Chapter 20

Rose's Point of View

I woke up to find myself lying in a hospital bed with tubes sticking out of my arms. I heard a soft giggle in the room and I turned my head towards it. It was Anya; she was rubbing her chubby little hands against Dimitri's face and seemed to be enjoying it. She must like the feel of his rough stubble against her soft skin. I let out a small laugh and that caught Dimitri's attention. His head was bandaged, and he had a few cuts on his arm, but otherwise, he looked well. Well, alive and still the best looking guy on Earth.

'Roza,' he immediately moved towards my bed, 'you're awake,' Anya stared at me with her big brown eyes. I liked to think that she was wondering why I'm hooked up to all these tubes. She quickly got bored of me as she let out a small yawn and curled into Dimitri's arms, promptly falling asleep. She was so much like me in that department. Dimitri looked down at her and smiled, 'exactly like you, Rose,'

I laughed, 'Why am I always the one in a hospital bed? I wasn't the one who nearly got taken down by Strigoi!'

Dimitri shrugged, 'I've just got better genetics,' his eyes flashed teasingly.

'Hey, don't forget who saved your ass,' I retorted, sitting myself up in the bed.

Dimitri laughed and his eyes softened, 'How could I ever forget? Thank you, you shouldn't have. What if something happened to the two of us? What would happen to Anya?'

'A plain thank you would've been nice enough,' I sulked, not appreciating the lecture. He reached out to tilt my chin up so I was staring into his eyes. He leaned in and as his lips touched mine, he whispered, 'Thank you, Roza,' and I sighed happily into his kisses, drinking him in passionately as I realized how close I was to losing him.

There was a loud knock on the door and Dimitri and I broke away from each other. It was Dr. Volkov with Lissa and Christian behind her. Lissa pushed her aside when she saw that I was awake. Dr. Volkov wore a disgruntled look but chose to let it slide as Lissa rushed towards me.

'I'm so glad you're okay!' she whispered fiercely, hugging me tightly. She was aware of the sleeping bundle in Dimitri's arms.

'Lissa,' I said sternly, 'You are never to do what you did again, ever! One move and he would've killed you. Do you know how stupid that was?' A chill went up my spine as I pictured Lissa's exposed neck, inviting Alex to drink from her. 'Christian, how could you?' I looked at him accusingly.

'A simple thank you would do,' Lissa said sulkily, replicating what I had previously said to Dimitri. Dimitri chuckled despite himself and I couldn't help but smile.

'But seriously Lissa,' Dimitri said soberly. I could count on him to dish out life lessons. 'We're trained to fight Strigoi, trained to anticipate their every move; as much as Rose and I are grateful for what you did, especially for us, for Anya, you were very lucky that Alex didn't make a sudden move,'

Christian squeezed Lissa's shoulders, 'Don't underestimate her, you don't know how much she's been training,'

I stared agape at Christian. Did he not understand how dangerous it was for Lissa? 'Don't look at him like that Rose,' Lissa said quietly, 'I promised you before remember? That I would fight alongside you,'

'But…' I started.

'No buts Rose. Adrian can heal as well as I can now. Last night, somehow, I figured out how to heal from a distance,' I remembered how she had taken care of my broken arm as I handed Ethan over to Adrian. She hadn't touched me, I realized. 'I don't know how it happened; I guess when the need arose, I just managed to do it. Somehow… I have a feeling that Adrian and I are only just beginning to brush the surface of how much Spirit can do,' she said quietly, looking down at her hands.

She looked up at me again. Excitement shone through her eyes and through our bond, 'I've read stories Rose. Stories about other Spirit users who can walk into a room of Strigoi and with a flick of their hand, kill them all. Isn't that amazing? I don't know how it works but imagine if I learned that,'

My eyes widened with amazement but a part of me was gripped in fear. This wasn't the Lissa I knew. Lissa could never kill anything. Much to my relief, she said forlornly, 'but I have a feeling that I'd never learn that. Adrian said that I don't have it in me, that you need a certain predisposed streak of violence to be able to kill, even if it's killing Strigoi,'

I felt myself let out a breath of relief, as if I had been holding my breath all this while. Dimitri looked at me worriedly, and I knew what he was thinking. What was the price of all this magic?

'Do you really think that this is a good idea Lissa? You have Ethan now; is all this magic going to be good?' I asked gently.

'You have Anya, Rose,' she looked at me accusingly, 'You fight, you continue to lay your life down for me, why won't you let me take responsibility for my own safety for once?'

