Enjoy this last chapter of Last Sacrifice: *remember that the seqel, A New Life, will be created durring Spring/Summer*
Disclamir: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.
I woke up with arms holding me protectively to a hard, warm chest. Dimitri was breathing deep, meaning he was still asleep. I snuggled closer into his chest, realizing that he went to bed without a shirt on. His breathing pattern stopped, his arms tightened, then his breathing went back to normal.
I smiled. He was more drained of energy than he led on. But my smiled was quickly wiped away when I remembered about what happened last night.
The war. Abe. Tamara. My heart was full of grief and a sob was building up in my chest. We had lost her, and it is hard to come to terms with. She had always been the more careful one in the group. She always looked out for everyone, no matter if it was dealing with making sure they had coats on in the spring and winter, to protecting them in a battle.
She will be dearly missed by me and the Cobra's.
"Roza?" Dimitri's breathing patterns were suddenly not as deep as they were a moment ago. One of his hands went from my hip, to his chest. He wiped something off his chest. Quickly, his eyes flashed to mine. he rached out and wipped something off my cheek. Compassion filled his eyes the moment he looked into my eyes. He knew what I was thinking. Then he quickly pulled me into a tight embrace.
The moment his arms were around me, I let out that sob that had build inside me. "Shh." He murmured after another hard sob came out. His other hand went from the small of my back to pushing my hair out of my face. "Shh." He said once again.
"I can't believe that had happened!" I whispered, but I felt like screaming. It was so unfair. I want her back; the Cobra's want her back.
His head was on my shoulder, and I felt his breathing through my shirt. "I know." He said.
I hated crying, and every time I did cry, I felt like kicking myself in the butt. I had started believing, at a very young age, that if you cry, it makes you weak and pathetic, but now I realize that you're anything but pathetic. If someone you cared for died, how could you not cry?
He held me for a few more moments, but when I looked at the clock and saw that it was three o'clock in the evening, moroi time, I decided it was best to get up. So, with a reluctant sigh, I pushed at Dimitri's chest and got off the bed, throwing the covers off my hips and legs. But I didn't get off the bed.
I looked at Dimitri, and saw him watching me. He looked at me curiously, wondering what I was doing. "I told the Cobra's that I'd bring breakfast." I explained. He nodded and got out of bed. He walked over to me and kissed my forehead softly, then he leaned his forehead on mine.
"We have to be strong for them, Rose. They look up to you for guidance."
I swallowed hard. "I know." I said thickly. "But they are strong too, Dimitri."
He lifted his head up and kissed me again. "I know." He walked over to the bathroom and started brushing his teeth. We had phoned the front desk that we needed another toothbrush. They immediately brought him, one. But they thought it was for me, so they brought Dimitri a hot pink.
I laughed internally as I watched him brush his teeth with a hot pink toothbrush.
What a stud. I thought.
"I know what you're thinking, Rose." He said around his toothbrush, looking into the mirror, straight at me. He didn't have toothpaste around his lips like I always do.
I gave him my trademark smirks. "Oh? What am I thinking?"
He rolled his eyes, wiped his mouth with a towel and sat down on the couch in front of the T.V. To my surprise, he turned it on. I don't believe I have ever seen Dimitri watch T.V., only read.
His eyes were on the T.V., but when he spoke, there was amusement in his tone. "It's rude to stare, Roza."
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, but I suppressed it, and stood up to go to the bathroom to get ready.
It took me five minutes. All I could think of was to get to Lissa and make sure she is okay, and to comfort the Cobra's. As I had said before, I need them as much as they need me.
I had no idea why, but I changed into my short leather pant outfit. I guess, a part of me, the commander part, was still going on strong. Regardless of the fact that the war is over with, I still need to show my status and power. Strigoi never sleep, so neither will I.
When I opened the door, Dimitri glanced my way. He went to turn back to the T.V, but turn back my way, doing a double take. "Rose, you look feirece in anything you wear, but the war is over with, you should wear your normal clothes- jeans and t-shirts.
He had a point, but I explained to Dimitri what I had thought while I was getting dressed. "I agree, they never rest, but still, the war is over with. You, out of everyone, need to relax."
"When strigoi are extinct, then I will rest." At least to an extent. I will always be on the lookout for anything that would harm Lissa or the Cobra's.
He had on this arguing face, but it quickly disappeared. He got up and walked to the door, opening it. "Come on. Let's get takeout to bring to the others."
As we walked in town, I looked around and noticed that most restaurants were closed, but thankfully, some weren't. I was secretly expecting all of the places to be closed, due to the war. But nope. The moroi felt it is safe enough to return to their normal schedule.
We decided to get Bob Evens famous Biscuits and Gravy. With the way us Dhampires eat, I ordered eleven buckets of their gravy and fifty biscuits. Dimitri was the smart one and made sure that they gave us plenty of plastic silverware and plates.
"Dimitri, we should make a stop at Myers and get some orange juicy and milk." He nodded in agreement. Myers was the only one open; Wal*Mart was closed. Some moroi workers from nearby said that this was the only time they had off. Maybe they should quit and work at Myers?
"I want coffee, though." Dimitri voiced out, his tone had a yearning feel to it.
I smiled. "We'll get you the good stuff. The coffee ground beans."
From his relaxed posture, I think he could taste it on his lips. I suppressed an amused laugh. Oh, how I love him. He's fierce when it comes to anything else, but when you mention fresh grounded coffee beans, he turns into mush before your eyes.
