconds. I saw him unbuckling his belt and he considered using it to bind my hands.
"I have scarves in my bag," I offered, keeping my voice soft. Dimitri eyed the gym bag and unzipped it, looking around until he found three different winter scarves. Two of them were black and the other one was dark red.
"Give me your hands," he ordered, grabbing the dark red one. I obeyed him and put my hands together in front of me, and he used the soft material to tie my wrists together. When it was tight enough, he lifted me and placed me in the middle of the bed before using another scarf to tie my bound wrists to the bars of the headboard.
"Are you still comfortable with being blindfolded?" he asked, taking the last scarf and weaving it through his fingers. I nodded in anticipation and closed my eyes, lifting my head as he folded the scarf and tied it around my head. My vision was gone now, but I trusted him.
Dimitri's fingers hooked into my panties and he pulled them off my legs, exposing me to him. He grabbed my ankles and spread my legs apart and I felt the mattress dip right in the middle. I flinched when I felt Dimitri's breath right above my clit and tried to buck my hips up again until Dimitri's hands pressed down on my thighs, holding them firmly.
"Don't move, or I'm taking you across my knee again," he warned. This only aroused me more, but I nodded. I felt his soft lips on my skin as he kissed the area repeatedly. His tongue ran across my folds up to my clit, and I tried my best to avoid moving. He knew exactly what he was doing as he circled my sensitive clit with his tongue, licking and sucking until I could no longer stay still. One of his hands left my thigh and I felt him teasing my opening with the tip of his finger.
"Please," I whimpered. Dimitri slid his finger inside, grazing it against my tight walls. I started to squirm as he added another finger, pumping them in and out while he continuously circled his tongue around my clit. Slowly, he curled his fingers and I could no longer hold still. I hooked my leg over his shoulder to press him closer, but that only resulted in him pulling away and slapping my clit with his hand. I squealed, thrashing my hips in reaction.
"You bitch!"
"What was that?"
"I said you're a bitch," I repeated shamelessly. I heard Dimitri laugh for a second before he tugged on the blindfold and pulled it down. I thought he would leave it around my neck, but instead, he stopped right at my mouth and wedged the material between my teeth to silence me. I groaned and rolled my eyes at him.
"There we go," he said, all the while reassuring me that although I couldn't speak out loud, I could still communicate with him through our bond if I needed to stop things.
Resuming his ministrations, Dimitri held my leg down again and put his tongue back to work, pumping his fingers in and out of me until I was a writhing mess beneath him. I could feel my orgasm start to build and used as much movement as I could in my hips to silently beg him for my peak.
"Do you want to come?" he asked, purposely delaying things. He already knew what I wanted.
"Mhm," I mumbled, nodding rapidly. Dimitri smirked and curled his fingers again, this time at a faster pace. The muscles in my belly tightened and I moaned loudly, tugging against my bindings which held my wrists firmly. My walls clamped down on his fingers as I came hard on his lips.
"Such a good girl," he whispered, kissing my core again until the spasms of my orgasm started to die down. He sat up and rubbed my stomach in circles to let me calm down and recover.
"Lift your head for me," Dimitri said softly, reaching behind my neck to untie the scarf. He pulled the gag out and tossed it aside, gently running his finger over my bottom lip. I puckered my lips as an invitation for him to kiss me and he eagerly complied. His hands fumbled around with the scarf attached to the headboard and he released it, allowing me to move my arms even though they were still tied together. I kept my lips on him, playing with the zipper of his pants and pulling them down. He pulled away for a moment to undress and I gawked at his naked body in admiration.
Dimitri crawled on top of me and hovered above me, propping himself up on his elbow while positioning himself at my entrance. With another deep kiss to my lips, he entered me, burying himself deep inside until our hips met. I moaned against his mouth and looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down further. The pace in his thrusts increased and he set a fast pace that had us both panting.
"I love you so much," I cried, joining his thrusts as he brought me closer to my climax again.
