Protection - d. belikov

Chapter 10

Kat woke up the next morning with the sound of an alarm blaring through the room, but she had no memory of setting it. She reached out to put it off but something stopped her from moving. She panicked for a moment but remembered the events of last night.

Dimitri's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist and she relished in the feeling. She turned around so that they were facing each other. She wasn't surprised that he was already awake.

"Good morning, Printsessa."

"Good morning, Cowboy. How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock. How did you sleep?"

"No nightmares." Dimitri gave her a kiss on her forehead. He had never had such a peaceful night, even before his time as a fully fledged Guardian.

"I have to go. I've got training with Rose."

"I'll go with you." She got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. When she turned around, she was met with Dimitri's back. He had turned around to give her privacy when she changed. "You can turn around now." When he turned around, she put her arms around his waist as a hug. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For respecting me."

"There's no need to thank me."

"Yes, there is. No one has ever done this for me."

"It's a pleasure, Darling."

Before they headed to the sparring area, Kat grabbed Dimitri's hoodie and an umbrella. They would be training in the daytime, so she will burn if she is not fully covered, as direct sunlight could be fatal to Moroi. Rose was surprised when she saw her friend with her mentor. She raised her eyebrow at Kat and Kat blushed. While Dimitri and Rose were sparring, Kat ran a few laps. She had a health regimen that she had to follow to because of her heart problems. Kat was so focused on her running that she didn't notice the Guardian sneaking up behind Rose. The Guardian, Casey, put a bag over Rose's head, dragging her towards a black SUV. Dimitri talked to the other guardian, and walked over to Kat.

"How do you feel about helping with a training exercise?"

"What do you mean?"

"There is one piece of the benchmarks that still need to happen. The Novices have to be field tested. Their mission is to take a Moroi to a location and protect them."

"Why me?"

"The other guardians saw how well you worked with Meredith and the recommended you." He could see the hesitation on her face.

"Will you be there?"

"I'll be in the command centre, keeping an eye on things. I'll make sure you are safe." He stayed quiet for a moment, "Do you remember that necklace that I gave you?"

"Of course. I wear it every day, why?"

"There's an emergency beacon. It activates when you press it."

"So, you put a tracker in the necklace?

"Not a tracker. It doesn't track you. It activates when you press it and sends up a "beacon" for me to find you."

"Why did you put a beacon in the necklace?"

"I was going to tell you about it."

"I'm not mad, I just wanna know."

"It was a safety precaution. In case something happened to you, I would be able to find you."

"I know it's really weird, but I kinda don't mind. I feel safe."