When we entered the store, we took a cart and put the warm Bob Even bags in it. Dimitri took charge of the cart and I walked beside him. When we got to the dairy section, I wasn't sure if I should buy one gallon of OJ and two of milk, or vica versa. Therefore, I bought two gallons of both. There, problem solved.
Dimitri led the way to the coffee section. Why am I not surprised his pace quickened? We walked down the isle and he searched through the different flavors. He picked one up and as he held it in his hand, I read the flavor; cinnamon hazelnut.
I held my hand out for the package. He handed it to me, eyes curious. I lifted it up to my nose and smelled it. I met his eyes. "How can something smell so good, taste so bad?"
He shrugged. "I didn't start liking coffee until I was twenty-one."
I looked at him. "I didn't start liking alcohol until I was sixteen."
His eyes narrowed. "Rose."
I held my hands up. "Hey, I was entitled to a little wild freedom when I was that age."
He looked me over for a moment, the nodded in agreement. "Yes. We grow up too fast for this life." Somewhere, my mind told me that we had a conversation similar to this in the past.
We checked out and walked to Lissa's house. As we walked in the sun, hand in hand, my mind started to wonder. "I'm not going to stay to long. I want to see Abe…and Sonya. I want Sonya to be ready to see Mikhail sooner, rather than later. After all this time of them being apart, I would like them to be together again. He deserves it." I glanced over at Dimitri. Knowing I was looking at him, he turned to look at me. "More than you know."
He nodded. He wouldn't really know the pain of being separated that long with someone you love. Its hard and it hurts more than I could describe. But the worst thing, was knowing that you had to kill your lover. That was what tore me up. Well that and the fact that Dimitri was turned into a lifeless sucking monster.
The sun beat down on us, and it felt good in the evening air. I heard the bags Dimitri carried in one hand, and the other bags with the jugs and coffee bag I held in my other hand.
We walked in silence, but halfway there, he spoke. "I love you." I turned to look at him and found that he was staring at me from the corner of his eye. I smiled and was about to tell him that I knew that, but he started talking again. "I mean, I know I said it before and I had meant it then, but right now, as we were getting food and talking and" he healed our hands up where our fingers were entangled together, "walking like this, it feels right. I want to do this for the rest of my life with you."
It was weird, because I had been thinking the same thing. We both knew we wanted to be together, but when we do stuff together, it makes us feel like a real couple. It feels good to be open, doing normal couple things together. Like grocery shopping. I actually felt giddy when we walked into the store together. It felt like things between the two of us were just beginning and it felt good and real.
I smiled at him as he turned his head towards me. "Tomorrow, we are going to have a picnic in the park. Just the two of us." I said, declaring a date.
He squeezed my hand. "Perfect." He said in Russian, but then he switched back to English. "We also need to start planning, Roza."
"What's the best date for you?" I asked, knowing he was talking about our wedding.
"Russia's summer is different than America's summer."
I raised an eyebrow. "I know. I lived there for almost two years, Comrade." I combined the time I was in Russia when he was strigoi, and when I had returned later to my group.
He looked forward, shrugged and squeezed my hand. "Just making a point."
"I also don't believe in bachelor parties." I said immediately. "So that is outlawed."
"Mmm. I'm going to be missing out half naked women dancing on a pole…or my lap."
I nodded, knowing he was finding this amusing. "I'm going to be missing a guy in a Speedo…or tight underwear dancing on a pole or giving me a lap dance, but you don't hear me complaining." I said with a smile in my tone. A few moment latter i spoke again. "Damn. You lucked out."
He laughed. "No. You're much better looking."
I nodded. "In this lifestyle, I better be."
He laughed and bent down to kiss me. I knew, with this conversation, I had nothing to worry about. There is no competition with moroi or any other girl. He is mine, and I am his.
When we arrived at Lissa's, everyone was still asleep. Dimitri and I walked in through the front door, using the spare (hidden) key, because the front door was locked. We set the stuff down on the table. I went to get glasses for me and Dimitri, but he started setting the table for everyone in the household.
I guess we were eating breakfast together. That warmed my heart. I would like that every day with him, the Cobra's and my close friends. It was the only way to do it, in my book.
But one thing for sure, I wasn't waking anyone up. Especially Larisa. She's family, but she's one family member not to piss off or wake her up on the wrong side of the bed. You will be sorry.
About a minute after Dimitri opened one of the lids off the gravy bucket, Gabe, Zena and Larisa immediately walked into the kitchen. I was setting cups down next to plates as I saw them take their seats.
"Morning, my beauties." I said in an amused voice. I didn't expect them to get up until later today.
Larisa mumbled, Gabe smiled and Zena…well, she was Zena. She sighed and sat down heavily on the wooden chair. "Good god! I should be asleep."
Dimitri's lips turned into a smile. "When you're done eating, you can go back to bed."
Zena rolled her eyes. "Yes father."
I chuckled. "You'd want to get up for this kind of food. We got the good stuff."
That made all of them smile. "It better be. I just fought the fight of my life." That came from Larisa. Her and Zena have similar attitudes, but Zena was more sexual than Larisa. But in this comment, there was nothing sexual about it. She was still very tired, and has bags under her eyes.
A few minutes later, others got up and came in, drawn by the smell of the food.
