SPIRIT BOND: Anna and Vladimir's story

CHAPTER 28: What is Lost

Hey guys sorry this took so long. But here it is enjoy!

Anna's POV

I turned to a now stunned Elena. She just kept staring at me without saying a word, until she finally found her voice.
"The strongest guardian you know. Does that mean Fyodor is alive?" I nodded slightly. She leaned against the door.
"And you are related to him?" I nodded again.
"How?" I glanced at Vladimir before I continued.
"He's my father." She seemed to grip the door for support.
"He...he has a family?" I sighed before taking a seat on the foot of the bed motioning her to sit.
"Yes, but it's only me, my brother and my father." She watched me carefully.
"And your mother?" I didn't know if I could answer that exactly, so I stuck with what I knew.
"She is dead." My cold tone suprised even me. Elena seemed deep in thought.

"How old were you when she-" Elena was interupted by Nickolas.
"Elena, Semyon and the others just arrived. Are you alright? You look a little pale." Elena looked at him.
"I'm fine, my love. I'll be right there." Nickolas nodded and left.
"Anna I would like to finish this conversation later, please." I nodded not knowing what to say.
"Anna you should head down too." I turned to Vladimir.
"Are you sure?" He smiled sqeezing my hand.
"Yes, I need some more sleep." I let go and walked to the door where Elena was waiting to close the door.

We walked down stairs.
"Elena who's here?" I asked giving her a quisical look.
"The Romanov guardians we sent to join the hunt for Ivan." She seemed relieved to have them back safely. We walked into the foyer where five similair looking guardians stood, all five had black hair only their eye colour and size varied.
"Well I'll be damned." A sixth guardian exclaimed as he entered. His looked like his guardian brethern. The only difference was I knew him.
"Bones?" I asked more suprised than anything else.
"The one and only." He walked towards me.
"What are you doing here Anna?" He seemed genuinly suprised to see me.
"I could ask you the same question." He smiled.
"Little girl I life here. This is my home. The better question is mine, why are you here and where is-"
"I go where my charge goes." He laughed out loud "You actually found a moroi willing to let a little girl, not to mention a weak fighter be his guardian." I felt my blood boiling underneath my skin.
"I'm not weak." He laughed loudly.
"Of course you are. Last time I saw you fight, you couldn't even stand up after being punched." He laughed ruffeling my hair turning to the other guardians as they joined in. I lowered my gaze.
"That's right, Anna cry. Cry like you did back then." I closed my eyes trying to keep my anger under control. But I was failing miserably as Bones continued his banter.

"No Semyon, you've got it wrong." I looked up startled at the voice. It felt like my eyes and ears were playing tricks on me. Because in the doorway stood the tall, looming, shadowy figure of my father.
"Because the woman standing in front of you. Is not little nor weak. That woman is a guardian and my daughter." Bones turned around startled then walked up to the figure.
"Fyodor, my brother is that you?" My father stepped out of the shadows.
"You haven't changed brother." Bones said with a hint of apprehension in his voice.
"You are wrong about that too," My father said walking up to Bones "I have changed." The minute the words left his mouth he punched Bones hard in the face sending him flying into a nearby bookcase.
"And I'll hit anyone that disrespects my daughter." I slowly walked towards him.
"You know I could have handled that myself." A small smirk pulled at his lips as he held out his arms to me.
"I know I just couldn't resist." He said hugging me.

"Well Fyodor you certainly pack a punch, but have you forgot your ribs are still broken." I looked passed my father.
"Lady Dragomir?" I looked between her and my father.
"How did you two meet?" My father let go of me.
"I'll explain everything later, but right now I have to deal with them." He said as he walked up to a cry Elena and hugged her. Nickolas stood motionless watching my father. Like he couldn't believe my father was actually standing before him for the first time in twenty years. No one cared about the passed out Semyon or Bones as everyone called him.
"Fyodor let's talk in the study. Anna will you please take Lady Dragomir to her son." I nodded a little dissapointed that I wouldn't get to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

"Lady Dragomir, how did you and my father meet?" I asked as we headed towards Vladimir's room.
"He came to the manor looking for you. He was fairly beaten up and it looked liked he hadn't slept in days." I frowned.
"Did he tell you what happened?" Her face held a grave look as she nodded.
"I promised him I'd let him do the talking." I nodded. My father was like that he always felt obligated whether it was important or not that what he bared knowledge of was his to share and no one else is. I slowly opened Vladimir'r room door.
"He's resting and he'll be fine in a couple of days according to Elena." She nodded and headed in. I turned to leave, but she grabbed my hand.

"Anna thank you for protecting him." I lowered my gaze.
"I failed. I failed to keep him safe. I failed to stop the strigoi before it got near him. I failed." I heared my own voice croack. She lifted my face so that my eyes were level with hers.
"We all fail. We all think we failed when we think we let down the ones we love. But the reality is in their eyes we didn't let them down Anna. In their eyes we were there for them, however late we were there." She pulled me into a hug.
"He loves you, not just because your his salvation, but because you make his world a little brighter each day. And for that I will be eternally grateful." I nodded as she headed into the room.
"Anna," I looked up at my father. How long had he been standing there "we need to talk." I nodded.
"Yes we do. Let's go to the lake." He nodded an followed me down the steps.

"What happened?" My father looked passed me as we sat in the shade under an old willow tree. The fact that he wouldn't meet my eyes told me something really bad happened.
"We were attacked by atleast fifty strigoi four nights ago. There weren't many of us, since a lot of the dhampirs headed to court for some or another problem. The point is Anna, Andrei and I got separated." He paused and I silently waited knowing with a terrible feeling in my gut.
"We...we faught until dawn. I went looking for you brother." I put my hand on his arm but he wouldn't look at me.
"Please, please don't say it." I could feel his laboured breathing turn uneven.
"I found him on the bank of the river. Eyes open, his...his throat. Oh God Anna." I felt tears running down my tears as I saw silent tears dripping off my father's face.
"He died alone. He died alone, Anna." I wanted to scream from the pain I felt in my chest, I wanted to tell my father it wasn't his fault, I wanted to run home and see my brother standing at the gates to the town, but no words not one word would come out. I felt my father pull me to him. But I felt no comfort or warmth from it. I was numb.
After what felt like hours I headed to my room. I fell down on the bed crying until it completely drained me. I fell asleep on my drenced pillow.

A warm hand on the side of my face made me jump.
"Shh Anna it's me. It's Vladimir." I sat up remebering why my face was wet.
"Please Vladimir please tell me it was just a nightmare please." He cupped my face wiping my tears with his thumbs.
"Oh Anna, I'm so sorry." I slapped his hands away. Jumping up I moved to the wall.
"No please, please, please Vladimir please no." My voice grew softer and softer as I slid down the wall. Vladimir sat down on his knees in front of me.
"Please" I whimpered as he pulled me towards him, softly rocking me back and forth. I felt the soft hum of Spirit flowing through me as Vladimir tried to calm me more. I wanted to scould him, but I just didn't have the energy.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw my father and Liezollete standing in the doorway watching us. But I didn't care I needed him. I needed Vladimir. I gripped the back of his shirt pulling him tighter towards me. He softly hummed a song in my ear trying to sooth me.
"It's alright Anna, I'm here I won't leave you. Ever." He whispered soflty. I found his breath on my skin soothing and soon I felt myself drift off. I knew it was Vladimir compelling me go to sleep. But right then and there the dreams world was a lot better than my reality.