Chapter Twenty Four - Incentive

A week had passed since Dimitri brought us to Abe's place after the Strigoi attack, and things had settled into an oddly comfortable routine. I'd expected everyone to be a lot more on edge given the heightened security we were under after the raid on St Vladimir's, but people seemed to of forgotten it for the most part - or at least they were suppressing it.

Christian, Lissa, Eddie, Adrian, and I would all have our academic lessons through out the day, courtesy of external Moroi's Abe had hired for the jobs. It was weird having one-on-one sessions with teachers I'd never met, but I found that I was learning a lot more than I would have been otherwise. In the afternoon, Abe would take the Royals for lessons on their magic, and Eddie and I were sent with Pavel and Dimitri to get our regular training in. It was pretty standard, and surprisingly easy to naturally slip into routine.

It was Friday evening and I'd just finished showering after my one-on-one lesson with Dimitri. I sat on the bed wrapped in a fluffy blue towel, my wet hair hung loosely around my shoulders as I searched in the drawers for some fresh clothes. I heard the door open and shut behind me, and I looked up just as I tossed some folded pyjamas besides me. "Hey, Comrade."

"Hey," he smiled as he made his way across the room, not-so-subtly taking in my half naked appearance. "Don't you look sexy." He hummed lowly as he leaned down and gave me a slow and sensual kiss, his hand skirting my cheek lightly. I smiled against his lips as I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, lowering myself to lay down as I pulled him with me.

He tore his lips from mine and pressed a kiss to the centre of my throat, and I tilted my head back with closed eyes. "As much as I love where you're going with this, Comrade," I gasped slightly as he licked a trail down to the top of my breasts. His hands roamed across my body, just the fabric of the towel blocking him from touching me completely. "I'd rather not have to have another shower."

His lips stilled at the top of my breast, and I heard him lightly sigh. He placed his forehead against my chest, and I smirked while stroking through his loose hair. "And as much as I love where I'm going with this, there's people downstairs waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" I narrowed my eyes as he pulled himself off me, standing up in front of me instead. "Who is it?"

"Why don't you get dressed and come find out." He shifted himself in his trousers as he walked away, and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Ah, the joys of being a woman.

He grabbed some of his own pyjamas from his side of the bed and changed into them, just as I did the same. I put on a tight grey tank top that had white lace on the neckline, with matching grey boyshorts with lace trimming on the leg. I walked over to the floor-length mirror at the end of the bed, smiling as I looked at my reflection. It was the perfect combination of casual yet sexy.

I spun around and grabbed a hair tie from Dimitri's side of the bed just as he finished changing into some grey sweatpants and a white tank top. He took one look at me, and groaned, turning to look away. "You're killing me here, Roza."

I giggled, placing a kiss on his cheek before skipping for the door. "I know." I headed down the stairs alone, hearing voices coming from the main lobby near the front door.

I wrapped my arms around my waist as I peered around the corner of the door, seeing only the backs of Pavel and Abe. "Hello?" I called out as I slipped inside, looking around curiously. Abe turned around at the sound of my voice, and I could see slight apprehension on his face as he took me in.

"Little Girl," he smiled, wrapping his arms around me in a loose hug. "How was your training session?"

"It was good, Old Man." I nodded as we pulled away, watching him curiously. "You know how hard Dimitri works me, though I'm not completely complaining." I winked suggestively with a mischievous smile, making my way around him and towards the door. "Who were you talking to anyw-"

Stood alongside two large suitcases were two people I'd never expected to see at that moment in time, not in Russia. The small yet formidable figure of my mother, alongside the tall, slender Alberta. "Mom," I glanced nervously between the pair of them, stepping back slightly to stand between Pavel and Abe. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to discuss the threat on your life." She said seriously with a scowl, her angry and disappointed voice scarring me immediately. I saw her glance up to my left, undoubtedly at Abe, before back at me. "And it appears we have several other things to discuss, as well."

