Thanks everyone for all the wonderful reviews. They really inspire me to keep the chapter coming. I noticed when I updated the last chapter, it didn't get bumped up to the top of the list, so if you like reading my story but aren't getting email alerts when I publish a new chapter, I would advise it. That way you won't miss anything. So, if you haven't read chapter 24, do that first. Again thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
I don't own it, so stop asking.
Adrian POV
What the hell did she just say? There's a Strigoi who wants to kill me because I stole her from him two hundred years ago? Well, that's a new one. "Rose, could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right." I look down and see Rose's eyes closed as she leans against me. "Rose?" I give her a little shake. Great, she fell asleep on me. I pick her up bridal style and start to walk out the door only to be stopped by Guardian Conner.
"Do you need any help Lord Ivashkov?" he asks pointing to the unconscious Rose in my arms. Hey, I may be just a Moroi, but I'm stong enough to carry her home.
"No, I've got it. Thanks though." He holds the door open for me as I leave the bar and head to her room. Thankfully, she doesn't live too far away, because she's starting to get heavy. It takes me a minute to dig the keys out of my pocket to unlock her door. I kick the door open with my foot and take her to her bedroom and plop her down on her bed. She bounces on the bed when she lands and her eyes open wide. I'm about to say something when she sits up quickly, hand over her mouth and then sprints to the bathroom to get sick. I rush to her and pull her hair back to keep it from getting puked on. Oh, that's not pretty. After she's done, she rests her head on the side of the bowl and falls back to sleep. I hope I was never this bad. I pick her back up and put her back to bed. I sit at the end of the bed and untie her shoes and take them off, getting her comfortable. I chuckle to myself thinking about how Rose used to do this for me just about every weekend. I start to remove her clothes and I can't help but blush looking at her beautiful form. I grab some sleep clothes from her drawer and get her dressed, which is really hard to do when she isn't cooperating.
I lay down next to her and hold her in my arms wishing she was awake to explain what she said earlier. Was she just babbling nonesense, or is this what she's been keeping from me? I'm not going to get my answers now, that's for sure. I think I'll go and come back in the morning when she'll hopefully be coherent enough to talk. I move the hair off her shoulder and kiss her gently on her neck. "Sleep well Little Dhampir. I love you." I whisper to her. As I leave her room, I look back at her I wonder if she'll be okay. I'll be back early, what could happen while I'm gone? I mean, she's just sleeping. Right?
When I finally wake up, I notice that I slept longer than I planned. I hope Rose is alright. I quickly jump in the shower and get dressed before going to check on her. When I get to her room I see her face down on the floor in front of the bathroom. Oh god, what happened? I drag her back to bed and cover her up. I see that she washed her face and put her hair up. I hope she didn't get sick again. I stare at her face, naturally beautiful but with carpet imprints on her cheek from laying on the floor. I have a feeling she isn't going to be too happy with me for not being here when she woke up, so I think I'll let her sleep. Waking her will just make her bitchier, and I'm not in the mood for bitchy Rose right now. I lean over her and give her lips a tender kiss. Again I whisper how much I love her in her ear before I leave to get some answers from the one other person I believe has them, the Queen.
"Good morning Celeste. Aren't you looking lovely today. Would you be a doll and let my aunt know I would like to speak with her right away." I tell the receptionist, whose job it is to keep annoying subjects away from her majesty. Of course, Celeste has always had a soft spot for me and usually lets me in without any problems.
"I'm sorry Lord Ivashkov, but the Queen is particularly busy this morning and asked not to be disturbed by anyone." she looks sorry like her hands are tied, but I really want to see her.
"Can you tell her I want to talk about Stephan." Celeste gives me a puzzled look, but picks up the phone and relays the message.
"Well, Lord Ivashkov, the Queen will see you. Just have a seat and she'll be right with you." she nods to me and I smile a thank you. There is definitely something to what Rose said if my aunt had such a quick change of heart to seeing anybody today. I sit on the couch in her parlor and wait for her to come. I wonder if she'll be evasive or just tell me everything there is to know. There's no telling with her sometimes. The doors swing open and Aunt Tatiana walks in with no less than four guardians behind her. I rise from my seat to greet her.
"Aunt, you look well."
"Thank you Adrian. Now, what was it that you wanted to speak to me about?" She asks smiling.
