A/N: Okay, this will be the last update for a while. I am currently working on my own novel - which isn't on here because I'm hoping to get it published - and another story for the Blue Bloods series. Check that one out if you like the stories. It's called Come What May. So, enjoy this chapter and I swear I will update as soon as possible. =)
I stood there for a minute, processing what I was seeing. There was no way this was actually happening.
Dimitri had a woman draped around him. Her arms were around his neck and she looked like she was whispering something sweet to him. That may have just been my anger and jealousy speaking, but it sure as hell looked like that.
I was pissed. How could he be doing this to me? I mean, I was going to have his kid. I wanted to walk over there and punch her in the face. Correction, I wanted to walk over there and punch him in the face. Granted, he did look like he was trying to get away from her, but I was too blinded by anger to see that.
I let out a sharp sigh, and Lissa looked directly where I was looking. I thought I heard her whisper an "oh no," but I wasn't sure. Instead of doing the typical Rosemarie Hathaway thing, I turned and stalked away. I met Dimitri's eyes as I was turning and I knew he would come after me. At least I hoped he did.
It was once my back was on them that the heartache kicked in. And it hurt. I loved him so much, and he swore that he loved me, too, but that didn't look like him loving me just then. Who was that girl? Why hadn't anyone mentioned to me that she was visiting?
I hadn't been paying attention, but I now noticed that I heard footsteps getting closer behind me. I picked up the pace a little bit. The footsteps matched mine. I gave up and kicked into high gear. Before I could even get into a good run, arms were wrapped around me.
"Roza," he whispered.
"Don't call me that!" I screamed. I scratched at his arms, trying to get him off me. How dare he come after me after what he'd done! And use that name, too!
He made me turn around, still keeping his hold on me. "Fine then. Rose, listen to me."
I was now going crazy trying to get out of his grasp. It wasn't working at all, and I was going to give up, but I was too heartbroken. I knew that if I stopped the anger, I would resort to sadness, and that was something I didn't want him to see.
He chuckled. "Rose, would you stop flailing around?"
I stopped and pouted up at him. It was sad that he had so much authority over me without even knowing it. No, authority wasn't the word. I wasn't quite sure of the word, but it was powerful.
"Now, listen to me. That woman wasn't trying to seduce me, or even flirt. She was playing around. She's one of my best friends. We always play around like that. She's very excited to meet you. Her name is Lana." I looked at the ground. I felt stupid for making a big deal out of nothing. He raised my chin. "I've told her everything about you. After all, she wanted to know how my life had been, and that's what you are. My life."
Okay, I admit that that was cheesy, but it was the most romantic thing Dimitri had ever said to me. I don't deny that my insides were jelly and I couldn't keep a smile off my face.
"There she is." He smiled at me. He knew how to make me happy, all the time.
"Well, let's go meet your friend." I whispered. I was still ashamed of my scene. I was just lucky that I hadn't given into the sadness and started crying. That would've been horrible.
We started back to the cafeteria. A thought occurred to me out of nowhere. "Why has Lana come to visit now? I mean, we're just leaving in a few hours."
Dimitri didn't answer. He shook his head and pulled me closer to him. Sometimes, I felt my age around him. Yes, he was 24, but it didn't bother me at all. There was something about him… He wasn't 24 when I was around him, and I wasn't 17. We were just Rose and Dimitri. Well, we were Roza and Comrade.
"Dimitri?" I asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway. I think a few people almost ran into us from my abrupt stop.
He turned to face me and frowned. "Yes, Rose?"
"Don't call me that." I smiled.
He laughed. It was a beautiful laugh. Something that made my blood run faster through my veins. How could my body feel hot and cold at the same time? His eyes were filled with that laughter and when he stopped laughing, they were filled with love. And they were sparkly. Yes, I know, I'm weird.
"Of course, Roza."
He took my hand, and then let go of it. I knew it wasn't because he didn't want people to see. It was the queen's orders, and he had to obey them. It didn't phase him, though. He was in the mood for a small get-together.
My side was a party, but, of course, Dimitri kept to the small groups, keeping calm conversations. I loved that we complemented each other so well. I was wild and crazy, and he was calm and collected. It shouldn't work, but it did.