"Thank you, little dhampire." I turned around, shocked to hear Adrian's voice. He was standing in the doorway, looking exhausted, but for the first time in my life, I saw him as a man; a brave man. I couldn't stop the smile that spread to my lips. My feet moved without my command and I kissed him on the cheek and wrapped my arms around him.
"I'm proud of you, Adrian." I said, holding him tighter. I couldn't compreheand the courage that it took him to stay and help. The amount of energy that it must have taken him and Lissa to heal all those guardians… it's amazing he's awake. Lissa's no doubt still sleeping.
"That crystal helped out more than you could imagine." Adrian said, as we broke away and started walking to the table.
"I'm glad it helped."
I sat next to Dimitri, and Adrian sat beside me and Gabe. Larisa was sitting next to Zena. I was about to tell them to dig in and not wait for the others, but Denis, Christian and Lev walked in. Like the rest, they had bags under their eyes, but Lev… I was worried about him.
He looked… he looked like he lost his world. The depression in his eyes made me think that he woke up several times during the night, barely getting any sleep. How do you cope with losing the love of your life?
Not easy. Me, I had to go kill him. In a way, I had to focus on staying alive and finding him and that had helped me move on, but only to an extent. I had Lissa, and she was the sole purpose getting me to move on. Lev doesn't have much but us.
I could only hope that we were enough. And compared to Tammy, we weren't much. I knew with a certainty that staying with us would only tear him up inside. How much of us remind him of Tammy?
I don't want to know.
Suddenly, the song "Right back in the water" by Jesse McCartney came to my mind, and it made tears come to my eyes. I could see their fights play across my mind as the song started. I saw Lev throw his hands up in the air, while Tammy's hands went out in a truce, but her eyes rolled and she turned around, aggravated.
But towards the middle, when Jesse sings "we were meant to be," they'd kiss and smile. Tammy would give Lev one of her famous 'cheese squeeze' hugs (its bear hug, she just renamed it).
"Rose?" Gabe asked, bringing me back to the present.
I blinked, realizing I've been watching the doorway where Lev and the others came through. "Huh?" I asked, turning to Gabe.
"You alright?"
My eyes turned to the food, avoiding any eye contact. "I'm hungry."
Gabe wasn't stupid. He can take a hint when one was thrown at him. I saw look down at his plate in understanding as I reached for a biscuit.
Thinking of Tammy made me lose my appetite, and I'm pretty sure Gabe felt the same way, with the way he was looking down at his plate.
All I could hear was silence, then moments later, Adrian started talking. "Can we lighten the mood, please? You dhampires are draining my serenity."
I rolled my eyes and Dimitri translated for the others. I got some gravy over my biscuit that I had cut in half.
"We need to get them to speak English." I told Dimitri as we all started to dig into our food. Everyone was getting food on their plate and started digging in.
"Agreed." He said, after he swallowed his food and washed it down with milk. At least some guys have table manners. Lev and Denis would talk with their food in their mouth, but at least they had the decency to chew with their mouth closed.
"Rose," Zena addressed me. I looked up and she smiled. "You are a great leader."
That warmed my heart and I could feel it on my face. "Thank you."
She shrugged, but I could tell she meant it more than she lead on.
"Have you seen Mason?" Gabe asked. I was shocked at first when he had asked, but then again, is shouldn't of been.
I shook my head. "Not since the ghosts formed an army."
A whistle that went from high to low range came from Christian. "That was the wildest thing I've ever seen." He shook his head and looked at me. "I will never think you're crazy again for as long as I live."
I snorted. "You should have believed me in the first place."
He rolled his eyes, clearly disagreeing with me. I let it go, not in the mood for arguing.
When we were done and put our dishes in the dishwasher, we all looked around. Usually Tamara would jump up with a smile and energy and say that she'd clean up. I could tell everyone was thinking the same thing…well, except Dimitri and Christian. But they were respectful and kept quiet, knowing what we were thinking.
The room was quiet for a moment as we gazed into each other's eyes. I hate this. I thought. A tear almost came to my eye. Almost. "I…I got it." Lev said with sadness and loss leaking into his voice. He turned before he said that, so that we couldn't see his face.
Everyone filed out, but I stayed in. "I got it Queen Cobra." He said with a smile in his tone, unsuccessfully masking his pain.
How can you respond to that? But there wasn't a need to. After a moment, he spoke again.
"Tammy had always wanted to become a chef. She loved to cook."
"Mmm." I agreed, recalling her cooking in Kazan. "She made a mean Pelmeni. She never overdid the bread like everybody else." Olena was the only exception. Her cooking is fist class.
Lev nodded. "She also had a knack for teasing me." He laughed and turned to me. "In Orenburg, I had slipped on a sheet of ice and had bruised my butt and hip. It was bruised so bad, it turned a mean black, blue and purple." His eyes were in the past as he gazed at me. "A few days later, it was Christmas. She had handmade me a butt pad." He laughed, but it came out like a cry. He stopped and took a deep breath, then shook his head and turned back to putting the food away in the fridge.
"Go do the things you need to do, Rose. I would like to go home soon."
Did he think that leaving this place would make her come back? "We love you, Lev." I said, but I had meant that I loved him. But I had also meant that he shouldn't leave us. I couldn't imagine life without any of the Cobras. I still couldn't believe Tammy is gone.
"I love you too, Rose."
With that I nodded and turned. Dimitri was waiting for me, sitting down on the couch. I looked around and saw that Gabe was the only one up.