"I want to know about Stephan and why he's after me." Her smile instantly fell and turned into a scowl.
"How did you find out?" I don't want to get Rose in trouble if I can avoid it.
"Does it matter? Just tell me everything you know." I sound a little more impatient than I intended.
"There isn't really that much to know. Stephan is a Strigoi that has been hunting the Ivashkov family for centuries and you are his latest target. Precautions have been taken to preserve your safety. You have the best guardians and live in a heavily warded area. There is no need to worry." she says like it's nothing.
"If I have nothing to worry about, then why wasn't I told before?"
"I didn't want you to feel burdened or guilty for the extra danger your guardians are in, especially Guardian Hathaway. I know how you feel about her and would never want her to put herself in more danger than normal because of you. But she is the best person to guard you, and not because of her fighting skills. Because of her feelings for you, no other guardian will be as dedicated to your safety as she is. Just look at what she puts herself through to ensure your safety. Now I expect for you to forget about Stephan and let Rose do her job." she says the last part sternly. She stands up to leave and I see that this conversation is now over. I give her a hug goodbye and walk out.
I think over everything my aunt told me as I walk back to my apartment and I feel the anger growing. Why does she insist on treating me like a child? She keeps throwing women at me in hopes I'll get married, she got me a job here at Court, and now I find out she's been keeping this secret from me. I think back to all the unneccesary trips out of the wards I've been on and the danger I put Rose through. If I would've known, I could've made other choices, like not going. It's my life he wants, I should've been told.
Well, now that I know, things will be different. No more leaving Court. There is everything here that I could possibly need. I know, it sounds boring but at least I don't have to worry about Rose fighting this apparently insane Strigoi. Besides, Rose said last night that she dies with me, so it's not just my life that's in danger, it's hers too.
I need a drink. I walk into my kitchen and fill a glass with vodka. I drink it down and think that I need to talk to Rose and find out why she kept this from me. My aunt keeping this secret is one thing, but from Rose, it hurts. She doesn't trust me enough to tell me. I feel betrayed. I need to give her a chance to explain. I walk to her place and let myself in since she's probably still in bed, but I'm wrong. Her bed is empty as is the rest of her apartment. I wonder where she went? I don't think she'd feel good enough to work out so maybe she went somewhere to eat.
As I'm walking to the cafe I figure she'd go to, I see her walking to the park, so I follow her. She sits on a bench and sips her coffee while looking deep in thought. I wonder if she realizes what she told me last night. I wonder if she remembers anything from last night. I stand behind her for a few moments and just watch her. I love her, god I love her, but what she did hurts. Well, I'm not getting any answers standing back here. "Glad to see you're finally up." I say as I lean against the bench.
"Glad to see you finally decided to see if I was still alive." She says dryly. Yep, I knew she was going to be pissed I wasn't there when she woke up, but it's not like I didn't help her. I walk around the bench and sit next to her.
"Who do you think carried you home last night? Who do you think dressed you in your night clothes? Who do you think picked you up off the floor and put you back in bed?" I ask irritation clearly in my voice. She acting like I totally ignored her.
"Thank you for taking me home and getting me dressed. But why didn't you stick around to make sure I was okay? It took me twenty minutes to just visit the bathroom this morning. I could've used some help, but I was all alone. I never just left you alone like that, even if we were fighting. Are we fighting?" She asks frustrated. Are we fighting? I guess we are. I want answers to the big secret she's been keeping from me, so yeah, we're fighting.
"Who's Stephan?" I ask. From the corner of my eye I see her choke on the sip of coffee she was taking, making a mess on her shirt. She cleans it up while stealing glances at me, probably trying to see how much I know. I want the truth, so I keep my poker face calmly in place.
"Who?" she asks innocently. Oh Please Rose. Don't insult me like that.
"You know who, Rose. Just answer the question." I'm getting real tired of the run around.
"A Strigoi who's trying to kill you." she says bluntly. So she's going to play this little game, huh? I guess I'll have to drag it out of her one question at a time.
"And why is he trying to kill me?"
"Because he's a nut job, that's why. Don't worry, he'll never lay a finger on you as long as I'm alive." Because he's nuts doesn't tell me much. I guess the why isn't that important right now. I'll just get right to the point.
