When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose wakes up somewhere she never could have imagined; the past. Canon pairings. Rated T for Language, Violence, and some non-graphic lemons. First multi-chapter fic.
Engines roared around us as the plane lifted off. Dimitri murmured something about coming back shortly and left me alone in my seat. I stared straight ahead, studying the details of the seat in front of me. Someone sat beside me and draped a blanket over my shoulders. I noticed then just how badly I was shivering. I tugged at the edges of the blanket.
"I'm cold," I said. "How am I so cold?"
"You're in shock," Mia answered.
Frostbite
-Richelle Mead
Bonds of Time
Chapter Twenty One
Never Let Me Go
My head throbbed, making the world around me blur as I sat in the back seat of one of the Academy's vans that we had driven back from the airport. It was still hard to believe that Eddie was gone. It was even worse when his ghost stayed with me until we returned to the lodge, standing next to me, with his hand hovering over mine and Mason's. Mason sat beside me staring lifelessly out of the window. Lissa had healed him as soon as she could when we boarded the jet, but when he had learned of Eddie's death he lost it. They had been best friends, closer than brothers, and I hated that we hadn't made it there in time to save him. Because he had been a good and loyal friend to me and had the potential to be a wonderful guardian, only that would never happen now. Eddie looked so lost and alone as we had passed through the wards that my heart ached for him. He vanished from view with a hand outstretched toward the van as though he wished he could be there with us. I had failed yet again to save one of the people I cared about. It was my fault. If I hadn't been so focused on my own problems and had really checked in on Lissa instead of trying to avoid seeing Tasha, I could have stopped them before they left the lodge.
Christian would not speak to anyone, not even Lissa. His worst fear had come true; the last of his family had been taken by Strigoi. No matter how much I hated Tasha, I would do everything in my power to try and get her back, if only for his sake. My personal feelings never should have been brought into the mix when it came to protecting a Moroi. Mia sat quietly beside Lissa, neither of them had spoken since we left Spokane. Lissa's guilt and fear were flooding through the bond. I absorbed the negative emotions, best as I could, but there was still more building. Dimitri parked the SUV and I opened the door and hopped out. Lissa's hand grasped mine as I helped her step down onto the icy driveway. Christian refused my hand as he brushed past all of us and took of into the lodge. Lissa took off after him as Mia walked with one of the other guardians and helped Mason towards the clinic.
When everyone else had exited the vehicle, I turned around to find Dimitri, but he was in deep conversation with the other guardians. Alberta turned toward me and gave me a small smile as she shooed me away. It was like she was trying to tell me to just go be with my classmates, that I didn't need to be a part of guardian business. It made me feel torn to walk away, I wanted to help but as a novice they still considered me to be inexperienced and useless. For once, I just wanted to be a normal teenager, with normal problems. The wooden doors were heavy and in my tired state it took more effort than it should have to open them. The moment I was inside I was pulled into Adrian's warm arms.
"I heard what happened." He whispered into my hair. "I'm so sorry."
"I was too late. I'm always too late." I gasped as I felt the immense flow of darkness coming from him. "Are you okay?"
Adrian gently pushed me back and stared into my eyes. "Don't worry about me, darling."
"Can we get out of here?" I asked heavily as I felt the stares of the other guests burning into me.
"Let's go up to my room," Adrian suggested nervously, "I have something I want to show you."
"I'm not that kind of girl." I joked halfheartedly.
Adrian shuddered and shook his head. "Let's hope not."
I hooked my arm through his and we went up to his room all the while I tried to help him with the darkness. I didn't know what kind of shit he'd been up to while I was gone, but what ever it was, he needed to stop. The minute he had shut the door, he rushed forward and opened one of the cabinets. He pulled out a tray of silver jewelry and laid them on the table before me. I stared at them in confusion, but when I reached for them I jerked my hand back in surprise.
"They're infused with spirit." I said in wonder as I carefully picked one up.
"All yours, darling." Adrian ran a hand through his hair. "I've been working on them while you were gone."
