No matter how hard I wish I wrote Vampire Academy, I didn't. I don't own it either.
This was a fun chapter to write. I hope you like it.
Rose POV
It's been a couple weeks since the Strigoi attack at the mall, and I haven't been able to spend any time with Adrian outside our dreams. Emily thinks she's being so clever, always latching herself to him and dragging him everywhere. What she doesn't know, and what we are all keeping from her, is Adrian's ability to dream walk. Every night, Adrian shows up in my dream and we have a wonderful time together in all sorts of locations. I make sure to keep it all very PG. Just because it's a dream, doesn't mean it isn't real, the emotions anyway. I am able to see Adrian every couple days so he can heal me. My trainings have been kicking my butt big time. I actually broke my collar bone a few days ago when Dimitri tackled me. He felt so guilty, I've been invited to eat with Tasha and him every night this week. Emily hates when Adrian heals me, but he ignores her and does it anyway. She's such a bitch, I wish I let the Strigoi drink her dry.
Right now, I'm on my way to the gym for my all day training session. I spar with about every guardian assigned here at Court. They all love having a chance to take me down. Although, I'm getting so much better, it's getting harder and harder for anyone to actually defeat me. My instructor, Roger, has been upping the intensity of my training. I finish my weights and drills for the first half of the day. Now is my favorite part, hand to hand combat. He has the strongest guardians available fighting me. He figures since I have Adrian available to heal me, why not go all the way. Roger must be planning something special because I see Adrian walk in, with Emily in hand.
"Hey Little Dhampir, are you putting on a demonstration for us? Your instructor asked that I attend your training session." I have no idea what's going on, so I shrug and look over to Roger for an explanation.
"Today I'm going to have the other guardians go full force on you, like an actual Strigoi would. It's going to be like actually fighting the real thing, well things. I'm having you fight ten guardians today. You're going to get hurt and I thought having Adrian here, to help you faster, would be better." Oh shit, now I'm scared. I know I'm getting better, but damn. I look over at Adrian and he looks like he's going to throw up. I go up to him and pull him aside to the corner out of everyone's view.
"Adrian, it's going to be alright. If I get hurt too badly, you'll heal me. I know you can do it." I assure him. He puts his hands on my face and puts his forehead to mine.
"I hate seeing you get hurt. Why do you have to go through this? Is it really going to help?" he whispers. I can tell he's very worried about me. I don't really want him to see this, but having him close by is probably a good idea. I know I'm going to get my ass kicked. I put my hands over his and try to calm his fears.
"Adrian, every time I do this, I get better and better. They aren't just trying to hurt me. There trying to help me. If you haven't noticed, it seems the number Strigoi that attack us each time is increasing. Therefore I need to keep improving to keep you safe. That's the most important thing to me." I look into his eyes, begging with my gaze for him to understand why I'm doing this. "I can handle this. Trust me." He let's out a big breath and nods. Then he does something that shocks me. He bends down farther and presses his lips to mine. My head starts swimming as I kiss him back. The kiss is sweet and gentle and absolutely wonderful. I want to just stay here with him, our lips caressing each other. He pulls away and places a final kiss on my forehead. I'm a little worried that someone might see, but it doesn't seem to phase him in the slightest.
"Go kick some ass Little Dhampir." he says as he backs away and goes to sit on a chair. Emily's giving me a look that could kill. She must have seen. I bet he never kisses her like that. I can't help but smirk at her as I walk over to the mat the other gurardians are at. Dimitri doesn't look too happy as he glares at Adrian. Jealous much? I look over to see Emily sit next to Adrian. Behind her I see Lord Conta come into the gym and sit in the seat next to her. Are they selling tickets or something because there are a lot more people than usual in the gym today. Just what I need, a sold out show to my ass kicking. I step into the middle of the circle of my attackers and ready myself. Just as I'm about to be attacked, the doors swing open and Queen Tatianna walks in followed by her army of guardians.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaim. I turn to Roger with a pissed off look. "Did you invite everyone here today?" He doesn't say anything but motions for me to get started. Well, here goes nothing.
