"I'm not yet sure of when I will be back at the academy, I still need some time away from everyone. I can only imagine the way that the four of you have been mobbed and received. And after having to make all of those kills... I'm just not ready for that or those people hounding me constantly yet. But I will be back, eventually. As I said, I was whisked away to my father, by Dimitri, and he is still here with me. As you know he is my soul mate..." I smiled at Dimitri again, when I said that he is my soul mate, a smile in which he very happily returned.
"... and we both need time together to reconnect with each other and to heal after what just happened. And they haven't told you anything because they don't know anything to tell you. But when we get back to the academy Dimitri and I will explain everything, I promise. Not the first day, of course. But we will explain everything to you guys in time. Tell Lissa that I am fine and that she does not need to worry about me I am just taking some time for myself for a change. And as we agreed, please don't tell anyone about Dimitri yet I want to be the one to tell the others. If you need someone to talk to about any of what happened, talk to Adrian, he is Mitya's cousin. Or when my mom gets back to the academy you can talk to her. As my mother Alberta knows everything as well."
"All right, I understand, and you have my word that I will keep your secret for as long as you keep mine." He reminded me of our pact, and the way that he did it I could tell that he was alone.
"Thank you, Chris. Mitya and I both really appreciate your discretion in this matter and your friendship immensely."
Dimitri nodded against my stomach again making me smile down at him once again.
"You are both very welcome."
"During my debriefing it came to light about Tasha's plans for herself, you, and Lissa. Along with everything else that has come to light about her."
He sighed deeply. "I figured that it would. On the flight back to the academy the other's and I all agreed to keep that all a secret until I could figure out what to do about it. But it's fine I understand, I was going to ask your opinion on what I should do. If I should inform the authorities as to what she has planned, and what she's been doing, or not."
"Well, that is actually why I am calling. My father is furious, as are my mom, my uncle, Mitya and I and we were all discussing what should be done to and about her right now. But we all wanted to get your opinion on it before we made any final plans."
"Thank you for that Rose."
"You're welcome, Chris. She is your aunt, your family, and her plans also included you after all."
"Apparently, she hasn't ever really been my family, not for the entire time that I have known her it seems. As for what to do to or with her, I want her permanently away from not only me and Lissa, but also from you and Dimitri. As well as everyone else that any of the four of us care anything whatsoever about. I want her permanently away from anyone and everyone that she could ever use against any of us."
"That is a long list, Chris."
He audibly sighed, "I know it is Rose. I know it is."
"So, are you saying that you want her to be put on trial and locked up for the rest of her life? Or perhaps compelled to forget that we all even exist? Or are you saying that you want to ere on the side of super caution and want her dead?"
"I don't want you or Dimitri to kill her Rose, I don't want that on either of your consciouses. I don't want either of you having to live for the rest of your lives with that on your consciouses or her blood on your hands. You both already have more than enough to live with without adding her to it. And if we were to use compulsion on her, she could probably have it reversed or break through it somehow eventually. Which would endanger everyone that you and I both care about even more. As for possibly imprisoning her, if we did that then she could compel someone to break her out. Or she could even kill someone at the prison and turn herself into a strigoi anyway. Which would endanger us all even more. I have been thinking a lot about this ever since Isaiah told us about his affair with her, the plans that she has for Lissa and I and all of that other stuff."
"And what have you decided?"
"As much as I hate it Rose, because she is my biological family and because I used to love her. There just doesn't seem to be but one way to ensure that we, our family, friends, and future children are all going to be safe from her forever."
He stopped talking for a few moments and took several deep breaths before he continued. "I think that we have no choice but to put an end to her reign of terror forever Rose. I just don't know what else to do to protect everyone from her. Because God only knows who she would drain to become a strigoi herself. For all we know she plans to use Dimitri to turn herself and then to turn him. I think that that may very well be the very reason why she is so dead set on having him go back to Minneapolis with her. And I know that it would kill and destroy you to lose him that way. Well, at all really, but definitely like that and to her no less."
"Yes, it definitely would Chris." I replied as I brushed my fingers through Dimitri's hair again, while also trying not to let tears visibly form in my eyes, as I worried about what Christian had just said.
"What do you think should be done to and about her Rose?"
"Well, as much as I hate to hurt you, I agree with you. We have all been sitting here discussing what should be done to and about her. And just like with you, we also thought about using compulsion on her. But also, again just like you, I am concerned that she could do just as you suggested. And get someone else to remove the compulsion or she could break through it herself somehow. Or I guess we could completely erase her memory, including of who she is, and set her out in the human world to find her own way."
"Who is we, and what did you guys decide? I suppose that we could do that, maybe if we gave her complete amnesia then we won't ever have to worry about her. Because if she doesn't know that she's a moroi she would probably starve to death."
"Myself, Mitya, my father Abe, his head guardian and my uncle Pavel and my mom Alberta. And we had made no decisions yet. I... well we all, felt that you should have a say before we made any final decision on what to do about her and executed that decision since she is your aunt. Especially since you are one of the ones that she intended to turn into a strigoi. As for your latest suggestion, I suppose we could do that. But I am afraid that would kill God only knows how many people which would probably turn her into a strigoi. And if that happened then the compulsion could still be broken."
"Thank you so much for that Rose, really, all of you I really appreciate it. And now that I think about it you're right that could very well happen."