"The others went to bed." Gabe said, reading my mind.
"I guessed correctly."
Dimitri sighed and stood up from the love seat. "You wanted to go see Sonya?"
I nodded, just as I heard something glass make contact with the floor and had lost its battle. I turned to where the noise came from, the kitchen, and saw Lev coming towards us. "I'm coming." He said with a determination that I hadn't thought he possessed.
I looked at Dimitri, slightly startled. Dimitri was looking at Lev, though, accessing the situation, I believe.
"I would like to talk to you before we leave." Dimitri finally said, then he pointed to the couch. "Sit, please."
Lev sat down, that aggressive determination still in his eyes. Dimitri lowered himself back onto the love seat, and I sat beside him. Gabe leaned on the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and his ankles crossed as he gazed at what was before him.
"What are your feelings towards Sonya Karp?"
I saw anger flash in Lev's eyes, but it was quickly gone. "She killed Tamara! How the fuck do you think I feel? I want her to feel pretty damn guilty for killing her! I want her to spend the rest of her life behind bars! I want her to suffer as much as I am suffering. I want her to hurt; I want her to feel guilty for what she has done!" His voiced was raised louder than I had ever heard it, and I could feel the hurt and the ferocity coming off of him in waves so much, that it was painful to watch and listen.
"She was strigoi." Dimitri replied calmly. "Do you have any idea what she went through?"
"Do I fucking care? She killed the woman I loved! Tamara is gone." On that last word his voice broke on; a few tears escaped my eyes. I could completely empathize what he was going through. It isn't the same situation, but god, I knew his pain.
"And I can guarantee she feels tremendous amount of guilt for that, along with all the other people she had killed!" Dimitri replied calmly, yet his manner was powerful.
"I doubt it!" Lev yelled back, his voice raised again. I saw Gabe's head bow down to the floor.
"You forget who you're talking to." Dimitri said, his voice low and dangerous, making Lev pause. Dimitri took that moment of silence as a sign to continue. "I was strigoi Lev. I know what Sonya has went through, and what she is going through now."
Lev didn't have anything to say.
"Being strigoi made me feel powerful and invincible. I felt that I could take the world on and win without breaking a sweat, but I knew the only obstacle standing in my way was Rose. I felt nothing but power when I killed and fed of those people. When I found something better, I had an immediate craving to covet it, or get something better. The one thing that I had loved when I was a dhampire was reading; being strigoi, it was only a habit that I couldn't break.
"When I was turned back into a dhampire, I had instantly wished that Rose had killed me when she had been given the chance, because of the amount of guilt I had felt over killing those people. I had remembered everything that I went through as a strigoi. I could remember their pleas for me to let them live. I had laughed in a malice-like manner and slowly killed them. The sickening part- I enjoyed it. And that is what made me feel unworthy of a second chance."
Lev was watching Dimitri, entranced in his tale.
"Put your feet in her shoes and try to see things from her point of view. I know that she feels guilty for what she has done, so keep this in mind when you see her. Just watch her, and try to see what she's going through."
I don't believe I saw Lev swallow something like this so hard. Slowly, Lev nodded. Dimitri, Lev and I got up. Gabe pushed off from the wall and stood up. "I'm coming with you, regardless." He said with a shrug. "I can't go back to sleep now. When I'm up, I'm up."
So, we left. Surprisingly, Lev led the way. He didn't walk with haste as I had thought he would. Perhaps Dimitri's little one-to-one speech had made Lev see a little light on the subject? I hoped that he wouldn't say or bring up anything that would make Ms. Karp feel even more disgusted with herself that she already felt.
We arrived. I wasn't surprised to see guards there, and when they saw us, they immediately moved out of the way, nodding to Dimitri as we passed.
We walked up to her cell and she was on her bed, her knees brought up to her chest. She looked up as we came to a halt next to the bars.
"Rosemarie." She acknowledged, but not meeting my eyes. "I had a feeling you would come today."
Lev squatted down, just as Dimitri and I did last night. "My name is Lev."
Sonya didn't look at Lev, she just looked down at the ground and I saw tears coming down again. "I know." She replied in Russian. "My Russian isn't good."
"I can manage. Besides, Rose will translate what you're trying to say."
I mentally rolled my eyes. He wasn't going to make this easy on her. Dimitri didn't react. Did he think that she deserved a hard time?
I shook my head, and Sonya started talking. "Why didn't you just kill me?"
"Because you deserved a second chance." Dimitri said.
She sighed, but Lev interrupted before she could say a word. "Do you remember a girl from last night? Before you were changed?"
Sonya's shoulders caved inwards, as if the guilt was crushing her. "Yes." I could hear her swallow, and when she spoke, her voice was small, overflowing with guilt. "I hit her to get out of my way. I hit her harder than I had wanted, but…" I knew that was an opening for Lev.
Lev, don't you dare-
"But you had thought little of the consequences at the time." Lev said, scorn leaking into his tone.
I pulled Lev's arm and lead him out of the cell. That was the last straw. He tugged his arm free from my grasp, but kept following me. When we reached the end of the hallway and the exit door and walked through it, I shut the door so Ms. Karp wouldn't hear. The door lead to the main lobby/entrance. There was a secretary at the front desk, and guardians at the door.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" I yelled in Russian. "Do you have any idea what she is going through?"