"I love you too, Roza. Always," he said, looking down at me with those beautiful red eyes of his. I could feel him getting emotional too as he poured all his love and devotion into our kiss. The urge to bite me and mark me as his was also becoming stronger, so I exposed my neck for him. He stopped for a second to untie my hands first and set me free. I held his body close as he lowered his mouth down and sank his teeth into my neck. He limited himself to only taking a sip or two given my body's circumstances, but his venom was enough for me to feel the endorphins kick in.
Dimitri was hitting that sensitive spot inside and I felt another orgasm building up. I moved my hips, joining his thrusts until I couldn't hold it off anymore. I shattered around him, losing all control of my body in a moment of bliss. Dimitri followed just a few seconds after, spilling his seed and resting on top of me. For the next few minutes, I was left in a trance-like state while Dimitri left small kisses all over my face and neck.
I must have lost track or passed out at some point, because the next thing I knew, Dimitri was dressed again. He was trying to put my socks on my feet.
"Dimitri?" I murmured. "Did I fall asleep?"
Dimitri smiled and pinched my cheek. "You've been napping for the past ten minutes. We have to go, but I didn't want to disturb you."
"Oh," I said lazily, still dazed out of my mind.
"Are you okay?" he asked, caressing my hair. "Things were pretty intense earlier."
"I feel so happy, Comrade. I almost feel high."
Dimitri chuckled. "I think you might have hit subspace."
"Oh...can we cuddle?" I asked, sounding more innocent than I expected.
"We really need to go, but I promise we will once we get on the jet, okay?"
I nodded, slipping my hand in his so that he could pull me up. He helped me get dressed and offered to carry my bag on the way out. I looked at the cabin again, deciding to leave the sheets in their mess in case we ever came back during our future visits.
Once we got onto the jet, I laid back in one of the window seats while Dimitri started packing my bags into the overhead bins. He buckled up in the seat next to me and held my hand when we went up. I was still feeling a little high and ended up sleeping for another hour on Dimitri's shoulder. Earlier, he had mentioned something about subspace. It had felt euphoric, but as it died down, I craved more comfort and cuddles. I didn't even realize I was squeezing Dimitri's arm until I woke up.
Dimitri noticed my wake and cupped my cheek, kissing me softly on the lips. "Still feeling good?"
"Mhm. Hey, do you mind getting one of my bags? I, uh, want my plush."
Dimitri stood up for a second and pulled the bag out from above us. I heard him shuffling around with some stuff until he found what I wanted. After closing the bin, he handed me the soft toy and sat back down, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "This toy is special to you, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I hate that I left it here when we went to court. I hug him when I have nightmares," I explained, unconsciously holding the toy closer to my chest. Dimitri was never one to judge, but I always felt a little strange that I still hugged this thing. If anyone else other than him or Lissa saw me with this, they'd surely laugh at me.
"Do you think I'm...weird for that?" I asked. "I'm an adult now, and I still hold this thing like a child." I remembered having a nightmare when Avery had first visited me in my dreams, and I had cuddled with this when Lissa and Dimitri were comforting me.
Dimitri smiled and gently rubbed my arm. "No, Roza, you're not weird. It's understandable, and you can hug it whenever you want to."
"Okay," I said softly. "It just comforts me a lot."
"I understand," Dimitri ensured, kissing my head. "How's your tummy feeling?"
"It's good right now. Our little one hasn't given me problems so far," I said, putting a hand on my stomach. "But I think he might be a little hungry."
"He?" Dimitri asked, raising a brow.
I shrugged. "Just a guess. I think we're both hungry."
Without hesitation, Dimitri let his fangs come out again. He bit his wrist before holding it up to my mouth. "Here. Take whatever you need."
"Are you sure?" I asked even though he had been giving me his blood for weeks now.
"Just drink," he said. I grabbed his wrist and started drinking, fulfilling my hunger for the night. As usual, Dimitri's blood was rich and sweet and provided me with more strength than anyone else's. I didn't want to weaken him too much, so I stopped after a few minutes and cleaned the area. After making sure Dimitri was okay, I propped my legs up on his lap and curled up in his arms.