I sat nervously in the main living room alongside Abe thirty minutes later, with Janine impatiently pacing up and down the room across from us. Alberta was sat on a single chair watching her curiously, while Pavel and Dimitri stood to the side dressed in Guardian Uniforms in an at-ease stance.

"Why was I not informed of this little arrangement sooner?" She was almost shouting as she stared at the spot in front of her as she walked, having not looked at either of us the entire time she'd arrived. "Don't you think that perhaps I deserved to know my daughter had reconnected with her father after 17 years?"

"Maybe if you hadn't left in the first place it wouldn't be an issue 17 years later." I mumbled sarcastically to myself as I slumped heavily back against the sofa, wishing nothing more than to just melt into it.

Janine stopped in her tracks and turned to face me then, her face a figure of fury. "How dare you, Rosemarie." She said, genuinely offended as she folded her arms. "I took you away to protect you. I decided a long time ago that I'd rather you grow up without your father, than for you to grow up in a toxic, dangerous environment."

"Toxic and dangerous?" I sat up and leaned across my knees as I looked at her incredulously. "In case you've forgotten, Mom, I'm a Dhampir. A mythical creature that is half Vampire. I train to kill evil Vampires with silver stakes, and I'm taught to throw my self into the fire for my Royal Vampire best friend. I think that's a pretty dangerous environment as it is - I can't even begin to imagine how much worse it could be."

"You know that isn't what I meant," she sighed heavily, closing her eyes. She took a moment for herself before walking over to sit at the other spare chair opposite us, leaning her elbows across her knees as she looked at me. "I'm not mad that you found him - I knew this day would come. What I'm mad about is that you didn't tell me."

"Like you didn't tell me who my dad even was?" I said with disappointment, shaking my head at her. I knew it was a low blow, but I couldn't understand what she was so upset about. It wasn't like I'd ran away from home and eloped with a stranger - I'd found my father. If that was a crime, then throw me in jail. "Abe has been nothing short of the perfect father since I came here to Russia, and even before then. He was the one who came to me at St Basil's, and he was the one who offered to protect me from the Strigoi. Him, Mom. Not you."

Her stern expression seemed to falter then. She raised her eyebrows in surprise as she sat back, pressing her lips into a tight line. I took in a deep breath as the guilt began to set in, and I looked away to the side so I didn't have to see the disappointment and sadness in her eyes. Abe placed a comforting hand on my lower back, and I glanced up at him from the corner of my eye in a silent thanks.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes after that, each of us being uncertain on how to continue the conversation. Eventually it was Alberta who broke the silence, being ever the diplomat. "I understand that this may be a very distressing and confusing time for everyone, however there is a more pressing matter at hand."

I wrapped my arms around my torso as I turned to face her, giving her my full attention. She wasn't here to witness a Hathaway feud - she was here to get a job done. It was the least I could do.

"Many of our best Guardians have been sent off to try and find the Strigoi responsible, though they have been unsuccessful." She explained solemnly, looking between everyone in the room. "Several missions have been devastating and resulted in tragedy, while the others have simply returned with nothing. We are desperate to find those that commanded the attack on the Academy, which is why myself, Guardian Hathaway here, and Headmistress Kirova scheduled a meeting with Queen Tatiana last week."

"Great," I said sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. "Queen B-iatch herself is involved." My mother gave me a scolding look, and I instantly retracted my sour expression to turn back to Alberta with a neutral expression.

She smiled affectionately at me, taking a deep breath before speaking. "She wants us to take an Incentive Approach." She said reluctantly, and immediately I shot up from my chair and looked at her in disbelief.

"Incentive?" I said incredulously, stepping forwards, the anger coursing through my veins. "She wants to feed me to the Strigoi as bait?"

"Easy, Kiz..." Abe grabbed my arms carefully and lowered me to sit back down besides him. I cast a wicked glance towards my mother, who's own gaze was focused on Alberta with a neutral expression. Abe kept his arm placed firmly around my back, probably as a precaution in case I tried to bolt again, before turning to the two Guardians. "Is that really such a smart idea?"

