By popular demand, here is Chapter 21 in Dimitri's POV! There is one thing I want to address. I'm pretty sure the triplets are a bit smarter than the average three-year-old (they know more words, they're more perceptive of situations, etc.) I hope that doesn't upset you guys... I just chalk it up to Rose and Dimitri's intelligence being passed down to them.
Disclaimer: Vampire Academy belongs to Richelle Mead... Even Dimiri... Damn.
Rose glanced at me as the kids finished eating. I knew she wanted me to feed, and I knew it was a necessity; but I loathed the idea of taking life from her so I could live. Besides, I was too preoccupied watching my two daughters laugh and giggle in Rose's arms. Rose eventually sighed and put Adrienne and Sabrina down.
She came toward me, giving me an encouraging half-smile. My eyes flicked to Adrienne and Sabrina, who were watching with wide eyes. Rose glanced back and smiled brightly.
"Mommy and Daddy will be back in a minute, guys," she said cheerfully, squeezing my hand. How I loved when she called us 'Mommy and Daddy'. I was their father. They were a part of me. Even three years later, it still stunned me into a reverent silence.
Adrienne and Sabrina's faces calmed down, and they gave us quick smiles before turning to talk amongst themselves. Rose led me to our bedroom, her hand tugging mine. I followed her easily and sighed too quietly for her to hear. We came to our room, and Rose closed the door slowly. She huffed and gave me a pointed look.
"You can't keep doing this, Dimitri," she scolded halfheartedly. "You have to feed." Her eyes were weary, and her lips were turned downward. My hand came up to rub my face anxiously.
"I know, Roza. I know. But I get so caught up with them," I insisted. "I can't afford to miss a second." I knew that when the time came for us to tell them what I was, they would scatter, realizing that their father was a monster.
Roza was understanding, but the kids wouldn't be. They would live in fear of me their entire lives. Perhaps if I was lucky, they would tolerate my presence. But I knew in the back of my mind that they would never fully accept me for what I had become. That was why I had to spend every moment with them. I needed to know them before they rejected me.
Rose sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. I knew that she thought they would accept me, wholly and fully. She wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling herself against my body. "I understand, Dimitri," she said in a quiet, soothing voice. "But you really need to remember to feed." She paused for a moment, and a wicked grin spread across her beautiful face. "And you're missing seconds by arguing."
My eyes widened slightly, realizing she was right. Damn, she's good, I thought to myself. My lips curled into a small smirk. I inhaled deeply, steeling myself. My fangs slowly unsheathed themselves, and I bent my mouth to her throat.
My fangs pierced her throat, and I felt her restrain a gasp. I drank from her for a few moments, relishing the coppery taste of her exquisite blood. I didn't care what anyone said – Rose's blood was the best, by far. Even more so than a Moroi's. I pulled away, licking my lips quickly.
I kissed my wife's forehead, grateful that she allowed me to drink from her. "I love you, Rose," I murmured in her ear.
She sighed in contentment. "I love you, too, Dimitri. Let's go find the kids." I smiled. I so loved going to play with my children. I held her close and nodded, grinning.
We went back downstairs and found that our daughters were on the kitchen floor. Adrienne had a stuffed animal in her arms, and Sabrina was picking one out for herself. It did not escape our notice that Jeremy was missing.
Rose bent down and picked Adrienne up. My oldest daughter scowled and shoved against Rose, upset that she'd been taken her away from her game. Rose bounced her on her hip for a short moment.
"Adrienne, sweetie?" Rose said quietly. Her delicate fingers pulled a piece of Adrienne's thick hair behind her ear. "Where's Jeremy?"
Adrienne looked around like she expected to see her younger brother. Her eyes widened when she realized that Jeremy wasn't where she thought he was. I watched Rose and Adrienne carefully, listening for my son. My eyes widened as I realized that Adrienne didn't know where Jeremy was, either.
Adrienne whimpered softly, her eyebrows dipping, and her eyes filling with tears. "I-I thought he was with Sabina an' me," she stammered, tears threatening to fall over. "I sorry, Momma."
Rose kissed her forehead. "No, no, Adrienne," she soothed. "Shh, it's okay. I'm not mad at you," she insisted tenderly. Rose held Adrienne out to me, and I took her, wrapping her tightly in my arms. Sabrina was watching the scene in front of her, frightened. Rose looked at me, her dark brown eyes sparking. "I'll go find him," she told me.
I nodded reluctantly. She hated me going to look for the kids when they were missing. I knew she didn't trust me to keep myself safe if my children were in danger, and frankly, I didn't trust myself. I accepted that I would kill myself to keep my children safe.
"Dimitri, I'm going outside," she called quietly. The door closed, and I exhaled. Adrienne squirmed against me, and I let her down. Sabrina tugged at my shirt, and I picked her up.
"What's going on, Daddy?" she whispered into my shoulder. "Where's Momma?"
"Shh, Sabrina. It's okay. Mommy went to go find Jeremy. Everything's okay." She sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes.
Adrienne sighed from below us. "Sabina, Jermy will be fine. I wanna play," she complained. Sabrina smiled into my skin and nodded, signaling that letting her down was okay. I put her down, and she started to play with Adrienne.
Sadly, this gave me time to worry about where Rose and Jeremy were. Minutes passed. I didn't listen for her purely out of privacy for Rose. This was a stressful situation, but I knew Rose didn't like that I could hear everything she said or did. I paced furiously, clenching and unclenching my fists. She had been gone for a long time.
After five minutes, I decided to listen for her. She could be upset with me later. Right then, I needed to know where my wife and son were. "Don't make me punch you," Rose threatened. I froze. "It's been a while, but I can still throw one."