"No! That's the point. And I don't care. All I know is that the woman I had loved for years is gone! She's out of my life." I could see it in Lev's face. He is lost. And he wants revenge.
I shook my head. "And how do you think I felt when I lost Dimitri?" I have a feeling we are going to go in circles until he sees what Dimitri and I are talking about.
"You got him back." He contradicted easily, as if it was a simple and easy fact.
I was immediately angered. He thought it was that easy? "Is that what you think? That I got him back as soon as he was restored?"
Lev didn't say anything, and I knew he was biting his tongue and holding back rolling his eye.
"I went through hell and fire to restore him and win him back! It wasn't just about saving him from being strigoi, it was also about having him believe that he, himself, was back and that he was good. You heard what Dimitri had said earlier today, on how he felt on this matter; and let me tell you, it was hard for me to hear."
"So you want me to go inside and be happy and she's back, but my girlfriend is dead?"
I glared at him. "That is not what I am saying Lev. I'm saying to take Dimitri's advice and walk a mile in her shoes."
I could tell he was ready to growl at me.
"I'm not saying that its gonna be easy, Lev. But she deserves that much. I wish you could see the guilt I see in her. If you see it, then I think you would come to believe she didn't want to kill Tamara."
He spun around to face the entrance and the front desk. There was a female guardian sitting at the desk, watching us with interest.
I knew this was hard for him, and my heart went out to him, but he needs to see what Sonya was going through too.
He spun back around a few moments later. "And if I don't want to see what that woman might be going through?" Might? There was no might about it.
I straightened up my body posture and looked into his eyes unflinchingly. "Then Tammy would have died for nothing."
I turned around and walked back to Sonya's cell. Lev didn't follow me, and knowing him, he maybe calling me every name in the book for what I just said. But I had said what was needed to be said. They weren't nice, no matter how you say it. And Lev would have most likely have taken the meaning the same way I just said it, even if I said it in a more kind manner.
Dimitri and Gabe were walking down the path to the door as I came back in. "Let's go." He said in a kind tone. I didn't ask until we were out of the building why he wanted to leave so quickly. Lev had taken off as soon as my back was turned.
"She needed time to mend her wombs." He explained in Russian. "It won't take her long, if I visit every day for a while. I can offer her help and support, I can only go so far, then comes her loved ones."
"Mikhail." I acknowledged.
Dimitri nodded. "But not yet. He'd go crazy over the fact that she's back, but its not the right time to see her."
I sighed in frustration. I knew he was right. I went to see my father afterwards, and my mom was still around, holding his hand. It turned out that they moved him to the hospital and into the CCU. He wasn't severe or anything, but for the moroi, they take comas pretty seriously.
"Someone had to look after him." Was her smart reply, but I knew she was still in love with him.
I sighed and kissed his forehead in greeting. "Hi, Dad." I took a seat by my Mom and my Dad's hospital bed. Dimitri stood by the doorway, arms across his chest.
"He told me he is proud of you." My mom said.
I gave a shaky laugh. "I know."
"Rose? Guardian Hathaway?"
The bond flickered, and I could tell that Lissa was worried about me. She rushed to my Dad's side and put her crystal on his head. His eyes flickered open.
"I love this crystal!" Lissa proclaimed. "And the beauty of it is that I don't feel any darkness."
Until she had mentioned that, I didn't either. Did the crystal take the darkness away? Or did it channel the darkness into something useful than just temper tantrums and crazy attitudes? I wanted to find out, but I was too happy that she had healed my Dad.
My mom was in his arms before I could be and I laughed. Yes, they are most definitely in love. I still wanted to gag.
He looked at me as he released my mom from their embrace. "You know who I saw in my dreams last night?"
That was a no brainer. "Adrian."
He flashed me his bright teeth and shook his head. "Mason."
I was shocked. I didn't know ghosts could stalk dreams too.
"He told me to tell you that he has one more lose end to tie up before he leaves, but he will be watching over us until then."
I was baffled. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I nodded and hugged Abe. "Don't you dare scare the crap out of me like that again!" I scolded.
He gave me one hard chuckle. "Believe me when I say that that wasn't my goal." He looked at my mom again, and I took that as a sign to leave.
I kissed him on his forehead again. "I'm glad you're awake now."
He nodded, looking back at me. "I get to walk you down that long ass aisle now." He sighed, but I knew that he was excited to do it. There is a light in his eye that I have never seen before; it made my heart glow with warmth.
Dimitri and I both laughed at Abe's remark. I wouldn't have it any other way. I looked back over at Gabe, and he had on a frustrated look. Yup; definitely time to have these guys learn some English.
I went over to Lissa and hugged her again. "We need to ketch up, Liss." I said. I have been so angry at her for so long, that I had forgotten that she is my best friend. I wasn't going to leave the Cobra's, but I hated leaving her behind because of what I do is so dangerous for her.
She nodded. "We'll ketch up at lunch." She winked at me. "My treat; A&W." She didn't have to tell me twice.
Dimitri, Gabe and I left the hospital. I was relieved that Abe was healed. I wasn't sure if Lissa possessed enough energy to heal him.
On the morning of Tamara's funeral the next day was hard for all of us. Zena had sent word to everyone in Court that the Cobra's were having a funeral for Cobra Naja, Tamara, and if they wanted to come and pay their respects, they may. I didn't want to leave the house. If I did, it confirmed that she really is gone.
