~x~ Chapter 14 ~x~

For a few moments, he said nothing. He did nothing, didn't move and didn't even breathe. I watched his eyes as he processed what I'd just said. I watched as the realisation and understanding of my words dawned on him and the eyes that I loved so much widened. For a moment I thought his eyes would fall out of their sockets from the amount they bulged.

"Dimitri? Dimitri, are you alright?" I asked worriedly, hoping that I hadn't freaked him out too much with my question about marriage. Honestly speaking, even I wasn't too sure how I felt about it, just that I would be the happiest person on earth if I were to become Dimitri's wife. I thought back to our earlier conversation today and remembered the odd tone of his voice after I'd protested against Karolina's not so subtle nudge for Dimitri to propose.

Suddenly I was being pressed against his chest and he was murmuring in Russian too fast for me to be able to work out what he was saying. "Can't breathe…" I choked out and he let me go only to hold me by the shoulders.

The love and yearning that gleamed in his eyes just about melted me and I gave him a shy smile. He leaned down and kissed my lips before moving all over my face. There was no spot that he left unkissed and I couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. This was certainly a better reaction than I had anticipated. For one thing, he wasn't freaking out or running as fast as he could away from me which was good.

"Oh my dearest, sweetest, beloved Roza…" he whispered and kissed me again.

I sighed in content against him as we kissed for what felt like forever. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close even after we parted so that I could breathe. I just stared up at him, feeling mesmerised and I almost drowned in the love that swam in his eyes.

"Roza, Roza, Roza," he murmured like a chant and nuzzled my nose.

"I'm not going to suddenly disappear on you, Dimitri, you don't have to say my name like that."

"You never fail to stun me," he whispered and gave me another kiss. "It seems that you've caught me completely off guard once more, Roza."

"Oh? How so?"

"I didn't think that you wanted to by my wife from your reaction this morning."

"Dimitri, it's not that I don't want to." I shook my head with a small smile. "It's just that, I didn't know if that was something you wanted considering the reaction you gave to turning me."

"Getting married and turning you are two different things, Roza."

"I know, I do understand that, and that's why I'm talking to you about this now. Besides, do we even have the time to get married with everything that's going on? That's what I'm worried about more than anything else, Dimitri. Can we afford to have the distraction?"

"It depends on what you want, Roza," he smiled.

"What I want is kind of impossible. My perfect wedding would be to have all our friends with us, but that's definitely not doable."

"Do you want us to get married soon?"

"Preferably before all hell breaks loose again. Each day I wake up thinking that this might be my last. In a way it's difficult but then thinking about it positively it means that I really treasure each day making sure that I won't have any regrets no matter what happens. This is one of them. I would love to be your wife, Dimitri, I only spoke the way I did earlier because I wasn't sure how you would react and whether we could afford to have a wedding now of all times."

"I think that it is because we are in this situation that I want to have a wedding now more than ever. I don't want to have any regrets either and taking you as my wife would make the happiest man in existence. Nothing would make me happier than to marry you, Roza. I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed this morning hearing you reject the idea so quickly."

"So, it was a good thing that we talked this out?"

"Certainly," he nodded. "I love you, Roza. You are my everything."

"My feelings exactly." I smiled and leaned up to kiss him once more.

After several moments, Dimitri was the one to pull away and relief settled on his face.

"Dimitri?"

"They are calling for us. Valentine is back."

"Finally!" I cheered, feeling relief settle over me as well.

I ran with him by my side and we both reached the town hall in record time where Valentine was waiting for us with several people. There was one Moroi that stuck out like a sore thumb and caught my attention like no other though.

I tried to think of what Riya had mentioned in one part of her letter and he was it. He really was like the combination of a fashion maniac and the mafia boss and there was a gleam in his eyes that I couldn't name when his eyes settled on me and didn't leave. The weirdest part of all was the fact that relief seemed to settle in his eyes. His expression didn't change at all, but there was an odd flicker in his eyes when he looked at me. There was something about his gaze that confused me, an emotion that I couldn't name gleamed in those assessing eyes and I couldn't help but shift under his intense gaze.

He wore a full suit with tie and all. The black suit contrasted heavily with his pale complexion but somehow the purple shirt and silver tie seemed to match him well. His eyes shifted up and down my body as he assessed me in the same way as I had him and a wide smile spread across his face.

He stepped away from the group of newcomers and Valentine eyed him cautiously as he approached me. Dimitri stepped in front of me and the stranger paused in surprise. "You must be Dimitri Belikov," the stranger with dark eyes and bizarre scarf commented with a somewhat amused tone. "Don't worry, I won't hurt her."

"I'd rather be safe than sorry." Dimitri replied tightly. "Do forgive me if I'm wrong but I believe that I have heard of you before. You are Abe Mazur, aren't you?"

"I am honoured that a warrior from this village knows who I am," the Moroi smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Then I will stay right where I am."

"If that would make you feel better," the Moroi known as Abe shrugged. "I am surprised that you managed to find yourself with these people, Rose. It seems that you really are capable of doing great things, just like your mother."