About an hour after we got back, I spent my time unpacking everything into our new home while Dimitri slept on the couch downstairs. He had offered to help, but I wanted him to rest due to his earlier blood loss. It was interesting how Dimitri and I took care of each other's needs.
The doorbell rang and I put my stuff down to answer, but Dimitri already beat me to it. I noticed over time that he had a habit of answering the door before I could. Maybe it was some kind of protective thing about him.
"Oh, hey," he said, clearing his throat. My parents stood on the porch, softening their expressions when they saw me walk down the stairs.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Her Majesty has requested to see you again," Abe said. "It's for a job offering."
"Almost every job I've applied for is mostly desk work," I said. "Why would she need to see me?"
"Because she's offering you something better," Mom replied. "It's with headquarters, but we're not sure if you'd be comfortable with it."
"Well, what is it? I can't be a guardian if that's what she's asking."
"No, it's not that. Just come with us," Abe said urgently. I glanced at Dimitri who nodded at me and led us out, closing and locking the door behind us.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" I asked, slipping my hand around his arm as we walked on the sidewalk.
"I got enough rest in. I'm fine now," he said. I sighed when I realized I wasn't wearing professional clothing, but Tatiana would hopefully understand since we had just landed after our flight.
When we reached Tatiana's office, she greeted us with a smile again and gestured towards the couches. "Good to see you again, Rose. I've heard about the pregnancy. Congratulations to you both."
"Thank you," Dimitri said, sitting down beside me and grabbing my hand.
"My parents told me you were offering me a job," I mentioned. Tatiana shifted uncomfortably and clasped her hands in front of her.
"I'm aware that you've been applying for other positions, but there have been case files over the years in regards to moroi and dhampir trafficking. It's not as uncommon as people believe, but we try to keep it hidden to avoid alerting the public. I was wondering if you wanted to work with our officers in their investigations."
"Isn't that a little...dangerous?" Dimitri asked apprehensively.
"I'm not asking her to do anything crazy or physical. I understand you're starting a family. I'm simply asking if she can help. Rose, you're the strongest female dhampir we have around here. And, well, you also have...connections."
I tensed. We all knew what she meant by connections, and it wasn't very pleasant.
"I'm sorry. My intention isn't to make you uncomfortable. I just think you could be of great help to us, and since Dimitri is your guardian, he can help out as well. You'll be safe at all times, and you'll have the opportunity to help any victims that are found. All your work and help will be done at guardian headquarters in the trafficking and sexual assault units. I can't force you, but I think it'd be a great opportunity for you."
I took a deep breath and locked my eyes with Dimitri again. If there was someone good out of a job like this, it was that I'd get to help people. I always loved helping others and this might be the best way I could. I was well aware that this job could have a psychological impact on me, but I felt a little bit better knowing that Dimitri was going to work with me too.
"I'll take the offer," I declared, squeezing Dimitri's hand with a smile on my face. "If this means I get to help victims, then I'm all for it."
"That's wonderful," Tatiana said, smiling warmly. "Oh, I almost forgot." She stood up and walked over to her desk, picking up a small stack of papers in a white folder. She placed it on the table and slid it forward.
"What's this?" I asked, opening the folder.
"Sime last-minute paperwork for your family plans," she said. Dimitri and I snapped our heads up.
"What?" we said in synchronization.
"Congratulations, once again." Tatiana crossed her arms, giving us both a look of pride. "Your adoption has been approved."
I want to tell you all that I'm sorry, once again, for my late updates. In the past few weeks, my health has gone to shit. I've been dealing with stomach issues and chronic nausea for years but recently, it has gotten so bad it's to the point where I'm on bed rest every day.
I've lost weight because I can't eat, I can't even drink water, and most of the time I can't get up or do anything. I can eat some fruit, but that's it. It's physically and emotionally exhausting. I'm seeking treatment and I hope to get better, but I needed to tell you this because I didn't want anyone to think I was slacking or being lazy. I'm just very sick all the time and it's making me miserable.
I hope you all understand and I will do my best to post my next chapter in time. I love you guys. Thank you for the continued support :)