"This is amazing, Adrian." I carefully set the bracelet back down on the satin tray. "But it's too much. Don't you see the toll it's taking on you?" My hand grasped his tightly as I pulled the rage and despair from him. "Please don't ever do this without me to help you. Look at yourself. You need to take a break."
Adrian pulled a bottle of rum from the cabinet and set it on the counter. "Truer words have never been spoken."
"Hand me that." I said with a stern look as I held my hand out for the bottle.
Adrian reluctantly handed it over and I took it to the sink, popped the cork on the bottle, put it up to my mouth and turned it upside down. After I drank every bit that I could - without choking - I slammed the half empty bottle back down on the granite counter top. The dark emotions were bubbling just beneath the surface, like a ticking time bomb ready for the right moment and then I would not be able to contain it. Without thinking, I drained the rest of the bottle and pulled another one off of the counter top.
"Well," Adrian said with wide eyes, "I was going to get us glasses."
"What? Is this to uncivilized for you, richboy?" I held up the bottle and took another sip.
"You keep that one." Adrian pulled a new bottle from the cabinet and winked at me as he held it up. "I've got my own."
"I didn't offer to give this one back." I said jokingly as I clutched the liquor to my chest.
It felt good to let loose a little bit. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail and shook it out as I cracked my neck. Adrian grimaced at the sound as he took a sip of bourbon from his bottle. His eyes lit up at the taste as he stared at the bottle in wonder. Already I could feel the alcohol dulling the negativity that spirit brought and I knew that, for him, it would work even better considering he had been sober for a week before.
"I've missed you." He crooned at the bottle. "Did you miss me?"
"That's just fucked up." I shook my head while I tried to contain my giggles.
"Come here, little dhampir." He held his arms out for me and I walked to him. He pulled me into a hug and squeezed my shoulders. "I missed you too, Rose."
My eyes watered uncontrollably and a shudder ran through me, causing Adrian to hold me even tighter as he kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for minutes as I tried to pull myself together. I wanted to forget that stupid dream. Like a light bulb flickering on in my head, the idea flared to life as I pushed myself away from Adrian and looked up into his brilliant green eyes. The world blurred around me and went out of focus for a moment and then everything popped back to into place. My heart felt lighter. I felt good, far better than I had in a while. The grief for Eddie and my mother was still there, but something was different, something had changed.
My head spun and I shook my head as confusion washed over me. "What the hell was that?"
"Can't hold your liquor, darling?" Adrian asked me with a cocky smirk on his face, as he sat on the couch across the room.
"You wish." I raised an eyebrow at him as I picked up the bottle off the counter. "You're just worried I'll drink it all."
"There's a never ending supply downstairs." Adrian smiled at me as he pointed to the bottle I was holding.
I took a deep long drink and almost choked on the fumes. Trying to make sense of those lost moments, I replayed the past few minutes in my mind, and the last thing I remembered was Adrian hugging me. After carefully considering the shit that I had gone through over the past few days, I labeled it as plain old exhaustion and let it go. My head still ached fiercely as I carried the bottle over to the couch and laid down. As a dhampir, it was well ingrained in my genes to adapt to any situation and move on. And at that moment, it was exactly what I needed to do. As though he could read my mind, Adrian turned on the radio and let the electric sounds of Led Zeppelin float through the speakers.
The music drowned out everything and I lost myself in the heavy guitar riffs and the alcohol induced hazed. I stood up on the couch belting out the lyrics to Kashmir as Adrian moved to stand on the coffee table in front of me. We sang, we danced and we just were. Everything else could be dealt with later. Adrian's eyes lit up as I did a back flip over the couch and started playing the air guitar like a boss. He busted out laughing as I banged my head and danced against the refrigerator with my eyes closed.
"What on earth are you doing?" Lissa said as she stood there, in the open doorway, staring at me in surprise and horror.
Adrian paused the music as he stared between us with narrowed eyes, as I took a stumbling step towards her. "Lissy!"