"My… you know my mum?" I blinked in surprise and stepped out from behind Dimitri so that I could see Abe.

"Yes, an acquaintance from long ago but let's not dwell on that for now. At this moment, that is not important. Your role here is what matters right now."

"Are you one of the contacts that Riya trusted?"

"I don't know if she trusted me or not, but she certainly valued my services. Allow me to introduce my guards, Pavel, Andre, and Conta."

"Thank you for coming to the town. This is going to be a dumb question but how can you help us if you are here in the town rather than outside of it gathering help or whatever it might be that you are supposed to help us with?"

"I can work efficiently enough here in this town no matter how small it might be," he told me cryptically.

"You didn't have to come here in person, Mazur." Valentine told him with a warning tone. "I did tell you that before you insisted on being here."

"I wanted to see with my own eyes how the town has fared with our little heroine gone."

"You don't sound like you actually care, about her death I mean." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I am a man who knows how to keep his emotions in check no matter the occasion."

"So, you do care?"

"I would be a fool not to. Anyone who knew her personally would care about her death."

"I see…" I trailed off lamely, not quite sure what to say. It was true after all. Anyone who knew her either mourned for her death or in Tatiana's case rejoiced. There was no one that knew her who felt indifferent about her death and it seemed that this Abe Mazur guy was the same.

"As pleasant as these introductions are, I have a job to do. I will no doubt see you two some other time." Abe said by way of goodbye and just walked out of the hall.

As soon as he was gone, I found myself reaching out for Valentine and I hugged her as tightly as I could. "I'm so glad that you're alright! It's been so long since you left and you didn't contact us at all, I had no idea what to think! I thought that you'd gotten caught or something."

"You didn't have to worry about me, Roza. The Queen doesn't know about me and I work in the shadows so no guardian knows me either. I was perfectly safe. I had to find several of Riya's other contacts but tracking Abe Mazur down took a bit more work and effort. He just wouldn't stay in one place and no matter how fast I might be, even I am no match for a jet."

"A jet?"

"Mazur has a private jet. We would have been delayed for a couple of days more if it weren't for his mode of transportation."

"He must be loaded! I mean, just look at his clothes for crying out loud. Who on earth dresses like that when walking into a war camp?"

"Abe Mazur does." Valentine told me simply as though that said it all. Considering how little I knew about the guy, it didn't mean anything to me, but I had to guess that Dimitri and Valentine understood because they both gave a sigh.

"Having him around may cause more tension than having the prisoners around but since he is Riya's contact, he shouldn't be too much trouble." Dimitri commented.

"How do you know about him?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"I heard various rumours about him before I was transferred to the States to find you and the princess and to be her guard. Almost everyone in Russia knows of him, some know him by his not so dangerous reputation and others know him as someone not to mess with under any circumstances."

"So, in Riya's words, he's basically like a mafia dude?" I blinked.

"You could call it that," he nodded.

"But is he dangerous?"

"Not to us, I don't think. I never would have allowed him to be here if he was." Valentine shook her head. "I think that so long as the prisoners behave themselves and don't get on his wrong side, everything should be just fine."

"You know about the prisoners?" I glanced at her in surprise.

"Yes, I met Aleksandr at the entrance to be let in and he told me about them," she nodded. "You've been holding up well, Roza."

"I've had the best people around to help me. Welcome home, Valentine." I smiled at her, relieved that she was back and safe.

I wasn't really expecting a reaction from her at my words but I was startled when she suddenly looked stunned and lost. The way she stared and just blinked at me made me wonder if I'd said something wrong. I tried to work out what I might have said to have startled her so much like that.

"Valentine?"

"It's nothing," she shook her head. "It's just that… no one has said that to me in a very long time. I haven't had a home for a very long time."

"Well, despite the fights you get up to with Luka, this is still your home for all intents and purposes. You don't seem like the type of person to stay in one place, Valentine."

"No, I suppose that I'm not. There always seems to be something else for me to do with or without Raisa's requests of me."

"What's it like?"

"What?"

"Travelling, going everywhere, seeing and meeting all sorts of people."

"It's a wonderful experience, Roza. Once this all settles down, you should definitely go on an all around the world trip. You would really like it." Valentine smiled at me. I blinked in surprise. It was probably the first time I'd ever seen her smile and I couldn't help but smile back in return. Seeing her happy was a nice experience and I hoped that there would be more things in the future for her to smile about.

"I think I would too." I nodded in agreement.

"You should go and see Aleksandr and Konstantin. There is another Strigoi here in the town."

"Oh, I've already seen her, she escorted the prisoners here."

"I don't mean Kana." Valentine shook her head. "This is someone else."

"Another one?" I groaned. "Seriously, if they keep sending people over, we're really going to run out of space and resources around here."

"You don't need to worry about any of that. That is one of the reasons why Mazur was contacted. He will make sure that this town is well equipped with anything that we might need including a few tricks."

