The cell door unlocked with a clang and Croft pulled the door open. I followed him inside the cell and nodded at Tasha with a small smile. She looked confused as she looked between us. She was in a pair of loose yoga pants and a tank top, her hair tied up in a knot at the top of her head.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm here simply as moral support," I said as I sat down in one chair. I should really call it a cell, it was an apartment that was guarded and the windows were sealed, but none of her things were there. She was in protective custody, but still under arrest.
Tasha's brows furrowed but she sat down in the other chair, leaving the couch for Croft. He sat down and set the file he had with him on the table.
"We have a proposition for you," Croft began but Tasha shook her head.
"I said I would give you the information I had in exchange for protection," she started but I raised a hand.
"You might want to hear what he has to say," I said softly. She looked at me, uncertainty in her eyes but she relaxed back on the chair and gestured for Croft to continue. He pulled out a number of packages and set them on the table.
"The leader of the Sânge is dead," Croft said and I watched Tasha's body relax, a breath coming loudly from her mouth.
"We have a new deal for you."
Tasha didn't look comfortable with that. I knew that she wasn't being put in a cell for security reasons, but she was still be treated like a criminal. I wondered for a moment what they did to Moroi that was different than Dhampir, but I put it aside with a quick shake of my head.
"If you can testify in court with identification of each member you know of, we will reduce your sentence, and depending on how many you identify will determine the lessening of your sentence," Croft explained as he pushed a piece of paper across the table towards her. She leaned forward and read over the paper, her eyes flicking up to me.
"Do you think I should do it?" she asked quietly.
"I think that if you help shut everything down, you'll get more than just your freedom. People have gone into hiding to protect themselves from this group, not just Dimitri and me. I think it's worth it," I explained, "But it's your choice to make."
Tasha bit her lip as she looked at the paper again. "If I give you names and identify them, my sentence is reduced?"
"If it's enough, you'll be granted immunity and released."
Hearing that she may be released seemed to be enough for her and she picked up the pen that was in front of Croft, signing her name on the paper. Once she did that, she slid it to Croft and he signed it before having me sign it as the witness. Croft spent a bit more time explaining what was expected of her, and how reneging on it would put her back here with a full sentence. She nodded silently as Croft packed up his things. He nodded at me before standing up and knocking on the door, letting the Guardian know that he was finished. Once Croft stepped out of the room, Tasha spoke.
"Was this your idea?"
I shook my head. "No. It wasn't, it was his," I said as I pulled my phone out and slid it across the table to her. Her brows quirked at me before looking down at the phone and she froze. Her hand came up to her mouth and she shook her head in disbelief.
"Is this real?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
"It is. I met him shortly before we came back here," I said with a small smile. Tasha sighed quietly and picked up the phone, staring at the picture of her brother with Briar for a few more moments.
"Nobody, aside from Dimitri, me, Croft and my father know that they're alive. They worked very hard to stay hidden. Christian doesn't even know," I explained. Tasha nodded and wiped her eyes.
"If we do this, he can come home?"
I nodded and Tasha dropped the phone back onto the table, leaning forward as she covered her face. Her shoulders shook and I got up and moved to crouch beside her, rubbing my hand over her shoulder. I couldn't help but feel for her. She truly believed that her brother was dead and that it was her fault. For years she carried the guilt of the death of her brother and sister-in-law, seeing them in Christian every time she looked at Christian.
"I can't believe they're alive," Tasha whispered thickly, looking at me with bloodshot eyes. I nodded and chuckled.
"To be fair, Dimitri almost tore a strip of your brother when we met them. He was furious, mostly because he thought that two Strigoi were living three houses down from us," I explained and Tasha laughed wetly.
"I can see it," she chuckled before wiping her face, "This is going to crush Christian."
"What do you mean?"
Tasha sighed and got up, went to the small kitchenette and pulled a jug of water out of the fridge and poured two glasses before she came back. She took a long drink of hers before she answered me.
"Christian is going to feel abandoned more than he already does. He isn't going to give them the response they think they're going to get. He's going to be cold and then warm up to them," she explained. As soon as she said it, I understood. I remembered what he was like when we came back, I could only imagine what was going to happen with his parents.
Tasha cupped her face in her hands. "If only I had just let them ruin me, none of this would of happened."
I shrugged. "I'm a firm believer that fate and destiny are bitches and life would have found itself back on this track. Don't beat yourself up too much. You were young, you were worried about the reputation of your family. I can see why you did it," I said sympathetically.
Tasha laughed and lifted her hands. "And to think that I thought you hated me," she said and I shook my head.
"Tasha, I respect you. Sure, I wasn't happy about you asking Dimitri to be your Guardian, but that never meant I didn't respect you as a person. You fought for Dhampirs, you tried to convince people that Moroi were part of the problem. It was only recently when I didn't like you, and you went and did the right thing. That means something to me, and to Dimitri."
She looked at me and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Do you think he'll ever forgive me? Dimitri?"
I sighed. That was a difficult question to answer. He felt wrong by her, and he was furious with her for the trauma I endured. He uprooted his life to protect me and our child.
"It will take time. But me forgiving you will sway him," I said with a small smile, "But you still need to earn his forgiveness."
Tasha nodded again and I stood up, noticing the time.
"I need to get going. I have to take Briar for a check-up," I said. Tasha stood up and sniffed quietly before hugging me. I was taken aback by it before returning the gesture.
"I haven't told you, but I am happy for you and Dimitri. Al of this has made me see the truth, and you make him happy. You understand him in a way I never could. You gave him a child that I was adamant wasn't his. You gave him exactly what he wanted. And you make him smile. I really hope that you two live long and happy lives together," she said before pulling back and looking down at my left hand.