'But all the darkness…'

'Is that what you're concerned about?' she was starting to get angry, 'that I'd transfer all the darkness onto you?' Dimitri tactfully removed himself from the situation and motioned for Christian to follow suit. Dr. Volkov stood in the corner, looking more and more disgruntled with our conversation. I could tell that she wanted to perform all the routine medical checks on me, but Lissa must have said something to her beforehand. I wouldn't be surprised if Lissa compelled her. But seeing how I was fine and arguing must have put Dr. Volkov at ease.

'Lissa,' I held her shoulders tightly and forced her to look into my eyes, 'I would do anything for you, you hear that? Anything. You're the sister I never had, the best friend I could ever wish for. I would willingly take the darkness away from you each and every time you performed your magic. But you're wearing yourself thin, Liss. Politics, magic and Ethan? When are you going to have time for yourself? For Christian?' For me, I wanted to add, but decided that she had more important things to worry about.

'You really do underestimate me Rose,' Lissa said quietly. 'I owe so much to meditation,'

I scoffed at her, 'Meditation,'

'Don't knock it, Rose,' she said sternly, 'It used to take me an hour before I could slip my mind into that peaceful silence, but as I practice it more, I'm finding that it only takes half an hour these days. I just need to be in it for 15 minutes and I'm refreshed again,'

I looked at her skeptically.

'I know you're not convinced, but look. I used so much magic last night; between compelling Alex, healing you and then Janine,'

I gasped. I had completely forgotten about her, 'Mum's okay?'

'Yes she is,' Lissa smiled, 'Adrian and I had to use the last of our magic, but she's okay. I think Alex came close to breaking her neck,'

A cold shiver went down my spine. My mum and I had never enjoyed a close relationship, but over the years, I've learned to love her for her seriousness and no bullshit attitude towards her work. And yesterday only proved that she would easily give her life up for me. I felt an intense need to see her then but I had to finish this conversation with Lissa.

'The Princess was extremely weak but otherwise, she was fine. All it took was a few feeders to bring some colour back to her face, and she slipped into this meditation thing she's been talking about,' Dr. Volkov interrupted as she flashed her torchlight into my eyes. She must've decided that she was tired of waiting for us to finish our conversation. 'I think she meditated for about half an hour, because when I next came back to check on her, she was up and about, as good as new. It's really quite something, Guardian Hathaway. She came in this morning to heal your leg,' Dr. Volkov's admiration was evident, as she ticked off several boxes on her chart. I looked down at my left leg. I moved it tentatively and felt no pain, nor any stiffness of movement. It dawned on me that Lissa was tapping into some advanced magic.

Lissa beamed at me, 'I told you. It's amazing this meditation thing,'

'God, before you know it, you'll turn into a nun and run off to a convent,' I groaned, not letting my pride and admiration show. She was truly amazing.

Lissa laughed, 'Do you believe me now? I'll be fine! I'm even excited about this whole idea of practicing more magic, seeing what else is in store for me. Don't worry about time, I'll always find time for Christian and Ethan,' and then she looked at me softly, her eyes watering with tears, 'And I'll always have time for you, best friend time, girly time, we haven't had much of that in a while,'

I felt myself tear up, moved by what Lissa said. 'You really are an amazing, overachieving person,' I said in awe and wistfully added, 'I guess you won't be needing me soon,'

Lissa wore a funny expression on her face. 'I'll always need you,' she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, 'your job will just be easier,'

I leaned in to hug her. Dr. Volkov let out a sigh of disapproval, 'Stay still, Guardian Hathaway, just one more check,' I heard her mumble something about me being so fidgety and Lissa and I laughed. It felt good to be able to laugh with her again. I was given the all clear soon and the tubes were thankfully taken off me. Dr. Volkov left to let Christian and Dimitri back into the room.

Dimitri had placed Anya in a two-seater pram next to Ethan. They were both asleep and sucking on their thumbs. They looked cute together. I thought back to when Lissa had declared that the two of them should marry when they grew up and smiled.

'So did she convince you?' Christian asked smugly. I had to give it to him this time, 'Yeah, she did actually. And thank you, for sending the dragons,'

'Any day,' Christian said, looking proud of himself.

'I still think they come from video games,' I teased. I couldn't help myself. It was Christian.

