Temptations

Chapter 32: The Dragomir Legacy

Eddie and I had returned a few hours ago from Montana and now-no rest for the wicked- were doing research on where Tasha and Victor could have possibly taken Dimitri. I had been itching to ask Eddie something for a while about Lissa's family.

"Eddie, I need to ask you something," I said, somewhat hesitantly. He looked up from his laptop with curiosity.

"Sure. Shoot," he said, continuing to type away on his laptop.

"That Strigoi that attacked me in the apartment before Dimitri was taken" I said, and paused for a moment.

"That Strigoi was Lissa's brother. He was supposed to have been dead years ago," I said, causing Eddie to frown and look away from his laptop thoughtfully.

"That is strange," He said, tilting his head to stare off into space. I could see by the way his face was set he was thinking hard for a reason as to why Lissa's brother would be Strigoi when he should have died years ago.

"No shit Sherlock" I said dryly and shook my head "Do you think we could take a look at her family history?" I asked. He nodded.

"I think we'd better, it could help us understand something" Eddie said, then whipped out his phone and started dialing, holding the phone to his ear.

"Mason, I need you down here now" He said curtly and snapped the device shut.

Almost immediately I head footsteps paddings down the stairs, then Mason appeared in front of us. He arched an eyebrow, leaning his tall frame off of the doorframe.

"You called?" He drawled, in a surprisingly good mood.

"We need you to find out anything about Lissa's family history" Eddie scribbled a few words down on paper and handed the paper to Mason, whose eyebrows furrowed, first in confusion, then understanding, then thoughtfulness.

"Alright. I won't be long, this should take an hour tops," Mason informed us and settled down next to us on the table.

I racked my brain for every reason why Andre would be Strigoi- could it mean Lissa's parents were still alive? I wouldn't tell Lissa yet to- get her hopes up then maybe crush them would be incredibly cruel. I got up to pour some coffee for the three of us, taking comfort in the small routine and chance to stretch my legs. I settled back down on the table slowly drinking my coffee while continuing to find answers in my head for anything. Lately however, I had felt helpless; I couldn't figure anything out anymore and truth be told it scared me a little, though I would never admit it.

A while later, I felt my eyes droop. Mason nudged me as I started dozing off and I hopped to my feet, immediately startled. Eddie and Mason stared at me in confusion.

"You ok?" Eddie frowned trying to figure out what had gotten into me.

"Yeah" I laughed, as if it was perfectly normal for me to behave like that.

They exchanged concerned looks and shrugged. Mason started speaking first.

"I found a few things on Lissa's family history" Mason said as I settled back into my chair.

"Tell me" I said impatient enthusiasm evident in my tone.

"I found a lady whose last name matches Lissa's" He paused, his own expression one of shock.

"Who?" Eddie and I chorused.

"The Dragomir queen, from the eighteen hundreds. It was reported she mysteriously vanished after ruling for four years" I gasped.

"You don't think that she is related to Lissa somehow, do you?" I asked, my voice full of shock.

"I found a picture of Lissa's mother and it matches Queen Dragomir. He shrugged. I'm not saying she is just related to Lissa somehow- I'm saying that Queen Dragomir is Lissa's mother" Mason said. At first I thought this was a joke, a really, really bad one, but when I took a glance at his face there was no trace what-so-ever of humor in his expression, only disbelief mirrored on Eddie's "And, besides the picture I've tracked her family tree back and it leads to Queen Dragomir" Ultimately evident that this was Lissa's mother.

"That would mean that Lissa is Moroi, and that she is a princes," I gasped again, my eyes widening. How the hell would I explain this to Lissa? She would take it as a joke.

"But wait, she couldn't have died from a simple car crash, could she?" I asked confused.

"The death certificate shows, she was impaled through the heart, she died instantly" Mason said grimly. I winced as he explained her death, but at least she had a quick death.

"Well. I guess I better explain this to her" I frowned. I was not relishing that I had to explain to Lissa she was the last heir to the Dragomir's "But what will happen now, does she become the next queen?" I asked.

"Whatever she wants, I suppose. She can remain hidden still but if she wants to rule then we can't keep her from that" Eddie explained, I nodded and took off for Lissa's room.

"God, Lissa, a queen. Heaven help us all," I muttered.

Adrian's POV:

I constantly regretted leaving Rose to deal with Dimitri loss on her own, it was consuming my every thought. I also regretted leaving like a coward and not helping Eddie, Mason, and Christian fight to find Dimitri- I should have been stronger, much stronger. I sighed as I made my way into one of the diners in St Petersburg, deciding Rose or anyone from our group would never find me here in Russia.

I found a table in the diner, picked up the menu and skimped the list of food to order. I did know a little about the Russian cuisine so I was confident to order on the menu.

"Good morning, what can I get you?" I looked up and my heart stopped. My eyes bulged out and I almost-almost- swore. The lady standing in front of me was nothing short of an angel, her beautiful blonde hair tied tightly into a bun and I wanted nothing more than to release it and run my fingers through her soft locks. Her eyes were most beautiful shade of brown I'd ever seen, and not only beauty but kindness and sharp intelligence were reflected in them. Soft lips that looked like they could as easily host a smile as a scathing retort were simply delectable. Her body was covered in an apron and a plain uniform that failed to hide her outstanding figure, and try as I might I could not tear my gaze away from her. My eyes moved to name badge, reading Sydney-what a beautiful, fitting name.

"Excuse me sir," She cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable.

"Sorry." I shook myself out of the trance and proceeded to order, which I immediately regretted when she left. I watched her, feeling my trance-like state return. I would do whatever it took to make this woman mine-even if I had to kneel and beg at her feet for just a date.