Chapter 7- Poetry in Motion
The next several weeks flew by in a rush. Every day seemed routine. I woke up next to the love of my life, exhausted. When had sleep stopped being restorative? Mornings were one time of the day where we could prove our love for one another, along with our nighttime rituals. Most of the day we played rigid guardians in the room, although Dimitri and I did have more leeway than other guardians. We were both considered confidants. But when we left our suite each morning, we both attempted to be professional. There would be times where we slipped up though, including stolen kisses in a hallway, or me intruding in the men's restroom. None of the other guardians seemed to mind when we occupied a stall for a while. It made me feel a little wild, something I needed to feel. I hated it, but I had begun to feel restless. We were safe, yes, but that meant there was no action happening. Sneaking off and breaking some tiny rules allowed me to temporarily quench this dissatisfied feeling in me. It's not that I wasn't happy with where I was or who I was with. I had always wanted to be Lissa's guardian, and I was pleased being in that position. I was also content being with Dimitri. There was just this feeling of restlessness growing inside of me. I am a person of action. It fueled my soul, and sitting around calmly wasn't something I was good at.
It didn't help that I followed Lissa around all day. Either she was working on her college homework, working on moving the laws, or in meeting with delegates of power. Lissa was a mastermind in working the nuances of the system. She would meet privately with people, make them feel heard and special. It was something that was endearing her to almost all who met her. They realized she cared about her position, and the responsibilities it carried. She honestly felt like it was her duty to serve all of her people, which made her multitask to the max. There were also parties, but not really the fun kind. Yes there was drinking, but the parties were always full of prim and proper royals. They were nearly always drinking and conniving for the best position of power. These people sickened me. I always had the privilege of playing near guard during these events. I suppose it is an honor escorting Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, monarch of the Vampiric world. Lissa would have fun and dress me up, but it meant I also got to stay by her side in the most boring of conversations. I was feeling edgy. I needed a good Strigoi attack or something to spice up my life, although I didn't want Strigoi anywhere near Lissa. Both Lissa and Dimitri seemed to be able to perceive my restlessness.
Lissa attempted to help by putting me in charge of some training exercises with the Royal Guard. No one in the security department wanted us to get rusty. We had to keep calm but perpetually be on guard as well. Lissa had hoped that overseeing these trainings would burn off some of the restlessness I felt. In some ways, she was right. I pushed these training sessions hard. Everyone in the Royal Guard needed to be able to take the heat. There was no way I was going to go easy on anyone who was part of the Queen's special force. As far as I was concerned, she deserved the best of the best. I was ruthless. My philosophy was if they couldn't keep up hopefully they would learn from the experience and do better next time. During these classes, I would choose the hardest opponent each time and spar against them. I always hoped for a good fight. Many didn't have as many molnija marks as I possessed, which gave me a certain amount of experience. It gave me an evident edge over my opponents. In the total scheme of things, I lost very few times. The few occasions where I wasn't victorious, I almost felt better. It made me feel like there were still people who could help keep me on my toes. That feeling would vanish when I would beat them the next time. It only added to this feeling of discontentment I had been feeling lately. I was getting the reputation as a bad ass guardian, but also as a royal bitch. I pulled punches for no one. This last week, Dimitri had taken time to come and watch these training exercises. It was truly helping to keep the Royal Guard on their toes so we didn't get rusty. They were improving, but so was I.
Today in particular, I was acutely frustrated. No one had beaten me in a while, which was causing me to act like a substantial bitch. I wouldn't dismiss the class, even though the practice had ran over significantly. We were all sweating up a storm, but I felt like there was some milestone they just weren't getting. I was sparring with one guardian in particular whom I had a lot of trouble with lately. Why can't he just fucking learn? We have gone over this move a million times, and I can still beat him with it over and over. The way I was running him ragged today, and not pulling my punches, I knew he would be sporting bruises from me tomorrow. If he would learn this move though, he wouldn't have visible marks from me. I wasn't holding back. A Strigoi wouldn't hold back.