"You're welcome, Christian."
"It seems as though ending her permanently is the only safe choice to make. It is the only way that I can think of that we will all be safe from her forever. Otherwise... I hate to think about what she could or would do to any of us if she were compelled and managed to break free of it or if she managed to reverse it somehow. And if she were to become strigoi it would be sooo much worse than that even. It's just not worth the fear for us, our friends and families and having to look over our shoulders for the rest of ours and our children's and our grandchildren's lives, to take that kind of risk by leaving her alive."
"And you are sure that that is what you want to do?"
"I don't really think that we have any other option here Rose, so yeah, I'm sure. To protect Lissa, you, Dimitri and all of our other friends, family and all of our future children and grandchildren. There is just not any other way, that I can see, to be sure to keep us all safe and alive. Anything else that we tried to do could come back to bite us all in the ass and cause major problems, trouble, and damage for us all in the future."
"If that is your choice then so be it."
"Thank you, Rose, for not only asking my opinion but also for taking my wishes and concerns into consideration."
"You're welcome. Try to get some rest Chris and don't worry about her anymore. I will see to it that she is dealt with properly; I promise you that."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I will see all of you soon, but if you or any of the other three need or want to talk to me feel free to just give me a call."
"Ok and thank you once again Rose."
"You're welcome again Christian. See you later."
"Bye, Rose."
"Bye, Chris."
With those final words I hung up and locked my phone before I turned my attention back to those in the room with me as I slipped my cell phone back into my back pocket.
"He doesn't want to take the chance of compelling her and her breaking through or having someone else remove the compulsion. He also doesn't think that it is safe enough, for every one of us that is involved and our future children and grandchildren, to have her imprisoned. He thinks that there is only one safe, for everyone, option. One permanent option."
"And that is?" My mother asked.
"To keep us all safe, his vote is for her to be dealt with permanently and with finality."
"Are you saying that he wants her dead?"
I nodded, "yes."
"But why? What has she done to have to be dealt with that drastically?"
I turned to Dimitri. He took my hand into his, brought it up to his lips and placed several kisses across the back of my fingers, over the back of my hand, my palm, and the inside of my wrist. After which he nodded at me to tell my mom what Tasha had done and what she had planned to do.
"Remember earlier when I said that she was having an affair with the strigoi that was holding us prisoner?"
She gasped loudly when I reminded her of that, but then she also nodded at me just mere seconds later.
"And that she planned to turn both Christian and Lissa into strigoi once Chris turned twenty-one."
She nodded gravely.
"Well, Chris thinks that one of the reasons that she was so dead set on Mitya going to live with her in Minneapolis. Is because she intended to use him to turn herself and then to turn him before she went after Christian and Lissa. There is also the fact that Christian's parents did not actually turn by choice, Natasha had Isaiah turn them so that they would be killed by their own guardians. And Chris's mother was pregnant at the time."
"Ohhh, right. Now I understand why he... well we all want her dealt with that way."
(DPOV)
Now that I thought about it, that could very well have been her motivation for wanting to have me so close to her. But surely, she didn't actually think that just because she turned me into a yeblya strigoi that I would ever sleep with her zhopa by choice. That I would EVER choose her over Roza moya. She had to know that I would have ripped her zhopa to pieces and then gone after Roza moya. (fucking, ass, my, ass, my)
I mean for trakhayetsya sake, she couldn't really be dumb enough to think that I would not kill her zhopa for attempting to separate Roza moya and I. (fucks, ass, my)
I turned to Abe, "this suka needs to be captured as soon as possible. Because I want to have a few choice and harsh words with her and her stupid zhopa before she is ended once and for yeblya all." (bitch, ass, fucking)
He nodded at me before replying. "I will have Pavel get right on that."
"Thank you." I nodded back at him.
"You're welcome." He turned and looked at Pavel who nodded, took his phone out of his pocket, and started texting someone. I assume that he was putting Abe's words into actions.
"All right now, who is this Sonya Karp person that you were talking about earlier, Rose dear?"
"She was a friend, a teacher, and a spirit user. She was relentlessly tortured by spirits darkness, so much so that she ended up turning herself into a strigoi. Just to escape the voices, the depression, the murderous rages, the mania, the manic episodes, the pain et cetera et cetera et cetera."
"Voices? Do you hear voices kizim?" He not only sounded afraid, but he also looked horrified and terrified as well just imagining that his only child could possibly be hearing voices that weren't real. Just as Alberta and Pavel did. (my daughter)
Roza had long since resumed her seat by my side and now she looked down at her plate and then back up at me with an imploring look in her eyes. And even without reading her mind I knew what she wanted so I nodded.
"Abe, all spirit users, and their bond mates are susceptible to the voices, mania, manic episodes, hallucinations, delusions, suicidal depression, murderous rages, et cetera et cetera et cetera. You all saw what happened earlier, and believe me, it gets worse. Much much MUCH worse as a matter of a fact."
Now Abe, Alberta and Pavel all looked even more worried and horrified than before.
"And with Roza moya being not only a bond mate to a spirit user, but also being an alpha shadow kissed dhampir spirit user herself. It makes it easily twice as bad, if not even more so, for her. She had a really bad battle with the darkness just a few days before she left the ski lodge to go after the others." (my)
Alberta lookedshocked and shaken at that news.