"Belikov, I see that you stayed the night." Abe's words were spoken merrily at breakfast, but Rose could hear the challenge in them.
Rose gave her father her most innocent smile. "Yeah, he and I were talking really late, so I told him to stay so that he was safe."
Abe clearly didn't believe her. "I'm certain that you had quite a lot to talk about."
Jill was looking between Rose and Dimitri with a suppressed smile. She was practically bouncing with excitement.
"We did," Rose said, trying not to smile at Jill's giddiness. "And we talked quite a bit about the business he has been working on for you. You're right, it's definitely something I would do."
"What do you do, Dimitri," asked Jill.
With so many eyes on him and knowing what he had done with Rose the previous night, Dimitri shifted uneasily in his seat. "I have been working with several groups to eliminate pockets of Strigoi."
Jill's eyes shone with wonder. "That's amazing! I thought that the Queen and guardians don't want anyone to do that?"
"They don't," said Abe. "Which is why I contracted Belikov to take care of some threats."
"I wish I could hunt Strigoi some day," said Jill.
Rose gave her a smile. "Maybe one day you will."
"Maybe, but only after you finish high school, and your family is safe."
Jill rolled her eyes at Abe's wise counsel. "Yeah, I know."
Rose laughed. "Hey, he's not joking when it comes to finishing school. You wouldn't believe how often he threatened me until I returned to Saint Vladimir's."
Abe looked at her with narrowed eyes. "You didn't return until you had no other choice."
"Technicalities." She looked at Dimitri, placing her hand in his. "I had promises to keep."
Jill's squeak of delight broke the melancholy which threatened to overwhelm Dimitri at the thoughts of why Rose had left the Academy. "Are you two back together?"
Dimitri smiled. "Yes, that's part of what we were discussing for so many hours last night." Rose looked down, working to hide the sudden blush on her cheeks. Dimitri squeezed her hand. "We have faced many challenges, and have been through many painful experiences, but we love one another."
Rose looked at Dimitri, eyes shining. "I think it's been worth the journey to have you back."
They rested their foreheads together, until Abe interrupted them. "Belikov, you do know that if you hurt her again... unpleasant things will happen."
Dimitri gave Abe a wan smile. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Jill would suffocate me with a cloud, Rose would do something even worse, and you already told me all the unpleasant things you considered doing to me."
Abe smiled like a Cheshire. Jill giggled. Rose rolled her eyes.
"Yeva told me last night that we all hurt the people we love, intentionally and unintentionally, but when we love one another, we work through the hurt together. Dimitri might hurt me again, and I might hurt him, but we can work through it. I fought death to be with him, and I won."
"Death should have known better than to underestimate Rose Hathaway," joked Dimitri.
Rose and Dimitri smiled constantly throughout the rest of the meal, exchanging light brushes of their hands. Jill sighed at them, as though they were the most adorable sight she had ever seen. Abe continued to give Dimitri a very hard stare throughout the rest of the meal.
Dimitri left shortly after breakfast, though he gave Rose his cellphone number and promised to be back that night. Abe left for most of the day, occupied with business. Jill and Rose both had lessons with the tutors to attend throughout the day.
Rose was waiting for Dimitri to return that evening when Lissa texted her.
-One more final. Four days until I see you again!
-I'm more than ready. I have a surprise for you when you get here.
-Oh?
-Four days :-p
-Ugh. I hate waiting.
-Me too.
-Oh, question, can Adrian come?
Rose hesitated. She didn't really want Dimitri and Adrian in the same place. Then she thought of Oksana. Adrian deserved to meet Oksana.
-He couldn't ask me himself? Sure, he can come. BUT, he should probably know that I'm seeing someone before he gets here. Don't want him getting any ideas in his head. I do miss him, and you know she would love to see him as well.
-You're seeing someone?
-Yep! I'll tell you everything about it when you get here.
-Was that the surprise?
-Yeah
-Wow! That's wonderful!
-It is! I wish you could dream walk. I'd tell you so much more!
-I wish I could too. I've made a bit of progress with it, but not much.
-One day Lis
-I hope so.
-I know, I felt it just now. I have to do some stuff. Talk to u later. Love u
-Love u too
Putting down her phone, Rose smiled up at Dimitri. He had just entered the lounge she was seated in. "I just told Lissa that I'm seeing someone. She's excited but annoyed that she doesn't know the details."
He laughed, sitting beside her on the soft leather couch. "I can only imagine how she will react when she learns that it's me."
