When I started living with Dimitri, I learned to appreciate his unfailing ability to get up at the appointed time, no matter how much rest he had. More times than I could count only because of this ability of his, I was woken up on time for my shifts. If it were up to me, I would set the snooze on my alarm clock to avoid waking up until the hour of my shift.
However, I could usually rely on Dimitri, who usually got up before me, and after only his third attempt, he managed to wake me up, usually with the promise of something sweet.
Many things had changed since the beginning of our relationship, but one thing remained constant—I was definitely not a morning person.
That's why I was surprised for a moment when I got up before him, still able to stretch out in bed before the alarm clock rang. I happily snuggled tighter to him and felt him instinctively embrace me closer to him in his sleep. Nuzzling my face in Dimitri's chest, I smiled blissfully. I didn't want to wake up in any other way.
I rested for a few more moments, listening to his steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat. I looked at his face and saw such a rare picture of peace and relaxation.
During the day, Dimitri was always on high alert, his features constantly betraying the highest vigilance. Only in our evenings, when we were off duty, did I see the tension leave him and he allowed himself to relax, but never fully. Only during sleep could he completely abandon his role as a guardian.
Anyway, he slept very shallowly, as if he wanted to be maximally ready for action even in unconsciousness. I tried to lay silently, knowing that he would wake up if I moved my foot on the sheet too loudly.
As I gazed at him, I was surprised when he suddenly took a quick breath as if frightened by something and opened his eyes, alarmed. His embrace on my body strengthened automatically as he hastily recognized his surroundings. I ran my fingers over his face pushing his eyes away from his forehead.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly. His eyes held a mix of alertness and sleepiness. He nodded and looked at me with concern in his eyes.
"Yes, it was just a dream. And you? Are you feeling well after yesterday?"
I smiled broadly at him and saw his features mellow in peace.
"Better than well. How could I feel differently waking up in the arms of my sexy former mentor?" I asked, bringing my face closer to his. He rolled his eyes but didn't stop the
smile pressing to his lips.
"You won't let it go, will you?"
"Why should I?" I asked, laughing and leaning close enough to him to kiss his lips. He responded just as sweetly, eagerly embracing this way of starting the day
However, just when I thought we might have time for even more intense morning activities, his alarm clock rang. He pulled away from me with a smile and sparkling eyes. I sighed heavily and moved away from him, rising from my warm, comfortable bed.
I took of my enchanted pendant with care. If I could I would most gladly wear it all the time, but I knew that with constant use it would wear out its power. I didn't want to abuse Lissa's powers and tried my best to maximize the time between asking her for a new amulet.
Dimitri went to the kitchen to see if we had enough ingredients for a decent breakfast while I got ready. I put on my official guardian outfit, complete with all the required weapons, as we had a scheduled council meeting today.
As I was putting the spare dagger into a belt tied around my waist, Dimitri entered the room with a mug of black coffee, without which he refused to start the day.
"I think we forgot to do the shopping yesterday. Today we have to eat at the cafe, but I'll go to the shop after my shift."
I smiled broadly.
"Oh no," I said feigning despair, "So today I have to eat chocolate croissants instead of some healthy granola?"
Dimitri squinted his eyes threateningly. He started choosing an outfit for today, shaking his head.
"I should have known this was your plan all along."
"I'll admit, I even remembered that we had to go shopping yesterday" I shrugged my shoulders smiling. "But I enjoyed our activities much more."
I winked at him and ran to the bathroom, but his quiet, gentle laughter followed me there. I put on as much makeup as I could afford to (which was not a lot) and was ready to go.
One of the perks of being guardians working at the Court was that we had crazy discounts on restaurants, cafes, and other dining facilities. A cafeteria for guardians was not a practical solution, so our superiors had to make sure we could eat some decent food every day when the vast majority didn't have time to prepare anything at home.
I chose my sweet and chocolate-covered baked goods, and Dimitri paid for both of us. As we headed for the table, Moroi and dhampirs alike cast curious gazes in our direction. I glared at the onlookers briefly.
"I wonder to what extent the rumors will escalate further," I said sitting down. I met Dimitri's concerned gaze. "Last I heard, you were over forty and I was a minor."
