As we were getting closer to the town, where we were to see the man my father had arranged, me and Dimitri could not agree on who would go out to meet him. Of course, the logical solution was for me to be the one to go: if I encountered any problem, Dimitri could start the car and drive off taking Jill and the others away from danger, while I, as a skilled guardian, would stay behind to handle the situation. However, whenever it came to maximizing my safety, Dimitri's creativity knew no bounds.
"You are wounded. If necessary, you won't shoot as efficiently as I do," he whined. I looked at him in doubt. My ready pistol was already lying in my lap.
"So it probably wouldn't be best for my arm to drive either, don't you think?" I asked. He assumed an aggrieved expression and was already about to answer me when I started a new track of discussion. "Comrade, if it goes to hell, you'd shoot the threat from the car, start the engine, and when I run to you, you'd take off with a squeal of tires. Can we agree on this?"
He knew very well that it was the most favorable option, but he grumbled some more before agreeing with this plan of action. I knew it was out of concern for me, so when we parked and he told me to be careful, I mussed his hand gently to reassure him that I knew what I was doing. Dimitri didn't let me out of his sight, but I could see complete confidence in his gaze. He knew that I would have handled the possible danger. But he wanted to prevent it anyway.
I kept the gun in the pocket of the duster. I didn't give him back. I headed toward the bar, feeling Dimitri's gaze on me. I didn't see anyone in the parking lot, so I let him know I was going inside. He pressed his lips into a tight line but nodded.
In a smoky bar, filled with the scent of cigarettes, I didn't have to look around too long, because the inside wasn't exactly swarming with crowds. Some two elderly gentlemen sat playing cards, drinking brews in front of them. Two people in their forties sat in another corner, discussing something quietly. Instead, my attention was caught by a man dressed in an immaculate suit, with an oriental yet pale complexion, who smiled and straightened up at the sight of me. I immediately recognized him as Moroi.
"Rosemarie," he said my name in an accent that I found difficult to identify, "Ibrahim's daughter turned out to be a real beauty."
I folded my arms over my chest, feeling a little insecure that he knew who I was. I hoped it added a few cool points.
"Nice to meet you too."
The man laughed warmly and extended his hand to me. His handshake was firm and definite, but not crushing. The smile on his face resembled Abe's so much that I began to wonder if we were related.
"My name is Kerem Sahin. I have known your father for many, many years, and I owe him my undying gratitude and friendship. Although he has hidden you so deftly all these years, I am happy to finally meet you.
I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think Abe had many friends."
He nodded his head in a gesture of modesty.
"I understand why you would think that, although he is undoubtedly a man of many secrets. Ah, but that's a conversation for another time. After all, we don't want your friends to wait in impatience."
I nodded. Dimitri's patience was put to the test any second we spent longer inside the bar. When we left, I patted Kerem down and led him to our Skoda. Dimitri didn't let him out of his sight, but I noticed that his gun was already holstered when Kerem climbed into the passenger seat. I moved Eddie to the back seat and settled behind Kerem. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on him in a way that he couldn't see me. Not that I didn't trust him, he seemed like a really useful ally. But, control is the highest degree of trust, right?
With Kerem's guidance, we quickly found a forest path that was so sheltered from the road that it wasn't even visible to our dhampir eyes. In the meantime, Kerem explained where the cameras monitoring this path to our hideout were, how to use the security systems, and where the weapons stores were located. He also gave us directions to the nearest feeders, but recommended going to them, instead of inviting them here. The fewer people who knew about the house, the better.
Finally, a large, wooden house in the middle of the forest, with glass walls and a rather nicely finished facade, appeared before our eyes. When we parked, I couldn't hide my awe, looking at the intimidating building.
"Is it Abe's property?" I asked in disbelief. I realized that he was rich, but I didn't suppose that he could afford such a gem in the middle of the forest, not used by anyone. Kerem smiled at me.
"Wait until you see the inside."
Everyone got up, so we decided that Eddie and I would check if the property was safe. We started from the outside, noting that the house was surrounded by a small clearing, at the end of which was a garage. When we went inside, we found a car and a motorcycle, and behind the garage... a second road, leading straight into the woods.
"Of course, Abe thought of an escape route," muttered Eddie. I shook my head in disbelief.
The inside of the house was actually even more impressive, although it didn't ring with splendor. All the furniture looked solid and comfortable, and the decor tastefully combined modernity with coziness. The large windows added to the visual appeal, in addition to being great for observing the grounds. A spacious kitchen and dining room led out to a cozy living room with a fireplace. On the ground floor, there was also a double bedroom with a bathroom, while upstairs there were two bedrooms, for two and three people. We were to accommodate ourselves perfectly.