"She'll die from excitement, I swear." Rose curled against him, and he wrapped an arm around her. "I don't know the last time I was this happy."
He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I feel the same way."
Two days later, Dimitri drove to St. Basil's to pick up Viktoria and Paul. They knew that they were coming home for the weekend, an unusual treat since they were in the school year, but they hadn't been told why they were going home. He knew they would want to see Rose, but he also wanted it to be a surprise. They greeted him with hugs and piled into the car.
Viktoria looked at him as he began to drive back to Baia. "So, why are we coming home this weekend?"
He smiled. "Someone came to visit."
"Who?"
"It's a surprise. Don't spend the drive asking me who," he warned, sensing that his sister and nephew might do exactly that. "Why don't you tell me about school?"
Thankfully, they did. Paul and Viktoria had hours of stories to fill the long ride home. It was late when they returned, so they slept at home. In the morning, Paul stayed home while Dimitri and Viktoria walked to the Mazur mansion. She asked five times during the walk who they were going to see, but he deflected her away from the question. She looked at him quizzically when a guardian admitted them through the large iron gate.
"Where are we?"
He laughed. "You'll see."
Roman Jenkins opened the door for them. "Welcome back Dimitri. Who is this?"
"This is my sister Viktoria. Vika, this is guardian Jenkins."
"Roman," he replied. "A pleasure to meet you." He gave Viktoria a small smile before returning his attention to Dimitri. "Rose and Jill are in the gym"
"Rose?" Viktoria gasped, making Dimitri laugh.
"Roza," he confirmed. "Come on."
He laughed again as his sister followed him speechlessly. They went downstairs to the gym, where Rose and Jill were running on the ellipticals. In the mirror, Dimitri watched Rose's expression transform. She slowed and stopped, hopping off the machine.
"Viktoria! Why didn't you tell me she was coming?"
"It was a surprise for both of you. Paul is home for the weekend as well."
Viktoria finally moved toward Rose. "I'm so sorry about fighting with you before you left." She embraced Rose. "I was such an idiot."
Rose gave her a small smile. "It's ok, we all do crazy things when guys are involved." They pulled apart and she motioned to Jill. "This is Jill. Jill, this is Viktoria Belikova. I'm Jill's guardian."
"You look really young to have a guardian," Viktoria told Jill. Then she turned to Rose. "And weren't you supposed to be Princess Vasilisa's guardian?"
Jill laughed. "I'm Lissa's half-sister. After I was brought to Court, there was an attempt to kidnap me. We've been in hiding ever since."
"I feel responsible for Jill, for many reasons. Besides which, since she's Lissa's sister, I'm still helping Lissa."
Viktoria nodded, absorbing the information. "Wow, that's intense. Whose house is this?"
"Zmey's," Rose said with a laugh. "And he's my dad." At Viktoria's shocked silence, Rose slipped her arm through Viktoria's. "Come on, I have a lot to tell you."
Rose, Dimitri, and Viktoria spent the morning catching up. Jill was with them, getting to know Dimitri and Viktoria. Jill and Viktoria got along splendidly, becoming fast friends.
That afternoon, Dimitri's family and Abe joined them for lunch. Afterward, Abe left to conduct business. For a few hours, the Belikov family hung out with Rose and Jill. For the first time in months, Jill seemed to be genuinely content. Late that evening the Belikovs, except for Dimitri, left. Jill eventually went to her rooms for the evening, which left Rose and Dimitri alone.
Rose and Dimitri went to Rose's rooms to relax. They were cuddled together, watching a moving, when Rose let out an excited squeak. Noticing Dimitri's questioning look, Rose laughed. "Lissa boarded her flight in Philadelphia."
He gave her a small smile. "Thirty hours to go."
"Yeah, I remember. I've spent so many hours in planes in the past year that I'm sick of it. At least my dad flies us in a private plane, but it's still annoying."
"Have you enjoyed seeing the world?"
"Yeah, I have. I wish that I could see more of it actually. I just wish that I could do it on my own terms, and not because I need to protect someone."
He kissed the top of her head. "Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?"
She thought for several minutes before coming up with an answer. "I want to go to a tropical beach."
"Any specific beach?"