But for the sake of the other's, I did. I wore all black. The weather was hot, so I wore a dress, with spaghetti straps. It was cute, but the attire didn't distract me; I wish it did.
Her ceremony was in the local Roman Catholic church; Tammy was a catholic, I had learned from Levi. We had contacted her parents, and they were on the first flight to America. They had told me that she wished to be cremated, and allowed her ashes to roam the earth and not be stuck in a bottle.
When we had arrived to the church, every guardian and moroi in Court were there to pay their respects. It gave me courage, telling me that I had to do this, and that I can. I had told Dimitri to leave me alone the day of. I didn't want him to see how hard this really was for me. I had to set an example to everyone, including myself. I had to force myself to be strong for today.
The Cobra's, my friends and family were in the front row. Tamara's ashes were in an elegant urn, that was brown, with a tint of gold in it. It reminded me of both Turkey and Egyptian. It was beautiful. The urn and several pictures and colorful flowers in bucays were on a large, white clothed, table at the center at the end of the isle for everyone to see.
I kept my eyes away from that area.
I walked up to the wooden podium and started the introduction and ceremony into the microphone. "Morning everyone." I would have ordered anyone to shoot me right on the spot if I had said 'good morning.' "Thank you for coming. My name is Rose Hathaway, also known as Queen Cobra." I gave a shaky laugh at the last part. "We are here to say good-bye," I had to pause for a moment, because the waterworks were coming; "to a dear and beloved sister, Tamara Gise. She was born in August, 15, 1990 and died June 28, 2011." I looked down, cursing myself for crying so early into the ceremony.
"Tamara was one of the bravest souls I've met." I cleared my throat. "I had met her on my first trip to Russia when I went on a voyage with Levi Andreev and Denis Ialovskii. She had been the mellow one of the group. She was very welcoming and had a hear full of gold." I laughed gently at a memory. "She had given me not just a warm smile, but coloring book." The audience laughed. "Yes, a box of ten Crayola crayons." I looked out into the audience and decided to face them. I needed to be brave now.
"She said that I had to find a life."
More chuckling from the audience.
"Later that night, she forced me into a nice outfit for clubbing, and she took me out, just the two of us." I looked at Lev and winked. "She said not to tell the boys."
He laughed, but I saw tears filling his eyes.
I sighed dramatically, still looking at Lev. "Obviously the cat is out of the bag." I smirked at him, then looked at Zena, who was balling her eyes out. Larisa held a box of tissues in one hand, and handed a handful to Zena. She graciously took it and blew her nose into it. Larisa and Zena were learning quick how to speak English, but Denis still had to translate for them.
"She was a brave and loving spirit. I was lucky enough to have met her. I will miss her dearly." I was done. There was a hell of a lot more that I had wanted to say, but I couldn't do it. If I did, I would most likely break down with everyone watching me, and that wasn't very professional of a guardian.
I stepped down, and Levi, to my surprise, stood up and walked to the podium as I took my spot next to Dimitri and my mom. Dimitri kissed my forehead while my mom patted my leg.
"Hello everyone." He sniffed, not bother hiding his sadness. "My name is Levi Andreev, and I was Tamara's lover." The Cobra's were shocked. They didn't see that coming. Immediately, I saw compassion in my mom's and Larisa's eyes.
"There is so much about her that I could say, and you would be instantly drawn to her. First off, she was the best guardian and friend you could have." He smiled. "She'd have your back whether you were right or wrong. She said to me once, 'friends are there no matter if you are in the wrong.'" He sighed loudly and gave a slight cry. "I've learned more from her than from anyone else. She had taught me that it is okay to show feelings and to have feelings."
I felt tears coming down my face as he proceeded talking.
"I met Tammy eight years ago by accidently walking into the wrong bathroom."
More laughing.
"She said that meeting a guy in the bathroom sounds like a promising relationship." He shook his head. "Little did she know it was a promising relationship.
"Its hard to imagine life without her. It sure won't be the same."
The priest took over the ceremony from there, and before I knew it, it was over. I stayed with the Cobra's, and we talked more about Tammy when we got back to Lissa's house.
Over a month's time, we had visited Sonya in the cell. Court has been doing their remodeling and still hold the strigoi accountable. What would they do if they knew that Ms. Karp was the mastermind behind the war? I kept my mouth shut, afraid of the consequences for Ms. Karp.
Lissa had visited Ms. Karp while she was staying in the slammer. She had helped Ms. Karp come to peace; I had noticed a change in her instantly, a very big change. It had given me hope that she would recover from her trauma.
The Court had done their tests on her and proclaimed her moroi. Ms. Karp bought her won place in Court, but it was farther apart from where everyone else lived and worked. It seemed to me that she was isolating herself. It was a good time for us that they had proclaimed her moroi, but she still seemed to be deeply depressed. And I knew why, and so did Dimitri.
"We need to tell him now!" I exclaimed. I had no idea where we were walking to. Dimitri just grabbed me and Lev from the Cobra's to help with some ordeal. Dimitri had said it was important.
"That's where we are headed." Gabe said. I had been tutoring him in learning a little bit of English, yet, he still spoke in Russian. He was having a hard time understanding it, and I don't blame him.
We walked up to the familiar building that was where the volts were with important files and papers. I smile came to my face as I remembered the day I had met Mikhail, and was caught in a lie. He was sitting at a desk, talking on a phone.
