Rose POV:
I ran back to the gym, pulling my shirt on over my vest. The last of the team was walking out so I put on a burst of speed. I caught up to Cam and called the others back. They knew something was up and hurried back, scanning the area around us for danger. They were all quite a bit taller than me and they stood around me, waiting for the attack that wouldn't come.
"Ok guys. Pack up fast. All your gear, we are going hunting." Their mixed looks made me sigh in frustration. Cam and Daniel looked eager and determined. Dimitri and Lucian were glaring at eachother again, god, what was I going to do with them? Alex was murmering quietly to Wes, comparing staking techniques while Alberta studied me carefully, she at least knew that something was wrong and it wasn't just a casual hunt. "C'mon people, I need you to be serious! Christine has been snatched from the academy. Meet at Monster in 20 minutes, any guardian that falls behind, is left behind." That sobered them up. We all made our way to our respective rooms, strained silence. All of us loved little Christine. She had long, very straight honey blonde hair and the bluest eyes I have ever seen. She was slim and tall for her age. She sadly had a temperament similar to Christians than Lissa though.
I ran back to my house, sending Daniel to go tell Lissa what was happening. It was time to gear up properly, civilian style. Wearing jeans meant I couldnt wear my thigh strap and extra stake but I chucked it in my back pack anyway. My vest was already on so I slipped my button up blouse with long sleeves to hide my arm braces. Pulling on my favourtite boots, I reveled in the comfy feel of them. It made me feel safer knowing they had never failed to aid me. Slotting the two daggers in place and checking that they were still hidden, I felt dangerous. I left my tangled hair out. I could do it on the plane, pulled on my gloves and turned to my dresser.
My black leather jacket hung, waiting for me, inviting me to slip it on. It was my favourite possesion apart from my stake. I had bought it in Russia while I was with the Belikovs, Oleona had adjusted it so it would move more for fighting and had a hidden stake pocket in the inside of each side. I chucked extra jeans and clothes, toiletries and first aid kit already in the bottom. Only 10 minutes had passed and I jumped up, jamming my ear piece back in and jogging out the door. The team was coming out of the guardian lodgings, the ones I refused to live in. Cam swung a key around his finger, grinning. He flew Monster along with Wes. Monster was our personal jet, Wes and Cam our pilots.
Once on the jet, everyone settled down in their prespective seats. We all had our preferences and had personalised where we liked to sit. I personally like sitting backwards, facing everyone else. Dimitri sat at the very back , hidden in shadows. I glared at him and brushed my hair, struggling to get the knots out the very back. It wasn't working. I sighed in frustration and slammed my hair brush down on the seat beside me.
"Hey litte Minx, frustrated there?" Lucian's smooth voice sounded right behind me. He leapt the chair and sat beside me, picking up my brush. I smiled and turned my back to him, letting him brush my hair with gentle strokes. I wanted to ask him about before, about where we would go from here.
"Hey Luc... " I started thinking about what I was going to say to him. " Um... could you please plait it too?" I chickened out. Rose Hathaway chickened out. He laughed again. It's what made him so different to Dimitri, he actually laughed and smiled, showing his true emotions. I had to work so hard to get even the smallest true smile from Dimitri. I felt Lucians nimble fingers begin to braid my hair, I didn't even know he could plait. I had to stop myself from shivering whenever his finger tips brushed my neck, which was often. The slightest touch felt like it was warming my bones, making my muscles the consistancy of jello. He laughed again, stroking my cheek with the edge of his hand. I loved his laugh, it made me smile and feel happy too.
"Your hair is like silk, Roza. It's beautiful." He ran his hand down the plait and let it drop wistfully. "So.. what's the plan, O, fearless leader?" He smirked as I turned to face him, putting my feet on his lap and leaning against the wall.
"Plan? What Plan? Barge on in, demand answers and charge off, that's always the plan." I joked around, enjoying myself while I could. When we landed, we would be on duty until we found her. Strigoi were getting smarted and managing to live in larger groups, some over a hundred. Victor was behind it, he had turned strigoi, hell bent on killing Lissa and I.
"Hey Roza, you'll be okay. Just rest and i'll look after you, don't worry." Lucian slid over to me, letting my head rest against his shoulder. I felt my conciousness slipping away and my mind started to wander.
Lucians warm lips brushed against mine, capturing my mouth in a kiss that rapidly got heated. I ran my hands over his chest, his chiseled abs and muscles, marveling at the warmth and smoothness of his skin. He began kissing my neck , his hands roaming over my shoulders and into my hair. I wove my fingers in his hair, releasing it from its pontail and bringing his face back to mine. He pulled away for air, resting his cheek on mine, his warm breath tickling my neck.
I opened my eyes quickly, wondering what I was staring at. The dream was so real, so vivid, I wish it was. It made me feel like crying. It had been so long since I felt that someone really wanted me at all, since anybody truly cared. The thing in front of my face moved up and down slowly. I was lying on my side, my head on a soft, warm pillow. Then I realised I was looking at a stomach, and the black moving thing was a shirt. I looked up. Lucians head was slumped to the side, his breath tickling my neck. Oh... that's what it was.. I snuggled my head further along his lap so my shoulder touched his thigh, warming it back up. His fist curled tighter on my waist, as if to hold me closer. I smiled.
