Getting Out While You Can

You'd Do The Same

I felt antsy and I hated it. I knew that today was going to be an absolute cluster fuck. Today was the day that everyone learned the truth about Tasha. The worst was the more we dug to get proof of what she did to Tatiana, the more we learned about what she did that negatively impacted the Dhampir.

She mislead and misguided other Royals, and whispered in the ears of those who were for the so-called imprisonment of Dhampirs, all while telling everyone around her how she was for Dhampir rights. She was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

She orchestrated treason with the help of the Queen's most trusted. The confidence in the Guardians was shaken, maybe shaken enough.

There were a lot of Guardians that were going to be present today, most of which were privately allocated and were asked to come to help with crowd control. We all knew that it would become crazy once we revealed what we knew.

There was no telling what Tasha would do, or her supporters. But what we did know was that there would be more people against her than for her.

It felt a little comical to be wearing the exact same outfit I wore when we went to the last council meeting, but I hadn't thought to bring another set of dressy, professional clothes.

"I need you to promise me something," Dimitri whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear.

I raised my brows at him so he would continue. He stepped closer and cupped my cheeks, the warmth of his hands calming on my skin.

"If anything happens, I want you to run. I want you to get out as fast as you can."

I sighed and rested my hands on his wrist but he spoke again. "I need you to survive this; if things go sideways. I won't be able to live with myself if you get hurt. Promise me, you'll get out," he pleaded, resting his forehead against mine.

Hearing the plead so deep in his voice, I couldn't help but nod. I didn't hear fear in his voice often, even when we were faced with it during the attack on the Academy he kept it under control. But now, we had no idea of the outcome today.

"Okay," I whispered and tipped my head up so I could give him a quick kiss.

"Once this week is over, we can go home," I said when I pulled back. A smile crossed Dimitri's face and he kissed the tip of my nose as his hands slipped down my cheeks and my neck, squeezing my shoulders.

"We can go home," Dimitri chuckled, "Home to your comfy couch, and to the kids home."

I sighed happily. "God, I miss that couch."

Dimitri laughed and kissed my hair as Croft approached. I met Dimitri's eyes again before turning my attention to Croft again. Croft came to a stop in front of us with a neutral look on his face, a duffle bag in his left hand.

"Hathaway, Belikov," Croft greeted. We greeted him back and Croft handed me the duffle. I furrowed my brows and set it on the ground so I could unzip it. I stuck my hand in and felt some gruff fabric. I pulled some of it out, finding my hand wrapped around a Kevlar vest.

"What's this for?"

"Just a precaution. We don't know exactly which Guardians were aiding Miss. Ozera. At least with this, it gives you a fighting chance," Croft explained tightly. I looked up at Dimitri and bit my lip, a new kind of worry flooding through me.

"Won't seeing us in bullet-proof vests tip people off that something is happening?"

"There's a blazer in the bag for you. Belikov's duster will cover his enough. Your mother, myself and a few others on the podium will be wearing ones as well."

"And Tatiana?"

"She has clothes at are lined with Kevlar. She's prepared."

I nodded and pulled out the second vest and handed it to Dimitri as I stood. Dimitri helped me put mine on and then my blazer. Once the blazer was done, I couldn't see the vest. I looked at Dimitri and was glad to see that his vest blended in with his shirt, so even with his duster unbuttoned, you couldn't tell the difference.