Rumor Has It

Rose? Where are you? Lissa’s voice rang through the bond, waking me up.

I just lie there for a few minutes to mumble farewells to the soft pillows and the rather warm blanket. I was so, so comfortable. I didn’t want to ever get up.

My eyes flew open when she was trying to contact me again and I took in my surroundings. Everything from the night before came rushing back to me. I’d stayed the night in Dimitri’s room. Nothing more happened than the occasional stolen kiss and sharing stories, but he did prove me right.

Whether he realized it or not, he’s a tease.

I turned onto my other side to see my personal Russian god in a deep slumber. His face was relaxed, peaceful. His brown hair fell across his features.

I smiled and reached to hold his hand that rested on my waist. He lightly stirred at the contact before his eyes fluttered open. He smiled too. “Good morning, Roza.”

Aside from the fact that we were illegal as a couple for another few weeks, I could get used to waking up to see him every morning. The happy buzz I was having was a positive to this all too. “G’morning, comrade.”

He gently squeezed my hand that was holding his. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” I shifted a little, making my last moment or so in bed comfortable. “Probably the best night of sleep I’ve had in a while.”

“I believe it’s safe for me to say that I feel the same.”

Despite my surprise toward how relaxed he was, I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. I didn’t want to leave, but I needed to. “Lissa’s looking for me and she’s close to getting the guardians to help her. I need to go.”

For a brief second, he frowned, but his smile was back just as quickly as it had disappeared. “I understand.”

They come first.

I let go of his hand and slid out of bed and over to the chair I was sitting in the night before to collect my shoes and jacket. The saying that was drilled into our minds since we were little nagged at me and I was really beginning to hate it. I was resisting the temptation my currently half-naked mentor was offering simply because of my duty as Lissa’s future guardian. I pulled on my jacket and quickly zipped it up to attempt hiding the shirt I was wearing the day before. No matter where I was coming from, that’d give the wrong impression.

Dimitri managed to make it to the door by the time I had gracelessly hopped to the door while putting my shoes on. I watched as he stuck his head out in the hallway. He quickly stepped back, keeping his hand on the door handle.

“Well?” I prompted, anxiety getting the best of me.

“You’re safe to go.” He smiled and opened the door even further.

I gave him a fleeting glance, wishing I could admire a shirtless Dimitri just a few moments more, as I scurried out of the room and down the hallway.

Unfortunately, I ran into Lissa just as I was about to leave the hall all together and hide any proof that I fell asleep in my forbidden lover’s room.

“Rose!” She gasped. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”

I brushed myself off. “Nice to see you too, Liss.”

She sighed. “I was worried. So would you please answer my question?”

“Yes, but not here.” I glanced down the hallway before pulling her along with me down a flight of stairs and to my own room.

“Why couldn’t you—” She stopped speaking and took in my disheveled appearance. Her mood quickly turned to disappointment and curiosity. “You didn’t…”

I rolled my eyes as I tried unlocking the door. “Of course not.” After a rather loud ‘aha’ from the door unlocking, I pushed the door open and motioned for her to go in. “Let’s not talk about that out in the open though.”

She frowned, but waltzed on into the room; I followed.

Lissa gracefully sat down on the foot of the bed, eyeing me pointedly. “So, what happened last night?”

“Nothing, Liss,” I replied as I sat down next to her. “We were just talking and I happened to fall asleep in his room. It’s no big deal.”

“It is a big deal!” Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “If it happened at the academy, do you know what trouble you could have gotten in? The rumors that would start up?”

“It was an accident.”

“Yes, but it could lead to—”

“We didn’t get caught. And if we had, nothing happened anyway. Everything about it was completely innocent.” I decided to stare at the elegant wallpaper so that I didn’t lose my temper. “Now, why were you looking for me?”

She welcomed the change of subject, but she was still upset. “Actually, I wanted to talk about your relationship with Guardian Belikov.”

I frowned at the formal use of his name, but kept my comment to myself. I’d been wanting to know her opinion on it “What about it?”

