Chapter 16:

RPOV

We settled in after that. I noticed I wasn't having much trouble with morning sickness as long as I ate on time and didn't sit in the car for too long. Driving was definitely a trigger. We were training and we could even use some of our strength and speed in a fight now. Not that Dimitri and I were doing much fighting. It didn't matter I was a highly trained warrior. Now that I was pregnant it meant everyone, including Dimitri was treating me like I was made out of glass, no matter how much I convinced them that I was not only highly trained but had Strigoi strength and endurance and the twins did too. They just said to take it easy. I had made it clear to Dimitri I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing, which he accepted but still I knew he was being extra careful with sparring and it now only took up a fraction of our training instead of the large portion it normally did.

But we were feeling more like ourselves each day even if we became more aware of Strigoi like attributes.

It was lunch time and we walked in from the yard after a long run. Well jog, because apparently having a high heart rate is not good for the baby's even if exercise was.

"That smells good."

Olena's cooking was always spot on but I could see disappointment cross Dimitri's face as he looked over all the food Olena had made.

"You didn't make blackbread?"

He asked his mother almost pleading and pouting as if he was five. It was adorable.

"No Dimka. I made a lot of other stuff that you like. I didn't make blackbread."

"I love blackbread, can't you make it?"

There was a weird look on Olena's face. Her eyes glazed over and she stiffened.

"Of course, you love blackbread, I'll make it."

Her voice was void of anything. A rehearsed response mimicking Dimitri.

He looked over at me shocked.

"Did I just…"

"yeah, I think you did."

He just compelled his mother to make him blackbread without even realizing it. I hadn't seen his eyes turn red so it must be something he could do without transforming.

"How do I undo it?"

She was already going into the kitchen trying to find the ingredients.

"Mama, you don't have to make me blackbread."

"Of course I do, you love blackbread."

Damn. Viktoria walked in and looked at the two of us shocked.

"What happened?"

"Your brother compelled your mother to make blackbread."

Dimitri didn't seem to appreciate my candor.

"I didn't do it on purpose."

He grumbled.

"So undo it."

"I can't. I don't know how."

Viktoria just shrugged.

"She will stop once the task is complete. At least you didn't compel her to jump of a cliff."

With that she just left the room and left behind a very furious and a little ashamed looking Dimitri.

Olena did eventually stop after she made the blackbread and once she was done she came over to Dimitri and slapped him on his chest. Without a word she went back into the kitchen to do something else.

I heard Dimitri give a sigh of relief. Another thing we had to get control over. I had a bit of experience with watching and feeling Lissa compelling people so I was wondering if I could do any better.

"Vika. Come in here. I need a Guiney pig."

She reluctantly poked her head around the corner of the room.

"you need me to do what now?"

"We need to control this. So I need to practice compulsion on someone. I am happy you volunteered."

I heard Dimitri chuckle a little bit and Viktoria groan. This was going to be fun.

She sat across from me on the couch.

She looked me straight in the eye. I had to give her credit. She trusted me completely. It isn't every day you tell somebody you want to compel them and they just sit there and let you.

"Vika. I want you to blink twice."

She raised her eyebrow and a small smile came across her face. Okay so not working yet.

I remember how Lissa used to compel people. How it felt. You don't just reach out towards the other mind. You also have to give a little of yourself. Sending out your thoughts to them and pushing back their own barriers.

"Vika, Blink twice."

She blinked twice.

"Wow."

Dimitri was looking at us with interest. I don't know how much he used compulsion when he was a Strigoi. He had his natural scary demeanor to get people to do what he wanted.

"See if you can undo your own compulsion now. I couldn't do it with mama yet."

I nodded.

I turned to Viktoria again.

"Ready for another round?"

She nodded.

I thought a moment about what I wanted her to do that was easily done but also if I failed to uncompel her would run itself out, just like with Olena.

I gathered the thought and forcibly pushed it into her mind.

"Vika. Read the magazine cover to cover."

She picked up the magazine and started reading. I took a deep breath and again I summoned the thought, but this time I made her stop reading.

She put the magazine down and just stared at me.

"Rose, when are you starting?"

I smiled. This time she didn't even realized she was being compelled. The action completely separate from her conscious mind.

"already done."

After three weeks we were ready to depart back to court. Lissa had become whiny. Adrian and Sydney had remained silent on our resent transformation and Lissa said we had had enough vacation. Little did she know we were training to not go all ape-shit and bloodlust crazy when we returned. Although I was happy to notice that even if we did get hungry, our hungers were solely focused on Strigoi and not on any other creature. It made sense because only they could provide us with the power we lost during training.

So we were on the road back to the airport and my man was gloomy. It had been a while since we had spent so much time with his family and he was missing it. He was actually grumpy this morning because he had to leave his home. And even if he thought of our apartment in the palace as home too. This would always be home to him.

And of course it was a bitter sweet moment saying goodbye to Yeva. She was over ninety and although the old bat would probably outlive us all, just because she refused to die, we knew reality was different. Eventually she would have to pass on. She assured Dimitri every time he left, it wasn't her time yet. I noticed this time she didn't. But she mad the joke to me a day earlier that death wouldn't take her because the grim reaper was afraid of her and was staying away from her.

But I had seen a knowing look in her eyes. Somehow when she learned I was pregnant it had started. I wondered if she would last another seven and a half months. I mean it was anybody's guess. She wasn't sick or anything. And I hoped to god she wouldn't get sick. Seeing such a strong woman be torn by disease until it swallowed her would be hard. I preferred the phone call from Olena where she said she died peacefully in her sleep.