She shook her head. "Maybe all of them." She sighed, thinking of cool blue waters, hot sand, and warm breezes. "I've been to beaches, but usually in the evenings. In California and Brazil we were close to the coast, but didn't go to the beach for safety reasons. Well, that and the fact that Jill is a Moroi." She leaned against him, sighing. "When we were back at the academy, before Victor's trial, you asked me if there was anything I wanted. I think you were asking about my birthday, but the details are a bit fuzzy. I remember that the thing I wanted most was freedom. I still want freedom. I still want to be my own person."
He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "I know."
"The funny thing is, of all the people in the world I could protect, I'm with the one person who understands my desire the most. Jill would do anything to be free, but she's just as stuck in our gilded prisons as I am."
He shifted slightly so that they were face to face. "You two won't be trapped forever, and I meant what I said, I'll stay with you."
She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I know, and for me, that's enough. I just worry that it won't be enough for Jill. She's strong, but being in hiding is very hard for her. She is so happy around your family, happier than I've seen in a very long time."
"She and my sister got along very well."
"I noticed. They were talking like old friends within an hour. I wish we could stay here in Baia, maybe send Jill to school with Viktoria. I know it wouldn't be safe since it's still a Moroi Academy, but I still wish Jill could have a normal, safe life. I feel like this is round two of Rose Hathaway running off with a Dragomir."
Dimitri burst out laughing at her last statement. "Roza, you running away with Lissa and you staying in hiding with Jill aren't quite the same thing."
"Why? Because I shopped at second hand stores, lived in dorms, and was horribly under trained when I ran off with Lissa?" She scoffed.
"Yes, those would all be major factors." He caressed her cheek with one hand. "You are a beautiful, strong, and vibrant young woman. You are a fierce and dedicated protector, and you would do anything for the people you love. Yes, there are similarities in your protection of the sisters, but you go above and beyond for them because you love them."
She swallowed hard, overwhelmed by his words. Speechless, she kissed him, losing herself in the wonderful sweetness of being with him. She might not be completely free, but if she had him, she had everything she needed.
The next day, Rose, Dimitri, Jill, and Viktoria were in the gym when Rose started laughing.
"What's so funny," Dimitri asked.
Rose stopped running and started typing something on her phone. "Lissa." She looked at him, grinning. "They're driving from Omsk, so they know that they're in Siberia. Lissa kept wondering if the mysterious boyfriend I mentioned is you, she even asked through the bond, so I said yes. She is very excited for us and has a million questions."
He laughed. "I'm sure she does, but she still has several hours to go before she arrives."
Rose frowned, pouting at him. "You're spoiling the fun, comrade."
Viktoria, getting off her machine, looked at Rose questioningly. "Why do you call him that?"
"Yeah," said Jill. "I've heard you say it a few times now, but why?"
"Well, originally I started calling Dimitri that to annoy him, but over time it became an affectionate nickname."
"It doesn't annoy me anymore," he told her.
Grinning, Rose blew him a kiss. "Glad to hear it. I think I should shower and make sure everything is ready for their arrival. Viktoria, are you staying?"
Viktoria looked at her brother. "Please, I can skip class Monday, no one will mind."
"Except our mother."
She wrinkled her nose. "Meeting Princess Dragomir is more important than one day of classes."
Rose started laughing. "I missed two years and a few months of school and still graduated. She'll be fine missing a day with us."
"Fine," said Dimitri. "You don't need to convince me. You will only need to convince our mother."
"Please," Rose said in as cocky a tone as she could manage. "Olena loves me."
A few minutes later, Rose, Dimitri, and Viktoria called Olena. After a rather long discussion, Olena agreed to allow Viktoria another day home so that she could spend time with Rose and her friends.
Lissa woke to Christian gently shaking her arm. "We've reached a town," he said once she opened her eyes.
Yawning, she straightened in her seat. She, Christian, and Eddie were in the back seat of the van. Adrian and Abe's guardian Pavel were in the second row of seats. Janine and Tomas, another of Abe's guardians, were in the front two seats. Tomas was driving. Lissa looked out at the town. Lines of homes gave way to city blocks. There was an old, sleepy feeling to the town. It reminded Lissa a bit of the towns in Montana, though the colors and designs of the buildings were unique to Russia.
"Welcome to Baia," Pavel said as they made their way through the town. "A town populated mostly by dhampirs and humans."
Adrian was glancing back at Lissa, so she saw his eyes widen in surprise. "Interesting place to hide Rose and Jill."
"Mister Mazur's business brings him here, and to many dhampir enclaves on a regular basis. He has been placing his daughter and Miss Dragomir in homes where he believes that they will be safest."
Eddie laughed. "Well, with how long it takes to get here, I think it's pretty safe."