A multitude of sounds came from my mouth in that instant. A shriek of frustration, a howl of despair, and a whimper of pure helplessness were only a few . . . Or at least I thought I'd made them. I'd frozen, my face in a mask of shock. My daughters instantly noticed.
Sabrina grabbed my hand, her eyes widening with each passing second. "Daddy, are you okay?" she whispered.
I instinctively pulled my hand away from hers. She frowned, but tears didn't fill her eyes. "No, Sabrina, I'm not," I answered. I tried to keep my voice from shaking but failed. I needed to go to my wife and son, but I knew it wasn't possible.
My daughters exchanged worried glances. "What can we do to help?" Adrienne asked quietly.
If I couldn't go, sending them was the next best thing. "Go outside. Go to your mommy, and tell her to come inside." They hesitated, looking at each other nervously. "Go," I urged.
They ran. The front door opened and slammed shut. I waited in agony and listened fervently. I sank to my knees, shutting off other senses in order to enhance my hearing. I closed my eyes tightly. A new voice came into play.
"Daddy must be very rich," it snapped. I clenched my fists, and a low growl slid through my locked jaw. Adrian Ivashkov. I moaned and wondered how long I had before I would burn to ashes in the sun's light. I mentally sighed. Not long – that was for sure. The only thing I could do was hope that the kids would pull through for me.
My head snapped up when I heard light footsteps moving toward the house. The front door creaked open. "Daddy?" came Sabrina's hesitant voice.
"Come on," I said. My legs were tensed in anticipation. The second that door was closed, I would run to them. I just had to wait for the door to shut. The door slammed, and I made a mad dash for them. Somehow, I managed to pick all three of them up simultaneously.
I sighed in relief that Jeremy was back in my arms. "Dad, get off," Jeremy moaned. I chuckled, squeezing him a little tighter before setting them back on solid ground.
Then I noticed something. "Where's Mommy?" I whispered, my eyes widening as I looked at all of them.
"She said she's come inside in a minute," Sabrina said quietly. I sighed in relief. I could handle a minute.
"Okay. Thank you, Sabrina." There was an uncomfortable pause, and Sabrina glanced at Adrienne. She put her fingers in her mouth, no doubt ready to bite them. I pulled her hand away from her mouth absentmindedly, my eyes locked on Adrienne's guilt-ridden form.
Her eyes were locked on the ground, and Sabrina finally whispered, "Tell him the rest." My face drained of color if it had any.
"What more is there?" I breathed. What else could possibly happen?
Adrienne swallowed and glanced up at me from underneath her eyelashes. "Mommy said don't go outside," she said softly. I relaxed. It didn't surprise me. But Adrienne wasn't done. "No matter what happens."
I froze again. Something was going to happen, and Rose didn't want me there for it. I knew I couldn't help, but I had to help her. I had to do something – be a distraction, scare him away, something. The kids' eyes were trained on me carefully, watching my every movement.
I scooted closer and closer to the front door. I was about to open it when they realized my intention.
"No!" Adrienne shouted. They rushed toward me, grabbing my arms and holding me down to the best of their ability. Sabrina grabbed my left arm, and Jeremy had the other. Adrienne stood in front of me, her hands on her hips. She looked exactly like her mother.
"No, Daddy. You can't," she insisted, hugging my leg.
"Why not?" I snapped. I would have to punish myself later for being harsh with my daughter. . . If there was a later for me.
But Adrienne's face showed no sign of hurt as she looked up at me, begging me to stay. There was blatant sadness written all over her face, though. Her tone, however, was determined.
"Because Mommy said so."
I could've shaken them off like ants, but I didn't want to hurt them. I was already minding how hard I pulled on my arms. Surprisingly, for three-year-olds, they were pretty strong.
"Mommy doesn't think things through," I muttered. How could she just think that I would stand by while knowing she was in trouble? She needed my help, and if I needed to sacrifice myself for her safety, then so be it. I would do anything to save her life.
Footsteps pounded through the grass, and I spun, whirling away from the light instinctively. The kids hung on to me without a second thought. The door opened and shut quickly.
"I need to go, Adrienne," I mumbled, tugging on my arms a little harder.
"No, Momma said that you couldn't," Adrienne insisted.
I had to go to her. "Adrienne, I –"
"Dimitri." Rose's voice shocked me out of my stupor. My eyes snapped to where I heard her voice. She stood, her hands on her hips, mimicking Adrienne's posture a few moments ago. From what I could tell so far, she was fine.
"Roza?" I murmured. I had to validate that she was really here with me and not just a figment of my imagination. I felt Jeremy and Sabrina's hands slowly release me. She nodded, and oxygen left my lungs in a slow exhale. She was really here.
She smiled quickly at me, and I walked toward her, though I wanted to run as fast as I could to her. "You're all right?" I murmured, looking her over a second time.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied. I started to kiss her, but she put her hand on my chest, pushing me back. A low growl began in my throat. "Kids, go to your room for a minute. Daddy and I need to talk," she explained. The triplets glanced at each other before deciding that it was okay. They ran up the stairs, laughing and scrambling to beat each other up the stairs.
Oh, yes, we needed to talk. My eyes unconsciously narrowed at her. She watched our children go upstairs, then turned back to me.
Her eyes were wide as she took in my expression. I could almost see the wheels in her head turning frantically. She was about to find out what happened when she worried me to death.
This was a pretty long chapter. AND it was Dimitri's POV. If you guys liked it, maybe I could get some reviews?
- J.C.
