Chapter 15
Red, everywhere I look is red. Sidewalks, road bodies all slick in red. Eyes glaring through the dark just as red as the pavement stare me down. My own eyes scour the ground, meet the cold dead face of person after person, The Belikovs, my father, Pavel. I walk along the path, horrific tears clearing my face. A hollow scream captures my throat as I come to the end of the path. A long strong figure lays crumpled at my feet now weak and empty. His duster drenched in blood. Worst of all is the little figure behind him, the one he was trying to protect. Written in blood against the stark concrete of the sidewalk are the words "We are coming.".
"Roza, Roza wake up!" I wake to strong warm hands shaking me.
I look up at Dimitris' frightened face and burst into hysterics "Oh my God.. Dimitri. There was…blood. You and your family and Lennon." I gasp in between names.
"Shh, it was just a nightmare, Roza. Just a dream." he soothes, smoothing out my hair.
"It was so real…I haven't had such vivid dreams since the caves." Digging myself deeper into his arms.
He stiffens "What did you dream?"
"I would dream of you… sometimes it was you as strigio. Other times I dreamt of you being drained or dying alone. I had a few dreams about losing Lennon."
"And the dream you just had?"
My breath catches "Everyone was dead, all of you, I was alone. There were Strigio everywhere and there was a message that said "We're coming." It was so real I could smell the blood."
"Don't worry everything is-" he's cut off by the sound of my phone ringing. My fathers name blinks across the screen.
"Hello?"
"Kidz? Where are you? Are you okay?" He speaks so fast I can barely make out the words.
"I'm fine, we're all okay. What's going on Baba? Why are you calling in the middle of the night?"
The line is silent for a few defining moments before he speaks again "I just received news of an attack in Baia. The report said a young girl was taken and I had to make sure…." his voice breaks at the end.
An attack? I drop the phone and stumble down the hall to the kids room where Lennon sleeps. I find her nestled in her bed with the cover pulled to her chin. Careful not to wake her I scoop her up and carry her back into the room with Dimitri and I. Dimitri is talking on my discarded phone, his eyes furrowing deeper with each passing moment.
"The sun should be up within the hour, we'll stay bunkered down until then." he hangs up rummaging through our bags before handing me a stake and taking his own. "I'm going to check the house. Stay here I'll be back soon." he kisses my head before closing the door behind him. My mind wanders to the dream I just had. I can't catch my breath and I know this cannot be good for the baby. The only calming grace I have is Lennon calmly sleeping in my arms. Our apartment and the home we have come to share with Dimitri both have wards, but the large community and tightly grouped homes made for a harder ward line and with no one to pactrol and keep them up it didn't make sense for them to ward it. Attacks here were incredibly rare and when there was an incident it wasn't on a large scale, but knowing these facts does nothing to ease me. Especially now I have so much to lose, even if I manage to keep Lennon and Dimitri safe. I'm risking another life other than my own simply by fighting. One bad blow and that's it.
I suddenly feel like an idiot for risking so much to come here, but how could I deprive Dimitri of his mother and Lennon of her grandmother, it wouldn't have been fair to anyone. But now we are possibly in serious danger. This tug of war plays back and forth in my mind until Dimitri comes back through the door.
"The house is clear, there's so sign of anyone trying to get in." He hands me one of two hot chocolates he's carrying and I sit it slowly. "What are you thinking about?"
"How much I have to lose. It terrifies me."
"I won't let anything happen to any of you." he wraps his free arm around me. It's funny how well we fit together. Lennon leaned against me. Me leaning against him.
"That's the thing right now even if you have Lennon cover if I have to fight…" I set down the mug and cradle my stomach. " I don't want to lose this baby either. It feels like our family is so complete with this baby coming and I don't want to let go of my family."
"I know, I have to admit it but it might be better if we head home. I miss my family but I thought I might extend an invitation to visit. But going home means getting you two back into the ward and I think it's best." he has a far off look in his eyes "Not to mention the stress I know this is putting on you. I need you to relax and focus on growing this baby." His hand lies by mine.
"Your father is coming through again the day after tomorrow and I think we should go back with him."
"I'm sorry I know you want your family around I do too, it's just this trip has been less than we thought it would be with Tasha and the attack."
"I know, I'll tell my mother tomorrow and we can make arrangements for them to come to us." he kisses my head and pulls Lennon and I tight against him, "I'm sorry it hasn't been what I wanted it to be."
"Meeting your family has been more than I ever imagined, and I loved seeing where you grew up. Was everyone else still asleep?"
He nods "I didn't want to wake anyone if I didn't have to, I know tomorrow will be a sobering day for everyone. I thought I would let them have peace a little while longer."
That's probably for the best. His fingers twist in my hair pulling me back to sleep. This time I find no dreams, but the sleep is interrupted all too quickly by the sound of the door bursting open. The sun is up and shining through the shades. Lennon stirs against me looking around when she realizes she isn't in the same room she fell asleep in but settling when she realizes Dimitri and I are here.
Olena stands in the doorway looking panicked "I can't find Viki. Do either of you have any idea where she might be?"
No , a girl was taken last night. But it can't be. Vik was here asleep. Wasn't she?"