I'm glad you liked the last couple of chapters – amazing how quickly the views rise when you post a lemon! ;-)

The story has come to a narrative peak in Chapter 25 & now we're heading into

~PART TWO~

Keep reading to find out what happens to our love-birds as their relationship takes a darker turn…

26. Chaperone

(Mikhail POV)

We talked for another hour or so, gradually moving from the floor to snuggle on the sofa as we caught up on nearly thirty years-worth of personal history. Eventually the tiredness from the last few days crept up on me and I fell asleep with Sonya in my arms, until I was woken a few hours later by the sound of my phone.

The clock on the wall said it was 4:00am – still an hour before I was required for curfew duty – so I had no idea who would be calling me. As I shifted under the blanket, Sonya rolled over to face me and wrapped a protective arm over my waist. I knew she didn't want me to go but I removed her arm gently and slid out of bed.

'Sorry, sweetheart, but I've got to check that – it might be work,' I whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead before padding into the kitchen to check my phone.

There was one missed call – Alberta. I was just about to dial her number when the phone buzzed again and I answered it on the first ring.

'Mikhail. I need you here on the double. We've had an incident. Oh, and pack a bag. You're going to be away for at least a couple of nights.'

'I'll be there in ten,' I answered curtly and hung up, moving quickly to collect my clothes that were still strewn across the apartment.

'What's going on?' Sonya asked as she swung her feet over the edge of the sofa, watching on with concern as I dressed hurriedly and hung her dressing-gown in the wardrobe before grabbing my phone and keys.

My expression fell as I turned to face the beautiful woman who owned my heart, my body, my soul. I couldn't believe I was being torn away from her so soon. There was so much more to say, to do.

'I don't know how to tell you this, but I've got to go. Alberta didn't give me any details, but there's been some kind of incident and I will be gone for a few days.' I dropped to one knee in front of her and reached up to smooth her hair, tracing my thumb down her cheek. 'I wish I could tell you more. I'll ring you as soon as I can and let you know what's going on.'

Sonya looked as glum as I felt, and I pressed my lips to hers in apology, hoping to take away the sting of our parting. She linked her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss with an unspoken passion that promised she would be waiting for me when I returned.

'Hurry back,' she whispered as she followed me to the door.

'Nothing in this world could keep me away,' I embraced her one last time, before hurrying to fulfil my Guardian duties.

When I arrived at the Guardian Office twelve minutes later, Alberta was waiting for me, clearly annoyed that I had taken so long to get there.

'At last,' she huffed. It was strange to see her flustered – of all the Guardians at The Academy she was normally so cool under pressure.

'What's happened?' I asked, dropping my overnight-bag next to my feet.

'A royal cock-up,' she answered drily, handing me a satchel and a set of keys. 'Lord Eugene Lazar was due to fly back to Court earlier this evening but his daughter Avery missed the flight. She somehow managed to slip our security after the banquet and went off with another young royal to continue their binge drinking in Spokane. Eugene blames us for allowing his daughter off school property and has insisted that we send somebody to escort her back home.' She paced the floor in frustration.

'If it was anybody else, I'd tell them to get their own Guardians to deal with the problem, but there's a strong possibility Lord Lazar will be the Headmaster of St. Vladimir's one day, and we can't afford to get him off-side. Seeing as you've worked at Court recently, I thought you would be the ideal chaperone for this mission.'

I nodded, keeping my face expressionless, but my mind was racing. What if Avery recognised me from the encounter on the balcony? If Sonya hadn't used compulsion to get the vindictive teenager away from us, would we even be in this situation now? And if there was some diplomatic task required, how long would I really be away?

My thoughts were interrupted by Alberta's final instructions.

'Stan and his team have already secured the girl and are currently en route to the airport at Felts Field. I need you to meet them there and take custody of the royal runaway. There are several other guests from the banquet who are booked on the same flight as you, so you won't be the only Guardian on board, but I'm relying on you to personally deliver Miss Lazar safely into her father's hands. Your flight details in the bag,' she finished, along with a sweetener to placate Eugene.'

I opened the flap of the satchel to reveal a fancy gift box containing a bottle of fifty year old single malt scotch whiskey.

'Guard that with your life too,' Alberta warned. 'That little tipple cost me three months wages.'

A little over an hour later I arrived at the airport, handing my keys to Stan Alto before taking charge of Avery Lazar. Her eyes flickered when she saw me, but she slumped back down into her seat without any further hint of recognition. Clearly the effects of her drinking hadn't worn off yet, and she cradled her head in her hands like she was afraid it was going to explode.

'I can't believe you're forcing me on a plane in my condition,' she whinged. 'The altitude is going to kill me.'

I didn't intend wasting any sympathy on the spoiled brat who first threatened my Sonya, and was now taking me away from her.

'I am simply following your father's instructions, Miss Lazar,' I explained evenly as I took her by the elbow and led her onto the plane. 'Please sit down,' I directed her towards a window seat then took my place next to her on the aisle.

The flight to Pennsylvania was mercifully uneventful, and I even managed to grab an hour or two of light sleep somewhere over Illinois. Inbetween the Royal Banquet, my regular Guardian duties and spending any extra time with Sonya, it was a rare opportunity to have nowhere to go for eight hours, except escorting Avery to the bathroom once or twice. After one failed attempt at conversation my charge was happy enough to ignore me, but I was still glad when we finally touched down in Pittsburgh, and I didn't waste any time getting my gym-bag and Alberta's satchel from the overhead locker.

As we entered the arrivals lounge, I was relieved to see a Guardian already waiting for us.

'Mikhail Tanner?' The young man stepped forward to shake my hand. 'I'm Simon – I work for the Lazar family. I'm here to escort you and Miss Avery back to Court. My car is out the front.'