“I’m happy for you,” Lissa simply said. “Truly, I am. I just wish you would have told me sooner. You know I won’t tell anyone. Not even Christian.”

“We’ve tried to fight against our feelings, for the sake of duty. I just cannot control my emotions around him though. It’s so…I don’t know…”

She grinned. “You love him don’t you?”

I completely relaxed at the cheery tone of her voice; it was the exact opposite when Adrian asked me the same question a few weeks before; I didn’t feel any guilt. I mirrored her grin with one of my own. “I do.”

“And does he…?”

“Yes.” I covered my ears when she squealed.

Lissa, more or less, surprised me with a hug and I lost any balance that I had and we both fell off the bed. She just laughed and climbed to her feet after mumbling a few phrases like ‘I’m so happy for you,’ ‘congrats,’ ‘oh my God.’

I decided to lie there on the floor instead of getting up. “I’d really love it if you didn’t shout it from the rooftops that your best friend has a relationship with her mentor.”

She stifled her laughter and agreed. “Fine. No more shouting.”

“Just be thankful we’re at Court and not at school.”

“I am.”

We sat in silence for a moment. I couldn’t help but think of the last time she and I spent any time together in that silence. It seemed like it had been forever ago. Almost around the time we had been brought back to the academy.

Huh. Time flies.

“So…” I folded my arms behind my head so that the floor wasn’t as uncomfortable. “You are okay with everything?”

“Of course,” she breathed. “Albeit the age difference, I think it’s rather romantic. Almost like Romeo and Juliet.”

I scoffed. “I never thought I’d see the day I was compared to anything Shakespeare.”

She giggled. “Neither did I, but it just fell into place that way.”

“True.”

We talked about school, Spirit, and various other things after that. Just as calmly as we used to before all of the drama and tragedy happened. It made me feel like I finally had my best friend back.

At least for those couple short hours.

Christian nearly broke my door down from knocking so impatiently. It had worried Lissa and he practically dragged her away murmuring something before I could even find out what happened. I was about to slip into Lissa’s mind to find out when there was a lighter knock on the, now, open door.

I sighed, closing my eyes in frustration as I sat on the foot of the bed. “You may as well come in.”

I heard the door shut and the bed shift beneath me a little. Even if his aftershave hadn’t given him away, I would have figured it was Dimitri. And something serious had to have happened, not only for Christian to make enough noise to wake the entire country, but for Dimitri to come to my room and discuss something privately.

“Rose…” He, obviously, was trying to get me to make eye contact before he said anything more. He gently cupped my chin and turned my head.

I opened my eyes to see him worried. I frowned. “Please tell me there wasn’t another attack.”

Dimitri’s mouth fell into a thin line. “Technically, it wasn’t an attack.”

“Then what happened?” I came close to jumping to my feet. “What else is there?”

He skipped the opportunity to chastise running away. He just sat there for a moment and I recognized the expression that showed he had been deep in thought, trying to structure his answer perfectly.

“Dimitri?”

After quickly glancing at the door, he locked his eyes with mine. “There was a breach in St. Vladimir’s wards. They said that they didn’t find anything, like stakes, that could have cancelled the wards’ magic out. They don’t know what happened other than possibly two or three Strigoi getting onto campus and carrying off a group of students.”

“What?” This time I tried to jump to my feet, but Dimitri placed his hands on my shoulders and restrained me. I groaned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Something affected the wards enough to where Strigoi got onto campus? And then they carried off students? No defense on the academy’s behalf?”

“The academy is short on guardians until—”

“Until we get back.” I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess. Our flight was moved up and we’re leaving soon?”

“Yes.”

Damn. “How soon?

“We’re departing in about an hour and a half.”

I sagged in defeat. “Well, that just dampers my day.”

Dimitri slowly moved his hands from down to my own and held them. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean that I woke up in a fantastic mood.” I said this while eyeing him with a forced smile. “And then, Lissa and I finally got to talk…But now, the problem at the school…Do you know who all was taken?”

He shook his head. “I don’t. Sorry.”

Great. Just great.