Some weeks had passed since the unfaithful night in the Russian hotel.
"Hey, Lissa?" I asked hesitantly. "Can I tell you something?"
"Go ahead, Rose." She asked but her attention was on the crazy baby in her hands.
"Its about Andre, Adrian's twin." Over the time that I had met Andre, my marriage with Adrian was horrible. Andre would make up lies about me and him and Adrian would believe them. Adrian now spent most of his time with Rika.
"Don't tell me you think 'he is the hottest thing out there beside my husband.'" Lissa said turning her green eyes on me.
"Your husband is hot?" I asked teasingly.
"No. That is what Mia said to me not so long ago. If you ask me I do not think he is hot. I can't find anything hot on him. No offense Rose, I think your Ivashkov is the hottest and then comes Jack after him comes Paul and then come Charles and then Daren and Dylan."
"Okay, Lissa that is good to know."
She grinned. "Sorry, what is it you want to tell me?"
"Andre is making things up about me and him."
"What kind of things?"
"Me and Rose got hot and heavy the other day, kind of things. Adrian never used to believe those things but now he doesn't know. It's like he believes them now. He stopped talking to me for like three days one time. And he spent all his time with Rika. I think he doesn't love me anymore."
"That bastard. . . I'll kill him if he hurts you ,Rose." Christian said beside Lissa. Oh shit, I'd forgotten he was here.
"Thanks, hottness." I said and tried to smile at him.
"Rose, I'm sure Adrian loves you; he's just confused."
"I don't know, Lissa, I don't know what to think anymore."
"Rose, don't let Rika get to you. She always wanted to take Jack out from under my nose. But that bitch got what she deserved." Vera said beside me ,squeezing my hand. "We'll be here for you."
"I don't know, Vera." I said again.
"If Adrian's not smart enough to see that you would never do that to him, then he needs to man up." Sara said. The conversation turned to everyone's problem.
"Guys, maybe I'm just imaging things." We had stopped talking about it because had walked in through the door. I looked down expecting the usual look from him. I didn't want him to see me falling apart.
"Hello, everyone." He walked directly to me. "Rose, can I talk to you?"
He looked as if he would take no for an answer. I stood up. "Sure."
I walked behind him. He stopped in front of the set of French doors that led outside. He opened them so that I could pass and he followed. I sat down on one of the benches from outside.
"Yes?" I told him.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for acting how I did the last couple of days." He looked at me, sadness in his eyes.
I stood up and hugged him. "Adrian, I don't like your brother. I think he wants to break us apart. He won't leave me alone. Some time ago, he asked if you really did love me."
"What a stupid question to ask."
"That's what I said."
"So do you forgive me?" He asked with his penguin eyes.
"Yes!"
We talked a little about us and then I fell asleep with a smile on my face; I was going to need all the energy I had for tomorrow. Tomorrow would be a turning point in my life. . .
I stirred in the bed.
"Rise and shine, beautiful." Adrian said, kissing me softly on the cheek and lips.
I groaned trying to move away from him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
His mouth covering mine made it impossible to speak. After thirty seconds, he pulled away. He got off the bed and went to answer the door that somebody had knocked on a while ago.
He threw the door open. "What do you want?" I was now sitting up in the bed the sheet around me. I quickly wrapped the sheet tighter against my chest and ran to the bathroom when I saw who it was.
"Why such in a hurry?" Andre said, leaning against the door frame.
"I am not in a hurry." I said, but I kept running to the bathroom.
"What do you want?" Adrian repeated.
I didn't hear what Andre responded since I was looking at myself in the mirror that was in the bathroom. I slathered my hair in Herbal Essence shampoo. After my hair was shampooed and conditioned, I grabbed my pouf and poured some Caress body wash. I rubbed it all over my body and then I was grateful that I didn't have to shave my legs since Lissa and I had gone together to get our hair removed by laser.
I got out of the shower and into my white robe.
Adrian looked at my legs, in the checking me out kind of way, that didn't bother me; Andre, I was surprised he was still here, was looking at me in the same way, that, did bother me. I walked as quickly as possible to the closet, ignoring his lust filled smile.