He hung up within a few moments and gave me a sad smile. "That was Doctor Von Volkenstein."
I looked down. Maybe my news might cheer him up.
"Can I help you with something, Rose?"
I flicked my eyes toward him, not moving my head. "She's back, Mikhail. She's back home."
He looked at me confused for a moment, but those confused lines on his face went to form shock lines. "Sonya." He breathed, his eyes full of emotion that I'd never seen. He got up and walked over to me. "Take me to her. Now."
I looked over at Dimitri. He seemed to be thinking, or assessing the situation. Slowly, Dimitri nodded. "Don't say anything; just acknowledge her by saying her name. Let her talk to you. The first mistake Rose did was force her help upon me. It had made me think she didn't want anything to do with me."
Mikhail nodded in understanding. "Lead the way." When we led the way, he honestly dind't know where we were heading, but suddenly, halfway there, he took the lead. "I recognize this place." He said in awe.
We were in the pretty part of the end of Court. Moroi had returned, but most stayed away, fearing it was still unsafe. "Sonya and I…this was our place…our sanctuary. I took her here…once." So many emotions filled his voice. It felt as if he didn't dare return to this place for a specific reason…or maybe it was because of a specific person?
We had come up to a hundred thousand year old tree, maybe older. There was a tire swing attached to one of the huge, thick branches. Four hundred yards away, is a small two story house. The house is white, with black shudders, and a stained glass sliding door. There is a white veranda stretched across the whole house, with a swinging bench built on top of the roof that is covering the veranda.
Mikhail's pace quickened to get there. Just as we reached the last step, the front door opened. Sonya froze as she saw Mikhail standing a few feet away from her.
Sonya and Mikhail gazed at each other as if they were unable to believe that the other stood before the other.
Someone grabbed my hand. I turned to see Dimitri gazing down at me with affection. I smiled and squeezed back. He seemed to be telling me that we had done the right thing, and he was proud.
With every death, comes a new beginning. This is their beginning.
"Mikhail!" Sonya cried, and was in his arms.
"Sonya. Sonya. Sonya." He said in her hair as he held her tight to him. One of his hands went from her waist to cup her face. He kissed her, and she put her hands around his neck and kissed him back.
She broke this kiss a few moments later and cried into his chest. "I'm so sorry." She chocked on a cry. "I'm so sorry."
"Shh." He hushed her, and smoothed her hair over with one of his hands, while the other arm wrapped around her. Sonya was a head and a shoulder shorter than Mikhail. "You're here now. That's all that matters. Sonya seemed to cry harder when he said that, so he held her tight and kissed her a few times on the top of her head.
I was glad that Ms. Karp and Mikhail had a better reunion than me and Dimitri. Mikhail deserved it.
Lev cleared his throat softly to draw their attention.
For the first time, is aw Mikhail's face, and it practically stopped my heart. He had tears running down his face and he looked more relaxed, more touched than I had ever seen him.
"I have my world back." He said. "Thank you."
I looked at Lev, and he slowly drew his eyes from the happy couple to the ground. Did he realize something, or does he still feel depressed over what happened.
Sonya seemed to have noticed Lev for the first time and shame flashed through her eyes. She stepped away from Mikhail, and I instantly knew what was going on.
Thankfully, Lev saw and thought the same thing. "No." He said in English. He walked forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, then looked down and into her eyes. "You need to be happy. Be with Mikhail. Find peace, Sonya."
It was then, that I knew he finally understood what Dimitri and Sonya had went through. It could have something to do with Dimitri, Gabe and I dragging him to see Ms. Karp every day for a month, or that Dimitri constantly told him what she was going through and what she was feeling, and Dimitri pointing it out to him in Russian, where she wouldn't understand, but he would.
She looked down at his feet. "But you still blame me. I see it in your eyes."
Lev shook his head. "No." He said in Russian, but quickly translated, catching himself. "No. I did at first, because I didn't know any better, but as I saw you struggle with your guilt, I knew you truly felt sorry. I also realize that it wasn't your fault and that this kind of think happens." That was harsh, but I let that go.
Lev never surprises me, but when he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, he had surprised me. "It's not your fault Sonya. Find peace." Hearing those words, I knew he had meant them. They came out firm and strong.
He stepped out of the hug. Dimitri and Lev turned to leave. "Good bye Ms. Karp." I said, then turned to follow the guys, but as I did, a blinding white light appeared in front of us.
Dimitri had placed himself in front of me, and I had placed myself in front of Lev in a protective gesture.
"It's about dang time, Rose! I swear I could have written a book in that amount of time." Mason's voice had yelled. As soon as he was done talking, the light went away, and we had turned to see him.
"Uh, Dimitri…?" I asked, wondering if I was the only one who could hear and see him.
"I hear and see him too, Roza." He chuckled. "Who is he?" Dimitri inspected him from head to toe.
Mason jerked his thumb up to the middle of his chest. "I'm Mason Ashford, Rose's best friend, thank you."
I couldn't stop that stupid smile coming to my lips, even if I tried. "Mase." I greeted. "How's the weathe in Limbo?"
He rolled his eyes. "There is no such thing as Limbo, Rose. Didn't you learn anything when you died?"
I shook my head. "Other than the fact that I don't want to go back any time soon."
He smiled. "Good." Then he looked at Lev. "Levi Andreev. There was a lesion that you had to learn."