I turned over, checking on the others. Cam and Daniel were playing poker while everyone else was asleep. Except for Dimitri. Dimitri was watching me, watching him. His expression was sad and lonely, wistful. Even if he hurt me, I needed to talk to him. I carefully slid off the seats and lay my jacket on Lucians lap. Cam nodded at me as Daniel started removing his shoes. Strip poker. His eyes sparkled with amusement, like he was daring me to join in. I grinned my makes-men-weak-at-the-knees smile and seductively lifted the edge of my shirt. He laughed with me as Daniel toppled over, one hand trapped in the laces of one shoe. I reached Dimitri and sat a seat away from him.
"What's up Comrade? And if you say us, I'll quite happily murder you." I didn't really want to deal with 'the skye' comments from him, not today. He eyes showed his amusement but his face stayed in a frown. He looked like he was considering a zen life lesson.
"Your fighting style is different. I thought I had you figured out." it was a simple statement. It was true. My fighting style was very different than when he last fought me. I had gone and mastered the techniques of Alex, Lucian, Cedric, Stan and Dimitri, mixing them up and discovering my own while hunting in Russia. I nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Roza... why did you go to Russia? I need to know." His voice was soft and pleading. I froze in shock. What would I tell him? I swallowed, thinking hard. "If you answer all my questions, I'll answer all yours, I promise." I started to chuckle.
"Sorry Belikov, your promises don't mean squat to me anymore." I let it hang, he at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Besides, I thought you knew. I went for revenge. It's the strigoi's fault. They are the reason dhampirs can't live their own lives, they are why moroi are so frightened." I whispered the next bit, unable to stop myself but not wanting him to hear. "and because they are the reason we fell apart. If we weren't guardians we could have been together." He drew in a deep breath, indicating he had in fact heard. I looked over at him, startled by the tortured expression and the tears threatening to spill over. I moved closer to him and watching his defenses crumble away.
"Roza... you went... all the way to Russia.. killed over.. 200.. strigoi... just.. because.. I left? you.. risked your.. life..? I'm sorry... I never meant.. to hurt you... I was trying.. to protect.. you. Stop the distractions.. before graduation.. I'm sorry.." I was bewildered. Dimitri was barely coherant, crying into his hands. I had pushed him to breaking point. No, we had pushed eachother to breaking point. I cautiously began rubbing circles on his back, trying to sooth the sobs that rocked his body. He leaned over against me, burying his face in my neck. I could feel his tears hitting my skin. I let him lean, the hole in my heart contricting, knowing it would be ripped apart again. I couldn't him back. He would do it again. Everyone left eventually, taking a piece of me with them, it was too dangerous to let them in.
"Don't worry about it Comrade. I'm ok now, see? I survived. I even got the neat sun tattoo. You were right anyway. I can't give you what you want the most." It still hurt to say it, but it was true. Luican and I were the same age anyway, Dimitri was 30 now. But still, his shaking frame seemed so young and vulnerable. He lifted his head to look at me, tears clinging to his long black lashes.
"Rose, I NEVER believed that. You give me everything I need just by breathing. And you can have kids with a dhampir! Didn't Adrian tell you?" I brushed a tear away from his cheek, watching his eyes flutter shut as he leaned into my palm. My heart melted a little, weakening my resolve slightly. His troubled eyes made me want to lie, to give in to him but it wasn't right anymore. The electricity had faded for me, the connection had been broken.
"No, Dimitri. You did believe it. I couldn't give you the one thing you wanted. Adrain did tell me. But the part if me that could have made that happen died 6 years ago. It left when you did and it's never coming back. I'm sorry Dimitri, but we can't work. Not anymore. You broke me, my hope, my heart, my trust, everything into thousands of tiny pieces. Then you stomped on them when you chose Tasha." I brushed my lips against his briefly before rising and returning to my seat. Cam stood up again, making his way to the cock-pit to relieve Wes from pilot. I had told Dimitri the half truth. I knew I still loved him but I couldn't be with him, not now.
I sat back down with Lucian, leaning against his shoulder again. He didn't wake up thankfully. But what he did you was start mumbling. I was about to wake him when I heard my name.
"Mmmmm... Roza...Wait.. no! Where.. are you...taki... taking... m..my.. Roz..a" I smiled, smoothing the worried crease in his forhead. He woke up and smiled at me, trying to inconspicously look me over for injuries. I rolled my eyes and lifted his arm, putting it around my shoulder. It felt safer that way.
"Hey Luc, what do we do now? Where do we go from here?" He understood my question and leaned his head against mine thinking about how to answer me. He rubbed cirles on my hand with his thumb, his fingers on my wrist picking up the heartbeat that thrummed there.
"Calm down honey, I won't bite." He laughed at his own joke. He has always called me minx or honey, ever since Russia when I poured honey on his head by accident. Well... "accident". "we go to the academy, we find the strigoi who stole Chrissy and wipe the floor with them then we take her back home, have the weekend off and vege out in the house, snuggling together and watching horror movies to make us laugh because they are so pathetic." I laughed. The picture he painted was perfect, what I wanted and needed. I glanced up at him, meeting his steady gaze. It filled me with warmth and love and I raised my chin higher, looking him directly in the eyes. His eyes smouldered at me and he leant down closer. My dream flashed through my mind and I inched a little closer. He did the same, our noses were touching now, I could taste his breath, it was like cinnamin and honey, intoxicating.
"Ok crew, beginning to descend towards St. Vladmirs private air strip, put you tough faces on and prepare to inspire some little novices." Cam's voice interupted our almost kiss and I looked away in frustration at the same time as Lucian did. We sat back, watching the buildings get closer. I had a really bad feeling about this in evey way, every fibre of my being was preparing for fight, flight or die trying. I knew I was going to lose someone I love, I could feel it in my bones, just like with Mason. Just who was it?