"Rose." It was one word, and it was spoken from across the room. It wasn't even spoken loudly, but I knew who it was coming from. Everyone heard it. It had been dead silent in the room except for the grunting of sparring, or my commands. No one dared to speak while I was in this agitated mood. No one except for Dimitri. I disengaged my opponent before I looked up at him. The guardian seemed extremely relieved to be getting a break. Dimitri had taken the look as consent to walk across the training room floor. Everyone seemed to stop when they saw Dimitri. His presence demanded respect.
"Did I tell you to stop?" I barked at the room, louder than I needed to. Even I had to internally admit that I sounded extremely bitchy. Everyone stiffened and went back to sparring, although they were all still trying watch us along with their opponents. Dimitri walked up to me, sporting his natural graceful gate. He was looking down at me, the fondness he has for me showing in his eyes.
"Did you realize that you have ran this class over an hour past normal?" He asked, a knowing glint in his eyes. He knew me well. I glanced back at the clock. I shrugged as if it were no big deal, but I was antsy per usual as of late.
"We will finish off when everyone gets this move down." I said in a voice of forced casual. By the look in his eye, he knew exactly what was going on.
"If I had trained you like that, then you would have died the first week." He said teasingly, with a small amount of laughter in his voice. It only made my body stiffen, as if he was mocking my training techniques.
"It's a move they should have mastered already. Most of them already have it, there is just a few who need to catch up." I said, crossing my arms in a protective stance.
"They aren't going to be able to complete it if they are exhausted Rose. Give them a break, let them prove themselves to you next session." He explained.
"This group should be the most elite fighting force in the world, they should already know these moves." I said huffily. "Lissa deserves the best." Dimitri usually had a calming effect on me, but not tonight. I was itching to fight again, my body wanting to twitch in anticipation. I hadn't gotten my fix yet, and I needed to relieve this restlessness.
"This isn't about Lissa-" Dimitri started, but I interrupted him. He had just flared my temper that had been so easy to ignite lately.
"Of course it's about Lissa. What else would it be? There are tons of people out there trying to kill her. Not only do Strigoi want to kill her to wipe out her Royal line, but there are also Moroi trying to assassinate her now that she's Queen. We have proof of that. She deserves and needs the best protection we can offer her." I said icily. I was ready for this conversation to be over.
"We both know this is about you. You've been easily agitated lately, and now you're taking it out on them." Said Dimitri, taking a step towards me and casting his voice low. When he said the word 'them', he gestured to the rest of the class who were sparring. I raised my chin up at him defiantly before speaking.
"Maybe I wouldn't be agitated if they could beat me more often than when they get a lucky break." I said, raising my voice a little. There was that temper again. You're being a bitch again. Dimitri's eye brow rose in one of those iconic Dimitri expressions.
"Is that what this is about? You want a good match?" He said, pausing before continuing. I narrowed my eyes at him, not agreeing. In this moment, I didn't like that he could read me that well. "Alright. Dismiss the class and I'll spar with you." He said simply. I cocked my head to the side, interested in the idea, but not wanting to give in too quickly.
"That doesn't help them learn the move." I said, in my still bitchy tone.
"They will be able to rest so they can pick it up next time. They'll learn nothing while exhausted. Dismiss the class and then I'll give you the fight you need." He reiterated. I couldn't admit it aloud, but he was right. Exhaustion wasn't going to help them learn better. Plus, I knew Dimitri had to skill to rival my own; it was just the challenge I had be yearning for. He smiled as he knew he had won. I glared at him a little before moving to face my class. He started slinking out of his brown leather duster. As I surveyed my class, I noticed that each sparring team was acutely aware of my presence.