"Only for now," Pavel said. "They'll be moved again after all of you leave."
Janine added her voice from the front of the car. "Until we know the threat has been eliminated, the girls are being moved on a regular basis."
"When will it end?" Lissa asked in a weary voice. She wanted Rose back. She wanted a chance to get to know her half-sister, and she wanted Jill to have a normal life again.
Janine turned in her seat, her face compassionate. "We are making some headway into finding the people who threatened Jill. We'll talk more about that when we reach the safe house."
"Yeah, I know." Lissa was tired of hearing the same answer, even if it was true.
They drove for a few more minutes before pulling through the gates of a large house. Lissa and her companions got out of the van once it was parked in the garage. She had scarcely left the van when Rose tackled her. Lissa nearly toppled to the ground, only to be held up by Rose. She started laughing.
"I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too." Rose laughed with her as they separated.
Rose turned to hug her mother, Eddie, Christian, and Adrian, while Jill gave Lissa a welcoming hug. It was still weird for Lissa to think of Jill as a sister, but they had grown to care a lot about one another over the past year. "How have you been?"
Jill gave her a small smile. "Well enough and better now that you are here."
"Aren't you glad she brought us all this time?" Christian asked Jill as he gave her a quick hug.
"Very," she agreed.
Adrian pulled her into a hug next. "You know we wouldn't abandon you forever, jailbait."
Jill rolled her eyes at the nickname, but was very obviously excited to see him and everyone else.
Rose began to walk toward the doorway, following after Pavel and Tomas. Lissa followed her closely so that she could whisper in Rose's ear. "Is he here?"
She nodded. "Yeah. He's in one of the lounges. I just wanted to tell everyone first. Dad is out though."
"Nice house," said Christian as they entered into one of the lobbies.
Jill laughed. "You should see the castle."
"Your dad has a castle?" Adrian asked.
"Yep," said Rose. "It's in Austria. It's also my favorite house."
Lissa laughed. "And you were the one who made fun of me for thinking it would have been cool to live in a castle like our people used to do."
"Hey, it has internet, plumbing, and electricity. Those were my only requirements," said Rose.
After a few laughs, Jill took up the role of hostess. "Are any of you hungry or thirsty? Or needing blood? Our cook Lena set out some food in the kitchen for you. I know the staff will take your bags up to your rooms. We can show you to them if you are tired. I know the time changes suck."
Lissa, Christian, and Adrian looked between one another briefly before Lissa spoke up. "Blood would probably be good."
"Okay," said Jill. "Right this way. Abe got a second feeder for the week, since you are visiting. We'll go to the dining room when you're all done." Jill began to walk toward one of the hallways, so Lissa, Christian, and Adrian followed her.
Rose let out a happy sigh as she watched her friends follow Jill. Life was almost perfect. Now she hoped that announcing her renewed relationship with Dimitri would go well. She knew that Lissa had told Christian during their drive to Baia. Adrian had been asleep at the time, so he hadn't seen Lissa's excitement or Christian's amusement.
Janine looked at Rose, a small smile on her lips. "Is your boyfriend hiding?"
Rose's eyes went wide. "You know?"
"Your father told me."
"Lissa told the rest of us that you have a boyfriend," said Eddie, "but she didn't know who."
"Well, since mom knows, and I'm not worried about your reaction, come on." Rose led her mother and Eddie to the second floor lounge where Dimitri was watching television with Viktoria. They looked up when everyone entered, and Dimitri stood when he saw Rose's guests.
"Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Castile, it's good to see you both again."
Eddie's jaw dropped open. He looked between them for several minutes before settling his gaze on Rose. "Seriously?"
She shrugged. "We worked it out."
Eddie shook his head while giving a light laugh. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes," Rose told him emphatically.
"Okay then." Eddie took a few steps toward Dimitri, shaking his hand in greeting. "It's good to see you, but if you hurt her again…" His voice trailed off, but his tone clearly conveyed his threat.
Dimitri gave him a solemn nod. "I understand. Believe me, I don't intend to ever leave Rose again."
"Glad to hear it Belikov," Janine told him. Her tone and words were polite, but there was a definite warning in her eyes.
Dimitri's lips twitched. He turned to Viktoria. "This is my youngest sister, Viktoria. Viktoria, this is Janine Hathaway, Rose's mother, and Eddie Castile, he was one of Rose's classmates. They are Princess Vasilisa's guardians."