I stand in the middle and immediately Dimitri comes rushing at me. I manage to dodge him when another comes from behind and knocks me down hard. I get up quickly though and attack the closest one to me. I manage to get in a good kick and punch to the face before two others take me down. One helps me up and Roger comes over and tells me how to better block that kind of attack. We repeat this over and over again for the next hour. I can feel the bruises forming all over my body already. Adrian is sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting to rush to my side every time I'm knocked on my ass. So far, I'm not hurt bad enough for his assistance. We take a small water break and I walk over to see how Adrian's holding up.
"You're doing very well Little Dhampir. I loved it when you killed Dimitri." he says with an evil grin. He still isn't too fond of him, and I doubt he ever will be. I roll my eyes and shake my head.
"You sure end up getting killed a lot Guardian Hathaway. I thought you were supposed to be the best." Emily speaks up. I know she's just trying to provoke me, but I won't give her the satisfaction of getting mad.
"Well, if you think you could do any better, be my guest." I say as I motion toward the mat. She glares at me and I see Lord Conta pat his daughter's hand to calm her down. I look at him and he's leering at me, like he always does when he's near me. I sure wish he would obsess over someone else now. He gives me the creeps.
"I admire your form Guardian Hathaway." he says with that grin that makes me want to punch him in the face. Too bad the queen's here or I might try to get away with it.
"How much longer is this going to go on?" Emily whines to Adrian.
"I have about three more hours to go. You can leave at any time." I reply for him. No one asked her to be here. I see Adrian trying not to laugh as he looks away from her. He's probably hoping she'll do exactly that.
I go back to the mat, only to see that a couple of the guardians I was working with have left to go on duty and new faces are staring me down, one being Guardian Conner. Roger is talking to the newcomers, giving them instruction on how to better take me down. Then he comes over to me with a piece of black cloth in his hand. "For the next hour, I want you to work on your other senses other than sight. Try to listen and feel the others around you. They won't go full force in the beginning. We'll work our way up to that." He turns me around so my back is to him as he ties the blindfold on.
"I hope this isn't from your S&M collection." I tease him.
"That is between me and my wife. Now, first we'll start with one attacker. Reach out with your senses and try to feel where he is." I do as he says and listen intently on any movement around me. I hear footsteps to my right getting closer, so I lash out with my fist and make contact. That is so cool. I try again, but this time my attacker was smarter and blocks me fairly easily and knocks my legs out from under me. I get up quickly and try again. This time I can smell a familiar scent getting closer, Dimitri's aftershave. When I think he's right on top of me, I spin and kick him in the gut. I didn't let him recover as I elbow and punch as hard as I can where I feel he is. I even manage to take him down to the floor and stake him. I hear Adrian cheering loudly for me as I help Dimitri up and take the cloth off my eyes. I look over and see Adrian jumping out of his seat, cheering. I give him a thumbs up and a wink as I laugh at him. He can be such a goober sometimes.
More and more guardians are added to attack me with the blindfold on. It's getting easier to fight without my sight the more I do it. Roger says I rely on my eyes too much, which can be deceiving. I need to incorporate all my senses when fighting. We're down to the final test of my lessons today. All ten guardians are going to attack me at the same time at full force, without the blindfold. I stand in the middle and take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I peek over to Adrian and see him wringing his hands nervously. Roger asks if I'm ready and I nod, hoping I am. And without hesitation, the attack begins. I'm surprising myself with how well I'm doing. Within the first minute, I already have two staked. I keep reminding myself to calm down and stay centered as I find my targets. There goes number three down. As I'm kicking one of my attackers, he catches my foot and when I twist to free it, I hear a pop and feel a lot of pain. Crap, I think I broke my ankle. I know I can't stop though because in real life, I'd be dead if I did. I keep fighting, grinding my teeth in response to the pain. I manage to free my foot and stake number four.
