Soul Bound

Chapter 40

RPOV

The honeymoon was over. We had spent another two days in St. Petersburg but now it was time to go back. Dimitri had informed me that Lissa was on her way. Apparently my mother was coming with her. With me 'dead' and Dimitri reassigned, Lissa had no assigned guardians. So instead of having Tatiana pick random strangers, my mother had volunteered and so had Eddie.

My mother was one other person I had to inform of my miraculous recovery. Part of me wanted my mother the moment I had been restored, but I had wanted the version of a mother that would hold me and hug me and whisper everything was okay. I am not sure if that was my mother.

And then there was Eddy. I wondered if both of them would come with her to Baia. I wanted to know how he was doing. I needed to know he was okay. He had been one of the students that had been taken, and although I obviously knew he made it out alive, I needed to make sure.

We were driving back to Baia. But I noticed Dimitri made a detour. I looked at him questiongly.

"There is somebody I want you to meet first before we head back."

His voice sounded flat. I didn't understand who he wanted me to meet? We still had to be careful with who knew I was back. And If Dimitri didn't like these people or didn't trust them, why was he bringing me to them?

He took an exit off of a main road. It led to a big town or a small city. It wasn't that far from Baia but still had a lot more people in it. Mostly human by the looks of it.

"Ivan and I lived here. His parents had a house in that area."

He pointed towards a small mountain side. Okay so this person he wanted me to meet was connected to Ivan? I wondered if we were meeting an old friend from high-school or something. I suppose it would be alright if I met them. I mean how would they know if I had been brought back from the undead.

But we didn't drive towards a house. We seemed to be getting further and further away from the town again. I wanted to ask Dimitri where we were going, but one look at him silenced me.

We stopped at a large field with amazing flowers, beautiful trees and a small lake. At first I thought it was a park but upon closer inspection and the sight of tombstones I realized we were in a graveyard. He took my hand and let me a beautiful tombstone and I knew who he wanted me to meet. The name on the tombstone no doubt read Ivan Zeklos although the Cyrillic made it hard to read.

He bowed down in front of the tombstone. He brushed some of the dirt off of the top of it. Ivan's tombstone wasn't old compared to some of the others. I have to remind myself Ivan hadn't been gone for that long. Dimitri had lost Ivan months before he met me.

"Hey Ivan, I know it has been a long time, but there is somebody here I want you to meet."

He looked at me with so much love and smiled.

"My wife."

I returned his smile. It was good to hear those words from him, even if they still felt a bit weird. I was married.

"She is amazing, you would have loved her. She is absolutely beautiful and I know you would have reminded me at every turn that if I ever 'died in battle' you would be more than happy to 'take care' of her. And then I would have punched you in the arm or face, or she would have."

He chuckled, I had tears in my eyes. This was his best friend.

"I know I always said I would just be your guardian and I didn't need anybody else in my life, but you were right, when I did find her, I couldn't let her go."

I sat down next to him and started rubbing his back. I saw Dimitri was also trying very hard not to cry. I knew he still missed him very much.

"I am no longer assigned to princess Vasilisa. I have a new charge. Not my idea, trust me. But he kind of reminds me of you. A bit more trouble and a lot more crazy, but you would have gotten along great. He needs me to keep him in check, just like you needed me. But I am starting to realize that I need him to. I think I always took you for granted when you were alive. I would have done anything for you, but I underestimated just how much you did for me."