They all greeted one another with polite handshakes. When the greetings were finished, Rose spoke up. "So, snacks in the kitchen while we wait for the Moroi to join us?"
As they turned to go, Dimitri spoke quietly to Rose. "Are you certain that it's a good idea for me to be there without telling Adrian?"
Rose shrugged. "Lissa and Christian are both happy for us. If Adrian has an issue with us being together, it's on him. He can spend the week talking to Jill and Oksana if my choices bother him. Come on, let's go to the kitchen."
She turned, and everyone followed her to the kitchen.
Rose picked up the silver lids from the food trays which had been laid out for them. Lena had made an assortment of finger foods which ranged from savory to sweet. After putting the lids aside, Rose picked up a miniature cheesecake and placed it in her mouth. The taste was exquisite. She loved Lena's cooking.
"Are you going to let the rest of us have any of the cheesecakes?" Eddie teased.
Rose realized that she had somehow made it through three cheesecakes without paying attention. She laughed. "You know me with sweets."
"Exactly why I'm asking," he said with a grin.
She stared back at the tray with a longing sigh. "I guess I'll leave the rest for everyone else."
By the time Jill, Lissa, Christian, and Adrian entered the kitchen, Rose, Eddie, and Viktoria were deeply engrossed in discussions about guardian techniques, to which Janine and Dimitri frequently added their input.
"It sounds like everyone is in the kitchen." Jill's voice heralded their approach. She was speaking louder than necessary as a warning to Rose and Dimitri.
The conversation in the kitchen died as they turned to face the Moroi. Lissa and Christian both smiled brightly as they saw everyone. Jill was anxiously chewing on her lip as she stepped aside, allowing Adrian into the room. Adrian's bright demeanor darkened quickly. It was obvious that everyone was watching Adrian's reaction.
With a light cough, Lissa turned to Dimitri with a smile. "It's good to see you again, Dimitri. I assume that this is your sister?"
Dimitri looked away from Adrian's dark glare to Lissa. "Yes, this is my youngest sister, Viktoria. She is in her last year at the same academy I attended."
Lissa took Viktoria's hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you! Rose told me about you. This is my boyfriend, Christian Ozera."
"It's nice to meet both of you," Viktoria said as she shook Christian's hand. "Rose and Jill have been telling me about both of you over the past few days."
Jill smiled at Viktoria. "Vika, this is Adrian Ivashkov." She stared pointedly at Adrian until he moved into the room.
Adrian forced a pleasant smile. "Nice to meet you."
Viktoria observed him for a moment, calculating. "Why are you angry?"
He snorted, giving her an amused grin. "Because I'm an idiot, and so are some of my friends." Rose bristled, but didn't say anything. "So, young Belikov, are you going to be a guardian like your brother?"
"I'm thinking about it."
He gave her his most charming smile. "If you do, maybe I'll ask for you to be my guardian." He looked around. "If you'll all excuse me, I need to go smoke." He swaggered from the room, smirking.
Everyone watched him leave in stunned silence. Viktoria looked at Dimitri and Rose, both of whom looked mortified and angry. She burst out laughing, which was quickly joined by Christian and Eddie. Lissa and Jill wore strikingly similar expressions of concern. All the while, Janine Hathaway merely observed the events with wry amusement.
"He did it to get under your skin," Viktoria told Dimitri. "And it worked. I'm glad that I'm going back to school soon if it stays this awkward."
Christian snorted. "It won't. We'll ignore Adrian if he can't get over it. Glad to see you two worked everything out."
Rose gave Christian a big smile, leaning against Dimitri. "Yeah, it's a long story. I'm pretty sure my dad tried to orchestrate it."
Behind Rose, Janine snorted. "Of course he did. Your father has spent the better part of a year keeping the two of you in different countries, even though Belikov asked him and Lissa several times for a way to talk to you. Then he decided that this would be the best place to gather everyone together."
"Ah Janine, as clever as ever." They all turned toward the voice of Abe Mazur. "Of course, what I was planning had more to do with Rose and Jill's arrangements than it did with the love life of my daughter and her former instructor."
Jill lit up. "What about my arrangements?"
Abe gave her a sly smile. "Patience. Your friends just arrived from the other side of the world. Spend time with them. Catch up on life. By the time dinner comes around, I will hopefully have some news to share with all of you." Before anyone could protest, he looked at Janine. "Janine, can we talk?"
She agreed, and the pair left before Rose and Jill could protest being kept in the dark.