Chapter 33: Zen Lessons
Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy Dimitri and Adrian…. Care to share??? I'd be happy to take one of them off your hands for you. =)
So I am going to change what Rose and Lissa are wearing to the party because my links are completely dysfunctional. I will try to keep them similar, but not exact. Look for them when I post the Party chapter which will be soon. Here's more Dimitri for all you Dimka lovers out there. Hope you likey!!
DPOV
I sat alone on the bench dumbfounded. I was losing it. I'd yelled at a Moroi Royal in the middle of the courtyard. Yelled at her, a woman no less ! I'd never once been rude to a royal or a woman like that not even Ivashkov and I hated him.
I couldn't believe that Kirova had allowed them to leave the wards without Guardians. What the Princess had yelled at me was the truth though. I had no right to be angry. Rose was going to be one of the best Guardian's around. She was young and still had to learn to control her impulses, but her fighting skills were top of the line and she knew how to use her surroundings to stay alive. I'd made damn sure of it.
I needed to calm down. I was quite sure that Rose would not appreciate the way I treated her best friend just now. I was acting like a child. How dare I accuse her of acting like one when I was just as bad if not worse. I felt incredibly guilty for the way I had acted towards Rose and Lissa.
It worried me that it was dark and they were not yet safe behind the wards of the Academy, but I needed to learn that Rose was not my possession she was my equal and I needed to respect her and treat her as such. She was free to make her own decisions even if I didn't agree with them. It just confused me that she would leave the safety of the Academy so soon after what had transpired in Russia. I thought back to our fight and how I'd all but smothered her with my demands. I felt certain that she could take care of herself, but it didn't stop me from feeling anxious.
I was upset that she'd willingly left for the day with Ivashkov as well. If I wasn't careful I'd lose her and he would be there to console her. He'd made it clear on more than one occasion that he was waiting for me to slip up and when I did he'd be there to take my place. I wasn't about to let that happen. I looked down at the piece of paper in front of me with Adrian's cell phone number on it. I programmed the number into my phone and threw it away. I made up my mind. I would not call them unless it became apparent that there was trouble.
The Princess was right. I needed to give her some space. As much as I wanted to be waiting at the car port when they came back I curbed that urge and instead went to change into my workout clothes. I needed to blow off some steam so I decided to work off my stress in the gym.
RPOV
I watched as Dimitri exploded in front of Lissa as she revealed my wherabouts. I cringed at the fury evident in his eyes. How dare he use that tone with her. She was a woman, Moroi and a Royal not to mention my best friend. How dare he? I was seething. When I got back I was definitely going to punch him straight in the eye. This was so unlike him. He was usually so under control.
Eventually he calmed down and started muttering in Russian. I knew he was upset and I knew why he was upset, but that didn't give him any right to take it out on her. She was innocent in all of this.
After the initial nervousness Lissa had calmed down and she sat next to him. What she said I will never forget. She truly is amazing. For all the times I thought she didn't understand me or didn't know what I was going through she sure proved right then and there that she knew me almost better than I knew myself.
I smiled as she finished her little speech. It was about time someone gave him one of his own Zen Lessons. What shocked me the most was Dimitri's response to her. He apologized which didn't surprise me, but he said he knew that his behavior with me was out of line. That I didn't expect. I watched him hand her Adrian's cell number and walk off.
Thanks Liss. I told her .
Good luck I knew you were there. She replied with a laugh.
I pulled myself out of her head and realized Adrian had been staring at me probably the whole time.
"Is everything okay Little Dhampir?" he asked.
"Yea I was with Lissa." I replied. "Everything is okay." He didn't press the issue. That's one thing I really liked about Adrian. He knew when to back off.
We got back into the car and I waited for his cell phone to ring, but it never did. I guess Dimitri had more self control than I thought. Either that or he was waiting to ambush us when we got back. I was nervous that it was the latter and we'd be awaiting a ticking Russian time bomb when we returned.
We arrived back at the Academy less than an hour later. The sun had set hours ago and I knew that even though he had calmed down that he would be worried as hell that we weren't back yet. I was taken back that he wasn't waiting for us at the car port. I thought for sure he'd be here ready to unleash one of his own Zen lessons on me and give Adrian some dirty looks, but he wasn't.
"See you later Little Dhampir." Called Adrian as he walked back towards guest housing.
"Thanks Adrian I had a great time." I called back.