I was jostled out of my thoughts by the bumps in the road. I didn't have much in the way of morning sickness but Olena said I could still get it. Yeah great. But whenever we were in transit I would get nauseous. It was in no way a reflection on Dimitri's driving style but more the twins deciding to scramble my insides. I had packed some crackers. As long as I was eating I was okay but damn this would be a long few hours.

I was glad when the car stopped at the airport. It had been close a number of times and I saw pity in Dimitri's eyes. But there was nothing he could do. Short of carrying the twins himself. I know due to the tattoo we had gone through some changes but I doubt that had been one of them. Although I wondered if we did that feeding circle he could take some of the nausea into himself.

But when we entered the airport the nausea had subsided long enough for me to appreciate I would only have an hour or so before we were in a moving vehicle again. A much larger one this time.

As if reading my thoughts, Dimitri grabbed my hands and squeezed it a little.

I was actually able to sleep a bit on the plain. At least when I was asleep I wouldn't feel the nausea. When we exited the plain I practically kissed the ground. There was a car waiting for us at the airport to drive us the last hour to court. I groaned. God I hoped I wouldn't have to travel that much now that Lissa was staying at court and me by her side.

We drove across the ward line and into the garage. We were met at the gate but no credentials were necessary. Everyone knew who we were.

"Welcome back to court."

I swear he was a little star struck. Garage security was as menial a job as any and our job was probably the most coveted in the guardian world. Maybe except head guardian. We still had to answer to Hans. Well he liked to think so anyway.

Dimitri have him a mere nod and I was looking a little green and couldn't speak. If I did I am sure I would lose the small amount of food I had eaten today. He seemed thoroughly disappointed.

Dimitri parked the car. In motion it was hard but the moment he stood still something happened. For a moment I hoped the nausea would go away, there was this brief moment of relief before I opened the door, hurriedly climbed out and hurled on the concrete pavement of the garage. Dimitri made his way over there and I saw there was concern on his face but also a little bit of amusement. I knew what he was thinking. So close. We actually had stopped and we were so close, but still my body had protested.

"your fault."

I told Dimitri with a small smile on my face as he handed me a bit of water.

"I know, I know, I did this to you. You were in no way responsible or consented or enjoyed it."

I smiled. This had been a bit of a thing between us. Now that I was pregnant I could bash him all I wanted and blame him for everything. A few days ago I blamed him for the lack of warm water. There was a leak in the water pipe on the mainstreet, so nothing Dimitri could have done to prevent it of fix it, but still I blamed him, because being pregnant meant I could get away with anything. And for the next few months I was going to enjoy it. It is one perk while being pregnant and I was going to milk it till the last drop.

"No, you stopped the car too abruptly."

"Oh, well that you can blame me for. Sorry."

I smiled and handed Dimitri the bottle of water back.

"I do actually feel better now."

We left the poor guy to clean up the mess. Well he'll probably just hose the pavement down.

We arrived back at the palace and a screaming Lissa came our way. She was nearing the end of the first trimester and I knew she was being anxious because she would need to tell people soon. She had a scan tomorrow and when that went well she would announce to the world there would be a prince or princess on the way.

"Where have you been. You were supposed to be back two weeks ago. I know you needed time with your family, but I needed you too. I have to make a speech and everything how I announce our child."

I saw Dimitri actually wince from the high tones in her voice. I am glad there were no pets around because they would have yelped at the high frequency or her voice.

Here is the thing though, I can pull the 'But I am pregnant' whine crap with everybody except Lissa, because she was pregnant too. Now you would think that two babies would trump one baby but in this case queen trumped guardian. And I am not talking about monarch queen but drama queen.

"We had some things to sort out, before we went back. Besides you know Yeva is getting old, we had a hard time leaving her knowing it might be the last time. I hope she will make it to the twins birth but if she doesn't I want to spend as much time with her as possible."

Lissa looked guilty. Oh I knew how to play her like a fiddle. Not that it wasn't a little bit true, but it certainly wasn't the only reason we stayed. But Dimitri and I had discussed it, and we would wait with dropping the 'oh hey, your primary guardians are now part Strigoi' thing till after she made the announcement.

"Well I am just glad you two are back and so is Christian. It would be nice for him to talk to someone who is becoming a father too. I think he is freaking out a little."

She said it looking at Dimitri. Dimitri hadn't freaked out yet. I had a little but I assume that would come a little later. It was still all so surreal. We hadn't seen our children yet. And I had a hard time believing I had two living things inside of me that had heart beats and everything.

"Have you scheduled your appointment yet Rose, you're coming up eight weeks right?"

I nodded. I was still confused about the counting. It wasn't nine months as I had always thought, it was forty weeks two of which you get for free. So even if we had conceived about five weeks ago it meant I was actually seven weeks pregnant by doctor's count. I could get a scan to check the heartbeats between now and a week.

"I haven't scheduled it yet. I am a little afraid. I mean I don't know how to call the office and schedule it without the rumor mill working its rounds."

"you can come with me tomorrow, we'll do it then. Dimitri and you can come as our guardians and we'll check you out."

I looked over to Dimitri and he had a smile on his face. This would be the first time we saw our children.

"We would like that."

In Baia we had discussed how we were going to communicate this. We had talked to Adrian and Sydney on numerous occasions. We had decided that we would only tell a select few the truth and the rest we would tell them I got pregnant a week earlier. After our mission ended we had made detour to the fertility clinic with Adrian's swimmers and it was a go the first time. There was a week between which wasn't much in the long run but would still be noticeable on the scan now. Damn high tech equipment. But time of conception and time of actually having the sexual act didn't need to be at the same time. It could take as much as a few days for the sperm to reach the egg. So our theory was that Adrian's sperm was slow and hoping Dimitri's was fast leaving the discrepancy to a minimum.