Dimitri snorted, but I could see that he was getting a little tense. I regretted that I had spoken up at all. Gossip and slander have been with me for as long as I could remember. I became immune to them, focusing only on those closest to me and not giving a damn about the malice of others. For Dimitri, it was a process, although I knew it wasn't always easy for him.
However, when he met my gaze I could see that he was in good humor.
"As long as they don't accuse us of being related I think we will manage. I think we need to take care of some more important things."
"It seemed to me that that's all we've been doing lately," I muttered.
Dimitri looked at me with full seriousness in his eyes.
"I'm talking about Robert Duru. We will have to do something with him eventually."
I looked away. Dimitri wanted to find Robert after a few times when I woke up choking, trying to extinguish the flames on my skin, or stop the blood that only flowed in my nightmares. I, however, was very reluctant to let the search happen.
"I will remember to wear this stupid pendant and he will not be able to do anything to me. Don't worry comrade, if I am protected in my sleep he will eventually stop trying and go back to... being Robert."
Dimitri sighed. When he began to speak, he did so in a hushed tone, so that no one would overhear us.
"I don't know what we should do. I wouldn't want to kill him either, but on the other hand, we can't let him torture you anymore."
"Take it easy, comrade. I think we can tame him remotely. Searching him will be our last resort."
I saw that Dimitri was unconvinced, but he did not argue with me. After breakfast, we set off in the direction of the main building where Lissa and Christian resided. As we walked Dimitri grabbed my hand, and with a smile, I reciprocated his touch. Some people looked back at us, but no one could take away the warmth and affection that was between us at that moment.
I complained a little to Dimitri about the boring things that awaited me today. His good-natured patience with me never changed, and now he listened to my grousing, offering empathetic winks and words of encouragement. I knew I didn't have the worst job as a guardian. I could spend all day with my best friend and literally have a say in our politics. However, growing up, I thought I would face a lot more fights with Strigoi in my job than standing at official banquets... But well, if you don't have what you like, you like what you have.
At the door, we checked in with Harvey, the head of the royal guard, who notified our night shift partners that we were on our way. As we entered the royal chambers, we exchanged nods, as we passed the guards. It was only then that I looked around the room, registering the people present in the chamber, and stood as if struck.
"Look who decided to join us after all!" exclaimed Abe, with much exaggeration. I slipped off my coat and stood with my hands on my hips facing him. His wide smile and the gleam in his eye instantly heightened my alertness.
"Hello, old man."
In the room were, of course, Lissa and Christian and, unexpectedly, Hans - the head of security. Behind him sat Klara - the second in order of importance. Lately, my relationship with my father had improved, so maybe I could even give him a welcome hug, but I hadn't yet announced that I was Zmey's daughter. Hans watched him closely anyway, wondering why the heck Lissa was letting him meddle with internal decisions. He probably thought Abe was blackmailing her or something.
"What are you doing here? I suppose it's not a social call."
"I would love to stop by for a social visit, but serious people don't have time for that. But it's good to see you nonetheless, Rose," Abe patted my shoulder, then nodded to Dimitri, "and of course our dear guardian Belikov."
Dimitri greeted him politely, as always, and we approached the rest waiting for us. The rest of the guards assigned for the day stayed outside the door.
"What is it all about?" I asked standing next to the seated Lissa, and one look at her was enough for me to realize how tense and stressed she was. I prepared myself for the worst.
"We need to talk to you," Hans said formally.
He stood in front of us, dressed in his usual white shirt tucked into black pants. I knew that he really worked a lot. He took his position as head of the guards as an honor and watched over everything personally - from the most important royal guardians to the newest recruits. I know because I had to deal with Hans from the moment I started working as a guardian.
"You must understand that this is proof of our trust in you. No other guardians will hear this information."
I looked questioningly at my father, and Hans' lips trembled as if he was trying to hide a smile.
"Mazur was the one who informed us of this, so he knows firsthand."
I eyed my father with even more distrust, raising my eyebrows. He shook his head in exasperation as if he couldn't believe why I was so distrustful.