We let Dimitri know that everything was ok, so we brought the rest inside. Kerem showed us how to operate the security system and how to monitor the two roads leading to the hidden house. He handed me the key with a smile and wished us good luck.
"Do you need a ride to the main road?" Dimitri asked, still looking carefully around the room, but casting a glance at Kerem. He probably was already planning how to use the space we had in case of any attack.
"Thank you, but I'll use the motorcycle in the garage. I prefer fresh air anyway," he shook hands with Dimitri and me, "If you need help, call. We will come up with something together."
We were watching him carefully as he drove away. I almost could feel how tense Dimitri was - he didn't like the fact that our safety depended on a stranger. However, we both had to admit that this hideout was a perfect option.
"What do you think of him?" asked Dimitri quietly. I crooked my head in feigned thoughtfulness.
"He dresses like he's straight from The Godfather, but he got some cool points for that motorcycle," I smiled slyly, and Dimitri looked at me with that familiar mix of amusement and exasperation. This time, however, a smile played on his lips. He still was waiting for an answer, so I shrugged. "I don't know, it seems to me that he can be trusted. Or at least Abe can be trusted."
Dimitri nodded and we returned to our friends in the living room. Jill stretched out on the couch, eating some kind of packet of chips that she and Angelina had opened. Eddie strolled along the windows, observing his surroundings, and Sydney had already opened her laptop. Adrian was standing at the liquor bar, at the sight of which my heart stung, but I knew I shouldn't comment on it.
Everyone opened the backpacks we found in the living room. Each had a different name on it. Inside was a pile of basic clothes - pants, shirts, sweatshirts. I didn't know whether to feel gratitude for my father or anxiety about the bill he would send us any day now.
Only now did I allow myself to appreciate what a nice interior the hose hid. The walls were mostly windows with access to a cozy terrace and a clearing. On the other side, there was a large table in front of the entrance to the kitchen. Centrally opposite the sofa, decorated with warm blankets and pillows, stood a beautiful fireplace lined with stone, and above it hung a modern TV. Next to it on the wall hung a shelf filled with various movies. The last wall was completely filled with books, as the bookcase reached from the ceiling to the floor, all the way across. Under the window was a smaller table, but it was not for eating, but for working, especially since there was a laptop on it.
"So what now?" Jill asked, noticing that we had entered. "We're supposed to sit here and wait for them to catch Prince Drozdov?"
"Actually, yes" answered Dimitri honestly.
"But it could take weeks!" Jill argued.
"That sucks, doesn't it?" I responded with clear criticism in my voice, looking at Sydney and Eddie, who looked at me with raised eyebrows defiantly. I still couldn't believe their plan to keep me in MOTEL, but I found myself in this position once again. Dimitri replied.
"We have to wait out the chaos and make sure you're safe. I don't think it's going to take that long, especially now that all the guardian ranks have been called."
"And for the time being, we can gather everything we know about this situation and see what we can get out of it," I added, thinking about our options, "I also now have an insight into what's going on through Lissa."
No one looked thrilled, but no one objected either. Adrian, Jill, and Sydney immediately went to wash up, while Angelina wanted to find something to eat in the kitchen. Dimitri, Eddie, and I started discussing guarding shifts, as Eddie insisted that he wanted to take over the watch that night.
"I just slept about six hours, and you both took a nap before Sacramento. Plus I thought you had an injury, Rose?"
Dimitri looked at my arm, his expression tightening with concern, and nodded.
"Certainly before resting I would like to take care of this wound, but then I thought…"
"Dimitri, I really slept enough for tonight. I'll take Angelina and show her what a guarding shift should look like.
"But this will be the first twenty-four hours since the kidnapping," I reminded, "We should be very careful and there should be at least two guardians on the watch."
Eddie stubbornly shook his head and began gently pushing me toward the kitchen.
"Not when we have an early warning system. Rest and we will change in the morning."
In the end, we agreed, especially since we had to look at the wound. Dimitri laid out a fancy medical kit on the table and sat down next to me. When we unwound the bandages we noticed that the blood was not oozing as intensely as before. Dimitri delicately washed the wound with disinfectant, caressing my arm to ease the stinking feeling.
"It looks pretty good, but I think if I put in a stitch or two the healing will go faster," Dimitri looked at the wound, holding my arm in an iron grip. When he looked at me, I saw a ton of tenderness in his gaze. He delicately stroked the sensitive arm as he waited for my decision.
"Then stitch up. Just quickly," I asked and tensed my arm involuntarily. He put it down on the table so that it could lie inertly, and I leaned with my back against the chair. He applied anesthetic cream, which numbed the wounded area for a while, or at least reduced the sensation of pain. He prepared sterile tools and gloves and, after disinfecting his hands, got to work.