"Alright, Stop." That was all I had to say for everyone to come to an abrupt halt. They were panting with sweat glistening off of their bodies. I was also sweating, although I hadn't worked quite as hard as they had. "You guys can take off of the night. Those who haven't learned the move we worked on today, need to practice it. Hopefully you can master it before our next session." I said, looking over all of them. They all seemed to be nodding in understanding, while trying to catch their breaths. "Dismissed." I said, with a tone of finality coating my voice. I watched them disperse, but they didn't actually leave. They were moving to the different walls around the padded room. I turned back to look at Dimitri, who was stretching. I watched as the Russian Dhampir battle god stretched out his long limber muscles. It almost made me smile, but I had put on my game face. Dimitri and I had become pretty well matched since I had first started training with him. I took this time to stretch as well. My muscles were already loose due to being in training for a couple hours already, but no need to take any chances. We were watching each other, not as two lovers watch one another, but as two rivals. Two equals. Dimitri smiled at me, and I tilted my head. I knew it was a confidence tactic he was using. Frame of mind could greatly affect one's ability to battle. If he could get my confidence to waiver, then it would give him an edge above me. No such luck comrade.
Dimitri rose and strode to the middle of the room. I followed him, allowing myself the chance to look around again. Not a single one of the guardians who attended the class had left. They must have heard the conversation between Dimitri and I. They wanted to watch the fight. I turned back to Dimitri who was watching me intently.
"I've been waiting for someone who can knock me on my ass, Comrade. Up for the challenge?" I said playfully, my body coiling in excitement. It had been too long since we had sparred together. A playful banter had always been a part of our training rituals. We hadn't even started yet, but I could tell this was exactly what my body needed. A good fight. A fight against someone who could really challenge me. A fight against Dimitri.
"You act like it would be a first time. I've pinned you to the ground more times than I could count." He shot back, smiling. He also looked like he was going to enjoy this.
"So that's your way of admitting you can't count very high?" I teased, my eyes shining. Yes. This is what I need, or it will be once the fight actually commences.
"No, that's my way of saying you're always on your back when it comes to me." He joked right back. I'm sure everyone in the room caught the double meaning. It was no secret that Dimitri and I were involved. I smiled, striding one step closer. That was my way of engaging the target. If he lunged, I would be in reach. I bent my knees, readying myself for action. I began to sway back and forth a little, feeling my opponent out, feeling Dimitri out.
We began to circle each other like lions, assessing each other's weaknesses. I knew he was much taller than me, which gave him an edge over me in general. But I knew how to counter that particular advantage. I also knew that he would be expecting those moves. He is also stronger than I am. That's not an implication that I am weak, but merely that men in general are able to house more muscle than women. This case was no different, and my Russian god holds plenty of strength in those muscles of his. I was definitely strong for a woman. I was also a slimmer target, along with being faster. I knew I could use his height and weight against him. He was looking at me in a similar manner, coming to his own similar conclusions. We had fought many times over the past year. We knew each other pretty well. Hell, he had taught me most, if not all, of my moves.
My body was tense, and ready for action, but it didn't drive me to move impulsively. I knew I would get the tough fight my body so craved. I was enjoying dragging it out, reveling in it. One thing Dimitri tried so hard to teach me over the year was patience. In this moment, you would have thought I was a perfect pupil. For wildly different reasons than at night in our private suite, Dimitri was the only one in the world to me. Nothing else existed.
When Dimitri took the first move, I was ready for him, evading effortlessly. It was now my turn to make a move, which Dimitri anticipated. It was like a carefully choreographed danced with series of attacks and dodges. It was like a game of chess, one move carefully planned after another. We were laying traps for each other, which led to us finally landing blows on one another. Although, that was just the beginning. Sweat was glistening off of both of our bodies, the moves we were executing were not easy feats. I felt like poetry in motion. Here was the fight I needed, the release my body so desperately craved. It felt like sex for a different part of my soul.
The room was silent, except for our panting and grunts as we executed moves and took strikes. I knew in no uncertain terms that this is what my body had been made for – fighting. It had been my life's calling to be a guardian. With a Strigoi, this would have been a dance of death. With Dimitri, this was a highly skilled recreational defensive dance. I could see the joy in his eyes as well. He knew and understood exactly how I was feeling. Our fates were intertwined, our bodies evenly matched for one another. He had taught me well, and I had been inspired to impress him. At this moment, nothing else mattered but my next move. I was tiring. No, we were tiring.
