Queen Thorn (complete)

Chapter 27

"You have been unconscious for over a week, almost two."

"Why?"

"That is a long story, lyubov' moya. Before I explain it I want to ask you a couple of questions. Do you have any idea of just how much I love you? And how scared I have been?" (my love)

"I know that you love me just as much as I love you, Comrade. As for scared, no not yet."

"Roza, you are my reason for living, and I want you to know that."

She smiled and cupped my cheek very gently with her once again warm hand. "I do. Just as you are mine."

"I know." I told her with a smile. 

After sharing a loving smile with lyubov' moya I continued, "but now, we have another reason to live milaya moya." (my love, my dearest)

She looked confused. 

"We are going to have a baby, my Roza."

She was stunned into silence for a few minutes, "are you saying that I am pregnant?"

"Yes, detka." (baby)

"How do you know?"

"Babushka. Let me explain what has happened the last couple of weeks, ok?" (grandmother)

She nodded with a wince of pain from her stiff neck, as I began to explain everything to her. 

"Do you remember getting weak and pale?"

"Yes, but I don't know why."

"The strigoi blood that you were feeding on was not strong enough to sustain you and our baby. Our baby could not get the nutrients that it needed from the strigoi blood that you were feeding from. So, he or she took what was needed from your blood, which is why you were getting weaker and weaker every day. After my family got back from Russia babushka told me that you needed fresh living blood to keep you and our baby alive. Please don't get upset with me, it's not good for you or our baby, ok?" (grandmother)

She nodded again. 

"While you have been unconscious I have been feeding you myself..." 

She started to protest but I placed a kiss on her beautiful and once again warm red lips to stop her.

"I would not let anyone else get close enough to you to feed you while you were vulnerable." 

She nodded that she understood and remained quiet.

"Babushka also said that you can't feed from humans or moroi, apparently only dhampir are strong enough for you to feed from. Your endorphins are much too powerful for anyone else. For me, they only make me a little dizzy and a light headed but not for long. After eating a little something and lying next to you for half an hour or so I was fine. Ok?" (grandmother)

Again, she nodded her head. Still wincing at the soreness.

"You have had to feed at least six times a day but only for fifteen seconds each time, at least while you were out. I don't know if anything will change now that you are, thankfully, once again conscious or not. Is there anything that you would like to say or ask?"

"Why would you let me feed from you? I love you Dimitri, and I don't ever want to hurt you."

"You could never hurt me Roza, even while you were unconscious you were very careful while you fed. I love you detka, and I thought that it was about chert time that I did something for you for a change. Milaya moya, you have always put others before yourself, and it is about chert time that you start putting yourself first. You and our baby come first from now on. Remember our agreement, we and our children come first. Can you understand why I did it now?" (baby, damn, my dearest, damn)