The Hidden Blood (Vampire Academy)

Chapter 20

“You don’t look a day over that fast car and freedom. The sunset, riverbank, first time feelin’,” I sang along with the tune.

Ever since I met Dimitri, I have secretly liked listening to country music… to an extent. Rascal Flatts, the old Taylor Swift stuff, Brooks and Dun, stuff like that, things I can tap my foot too.

“God, I’m tired,” Christian yawned.

“It’s your own damn fault,” I laughed lightly, making sure not to wake Lissa. The flight had been hurried, the drive long. We only made a number of stops, and I needed to stretch my legs again.

Lissa fell asleep the moment we had gotten on the plane, the tears she cried took everything from her. She now lay on Christian’s shoulder, bundled up next to him, dreaming about holding my hand during child birth. I knew she really had wanted to be there, a part of her will always hate me since I left her when she needed me, but that part of her is tinier than tiny.

Christian stayed up with me, in fear that I’d crash us, or fall asleep at the wheel. He was just waiting for the excuse to drive this nice car. We got newer ones, the same types as before, but in a different shade of blue.

“Are we almost there?” he asked leaning back on Lissa’s forehead in a comforting way.

“Yeah, five minutes,” I had never drove to his house, I was unconscious when I first came here, so Dimitri was leading us, going about a 180 miles an hour.

I’d say we were cruising along at a nice speed, how about you?

We pass the tall buildings I’ve seen before, the little shops, the spot where I met my father and the place that Dimitri calls home.

We pull into the parking lot and from the second Dimitri shuts the car off and shows his face to his family is a chaos.

Olena comes out of the house swinging a silver knife around yelling at him in Russian as I go get the kids from the car and wake up Lissa. Viktoria came out on her heels with a silver stake and Yeva just behind her just babbling about God only knows what. I still just want to kill that Lady.

I could see Paul in the window and wave. He smiles but goes and hides, Karoline, his mother, probably didn’t want him to see this. My guess was that she was either at work or in the house hiding with them.

They all go about talking privately in Russian, and Yeva stands between Dimitri and Olena with her arms out wide, almost like a hug. I shut the door and walk over to where Lissa was standing and hand Mariah and Damon over.

“Wonder what they were talking about,” I said to Liss.

“Olena said, ‘Get out of my son, you demonic, bitch!’ and then Yeva said, ‘Rose cured him, like she said! I saw it! I told you, daughter!’ And then Viktoria was all like, ‘You’re positive? He doesn’t look Strigoi. But, can we be sure?’”

“You know Russian?” I ask Isabel giving her a certain glare of betrayl.

“Yeah, Dimitri taught me. Didn’t he teach you that?” She crossed her arms like she was better than me, but she was just some little girl going on horomones, ones that I hoped Dimitri didn’t return.

Olena nods about something, and then relaxes, dropping her tense hands, but Viktoria comes over and swipes out against him.

I forgot that Rae was there until she saw the knife being cut through Dimitri’s skin, having him bleed.

“Tori!” I shout stepping toward her putting myself in front of Yeva even though I wouldn’t have minded about her dying. “He’s not Strigoi, okay?”

“This is all so confusing, he was like a drug dealer too?” Rae said putting her head in her hands.

“Girl, have you got your blood wrong,” Isabel replied blowing my cover.

Tori nodded and drew her feet together, then throwing herself into her brother’s arms. He swings her around, holding her close. Olena joins in on the hug, but Yeva just stays distant.

“I see your still alive,” Yeva said to me.

“And my good mood is over,” I stated going to the car and grabbing the back pack.

“Rose!” Olena takes me in her arms, hugging me tight like I’m part of the family. “I’m so glad you’re home,” she said. And the thing was, even though I was grown and glad of it, I still felt like a teenager coming home to mother and felt like I belonged.

“Me too,” I said snuggling the slightest bit closer before she pulled away to look upon my lovely’s.

“And who are these little ones?” she says with a warm smile.

I shake Damon’s hair and he hugs my legs being shy, “Mariah and Damon, meet Grandma Olena. Say, ‘Hi Grandma Olena’?”

“Hi, Gandma Olna," he said not pronouncing the name just right.

“Hello,” Mariah said shaking her hand which was unexpected.

“Well hello there, but… Grandma?” Her eyebrows went up and I nodded.

“Oh yeah, they are his too…” I point back at Dimtri who was now frozen with inticapation of what his mother will do.

“Wouldn’t you know it!” Viktoria said pulling me in for a full on hug. “It’s been too long,” she mumbled squeezing me tight like we were old friends. But, then again, we were.

I start to say, “We left things badly-“

“He was a tool,” she admitted full on, “I have a little someone better now.”

I raised my eyebrows hoping we were picturing the same guy, “Who exactly…?”

“Yeah,” Dimitri said breaking up our girl time and stepping up to the roll of an over protective big brother, “who is he?”

“Yeah," Tori said with a humorless laugh, "no way in hell am I telling you, you overprotective man-whore!” She giggles, throwing hair over her shoulder, “Look at you getting some girl knocked up.” She mouthed the word to me, ‘Later,' when his back was turned.

Olena walks away from the loud chatter from Vik’s bad mouth and leads us into the small, but big enough house to fit all of us.

“All clear, Grandma was telling the truth about Dimitri being in the safe zone,” Viktoria said flopping onto the couch and waiting for us to spill the beans.

“Rae,” I said, “can you get the kids to bed, I’m just… wiped from the drive,” I made up a lie.

“Told you, I told you, you should have let me drive!” Christian will you ever let that go…? I roll my eyes.

Rae obliedged and took the snoozing Damon that was sitting on my lap while Mariah was at Olena’s feet. Again, unexpected.

“Start at the beginning,” Olena asked when Rae was out of sight.

“Well… This is a long story… We just might need popcorn, but we have to chop it down to the main details since my friend in there is a human. Full on, bloody, human that knows nothing about this messy mess.” I said kissing my children’s cheeks and rushing them off to the other room.

Lissa woke up describing her side of things and she and Viktoira kicked it off sooner than I would have thought possible - leading them into a new friendship.

"When Dimitri loved and left me, I took off, went to Iowa and stayed until Strigoi started to walk in the day. Got a call from Headmistress and flew down. The school was ambushed and we just took off. Figured the safestest place was here..." I shrug looking at her.

Olena nodded, understandingly but I could tell she was dissapointed in her son the slightest bit and ungreatful toward me for keeping her grandchildren locked away. Then Rae has come back out, we got explained it like 'Human Version'.

Everyone was so tired, we just crashed onto one another. Lissa got the couch in the living room, me on the floor, Rae by my side. Dimitri and Christian got his old bedroom with the kids and Isabel slept in Vik's room.

I didn't sleep for a while, but when I sleep beckoned me under, wouldn't you know it! It was a spirit dream...