The guardians were taught how to suture wounds at the academy, although not many of them had to test the theory in practice. I knew Dimitri knew how to lay sutures, however I had never seen him do it. My stomach twisted with nerves from the pain, but I couldn't contain my fascination when I saw him deftly catch a suture and pierce one edge of the damaged skin. I drew in the air with a hiss. I hoped the cream would work better.
Dimitri looked at me quickly with concern in his eyes.
"Does it hurt?"
I nodded noncommittally. I had been feeling a painful throbbing in my arm all day, but now it felt like it was on fire. I didn't want him to worry about it though.
"I can bear two stitches," I clenched my teeth and turned away from him, tensing my body. Dimitri did not hesitate but finished the first stitch, stretching the tissue painfully. I felt nauseous and very hot. As he began to put on the second one I bit my lips to keep from screaming.
"That's the last one" he whispered softly, and with that warning, he thrust into the skin one last time. I felt weak from the pain but also seized with relief at the thought that this was the end. Dimitri wiped the skin around the wound dry and lubricated it generously with anesthetic ointment. I slumped back in my chair, and he bandaged my arm carefully, clamping gauze over the damaged area. Finally, he applied a cold compress to the source of the pain, and I shuddered with the relief I immediately felt. Equally comforting were the gentle, warm lips that pressed against my sweaty forehead. With one hand, Dimitri stroked my hair, and with the other, he pressed the compress.
"Thanks, comrade," I muttered, snuggling into his neck, "If I didn't know better, I would have taken you for a doctor."
Dimitri snorted slightly, caressing my arm with his thumb.
"I think the doctor wouldn't have caused you so much pain."
"I don't know. I swear, sometimes I think that some of them take out their sadistic desires on us" I joked, although I was being totally unfair. For the number of times I've been hospitalized, I've always been lucky and ended up with caring and committed medical staff.
"Come on, Roza, we need to rest."
I went to the bedroom on the first floor, as we discussed earlier. Dimitri and I were to occupy the double room closest to the door, Eddie was to share a room with Adrian, and Jill, Sydney and Angeline were to sleep in the triple bedroom. It seemed to me that I should share a room with Jill, but with the early warning system and with a guardian on watch it was of marginal importance, and a different sleeping arrangement might be awkward.
The only one left in the living room was Eddie, who told me to go to sleep, seeing my pale face. Dimitri stayed behind to clean up the medical equipment. As soon as I saw the bed, I fell on it without thinking, feeling exhaustion taking over my whole body. I think I was half-asleep when I felt Dimitri's warm hands on my head.
"Come on Roza, a shower will be good for you," I felt soft lips just below my ear and a pleasant shiver ran along my spine. I smiled lazily.
"I am very good already. But if you insist, I have some ideas on how to make us feel even better."
He laughed, and at the very sound of that, I felt delight rippling through my body.
"This is a very tempting proposition, but I'm afraid we really shouldn't" he whispered, at the same time mussing the sensitive skin behind my ear with his nose. I scowled.
I knew what he meant. First of all, I wouldn't want anyone, especially Adrian, to hear us. In our convoluted history, we didn't need that to happen. Second, if we were tracked down and had to appear for an attack, I would prefer to be clothed. Lastly, as Dimitri undoubtedly thought, I needed to rest after the shooting and recover before more demanding physical activities.
"I'm sick of you thinking so reasonably all the time."
"We'll see what you say tomorrow morning," he didn't give up. He helped me up and held me for a moment at the waist when I staggered. "I wanted to see the rest of your scratches, but in private."
I didn't argue. In our little bathroom, he gently and slowly helped me undress when my injured hand refused to cooperate. My hands, face, and neck were the most injured, as well as my feet, on which I had scraped my skin after a long walk. I took a shower, which appeared like the best thing under the sun for my exhausted body. Not that I was going to admit it to Dimitri later.
As I covered myself in a soft towel, Dimitri returned with my pajamas and a set of patches he had applied to the worst cuts. He subtly caressed my skin, warming it in places where he touched me, making me shiver. These weren't even very sensual movements, but when made with his deft fingers, I lost myself in them, even after so many months. I didn't seem to ever stop craving his touch.
Besides the sensual aspect, his tender treatments were extremely soothing. I usually took care of my own wounds, but there was something incredibly pleasant about the feeling of being taken care of by someone else. Dimitri brought peace and security into my life, and so it was this time, too, as he kissed my freshly cupped hands in the bright light of the lamp above the mirror with a gentle smile.