"Tricks?"

"I don't quite understand it myself, but if you talk to him he might explain it to you. It's something to help the humans."

"Okay…" I nodded. "Why don't you take a rest for the day? You look exhausted, Valentine and have you been feeding properly?"

"I will be fine."

"Please look after yourself, Valentine. I don't want any more casualties in this town." I told her seriously before leaving the town hall to find Konstantin and Aleksandr.

"They're over by the central fountain, Roza." Dimitri told me with a smile and took my hand gently in his.

We made our way hand in hand to where we might find the pair and I was surprised to see them fawn over someone like he was some sort of a god. This Strigoi looked like he was turned at around the same age that those two had been. The way he spoke with a smile made him seem so friendly and I wondered if this was who Max had meant when he said that someone would be joining the town and that Konstantin and Aleksandr would know him.

As Dimitri and I approached, the three of them glanced up and the stranger eyed me in curiosity. "I'm Rose, are you the one sent by the Council?"

"Yes. I have heard a lot about you, Roza. So much potential. The Council is expecting great things from you. I am Aldrik Volsky, it's a pleasure to meet the person who has been keeping this town together after our little Raisa's death."

I stared at him in surprise at his name for her. It wasn't said in a patronising way, I realised, because it wasn't in his tone. If anything, his tone of voice was soft and fond, as though she was someone very important to him and someone he held dear.

"Mr. Volsky?" Dimitri blinked at the Strigoi in surprise as though he couldn't believe what he was actually seeing.

"Hello Belikov, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it's been ten years since you've disappeared. Well, at least now I know what happened to you." Dimitri nodded and held out his hand and they shared a firm handshake with one another.

I was surprised by the familiarity between them and I couldn't push away the sense of recognition that I felt. I ran his name through my mind a few times, wondering why it seemed so familiar, and then I remembered.

"Are… Were you their teacher at their Academy?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm surprised you know that."

"I remember one of the stories that Aleksandr and Konstantin told me about their time at the Academy and I remembered them mentioning your name at one point." I explained.

"I see, a good mind for retaining information. That is a useful skill."

"Thank you, Mr. Volsky."

"Oh please, just Aldrik will be fine," he chuckled and gave a dismissive wave. "So you are the one that our little Raisa chose. I can definitely see why."

"This is going to be a foolish question, but what are you going to do about food? I don't suppose that you intend to follow the traditions of this town in terms of feeding for Strigoi?"

"No, I don't. You have feeders in this town, no?"

"Yes."

"Then they are who Kana and I will feed from. It will be no different than a Moroi's bite for them and we will be sure not to endanger their lives either. The ways of the Strigoi who are affiliated with the Council are the same as those of the Moroi. We rely on the blood of voluntary feeders or the blood of criminals that thoroughly deserve punishment to survive."

"I… I never knew that."

"I don't suppose that you don't know much about the Council and its system at all, do you?"

"Almost nothing." I admitted.

"There is not much to know. The way we live and survive are similar to that of any Council or government around the world. We have the Council members, guards which the Council commands and Strigoi who have recovered their sanity and live scattered around the world under the Council's rules."

"There are rules?"

"Most certainly." Aldrik nodded. "I don't know them all but the most important one is that we must not kill innocents unless we wish to face ruthless punishment. I have seen what the Council's idea of a punishment is and I never wish to be put in that position personally and so rest assured that the people of this town shan't be at risk. Besides, I believe that Kana and Cain are getting reacquainted with one another again after their long separation."

"You know about those two?"

"Yes, I was their teacher as well," he nodded with a smile. "They were a lovely pair, worked so well together. I reckon they might have been an even better pair than you two are." He directed the last part at Aleksandr and Konstantin and they gaped at him.

"No pair could be better than ours," they protested defensively.

"There is only one way to find out? No?" Aldrik commented slyly. "It will be interesting to see who would win."

"Or maybe you guys will end in a draw." I cut in before the pair could start a full on debate on who would be better. No doubt Aleksandr and Konstantin would work to defend their precious title as much as they could.

"As soon as they're done being lovers, we are so demanding for a fight." Aleksandr grinned in excitement, no doubt eager to find out just who was the better fighting combo and eager to find a pair who could match them and put them to the test.

"Just keep it as tame as you could and don't actually injure each other. I need all of you to be in top shape in case anything happens. With everything that's been happening, there's no telling what's going to happen when." I warned him sternly.

"Don't worry about it, Roza. We'll keep it toned down." Konstantin nodded in acknowledgement of my concern.

"Good. Well then, I'm sure you four must still have so much to catch up on so I'll leave you guys to it. I just wanted to meet you, Aldrik, since Valentine had mentioned that there was another new Strigoi in town."

"It's been an absolute pleasure to meet you, Roza, and no doubt we will be seeing more of each other while I am staying in this town." Aldrik smiled kindly and I smiled back.

"Thank you for helping us out." I told him before leaving. I gave Dimitri a chaste kiss before heading off to check that everything was alright around the town.