Only Him

Chapter 17

*Dimitri*

We'll look into it, Hans had said. We'll look into it. As if he had all the time in the world to check into something during his lunch break. Rose's life was at stake and he was going to look into it. Lissa, looking equally as outraged, had assured Dimitri she was going to make a few calls and bring in resources to help out. With nothing else to do at Court Dimitri had gotten the location of the attack from Stella and headed straight for the guardian parking garage.

Now, a little over an hour later he was standing in the last place Rose had been seen. The area had been blocked off with police tape as the Alchemists and guardians conducted their investigation and clean up. The bodies had been cleared away but there were cones up where each had been found. It had been a slaughter. Eleven Strigoi bodies found, two guardians dead, and one missing. The SUV wreckage was also still there, though a tow-truck had pulled up just as Dimitri had gotten there. He asked the driver to wait a few minutes and then got down on his knees by the passenger back seat of the wreck where Rose had been sitting.

The car was such a mess of twisted metal that Dimitri found it hard to believe anyone had escaped safely, let alone four people. He could see blood on the window and knew Rose had hit her head during the crash. Was she okay now? Was the baby? Dimitri's heart raced as he stood back up, unable to look any longer. So much blood had been shed here. People had died. What if Rose—alive herself—had lost the baby? It wouldn't be that surprising considering the odds that had been against her. One well-placed kick could have put an end to any budding hope that Dimitri was beginning to feel.

Lissa had been so adamant in her claims that Rose was pregnant, let alone that the baby was his. But could it be possible? Part of Dimitri felt that he'd have known if Rose was pregnant. He'd seen her not three weeks ago and she hadn't looked any different. Not that she would yet, a part of him said. He remembered Karolina's pregnancy with Paul. She hadn't started showing until she was three months along and if Lissa was telling the truth then Rose wasn't quite there yet. But wouldn't he have known some how? Shouldn't he have felt something? Noticed other changes? Lissa said that Rose had been sick a lot. He'd noticed that once but that was it. How had she hid it? Why would she?

Because its Rose, his mind answered for him. And she wouldn't want others worrying about her.

Or maybe because she knew she was pregnant and didn't want you to know, a more treacherous part of his mind taunted him. Because it isn't yours.

"Shut up," he hissed under his breath. "Rose wouldn't do that."

She wouldn't. They'd been through too much together. They loved each other too much for Rose to have done that. She wouldn't do that.

But then it wasn't possible. Rose wasn't pregnant. This was just something Lissa had said to get Hans on board. But he'd seen the look in Lissa's eyes...

He had begun to move away from the wreck when something caught his attention. He bent down and pulled the small crumpled piece of paper from its resting place underneath some shattered glass.

Curious, he opened the paper and immediately recognized the handwriting.

You never complained before, I bet it's another pregnancy symptom, Lissa had written, her script elegant and ever legible.

If so I'm going to kick Dimitri's ass. I spend too much time on my feet to deal with swollen ankles. Dimitri would recognize Rose's hurried scrawl anywhere. She often left him notes on the kitchen table when she left for a shift while he was sleeping. He felt his heart squeeze painfully.

Pregnant.

Rose had written this note hours ago, before the attack, before Lissa had ever told Hans.