"How could you be drinking and dancing right now?" She asked me as her eyes filled with tears. "Tasha has been taken by Strigoi and Eddie -your friend- is dead! And you're in here having the time of your life as though they don't even matter!"
"I'm sorry, Lissa." I whispered as I walked out of room, having to use the wall to support myself as I stumbled through the hallways with a heavy heart.
Dimitri's door was open and I walked in and sat down on the bed without a word as I watched him move around the room, throwing clothes into his bag.
"You're leaving." I said as he put on his duster.
"I've been assigned to the rescue group that is going to search for Tasha." He responded plainly. "I know that you don't like her, but she used to be a friend and she still deserves to be saved."
"I understand," I nodded and put my head down. "They come first."
Dimitri's hand grasped my chin and tilted my head up as he knelt down in front of me. "I love you, Roza. But I have to do this."
"I totally get it." I said as I leaned my forehead against his. "I'd do the same for any of my friends."
"Promise me that you will stay here and guard the Princess?" His eyes searched mine as I not to imagine all of the horrible things that could happen to him out there. "You have to promise me. I can't be worrying about you while I'm trying to find her."
"I promise." I said honestly. "But if something bad happens I will track your tall ass down. Don't think I won't do it."
"I'd never doubt that." He chuckled lowly as he kissed me gently on the lips, ignoring the fact that I probably smelled like a brewery.
"How long will you be gone?" I swallowed thickly as I blinked back my tears.
"A week or two at the most." Dimitri said in a tone that made me look at him. "That's all the time the other Royals will allow me."
"Are you going alone?" I asked worriedly.
"No, there are five other guardians assigned to the case." He said as he brushed my hair back. "I have to go, I'm already running late."
No. I wanted to say. Stay here, with me. But I didn't. I kissed him deeply one last time as he grasped my hand tightly in his own. His eyes bored into mine as he pulled away, then turned around and walked out of the room as I sat on the bed with my heart beating hard behind my rib cage. My legs shook when I stood up moments later and the lump in my throat almost made it hard to breathe. My feet carried me slowly out of the room and I shut the door behind me as I walked all the way to the third floor balcony. Snow covered the deck as I walked out and stood there, leaning on the handrail, and watched as the SUV pulled out of the driveway and drove through the open gates. The further away he got, the harder it was for me to try and contain the tears until finally, when I lost sight of the vehicle, I let them fall.
The last few days at the lodge were spent silently guarding Lissa from a distance while she tried to console an even broodier than normal Christian. He had withdrawn into himself and had barely even spoken to anyone. Lissa took his meals to his room where the two would stay sitting silently or just lying down side by side on his bed. Lissa's distress flowed through the bond during these times and I tried my best to pull the negativity away, hoping to be able to comfort her at least a little bit while she helped Christian cope. We had gone to Eddie's memorial service together, but Lissa still hadn't spoken to me since that first night after Spokane. I felt her guilt and pain, but there wasn't much else that I could do to help her.
"I'm sorry about the other night." Lissa said suddenly while we were packing our things and preparing to return to the Academy. "I didn't mean to say what I did."
"You did mean it, Lissa," I looked up at her, "I felt it. But I understand."
"No, Rose!" She said as she threw her bag down on the bed. "You don't understand! It was all my fault that we went to Spokane in the first place. Had I not told the others what Tasha told me about the Strigoi hideout then it never would have happened! Tasha would have never been taken! Eddie...Eddie would still be here. It was my fault. And when I saw you with Adrian I just lost it. You've been through a lot and if that's what you needed to do to feel better than it wasn't my place to judge you for it. I have no right to judge anyone."
My heart broke for her because I knew exactly how she felt. It wasn't the kind of guilt that just went away over time. It was something that you always had to live with. I walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She stood there stiffly in my arms for a moment and then broke down crying.
"Hey, now." I said when she started to hiccup and gasp for breath. "We'll get through this. Together. Like always."
"Together." She coughed. "Will you forgive me?"
"No need for all that." I patted her on the back. "If you want to you can help me pack while I go look for my other bra."
