FROSTBITE -- CHAPTER 2
I was given a drink, and without asking what it was, I drained the glass in one gulp. My hands were shaky, and I felt weird seeing the respect in some guardians' eyes. I killed 8 Strigoi tonight, and warned them in time, kept the Moroi safe, and was bitten. I was still high on the endorphins of the Strigoi bite and did not feel too much of the pain, yet. Arthur sat down next to me. "Do you have any idea how many you saved tonight? We would have been ambushed if it hadn't been for your warning. I must say that I am very proud to tell you that you have passed your Qualifier. Hell, child, if I had the authority, I'd give you a stake of your own tonight. I haven't seen a novice as skilled as you since that tall one over there." I smiled at Dimitri and then at Arthur. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot." The Moroi were taken to two black vans, and the humans were gagged and taken into a third. Arthur looked at Dimitri. "I'll be giving Lionel a call tonight. We were attacked by 18 Strigoi tonight, and all eighteen are dead. The humans have all been captured unharmed. Rose, you will be getting 8 marks. Dimitri, you have earned 5. We lost two guardians tonight but it would have been worse if you two were not here. I can't tell you both how grateful I am for your assistance." "Take care, Art." Dimitri helped me stand up and to the car.
The area was swarming with guardians and Alchemists. Dimitri helped me into the car and got in himself. The tension was thick in the car, and the muscles on Dimitri's arms were so strained that I was sure that Dimitri would break the steering wheel if he gripped it any harder. We pulled into the main road, and I couldn't take the silence anymore. "You can yell at me now," I said, resigned, laying my head against the cold window to alleviate my headache. "I'm not going to yell at you Roza," Dimitri answered carefully as though weighing his words.
Suddenly he stopped the truck and pulled to the side of the road. My eyes searched our surroundings, looking for any danger. I found none and looked at Dimitri, puzzled. His eyes bored into mine, freezing me in place. He moved so quickly that I flinched as he pulled me from my seat and onto his lap in one fluid motion. Then he kissed me so passionately that it felt like my heart had stopped. My hands buried into his silky hair, and I gasped as his lips devoured mine. I couldn't contain the moan that came out. He pulled away carefully. "I thought you were dead, I kept thinking that I was going to lose you before I could tell you how --" I kissed him to stop him from saying it. I was a bloody chicken. Dimitri's hands found their way under my shirt and froze. Pulling out a bloody hand, and boy, did that sting. I was aware of every single injury the Strigoi bite endorphins left a while ago, and it was not a fun experience for me. "Just how injured are you, Roza?"
I got back to my seat and told him that I would live. He rolled his eyes and told me that he would pull off at the place we got lunch. There was a 24-hour pharmacy and a motel, we could at least get cleaned up a bit. I was grateful for that. I felt really gross. Dimitri phoned Alberta and told her what happened and then we pulled off at the motel and Dimitri left to get us new clothes, bandages and stuff and book us a room at the Motel. I checked the time. It was just after 12 in the afternoon, and I was dead tired and starving.
Dimitri was carrying something else, McDonald's happy meals, I grinned happily and hobbled off after him into our room. It was a crappy motel room and we ate our food in silence for about a minute before Dimitri looked at me again. "I need to know, Roza, you have to tell me how you knew the Strigoi was coming. I've tried for hours, and nothing makes sense." "It is because I died and came back. I can sense the dead; that is what they are: dead. And the shadows surrounding death, I can use it; they helped me fight." Shadows sounded way cooler than ghosts. Dimitri looked at me, and I could see he was struggling to wrap his head around it. He had trouble believing it. I got up and took a shower first so Dimitri could help me treat my injuries. After washing off the blood, I could see the damage they caused. Luckily, this time, nothing was broken. My ankle was swollen and sore. I had the gash on my arm that I made to distract the Strigoi. A bite on my neck that was pulled out and torn a bit. Claw marks on my neck and in my side; it looked like they tried to tear out the flesh. But other than that, nothing too bad. I only put my underwear and jeans on. Standing only in my bra and jeans in front of Dimitri wasn't something he hadn't seen. Hell, he has seen me completely naked, but it felt a little weird for me to just walk out naked.
