Ch 7: SIX

RPOV

Once I would have dreamed of waking up to another day of guarding Liss. Never had I dreamed of waking up to meet the loving eyes of my fiancé-my soon to be husband-with his hands tenderly studying my body as if I were the most precious thing in the world. I knew to him I absolutely was.

Remember, this is something I said I had never dreamed of. But today was yet another day I had awoken to exactly that privilege. My soon-to-be husband was the man who'd changed my world when he stepped into it roughly a year ago. Well, more like he'd made me fall into his world... but let's not get caught up in technicalities here. My now-fiancé had saved my ass from expulsion hours after meeting me and had, as a result, become my mentor. Yes, I had fallen for my teacher and he for his student. But the universe had clearly decided the ridiculously hot, badass Russian battle-god named Dimitri Belikov was meant to be with the reckless, rebellious, insubordinate, runaway Rose Hathaway... not simply be her teacher and (used to be) future guarding partner. So, I was currently living a fairy tale ending to my painful love story. The ending I'd never dare dreamed of, unlike most human and Moroi girls, as well as a few dhampir girls who chose not to be guardians and didn't fall into the stereotypical 'blood whore' lifestyle.

"Mmm. Morning, Comrade," I mumbled as I stirred.

"Morning, my Roza," he gently responded with a full smile.

"I love you," I grinned sleepily.

"I love you," he returned with adoration, love and amusement in his eyes, on his face and radiating through his voice.

"What's amusing?" I tried mocking offence and seriousness. But my sleep and love laced voice made sure I only sounded adorable to his ears. His expression indicated my guess was correct.

"You, my love."

Any response I could have made was prevented thanks to a knocking on the door. We'd gotten hot and heavy again last night. But-having guessed this exact situation would arise-we had put the effort into dressing in sleep clothes and unlocked the door. So we simply adjusted to a siting position.

"Come in!" we called.

"Morning Dimka, morning Roza," gently greeted Mama.

"Morning Mama," Dimitri and I responded in turn.

"You two are so perfect together," she sighed as she sat opposite us on the end of the bed.

"How so, Mama?" asked my future husband.

"Neither of you look as at peace as you do when you're together in unguarded moments such as these."

"Really?" we responded in unison.

"Really," chuckled an amused Mama. "I just came in to let you know breakfast is almost ready to be served." What?

A quick check of the bond told me Liss had blocked it because 'the soon-to-be Belikovs were still being far too romantic'. Her words, not mine. Liss was starving as much as I was. I thanked Mama and sent her out so my future husband and I could quickly shower, dress and weaponise.

"Who's reading next?" I asked once breakfast was finished. But before Lionel could bring the needle to my neck I asked, "How many left, Lionel?"

"Forty-three," he answered with a sad note in his voice.

He clearly hated what inking me with this many marks signified. It was as gut-wrenching and sickening as finding the stake in the Badica's wards. Except he didn't yet know that that was simply the casualty rate for hunting down Dimitri. I'd left with the intention to kill one Strigoi. Only to return to the States-over a month later- with nearly four dozen kills and having failed to make the most important kill of my life.

"I'm up next," stated Christian. While he collected the book, Lionel got to work on my marks.

"I was feeling pretty good about life when I headed to my before-school practice the next day."

Christian kept reading and I zoned out. Embarrassed by my childishness and trying to ignore the pain of the tattooing process. I was vaguely aware of Dimitri sitting in front of me, and showing affection in some type of touch, but it barely registered.

It was painful enough getting one or two of these damn awful reminders. The promise mark had, of course, hurt in the marking process. Yet it was the only one I was happy to receive, the only mark on my neck I was proud to wear.

Through the bond, I could feel Liss was feeling the pain I was. It was the strangest sensation ever. What was worse was not having the block in place when either of us was getting serious with our male counterpart. Stranger still, no block and both of us getting intense. That was usually when the bond was forgotten about, sort of forming its own block.

'Liss,' I sighed mentally.

'Yeah?' she responded.

'For your sake, just bloody block the bond already.'

'Okay. I was about three seconds away from doing it anyway. Your thoughts about Dimitri were turning far too carnal for comfort-worse than the pain of that needle.' Sympathy for the pain I'd had to go through and apology for the death I'd had to wield in order to find Strigoi Dimitri (only to fail in the end) shot through the bond. Her block was in place before I could comfort her or teasingly respond to her carnal thoughts comment.

I reluctantly tuned back in. In the hope that listening may provide more of a distraction than my own thoughts. When I came back to Christian's reading, I heard, "Grudgingly, I had to acknowledge to myself that she was good.
style="font-family: 'Trebuchet-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 22.00pt"Really good. But I certainly wasn't going to tell her that."