I nodded gratefully and turned to brief Avery on the final leg of our journey, but she pushed past me and placed her hand just above the Guardian's elbow.

'It's good to be home Simon,' she said wearily, squeezing his arm. 'Will you be a darling and get my bags? I don't think this one will leave me alone for a second,' she said, tossing her head in my direction.

Dead right, I thought. There was no way I was planning on losing my charge when we were so close to home.

'Of course, Miss Avery,' Simon replied, moving quickly to the baggage carousel before returning, heavily laden, and leading us to the waiting vehicle.

By the time we arrived at Court my watch said 5:00pm but the sun had already set, and I remembered we were in a different time zone now. At seven in the evening, the little city was well and truly awake – traders were already heading out to open their shops, young Moroi professionals stopped in at trendy cafés to grab a coffee before work, while others enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the tables that spilt out onto the pavement. Realising we were close to our destination I got my phone out, planning to call Eugene Lazar to let him know we had arrived, but Simon stopped me.

'I've already phoned ahead to let Lord Lazar know we are coming. He is ready to see you immediately,' the young Guardian advised as he drove past the main strip of Court administration buildings.

In less than ten minutes Simon pulled into a private garage under the Lazar villa and I stayed by Avery's side as the three of us took the elevator up to the main floor. When the doors opened, we stepped out into a palatial open-plan living area. Everything was clean and modern from the polished marble flooring to the expensive leather furniture. Huge bi-fold doors opened onto a wide terrace that looked out over the town, and a spiral staircase in the centre of the room led up to the bedrooms and guest quarters on the floor above.

A moment later, a tall man in his fifties descended the stairs and I instantly recognised the neat salt and pepper hair and blue-grey eyes – Eugene Lazar.

'So you managed to find her after all,' the man boomed, even though he was only a few feet away.

'Lord Lazar,' I greeted him formally, dipping my head briefly in respect. 'Captain Petrov has asked me to pass on her sincerest apologies for allowing your daughter to leave campus unattended. She also wanted you to have this – a personal gift from her,' I handed him the box and noted his look of interest when he read the label. Alberta would be glad that her whiskey had made for an acceptable peace-offering.

'Well, I guess it can be difficult keeping track of a young woman who is determined to find trouble,' he conceded, glaring at Avery from under his eyebrows. I could see that he wanted to speak with his daughter alone, and I had no wish to deny him the opportunity.

'Is there anything else you require from me?' I asked, feeling relieved when he shook his head.

'That will be all' he answered dismissively. 'Simon can drive you over to Guardian Headquarters if you need a lift.'

I shook my head to decline his offer and shouldered my gym-bag before crossing the room to let myself out the front door.

'Tell Alberta she was lucky this time,' Eugene Lazar called after me as I exited through the doorway, and I nodded in acknowledgement before stepping out onto the street.

It was only a twenty minute walk from the Lazar Villa to Guardian HQ, and I was keen for the chance to stretch my legs. My muscles were still stiff from the long flight and probably from the workout Sonya had given me as well.

Sonya, I thought, and my heart ached for her. I looked at my watch – it was 5:45pm back in Montana – still early but I figured she'd already be awake. She had school tonight and I knew she liked to get to class early. The Court Cathedral only a block away so I headed towards the domed roof that stood out above the other buildings, and sat down on the grass underneath the statue of the young Queen Alexandra. I took out my phone to dial Sonya's number and she picked up almost immediately.

'Is everything okay, Misha?' she asked with a note of anxiety in her voice.

'Yes I'm fine Sonechka, but I miss you.' There might have been two thousand miles between us, but just hearing her speak made the distance seem so much shorter.

She sighed in relief, relaxing a little at the knowledge I was safe. 'I miss you too. Will I see you again soon?' she asked, hopefully.

'As soon as I can get away,' I replied. 'It turned out that Avery Lazar missed her flight home and Alberta needed a Guardian to escort her back to Court.'

I heard a sharp intake of breath.

'It's okay Sonya – she didn't recognise me from the banquet,' I assured her. 'The only thing she said to me the whole time was that she didn't want to fly with a hangover!'

There was a faint scoff at the other end of the line – I knew that would make Sonya happy.

'I've already delivered Avery safely to her father, and now I'm just waiting around until I can get a flight back to Montana. If I'm lucky I will be back home tomorrow and we can catch up when you knock off after teaching.'

'Thank God. My bed already feels so empty with you gone,' she replied, and my pulse accelerated as I remembered the precious hours we had spent together.

'Sonechka,' my voice came out huskily as I held the phone close to my lips. 'Even if I'm not there in person, you can rest assured that I will be dreaming of you from the moment I close my eyes.'

She let out a small sound of satisfaction. 'Well, I'll make sure I'm wearing something nice then,' she replied in a soft, playful tone, before hanging up and leaving me wanting more.

I sat there for a few more minutes, thinking up several ways I could make our reunion extra-special before finally getting up from the cool grass. This flight wasn't going to book itself, and as long as I was at Court I might as well catch up with a few old friends. I picked up my bag and walked slowly through the streets of the place I had once called home.

Author's Note:

This chapter was really hard for me to write – so far the story has been all about building towards Sonya & Mikhail getting together, but now we are heading in a different direction. (This gives me the same feeling as re-reading the ending of Shadow Kiss – after the cabin scene when you already know that Dimitri is going to become a Strigoi.)

I knew from the start that Mikhail would eventually be separated from Sonya – otherwise there would be no way Sonya could have considered turning Strigoi. I can't stop Mikhail's suffering, but the best I can do is sweeten it a bit with lots of happy moments before the big event.

So, let's see how Mik-ya cope with being apart for the first time.