"My feet are killing me!" Christopher called out, dragging his feet for emphasis. He'd already made this declaration several times over the course of the morning's shopping escapades.
"Suck it up, you big baby," Sydney called out in a slightly annoyed tone. Over the past few hours, she'd become a lot more comfortable with the three Guardians, and they were accepting her into the fold just fine.
"Damn, Sage. Who knew you could be so savage." Jasper said with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes.
"Are you guys done complaining and bickering, or are we going to have to wait to decide where we're eating?" I asked a little irritated. I loved that they were getting along, but I was hungry, and their banter was hindering our food choice.
"Rosie's getting hangry, guys." Christopher teased, but after I growled he offered something helpful. "How about Junior's? They have the best cheesecake known to man."
"Cheesecake sounds wonderful," I said, happy now that the idea of food was actually on the table, pun kind of intended. "As long as there's protein thrown in there, too."
"They've plenty of protein-packed, grease infused meals. There's one a few blocks from here if that's where we decide we want to go." Christopher said and began leading the way.
We'd been trying to steer clear of Time's Square, but I could hear the hustle and bustle up ahead. However, before we got there, Christopher turned down Broadway. In the middle of the block was a clean white and orange building. It looked small compared to the surrounding theaters.
There were a lot of people already seated, but we were seated almost immediately. We placed our drink orders along with a few appetizers. Jasper and I had gotten Disco Fries, Christopher got the Thai Ginger BBQ Wings, and Kyle took the healthy option and got hummus. Sydney didn't get an appetizer which didn't surprise me, but I'd get that girl to eat more eventually.
"Alright, Rose." Kyle began in a serious tone with his hands clasped on the table causing the whole table to turn and look at me. "Why are we here? Why aren't you back at Court? You promised us answers."
"I know, I know. I've been trying to think of a way to tell you guys everything." I sighed.
"Well, let's start from the beginning. I know you and the Princess ran away, but why?" Sydney asked.
"Victor Dashkov was wanting to use Lissa's Spirit ability to heal himself," I answered.
"Why'd you go back then? It was only when you went back that Dashkov got another go at you, right?" Christopher asked.
"We didn't go back willingly," I said looking down at my hands. "Dimitri was the one they got to bring us back."
"Dimitri? As in the guy that hurt you?" Jasper asked irritated.
"Wait, Dimitri Belikov?" Kyle asked before I could respond to Jasper's question.
"Yeah, that's him. He was Lissa's Guardian after his first charge Ivan Zeklos was killed." I mumbled taking a long drink of water. "They sent him and a dozen other Guardians to Portland to bring us back to the academy. If I was stronger, I probably would have been able to take most of them, but Lissa stopped me. When we got back to the academy, Kirova was going to kick me out, but Dimitri convinced her to let me stay. He was tasked with mentoring me after I'd missed two years of training."
"Did he take advantage of you? As your mentor, I mean." Kyle asked gently.
"No. No, nothing like that. Though, if you ask him, he might tell you a different story. He's the kind of guy that always tries to do the right thing, even if it's far from being the right thing." I said. "We fell in love. We didn't mean to, it just happened. We fought it for as long as we could. We'd finally given into our feelings when the Strigoi attacked the academy."
"He fell," Sydney stated. I'd never told her my whole story, just enough to answer her questions at the time.
"Not during the attack," I said. "Some were taken during the attack. I figured out where they were being taken and we launched a rescue mission. They didn't know we would be coming for those taken, they were careless, but they were stronger than us. We were so close to getting everyone out. Dimitri was the last one in the caves. That's when he fell.
"I watched as Nathan sank his fangs into Dimitri's neck. His eyes held mine as the life drained out of him. My mother dragged me out of the caves, kicking a screaming, and back behind the wards. I thought they were going to kill him, but when we went back for the fallen, his body wasn't there. He'd been turned."
"You were in Russia to kill him, correct?" Sydney asked softly as the server was delivering our appetizers. I waited until he was gone to answer.
"Yes. We'd made a promise to each other that if we were to be turned, we'd want someone to kill us. I took it upon myself to go after him. On my eighteenth birthday, I dropped out of the academy and made my way to Russia. I found him eventually, but he was waiting for me. He took me, kept me, fed from me. I don't know how long I was there, but eventually, I broke out. I killed the one running the operations and fled from the estate.
