Despite Dimitri scolding me a few days ago about coming down here, I needed to show him what he needed to fight for. If he wasn't fighting for me, I knew he would fight even harder to be there for her. He knew I had grown up without a father, and he'd grown up with an abusive father. He wasn't going to let Briar miss out on anything.
When I opened the door I was faced with a different person. The man turned and glanced at me but turned back around, facing the tunnels.
"Dimitri will be back soon. He's trying to take care of some things," he said, his voice heavy with an Italian accent.
"Thanks?" I said and started to step back but something caught my eye. Dimitri seemed to appear out of thin air and nodded at the man in front of me.
"Thank you, Joseph," Dimitri said as he clapped Joseph's shoulder. He nodded at Dimitri and then at me, dashing off in a blink.
"I told you to stop coming down here," he scolded but I pulled my phone out.
"I tried to send this to you, but I guess the service isn't strong enough here," I said handing him my phone. He shook his head and looked unimpressed before the video started. He watched it silently, his face showing nothing until the moment I knew he watched Briar walk for the first time.
"I missed it," he whispered and I daringly stepped through the warding, wrapping my arms around him.
"But you didn't, you'll see it again. I just didn't want you to miss out. And look at who she was walking to. She looks for you in every room we go into, she cries for you at night. You have to keep fighting," I urged. Dimitri's body tensed before he hugged me gently.
"I am fighting," he whispered. I looked up at him and nodded.
"You have to keep fighting. Because I'm fighting for us, and I've always fought for us. Remember?"
Dimitri nodded and dipped his head down, his hand cupping the back of my head as he kissed me. Everything felt the same, but he was careful not to kiss me hard. After a moment I pulled away to breathe and he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip.
"Trust me, I'm fighting. For you. For me, For Briar. For all of it."
I nodded and breathed him in before he lifted me and pushed me back over the warding. I was taken by surprise and slid against the flow, bumping hard into the wall. I hissed with pain but realized why he did it when I saw who was standing in front of him.
"I see you still have your plaything. Do you think you'll be able to keep her for long?" Galina asked him.
"I'm not above giving him a glove and a stake," I grunted as I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. A few other Strigoi appeared behind her, almost like they were circling in on her. There was clearly a riff in the hierarchy.
"I'm sure you aren't, little Guardian," Galina said before Dimitri shut the door between us.
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I furrowed my brows when I opened the door, Croft and a woman standing on the doorstep.
"Are you here to hustle the package out of me?" I asked with a raised brow.
"No. I'm here to snuggle that adorable one-year-old that's having a glorious nap," he said dryly. I rolled my eyes and let the two of them in. I led them into the living room and picked up the package I had finally finished and handed it to Croft.
"I was being serious, I'm not here for the package," he said, "This is Marleen."
"Hi Marleen," I said with an awkward wave. Marleen smiled at me. She was clearly Moroi, a descendant from the Ivashkov line based on her eyes.
"Hello Rose," she said gently as her eyes flittered over me. She watched me carefully before settling on my face again. I looked at Croft with furrowed brows but he just smiled at me, handing Marleen a stake.
I cocked my head to the side and then blanched.
"Wait. Do you have a way to deal with the backlash of Spirit?"
Marleen smiled at me and ran her fingers over the metal. "I have been working with Princess Dragomir and Lord Ivashkov for some time now, teaching them how to master their Spirit. I am also shadow-kissed," she explained, "My shadow-kissed Guardian and I have learned how to balance it. Don't fret."
I looked between them. "Do you think it will work?"
Marleen smiled and reached out to me, squeezing my hand gently.
"I have faith that it will work," she said softly, "Now, show me where your beau is. I need to get a read on him first."
I nodded and gestured for them to wait, grabbing my stake off the top of the fridge. I wanted to be safe, even if I trusted Dimitri not to hurt me, I needed to be prepared. He'd been fighting this for weeks now. Croft and I made the descent that I was becoming familiar with. As we got to the door, I heard a commotion. Much more than I had heard last time. Croft and I both signalled for Marleen to stop.
It wasn't raised voices this time, it was fighting. I bit my lip and looked at Croft, silently asking if we intervene. He nodded and we both pulled our stakes out. If there was an opportunity to take out a few Strigoi trapped in the caves, it was one we should take.
I opened the door and switched on the flood light I had set outside the door, finding ten Strigoi, Dimitri included. I recognized Galina in the mix, but it seemed like there was one Strigoi fighting on Dimitri's side. Joseph.
