"Hey Mom," I said with a forced cheerfulness as I walked into her hospital room followed by Lissa. We'd stopped at a florist along the way, Lissa picking up a very pretty bunch of hortensias. I probably should have got her something, too, but I had next to no money and Mom probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture anyway.
"Guardian Hathaway," Lissa said pleasantly. "Please don't get up," she quickly added as Mom tried to raise herself out of bed.
"Princess Dragomir," she greeted, giving me a stern look. Oops. Maybe I should have warned Mom we were coming.
"Everything ok? Are they treating you well? Do you need anything?" I asked.
"Fine, thank you, Rosemarie. How did the debriefing go? Have you submitted your reports?"
"All done. Guardian Alto checked them over. Got our molnija, too."
"Give me a look then," she said, touching my neck in what could almost be described as a caress.
"They did a nice job," she said, trailing off. Neither of us had much to say.
"They're pretty," I said, pointing to a bright bunch of flowers on her windowsill.
"Thank you. Elizaveta and Artyom brought them," she said with what sounded like a note of recrimination. "They visited earlier to say goodbye."
"That was kind of them," I said, refusing to rise to the implied criticism – that they'd found the time to visit when I hadn't.
"Will you be in here long, Guardian Hathaway?" Lissa asked abruptly, trying to change the subject.
"Hopefully not too long. The doctor said all going well I'll be discharged at the end of the week, but I'll be temporarily allocated to a desk job for a month or so." Mom scrunched up her nose, making her thoughts about a desk job clear. I suppose we were more alike than I realized, sometimes.
"It's not for long," I said reassuringly.
"Yes, I know. Are you all set to go to St. Michael's?"
"Oh, you know about that then?"
"Yes. Alberta said there was nowhere else with room," she stated.
"Well about that… Eddie, Meredith and I are going to train privately and graduate from St. Basil's."
"How did that come about?" my mother asked sharply, and for a moment I wondered whether she'd wanted me to go to St. Michael's. Whether seeing me graduate from the lowliest Academy was part of her plan.
"Well… Eddie and I were visiting Abe at his place at Court when the call came through. We were both really disappointed, so Abe called in some favors at St. Basil's and as long as we stay and train elsewhere, we can do our trials and graduate from there."
It was like ripping a band aid off – I hoped if I did it fast it would hurt less.
"Abe is at Court? And you're visiting him? With your friends?!"
Mom's face was getting more florid by the second, and I could see her push herself further up in the bed – perhaps so her diaphragm was fully extended so her shouting would be all the more potent. I shot Lissa a warning look. I might not have grown up with Mom regularly in my life, but I recognized the signs that she was building up to an explosion.
"Yes."
"And do they know who Abe is?" she asked, her voice quavering dangerously.
"Yes. Abe took everyone out for dinner last night after our inking ceremony."
"He's so proud of Rose. We all are," Lissa said supportively, not appreciating this would make my mother even angrier.
"Princess Dragomir, could you give me a moment with my daughter, please?" Mom asked, her teeth gritted.
Lissa looked at me apologetically before putting the flowers on Mom's bedside and turning to leave the room.
"I'll wait for you outside, Rose. It was nice to see you again Guardian Hathaway. I hope you're feeling better soon."
Mom managed to contain her fury until Lissa departed, thoughtfully shutting the door behind her.
"You took it open yourself to announce your… connection… to the world?" she shouted furiously. "What gives you the right?!"
"He's my father. That's what gives me the right," I said, trying to remain calm. "He isn't embarrassed or ashamed of me, and he wants to get to know me! He's flying Eddie, Meredith and I to Russia, is helping organize our training, accommodation, and expenses for a month and a half, and pulled strings to get us to graduate at St. Basil's…"
"That's just money! I'm sorry I can't afford to do that. I suppose you're going to hold that against me, too?" she interrupted loudly.
"It's not the fact he's paying," I shouted. "It's not about the money! It's the fact he wanted to help! He's been nothing but kind and loving to me. Why shouldn't people know I have a dad?!"
"He's not your Dad! That title has to be earned!"
"The same could be said of 'Mom'" I said quietly. She didn't react, but I knew she'd heard me. And after that, there really wasn't much else to say.
"I'll be leaving tonight or tomorrow. We're staying with Dimitri's family in Baia, and he's coordinating the training program for the three of us. Lissa's upgraded my phone plan, so if you want to talk, just call."
I turned and walked from the room; trying to look composed, although inside I was falling apart.
"I'm sorry," Lissa said seeing my face. She'd overheard everything. And, for once, even Lissa seemed to be at a loss for words; unable to put a happy spin on this.
I shrugged as if to say 'what can you do.'
"Are you sure you want to go?"
It was Tasha's voice. Lissa and I had come back to the house after seeing Mom, and Christian and Tasha had invited the whole gang for a barbecue dinner. Tasha was standing in her kitchen with Dimitri, talking to him while the rest of us were outside as Christian worked the grill. The guy might be a pain in the ass at times, but his cooking made it worth putting up with him; especially when he was cooking steak!