"Dimitri came after me. He hunted me for miles through the woods. He caught up to me as I was getting closer to a town. We had a face-off on an old bridge. By luck and luck alone, I staked him. I thought I had killed the man that I loved, but it turns out I didn't get the stake in far enough. He fell off the bridge, and the stake fell out of him. He sent it back to me when I'd made it back to the academy."
"He sent you your stake back?" Jasper asked shocked.
"Technically, it was his stake. I still have it. He told me in a note that came with it that he was coming for me when I graduated. He sent me several notes after that, all saying that I couldn't run, couldn't hide from him. He would find me and kill me. The day after I thought I'd killed him, we learned of a legend, a myth, of restoring a Strigoi to its former state."
"But it wasn't just a myth, was it?" Sydney asked raising an eyebrow. I smirked and shook my head.
"After I graduated, I hunted the myth. I figured out what I need to do to get my Dimitri back. I succeeded, but while his body was restored, his mind was scarred." I said taking another drink. The server came then and took our lunch orders.
"He pushed you away because of what he did in Russia," Kyle stated after the server had left, and I nodded in response.
"While I was in Russia looking for Dimitri, I met up with a few rogue Dhampirs. We hunted, torturing and killing Strigoi all over the city trying to get information. While I had a purpose for hunting, the rogues were doing it to rid the world of another Strigoi. After Dimitri finally broke me, I decided that's what I wanted to do. I want to do something good with my life, and protecting one Moroi isn't going to do that."
"You're a strong woman, Rose," Christopher said placing a hand on top of mine as it was shaking slightly from the recollection of events.
"Thanks," I said with a weak smile. Just then, I saw our food heading toward us and straightened in my seat. My stomach growled, alerting me to my previous hunger. After everyone had their food in front of them, I picked up my Something Different and took a massive bite.
I moaned in relief as I chewed the greasy goodness.
"Rosie. We talked about this." Christopher said as he cut into his steak.
"Sorry," I mumbled with my mouth full. Kyle chuckled as he bit into a deep-fried piece of cod. Jasper ignored Christopher and I as he tore into his BBQ ribs. Sydney just looked confused as she gently stabbed a piece of lettuce.
"So, that's why I'm here?" Sydney asked after a while of quiet chewing. "I'm here to take care of the bodies as they pile up."
"Partially. Abe said you're trained with a tattoo gun. I want credit for the kills we make. We're all promised Guardians, and I think we should bear the marks of those we kill. I was also hoping that you can use this as a research opportunity. I know it's not always easy getting your hands on Strigoi to experiment on, but we can attempt to help in the name of science." I said shrugging as I finished off my sandwich.
"In the name of science…" She chuckled. "I do have a few things that I would like to try. We've discovered a few things from what we've been able to do, but we don't have a good enough relationship with the Guardians to have them try our inventions."
"Well, I think you've established a pretty good relationship with at least four Guardians that can test out your inventions," I said excitement running through me.
"I'll see what they have ready for field testing," Sydney said pulling out her phone.
"Who wants dessert?" Jasper asked, looking over the dessert menu.
"That's the whole reason we came here, right?" I asked with a laugh.
"If I get something and don't eat it all, will you eat the rest of it?" Sydney asked almost shyly.
"As long as it's chocolate," I said with a grin.
"Is there any other kind of dessert?" She responded with a laugh.
"Yes, actually. Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, just enough fruit to let you trick yourself into thinking it's healthy." Kyle said raising his nose indignantly.
"Carrot Cake Cheesecake will allow you the same sort of misguided thinking." Jasper offered.
"Or you could stop kidding yourself and accept that you're going to eat a butt-load of chocolate and get a Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake," I said sweetly.
We all placed our dessert orders, Sydney decided on the Devil's Food Cheesecake to split with me and Christopher forwent cheesecake all together and got the Coffee Mountain High Sundae.
"Christopher, haven't you learned that eating to an excess is bad for your future self?" I asked after the server had left to put in our orders.
"I have learned that, but the promise of delicious food is worth the unwanted pain." He said with a blissful look on his face.
"I don't see how you guys eat so much on a normal basis," Sydney said.
"You know how we eat more than normal human beings and definitely more than Moroi. I'd say you live more on a Moroi diet, obviously without the blood part, though." Jasper said and chuckled as Sydney shuttered when he mentioned blood.
"I have a feeling that Rose is going to make me eat more while I'm here." She said sneaking an annoyed glace in my direction. I nodded and smiled triumphantly.
"How did you two meet?" Kyle asked after observing our encounter.
"Rose here was being stupid and leaving dead Strigoi out in the open," Sydney responded. The three Guardians looked at me in horror.
"Hey! I hadn't graduated, that's when they usually tell you about the secret organization that helps Guardians get rid of the bodies. I was dragging them into the open so the sun would take care of them!" I defended.
"I followed the string of dead Strigoi and found her. She saved me from a Strigoi that had been following me. During her time in Russia, I took care of more than a few dead bodies for her and her gang of rogues." Sydney said practically ignoring my defense.
"They weren't my gang of rogues." I scoffed. "They were helping me find Dimitri. It's hard to track a Strigoi on your own."
"Rose, I know you don't know this, so I'm going to tell you," Sydney said, leaning forward with a serious expression on her face. "During your time in Russia, Strigoi killings went up about 400% and dropped again when you were taken. The training you did with those rogues, they passed on. While Strigoi killings never reached the level they were at with you, they've gone up because of what you taught your gang of rogues."
I sat there stunned while she sat back in her chair, taking a leisurely sip of her water. Christopher and Jasper were looking excited at the prospect of going hunting with me while Kyle was looking like his normal worried self.
"I guess that makes up your gang, Rosie," Christopher said nudging my shoulder and effectively breaking me out of my daze.
"That makes us sound like Scooby-Doo," I said laughing.
"As long as I can be the Fred to you're Daphne," Christopher said with a wink.
"Does that make me Velma?" Sydney asked.
"Wait, that leaves us Shaggy and Scooby," Jasper said gesturing to himself and Kyle.
"Who's who?" I asked with a smirk. Kyle and Jasper shared a look before they declared their decision at the same time.
"I'm Scooby." As the words came out of their mouths they both turned and glared at each other.
"Guys, we're not Mystery Inc," I stated with a laugh.
"Fine, but can we at least think of it as a group costume for Halloween?" Christopher asked hope gleaming in his eyes.
"If it will make you happy," I said with a sigh. "As long as those two figure out who's going to be Shaggy."
Christopher adopted a large smile as Kyle and Jasper fell into a heated debate. I ignored them as a large piece of chocolate mousse cheesecake was set in front of me. I looked over at Sydney to see her eyes opened wide as she stared at her equally large piece of Devil's Food Cheesecake.
"You okay there, Sage?" Jasper asked with a smirk, turning his attention away from Kyle.
"This is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be." She mumbled before shrugging and digging in. In a very un-Sydney-like manner, she released a soft moan as the chocolate coated her tongue.
"Sydney, you're going to follow the same 'No-Moaning' rule that Rose has to follow," Christopher said pausing in the deconstruction of his giant sundae.
"Why does Rose have a 'No-Moaning' rule?" Sydney asked after wiping her face of excess chocolate.
"Because it does things to me." He responded with a smirk. "And I'm not taking any chances with Pavel or Abe."
"Pavel? How can you be scared of Pavel? He's, like, the sweetest man." Sydney said much in the same way that I had when Christopher told me he might be scared of Pavel.
"You two have no idea!" The three of them cried. Sydney and I both sat back in our chairs in shock.
"Geez, no need to be testy," I said holding up my hands in a defensive gesture.
"I just don't see how Pavel could take such a quick liking to an Alchemist," Jasper said a little peevishly.
"The same way you took such a quick liking to me," Sydney responded with a smirk.
"I'm hoping not that same way." Jasper quipped back. He quickly trapped Sydney's hand in his and placed a sensual kiss on the back of it. I couldn't help the smirk that spread across my face as Sydney's face developed a blush.
"Get a room already," Christopher mumbled.
"Are you ready to go?" Kyle asked, mainly for the purpose of breaking Jasper and Sydney apart.
"Ready. Are you ready to go back to shopping?" I asked.
"Rose, I think you've got plenty of things," Kyle said.
