My daughter fell silent while I continued to cook and prepare breakfast. Riri was up before Ivan and Roza as she'd inherited my light yet sufficient sleeping ability. Ivan had inherited his mother's ability to sleep through world war three. That being said, neither child would be able to sleep through a Strigoi attack. Just as neither parent could. It hadn't yet happened, thank god.
"No eating yet, Riri," I firmly but lovingly instructed as I sat her at the table. All meals were set on the table, in their respective places.
"Yep, Dada," Riana beamed her innocent smile. It, unlike her mother's, indicated I could trust her.
"I love you, Riana," I pecked my daughter's cheek. "Dada will be back soon, once I wake Mama and Ivan."
"I'll wait, Dada. I can." She sent me her sweet smile and I kissed her forehead, quickly retreating to her brother's room to wake him.
"Ivan. It's time to get up." That earned me grumbles that were a mirror for Roza's. I was extremely lucky I had the same trump card as with his mother. He'd also inherited Rose's appetite. "Riana will eat your breakfast if you don't get up now," I threatened.
"She wouldn't!" he exclaimed and bolted upright, shooting me a terrified look.
"She would if you keep her waiting." That had him throwing off the covers and about to run to the kitchen table. "Not so fast, mini mister." I caught him before he caused trouble.
"Dada!" whinged my little son.
"We still have Mama to wake," I warned. "Do you want to help me?"
"Yes!" he enthusiastically agreed.
"Remember, no jumping on her. You can hug Mama, but you can not jump on her."
"I'll be good, Dada. You see. I'll get Mama up with no jumping." He sent me the smile that mirrored mine. I decided I could trust him; he wanted my approval, after all. And Roza's. He wanted to go to St Vladimir's because "it's where Mama and Dada met." His reasoning, not mine. Where he got that hopeless romantic nature from, I'll never know. It could just be an innocent child thing, too.
"Come on then." I lifted him onto my hip and carried him into the master bedroom. "Your Academy depends on you being a good boy," I reminded as I set him down. It really didn't, but it worked extremely well as a bribe. Especially since he hadn't yet figured out it was just a bribe.
Roza turned out to already be up and on her phone, speaking at a volume and pace which could only mean a freaking out Moroi was on the other end of the line. Said Moroi was likely Lissa.
"Dada? Mama's up. Now what?" Ivan looked to me for directions.
"Go sit next to her. No speaking but." Roza tended to calm and melt with one of our little ones in her arms. And right now, that's exactly what she and baby three needed. Ivan obediently nodded and joined his mother on the bed, wrapping his little arms around her. I turned and returned to Riana after Rose met my eyes with a thankful look in them as she took our son in her arm and ran a hand through his straight, light brown chin length hair, calming further.
"Dada? Where Mama and Ivan?" asked a hungry Riri.
"Ivan is with Mama. Mama is on the phone, I'm guessing with Aunty Lissa, Uncle Christian, Uncle Eddie or Uncle Adrian." None of them had yet met or seen pictures of the kids. And, as far as I knew, Lissa didn't even know Ivan had turned out to be a boy, let alone that we'd had Riana.
"I'm hungry, Dada!" Riri slightly whined.
"Go ahead and eat, baby girl. Dada has to put away Mama and Ivan's breakfasts, then I'll join you." She simply dug into her food. I returned to the table moments later.
Only for a flustered Roza to come out with a confused and worried looking Ivan, seconds afterwards.
"Buria. Court." Roza whispered in a rushed and stressed tone in my ear.
"Lissa?" I cocked a brow in question.
"Queen Vasilisa," Roza corrected and headed to the fridge where she knew her and our son's breakfasts were.
Buria had been the attack and lockdown code at St Vladimir's. Just as it was at any and every Academy worldwide. But we'd adapted it to mean we were being called back to the States. She'd been called in for duty despite "becoming a blood whore," (as rumour and assumptions had put it). I had clearly been reassigned to Court. It also meant something was afoot, something serious and dangerous, something very, very, very bad.
Chapter 2 Four years later
Start from the beginning