As soon as I turned the lights on it stunned everyone, giving Croft and I the opportunity to jump into the fray. Croft and I were able to stake two right away, having the advantage of surprise. But we only had a second's advantage. The others descended on us, except now it was four again against four.
It felt like the fight took hours, but it could only have been minutes. They were all taller than me but I had been trained to fight someone bigger than me. I ducked under the arm of the one I was engaged with and swiped my stake upwards, slashing the Strigoi. The hot blood sprayed me but I kept moving, finally finding the opening I needed.
"Rose!"
I turned towards Dimitri's voice and found him and Joseph holding Galina in place. Joseph moved away from her chest and Dimitri held Galina's arms behind her back and I lunged, driving the stake into her chest. Her eyes showed her fury before the crimson bled from her eyes, fading to clear blue. I pulled my stake out and spun in time for the final Strigoi to advance me, but I was shoved out of the way, Dimitri advancing them. I waited until the timing was right and staked them too. I glanced around to make sure everything was clear, eight bodies littered the ground, but Joseph was out of sight.
I looked at Croft and he nodded to me that he was okay and then turned my attention to Dimitri again.
"Thanks," I whispered quietly.
"Of course," Dimitri whispered, his eyes moving back towards the door to the house, "Who's that?"
"That's Marleen. She's going to help us," I said with a small smile. Dimitri looked confused but nodded.
"What do we need to do?" he asked. Marleen stepped over the warding and down the step, smiling softly at Dimitri.
"I just need you to relax and close your eyes. Let your arms go loose and let your mind go blank. I need you to be relaxed, it makes it easier," she explained. Dimitri nodded and looked at me.
"I love you. Just in case," he whispered.
"You better propose to me properly when this is over," I said with a smile, twisting the ring on my finger. Dimitri nodded and looked hesitant, glancing between Marleen and me.
"If this doesn't work, always tell Briar about me."
I smiled sadly at him. "Of course, I will. You're a part of her."
Dimitri nodded and closed his eyes, swallowing thickly as he relaxed his body. Marleen waited a few moments before stepping closer to him, holding the stake in her hand. I took a deep breath and felt a hand rest on my shoulder.
I looked over my shoulder and patted my hand on Croft's.
"Breathe," he whispered and I took another breath in as Marleen's stake pierced Dimitri's chest.
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I wanted to be at the hospital but I wasn't allowed. It was a 'clearance' issue. It sounded like a load of crap, but Croft reiterated that it was also for my safety. He didn't want me there in case something went sideways, and he also didn't want me to witness anything if it went sideways. That was where they took Dimitri after Marleen staked him.
"I wish you would have confided in me about this," Eddie said quietly as he swayed side to side with Briar.
I nodded and sighed tiredly. Eddie's room in Guardian housing wasn't much, but it was cozy. He made it his own, every inch of it him. I didn't want to linger at home, so I went to the only place I wasn't going to be bombarded with questions about Dimitri. Or how I was feeling.
"I know. I just didn't know how to tell anyone about it. It sounded crazy even to me," I said tiredly, blinking slowly as I lounged on his bed.
"If you want to take a nap, you can. I'll stay up with my girl," Eddie said with a smile, poking his tongue out at Briar and then smiling.
"I'm fine," I said tiredly. Eddie rolled his eyes and made faces at Briar.
"You know who would have loved her more than any of us?"
I smiled. "Mason," I chuckled.
"Oh, he would have spoiled her rotten. He would have bought her all the toys he could afford, and even then, he might have made himself bankrupt."
I smirked and rolled onto my back and tucked my hands behind my head, making the pressure on my neck lessen.
"Like I said, take a nap."
"I'm fine," I grumbled but even as I spoke I could feel my eyes become heavier. I dozed off quickly, waking when a tiny hand touched my chest. I opened my eyes and cleared my throat, smiling tiredly at Briar. She smiled at me, her curls falling into her face.
"You need a trim, my love," I whispered as I brushed her hair out of her face.
"I can't bare to cut it yet. It's too perfect."
The last inch of tiredness left my body and I sat up, looking at Dimitri standing in the doorway to our bathroom. He wore his favourite sweatpants and water rolled over his chest from his hair. I stared at him before a goofy smile worked its way over my face.
"You're here," I whispered.
"I'm here," he said with a smile. I looked at his chest and was relieved to see that there was no scar on his chest.
