Moving Objects

Chapter 19

There was silence on the other end for a moment or two before a woman responded. "Dimka?"

"Is this Olena?"

"It is, who is this?"

I closed my eyes as more tears fell, "It's Rose."

"Oh Roza! I'm so glad! Dimitri tells me about you every time he speaks to me! How is he? I'm surprised he was far from his phone," Olena said excitedly, but it only added to my own turmoil.

A sob I was desperately trying to hide from her slipped out, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. But she still heard it.

"Roza? Is everything alright?"

"Olean. There was an attack on Dimitri's charge," I said so quietly that it was almost a whisper. I heard her draw in a long breath and I heard a creak on her end of the phone. I assumed that she sat down in a chair.

"An attack? Like at the academy in the spring?"

"No. It was random – by chance that they were out. Guardian Castile and Dimitri were out with Princess Dragomir at the university she attends and was ambushed. Guardian Castile was able to get the Princess to safety when Dimitri told them to leave him behind. The Guardians are going back to deal with the outcome as we speak."

I could hear voices in the background, urgent and questioning but Olean shushed them. "Is there a chance he survived?" she asked shakenly. I took a ragged breath.

"If he did, it's very slim. He was left with multiple Strigoi."

Olena went quiet again and I could hear her quiet sobs, and I let go of the last of my tears, letting them fall down my cheeks. I wished I was wrong, I wished that Dimitri was going to walk through the front door and tell me that he was ok, but I knew it wasn't going to happen.

"When they get back, will you please let me know for sure?" Olean asked.

"Of course," I breathed, my voice cracking.

Olena didn't say anything before ending the call and I pulled the phone away. After the call screen went away I was hit with another wall of pain. Looking down at the lock screen I started to cry again because the photo there was me, smiling at him with the sun shining across my face. He must have taken it when I wasn't paying attention. I clutched the duster to me as I laid down on the couch, burying my nose against the leather.

_______________________

"Rose?"

I jolted awake when Eddie's hand rested on my shoulder, gently shaking me. I sat up and rubbed my sore eyes. Eddie looked haggard, his eye swollen and his lower lip busted, but other than that he appeared ok.

"Did they find him?"

"No, his body wasn't there."

I sighed in relief. Maybe he got away! I stood up but Eddie grabbed my arms and sat me back down, his hands tight on my shoulders.

"Rose. There were only four bodies there. Dimitri wasn't there but there was a bit of blood on the concrete still."

"Maybe he went to look for help? I mean, his phone was in his duster, he could have gone to find help!" I started but he shook his head.

"Rose, even if he did make out of it alive, he would have been too weak to go far. He was hurt before you got sucked in. The Strigoi was going for Lissa but Dimitri intercepted, they scratched up his side pretty badly. I'm sorry, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there's really one other option here."

I pulled myself out of his grasp and looked at him, shaking my head. That was a ludicrous idea! I needed to get away from this, I needed to find out the truth. And there may be only one person who could tell me that.