What about us: Vampire Academy

Ailem. Chapter 23

Rose POV

"Miss Hathaway-Mazur?"

"..at Court!" I screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed.

"Miss Hathaway-Mazur? I'm sorry my dear but it time to wake up."

A female Dhampir, probably aged 55-65, was wearily standing at the foot of my bed. I was in the massive room Abe had arranged for me to stay in but every time I blinked my eyes, I could still see the layout of the cabin.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" I roared at the woman, "You have ruined everything!"

"I so sorry, miss." She yelped, backing up towards the door.

"Just get out!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face as I threw a pillow in her direction.

"Yes miss." She hastily added, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Comrade!" I called out, collapsing into the rest of the pillows and crying hysterically.

I was crying so hard, I didn't register that someone had pulled me into their lap and was calmly stroking my hair. Trying to pull myself together, I listened to the soft foreign words that surrounded me. The words and the smell of tobacco mixed with a wooden aroma was strangely comforting. Taking in a long breath, I finally had my breathing under control.

"Better?" Abe asked sweetly.

"Yes. I'm sorry you had to see that." I muttered, embarrassed that he has witnessed my moment of weakness and that I was still sitting on his lap.

"Don't be embarrassed, your my bebek kiz, you can tell me anything."

"Bebek Kiz?" I asked, stumbling over the pronunciation.

"It's Turkish for baby girl." He explained with a proud smile that touched my heart. "But you are changing the subject. What has you this upset?"

What could I say? Oh I'm upset because my seven year senior mentor turned lover is on a secret misson somewhere and still thinks I'm dead. That we just had sex for the second time in a spirit dream that neither of us should be able to conduct and that his maid had woken me up before I could finish telling him I was alive. Umm, no. I have a feeling Abe would have Dimitri's balls if he found out.

"It doesn't matter." I whispered as I climbed off his lap and led back down on the bed, my back to Abe.

"Well, it sure looks like it does." Abe paused, "It's this about your young Russian?"

My whole body stiffened and I didn't dare to look at him. His hands rolled my hip and shoulder, forcing me to face him.

"Please talk to me Rose. I am new at this father thing and I don't know how to play this." Abe stated, uncertain evident on his face and in his words. "I am aware of your relationship if that is what you are worried about. He and I actually discussed it a little back at St.Vlads. Believe or not, I approve of him."

"You and Drimiti talked about us?" I gasped, looking up at Abe in genuine shock.

"Not all the gory details, but the gist of it. The man worships you." He admitted, reaching out to cup me face and waited patiently for me answer his unspoken question. Do you trust me?

Do I? Strangely I do. So I told him everything, except the sex part, we could both live without that declaration.

"So who conducted this Spirit dream? You or Belikov?" Abe questioned, his bushy eyebrows forming into a monobrow as he frowned in confusion.

"I don't know."

"And you are sure it wasn't just a normal dream?" Abe asked almost wearily.

"I'm sure." I replied trying not to get my hackels up.