"You can't even tell the stake was there," I mused as I sat up. Dimitri nodded and left the doorway, climbing onto the bed. He picked Briar up with a playful roar, making her giggle as he kissed her head.
"No, you can't," he said as he leaned towards me, kissing me gently as he cupped the back of my head. I leaned into his kiss and wrapped my arm around his neck. He hummed quietly in the back of his throat and pulled me towards him, turning so that we were lying on the bed, Briar and I against his chest.
I pulled back and licked my lips, smiling down at him.
"I missed you," I whispered. Dimitri smiled softly and ran his finger gently over my collarbone.
"You know what got me through the last few days?" he asked. I shook my head and rested my chin on his chest, smiling when Briar thumped her head onto his chest too.
"Hearing your heartbeats. Standing in front of those doors and listening to you two up here. Hearing your steady heartbeats, knowing that you were safe. That's what got me through that," he said after a moment. I hummed quietly and leaned down to kiss him softly.
"I'm glad that you were able to fight it. I don't know what I would do without you," I whispered. Dimitri smiled at me and brushed his nose softly against mine. I sighed quietly and rested my cheek on his chest.
"Let's sleep with Briar in here tonight. I'm not ready to let either of you go just yet," he said quietly.
"Well, you'll have to let me go for a little bit because I need a shower," I laughed and he shrugged. He loosened his arm enough for me to stand up.
"Did you carry me home?" I asked with a chuckle as I tossed my hoodie into the hamper.
"You got a problem with that?" he asked with a raised brow, "Because I believed I promised to do it again."
I cocked my head to the side. "What?"
"I promised to propose to you properly once things got better. I still very much plan on doing that," he said with a grin. I chuckled and smiled to myself as I walked into the bathroom, starting the shower while looking down at the ring. I hadn't taken it off, and I was just starting to get used to the feeling of it on my finger.
_____________________________________
When I woke up I felt like I had slept for a month. I was rested, but tired at the same time. There was an arm around my waist, gripping me tightly. I ran my hand over the forearm against my stomach and slipped my fingers between Dimitri's.
He stirred but didn't wake, just moving his head so his lips brushed my ear. Briar was asleep in front of me. After everything that had happened, I wanted her with me so I moved the bed against the wall and kept her between me and the wall. I was too tired to move it back last night.
I brushed my fingers through her curls and sighed quietly when Dimitri's lips kissed the shell of my ear.
I turned my head and met his beautiful brown eyes, tired and half open.
"Morning," I whispered.
Dimitri muttered quietly in Russian and kissed me gently.
"I missed this," I whispered. Dimitri blinked slowly and nodded, nuzzling my hair.
"I did too," he said and kissed my temple. We lay there in comfort, holding each other as we basked in the setting sun. I wiggled the ring on my finger and smiled when I looked up at Dimitri.
"Any requests for breakfast?" I asked quietly.
"You're going to cook?" Dimitri laughed, no doubt waking Briar.
I shrugged. "It's not every day your boyfriend comes back from the day," I said with a smile. Dimitri smiled softly and brushed his thumb over my forehead. His eyes held worry but I could see the love in them clearly.
There was a shuffle in the blankets and looked down, watching Briar roll towards me. She blinked at me hazily before her eyes moved behind me, a large smile crossing her face. She couldn't move fast enough to climb over me to Dimitri, but I helped her up, smiling as I watched the two embrace. Yesterday it was a haze, but now, I could see all the love.
She babbled away at him, 'Dada' slipping in a few times, but Dimitri just smiled at her, nodding his head as she talked.
"I wish she could stay this little forever," I said quietly, running my fingers through Briar's hair. Dimitri nodded and kissed her forehead.
"I know we said not now, but I do really want another baby. I feel so complete with the two of you, I can't imagine how it would feel with three people to fill my heart," Dimitri mused. I nodded and then smirked when Dimitri's stomach growled.
"That's my cue," I chuckled as I stood up. Dimitri chuckled and watched me as I walked out of our room. As I got to the stairs I stopped for a moment, listening to Dimitri speak to Briar in his native tongue. It always made me smile to know how much he wanted who he was to be a part of Briar, even if it meant my boyfriend and daughter could speak in a language I couldn't understand.
And I was perfectly okay with that.
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This bad boy is coming to a close. I know I don't write the best fight scenes, but this is what you'll get lol
Let me know what you think!