"How come this is the first I'm hearing of this? Don't you think I should have been told?" I'm having trouble keeping my anger in check right now with the way she seems to be purposely holding back information, like I'm too delicate to handle it.
"What would you have done about it? If you knew there was a revenge seeking Strigoi out to kill you, what would you've done that Guardian Smith and I weren't already doing? I didn't want you to be living in fear." she says, her temper starting to wear thin. Doesn't she know I already live in fear whenever we leave the wards? But it's not my life I'm fearful of, it's hers. She throws herself in danger just to protect me. Am I worth it. Is this Stephan guy really so dangerous that she didn't tell me and she's doing all this extra training just to defeat him?
"Is Stephan the reason you've been killing yourself in training?"
"Of course. I'd do anything to keep you alive and with me." I would do anything to keep her alive and with me too.
"Last night you said we always die together. How many times has this happened?" It seems like I'm not the only one he's after. I wonder how many people he's killed because of this strange vendetta.
"I don't know. He told me he can always find us through me, because there aren't too many Ivashkov Lords with pretty badass female guardians. Personally, I think he's just nuts, but he's also deadly." What? He told her? She spoke with him, personally. When did this happen?
"Wait, you spoke to him? And you both just walked away?" I don't understand.
"Oh sure, we sat down and had a nice little chat over tea and cookies last week." Great, now she brings out the sarcasm. "And for your information, I almost killed him. I just missed his heart." Ah, this was the day of her dance class with Guardian Conner. I knew there was more to the story than she was telling me. More secrets.
"So is this the big secret you've been keeping from me, or is there more?" I hope this is it. I don't think I can handle anymore. I just want to put this behind me and start fresh.
"No, that's pretty much it. Now you know. I'm sorry I said anything. If you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling well." she says irritated as she stands up and walks away. I can't believe she's mad at me. She the one whose been lying to me and keeping secrets. The only thing I did wrong was not help her to the bathroom this morning. It's not like I didn't do anything. I'll let her cool down before I go talk to her some more. What time is it anyway? Oh crap! I have to get ready for Emily's birthday dinner. Why am I going again? Oh yeah, there's supposed to be a good show.
I meet up with Lissa and Christian and we walk to the restaurant together. "So, did you get the little film all done?" I ask Chrisian since he's supposed to put this together.
"It's all done and it's pretty good too. I feel bad for Eddie, though. He says he's going to pay Rose back, so you might want to warn her to be careful." he laughs. Now I really can't wait to see this thing. We walk into the place and are immediately shown to the table where the rest of the guests are already sitting. There's Emily and Spartacus, who seems to be sporting a new haircolor and spiked collar, Lord and Lady Conta, and three young women I've never seen before. These must be her friends. Emily sees us and comes rushing over. She takes my arm and drags me over to her mother.
"Mom, this is Adrian Ivashkov." I shake her hand gently and say hello. She doesn't say anything to Lord Conta since we've already met, but that doesn't stop me from giving him my best glare. Then she drags me over to the three ladies who are eyeing me up and down. "Girls, this is Adrian Ivashkov. We've been seeing a lot of each other. Adrian, this is Jennifer Zeklos, Rene Dashkov and Kayla Badica." I give them all a smile and say hello. God, this night is going to go on forever, I just know it. She then grabs Lissa, leaving Christian behind, and repeats the introductions.
We sit down to eat and I get stuck between Emily and her mom, who seems to be a bit of a cougar with the looks she sends me every now and then. I actually choke on my soup when I feel her hand start to run up my thigh. I take her hand and firmly put it back on her own leg, hopefully giving her the message that her advances are unwelcome. I feel so cheap.
Finally we get through dinner, and the night's almost over. It's present time now. I perk up in my seat, excited to see what Rose and Christian put together. Lissa stands up and walks over to the hostess with the DVD in hand. I see her whispering instructions to her and pointing to the big flat screen tv by our table. Lissa then comes back to the table to tell Emily about her gift.
"Emily, I decided it would be fun to collect some pictures and video clips from your friends and family of your life thus far. Christian has been kind enough to put together a little movie for you using those clips provided. So if everyone will turn their attention to the tv, we'll get it started." she sits back down and gives me a wink. I wish I had some popcorn right now.