I had no clue how much time had passed. All that mattered was anticipating the next blow, although they were becoming harder and harder to evade. I noticed I was landing more hits on Dimitri as well. I knew that it was time to end this dance. It was time to decide who would become the victor. Both of our moves became riskier. With risk comes reward or failure. After one particularly risky move from Dimitri, I was able to throw him off balance and make him tumble to the ground. I immediately followed him, but was unable to successfully pin him. He managed to buck his hips upwards, a move I would have relished in the bedroom. It caught me off balance. It threw me to the right and forward by fractions of an angle. In one smooth motion, it allowed him to grab my wrist and continue that momentum, tossing me to the ground. Before I could react, he was on top of me, pinning my limbs to the floor. I tried to buck him off, as he had me, but it was unsuccessful. I continued to attempt to fight against him, to no avail. I looked up into his eyes, which were sparkling with desire. We were panting, and thoroughly saturated with sweat. I could feel his chest heaving for air on top of mine. It was a very comfortable weight on top of me. I didn't want him to move. We were still in our own little world. His face was inches above mine, and I wanted nothing more than transform this into a sensual environment. I could feel that passion burning inside of me. I knew part of me enjoyed being pinned down on the ground like this, helpless to his every whim. Dimitri knew it too. His eyes darkened as his desire grew, sending chills down my spine.
It was then that the clapping finally registered in my ears. Startled, I looked around. Dimitri seemed to have just now noticed as well. I suddenly remembered where we were, and who was watching us. Several of my students were striding over to us, offering their hands to help us up. As much as I wanted to stay under Dimitri, I knew I didn't want to be an exhibitionist under their watchful gazes. Both Dimitri and I allowed them to help us up. We were still breathless, but our eyes kept meeting. A thousand words were said in those simple gazes. I love you. I want you. I need you. Why can't we be in our bedroom right now? That was a great fight. I can't wait to take you to bed.
I registered that the 'students' in my class were gushing about our performance. I caught words like 'wow', 'fast', 'amazing' and 'again'. Maybe I should be listening to what they are saying... Does that make me a horrible teacher? I shook my head, attempting to take in whole sentences. I caught Dimitri replying to one of the guardians in my class.
"I would love to join your training sessions as an advisory role under Guardian Hathaway, if she will have me. We will have to discuss it." He said, with a smile on his face. Of course, he was still winded, so it didn't come out as eloquently as it normally would have. I couldn't help but smile back. The other guardians relaxed. It didn't take much to recognize that my bitchy mood from earlier had dispersed. Earlier, it wasn't hard to perceive the dark cloud that appeared to have hovered over my every step. Now it was all blue skies, figuratively speaking of course.
The guardians in my training sessions seemed to have renewed vigor for the course. They seemed excited to learn. Maybe they hadn't been ecstatic to learn from someone who was younger than them. Dimitri and I had just proved our talent to them though, so now they seemed eager to soak up any advice we had to give them. We had to push them off until the next session though. I hoped they would display the same amount of enthusiasm in the future as they had at the end of this class.
That training session had been scheduled midday, while Lissa was locked up in her room working on her college courses. Throughout the day I could hear guardians whispering about Dimitri's and my fight. It brought a smile to my face. I felt more relaxed, better than if I had a deep tissue massage. So what if I was weird for being so relaxed by fighting. Most women, at least around here, wouldn't have even thought about fighting, none the less being relaxed by it. Of course, I also liked that my prowess as a guardian seemed to be a topic on everyone's lips at the moment. If people are going to talk about me, I'd much rather them be talking about the positives in my life, not that I actually care when they are talking about the negatives. It's just a nice change of pace. There were several points in my life where I would have laughed if someone had told me I would be a respectable guardian. Not very many people in my entire life had ever considered me respectable. Although, as my talents turned into achievements, it became much harder for my naysayers to put me down. Lissa had always believed in me, and Dimitri perceived my abilities early on. They were the cornerstones of my life. I wouldn't be where I am today without their support.