Lissa grabbed me and made me dance with her. The song, "Can't stop, won't stop," by The Maine was on. It was perfect for the two of us. We were having so much fun, that we forgot what time it was. There was cake and ice cream, and they decorated the place in blue and green streamers. There was a clock on the side wall, but it had been covered up.
The side doors to the cafeteria flew open and Alberta came in. She was making a bee-line towards me. This couldn't be good.
"Hathaway, your bags are already in the car. Everything is ready. It's time to go. Be at the front of the school in twenty minutes." With that, she left.
I shrugged to everyone at the party and laughed. They all laughed at that because it was typical Rose behavior. I grabbed a few goody bags and took off the hat I was wearing. It was a yellow one with a monkey on it. He was saying something about a banana, but I wasn't really paying attention to the hat.
I heard a couple of cords from an acoustic guitar blare through the speakers and realized that a slow song was coming on. Lissa was behind the DJ desk, with an ipod in her hand. I knew what she'd done. She turned on a song for Dimitri and I.
I wasn't going to give her what she wanted. We couldn't flaunt that we were together. I gave her a look that said, "maybe some other time." She sent her message back through the bond. Please, Rose. You may not get this opportunity again. Let everyone know.
Lissa had been around me too much lately. I was rubbing off on her. Normally, she wouldn't be wanting me to do something against the rules. I sighed. If it was coming from Lissa I couldn't say no. She was my best friend, and someone I owed my life.
I looked toward Dimitri, who gave me a definite shake of the head, even if it was barely noticeable. I shook my head to Lissa, and this time she shrugged. I helped clean up a little bit, but people kept telling me not to. A new song came on. It was another by The Maine, but I couldn't remember the name. It was about love, but it wasn't sappy and slow. It had a really good beat and was beautiful at the same time. I believed it was called "Kiss and Tell".
Out of nowhere, someone pulled me back from the door. I knew it was him by the touch. He pulled me to the dance floor before I knew what was going on. We went around in a circle before falling into perfect step together.
"They did well." he said.
"Yes, they did. Where is Lana?" I asked. I hadn't seen her since we got back, and it just occurred to me that I hadn't met her.
"She's already in the car."
What? She was going with us? "Why?"
"Because we need more guards. You won't be able to guard, and Lissa and Christian need someone protecting them." he said.
"And Adrian." I added.
He looked in my eyes and nodded. "Yes, him, too."
I thought about that for a minute. "They need one more other than you."
He laughed. "Roza, I don't know how things get past you so easily, when you are so clever. I won't be guarding them. My loyalty has fallen to someone else. Well, two other people, if you think about it."
I actually did have to think about that, and when I didn't answer right away, Dimitri let go of my hands and laughed. I was getting used to his laughter. Either Dimka was losing it, or he was getting used to being himself around me. I was so used to him being serious that when he laughed or smiled around me I felt like I was being rewarded.
I finally got it, and I blushed. The baby and I. How could I not get that? Dimitri had started to walk off with a smile on his face, and I ran over to him.
"Comrade!" I screamed.
He turned just in time to catch me. I crushed my lips to his. I didn't know why I was doing that, I just was. It was an automatic reaction to something so sweet. We kissed and kissed and kissed. My body was tense and relaxed. I felt his fingers in my hair. His breath was so sweet, and his tongue gently brushed my bottom lip when we finally broke apart.
It wasn't until then that I realized we were in front of everyone. Uh oh.
"Everyone, if you will come this way, I'll give you some parting gifts." Lissa said.
By that, I mean I'm going to compel them. She winked at me.
We took that opportunity to escape the room.
As Alberta said, there was a car waiting out in the front. Since our driver didn't know that Dimitri and I were together, Dimitri sat in the front and I sat behind him. It wasn't fair. I couldn't even see his face from where I was.
Lissa joined us twenty minutes later. She didn't look good at all. She was sweating, which wasn't a good sign. Her face was paler than usual, which was hard to imagine because of her normally pale skin. She glanced at me and shook her head.
Give me a little bit, okay?
I shrugged and looked out the window as we took off. I was always interested in the things out the window when we left the school. I didn't get to spend a lot of time in nature, because of stupid Strigoi, and I took every chance I could to embrace it. Luckily for me, there were a lot of woods around the school. Not only were there woods, but there were green covered woods.
There was moss on everything. If it wasn't covered in moss, it was covered in thick, emerald leaves. Life was thriving everywhere. It was as if hope existed everywhere but in the school itself. I couldn't help feeling a little anxious at my realization.