He rolled his eyes at me, choosing to ignore my juvenile taunt, 'imagine the damage we could do to the Strigoi population if Morois and Dhampirs worked together,'

Dimitri looked seriously at Christian and said, 'I agree. But what you guys did was an obvious violation of the law. I can't thank you more for saving our lives, but I'm just worried about what will happen when the Queen finds out. No doubt there'll be an inquisition into this,'

It was as if someone had put a damper on the party. Dimitri was right, there would be an inquisition and I wondered how we were going to explain why they captured the babies. Lissa was obviously worried too; her brows were knitted into a knot. I rarely felt anything through our bond now, only whatever she wanted me to feel, she must have learned to control it too. Was there anything she can't do?

Dimitri sat on the bed beside me, his arms around my waist as we sat somberly, each lost in our own thoughts about the inevitable inquisition. I was looking at Anya when I saw her kick Ethan in her sleep. Ethan roused and screamed, jolting everyone out of their thoughts. As Lissa rushed to soothe him, Anya rolled on her side and stared at him with her big brown eyes. What she did next shocked everyone, because she took out her dummy and placed it in Ethan's mouth, which he immediately sucked on and fell back to sleep. Anya let out a small yawn and closed her eyes peacefully.

I laughed silently, not wanting to wake them further. I could tell that Dimitri was amused, and proud of his baby girl. 'Oh my God,' Christian hissed indignantly, 'your kid is turning into a domestic abuser already!'

'Predisposed streak of violence, as Lissa would put it,' I said proudly, 'she's going to be one badass Guardian,'

'I think we should rethink our plans of pairing them up,' Christian said to Lissa, faking worry.

'He has a lot more to worry about if he's thinking of getting with my daughter,' Dimitri said protectively.

I laughed, and squeezed his hand, 'She's only a baby,'

'Hey, they start young these days,' he said, faking concern as he squeezed my shoulders. Lissa, Christian and I laughed. I leaned in to kiss Dimitri quickly as my mum and dad piled into my room.

'Mum, you're okay,' I stood up to hug her. Christian decided that he would wheel the babies out, 'It's getting a little crowded in here,' he said.

My mum hugged me tightly, rubbing her hands against my back soothingly. I could tell by her silence that she was brooding over what had happened and she had a million questions to fire at Dimitri. 'We need to talk,' she said pointedly to Dimitri. He nodded curtly, as if he had expected this. I tried to catch his eye but he avoided looking at me. Lissa inched out of the room, but not before sending positive waves of encouragement to me. Once the door was shut, my mum whispered dangerously, 'What the fuck was last night all about?' Her tone was soft, but it sent chills up my spine. I wondered if that was how scary I sounded when I'm feeling murderous. I silently admired Dimitri for not flinching as he looked at my mum straight in the eye and explained the whole story about Alex and Sasha.

A part of me couldn't help but feel sad for Dimitri; it couldn't be easy for him to lose his best friend, his childhood companion. He's killed Strigoi before, some of them he'd known in the past, some of them were strangers to him, but after an attack, he always prayed for their souls, always reminded me about how they once were like us, how they had lives previously, had families, friends who loved them dearly. But of all the killings he'd experienced, I was sure this would take the worst toll on him. I heard his voice quaver slightly when he talked about growing up with Alex, but he quickly steadied it. I don't think I would've noticed if I wasn't paying so much attention to his emotions. I could see the sadness in his eyes, the sorrow and grief that he was struggling to hold inside of him, and I desperately wanted to touch him, to hold him, to do anything that would make him feel even the slightest bit better.

'And you want to marry my daughter?' my mum said sarcastically at the end of Dimitri's story, 'if this is the life you're going to subject her to, a life fraught with danger and psycho Strigoi hunting her down… you must be out of your mind,'

I was about to shout my protest when Dimitri let out a short bitter laugh. It was as if something broke in him, 'Maybe I am out of my mind. I've spent long nights wondering how I can be so selfish as to risk Rose's life, just because I can't live without her,' his eyes bore into my mum's seriously, 'I've come to the conclusion that sometimes, I am selfish. Sometimes, I want to be selfish. I need her, more than anything else in this world. A Guardian's life is a solitary one, one that can end any minute, any day. I'm sure you're aware of that yourself. We've been taught to deny ourselves from the very beginning, to selflessly risk our lives for our Moroi charges,' I saw my mum flinch slightly.

