Author's Note

Here's the long awaited first chapter of Frostbite from Dimitri's Point of View. I'm so glad to be writing again! I hope you enjoy and lets kick things off with a a bit of heat why don't we ;)

*some mature (non-graphic) content in this chapter*

Her skin was so incredibly smooth under my fingertips. It felt even better under my lips. I kissed her cheek, her throat, her collarbone. I was encouraged further by every little sigh she made. Her back arched, pressing me closer to her chest. It was a physical mirror to the small pleas in her voice.

"Dimitri."

The way she said my name thrilled me. That alone could make me feel like I was soaring.

But this was more; this was indescribable. Her body was pressed against mine as I knelt on the bed, her legs straddling my own. My hands ghosted over her thighs, her hips, her waist. Ultimately, I settled on placing one hand on the small of her back, allowing my fingers to hesitantly explore the skin beneath the waistband of her lace underwear. The other boldly tangled in the long dark hair near her shoulder blades.

Neither of us won the fight for dominance. There was no need. I felt powerful as my touch made her body writhe in response. But truthfully, I was at her mercy. She could ask anything from me and I would go to the ends of the earth to prove myself to her.

Such is passion. Such is devotion. Such is love.

I dipped my head just a bit lower, ready to give in to her unspoken desire. As my rough jaw brushed against the softness of her breast, she gave a small moan, throwing her head back in the ecstasy of anticipation. The sudden movement caused my own pleasured groan as her hips pressed into mine.

"Roza," I whispered. "My Roza."

The cruel shock of reality woke me from my dream. The small alarm clock beeped accusingly from the nightstand, as if it knew the images of my unconsciousness and was determined to scold me for them.

My skin was coated in a thin layer of rapidly cooling sweat and my breathing was heavy as if I had just run a marathon. Waking up with these two physical discomforts was becoming routine. My sleep was often saturated in nightmares of watching Rose die. Sometimes it was at the hands of Victor. Other times, it was at the hands of Strigoi. But her death was always my fault. I was always just in time to see her murdered, but always too late to stop it.

The third physical sign of tonight's overactive imagination was an shameful reminder of the other type of dream that seemed to be tormenting me. I had, regrettably, dreamt of Rose for a while now. It started shortly after I had met her and become her mentor. However, these dreams had taken on a new and startling turn after we had fallen victim to a lust charm roughly a month ago. Where I had once imagined the touch of her hair or the taste of her lips, I now fantasized about thrill of her body on my own. Thankfully, I had broken the charm before we had gone too far, but the memory of that night still haunted me.

It was shameful enough that I had these thoughts (unbidden as they may be) when I held a position of authority over her. I also had to contend with the fact that our age difference practically made me a pedophile. I wasn't that much older than her, just seven years, but it was more than enough considering that she was seventeen and still a minor.

Not to mention that the attraction that I felt for her, that we felt for each other, was in direct conflict of my duty. The same duty that I was training Rose towards. We would one day be partners. Not in the romantic sense, but in the professional. We were both slated to guard Princess Vasilisa, the last remaining Moroi of the Dragomir line.

She would always have to come first for both of us. We both knew it. We both agreed to it. However, knowing it and agreeing to it is not as easy as actually living up to it. In fact, it was nearly impossible.

Every moment I spent with her only seemed to draw us closer together. She understood me better than anyone else I had ever met. I understood her as well. Our attraction and the feelings that developed along with it were strong, unyielding, and mutual. Fate was a cruel mistress; forcing us together with the promise that we could never truly be so.

I pulled myself from my bed, hoping the shock of a cool shower would rid me of the lingering effects of my warm bed. Before jumping in though, I opened my laptop to send a quick email. Rose would be waking up soon to join me for our morning training, and I needed to make sure she knew that our plans were going to be a little different today.

I had planned on telling her the news last night, but I knew it would make her nervous and she needed to get a good night's rest. I had finally arranged for her to take her Qualifier Exam; one of the required tests to graduate, and one she had missed while she and Lissa were on the run last year. She knew it was coming up, but the fact that it was today would be a surprise. It would also be a surprise that we would be spending nearly all this evening traveling to take the exam.

My quick email told her that she should get some extra rest today and that both out morning and afternoon trainings were canceled so she could do so. I also instructed her to meet me at the parking lot near the front gate at 6am, just as the sun would start rising. We would be switching to human schedule for the trip.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to get any extra rest after my last dream, so instead I made my way to the gym for some personal training. It felt lonely. I was so used to having Rose as my companion during workouts, that it felt wrong to not have her by my side. Afterwards I grabbed a simple breakfast in the guardian lounge and I couldn't help but pick up a few small treats for our trip later. Well for her, but it made me feel a bit more sane to tell myself that they were for us both. Not that I would be eating the multiple bags of artificially flavored cheese chips or sugar laden soda. I preferred my caffeine in the form of black coffee.

