Turning Tables

Chapter 18

Rose

I had texted Lissa when Dimitri was in the shower. I asked her if she could talk. I know she was stressing out about the vote. Now that most of my own issues were dealt with, I could focus on Lissa again.

She picked up and before I could even say hi, Lissa was screaming in the phone. "Rose! I don't know what to do anymore! It is horrible, everything is so very very horrible."

I wanted to check to see if Lissa was affected by the darkness but I caught myself. I had ended someone's life because I was drawing too much darkness out of her. I need to be more conservative from now on.

I also recognized that Lissa was being dramatic, sure she had a lot to think about and it wasn't an easy decision running for Queen or not, but things would get a lot more horrible from now on. Her boyfriend's aunt had killed the Queen and had probably attacked her too. The council she would be part of tried to kill me and Dimitri off and she had a half sibling out there that was proof her perfect and very dead father had cheated on his wife, her mother.

So no, things weren't very very horrible yet. But I didn't say any of that.

"Calm down Lissa, just talk to me."

I could hear her take a few deep breaths. "I don't know what to do. the other two candidates are...well."

She didn't say it out loud, not because someone might overhear, but because she was raised properly and the words I could hear her thinking through the bond weren't very flattering.

"But even if I wanted to- and I am not saying I want to- I still don't have a quorum and we won't get the law overturned in time for the vote!"

"Don't worry about the quorum law. I am working on it." I tried to reassure her.

I could feel her frown through the phone."What crazy plan have you concocted now? I thought you were Strigoi scouting."

I shrugged even if she couldn't see it. "I had some free time on my hands, besides, the mission is over. We are coming back to Court, so...if we aren't there when the voting starts, stall!"

"Rose, what have you done?" She sounded like a school teacher chastising a four year old.

"I will explain everything when I get back-hopefully in time. So for now, there is only one question remaining; Do you want to be Queen?"

It was silent for a long time. I checked the phone because maybe it had disconnected but it was still showing Lissa's caller ID. I could feel uncertainty through the bond. Duty and the Dragomir name were warring with the life she always wanted to have, going to college and...making a difference. She just didn't think she would make such a big difference at eighteen.

"Yes, I think I want to be Queen."

"Then go prepare a speech to win them over, I will do the rest."

Dimitri was done in the shower and wrapped his naked arms around mine. He pressed the rest of his naked body against my back as he kissed my neck. I leaned into him and closed my eyes. I couldn't fight the moan that escaped me as he suckled on the flesh in my neck.

"Rose?" oh right, I still had Lissa on the phone. "What am I hearing, it sounds like someone is... eating?" Dimitri chuckled and the bastard had no trouble staking his claim. "Sorry Princess, Rose and I are in the middle of some... debriefing after the mission. She works me very hard as team leader."

I elbowed him and Dimitri took a laughing step back while I had a squealing Lissa on the other end of the line. I put my hand over the phone, both blocking some of Lissa's sounds out as well as trying to stop Lissa from overhearing.