I was looking for an outfit, peacefully, when someone opened the door. I smiled knowing it was Adrian. "Adrian, you didn't get enough of me last night?"
"I would never get enough of you, Rose." Said a voice that didn't belong to Adrian.
I turned around to find Andre standing there, checking me out with a huge smirk on his face. He shut the door. Oh hell! How was I supposed to leave now? The only way I could get out was if someone opened it from outside.
He came to me faster than a Strigoi can move.
He pinned me against the wall. He moved his face to mine. I couldn't do anything because he was using compulsion on me. And he had good compulsion, almost as good as Lissa's and Adrian's. He teeth gently bit my lips as he kissed them.
"Why are you doing this to me and Adrian?"
Andre grinned menacingly. "You don't understand. Adrian always got what he wanted. They had to send me away because of him. I never liked Adrian." He looked into my eyes for a while. "You, my Rose, is how I am going to get back at him. I said I would have you and I will have you."
He undid the ribbon on my robe. He was using compulsion on me yet so I could resist. I was scared I had to admit that. "Get Off ME!" I said and tried to push him off me but he was too strong.
He did something with his element, I guess, because I was soon calm. It him then. He was a Spirit user not a Fire user. It took every ounce of my body force to speak. "I thought you were a Fire user!" I gasped out. He was making me feel pain.
"I am. Adrian and I are unique. Hasn't he told you about that?" My face must of said no. "Adrian and I are twins, as you know. We are special just like Ervin and Taylor are except we aren't bonded. I later developed the element Fire and then later he specialized in Spirit. But then it got all weird when we drank from the same person; I still had Fire but I was left with Spirit still in me. . . Whatever, so to put mildly for you, we share Elements. He is Spirit; I am Fire."
He didn't let me ponder that.
He must have made the compulsion stronger; I couldn't remember who I was. Before he could do anything that would make me want to kill myself, the door burst open.
Adrian's face registered total hurt and shock as he took in the scene in front of me. "I knew it! I knew it, Rose! I knew you were sneaking around with him!" Rika was standing next to him with a cruel smile. Her eyes showed pure victory.
I blinked trying to come back to awareness. What was happening? I looked back at Adrian. "What? Adrian I am so sorry that you had to see it!" The words came out of my mouth; something else was making me say those words. I wanted to explain what was happening but it was not letting me.
"What do you have to explain to me? Huh? I never want to see you again in my life, Rose! Go away from my life!" It was if he was being affected from that force that was making me say those things.
As if there were a snap, everything stopped. Except Adrian yelling at me. "I said go away from my life!"
Tears were running down my eyes now, since I knew what was happening now. "Adrian! It's not true! He is making us believe this!" I tried to reason with him but the insults kept coming.
"Are you deaf or something! GO AWAY!" There was hurt and tears in his eyes. Rika went to him all the way fixing me with a mean look.
I always win. Said something in my head. At that moment I didn't know if it was Andre saying that to me or Rika.
I slipped on the first thing I found. It was a red dress and I got my coat out of the closet too and my black purse that carried all my documents. I walked out of the room and into the kids' play room.
Ervin asked, "Mommy, what is wrong?"
I shook my head and put his coat on. I took Taylor out of Vera's hands and put her sweater on her too. I packed the first things my hands touched for the kids. I would buy them everything later. For now, though, I had to focus on leaving. Adrian's words still stung so I did everything robotically.
Vera like the sister she was, hugged me. "Rose, I heard it all. But you better go before it he gets even more madder. You don't want to see that ugly side of Adrian." She kissed my forehead before I left.
Taylor looked at me with understanding in her eyes.
I practically ran out of the house. I buckled the kids up into their car seats and started the car. Before I could actually sit in the car, Adrian came out of the house, steam almost literally going out of his ears. I could see Rika and Andre staring at me with evil looks.
Adrian grabbed my arm and shook me. I wanted to run away; he was not the man I married right now. "I said for you to leave. Not to take the kids with you."
I gathered strength from my inner core. I got my arm free. I hopped into my car. "You wanted me out, I'm out." I said, driving away without looking back at him or the house. Big tears, streamed down my eyes. I wiped them away every once in a while, cursing Andre and Rika to the deepest pits of hell.