"What's the matter?" Dimitri repeated my question. He stood behind me but did not look at me. His eyes were focused on Hans, full of seriousness.
"There is a spy among the guards," Klara spoke up. She was sitting in the chair next to Hans, facing us, "A traitor."
"We think he or she is working with the bunch that attacked Princess Dragomir in the summer," Hans stated, and I straightened up at this information. I tightened my hands on the railing of the couch.
"And he was the one who let them into the Court," I hissed through clenched teeth. We were still trying to figure out how they had bypassed the tight security at the Court. Hans nodded his head. I glanced at Abe but decided not to ask him how he got this information just yet. Better to talk later in a more private setting.
"Do we have any suspects?" Dimitri asked, glancing at Hans and at Abe. They both shook their heads, but this time my father answered.
"Not yet, but we are working on it. In any case, we need to exercise extreme caution, and not tell anyone that we know about this. These two," he pointed to the two bosses, "did not want to let you in, but in the end, they gave you a vote of confidence."
"So what can we do?" I asked. I felt ready to conduct interrogations at this very moment, "We need to start an investigation."
"Yes, that's for sure," Hans said, starting to walk in circles. "But we will deal with it here. The top priority now is the princess's safety. Someone among us potentially knows where she is - and how little she is guarded."
"Well, it's a shame we didn't think of that before," I hissed. My boss stopped and looked me hard in the eyes. If he thought I would back down, he was gravely mistaken.
"Hathaway, we have talked about this many times. In my opinion, it was more dangerous to surround her with a mass of guardians and bring attention to her. In your opinion, it wasn't."
I clenched my teeth to stop the remarks from escaping my mouth. Hans waited for a second, as if expecting an attack from my side, but then continued on.
"We assume that some steps toward Jill are already taken in her surroundings. That's why I'm sending you both to the Palm Springs team. You are to keep an eye on Jill - especially you, Rose. This alchemist is already arranging for you to get a school ID and a room with the princess. Watch her every step. Besides, try to figure out who might be watching her. Maybe from there, we will discover who is behind the assassinations."
I glanced fleetingly at Dimitri and then at Lissa, who was looking at me sadly. I squeezed her shoulder.
"And who will stay with Lissa and Christian? The assassins can be waiting for us to leave," Dimitri noticed."
"Guardian Hathaway is coming, and besides that, they will have standard security. I was thinking of increasing the number of guards until the matter is clarified."
"Come on, there is a small legion following us already," Lissa protested. But Dimitri and I nodded in agreement with Hans.
"That's a good idea," I said and sighed, "Although I'd rather be here on the spot if something were to happen."
"Knowing you, Hathaway, you'll be exactly in the right place," Klara muttered, smiling and shaking her head.
"When should we leave?" Dimitri asked, with a very serious face. He looked as if he was analyzing every possible scenario.
"Stay here for another hour; I need to find a replacement. Then you can go pack, and the plane will be waiting at the airport"
We discussed some technical matters, and then the bosses left, and we were left alone with my father. He was now standing at the window watching the traffic in the castle square, looking completely innocent in his dark blue pinstripe suit and silk scarf around his neck.
"Well," I began in a suspicious tone, looking directly at him, "now that the law enforcers are not here," I waved my hand in the direction of where Hans and Klara were standing, "can you tell us where you got this information?
Abe rolled his eyes and looked at me.
"For a long time, I've been asking my people to keep a close eye on Court activities. One of them recognized this guy who was lying in a coma, the only one who survived your counterattack. Funny story, apparently they once fought over a girl. My man lost and had to watch that one leave with his sweetheart. That's why he remembered him when he was here. "He saw him at the Court only once, accompanied by a guardian."
"Can't he recognize that guardian?" asked Christian in disbelief.
"Together with Reece, they are now trying to match his profile to the guards at the Court, but he said he had about five similar-looking ones."
"So the case is lost," Dimitri muttered in a colorless voice. "Now they won't be sure, because he might as well have substituted familiar faces for his memories."
Abe nodded his head sadly. I sat down on the couch not occupied by Lissa and Christian. I looked at the window, trying to focus my thoughts.