"Tasha, it's an amazing opportunity for me," Dimitri said reasonably. "I could never afford to go back to Russia – especially for so long. The Princess is well guarded here, and Mr. Mazur has offered to pay all my expenses. I miss my family. This way I'll get to stay with them for six weeks!"
"Yes, but three extra people plus yourself… All of you training… You'll spend half the time eating. The food is a lot for your mother to afford," she suggested, trying a different tack.
"Abe knows that, and he'll be paying Mama generously to cover any expenses."
"But it's Zmey you're dealing with. How can you be sure he will honor his word?" she demanded. "How can you trust him?"
"I trust him because Rose is his daughter. He wants her to be happy, Tasha."
"Then why can't they stay with him?" she asked bitterly.
"He suggested that but there's room at Mama's and I have to be up early to train them – it's easier if they're where I am. Besides, things are still new between Rose and her father. I think their own space will be good for them as they get to know each other better."
"You need to be careful. People might start to doubt your commitment to Lissa," she stated, changing arguments again.
"I'm a Guardian, Tasha. I go where I'm sent, and this is where it's been decided I'm going." His tone was frosty, and I could tell he was getting annoyed.
I moved forward, intentionally making noise as I did to alert them to my presence.
"Comrade? Got those drinks? Some of us are dying of thirst out there!" I teased, grabbing the beers and sodas he'd been getting from his hand and turning to head back outside.
"Rose? You must be excited about Russia? You're lucky your father is willing to buy you whatever you want." It was hard to miss the resentment in Tasha's voice.
"Well it's going to be an experience, that's for sure," I said. "But if it helps me train to protect Lissa better, then I'm all for it."
"You're all for what, little Dhampir?" Adrian asked as he entered the kitchen, draping an arm around me. "A hot night between the sheets with yours truly?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Tempting as that is," I said in a voice which declared it anything but, "I was talking about protecting Lissa."
"Ahh… The one you'd do anything for… Or one of them…" he said meaningfully, glancing at Dimitri with a smirk. Thank goodness Tasha missed that.
"Yes, and we all know the other thing I'd do anything for is food. Now move it, lover boy. If I miss out on a steak because of your drunken ramblings, you're going to discover the meaning of hangry!" I joked, carefully extricating myself from Adrian's embrace and moving out of his reach.
"Good luck, Belikov," Adrian laughed as he followed me from the room. "She may be small, but she is fierce."
We sat around the outdoor table, eating as we watched the sun rise. I didn't need our bond to see how happy Lissa was. It wasn't being at Court; it was being with fire boy. The two of them sat side-by-side holding hands, listening to the playful banter at the table. There was none of the usual nervous tension through the bond, and it was with a pang I realized in some ways Christian was better at calming her than I was.
Dimitri was seated diagonally opposite me, between Eddie and Celeste.
"So Russia then Lehigh?" Celeste asked Dimitri as she casually picked at a chicken drumstick.
"It's looking that way," he said, his eyes meeting mine for a moment, a glimmer of hope in their depths. "What about you?"
"Well, we'll see what happens. Back to the Academy, I guess, although I'm putting in for a transfer," she said nonchalantly. "Can I list you as a referee?"
"Of course." As the senior partner, it made sense Dimitri would provide a reference for Celeste.
"Thanks. Alberta said she would, too, and she's keeping an eye out to see if anything suitable comes up."
While officially Guardians got little say in where they were sent, the best positions tended to be filled by recommendation – so with Alberta looking out for her, Celeste had a good chance of getting something good.
"You don't fancy going to College though do you?" Tasha laughed at Dimitri dismissively, watching him closely.
"Actually, I'm looking forward to it," he said putting an end to the conversation.
Other people were starting to pick up on the weird tension going on between the two of them. Eddie gave me a 'what's up with them?' look, and I shrugged, shaking my head to tell him to drop it.
After dinner, Eddie and Christian cleared the table, Dimitri, Tasha, Adrian and Celeste went to play pool while Lissa and I sat out the back.
"You look happy," I commented.
"I am. But I wish you could stay at Court. I haven't had a chance to show you anything," she grumbled.
"You saw Mom. I want to be as far from Court as possible right now," I joked, but there was a brittle edge to my mirth.
"But Russia?"
"St. Basil's has the best reputation. If I place well in their elimination fights, it will be hard for them to allocate me to anyone but you."
"I know," Lissa sighed. "I just miss you!"
"I miss you too," I said, "but it's only six weeks, and I want to get to know Abe as well. I was never going to be able to stay at Court," I reasoned.
"Tasha is disappointed Guardian Belikov won't be replacing Emil," Lissa observed.
"I know, but you heard him. He's so excited to see his family. He sends most of his paycheck home, Liss. He'd never be able to afford the time or money for a visit like this. Besides, he was the top Novice when he went through St. Basil's, so he knows all the tricks to help me."
"You want to top the elimination fights, don't you?"