He pointed bitterly to his heavily tattooed neck, 'Each of them is a constant reminder of those I've killed, but more than that, each of them is a constant reminder of how close I've come to losing my life. Years ago, I would've willingly given up my life for any Moroi. I would've found it glorious, I would've even been proud to die on the battlefield, I've even dreamt of hunting them down. But now, I just fight to stay alive, to keep Rose safe, just so I can see her once more. So you've got to be seriously joking if you think that I'd ever let anything happen to her, that any Moroi life will ever be worth more to me than Rose's or Anya's,'

His repeated the sentiments he had said to me previously, his eyes flashed heatedly at my mother. He looked like a Russian God on a warpath. Even I was scared of him. I was amazed that Dimitri had lost his self-control, especially in front of my mother. I was even more amazed that my mum didn't flinch. Anya was going to grow up to be one hell of a Guardian. The genetics were in her favor.

'There are some things in life that are much more important than my job. Rose and I have fought everything and everyone to be together; I've come so close to losing her many times…,' Dimitri continued dangerously.

'Are you threatening me?' she asked incredulously, cutting him off. For a small woman, she sure looked intimidating. He had a lot of guts standing up to my mum like that.

'With all due respect Guardian Hathaway, I will continue to fight anyone who tries to keep us apart,' Dimitri replied passionately.

I felt my eyes moisten. I loved him so much. I wanted to rush into his arms, to feel his touch against my skin, to show him that I loved him as much as he loved me, that I needed him more than my next breath. The air was heavy with the tension between Dimitri and my mum. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes, each staring at each other, measuring each other up, waiting for the other to concede.

Finally, my mum cracked a small smile, 'you've got guts, Belikov, I'll give you that much,'

Dimitri blinked in confusion as realization dawned on him, 'Rose must be rubbing off on me,' he muttered, trying to suppress a smile on his handsome face.

My dad's booming laughter filled the room and I jumped. I had forgotten that he was there and had witnessed the tense exchange of words between my mum and Dimitri. 'Rose had already chosen a life fraught with danger and psycho Strigois when she signed up to be a Guardian,' he said, smiling at my mother as he put his arms around her.

'I think your mum is letting her emotions get ahead of her,' he continued as he turned to look at me. Damn right, dad, I thought to myself.

'But I welcome Dimitri's little passionate speech nonetheless,' he said, now looking at Dimitri. 'I guess there's no need for our little talk after all,'

Dimitri looked confused. 'I was never concerned about her safety; I knew she would be more than capable of looking after herself. Hell, if she is anything like her mother, I would seriously start worrying if I was a Strigoi,' he explained. This made Dimitri and I smile. I was an awesome Guardian, no doubt about that. 'But I wanted to know how much you love her,' my dad continued seriously, 'I only have one daughter and I wasn't going to give her up to anyone, not even the best Guardian if his heart wasn't in the right place,'

Dimitri opened his mouth to speak but my dad held a hand up to silence him. 'I know how much you love her. I can't ask for a better man,' my dad said proudly. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he added, 'there's no need to give me the same ear bashing that you gave Janine,'

I snorted with laughter as my mum looked thunderously at my dad. He winked cheekily at her as I quickly slipped into Dimitri's arms. My parents were bantering in the background – my mum accusing my dad of making it too easy for Dimitri; my dad telling her that it didn't matter how much she tried to intervene, her hot-headed daughter had already given her heart away a long time ago. I wasn't listening to them as I stared into Dimitri's eyes, hoping that somehow, he'd see how much I love him. His eyes were shining with adoration as he looked at me, and I longed to kiss him. As if reading my mind, he said hotly, 'Later, Roza,' giving me a tight squeeze around my waist.

...

I was discharged from hospital that day and Dimitri and I decided to bury Alex and Sasha's bodies. Christian offered to set them on fire or call the Alchemists but Dimitri decided that he wanted to bury them instead. We enlisted the help of the Alchemists to transport the bodies to where we intended to bury them. This earned us a long, strange look from them, but I think Dimitri was far from caring. I had explained the situation earlier to Lissa and Christian, so they didn't think it was odd for us to want to bury the bodies instead of disposing of them the usual way. Lissa looked at me sadly as I followed Dimitri out the door. I gave her a small smile and told her that we would be back for dinner.

Dimitri was deadly quiet as I walked beside him. I knew he was grieving for his best friend and in some way, I knew I was going to miss the letters that Alex used to send Dimitri. As chilling as they were, they revealed a certain camaraderie between the two men and over time, I had slowly grown to even expect a letter every few months. I squeezed Dimitri's hand, just to let him know that I was there for him. He looked at me and gave me a small smile. His eyes were laden with so much sorrow it nearly broke me.

