Snakes In The Grass

24

I jolted awake, not sure what woke me. I listened for a moment and turned my head. Briar was asleep beside me, her arms curled above her head as she breathed. Her breathing was getting clearer, but she still coughed and her breath crackled.

I hated hearing her cry for her dad. She looked for him in every room we went into. Janine had asked me about a service, but I wasn't ready. I didn't want to have a service until there was a body to mourn. We knew where he might be, but it was simply a matter of taking care of him.

Croft had followed through with his promise. The entrance to the tunnels in the house was now warded. It took a lot of work, but we made it happen. It was the only way I was able to sleep in this house. But there was something, almost like a tug in my mind. I sat up and placed the pillows on either side of Briar so she wouldn't roll off the bed.

I grabbed my stake off the bed as a precaution and walked into Briar's room, the sensation leading me here. As soon as I walked into the room I knew why I had woken. I could hear something in the hidden walls. I opened the trap door and went down slowly. I checked the stow room and deemed it clear before I continued further. Once I got to the steel door I heard it again, my name in almost a whisper.

I opened the door, pushing it open so that I didn't cross the warding line. He stood there in the tunnel, his eyes glowing crimson.

"Roza," he whispered.

"Trapped in the caves, I see," I said with a squint.

"Yes and no," he said with a shake of his head, "I haven't fed."

"And you expect me to offer myself up to you?"

He shook his head again. "I can feel my humanity still."

I snorted a laugh but stepped back when he reached out for me, his hand passing over the warding. I looked at his face and it was pinched, a quiet hiss passing his lips. Humanity was what made Strigoi different from Moroi mostly. The handing over of humanity for the blood lust made the Strigoi immortal.

"How can you do that?"

"Like I said, I have my humanity still," he whispered before pulling his hand back, clutching it in pain. I took a slow breath in and stayed where I was, not sure what to think.

"Roza?"

I met his eyes. Eyes that despite the red, looked the exact same.

"What?"

"I just want to see her. Please," he whispered, and I could have sworn his eyes watered. "Is she getting better?"

I nodded and crossed my arms around my waist. "She's getting better. Her fever finally broke this evening."

Dimitri nodded. "Please."

I swallowed and shut the door between us. The tears in his eyes, and the genuine sound of concern could be fake or artificial. There was a part of him that was fighting inside. I went back up the stairs and scooped Briar out of bed, holding her tight to my chest as I climbed back down the stairs. When I got to the steel door again I stepped back so my back was against the wall. Dimitri had come as close to the wards as he could, a hopeful look on his face. Another thing that couldn't be faked.

"Hi sweet girl," he whispered. I turned her a bit so he could look at her, her red cheek resting against my chest. She was still warm despite the fever breaking.

"Her cough? It's eased?" he asked earnestly.

I nodded. "Yes. I had to do that steam thing again, but she's stayed asleep since I put her to bed."

He smiled, taking care not to show his teeth. "And you're okay? Did she hurt you? Galina?"

I shook my head. "Minor concussion and surface injuries, but Lissa took care of it," I whispered. He nodded and carefully put his hand through the wards again, gently beckoning me. I took slow steps, watching his hand start to turn red in spots from the magic irritating his skin. When I was close enough he rested his hand against my cheek, gentle and warm. I let out a breath and closed my eyes, leaning into his hand.