I was only waiting at the car for about ten minutes or so when I saw Rose hurrying towards me. Thankfully, she had the state of mind to wear something semi-professional: black jeans, white camisole, and a black cardigan. It was reminiscent of the traditional guardian's uniform without looking like she was playing dress-up.

"I know, I know. Sorry, I'm late."

I smirked in response. I had given us a bit of extra time to make it to our destination because "Rose Standard Time" always seemed to be about fifteen minutes behind the rest of the world. I could see that she was already a bit nervous about the upcoming test and I was grateful that I had waited until the last minute to tell her so that she didn't have more time than necessary to fret. The qualifier wasn't a typical test, more like an interview. I remember it being a whole lot more nerve wracking than most of the exams that I had taken at school, simply because it was so different than what I was used to. Rather than testing your skills as a guardian, it was developed to test your commitment. High ranking guardians would come and meet one on one with the novices, discussing their future while assessing their character and dedication. While rare, the occasional stories of someone not passing was like an urban legend passed from class to class. I knew that Rose would do well, but I also knew my reassurances couldn't calm her entirely until she knew she passed.

Suddenly, Rose seemed to recognize that it was just me and her at the car.

"Who else is going?"

It took almost all of my will power not to grin like a fool. Instead, I did my best to look completely impartial to the fact that we would be alone together for almost the entire human day.

"Just you and me," I replied calmly with a small shrug as I made my way over to open the passenger side door for her.

Glancing back I saw a small looked of surprised recognition on her face. She didn't look upset at the information.

"How far away is it?" I could hear her voice struggling to keep an even tone, and I knew that she was just as happy as I was about the prospect of some time together, even if neither of us would admit it to the other.

"Five hours."

"Oh." Her voice dropped ever so slightly in disappointment as she slipped past me and into the passenger seat. Sure, it wasn't an extremely long time but it was better than nothing. Honestly, this would be the longest time we had ever spent alone together, especially without the possible interruption from other students or Academy staff. Still, I could understand her letdown. My mind flashed back to my dream last night and all the possibilities that could await us with an overnight trip. I shook my head to clear my mind of that line of thinking. No doubt, this was better for us both. I shouldn't even be entertaining these sort of thoughts in my private imagination, much less wishing for an opportunity to put them into action.

I closed her door, perhaps a bit harder than I intended due to my frustration, and took my own seat. She had already found a couple of the doughnuts I had picked up before the key even entered the ignition. She flashed me a grin in silent thanks before taking her first bite and I suppressed another smile of satisfaction knowing that even if I couldn't give her everything she wanted and everything I felt she deserved, I could still make her happy.

The roads were covered with a thin layer of fresh snow, and in the last remaining light of day, it was slightly difficult to see, but didn't hinder our progress too much. I could practically feel the tension radiating off of Rose. She was constantly fidgeting, whether it be tapping her food while staring out the window or wringing her hands as she tried to breath deeply. I wracked my brain for some appropriate way to reassure and calm her but for the life of me I couldn't figure something out.

"Don't they usually come to the Academy?" She broke the silence, starting her thought so abruptly that it took me a minute to understand what she was actually asking. "I mean, I'm all for the field trip, but why are we going to them?"

"Actually, you're just going to a him, not a them. Since this is a special case, and he's doing us a favor, we're the ones making the trip."

"Who is he."

I smiled openly, slightly proud that I was able to secure this particular guardian for her Qualifier. "Arthur Schoenberg."

"What!?" Her head snapped towards me and her voice squeaked slightly as she tried to catch her breath.

I grimaced a bit, realizing that instead of reassuring her nerves, I probably just made them ten times worse. It was a natural reaction to expect from her, but I had stupidly spoken without thinking. Arthur was extremely well known and well respected among guardians, even holding the head position on the Guardian Council for a while before retiring to protect one of the the highest ranking Royal Badica families.

"Wasn't...wasn't there anyone else available?" She sounded so small, practically begging for another option. I had faith in her and knew she would do well, but I needed her to see that.

"You'll be fine. Besides, if Art approves of you, that is a great recommendation to have on your record."

She gave a small huff and shook her head incredulously. Silence fell again in the car but with every glance I took towards her, I could see her nerves building. We were less than a half hour into our drive and at this pace she would give herself a heart attack before we made it halfway there. Finally, I saw her gently biting at her lower lip and absentmindedly fiddling with the ends of her hair; a sign that she was nearing her breaking point.

I could understand her hesitation. Her skills were impeccable, and she had already improved greatly during our trainings. However, she had a record to account for. Even though she had eventually been proven right in her instinct to take Princess Vasilisa away from school in an effort to protect her from Victor Dashkov who had intended to use Lissa for his own twisted agenda, she was still burdened with the fact that she had played a significant part in keeping the last of a Royal Maroi line inadequately protected. That coupled with the other minor black marks on her record were enough to make any student nervous.