I knew that nothing I said would console him at that moment so I opted to walk silently beside him instead. There was no way that we would ever get permission to bury Alex and Sasha's body in the Moroi/Dhampir graves, so Dimitri and I decided to dig their graves at the edge of the St. Basile's, where there was an empty plot of land. It was late afternoon and Dimitri and I both dug in silence, except for the sound of birds happily chirping in the distance, and the rhythmic thud of our shovels as they hit the ground. Soon, we had two holes next to each other, each six feet deep.

I heard Dimitri let out a sigh as he dragged Alex's body into the hole. Dimitri closed his eyes and muttered something in Russian. I imagined he must be saying his final goodbye. I stared at Alex's body. His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted. His blonde hair was dirty and a mixture of blood and mud stained his pale face. I could see how he used to break women's hearts. He was handsome and as he laid peacefully at the bottom of the hole that Dimitri and I had dug for him, he even looked like he was smiling.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri walk over to Sasha's still body and drag her into the other hole that we had dug. Again, he closed his eyes and muttered something in Russian. I felt his pain as he pushed her into her grave. Her nose was broken where I had kicked it; her blonde hair was matted to her forehead. Her lips were red, even in death and if possible, she looked more beautiful than she did when she was alive. I felt myself think back to their tragic life – how much they had fought to be together, how much they had wanted Dimitri to join them. I was never given the opportunity to get to know them but I was certain that I would easily love Alex's easy humour and Sasha's apparent compassion. I shuddered as I imagined Dimitri and I in their position; Alex and Sasha had chosen to turn Strigoi for love, Dimitri and I had chosen to fight whoever tried to come between us. Love, I thought wistfully, what a powerful thing.

I said a quick prayer for both Alex and Sasha as we filled their graves. Dimitri sat himself down between the two piles of fresh earth, seemingly exhausted from the physical and mental exertion. He bit into his knuckles. I sat down quietly beside him and hugged him tightly as I heard him let out a controlled sob. 'I know you're going to miss them,' I said softly. It only made him sob harder and I felt terrible for it. It took a lot for him to cry and I felt my heart instantly fill with sorrow – for Dimitri, for Alex, for Sasha.

'I know they were Strigoi…' Dimitri started, 'I know what they did to you and Anya…'

'You don't have to explain,' I assured, 'they used to be your closest friends, they had a family who loved them, you loved them,'

Dimitri looked at me, his eyes moist with tears. I tried to give him a small smile to let him know that I understood how hard it was for him, that he didn't have to justify his sorrow to me, that he could take as long as he wanted, I would always be here for him. He hugged me tightly, and kissed me softly on my forehead, 'Thank you for being here,'

'Always,'

...

Dimitri seemed to be in much higher spirits after dinner that night. We didn't have the usual raucous gang over for dinner; Lissa felt that it would be better if dinner was a small intimate affair instead. She said a small prayer for Alex and Sasha's soul before we started dinner, which pleasantly surprised Dimitri. He whispered a small thank you to her and she smiled supportively. Even Christian was surprisingly sensitive that night.

Lissa told us that we didn't have to worry about any inquisition from the Queen because she had compelled everyone who witnessed the fight. I shook my head disapprovingly, but was silently relieved that we didn't have to go through more drama. The kids were with my parents that night; Lissa decided that we all needed some time to ourselves. I couldn't agree more. I wished that our bond worked both ways so I could thank her for always thinking one step ahead and anticipating our wants and needs.

'I don't know what I would do if I lost you,' Dimitri said solemnly as we washed up after dinner. Lissa and Christian had decided to visit Ethan and Anya at the guest lodge, where my parents were staying. It was going to be a long time before we decide to leave the kids with babysitters again.

'Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it's going to take a lot more than a few Strigois to get rid of me,' I grinned, trying to lighten the mood a little. It worked. He laughed and for the first time that day, his smile reached his eyes. He flicked soapy water at me and I squealed with delight as I flicked soapy water back at him. Some soap suds landed on his nose and it made me laugh out loud.

'Alright, you're asking for it,' he said, feigning seriousness, as he gathered more soap suds in his hands.

'Bring it on!' I challenged, moving to gather my portion of soap suds. He moved quickly to block my access to the sink. I yelled out indignantly, but was unable to reach around him. He laughed evilly and I protested heavily. Then, he turned around quickly and with his eyes twinkling mischievously, placed a dollop of bubbles on my nose. I was about to yell out my protest when he leaned down and captured my mouth with his.