"Now I know!" laughed my mother. She really had loosened up over the past few months since my first kill, but mostly over the last few days. Something, unfortunately, told me that her and Abe being back together had something to do with that.

"Yeah, now you do," I sighed since Lionel let me respond given he himself was laughing.

"I guess that means I now have to admit Ibrahim was right. Rose, you are more deadly than I am." My Moroi father somehow wore a simultaneously smug and humbled expression.

"No disrespect, Janine," started Dimitri, "but that's unsurprising-given she's also got a lethal Moroi for a father."

"Dimitri!" I whined.

He twisted to face me with an indescribable yet heart-stopping expression. "You know it's true," he pouted then grinned mischievously. Oh boy! was all I thought of what's about to come out of his mouth next. "That's not even counting the fact I trained you, my love."

"Cocky much?" I teased playfully.

"Hey!" he retorted just as playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, Cowboy!" I smirked. "You're so paying for that later tonight," I added suggestively. My soon-to-be husband's eyes lit up lustfully. Oh god. I was in for it too, apparently.

Christian took it upon himself to return to reading. In order to break the growing tension between me and my fiancé. If only for the others comfort. Lionel returned to marking my neck. Meanwhile, every touch of Dimitri's was both comforting and increasing the sexual tension between us. I still didn't understand how we were so damn sex-crazed. We'd more than made up for what couldn't have at the Academy, so why were we always so tense and craving it? More importantly, why was I so desperately needing and wanting him more than ever?

"But my mother was smaller still," I tuned in to hear, "and clearly had nothing but muscle packed into her petite body
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Dimitri twisted to look at me while Christian continued. "Neither do you. You are nothing but muscle, my love. You clearly worked harder than ever after returning from Russia."

"Naturally, I did. We've always been too evenly matched."

"You really shouldn't have been able to outrun me like that," he smirked. Yet there was a look of wonder and adoration, along with admiration, on his face and in his eyes. "You shouldn't have even been able to get out that window, let alone the maze. And that wooden stake? Cliché yet clever. Roza, you really are a genius and no one knows it more than me." He smiled warmly. And, amazingly, it reached his eyes despite the topic.

"You're seeing the good side of that now. Aren't you? You've put yourself in my shoes and can understand why I so easily forgave and never lost hope in restoring you." I knew it for a fact. I could see it and sense it in his presence.

"Yes," he shakily whispered. "And could you quit reading me like I hide nothing!" he teased.

"Nope. Sorry, Comrade. I don't get a say in doing that. And you know it."

"I know. I love you, Roza. My angel."

"I love you, Comrade. My Comrade."

We just kept gazing as Christian kept reading and Lionel kept working, off in our own world-as usual. It was kind of amazing how locking eyes with Dimitri was distracting me from the pain of the tattooing needle. It was as if Dimitri was his own kind of anaesthetic... I guess he always had been, especially given how he'd pulled me out of the darkness then soothed my distraught and slightly depressed state, and how just seeing him tended to make me feel happy, calm, collected and loved. We'd been through hell and back to be together, so we wanted to embrace and cherish every moment together-even if it was just the sight of the other because we knew all too well how easily we could be turned or killed, how quickly things could slip out of our control.

"Really, Rosie, really?" Eddie's chortling broke through my intense staring match with Dimitri.

"Huh?" I asked, a tad disoriented. Naturally, it was like pulling me from sleep. Eddie nodded to Sparky.

""And I was out of the lines. Damn it."" Christian reread what had caused the room to erupt with laughter-Dimitri being the exception, he knew if he did it was his balls on the chopping block...

"That was not funny!" I whined. "Keep reading, Christian! I want to get out of here before I get my desk job assignment." That shut everyone up. Lionel returned to my neck as Firefly returned to reading. Dimitri looked at me questioningly. "I'm desked for Vegas," I tried to reply nonchalantly and quietly. He raised his brow then narrowed his eyes, the sign he wanted further explanation. "Later, Comrade. It's also spoilers." That caused an amused and resigned expression and sigh to escape my lover before he returned to listening to Christian's reading while showing his affection in different types of touches and looks. All that Christian had to cover in order to finish that chapter was my clinic visit.

"I left the clinic in a daze that had nothing to do with my head injury."

Cue Adrian's comment, "thinking about the cradle robbing mentor were we?" He had to bring that nickname up and bring innuendo into it.

"Adrian!" I snapped. "And never, I mean never, call my fiancé that ever again," I growled.