Lying in bed, the anxiety kept me awake. My body tensed up and I couldn't relax. I recalled the stress of escaping from that mansion the previous day, that horrible march through the woods. I thought of the shot guardians who died in the car behind us and couldn't stop wondering who they were. I thought about the defeated guardians at the Court and in the subsequent attacks in Palm Springs. A thousand thoughts were rushing through my head, and despite the fatigue settling on my eyelids, I couldn't fall asleep.
Dimitri slipped quietly into bed and laughed lightly as I snuggled up to him.
"I thought you would be asleep by now," he whispered into my hair, but I shook my head.
"I can't sleep. I guess I'm still in fight-or-flight mode. But maybe it will be easier for me now with you."
At these words he put his arms around me even tighter, drawing me closer.
"It's okay," he whispered in my ear, though everything was far from fine. We were on the run from deadly assassins. But in that moment, in his arms, I found it easier to forget.
I snuggled into him, letting my body relax. There were few things I was sure of, but I knew that nothing bad could happen to me in Dimitri's embrace. He gently whispered some soothing Russian phrases directly into my ear, which, as usual, had a sleep-inducing effect on me.
I was awakened by the sun's rays illuminating my face. It had been a long time since I had had such a pleasant wake-up call, especially since sunrise usually signaled bedtime for us. I stretched out and discovered with disappointment that Dimitri was not with me; he must have slipped out earlier. He must have slipped out earlier.
I sat up and massaged my sore arm. I checked to make sure I hadn't caught any infection, but a quick glance under the bandages assured me that the wound was clean. I made sure Lissa was fine and with a sigh decided to crawl out of bed. I got up and put on jeans and a blouse from my backpack. In the living room, I found Eddie, walking along the windows.
"Hey, how are you after the night watch? I hope it wasn't extremely boring.
Eddie sent me a smile, looking at me intently.
"It wasn't too bad. I chatted a little with Angelina, but she had already gone to bed. And how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, I've survived worse shootings," I smiled cheerfully, and he shook his head. "Do you know where Dimitri is?"
"He wanted to run around the perimeter of the monitoring area to see what it looked like."
"Of course he fucking did."
Eddie laughed sincerely. Checking the cameras, I saw the silhouette of Dimitri running.I shook my head in disbelief that he was motivated to run in this cold. However, I could perfectly imagine that he wanted to explore the terrain in precise detail.
I dismissed Eddie, who had gone to take a nap and took over the watch. I made my rounds around the house, checked the cameras, and looked into the room of the girls who were sleeping. I mainly wanted to make sure Jill was okay, so I was relieved to see her sleeping peacefully in her bed. Downstairs I patrolled my surroundings, strolling back and forth. When Dimitri returned I kissed him quickly taking advantage of the fact that no one was around.
"How are you feeling?" He asked breathlessly with concern in his voice. Sweat was running down his forehead, and his tied-up hair was disheveled. I couldn't believe how much this look of his attracted me. I ran my fingers over the well-defined muscles on his chest.
"Very good. But I think I should still be in bed for a while. Especially with you." I moved closer to him flirtatiously, and he laughed embracing me.
"You're putting my self-control to the test, I swear," he muttered and kissed me again before he went to shower. I begrudgingly allowed him to do so.
So I stayed alone at my post until I heard someone wake up. Sydney got up first. She seemed a little tense but not as much as I would have expected from her. She didn't want to eat any of the things I had set out on the table, just grabbed an apple ignoring my meaningful stare.
"Have the alchemists contacted you?" I asked while eating my bowl of cereal. Sydney nodded, checking her cell phone.
"Yes, they are quite horrified that I stayed with you. They think it's because of the shock," she gave me a long look, and I realized that after all, even though her subordinates disapproved, she was on this crazy trip of her own free will. No one forced her, no alchemists, Abe, or even me.
"You won't get in trouble over this, will you?" To say that her superiors disapproved of the contact with us was an understatement. She wouldn't meet my eye and, sighing, shrugged her shoulders.
"I hope not," I sensed a strange note in her voice. I busied myself with my cereal, but couldn't let it go. There was some bitterness in the way she pronounced those few words, not just as if she was afraid of them...
It hit me when she put the phone down as if she no longer wanted to read its contents. Sydney sounded as if the Alchemists were making her life difficult. Like they were a nuisance. The Sydney I met in Russia would never shirk her Alchemical duty, finding joy in it or at least a sense of a job well done. She wouldn't have sounded like they were a hindrance.
Adrian joined us a little later, along with Jill. When she showed up I took the free laptop from the living room and while we were eating I started questioning her again regarding everything she remembered. Dimitri and Angelina joined us shortly thereafter, and my boyfriend added various questions during breakfast, which I wrote down to have them in one place. Jill was eager to answer us, feeling that her answers might help at least a little in the investigation.