What she didn't know what that when I set up the Qualifier Interview with Art, I had already sent him her transcript and record. He was already well aware of her record and reputation and was still willing to see her. It was actually one of the reason that I had specifically sought him out to mediate the exam. Guardian Schoenberg was someone who thought and made decisions beyond the ridged lines of rules and tradition. He understood that dedication was more than being perfect, but having the willingness to step outside the lines of perfection to find the path to success. While Rose was a wild card with a reputation for insubordination, I had come to realize that she rarely did something rash without having a reason behind it. Occasionally those reasons fell under that mind baffling "Rose-Logic" of hers, but she never put herself or others in danger without explanation. I had done my best to relay this to Arthur as well, assuring him that many of the problems that plagued her early education were issues of the past, and her dedication to her training and her charge was greater than most students I had seen. Once again, I found myself standing up for her, her education, and her eventual career like I had done the first time we had met. Before agreeing to do the Qualifier with Rose, Art had already assured me that he was inclined to pass her sight unseen, simply because of my faith in her.

However, a bit of nerves tended to focus a person and help in situations such as these so I kept that little piece of information hidden for the time being. I didn't want her to be so nervous that she worried herself sick though, so I did offer some words of comfort.

"You'll be fine," I repeated for what must have been the third time in the last ten minutes. "The good in your record outweighs the bad."

With unusual shyness, she peeked back at me. I felt my breath hitch slightly when her eyes met mine and felt the pull to hold her in my arms. The inclination to do so was coming more often and it was getting harder to ignore each day. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair, I wanted her to feel how my heart raced every time I was near her, I wanted to feel the smile on her lips when I kissed her. Hell, at this point I would settle just to hold her hand in my own. I could see it resting on the center console between us, it would be all too easy to simply reach over and take it. Before I could do so though, she shifted and looked away again.

"Thanks, Coach." Her voice took on a teasing tone as she snuggled into the seat and wrapped her jacket around her tighter. However, it was a brutal reminder of what I was to her. I was a coach, a mentor, a teacher. Perhaps we would advance to be partners and friends as we worked side by side to protect Vasilisa after her graduation, but we would never be more. We could never be more.

"I'm here to help." I kept my voice light and relaxed, but inside I felt another stab in my chest. At least today, we could enjoy each others companionship without the additional pressure of the Academy. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was better than nothing and I was happy to take what I could get.

At least I thought so, until she spoke again. The tone in her voice was taunting again, but it held a dangerously suductive edge to it that terrified me and thrilled me at the same time.

"You know what would really help?"

"Hmm?" Part of me was eager to hear what she would say, the other part of me dreaded it...

"If you turned of this crap music and put something on that came out after the Berlin Wall went down." The laughter in her voice was contagious and soon I felt myself following suit.

"Your worst class is history, yet somehow, you know everything about Eastern Europe."

"Hey, gotta have material for my jokes, Comrade." I gave a huff at the ridiculous nickname, but I silently admitted that I enjoyed it. She only used it during her lighthearted moods, and if this is what it took to relieve some of her stress, then two could play at that game.

Smiling at the thought, I reached for the radio dial, jumping a few channels until I hit one of the three country stations available in this area.

"Hey!" She jokingly smacked my arm, "This isn't what I had in mind."

I did my best to hold back my laughter at her reaction, and was barely able to do so. "Pick. It's one or the other."

For a moment she just stared at me in a bit of shock as if I had asked her to choose between chopping off her left or right leg. Finally, with a dramatic sigh, she made her choice.

"Go back to the 1980's stuff."

I flipped the dial again, relishing in my small victory as she pouted in her seat. However, less than a minute later, she was humming along to "Video Killed the Radio Star."

Author's Note

I'm Back! Who missed me :)

I'm super excited to start Frostbite, and I'm a couple chapters ahead so I'm hoping that there wont be too long of a delay between updates. I'm planning on doing one post a week, most likely updated on Saturday night/Sunday morning. That being said, sometime things happen so don't freak out if I'm late on one. It probably means that inspiration hit me and I needed to rework something. Your patience will be rewarded.

Also, I'm putting out an open call for a Beta. I don't anticipate needed a beta for this particular story, but I'm needing some assistance for my original story that I plan on posting early next year. If you are a grammar freak, word nerd, and have a passion for story telling...then hit me up! Experience is nice, but not necessary. You will be doing some proof reading, but I also need someone to bounce ideas back and forth with and perhaps provide some clarity when my words can't make it from my head to the keyboard.

So what do you think of the beginning of the story? What part of Frostbite are you looking forward to MOST? Anyone excited to see Adrian? I plan on having some real fun with him, not to mention how he and Dimitri interact. How about Tasha? I'm excited to get more of her back story and play with the relationship between her and Dimitri. Even though she played a fairly large role in several books, I felt like she wasn't a very developed character and we missed a whole lot of who she was and what was behind her motivations. I'd like to delve into that more.

Don't forget to review, favorite and follow! Thanks friends and I'm so glad to be back!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy