She was amazing. I couldn't take my eyes off her even if I wanted to. I'd been on the receiving end of those three's attack and hadn't been able to fend them off, but she made them look like first-year novices going up against a seasoned Guardian.
They were down within three minutes of their first attack. Rose was moving so fast that I could barely keep up with her, and I wasn't even in the fight.
"Alright, maybe fighting Rose isn't the best way for you three to get better," Pavel said as Rose stood up.
"Perhaps I could be of some assistance?" I called from my spot before I could process what my mouth was doing.
"I'm not sure that would be a good idea," Pavel said hesitantly looking at the Guardians' faces.
"Why not?" I asked a little hurt that they wouldn't use my skills and knowledge to potentially better themselves.
"Because we hate you." The sandy blond, Jasper, growled.
"You don't even know me," I growled back. They knew what Rose told them. I'm sure she told them the truth, but they didn't know how much I loved her, still do. I wanted to prove myself to them, prove to them that I could protect not just her body but her heart, also.
"But we do. We know what kind of person you are. You showed us that yesterday and Rose has told us plenty." The brown haired, Kyle, said firmly.
"Then you really should have no problems fighting me," I said pulling my mask back on. "In fact, that should be all the more reason for you to fight me."
"I'll fight." The dirty blond, Christopher, said stepping forward with his hand raised. I couldn't help the scowl I gave him but stepped forward nonetheless. I watched Rose as she moved to stand slightly behind Pavel.
I was confident in my ability to take this Guardian down. I knew nothing about his fighting style, but I could fend the three of them off, with great difficulty and not for long, so I was pretty sure that I could beat one of them by himself.
I'm sure that Christopher thought that I wasn't as skilled as him, though, I'd trained Rose. She was a product of her own dedication and my knowledge. She would have been a force to be reckoned with on her own but mixed with my teachings, she was unstoppable. Not to toot my own horn or anything.
I waited for Christopher to make the first move. Right before he attacked, I saw Rose move, and my eyes were instantly drawn to her. I barely had enough time to block the punch to my face as I tried to focus back on the fight. Rose's face was still blank, and I longed to be able to read her again.
I focused back into the fight, wanting to prove to her that I'd fight for her. I'd be more than capable of protecting her. I decided I needed to toy with the man in front of me first. If he thought he could protect my Roza better than I could, he's sadly mistaken.
I planted my back foot. Most of the time this would signal a kick of some sort, but I needed to know how fast Christopher could think on his feet. Using my back foot as a launching point, I lunged forward, a fist aimed at his sternum.
He thought fast and did exactly what I thought he would. I was down on my knee and staked before I knew it. Perfect.
"Again?" I asked looking up at him trying to keep the smug look off my face. I'm not sure how successful I was.
"Sure?" He said hesitantly. I saw Roza cock her head slightly to the side from the corner of my eye but focused on the Guardian in front of me.
Much like the last time, I waited for him to make the first more. This time I put all of myself into this fight. Punch after punch was blocked, but I never retaliated. I could see that he was slowing down and growing more annoyed. Sweat was starting to collect on his brow as I continued to block his attempts.
I could feel my arms begin to ache with the continuous blocking, but I felt good as I kept it up. I effortlessly switched to the offensive, and Christopher gladly took the opportunity to back up and get a moment of relief before I was back on him. I pulled my punches, letting him believe that was most of what I was capable of.
I lulled him into a false sense of security by weakening my punches even further. I saw relief flash in his eyes as he believed that the fight was winding down, and it was. This had been going on for about ten minutes, and I thought it time to end it.
I quickly placed a powerful punch to Christopher's sternum, sending him flying to the mats. Before he could suck in the breath that he'd lost, I was over him, my fist coming down over his heart.
I stood tall as Christopher relaxed into the floor breathing heavily. I fixed my gaze back on Roza, but her eyes met mine this time. I tried my hardest to convey every emotion I could just by looking at her. She was beautiful. She was strong. She was perfect.
She was mine.
I wouldn't stop until I had her. She looked away from me and down at the body of the Guardian who was still recovering from my victory. I continued to look at Roza, hoping that she'd look back at me.
"Alright, Belikov," Pavel said finally. "You will be training with us from now on. You're mainly going to be in charge of sparring with those three. I'll be helping Rose out with weapons, and we'll occasionally do another group attack just so she has practice."
I only nodded in response, keeping my eyes on Roza as the three Guardians came to stand around her protectively.
"Don't think this changes anything, Belikov," Christopher said blocking my view of Roza.
"Yeah, we still hate you." Jasper finished. I accepted that they all hated me. However, I would not accept that Roza hated me. I'd felt many things, many emotions, from Roza, but hatred was not one of them.
I was happy that I got to work with those three because I could train them to better protect Roza. I had every intention of protecting her myself, but if I should fall again, I needed them to take care of her.
I spent the rest of the training session getting to know Jasper's, Kyle's, and Christopher's fighting style. I tried hard not to stare at Rose. She was distracting. I know I'd told her that distractions get you killed, but I'd die happy knowing that she was the distraction.
Rose spent the remaining time staying close to Pavel. They didn't start on weapons work, though she did pull out her swords on more than one occasion. I don't know why, but it was erotic to see how Rose handled her sword. Her grip was firm and her movements precise.
There were numerous times when Christopher or Jasper would either snap in front of my face or slap me to draw my attention away from Roza. Kyle was watching me with a calculating expression. I didn't know what to make of it, but I had a feeling that if I wanted to get back into Roza's life I needed to talk to Kyle.
Christopher and Jasper were going to be a little harder to convince, but I was determined to have her back. I probably needed to talk to Abe, also. I might have been assigned to Roza, but I was working for Abe. He had the ability to get rid of me, in more ways than one. He could also make Roza disappear, and I doubt that I would ever be able to find her if he did.
I knew that Abe only brought me here because of my grandmother, but I wanted to prove to him that I love his daughter. I wanted to prove it to everyone.
Suddenly a loud growl erupted amongst the grunts and punches. All heads swiveled toward Roza. I knew it was only a matter of time before her appetite halted our progress. I loved hearing her stomach growl, and I wasn't the only one.
Christopher and Jasper laughed uncontrollably, and even Pavel and Kyle had smiles on their faces. Roza turned an adorable shade of pink and avoided making eye contact with anyone. My heart clenched as Jasper and Christopher placed an arm around her shoulder and led her upstairs.
Pavel ignored me as he started his own workout, but Kyle stepped closer to me.
"You and I will have a discussion later." He said and continued up the stairs.
I felt a momentary panic before I remembered that I needed to talk to him anyway. After a moment's hesitation, I followed them upstairs.
"Your love is all I desire." I heard Jasper say as I entered the kitchen. I froze in place as he reached out and gently touched Roza's face. A possessive growl escaped my chest when neither of them pulled away. Kyle and Roza turned around slowly in their seats to stare at me, but I was more focused on Jasper.
Christopher came up behind me and patted me on the shoulder without saying a word as he headed toward Roza.
"Can I get in on that free love?" Christopher asked, and I turned my glare away from Jasper and toward him.
"It's not free love, Christopher," Roza said leaning closer to him, putting their faces closer than I would have ever liked them to be. "I expect something in return."
"Name it, it's yours," Christopher smirked.
"I. Want. You," Roza stated. My heart shattered momentarily before she continued, "to make me food."
"You're a tease, Rosie," Christopher said with a sigh, but he moved away to help Jasper with lunch. I didn't know what they were making but it was a lot of vegetables, something I didn't know Roza would eat.
"I thought you said you'll be training in the afternoons?" Abe's voice rang out as he entered the kitchen. I heard Roza curse in Russian, but it was quiet enough that Abe didn't hear it clearly. "What was that?"
"Nothing." She said quickly turning to face him with an angelic look. Had it been any other man, that look would have them on their knees. "I was just really excited about training, Baba. I couldn't wait. Please don't be too mad."
"I'm not mad, Kiz." Abe sighed. "But you are going to take the afternoon off. You're not training again today. It's up to you to decide if you want to train in the morning or in the afternoon, but you're not doing both."
"I understand." She said smiling at him before her look turned serious. "I have some things I need to discuss with you after lunch, privately."
Her voice sounded menacing. I knew I didn't want to be Abe right now. I'd never been on the full receiving end of Roza's fury, but I'd seen enough of it to know I never want to be.
I couldn't sit right next to Roza, but I could sit on the other side of Kyle and that was close enough.
"Chicken or pork?' Christopher asked looking in the fridge.
"I've got a thing for swine," Roza replied with a shrug. I winced slightly at the dig.
Jasper raised an eyebrow at the comment while Christopher looked amused.
"You guys want to go for a swim after my meeting with Baba?" Roza asked when the only sound in the kitchen was cooking meat. The kitchen was tense, and I had a feeling that I was the cause. Roza and I used to have such a carefree relationship, but now everything's just tense.
"I could use a swim, especially if you're wearing that bikini again," Christopher said with a wink. I felt another growl rumbling in my chest and fought hard to keep it down. Roza wasn't mine, yet.
"I'm not promising anything. Besides, that was my most conservative swimsuit." She said with a smirk. "I was actually hoping to get some tanning in, but I hate tan lines, so you guys may have to vacate the beach for a few hours."
"We don't have to leave the beach, Rosie. I promise we won't look." Jasper said raising his right hand.
"Speak for yourself," Christopher responded with a look that made the growls emerge so quickly I couldn't stop them.
"Behave yourself, Guardian Fleming," Roza responded making me feel a little better. Usually, she'd flirt back, but I don't know what was different about this time.
"What smells so good?" The Alchemist, Sydney, I think, said, her voice still containing remnants of sleep.
"Jasper and Christopher are cooking lunch," Roza replied. "Did you just get up?"
"Yeah, Pavel tried to wake me this morning for your training, but I didn't want to leave that bed."
"I know how that feels." Roza laughed, and my heart swelled at the sound. "We'll probably be training in the afternoon after today, though. You can sleep as late as you want for the next week. After that, hopefully, we'll be ready to get out and scout."
"Have you talked about setting up a routine with Pavel?" Kyle asked from beside me. I didn't know what routine they were talking about, but I'd figure it out soon enough.
"Not yet. I explained a little of it to him this morning during our run but didn't go into too much detail." Came Roza's response, though she seemed a little distracted as the stir-fry was being served.
Christopher took two bowls, one for Roza and one for himself, and motioned for Roza to follow him into the dining room. Roza quickly jumped down from her spot at the breakfast bar and followed the food. I felt a smile tug at my lips at her love of food. Jasper did a similar thing with his and Sydney's bowls while Kyle got his own. I was just about to join them when I saw something that made my blood freeze.
Roza's lips were on Christopher's cheek. It was friendly, but I couldn't stop the thoughts that ran through my mind. What if she was moving on? What if she really didn't want me anymore?
She said yesterday that she still loved me, against her better judgment but still. I know I love her with my entire being, but what if she didn't anymore? I told her love fades, and it does when it's not true love, but I thought what we had was real.
My heart squeezed in a painful way, and the air that should have filled my lungs escaped me. My chest was burning as my heart shattered at the image of Roza moving on. She could be better with someone that wouldn't hurt her, but the thought of her not being with me was more painful than the thought of her with anyone else.
I left the room quickly, trying to rid the pictures from my mind. I was halfway up the first flight of stairs when I felt my pain abate. I knew it was Roza. Even if I hurt her, she'd never want me to be in pain. I paused momentarily to think of what it could mean, but I decided it's just the kind of person Roza is. She didn't do it to help me, but because it's who she is.
I continued upstairs to my room, willing the pain that I felt to leave. Roza might have taken some of it, but it was still there. It wasn't going anywhere.
I stared out across the ocean, watching the light as it danced across the surface. I don't know how long I stood in front of the windows, but I only stopped staring across the ocean when Roza came out.
She paused momentarily to take off her swimsuit coverup. My breath caught in the back of my throat, and my mouth went dry. She was stunning, magnificent, perfect. I knew she was but seeing it is a completely different experience.
Jealousy ran cold through my veins as the Guardians came out to join Roza, though they didn't enter the water with her. I decided I needed to do something. I needed to convince Roza that I was dedicated to her and her alone. She was what I needed in life, and I was determined to do everything I could to make her mine again.
If she didn't want me after I'd tried, I'd leave her be even if it would kill me.
I turned from the windows and the outstanding view of my Roza. I exited my room and made my way down the hall. I stopped in front of Abe's office door and knocked purposefully.
"Enter." I heard from within and turned the knob. "Belikov. What can I do for you?"
"I want to talk to you about Roz– Rose." I stumbled. His eyes narrowed at the mention of his daughter, and he motioned to the chair across from him. While the couches across the room looked much more inviting, I accepted the uncomfortableness of the situation.
"What about Rose?"
"I want to pursue her," I stated firmly.
"Pursue her?" Abe restated questioningly with raised eyebrows.
"Yes. I understand you must hate me after what I did to her, but I want to make it right. I love her. I miss her. I can't not have her in my life. I want your permission to let her know my intentions. I want to make her happy." I explained.
"And if you can't?" He asked, his eyes narrowing again.
"If she doesn't want me, I'll leave. You'll never see me again." I said wincing.
"You'll leave? Leave her? Never contact her again?" He asked leaning forward, his hands folded in front of him.
"If she asks it of me. If she'd rather stay friends, I can be her friend. If she just wants me to be her Guardian, I will be the best Guardian she can have. If she doesn't want to ever see me again, I'll leave and never return." I said, hoping that she'd want me and wouldn't send me away. I could barely go one day without having Roza in my life.
"Alright, Belikov. I believe you. I believe you can make her happy, but you're going to be working for it. She's not a reasonable person all the time. She's going to make your life hell until you can prove yourself to her." I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face despite his threatening words.
I had his permission. I just needed hers.
I stood and shook his hand before returning to my room. Roza was still floating in the water, and her face adopted a smile. She looked relaxed in the water. I wanted to be close to her, so I changed and headed for the beach.
I doubt she'd feel comfortable with me in the water with her, but I could sit on the beach and just watch her. Kyle came and sat down next to me, and we had a conversation similar to the one I'd had with Abe.
"I'm not promising anything, but I'll try to keep those two off your back," Kyle said gesturing toward Jasper and Christopher. After he left, I turned to find Roza staring at me. I beckoned to her, hoping that she'd come to me. She did.
"How are you feeling?" She asked breaking the silence.
"I've been better," I said lamely. "Rose. I want to ask you something."
"What do you want to ask me?" She asked looking over at me, though I couldn't meet her gaze.
"I want to start over," I stated.
"That's not a question, Dimitri." She said. "If you want to start over, why are you here? Being back here with me isn't starting over."
"That's not what I meant." I sighed. "I want us to start over. You had said yesterday that the man you fell in love with died in the caves in Montana. I told you yesterday that wasn't true, except that it is. I'm not the same man I was back in the academy. I'm definitely not the monster I was during my time as a Strigoi."
"What are you getting at?" She asked cautiously.
"I'm not the same person I was when we fell in love. You're not the same person you were when we fell in love. I'm asking if we can start over."
"Start over?" She repeated.
"Yes. I've done some stupid things since being restored, Rose. The things I did to you as a Strigoi were horrible, but my actions as a man were worse, far worse. I want to fall in love with you again. I want you to give us a chance, to give me a chance." I pleaded.
"So, we start over? A new slate?" Her brown eyes looking up into mine.
"Yes. That's all I want. If this doesn't work out, I'll leave, and you won't ever have to see me ever again." I said firmly, though the pain in my chest told me it would be hard to leave her even if she wanted it of me.
I could see the war waging in her eyes. The life that had once lived there started coming alive, and with it, my hope grew.
"I think I can give you a chance but only as a friend." She said softly. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I can work on it. I stuck my hand out for her to shake.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Dimitri Belikov. I'll be your guardian."
"Hi, Dimitri." She said with a small smile. "I'm Rose Hathaway, and I don't need a guardian."
"From what I understand, you don't have much of a choice," I said lightly.
"I know, but don't think I'm going to be happy about this." She responded rolling her eyes.
She looked happy.
Hey guys,
This was around the time in Under the Moonlight where I found that I enjoyed writing from Dimitri's perspective more than writing for Rose's, so the majority, if not all, of the rest of this story will most likely be written from Dimitri's perspective.
I hope you all have a wonderful day!
~Victoria