Angelina surprised me when she declared that since we were sitting in the hole anyway, she would love to learn a few things about being a guardian, especially fighting. Dimitri exchanged glances with me, but I moved my head in a gesture that said it was his business rather than mine. With a shrug of his shoulders, he offered that he could teach her something, but they had to start with the basics. She, however, wanted to throw herself into the fight, so she wouldn't listen to him, which (as I knew from experience) annoyed him. What the poor girl didn't know was that she'd just earned a set of theoretical lessons about curbing her cravings and building her form one step at a time.
While they went to practice, I moved to Lissa's mind. reviewing the suspects' files, various pieces of evidence, and, most importantly, the material about the spirit power obtained at the prince's estate together with her. Lissa analyzed with devout reverence the notebook she had received, in which there was written down everything she knew about the spirit. So far we hadn't found anything in the journal that we didn't know about, but Lissa, as usual, studied everything with extreme thoroughness, terrified that she might have missed any information.
To her dismay, she discovered a highly detailed folder containing information about me and my abilities as a shadow-kissed. The details about me upset Lissa much more than the part about her. There were two dates marked on which I died and came back to life, once with the help of a spirit and once with the help of medicine. Interestingly, a bond with Lissa and seeing ghosts were listed among my abilities, but the latter was marked with a question mark. Despite everything, I was relieved that this information, at least, was not public knowledge. The ability to sense Strigoi also remained a mystery to researchers.
Hans informed her that the prince's assistant and Professor McLean had been captured and held in Court. We were both looking forward to questioning them live, asking where they got this information and if there was anything more they knew. Lissa regretted that she couldn't be there in person and influenced the witnesses with a little spirit to get them to tell the truth.
Jumping between Lissa's head and my own, I tried to write down all the clues. Together with Jill's information, a rather sizable file began to emerge from this, however, I still couldn't connect the pieces enough to get to the prince. Lissa was also absorbing everything, every scrap of information, trying to fix it in her mind forever so that she could assemble it into a solution to the puzzle. She and I followed a similar train of thought. We recognized that his actions were indicative of his desperation. We just didn't know the reason for it.
When I went back to my head, Dimitri and Angelina continued to practice some moves outside. The smile broke on my face, at the sight of her irritation as he explained some boring basics to her. I've been there, girl. Sydney was sitting on the couch reading a book. Adrian was sitting next to her looking ahead with unseeing eyes, which worried me for a moment, then I decided that he was probably trying to find someone in their sleep... In the chair next to them sat Jill, skipping between TV channels.
I stretched my arms inhaling the unusual scent that prevailed in the forest house. I liked it very much, I could smell old wood, but also forest and fire and old age. It left a moist aftertaste on my tongue, quite different from the climate in Pennsylvania. It reminded me more of the conditions in pristine Montana where I grew up.
I glanced at my clumsy notes on the computer. Only now did I see that despite its size, the file was full of meaningless words. Jumping between Lissa's head and my own, I tried to write out as much information as possible, but now I saw that I had created a huge text with almost zero content. Even having Lissa's information in mind didn't help me much. I closed the computer in exasperation, not wanting to look at my fruitless efforts any longer.
"The investigation is not going well?" asked Adrian, snapping me out of my reverie. The girls also looked at me as I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.
"We know that he researched the spirit and the shadow kissed, but nothing more... Maybe you know something about him? He never struck me as someone worthy of interest."
"Because he isn't, or rather, he hasn't been until now," Adrian said, coming over to me and sitting down on the adjacent side of the table. I noticed that Sydney was watching him closely from behind his back. These two interested me more and more. "Typical old Moroi. He ran an insurance company and had a wife with whom he had a daughter. As far as I know, she died a few years ago. In fact, I don't know if both of them didn't die.
I typed the prince's name into the guardian database and found that Adrian was right. His wife died several years ago in a tragic car accident. I immediately thought of Lissa's parents and how I died in a similar way. The death of his daughter, Lara, was also classified as an "accident," but there were no details. These dates were two years apart.
"Maybe he heard that Lissa brought me back to life in a car accident and wanted to try to do it with his wife and daughter," I mused, thinking about the fact that Victor Dashkov had tried almost the same thing.
"Abducting her younger sister is a poor start to establishing cooperation. Even so diabolical."
"Maybe he wanted to test your skills," I thought, but Adrian's face showed that he didn't believe that.
Sending him an accusatory glance, I went back to my notes, trying to make any sense of them. We needed to catch him. As fast as possible.