The movie starts off with Emily as a little girl playing tea party with her dolls. She even has her guardian sitting at the table with her all dressed up in a big puffy hat and feather boa. Poor guy looks miserable. A few cute kid scenes later, it gets to high school and pictures of her and the three girls here goofing off. This is boring. When's the good stuff happening? I look over to Christian who gives me a big smiling indicating that my wait won't be long now. Next thing I know, I see Emily doing shots with Lissa, Mia and Tasha. Rose must be filming. Then it cuts to Emily on the dance floor with more makeup on than Tammy Faye Baker, in between Conner and Eddie. I'm biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing when I hear her friends gasp at what they're seeing. Emily face just went two shades paler. I wonder if she remembers any of this. "Are you dry humping a guardian on the dance floor?" the Zeklos girl asks horrified. Emily seems to be at a loss for words as her eyes are glued to the screen.
Then it cuts again to Emily on the little stage wearing a tshirt that says 'Bloodwhore Wanna be' while she butchers my favorite Madonna song. I can't help the laughter that erupts from me this time, and neither can Christian. I look over and Lord Conta looks pissed, her friends look shocked, Emily looks horrified and her mom has a little smirk on her face. I guess she's finding out her daughter might be just as freaky as she is. But I really loose it when the camera zooms in on Emily pinning poor, poor Eddie to the wall while she attacks him with her lips. "Ohh, Guardian Castile, I think we could have a lot of fun together if you were my guardian. Would you like that?" The look on Eddie's face is priceless. He looks like he's in pain. Christian is laughing so hard, he's holding his side from the stitch he must have. I'm just trying to breath, I'm laughing so hard. Then I hear Rose's voice as we watch Emily trying to take Eddie's shirt off. "Oh Emily, you're such a hypocrite. You talk down to my friend who fell in love with her guardian and is having his baby, yet here you are, trying to get freaky with a guardian of you own. Wanna have little Dhampir babies of your own, do ya? I'm sure you can ask your dad all about that. And if you're listening Lord Conta, if you think intimidation is the way to get into my pants, you're wrong. That's never going to happen so stop trying. The next time you put your hand on my ass, you're not getting it back. Capiche?" Then the camera turns around so that Rose's face is in view. "Happy Birthday Emily, you bitch."
The movie ends and everyone is silent. I wipe the tears off my face as I try to regain control of my breathing. She stands up, face beat red and points over at Lissa and Christian. "You set me up. You and that bit..Ruff, ruff." That does it. I explode in laughter and actually fall out of my chair. Rose should be here to see this. She keeps trying to yell out them, but all she can do is bark. It takes me about two minutes to get myself off the floor and walk over to Lissa and Chrisian to leave. Just then, Eddie comes walking over to Lissa. Emily sees him and her eyes go wide. "You!" she says pointing at him. He friends start laughing when Eddie grabs me and tries to hide from her.
"Hey, last night was fun and all, but I think I'll keep my postion as the princess's guardian. Thanks anyway." Her so called friends gather their bags and walk out, laughing at Emily as she looks on the verge of tears. I look around the restaurant and see most of the people must have been watching and are laughing at the scene our table made. Classic. The four of us walk out, satisfied that Rose's vision of Emily's humiliation has come true. I can't wait to tell her. Then I remember that I'm supposed to be mad at her. Lissa must see my expression change because she pulls me aside to talk.
"What's wrong" she asks.
"I found out Rose has been keeping a big secret from me. She says it was to protect me, but I just feel lied to." I tell her. She gives me a knowing look.
"I know that feeling. But you have to understand that Rose lives to protect those she loves. She wouldn't do something like that unless she thought is was absolutely necessary. Her heart was in the right place." I know she's right. I need to talk to her. I tell them goodnight and go to find Rose. For some reason, something inside me is leading me to the gym. She wouldn't be training at this hour, would she? I follow my gut and sure enough, she's there, beating the crap out of a punching bag. I love watching her when she fights, so I sit down and just admire how her body moves. She's so graceful and strong. I want to talk to her, but she seems to be needing this. There is a lot of darkness in her aura, which she is probably trying to dissolve. Maybe it's best if I leave her alone and talk to her in the morning. I'll surprise her with donuts and coffee. I walk away knowing that tomorrow I'll make everything better.
Well, there it is. I wonder what will happen with Rose? I guess we'll find out next chapter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.