"And I hope that I get to eventually see pictures of the two of you on your big day."
I smiled and subconsciously touched my ring. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we weren't officially engaged.
"Thank you," I said as I knocked on the door for the Guardian to open.
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Briar's appointment went perfectly, my little superstar not even flinching when she got her shot. As soon as I walked out of the doctor's office, both my parents were standing there, Abe holding an overnight bag that was distinctly Briar's. I had a matching Lilo and Stitch overnight bag, but Briar's was pink.
"What's this?" I asked with a smile, but it was drowned out by Briar screaming 'Nana'.
Janine was all too happy to hear it and came closer, taking Briar from me as she fought against my hold.
"We are kidnapping her for the night," Abe said and I raised my brows.
"We? As in the royal 'we' or we as in my parents?"
Janine rolled her eyes at me and whispered to Briar that Mommy was a pain in the butt.
"Your mother and I," Abe said with a smirk, "And Lissa is waiting for you. She said she had something planned for you."
I raised my brows at him but my phone chimed and I knew that they were plotting something.
"What are you up to?" I asked. Janine smirked and shrugged.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," she said before kissing Briar's head.
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After finding out that Lissa's plans for the day meant spending the whole day at the spa, I was relieved to get home. I loved Lissa, but the whole spa package was a bit much for me. And I felt a little guilty that she paid for it all. But, she insisted, and trying to fight her on something like that would take up way too much energy. And it was all throwing me off that we were doing this through the human daytime.
As soon as I opened the door Dimitri was waiting for me with a knowing smirk on his face.
"Did you put Lissa up to the day of torture?" I asked with a raised brow. I only mastered it a few days before and I couldn't help but do it all the time now.
"Possibly. But it was just part of the day," he said. I cocked my head to the side and noticed that he was dressed nicely. "There is something waiting for you upstairs."
I couldn't help but giggle a little as I ran up the stairs. It didn't make sense to me why Lissa had my hair and makeup done, but now it made sense. Dimitri had a night for just up planned for us. I made it into our bedroom and spied the black dress on the bed and bit my lip. It wasn't exactly like the black dress that I had once worn, but similar. I quickly changed into it and slipped on the only pair of heels I had and appraised myself in the mirror. I looked good.
I went back downstairs and did a little twirl for Dimitri, squealing when his hands rested on my waist and he kissed me, tickling me at the same time.
"How does dinner and a concert sound to you?" he asked.
"When it's technically breakfast for us?" I asked.
Dimitri nodded and I nodded too, looping my arms around his neck.
"Who are we seeing?"
"There is only one person I've heard you talk about seeing for the last year," Dimitri said with a smirk, "I even thought of packing a change of clothes for you."
My eyes widened and I pulled back. "Shut up. Halsey?"
Dimitri nodded and I grinned before tugging on his arm. "Let's go, Comrade. We have a concert to get to," I squealed excitedly.
I knew that Dimitri had help, but I never realized just how much help. The dinner we went to was delicious, and the concert was everything I could have hoped for. Pit seats to my favourite singer and I sang my heart out. I wouldn't be surprised if I was hoarse in the morning, but it would be worth it. When we got home, Dimitri implied a relaxing bath and I was all too happy to oblige with that.
When I walked into the bedroom I was stunned. Rose petals were all over the floor and the bath had already been run. Candles were lit and the bathtub was filled with aromatic bubbles.
"Comrade, I think Goldie Locks has been in our bedroom," I called out. Dimitri chuckled as he came up behind me, pulling my hair to the side and kissing my neck.
"No, Goldie Locks just helped a man out," he whispered, nipping the shell of my ear. I smiled and shivered when he started to unzip my dress. Despite him bringing me a change of clothes, I just swapped my shoes out for my Converse and put on my jean jacket.
I shrugged out of the dress and my underwear and slipped into the tub, sighing at the perfect temperature.
"I guess we can let Goldie Locks have it for once," I chuckled and watched him undress. It would never get old, watching the muscles move over his body. It made me anxious for a moment, but I brushed it away. I wasn't back to where I was before I had Briar, but Dimitri was nothing but encouraging. I had a few minor complications after my delivery, and I had some pelvic pain and pain in my back. It took a while to get back into the swing of things, but I didn't feel like I needed to be in a hurry to get back to where I was.
But now that we were back in Court, that thought lingered more and more in my head.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on that though, I moved forward in the tub so Dimitri could slip in behind me. I leaned my head back and sighed as I leaned against Dimitri, Dimitri kissing my jaw tenderly. The bubbles made the air smell sweet and the bath oil made my skin feel soft. I lifted my hand up to brush my hair out of my face but Dimitri caught it, holding it up so the light caught the diamonds on my finger.
"It's beautiful," I whispered.
"I like the look of it even more on your finger," Dimitri said softly, kissing the shell of my ear. I giggled at the tickle of his stubble but turned my head to look at him.
"Me too," I said with a smile. Dimitri hummed quietly and kissed me, his hand folding into mine as he held me tight. We relaxed in the tub, enjoying each other's company in silence. After the last few weeks we had, it was nice to have time for just us. It felt like forever since we had time to ourselves.
Dimitri kissed my jaw again and then my temple, lifting our intertwined hands again to look at them
"Marry me officially. I want to be able to tell everyone you're my wife, not just have it on paper or on a certificate for our fake identities."
I smiled and turned my head to look at him. I hadn't expected this to happen tonight, but I had hoped that it would come soon. "I thought you'd never ask," I laugh.
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