I knew he wasn't on duty today, but I wasn't ready to see him yet I was too worked up so I went back to my dorm, changed into my workout clothes and started off towards the gym. I put in my I-Pod and ran. I had only run a few times in the past few weeks and I was still a little rusty. I pushed myself to complete my usual number of laps. I was almost a minute slower than usual my muscles were a little sore. I stretched a little and decided to go into the gym and hit the practice dummies a little to calm my nerves.
Before I reached the gym I heard someone calling my name.
"Hey Rose wait up." It was Eddie. He was running to catch up with me.
"Hey what's up?" I asked him wondering what he was doing heading for the gym on a Saturday.
"Just trying to get in some extra practice before trials. What about you? You looked a little peeved while you were running."
"Yea I just need to go hit something for a while." I said with a tight smile. "Want to be my punching bag?" I asked with a cocky grin. I hadn't had a good spar in a few weeks.
"Sure and since you've been out of practice a while I think I might actually be able to take you down." He said with a wink.
"Fat chance Eddo!" I said putting my I-pod in the bleachers and getting into my fighting stance.
We circled each other for a few minutes neither wanting to go on the offensive. Eventually he got a little precocious and took a swing at me. I blocked him easily and he was able to deflect my jabs as well. We were evenly matched right now because I was out of practice and he was at the top of his game.
I faked right and used my left leg to kick him hard in the shins. His legs buckled, but he recovered quickly. I dodged a few more of his punches and then roundhouse kicked him hard in the chest. He stumbled back and fell on the mats. I tried to pin him, but he was too fast for me and he managed to reverse it so he was on top of me. I head butted him and flipped him over. I almost had him, but he was able to right himself. He stood quickly and before I could react he kicked me hard in the abdomen I flew halfway across the gym and fell to the ground in pain. As my head hit the floor with a loud smack I heard his worried voice.
"Roza!" he shouted loudly.
I lay there unable to stand up due to the throbbing pain that was shooting through my head. I'd hit it on the wooden floor when I fell. A second later Dimitri was standing over me and yelling loudly at Eddie. "What were you thinking? She hasn't recovered yet. Get out of here now!" he bellowed .
Eddie looked freaked out as Dimitri hovered over me shouting at him.
"Sorry I didn't know." He stammered and ran for the door.
"Roza ," his hands were on my cheeks. "Roza are you okay?"
I moaned as I tried to sit up. "Don't try to move." He warned. "I'm taking you to the clinic." He reached under and lifted me off the ground. I started to protest.
"NO! Put me down. I'm fine." I said.
"Roza you could have internal bleeding he kicked you right in the abdomen." He said.
I could see the fear and concern in his eyes. "It doesn't matter." I said.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter whaf if.. "
I cut him off. "I'm not." I said softly. He looked at me as he slowly set me down on the bench in the gym office.
"I see." He said. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of air.
"When did you find out?" he asked I could tell he was relieved, but his eyes shown disappointment.
"Yesterday." I said slowly.
He was quiet. He didn't look at me. I knew a million things were going through his mind.
I put my hand over his. "Hey, it wasn't the right time. We'll know when it is." I said softly trying to comfort him. He looked up at me with love in his eyes.
"I know." He replied. He took my hand and slowly brought it to his lips.
"I'm sorry Roza. It was wrong for me to hope." He stated.
"Don't say that." I told him. "I want nothing more than to be the mother of your child someday." I confessed to him. "It's just not the right time."
"Really you want that?" His eyes lit up, but he seemed surprised at my admission.
"Of course I do you silly Russian." I chastised him playfully. My head was still hurting, but my abdomen felt better.
"It's just that there are things I'd like to do before then. Like be Lissa's Guardian and I don't know be intimate with you more than just twice." I said with a laugh. "
"I want that too Roza." He said kissing my forehead softly.
"Now let's get you to the clinic." He said moving to lift me again.
"Please Comrade. I'm fine. My head hurts a little, but I'm fine. Just take me back to my room." I pleaded.
He sighed. "Okay." He said resignedly.
"And I can walk." I told him.
He set me down and let me lean on him for support. He took me back to my room without a fight. Wow that was too easy. Maybe I should have Lissa yell at him all the time.
So do you think she's going to kick his ass for yelling at Lissa? Who wants them to make up?? Who thinks they are not going to work out and I should let Adrian steal her from Dimitri??? Review and I might just throw a lemon into the upcoming chapters. =)