"That's what I said," Alberta said solemnly as she looked between myself and Abe. "However she insisted that it would be the only method that would yield any results. We've been searching for three months for the Strigoi, and we're no closer now than we were when Rose left. We had no other choice but to agree."

"Yeah, I'm sure Kirova was more than willing to send me to my death." I said bitterly.

"We're not sending you to your death, Rosemarie," Janine said impatiently as she looked towards me. I rolled my eyes at her words, though bit my tongue so I wouldn't retort. "We will stage a situation in which you will appear to be on your own near the main city of Omsk - that way, if there are in fact Strigoi hunting you here in Russia, they'll be more likely to find you. But you won't be alone. At least a dozen Guardians, including myself, will be stationed around the perimeter, hidden in the shadows so they won't be able to see us. The moment we see the Strigoi advancing for you, we attack, and retrace their movements back to their hideouts."

"Hopefully, they will lead us to whoever is orchestrating the attacks." Alberta agreed with a nod, looking to me with a sympathetic expression. "I promise you, Rose - we wouldn't put you out there without sufficient protection. You will be heavily guarded, and there is no way any Strigoi will be able to go near you."

I looked to the side in hopes to hide my face from Alberta and my mother, feeling simultaneously outraged and nervous. "And when, exactly, are you planning on all this going down?"

"Three days time." Janine said without missing a beat. "Monday 22nd. Queen Tatianna has already contacted across to the Russian Lower Court to organise it. There will be a message sent out across Omsk and the surrounding area to say to expect a Royal Moroi in transit. Of course, that 'Royal Moroi' will just be you. We hope it will be leaked or compromised to the Strigoi in the surrounding area, who will follow the trail to where we'll be expecting them at a Guardian Transit Camp in Lusino. That's where it will all go down."

"Looks like you've got it all figured out." I said painfully, slowly raising to my feet. I could feel Abe tense beside me, obviously worried I would lash out as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I raised my hands pointedly and dropped them to my sides with a sigh as I looked at my mother. "At least you decided to schedule it the day after my birthday. Might as well be eighteen before you make me Strigoi bait, right?" I saw her expression drop at that, and I gasped slightly as I narrowed my eyes. "Or did you forget that?"

She refused to look at me then, and I laughed humourlessly to myself. "Of course you did. Because all Janine Hathaway cares about is her God-damned career." I grumbled angrily as I stormed out of the room without looking back.

I had to physically restrain myself from stepping in as I watched my poor Roza argue with her mother about the mission, the anger I felt bubbling up inside me threatening to spill over. I knew as well as the next person that Queen Tatianna didn't consider Rose's safety when she thought about commencing an Incentive Approach, only concerning herself with the safety of the Royal Moroi that remained within St Vladimir's. She'd expressed her dislike for Roza long ago, and I couldn't imagine her ever worrying herself over a mere Dhampir Novice.

I watched her storm out of the room as she attempted to hold herself together, knowing her too well that this was her way of ensuring nobody else saw her falling apart. I swallowed hard as I glanced towards Abe, clearing my throat pointedly to get his attention. Everyone else in the room was too stunned to pay attention as Abe turned to face me, our silent conversation going unnoticed.

"Perhaps I should go check if she's okay," Janine offered as she began rising to her feet, though Abe raised a hand to cut her short.

"No, I think you've done enough damage for one day, Janine." He stood up and buttoned his white suit jacket up with a sigh, looking towards me. "Belikov, could you please go after my daughter. As I understand it, she'd be more willing to listen to you than any of us."

"Of course, Mr Mazur." I nodded formally, hastily making my way out of the room. I wasn't entirely sure where she could have run off to, her usual hiding places back at St Vladimir's not being compatible with Abe's mansion.

I decided to start with the kitchens, though that idea proved to be a bust. I headed up to check our bedroom next, finding that also to be empty. The last place I could think of was the training room, so I made my way down to the basement in search.