Due to the day's discoveries, Lissa postponed a boring meeting to the next day. Instead, she and Christian started reviewing documents for a case she was set to judge. Nothing interesting.
Dimitri and I started watching the footage from the day of the attack for the hundredth time. We watched on two laptops - Abe always carried his latest model with him, and we borrowed from Lissa. We didn't see any unexpected activity at any of the shoots. We had footage of four guys attacking us from around the corner of the building. We couldn't see anyone from other cameras or angles. I wanted to kick something.
Of course, we couldn't glean anything from these videos if they had help from someone on the inside. Either he showed them how to get around the cameras, or simply removed the relevant pieces of film.
"Son of a bitch!" I hissed at the computer and fought off a great urge to hit the keyboard when Dimitri's warm hand intercepted my fingers. He started drawing circles on the top of my hand in gentle motions.
"I think he removed parts of the film," he said in a whisper, and anger boiled up in me again.
"Yeah, I think so too," I growled and closed the computer flap. They both looked at me with raised eyebrows. "So, let's try to look at it from another side."
"From what side?" Abe asked, but I could see in Dimitri's eyes that he understood. Our gazes crossed, and we had one of those wordless moments of understanding.
"Why did they attack us? Was Jill the only one targeted?" Dimitri asked the questions I had just thought of.
"I mean…" I started thinking out loud. "Sure, they attacked and hurt Jill. So from the beginning, we thought that the motive was purely political. Without Jill, Lissa has no quorum right so she has no right to rule."
"I still think it was a political motive," Abe shrugged his shoulders and intertwined his fingers, "What other motive could anyone have for Jill? Any other one of you I understand, but Jill?" He shook his head. "This girl didn't owe anything to anyone, her family - except for Lissa - is insignificant, her death would only cause Lissa to be dethroned. That is, of course, until they finally remove that idiotic quorum law."
"I thought…" I began with hesitation, and in the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri straightening up involuntarily. Looking at him, surprised, I continued, "What is it?"
"I just know that look," he said with a slight shake of his head and the slightest smile. "Whatever you have in your head, it must be crazy."
Rolling my eyes, I couldn't hold back a smile. "Isn't everything around us crazy? Anyway, I thought... What if someone wanted to test our skills?"
This puzzled them both, but they both had open minds, always analyzing every possibility and not ruling out others. Especially the crazy ones. I needed such people around me.
"To see if, as guardians, we would allow Jill to be killed?" asked Dimitri skeptically. I shook my head.
"To check the powers of the spirit." At these words, they both fell silent and I knew they were considering what I had told them. "Just think, at this meeting, there were two people who cared a lot about Jill's life and who had the power of the spirit. Maybe they wanted to see if, in fact, the stories about bringing the dead back to life were true."
"But to resort to such extremes as to kill a princess? Exactly the princess?" Abe asked with doubt in his voice.
"Jill is close to both Lissa and Adrian and the least guarded one at that," the more I talked the more sense my theory made. "Because who else could be targeted? Me and Adrian broke up so someone who doesn't know Adrian might doubt whether he would want to save me or not. Besides, I'm not an easy target. Christian is definitely important to Lissa, but Dimitri protects him. But Jill, who is important to both of them at the same time, has the smallest protection. That would explain why Eddie was attacked by two attackers and we were attacked by one each! Hell, I was surprised at how many pieces fall together.
"It's a shot in the dark, but it's not impossible," Dimitri stated slowly, all the while analyzing my theory. Abe sat quietly. "It would mean that the real targets are Lissa and Adrian."
We looked at each other with determination vibrating from us. We couldn't protect them all at once, including Jill who was now our priority.
"I will tell everything to Janine, she will keep an eye on Lissa while you are away."
"I'll be with Jill, so that leaves you with ..."
"...Adrian," Dimitir said smoothly. I examined his face for any sign of discomfort, but he showed none. Even so, I knew full well that this was not going to be a blast for either of them. Dimitri and Adrian had not had an easy time in Palm Springs the last time my boyfriend was there.
He caught my worried look and shook his head gently.