I know that kicking is out, so I need to rely on my fists and elbows to do some damage. I'm able to get another four down, but I'm getting exhausted. I can hear Adrian cheering me on and that helps me focus, knowing that I'm doing this to keep him alive. Of course, the two guardians left to beat are Dimitri and Conner. I have one behind me and one in front, circling me. I hobble in a circle and close my eyes, waiting for one or both to come at me. I can feel them coming at me at the same time, so I wait until the last possible second and duck down and take out the legs of the one in front of me. He falls over the other and I jump on him and stake him through the back before he has a chance to get up. That was Conner. I shove his body off Dimitri and try to quickly stake him, but he's too fast and rolls out of the way. Damn! He pushes me sideways and I loose my balance and fall to the floor. He's on me in the blink of an eye, crushing me with his weight. He goes in for the kill , but before his mouth reaches my neck, I get my arm free and elbow him hard to the face. It's hard enough to cause him to falter so I can push him up off me enough to stake him through the heart. I did it! I killed all ten of my attackers. The entire room erupts in cheers and shouts. Everyone loves to root for the underdog.
Both Dimitri and I are so exhausted, we can't get up. He's half laying on top of me trying to catch his breath. "Get off. You're too heavy for little ole me." I say as I try to push him off. He rolls over and turns his head to face me. The look on his face is pure pride.
"That was remarkable Roza. I always knew you'd be the best. I'm just glad I got to be a part of it." he says between breaths.
"Thanks comrade." is all I can manage to get out. Suddenly, Adrian is at my side, healing me before I can object. After he's done he helps me up and pulls me into a bone crushing hug.
"Oh my god Rose, that was the most amazing and terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life." he says in my ear. I hug him back and all the emotions that I kept at bay during the fight come flooding out in the form of tears. I start crying into his shoulder shamelessly. I did it. I was able to keep him alive if this was real. I'm so happy and scared and tired and frustrated and angry all at the same time, it's overwhelming. He doesn't let me go, but holds me tight in the middle of the mat with everyone watching. He rubs circles on my back as he whispers how proud he is of me, tyring to calm me down. It's a bit embarrassing. I just proved that I really am badass, but here I am crying like a baby. After several minutes, I calm down and pull away so I can wipe away my tears. I bet I look awful. All the guardians I fought come up and congratulate me on my victory. Conner actually picks me up and spins me around in his arms.
"Alright Hathaway. I always knew you were badass." he exclaims proudly. He finally puts me down next to Adrian before I get too dizzy , who isn't too pleased with Conner's display. As we walk to where my waterbottle is on the side, the Queen walks over to me.
"Guardian Hathaway, I'm pleased to see all the extra training is paying off. I feel most assured that Adrian is in the best of hands." she says. When Adrian isn't looking, she gives me a wink and a smile. We're due for another lunch date soon. Hopefully she has good news on Stephan's location.
"You're right Aunt Tatianna. I'm a lucky man to have the best at my side." he grins. He puts one arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. Just then, Emily comes over and stands on the other side of Adrian and takes his hand.
"Adrian, aren't you going to introduce me, sweetheart?" she asks trying to get in good with the queen. I'm sure Tatianna's pleased that Adrian seems to be dating a royal. She wouldn't be too happy if she actually knew her. I'll have to enlighten her next time we speak in private.
"Of course. Aunt, this is Emily Conta." He doesn't elaborate on their relationship, which pleases me. Emily curtsies and I fight to keep my laughter dormant.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness." she gushes. She going so overboard on the ass kissing, I think I'm going to be sick. I've had enough of this, so I excuse myself and head to the showers. Before I get to the door, Adrian grabs my arm to stop me.
"What are your plans now?" he asks.
"Umm, Tasha invited me for dinner. She plans on showing me how to make meatloaf. I just hope it's still edible when I'm done." I laugh. Cooking is not one of my stronger traits.