Later that night, Dimitri and I met up in our suite. I was sitting in the living room, waiting for him to finish his shift with Christian. Our shifts were often sporadic. Unlike other assignments, Lissa and Christian would often dismiss us while in the company of the many guardians of the Royal Guard. When Christian was on his own, then he was Dimitri's concern. Meanwhile, when Lissa was on the move, she often preferred me by her side. If she were locked up in her room working on one of her many responsibilities, she didn't feel the need to have me cooped up with her. This leniency was extremely uncommon throughout the guardian world. It made Dimitri and me special in yet another way.
When Dimitri walked in the room, he smiled at me. This had been how our day went, sneaking smiles at one another. He crossed the room with his ever graceful gate, and sat down on the couch next to me. Within moments I was in his arms. It was almost like we were magnets, drawn to each other. We could be separated, but we would always find our way back to one another. His touch was calming, yet at the same time it excited my body right down to my core. This man's affection caresses my soul. I am bonded to him in a different way than Lissa. Lissa is the closest thing I have ever had to a sister, and there was nothing that could replace her. Even though we were no longer bound by spirit, magic had never been our initial bond anyways. She was a permanent fixture in my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The bond Dimitri and I have is something completely different, although equally strong. He knew and understood me in ways no one else could compare. If I believed in soul mates, he would be mine. He was my other half, he completed me in ways I never knew I was missing. I, Rose Hathaway, was amazing by myself. But when I am with Dimitri, we become a whole other entity all together. Russian warrior god and American bad-ass superstar. A superstar because come on, let's be honest, my accomplishments have been circulating pretty well. It seemed everyone knew both my story, and Lissa's story.
Dimitri and I weren't kissing. It didn't take making out or sexual rendezvous to be intimate. We were in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes as we caressed each other's skin. It felt relaxing. It just felt right.
"Do you mind, milaya, if I help you during your training sessions? I don't want to over step any boundaries." He said softly, never breaking our gaze. I couldn't help but smile. He should know I don't mind. Then again, it wouldn't be Dimitri if he didn't show such consideration.
"I would love your help, handsome. As a team, we seemed quite inspirational to those guys." I said, my smile never wavering. It would only give us more excuses to have matches like the one today. Sparring like that with Dimitri should keep me from being so uptight. No one likes it when Rose Hathaway has a stick up her ass.
Dimitri's hand moved to my hair, wrapping my ponytail around it. It allowed him to maneuver my head with ease, and he did. He pulled me closer and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was sweet and sensual. It was full of an emotion I could never have fathomed when I was kissing Jesse last year, or any other man before Dimitri. Nothing compared. Dimitri spoke to my soul in a way no one else could begin to comprehend. That kiss led to a night of sweet, passionate, slow love making. It expressed emotions we couldn't articulate. For lack of a better term, it was amazing.
Ooooo000ooooO
The next morning, after groggily being pulled out of bed by a stubborn Dimitri, Lissa called both of us to her chambers. Most of the time Dimitri and I would part ways. I would be on my way to Lissa, and he searching for Christian. Something was up, although I wasn't sure what it was. We found Lissa in her meeting room, surrounded by a laptop and masses of papers. She certainly had an early start this morning. She was sipping on coffee while fiddling with something I couldn't see on her computer. She looked up as we entered, as I was stifling a yawn. Yet again, I didn't want to wake up this morning. It was becoming my every day norm.
"Ah, there you are." She said, smiling at us. I mocked a horrific curtsey.
"Call, and we shall come running, your highness." I teased. She giggled, used to my sass by now. She beckoned us closer, offering us chairs.
"Now, you must be wondering what this is all about." She started. We nodded, and I bit off some retorts that found their way to the tip of my tongue. If this were something serious, I would hate to look insensitive. "Well, I have a favor to ask of you." She started yet again.
"Alight." I said slowly and warily. As our queen, she could order us around. What type of favor could she be asking of us?
"I need you to be my ambassadors to the keepers."
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Yes yes, I'm mean because I left you in a cliffhanger of sorts. Not so bad though as cliff hangers go. This is just a baby one. What could Lissa want? Guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter. I went on a road trip and felt particularly inspired by the scenery. Could you feel my inspiration? Probably not.
Please Review! Oh, and thank you to my loyal fans out there! I do appreciate you!