'I love you,' he whispered into my kisses, his wet hands pressing into my back. I responded to his kisses hungrily. After what seemed like forever, he pulled away from me and leaned his forehead on mine, our noses barely touching, our eyes locked in an intense gaze. 'Thank you, Roza,' he said sincerely, 'thank you for everything,'

I looked at him and my heart swelled with all the love for him. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else but him. He was the epitome of perfection. He struck the perfect balance between strength and tenderness. 'No, thank you,' I replied tenderly, bringing my hand to his cheek, 'for dragging my ass back to St. Vlad's, for showing me how to fight, for loving me, for asking me to marry you, for Anya,'

He smiled and I didn't think it was possible to love him anymore than I did at that moment. He lowered his mouth to mine and I lifted mine to meet his. It felt as good as it did when he first kissed me, years ago. Our kisses gradually grew more urgent and he muttered something about going to our room. I quickly agreed, not knowing when Lissa and Christian would be back. The dishes would just have to wait until tomorrow.

...

The door slammed noisily behind us as Dimitri and I stumbled clumsily into our room, our lips locked together. He lifted me up into his arms as he pressed my back against the wall.

'Dimitri?' I whispered in between his impassioned kisses.

'Mm?'

'You never came close to losing me,'

He pulled away from my lips, his strong arms held me and my legs were wrapped around his waist. His beautiful eyes were confused and clouded with desire.

'I was always yours, from the very start. We just took some time to figure it out,' I whispered into his mouth, biting his lip gently, 'I love you. I always have, I always will,'

'That's all I need,' he whispered fiercely into my mouth, kissing me hungrily, 'That's all I'll ever need,'

As he lowered me gently onto our bed, I gave him my sexiest smile, 'I think you'll need a lot more soon,'

A slow seductive smile formed on his lips before he buried his lips against my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair as I felt his stubble against my skin. 'God, I love you so much,' his voice shook passionately as he cupped my breasts, his thumbs tracing seductively around my nipples.

'Take me,'

He lifted my skirt and moved his hands up my thighs as I reached down and freed him from his jeans. A moment later, my heart raced as he entered me slowly. He groaned aloud as I drew a sharp breath, feeling him fill me completely.

A moan of pleasure escaped my lips as he started to rock me slowly, darkly tender, restrainedly urgent as I savored our union. I lifted my hips towards him as he lovingly ravished me, overcoming my senses, driving me to the dizzying heights of my deepest desires. I yielded myself willingly to him as I wrapped my legs tighter around him, wanting, needing to have him deeper inside me than he already was. He leaned down and thrusted himself deeper into my heat, possessing me with his wild, fervent kisses.

I raked my fingers through his tousled hair as I half gasped for air, half drank him in hungrily. We were panting heavily as he ran his fingers all over me, hungrily, claiming every inch of me for his own. I eagerly gave myself to his insatiable hunger. 'I love you,' I breathed against his rough cheek, delighting in the sensations it ignited in me.

Dimitri rested his elbows on either side of my head as he lifted his eyes to mine. He looked at me wistfully, 'You're so much more than I could ever have dreamed of, ever asked for. Don't ever leave me,' he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His voice was thick with emotion, tinged with the deep Russian accent that only became evident when he was struggling for control, 'I can't lose you, I need you too much,'

'I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me forever,'

He moaned softly against my mouth as he held me close. He whispered his devotion in my ear and I promised him all my heart as we lost ourselves to a wild passion, an intense love.

Dimitri's Point of View

I stroked Rose's hair as she sighed into my chest, exhausted from all our lovemaking. I held her close to me and rested my head on top of hers gently, careful not to wake her. After having resigned myself to a life of solitary wanderings, of lonely nights, of being a stranger in distant lands, at long last, I was no longer alone. I have her now. I have her and Anya. Forever and for always. It was as though she was the missing piece in my heart, as though she gave new purpose to my life, my strength, my every breath. Roza, I thought to myself, my heart bursting with love. There was nowhere I'd rather be than right here in the arms of the woman I loved, trusted, needed.

She was the haven to my troubled soul, the purpose to my very being. We faced a stormy future together, but she was brave. And strong. So very strong. Stronger than I am sometimes. And I knew that we'd face the troubles together and we'd be alright. We always will.

Finally, I knew the meaning of peace. There might be further battles in the future, and the wars that we were both bound by duty to fight would no doubt go on. There would be more Strigois, more dangers ahead of us. But at least, for me, I know that I would always find peace in her arms. The arms of my angel. My Guardian Angel.