"But where would it..." She trailed off and her eyes met mine and she choked on a giggle as she wiped her tears away. "Dimitri's room?"
At hearing his name, the smile died on my face and Lissa looked appalled that she had brought it up. "Oh, Rose."
"It's all good." I waved off her concern. "I just better find it before someone else does. We can't have Alto thinking that Dimitri likes to run around in drag."
Lissa's eyes widened as she stared at me. We both broke down laughing at the thought and ended up collapsed against the side of the couch clutching our sides. When I was able to compose myself without walking out of the room looking like a total idiot, I stood up and helped her to her feet, then left Lissa to pack as I went back upstairs. I hadn't left anything in his room, but I needed to go back there. My steps faltered when I saw Christian walking out of his room with his bag slung over his shoulder. He looked like he hadn't slept in days or even bothered to shower.
Without asking, I walked up to him and grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him towards the stairs.
"What the hell?" He groused as I tugged him towards the feeder rooms.
"Shut up and follow, Sparky." I hissed at him. "I'm not one for using kid gloves. So man up and get over it."
By the time I pulled him to our destination he knew where we were going and he tugged at my arm as he tried to pull away. "I don't need to feed."
"If you fight me I will hurt you." I told him plainly.
He narrowed his eyes at me, but gave in as I pushed him into the room with a rather dazed looking woman. With a grimace in their direction, I turned around and waited for him to finish. He walked out ten minutes later looking slightly better than he had before and that was enough for me. I put his bag over my shoulder and hooked my arm through his as I pulled him back up the stairs.
"That wasn't necessary." He said in irritation as he tried to break free.
I pushed him back against the wall of the stairwell and gave him a pointed look. "You're hurting right now, and I'm sorry about that. But I can't sit by and watch a friend give up. I promise you that if the rescue group can't find your aunt, then I will."
"You don't even like her." He pushed himself away from the wall. "Why should you care?"
"You're my friend, you arrogant ass." I said as I followed him. "And I will keep my word."
He turned around and stared at me with an indiscernible look in his eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do." I shrugged. "So get over it, flame boy. You're stuck with me."
He walked with me back up to mine and Lissa's room and she smiled when I walked in, but it vanished when she saw him standing there. I swear that they looked like a couple of lost puppies as they stared at each other and it made me want to smack them both. But fortunately, Christian smiled at Lissa and she ran into his arms as he spun her around and they lost themselves in each other's eyes. Adrian knocked quietly on the door frame and quirked an eyebrow at the other two who were apparently about to do something that I really didn't want to witness. I tiptoed out of the room and sat down against the wall opposite of the room as Adrian slipped down next to me.
"Well that was interesting." He said as I leaned my head on his shoulder.
I chuckled as I closed my eyes. "Are you coming back to the Academy with us?"
"Wouldn't miss it." Adrian put his arm around me. "Are you okay?"
"I miss him." I said quietly. "It's only been a few days, but I miss him."
"I'm sorry, darling." He rubbed my arm. "But he'll be back before you know it."
An hour later we were all on the private jet, heading back to the Academy. Adrian sat beside me as I watched the clouds pass by below us, my head leaning against the cool glass, as I imagined the clouds being made out marshmallows. As a safety precaution, we would be landing during the day, to try and avoid the Strigoi, and it was throwing off my sleep schedule. My eyes closed as Adrian held my hand and I quickly fell into a deep and restful sleep. The weird part was, when I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the plane. I was standing in a tiny hotel room in Moscow and in front of me was none other than Dimitri.
End Chapter Twenty One
Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.
I've written a small piece from Adrian's POV called The Missing Minutes it's about the moments that Rose can't account for here in chapter 21. Send a review or PM and I'll send it to you. Also look for me on Twitter RebSilverthorne for chapter snippets, updates, and random craziness.
Special thanks to Caden29 for her wonderful work. We've written a wonderful and funny story that's starting to be a crazy and wild ride. It's called "This Means War" you can find it in my stories. Check it out and let us know what you think.
:::Sends out Vodka and rubber duckies:::