"But he is a cradle robber," both Adrian and Tasha responded. I swear that stupid Moroi woman had a death wish. Or she was simply just stupid.

"I suggest you don't insult my son-in-law," Abe and Mom threatened. "Ivashkov, my threat still remains in place. Don't think I won't castrate you or do any of the other things I described if you insult or hurt Rose and or Dimitri," Abe stared Adrian down then whipped his head to Tasha. "As for you, Natasha, you're about to get that detail now. Outside," he directed as he stood and almost dragged her out of the room. My mom followed. Hehe, I'm now glad I've got them as my parents-but they'd better never find that out.

"Read, Chris," sighed Lissa. He pecked her lips before continuing.

"Clear up in a week or so? How could Dr. Olendzki speak so lightly about this? Didn't she realize what was happening? I was going to look like a mutant for Christmas and most of the ski trip. I had a black eye. A freaking black eye.

"And my mother had given it to me." Christian dramatically finished with, "And that's that chapter done-thank god!"

"Morning tea, peoples!" I excitedly asked. Starting to feel just how hungry I was, and because Lionel was giving me a break; I made a mad dash for the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets.

"Roza," chuckled the silky and honey accent of Dimitri's as his arms wrapped around my waist from behind. "No need to create a bombsight in the process of picking your food," he pecked my cheek then the side my neck. "What are you looking for?"

"I don't really know," I sheepishly admitted. "All I know is that I'm really hungry." As if to prove my point, my stomach rumbled loudly.

"Apparently," Dimitri smiled against the crook of my neck.

"Oh!" I spun in my future husband's arms. "Could you make my favourite pepperoni pizza, choc brownie and black bread for lunch?" I pouted.

"Sure," he smiled at me indulgently and lovingly. "How'd you know I baked?"

"We've been here how many days already? I've always known you could cook. How long was I with your family back in Baia? Surely you can't think they'd keep those stories from the girl they saw as their daughter in law, can you?"

"You're right, love. And you're hardly a girl, Roza. You've always been a beautiful young woman, my beautiful young woman," he beamed seriously as I returned to my rummaging for food. He commented affectionately when I found what my body wanted. "If I didn't know your legendary appetite, I'd say you were pregnant," he teased against my lips before we left the kitchen. I checked to find any trace of pain or regret over the baby comment, but there was nothing but love and amusement.

"I love you, you know."

"I love you, Roza. You have no clue how much I love you." My fiancé pulled me into a kiss so intense it should be illegal... and at one point, it had been illegal for us to share such passion and love, and we couldn't have cared less. Then or now.

"That," I breathed against his lips when we pulled back, "should've been illegal and worthy of a fine."

"I don't regret that, you know," he breathed in response, our lips still touching. "I don't regret the charm, the cabin, the stolen looks, touches and kisses. I regret hurting you, but I in no way regret loving you while you were supposed to be my student."

"Supposed to be?" I tried, and failed, lifting a single brow.

"You've never been anything less than my equal, Roza." That did it, I launched into another kiss.

"You really are quite clueless, Comrade."

"Oh? Am I now?" he teased as he picked me up and set me on the bench near the sink. My breathing hitched as his hands rested on my knees and I quivered in anticipation as he slowly and extremely lightly glided his hands up towards my hips. "I'm clueless am I, when I know that this combination will set you alight and cause you to shiver and moan?" His hands slipped under my shirt and traced my abs while his teeth and lips grazed the sweet spot on my neck, the main spot I been bitten. My body reacted just as he'd predicted. "I see just how clueless I am when I do this and you'll sigh then pull me even closer." He whispered Russian in my ear as his hands ran over my shoulders towards my shoulder blades and down either side of my spine, right to the top of my jeans. And damn, I'd let him pull my shirt off in the process of warning me my body would react exactly the way it did.

"Okay," I panted, "okay. I get it," I giggled breathlessly. "Stop turning me on, Dimitri." My teasing, seductive and suggestive tone contradicted my words. My hunger for him was overpowering my general hunger right now. My body and soul was burning and yearning for him, my heart was simultaneously hammering and racing and breathing was the last thing on my mind. He was my world. He always had been and always would be.

"You know you'd hate me if I held back," huskily whispered Dimitri in my ear.

"You know me too well," I moaned my agreement.

I'd been right in the cabin, the where would never matter, the who always would. I mean, if I wasn't with Dimitri, hell would have had to have frozen over before I believed you if you told me I would have sex in the kitchen. With all my family and friends in the next room, no less. But, I loved Dimitri with all my heart and the world ceased to exist when we got into this state.