Dimitri

I picked Aly up from Abe and Janine's after Christian's last, unsuccessful class. Aly was bouncing with her little school bag Rose had gotten for her so they could match. I smiled down at my daughter as we walked the short distance to the house we would be staying in, next door to Lissa and Christians. I finished dinner, ate with my daughter and then called Rose after, before putting Aly to bed.

"I love you baby!"

"I love you too, Mommy! I miss you this much!" She giggled as she spread her arms wide. I smiled at her and gave her a kiss before turning off her light and closing her door.

"Dimitri - I have to tell you something. You can't tell Lissa or anyone for that matter." I looked at Rose, the worried expression on her face. She had taken her hair down so it fell like a dark waterfall and had opened a couple of buttons on her shirt.

"What is it, Roza?"

"The good new or the bad news first?" Considering I assumed the bad news was soemthing that I couldn't tell anyone, I opted to hear the good news first. "There was this guy in work today." She started. I felt red anger boil inside me and I don't know why. She just said there was a guy in work, quite frankly, no matter where Rose would end up working there would always be a guy there – true fact. Guys occupied this earth too. "I get a weird vibe from him. He was asking very strange questions."

"Roza, are you over reacting?" I asked her. What I really meant was – what is your gut telling you. She looked at me, sat down on her sofa and rested the side of her head in her hand. This managed to make her cleave bluge, totally not on purpose but I couldn't help but notice. She sighed and looked back up to meet her eyes, well virtually.

"I don't know. He's human, I can tell that much. He was just very interested in me." I rolled my eyes and growled. Rose laughed. "Not like that. It was strange."

"And what's the bad news?" I asked. If that was the good news, Rose having a bad feeling about a human, I wasn't so sure I wanted to know what the bad news was.

"Someone is murdering dhampir women." I froze, just sat there and watched Rose. Someone was killing dhampir women? "I was pulled into a case today. There was at least six dead women's pictures there. I was leaving and then my marks must have been seen because then my boss noticed, asked if I knew them. He handed me a folder of their tattoos. They all had Molnjia and promise marks." I sucked in a breath.

"Roza, is this safe?" I asked. "Are you safe?" She looked at me and shrugged a shoulder.

"Honestly? I don't know." I let out a breath I didn't even release I was holding.

"Roza, I think you should come home."

"I can't, Comrade." She whispered. I rubbed a hand over my eyes. "I have to do this – not just so dhampirs can get actual legal representation but now there's someone killing us." She had moved and the camera was now pointing towards the ceiling. "I have to stay and figure this out." I let out another breath.

This is why I loved Rose so much – her sheer determination and will to help others that need it, but right now, it was something I hated. Someone out there, close to where she was, to where Court is and they're killing dhampir women. I'm not stupid enough to assume it a coincidence that only dhampir women were being murdered. No wonder she made me promise not to tell anyone. Janine would personally go there and drag her back home by the hair on her head.

"Roza-" She came back onto the screen her top off as she started to change into her pajama's.

"Please don't, Dimitri – I need to do this."

"I know. I was just going to say be careful." I gave her a small smile. She picked up the phone and smiled.

"I know – and that's why I love you so much. You care." I gave her a smile.

"What are you doing?" I asked as she started to walk again.

"I just finished dinner – there's nothing else to do but watch TV." I gave her a smile. "Don't even suggest it, Comrade." I laughed.

"How was your day, besides finding out that someone is hell bent on killing you." It was her turn to laugh.

"They're not hell bent on killing me, just my race and gender combined into one." I rolled my eyes. "No, it was actually very interesting. I think they're going to put me on the Dhampir case so hopefully I'll be able to get to the bottom of everything."

"As long as you're being careful. And now I'm going to expect hourly check-ins and if you don't text me for more than two hours, I'm coming to find you." She laughed.

"I know, don't worry. I sent you a link to an app I downloaded. It's a family tracker. I'm not that stupid." I gave her a smile.

"No, you're not."

"How was your first day?" She asked smiling as she wrapped herself in a blanket on the sofa.

"It didn't go very well." I sighed. "Christian is struggling with his classes – he's just not confident enough. Oh, and I had to stop Eddie from punching some kid today." Rose snorted and played with the necklace around her neck.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, Lissa and I were talking – I was telling her she needed to talk to Christian about his classes, give him a confidence boost. Then, Mia called. Apparently, the kid was bad mouthing Mia and then. I think he called you a blood whore." I saw her face fall. "Christian punched him." She gave me a small smile.

"Remind me to thank him." I nodded as she sighed. "That's what people think huh? I know it sounds more believable than getting in a car accident and losing your memory."

"Hey." I warned. She moved on the sofa, balancing the phone on her legs as she used her arms to wrap the blanket around her tightly. "We know the truth." She gave me a smile.

We talked some more – about Aly about work, about us until Rose eventually went up to her bedroom and slid into the bed. I went to my room and did the same thing. We both fell asleep on the phone to each other that night. I waited until I heard her steading breathing, a sound that always calmed me down, stopped me from over thinking.

But not tonight.

All I was thinking about was the fact that there was a murder on the loose who is indirectly targeting my mother, grandmother, sisters, niece, my own daughter and the love of my life. I lay there, listening to the breathing knowing that as long as I could hear it, she was still there, alive and well.

I eventually closed my eyes and fell asleep.