Dimitri's eyes bugged out, but I pretended not to see his reaction. Walking over to the bag he kept the medicine in. Dimitri made me sit on the bed so he could clean my wounds and bandage it, he was gentle in his touches and it was turning me on. We were on a bed, I was half naked, and we had time to kill. Closing my eyes and forcing my thoughts away from what I wanted to do to this man, I opened it and looked at him instead. That was a mistake. I saw the hunger in his eyes, and when he looked at my lips, it was as if the dam broke, and I kissed him first this time. Dimitri kissed me back and I just felt so warm all over. "You're so strong, my Roza. It's why I love you." I squeezed my eyes shut. He used the dreaded L word. "You shouldn't. I am going to become something terrible. I might already be something terrible." Word vomit, I did not plan on telling him that. He pulled away and looked at me questioningly. "What aren't you telling me, Roza?" "Lissa is a spirit user, a great and wonderful gift. She can heal just about anything from plants to Moroi and probably more if she tried. But every time she uses it, she loses a little of herself. And every time she uses it the darkness starts to take over. Nothing but hate and rage and all the other negative feelings out there. To feel it is like you touched something dead. Lissa is in a never-ending cycle of feeling the best she ever had or being on the verge of losing her mind. That is where I come in." Dimitri leaned closer to me and pulled me onto his lap. I was straddling him, and his hands were on my back. He looked intently into my eyes.
"How do you help her with the darkness?" "I take it from her. " His expression turned serious. "What happens to the darkness, Roza?" He was looking a bit confused now. "It is the same as Vladimir and his shadow-kissed guardian Anna. She took his darkness and kept it, and so do I I keep it, and it becomes my burden." His confusion turned to worry. "You mean you feel all that darkness and pain? There is no way to get rid of it?" "Yelling and fighting help, but I had a short temper before. Now the fuse doesn't even exist." "Roza, do you need to be near Lissa to take it?" He wanted to keep me from her. "I can take it now, here. Distance doesn't matter. I am going to lose myself, and when I do, you need to stop me for good before something bad happens. Before I hurt someone." "You won't lose yourself, Roza. I won't let you. No matter what, I won't let you."
He kissed me again, and this time, he did not pull back. Steadily, the intensity of our kissing increased. It was filled with love, but it became hungrier, powerful. He laid me back down on the bed, hands wrapped around my waist, and then one of them slid down the back of my thigh and pulled it up so that it nearly wrapped around him.
At the same time, we both pulled back briefly, still oh so close. Everything in the world rested on that moment. "We can't. . ." he told me. But I wondered who he was talking to. Me or himself. "I know," I agreed, but then his mouth was on mine again, and this time, I knew there was no turning back. There were no walls this time. Our bodies wrapped together as he took my jeans off, then his shirt and pants. It was like a fight for dominance passionate and filled with heat. Soon, we were both naked, and the feel of his skin on mine was more than enough to keep me warm. The motel didn't have heating, and it was snowing. I couldn't tell where my body ended and his began.
Dimitri was surprised that I was a virgin, and that made him pause; he didn't want to take advantage of me, and this time, I did not let him back out. I kissed him back just as passionately as he did me. He was not leaving me hot and bothered and unsatisfied tonight. And he didn't. it was hard to remember your first time when you have lived as many lives as me, but this one was especially memorable. When it was over, I lay back against him. My body hurt . . . from my injuries and from my first time, but it was a delicious kind of hurt. I felt amazing, blissful, and content. I rested my head on Dimitri's chest, taking comfort in his warmth and closeness. He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair. "I love you, Roza." He kissed me again. "I'll always be here for you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." My heart ached at the thought, he is making a promise that he would not be able to keep. The only thing I was not allowed to change was Dimitri becoming Strigoi, it needed to happen so they could find out that he could be turned back.
I fell asleep on his chest, content and sated and warm. In my dream, Death came to me and warned me again that I was not allowed to change his fate; he needed to turn into a Strigoi, and that was a fixed point. I needed to go after him to Russia, but that was where I could have changed it. Because of our bond, the fact that I was a Phoenix, and I had my own powers. I could take the darkness from Lissa and channel it through my phoenix healing into a stake, I might be able to heal Dimitri myself, without Lissa's help. But then we didn't need to break Victor out of prison? I was relieved to hear that it was not a necessary requirement. Leaving him out of this would make things really easy. I was also not allowed to save the Queen. Lissa needed to become Queen, and for that, we needed a human Sonya Karp. That was slightly problematic but not too complicated. I was kissed awake by Dimitri a few hours later. We needed to go back. "Roza, we shouldn't hav--" He was fighting with the morality of this again. "Stop, it was wonderful, and I get it. I should not have happened. But I am not sorry it did, even if we can't be together. We have this." I kissed him a final time and then got up.