"Yep!" I said, popping the p. "Elizabitch was supposedly their top female Novice, and I beat her heaps of times on our mission. I can do it, Liss!"
"You really don't like her, do you?"
I'd bitched to Lissa more than once during my weeks at the property about the female Novice Vitsin.
"Not at all!"
"And it has nothing to do with her being so friendly with your mother?" Lissa asked raising an eyebrow at me.
"Not at all," I said primly, putting an end to that discussion.
We walked inside, carrying the last of the glasses and dishes to be washed.
"Give me a hand with these, Rose?" Christian asked.
"Sure," I said, grabbing a disk cloth.
"Lissa, Eddie – can you take the cookies through to the others?" he said pointing to two platters of biscuits.
"Where's mine?" I asked. They looked good!
"I thought I'd give the others a chance to have some before you ate them all, Rosie," Christian commented dryly.
"Good idea," Eddie chuckled, deftly moving a platter out of my reach just as I was about to pounce.
"You'd better save me some," I growled, snatching a plate off the dish rack and drying it with unnecessary vigor.
Christian and I worked in silence together. It wasn't awkward, but there was a simmering tension.
"Lissa looks happy," I commented. "Everything going ok with her?"
"You tell me," he asked pointing at his temple.
"Yeah. She's calm. Happy. She doesn't love Court, but she likes spending so much time with you. She's looking forward to graduating and going to Lehigh."
"You can get all that from her head?" he asked curiously.
"Some. Some is from what she's said, and some is just from knowing her. She's been my best friend since we were five."
"Yes, but she loves me too," he said defensively.
"She does. And you've done a great job keeping her calm and looking after her," I acknowledged. "It makes it a lot easier for me to go away again knowing she's happy."
"So. Russia?"
"It was that or Kansas."
"Is it that important where you graduate?" He wasn't being narky - more curious.
"In two months time, if all goes according to plan, I'm going to be responsible for Lissa's life. No second chances. St. Basil's has always produced the best fighters."
"So how does Dimitri fit into that?"
"Dimitri is the best of their best. With him training me, and the experience fighting in the eliminations at St. Basil's, I'll be as well prepared as I can be."
He was quiet for a moment, washing a large platter in the sink and not saying anything.
"I know about you and Dimitri," he finally said.
"What do you mean?" I asked after a long pause.
"I know how you feel about him. And I know he feels the same way about you. It's in every look you give one another."
I didn't reply. I didn't know how to reply. I couldn't deny it. We were less than two months away from being able to declare our love – I wouldn't deny Dimitri now.
"Does Lissa know?"
"No. She has no idea."
I sighed in relief. This was something I needed to tell her about, and I said as much to Christian.
"So what's the plan? Guarding partners by day, but another type of partner at night and on your days off?" he asked.
I laughed sadly.
"Christian – guarding partners don't get time off together. Ever. That's kind of the point. When one is on, the other is off. If one takes holidays, the other covers. If Dimitri and I both guard Lissa, one of us always needs to be available to her. We'd never have an opportunity to be together."
He didn't reply, just kept methodically washing the dishes.
"What's the alternative?"
"We guard different people. Try and get our shifts to line up, at least a little…"
I was watching him closely, and I could see when the penny dropped.
"You mean me? You wouldn't give up guarding Lissa, so you must mean Belikov guarding me?"
"It was one idea," I said casually. Actually, it was the only idea. As far as we knew, there weren't any other Moroi going to Lehigh. And a couple guarding a couple made sense.
"You know my aunt has feelings for Belikov, right? That she's hoping he'll be her Guardian?"
"I know, but he's not interested. She made him the offer at Christmas, and he said no."
"Because of you?"
I shrugged, but he knew I meant yes.
"She really cares for him," Christian countered.
"I know. But he only sees her as a friend."
He nodded in resignation, and I could see his brow furrow as he thought it through.
"It's not that I have anything against him, or you two being with each other. I can see how well you work together. But I can't. Tasha is the only family I have. It would break her heart if I took the Guardian she wanted. She never asks me for anything, and she's given up so much for me. I don't have anyone else, Rose. I'm sorry, but I can't be Dimitri's charge."
"So you'd say no to him, even knowing he still won't choose her?"
"Yes. He can guard someone else, anyone else, and it won't matter. But it can't be me. I really am sorry."
I looked at the plate in my hands, willing myself not to cry.
"But I love him, and I'd never get to see him…" I whispered.
"I'm sorry. I am. Just give it some time and maybe if the two of you wait for a while…?"
"I don't know if we're prepared to wait, Christian. We've had our feelings as long as you and Lissa have had yours. I'm sick of delaying, and I'm worried there's not enough time. Guardians have short lives – I don't want to waste what time we have waiting to be together. If Dimitri can't guard you, we'll have to look at other options..."
It took him a moment to appreciate my meaning. My threat.
"You won't give up Lissa," he said knowingly. "You've trained your whole life to protect her. You love her."
"You're right. But now I love Dimitri, too," I told him, putting down the plate on the counter and walking out of the room.