I heard her rhythmic panting before I saw her as I walked into the training room, scouting out the place before finally settling on my darling Roza. Despite being dressed in pyjamas and not in suitable work out clothes, she was laying on the sit up bench with her feet safely tucked under the padded roll at the end. Her hands were behind her head as she moved at a steady pace, releasing short puffs of breath with each sit up.

I slowly shut the door behind me before heading my way over to her. I knew I was close enough for her to see me, but she made no indication of noticing my presence as she continued to barrel onwards. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and chest, and if I hadn't known she was in distress I would have thought the sight to be extremely attractive and sexy.

But I knew she was just forcing her frustration to the back of her mind, instead trying to forget it all by working out. I sat down on the floor besides her head, resting my arm on the side of the work out bench. "Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said breathlessly without missing a beat in her sit ups, keeping her face a neutral expression as she looked forwards. "My Mom forgot about my birthday and she's decided to make me Strigoi bait for her little mission. What's to talk about?"

"Roza," I grabbed her arm firmly, forcing her down and interrupting her sit up. She huffed at me, dropping her hands to the side as she looked at me. "Talk to me. Please."

She opened and closed her mouth several times as she tried to speak, the frustration emerging from her. She sighed in defeat, swinging her legs off from the bench and standing up. She ran her hands through her hair and walked forwards, away from me. "I'm pissed, okay?" She laughed shakily as I got to my feet, remaining close behind her. "I'm pissed that she thinks she can just waltz around making decisions that doesn't concern her."

"And that's incredibly wrong of her," I captured her wrist gently and spun her around to face me. There were tears in her eyes as she looked up at me. I immediately pulled her into my arms, whispering calming words of Russian into her ear as she cried into my shirt. "She's just trying to protect you, Roza. I know it may not seem like it, but she really does care about you."

"Yeah, right." She scoffed through the tears, holding me tighter. "All she cares about is her precious reputation. Get rid of the Strigoi problem and she'll be labelled a hero. Who cares if her daughter gets hurt in the process?"

"You won't get hurt, Roza. I won't let you." I said firmly, pulling away from her far enough so I could see her face. I wiped the tears away from her cheek with my thumb, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be there, Janine will be there, I'm sure Pavel will put himself forward. You'll be surrounded by the best Guardians on offer - you'll be safe. I promise."

She seemed to consider that for a moment, and the tears stopped as the realisation of the situation began to set in. She placed her hands on my chest and wiped the wetness from her eyes. "Are you sure they've thought this through? Is there nothing else we can do?"

"Our hands are tied, Roza. Once the Queen sets her mind to something, there's nothing we can do." I said sadly with a shake of my head, running a hand through her hair. "Like Alberta said, they've been searching for three months and found nothing. The sooner they find the Strigoi responsible and put an end to it, the sooner you will be safe again. And your safety is all I care about."

She sighed softly again, placing her head against my chest. We remained like that for a few minutes as she settled again, just absorbing each other's presence. "I don't think I can go back out there again, not today."

"Then we don't have to," I reassured her as she pulled away. "You go up to bed and I'll tell Alberta and Janine that you've had a long day, and you'll talk to them tomorrow."

Roza smiled up at me, shifting up onto her tiptoes to kiss me sweetly. "Thank you." She whispered, sliding her hand down my chest as she walked away.

So I've been having ideas about another VA fanfic, and I'd like to know which of the following you like the sound of (for my next fanfic);

+ Human AU, a detective/police style fanfic. All the Romitri romance and smut, and all the drama and action, just in a detective AU.
+ Human AU, a boy-meets-girl type fanfic where Dimitri and Rose come from two different ways of living. One is a high-profile business mogul while the other is an adrenaline junkie, though through unlikely circumstances they land in each other's worlds.

So, please, tell me which you like the sound of more! I'll take it all into consideration when deciding which one to write. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.