I was confused. "Um, wasn't it suppose to be me?"
He shook his head. "I said I would be watching you, not that you had another lesion to learn." He inclined his head towards Lev. "He did." He paused, then said "and he passed."
Lev looked like this was a waste of his time. "Do I get a trophy?"
Lev had a similar attitude like Mason sometimes, and that was one of the times. Mason always has a comeback for an opening as easy as that. "I don't think she'd be too happy with being called a trophy."
There was a sudden blind light a split second after he was finished talking, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone. My eyes were stunned, so I had to wait a moment for it to adjust.
Then I saw someone with short, thin, black hair standing in front of Lev, smiling.
"Tamara." He said, eyes shocked. And less than a blink of an eye, he wrapped her in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips.
Tammy laughed. "In the flesh."
I looked to Mason for confirmination, then for questions. When he nodded, he explained. "It was another altimeter sacrifice." He had explained. "Tamara knew what could happen, and she wanted to do it because she wanted to give Ms. Karp that second chance at life.
"Spirit is a new element for everyone. God and his Angels are always watching us. They had felt it was necessary and right to let Tamara come back to earth. They thought that even though it was her time to come home, she could do more good here, than up there.
Mason winked at me. "I told you I would give you that apology."
I gave him a half smile. "I thought my apology and groveling was the ghosts teaming up to help us."
He smiled back at me. "The apology was the ghosts teaming up. The groveling is giving you Tamara back."
I laughed. "Thank you." He nodded.
My ears picked up another conversation. "-you're home!" Levi exclaimed with emotion.
She laughed and kissed him again, longer this time. "I'm not going anywhere." She smiled, her hands sliding over his chest.
"Ehmm." I said. Did they forget about me?
Tamara came over to me and hugged me. "We have a wedding to plan."
We walked back to the house and everyone was lounging around.
"Damn, I was the spirit of the family." Tamara said, after she looked around at everyone. No one got up to greet us as we came in.
Immediately, heads snapped up and mouths gapped open and the next thing I knew, Zena and Larisa pounced on Tamara, bringing all three of them, plus Levi, who was holding Tammy's hand, down to the ground.
The guys came over and hugged her fiercely. "We already gave you a funeral!" Denis said, still shocked.
She nodded. "Yeah, I saw." She looked at me and Lev. "You both said kind words, and were brave standing up." She looked at Lev. "You especially." She squeezed his hand. "I love you."
He gazed down at her. "I love you." Then his lips met hers briefly.
I had the pleasure of seeing the other's shock. "Yeah, that's going to take some getting use to." Zena said.
"Definitely. I so didn't see that coming." Larisa agreed.
Then, to my utter annoyance, my phone went off. IT turned out to be the Queen. The royal guard had done a sweep of Court and deemed it safe, and now she was back.
"The queen wants to see us." I announced. Everyone looked at me as if I didn't finish my sentence. "Now."
They nodded, but in my head, I heard groaning. Fifteen minutes later, we were standing in front of her. "Cobra's Naja." She smiled. "I like that."
We smiled.
"I have a reward for you all." She smiled and paused, adding drama to it. "I had a castle build for you guys to live in."
We all looked at each other. I was thinking she had gone crazy, while the others looked overjoyed.
I looked back at the queen. "And the ketch is…?"
She looked disappointed in me. "That you stick together and keep doing what you are doing. You are helping out the moroi and dhampire race to stay alive. You guys have made a tremendous difference, more than you have realized. You have saved my life, along with the people here in Court. We owe you not just gratitude, but respect, honor and a reward."
"Why a castle?" Denis asked.
Her lips twitched. "You guys have swords…I think the castle kind of fits."
We all laughed. It is true.
"There are also horses and a stable. There will be servants there to get the chores done. I have created an account for your travel expenses as well."
"Where is this…castle?"
"Its here in court, actually."
My jaw dropped. There was a medieval castle towards the west end of Court. No one uses it, because it belongs to a royal family, but no one knows which family. I had always called it a Cinderella castle, because it was huge and beautiful. The house had so much land connected to it, that it made it even more of a medieval castle. Apartenly Tatiana had found out who the castle belongs to and had given us the house. I had also seen that there was being work done to it...a lot of work, so she didn't have it built, but she did have it remodeled for us.
I was completely shocked that she had done that for us. I had always hav viewed her as 'the bitch,' until rescently.
Tatiana gazed at me, waiting for some sort of answer.
"I..I don't know." I turned to the Cobra's. "What do you want to do?"
They turned and looked at each other, then back at me. "Live in a castle."
I laughed. Dimitri took my hand and squeezed it. "Well?"
I took a deep breath, then looked at the queen. "How soon can we move in?"
She gave me a full out grin. "Today."
Tamara took my other hand in hers. "Let's start planning that wedding." Then she winked at me.
Woot! That was one long chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! It was hard for me to make. I wanted to keep writing, but I don't want my chapter to be too long, so I had to improvise by writing summaries in certain areas of the chapter. I think I covered everything…? Now. Just wait for the sequel, coming this summer/fall. I know it was been over a week since my last update. I've been sick, and to top it off, my computer has a virus on it! So, I used my sister's computer.
Was this chapter better? Did I cure a couple broken hearts yet? lol. I was sad to see Tammy go. I didn't want her to go, so i thought about this. I'm not wild on it, but I didn't want Lev to suffer! He may be a fictional character, but I love him too!