We quickly showered and got ready to go back to the academy. I fell asleep in the car again and my sleep was interrupted by Lissa pulling me in. Kirova was standing at the front of the commons addressing the students.
"We received reports that there was an attack at the Badica Estate earlier today. It was not my idea to tell you this but I have been told that it would be best to inform you before rumors and untruths are spread. Eighteen Strigoi and a group of their human helpers attacked the Estate, but their attack was mostly unsuccessful thanks to the actions of the guardians present there." Lissa gripped Christian's hand tightly as they listened. "An attack of this magnitude is not only highly unlikely, but it is rarely ever seen. But still cautionary measures are being put into place. The wards here at St. Vladimir's will be going through repairs in the next few weeks. As such, we will be moving all students to a compound for their safety. There will be no classes during this time.
The chattering of the students slowly drowned out her voice as everyone began cheering about the fact that there would be no school. Kirova broke a wooden dowel from the podium and smacked it loudly against the marble top. The room went silent, and Kirova smiled tightly. "That's better. Your instructors will give you a list of reading materials. This is NOT a vacation. Already, two lives were lost, and we are hoping to prevent more. Please have your things ready to leave by morning. Lissa dragged Christian to the front of the room where Kirova was talking to Guardian Petrov.
"Headmistress Kirova," Lissa said as calmly as she could. "Rose hasn't returned to her room."
"Guardian Petrov would be better to fill you in, Miss Dragomir." Kirova nodded distractedly. "I have to prepare for departure." Kirova walked away quickly while looking over her shoulder. Lissa and Christian watched as she ran straight into Mia, and the two toppled over onto the floor. Lissa's amusement floated through the bond, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
It was strange; one minute I was sleeping, and the next, I was laughing. "Rose! What happened?"
"Kirova just busted her ass and took Mia with her," I said through my laughter. "Sorry, it happens sometimes when I sleep. Lissa pulls me in. Kirova told everyone about the attack and that they needed to pack and get ready to leave in the morning. We are going to a compound so they can redo all the wards." Dimitri nodded, and then I saw we were driving into the Academy. "You did good out there, Roza. Be proud of yourself." As we parked, he cupped my face. Kissed me one last time before getting out of the car. We needed to go to the Guardian offices. But we were met at the door. "Miss Hathaway, Guardian Belikov, follow me, please." I looked back at Dimitri and shrugged my shoulders as we followed her.
We were headed to Lionel's small office; I had been there only once before to get my tattoo for killing Natalie. "I apologize for not letting you have some time before this, but we must leave in the morning." Alberta stopped at the doorway and placed a hand on my shoulder. "We're all very proud of you, Miss Hathaway. Don't think we are taking this moment lightly." Strange that she said that with that first tattoo, too. I nodded and followed after her as she opened the doors. Guardians and novices stood around the room as Dimitri and I entered. They stood in solemn silence as we were led by Alberta to two chairs; Lionel and a woman were there behind a tray. She carefully pulled my hair into a bun and set to work on giving me my molnija marks, Lionel did Dimitri's. When we were done, we walked around the room where all the Guardians could congratulate us. There was a woman there who looked at me with pride, and I did not know what to think about it. As I stood in front of her, she hugged me tightly. "You need to keep yourself out of these situations, Rosemarie. You are going to send me into an early grave." With shock, I realized that this was my mother. She was slightly shorter than I was, and she had auburn cropped, curly hair and brown eyes.
"Hey, Mom," I said in a shocked voice, but I hoped she didn't feel bad or realize that I did not recognize her. "You're here...." I trailed off awkwardly, feeling really stupid. Dimitri looked at me, puzzled. My mom did, too. "Sorry, I did not know you were coming, and it has been a long day." She nodded understanding. "I am proud of you." "Thank you, Mom." I hugged her tightly again and then moved on. I was hugged by Mason, Eddie, and Meredith. "It's time to go, Rose. I will help you pack and get you something from the cafeteria. Or maybe I can get some ingredients to make you some soup." I grinned at her. Rose was really too hard on her mom. I missed mine every day of my life, and I would treasure anyone who turned out to be my mother in any world. I let her lead me off and make me soup, too. She wanted to take care of me, and I welcomed it. She helped me pack, and we caught up with each other. It just felt nice to have her here. I also knew that sometime soon I was going to meet my father in this life and I was actually looking forward to that.