I figured we were going to the airport. In order to get there, we had to follow the long and winding street that went up the mountains to the school. Once at the bottom, we would take a right - a sharp one, at that - and keep going for twenty miles or so. There was a small airport right there that took care of all the vampires' needs.
We left in the early morning - human time - so that we could escape the Strigoi. If a Strigoi was place in direct sunlight, they would burn into nothing but ash. No, not even that. They would burn into nothing. They would be nothing. Who am I kidding, they were nothing to begin with. Whoa, that was weird. I could feel the venom that was darkness creeping into me from Lissa.
I opened the bond. I was surprised to see how much darkness she held; so much she kept hidden from me. She didn't want me taking any. I was curious, and decided to take just a small peak into her head to see why she didn't want me to take the darkness.
I can't take this anymore. I don't want to be controlled. I don't want my every step watched. I want to be a human, as sad as that is. Oh, Rose, bless you for getting me out of this hell hole. Please, oh please, let me hold onto this darkness. I don't want the baby getting it.
I gasped out loud without realizing it. Everyone gave me a quick glance. I shook my head and they looked away. So, she didn't want me taking any darkness because of the baby. Well, I wasn't so sure it would effect the baby. I'd been taking darkness from Lissa when I didn't know about the baby, right? So, it couldn't be hurting it. Could it? Suddenly, I was very afraid.
I noticed that instead of taking the sharp right at the end of the road, we took a left toward the highway.
"Where are we going? We aren't flying there?" I asked.
"No, the queen says she wants you to drive there." the driver replied.
We all processed this, but no one said anything. I kept looking out the window. I hadn't gone this way but only once before and didn't want to miss anything. I loved exploring. I guess it was part of being a guardian. We were always on the move.
But, too soon, we were in an area of nothingness. I sighed and closed my eyes. I was tired. It was night time for us, and I think we all wanted to take a nap. I looked into the side-mirror. I could see Dimitri in it. He had his nose stuck in a western novel again. No surprise there.
Me cell phone beeped. I took it out of my pocket and looked at it.
Message from Comrade.
Hmm, maybe he wasn't reading after all. The message said that I should try and find something to preoccupy myself. He was told that it was going to be a long trip. He didn't know where it was, but he knew it was a while away.
I guessed I would take a nap, and when we stopped somewhere I would grab a book or something. Normally when I'm bored, I practice guardian moves, but it wouldn't work in the car.
Lissa was giving off a vibe so strong it hit me hard enough to make me see stars. I was still debating in my mind on taking some of that darkness. It couldn't be good for her. On the other hand, what if the little one inside me were to be taking the darkness, too? What would it do to him/her?
I told myself that I would give it a little more time, and then decide. My eyes started getting heavy. I didn't want to be the first to fall asleep, but it was inevitable. All the different moods I'd had throughout the day had exhausted me. I let my eyes close and I drifted into a peaceful sleep. Until Adrian appeared.
"Little Dhampir." he said. His brown eyes were shining. I knew that his mood lit up when he saw me, and it worried me frequently.
"Adrian, why don't you let me get some rest?" I replied.
He looked at the ground. He looked like a schoolboy getting chastised. "You mean, for the baby?"
I'd forgotten about how he found out. It was my turn to look at the ground. I really didn't want to hurt Adrian. He was too sweet to hurt. Yes, he could be a pig, but a part of me did love him…in a way. I think.
"No, actually. I'm exhausted. Are you coming with us?" I asked. I didn't know if he'd changed his mind or if he was taking another vehicle.
"Already on my way. I'll be there a little faster than you. I'm taking a flight." he answered.
What? He got a flight and we had to drive. Bullshit. "Why do you get to fly and we don't?"
"Aunt Tatiana thinks it would be easier if people couldn't detect your tickets and passports and stuff. I don't know. I think she's going a little overboard, but whatever. I'm perfectly fine. They don't know that I'm going where you guys are." He shrugged and smiled at me.
"Hmm. Well…" Suddenly, I was seeing Adrian, but I was also seeing Lissa. I could slip into her mind while I was sleeping? That was a first. She was bouncing up and down. She had to use the bathroom, I realized.
"Hold on, Princess. We're going to find some place for you." the driver said.
Lissa was becoming impatient.
"Rose?" Adrian said from far away.