"Well, I would like to see you after dinner. Can I come over to your place?" I don't know why he bothers to ask. He knows he has an open invitation.
"Of course, but I'm sure Tasha won't mind if you come to dinner. If you don't bring a certain annoying Moroi along, that is." We all know who I'm talking about.
"I'll try to escape, but don't wait for me in case I can't get away. I'll see you tonight regardless." I can tell he thinking about stealing a kiss, but I think we've done enough PDA for one day. I pat his shoulder and back away saying good bye.
After I'm showered and dressed, I walk out of the locker room to go to Tasha and Dimitri's when I see Lord Conta waiting for me. Maybe if I ignore him, he'll get the hint and leave me alone. I try to walk passed him without looking at him, but it doesn't work.
"You are truly amazing, Rosemarie." That stopped me. No one calls me by my full name except my mother.
"What do you want, Conta?" I'm in no mood for his games. I just want to go eat with my friends and relax, not get sexually harassed.
"You." is his simple answer. God, what is with these royal Moroi who think they can have whatever they want? At least Adrian isn't like this.
"Well, you can't have me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be." I start to walk again, but he grabs my arm and pulls me up against him.
"Don't be foolish, Rose. I always get what I want, always. So don't make this harder than it has to be. You will be mine, as my guardian or my bloodwhore. Maybe both." He leant down closer to whisper in my ear. "Unless you want those close to you harmed, I would seriously consider giving me what I want." Chills run down my spine when I feel his lips lightly brush against my earlobe. I feel my hands ball into tight fists and I pull my arm back to give this creep my answer, Rose Hathaway style, when someone grabs my arm. I look back to see an angry Dimitri holding me back. Lord Conta straightens up and takes a step back. "Think about what I said Guardian Hathaway. Oh, and congratulations on your victory today. You're truly one of a kind." he smirks and bows his head to Dimitri before slithering away. I let out a breath as turn to face Dimitri.
"Why didn't you let me hit him?" My temper still flaring. He's still glaring at the door Conta just left from. He slowly lowers his gaze to me, confusion showing at my question.
"You could get into a lot of trouble if you hurt him. What did he say to you?" He is still gripping my arm while waiting for my reply.
"You can let go of me now, he's gone." He releases his grip and I continue. "You know, the usual. If I don't submit to being his bloodwhore he's going to harm those close to me. Man, I wish he would just leave me alone already." I sigh in frustration. It's one thing to threaten me, but don't mess with the ones I love, because it won't end well for you.
"How long has this been going on?" he questions.
"Since the day he brought Emily here and his hand introduced itself to my ass." I see the fury light up his eyes and I know I better get him calmed down before he does something stupid.
"Hey comrade, I'm starving. How bought we go eat." I put my arm through his and lead him out the door and to his apartment. He seems to be calming down the closer we get. "Can you do me a favor and keep this whole Lord Conta mess to yourself? I don't want to worry anybody." He stops us before we enter and looks down at me with concern.
"What are you going to do?" I shrug because, honestly, I have no idea. Apparently he doesn't have any ideas either because he opens the door without another word. Tasha comes waddling over and gives me a hug.
"I saw what you did today. I'm so proud of you Rose." she gushes. I didn't even know she was there.
"Thanks. How's the little Belikov doing in there?" I ask as I rub her big belly. She laughs and starts rubbing it herself.
"She's fine." At first what she said doesn't register. Then it hit me, they're having a girl.
"Wow, a girl. That's great." I lean in to talk to the baby in her tummy. "Hey little Roza. It's your Aunty Rose. I can't wait to meet you." I baby talk. They both just roll their eyes and laugh. Eventually I'll ware them down and get them to name her after me. Tasha takes my arm and leads me into the kitchen for my first cooking lesson. Ugh, I hope I don't poison everyone.
This seems like a good place to stop before it gets too long. Isn't Adrian just the best? I love writing him, and badass Rose. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review and let me know what you think.