"Adrian's safety is the most important matter," he said firmly. My Dimitri would never let his feelings get in the way of protecting his charge. Duty is a duty, and he intended to fulfill his own. Behind Dimitri's back, Abe grinned, greatly amused by the conflict.
" And what about you?" I asked him. " Aren't you coming with us? Don't you want to be in the center of action? I almost don't recognize you."
"Someone has to keep order here, kids," he said, smiling slyly. I sighed and hoped he could hear all the irritation I wanted to convey through this. "But I think you could use some help there. "
"Help? Do you want to send some mafioso to follow us every step of the way? Thank you very much for such help" I spat out at him, and he raised his eyes to the sky.
"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't know any people connected with any mafia!" I shot him a doubtful glance, which he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I will ask one of my most trusted people to go to Palm Springs and look around. He will not follow you, possibly he will meet with you to tell you what he has found out. He may have access to all sorts of information that you guys won't have the ability to obtain."
"Since we are not criminally convicted, I hissed, but Dimitri threw me a discreet look that said I might not be right on this one.
"I think Abe may be right. There will be a lot of regions that we won't be able to reach. It's good to have support precisely in those."
I rolled my eyes.
"Okay. But don't let this guy accidentally follow us, because if I catch him, he won't need a mask for his next secret mission."
Abe smiled and assured me that I had nothing to worry about.
When we finished our discussion, I went to Lissa who was now writing something on a piece of elegant paper. She seemed to me to be anxious, and sad. I sat down next to her at a large table on which papers were scattered and touched her shoulder.
"Don't worry so much, Your Highness," I said with a reassuring smile, "Didn't you hear what Hans said? Dimitri and I are the best team for solving problems. And he still has not heard about the most difficult ones," I smiled broadly, and she replied with a small smile. "We will solve this mess in no time."
"I know, I believe in you. But I'm also worried. I know that if there is some crazy opportunity to catch them you will not hesitate and will risk your lives right and left."
"Ugh, not true. Sydney will be there, she will talk some sense into us in case something happens," Lissa looked at me with tiredness in her eyes.
"Then you will ignore her and do your own thing."
I laughed lightly and looked at Dimitri. He looked at me, always aware of my gaze, as I was of his. He smiled lightly and returned to his conversation with Christian.
"Dimitri won't let me do anything stupid to myself," Lissa sighed.
"That's my only hope."
"Besides, you won't have time to think about us too much," I stated, pointing to a pile of papers, evenly stacked on her desk, "Try to get anything done when we leave okay? I don't want to see a single piece of documentation when I arrive," I snorted and shook my head.
"Can you handle Adrian there?" she asked suddenly. In her eyes, I saw compassion and worry. Her question caught me off guard, but I answered honestly.
"I don't know. I hope it will be fine. I told you that he visits me in dreams. Rarely, but always it's something." I looked at my fingers. I felt guilty about my brutal breakup with Adrian after Dimitri came back. I didn't regret doing it. My heart belonged to Dimitri, but I regretted the way it happened. "I hope maybe we will be friends someday in the future. But I am a little afraid that he will see us with Dimitri and hate us even more."
Lissa sat quietly for a moment, then took my hand in hers. I looked into her warm, optimistic eyes.
"I don't know what will happen on this trip, it depends on Adrian's maturity and your reactions I guess. But... if not now then in the future you will reconcile. When his feelings for you will weaken and both of you will have the strength to build up this friendship once again. Maybe it will be fine."
"In this case, maybe I should try to act as horribly as I can so that the feelings weaken fast? Maybe I will be loud and unpleasant and ... oh hell" I looked at her with a resigned look, "I am all these things right?"
Lisa burst into hearty laughter, then nodded shortly, playing with me. I sighed in feigned despair. Seeing this made Lisa laugh even more and knowing that I thought that I would do anything to push back the impending consequences of the spirit power that were more and more visible in Lissa's behavior.
I caught Dimitri's gaze. A wave of understanding flowed between us, and we didn't even have to utter a word. I had been worried about Lissa for some time now, and he must have read it in my eyes. He winked at me slowly, as a sign that I shouldn't worry, because we could handle whatever the future would bring. I tried to arrange my lips into the shape of a smile, but I felt it didn't reach my eyes.