"Nah, Kyle," Jasper said sarcastically. "She's just got a dozen rompers with long skirts, a couple cloaks, and a few dozen pairs of killer heels. She needs more."
"Hey, no one asked for your opinion," I said standing from the table leading the way out of the restaurant.
"No one ever does, yet he gives it anyway," Christopher said solemnly. I looked up and down Broadway.
"Well, if you guys don't want to keep shopping, should we visit locations for hunting?" I asked trying to ignore the feeling that was creeping into my stomach.
"Yeah, there's one not too far from here," Jasper said taking the lead. I continued to look around, trying to pinpoint to the source of my feeling.
We followed as Jasper led us past several different theaters until he stopped right in front of one. The façade of the building looked old and run down, but Jasper stood in front of it looking quite pleased with himself. The marquee said this was Webster Hall.
"This place looks abandoned," Sydney said crossing her arms and looking at Jasper expectantly.
"It was. Since being abandoned, though, the place has been gutted and turned into a popular place for the kids to rave."
"You make yourself sound so old," I said with a laugh.
"I'm well past my raving days." He said with a haunted look in his eyes.
"Well, you best be getting back into your raving days, because we'll most likely be coming here," I said looking back at the building. "The stairwells to either side of the entrance, where do they lead to?"
"I think they go to the basement, but they usually keep them locked. They filter people into the basement through the main building, but if you tried hard enough you could probably get in and out by those stairs." Jasper answered.
"Any other entrances?" Kyle asked from beside me.
"There's a rooftop entrance, it leads to a catwalk, takes quite a bit of work to get to. There isn't a lot of seating area, but there are plenty of dark corners and typically a crowded dance floor." Jasper provided.
"How many other locations should we check out?" I asked turning back to the group.
"I think that we should have six or so locations in mind, but we shouldn't hunt every night or in any certain pattern," Kyle said. "We don't want anyone figuring out a pattern and setting up a trap for us."
"I agree. Maybe we should have Pavel choose a random location on a random day so even we don't know." Sydney suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea, but not just any random day, I don't want to go more than three days in between hunting," I said. "We won't be hunting for another week, but I'd like to be able to check out where we'll be so I can think up scenarios as backup plans for each location, just in case."
"I like the way you think," Kyle said throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Let's go get your bike and the car, and we'll head to the next location."
I wore a smile as we headed back to our vehicles, but I couldn't shake the strange feeling that I was having. I'd felt it slightly all day, but ever since we left the restaurant, the feeling has grown. I can't say that it was a bad feeling.
It felt like I was being watched, but not being watched in a menacing way, but in a protective way. Every time I looked in the direction I felt the eyes coming from, there was no one there, just tourists taking pictures or people pushing flyers in your face. The feeling always disappeared when I went looking for the source. It was starting to make me feel crazy.
"Rose, are you okay?" Christopher's voice brought me back. His hand cupped my cheek, worry lacing his voice and filled his eyes. His eyes flicked across my face, and I felt the feeling return.
"Yeah. I've just got this feeling I can't shake." I said glancing back over my shoulder, and, again, the feeling disappeared. I felt Christopher tense in front of me, and I turned back to him. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's just because I'm in the city. I'm not really a city girl."
"Even I could tell you that." Jasper scoffed from behind Christopher. I peeked around the Guardian in front of me and glared at him. "I mean, you're fitting right in. I would never have been able to tell that you aren't comfortable in the city."
"Mhmm…that's what I thought," I said still glaring. Christopher grabbed my hand, still looking behind me and continued walking toward where we'd parked our vehicles. Only when Christopher turned and faced in the direction we were walking did I feel the eyes return to me.
I glanced back over my shoulder once more when I saw it. It was quick, faster than a human, but it disappeared almost as soon as my eyes registered it was there.
"Come on, Rose." I heard Sydney call, cutting me off from turning around and running after whoever, or whatever, I just saw. Sydney was standing by Sasha, helmet in hand, looking very ready to mount the machine again.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said laughing. I picked up my pace and grabbed the second helmet from her. When I felt the eyes return to me seconds later, I forced myself not to look. I wasn't getting a negative vibe, so I might as well let them watch over us.
As we visited each location, the feeling stayed with me and my curiosity grew. Who was watching me?