The darkness was too much. I knew I should've taken some from her. I didn't know it was this bad. Anything could set her off, and I realized that now. She was going to explode.
"Adrian, you have to let me out of the dream!" I shrieked.
"Why? What's going on?"
"Just do-" I was pulled out of the dream and into the car just before it flipped.
There was loud noise all around me. I was aware that we were moving, I just couldn't tell which direction. Or were we even moving a direction? I felt us slowing down. The pain settled in as we slowed, and I was afraid. For once in my life I was worried about myself instead of other people. The pain was too much. I'd never been in this kind of pain.
We stopped and I realized I'd been holding my breath. No, scratch that. My breathing was hitched. I couldn't breathe. I struggled to take a breath. Once, twice, three times. There was a delay before the fourth, and I could smell smoke as I finally inhaled.
I was on my side. There was hot pavement on my face. I was shaking, and that beautiful moss that covered the woods was right next to me. I could smell blood. I took in two deep breaths before I tried to undo my seatbelt. It wouldn't come at first, and then I remembered my stake in my pocket. I took it out and slashed at the belt. It came undone in just two swipes.
My face was already on the pavement, but when the seatbelt let go, my body joined it. Pain seized me and I let out a shriek. This brought the sound of movement in the front.
Dimitri.
I forgot my pain and slowly got up. There was glass in two of my fingers. I tried to get one of the shards out and it got stuck in yet another one of my fingers. I winced and pulled both the shards out.
"R-rose." His voice was hoarse. The tears finally slipped out at the sound of his voice. The adrenaline kicked in.
"Dimitri? Are you okay?" I got up and maneuvered myself to the front, where he was. I took his face in my hands. He nodded, telling me that he was okay. I didn't take his word for it. I searched his body for glass or any other objects that could lodge into his skin. I couldn't tell if he had internal bleeding, but other than that he was okay.
"Lissa," I whispered to myself and looked back. Looking at that moment now, I see that I could've easily reached through the bond and know that she was okay. Hell, I wouldn't have even needed to reach through the bond. If Lissa were to have died, I would've known instantly. Shadow-kissed, remember?
She looked fine, except for the fact that she was unconscious. I was about to go back to her when Dimitri grabbed my hand.
"Rose, look." he said. He pointed down to my leg. I hadn't felt it, but something had cut into my calf. Deep into my calf. There was blood gushing everywhere. I didn't know how I missed that.
"It's nothing." I lied.
"No, Roza, that's not nothing." He cut his seatbelt with his stake like I had. His window hadn't broken; it had only cracked. He kicked the window and it gave, sending shards flying outside. He crawled out with that grace I could never perform and gave his hand to me.
"I can't." I shook my head. "Lissa needs me."
"The Princess will be fine for a few more moments, Rose. Just come out here so I can get some help." he pleaded.
"No. You don't understand. I can't leave her." I said. The bond was something that made me love Lissa in a way Dimitri could never understand. She was my sister. She brought me back from the dead. I needed her, just like I needed caffeine in the morning. Just like I needed blood to live.
He sighed and looked at the ground. "Rose," he whispered. He looked at me then, and there were tears in his eyes. That was something I had never seen before. Dimitri was in…tears. No. He didn't cry. He…no.
"Don't do that. You know I can't leave her. I'm sorry." I let him know with my eyes that I loved him, but this was something I had to do.
His face became hard. He locked his jaw. "Rose, you aren't the only one I'm thinking about."
Oh, God. The baby. The baby! I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of my baby. My sharp intake of breath let know Dimitri know that I'd understood. Oh, God, please let it be okay!
I started shaking violently. I couldn't stop. Water lined my eyes and then spilled over. I grabbed Dimitri's hand and he helped me out of the car. I couldn't stand by myself, at least not all the way, and he held me close to him. I snuggled into his chest.
"Roza." He didn't have to say anything else. I knew exactly what he was thinking. Exactly what he was feeling. I couldn't stop shaking. I hated myself for the damn shaking.
"Yes, there's been an accident." That was Dimitri on his cell phone. I didn't listen to the rest. I was too busy thinking that I'd almost lost my entire life in mere minutes.
A/N: Ooooh, what will happen? Keep reading when I update again. It will be sometime later in the week, or early next week. Keep on sending me those AWESOME reviews I love so much, guys!
~Oblivious~