DPOV
My door was thrown open by none other than Adrian Ivashkov, the boyfriend of the woman I loved. Had loved.

I had no clue what the monster me had done with my emotions that weren't guilt or sorrow... The two emotions the sight of Rose brought to the forefront. Anger and annoyance were another two emotions her actions invoked, but it was directed at myself and what I had done to her.

"What is happening, Lord Ivashkov? Why are you here?" I politely enquired of the royal Moroi.

Rose had chosen him, she needed to stay loyal to the one who'd stayed by her side no matter what I did to her. I wasn't good for her, for Roza... I never had been. Dhampir or Strigoi, I had never treated Rose the way she deserved, I chose to hurt her time and again.

"A directive from Lissa and Tatiana. No time to explain. Your guards are waiting."

Ugh. I felt bad for those five. They were wary of me, yet believed. Didn't help they all looked up to the insubordinate, reckless, and infamous Rose Hathaway- Guardian graduate and underling. Not that she'd remain an underling if she got her act together... Another reason I was bad for her, she was shooting down her potential for a shining career if she kept fighting for me... For us.

I followed Ivashkov out my door and through Court. Silently, of course. As much as I wanted to know what was going on, I could sense now wasn't the time to ask and that all would eventually be revealed.

When I was led into a secure building in the back parts of the Palace I was instantly alert. Although I did make sure my body still appeared relaxed. In the building I was met in the foyer by the Princess and the Queen. "Your Majesty Tatiana Ivashkov, and Your Highness Vasilisa Dragomir." I fell to my knees and was instructed to rise moments later.
"Mr Belikov," Tatiana started and Adrian tried to sneak off. He failed to evade his aunt. "Adrian, I know this is hard for you-"
"Pfft! It isn't hard when I begged Cousin to bring it to your attention." What. Was. Going. On? "You needed to see. So did they." What? Who? What? I had never felt so confused or lost. Okay, that was new... Newly returned.
"Regardless, I've always been concerned when it came to that dhampir girl and your fondness of her, also of her dedication to Vasilisa, here." Rose! They were talking about Rose. Oh this was not going to end well. I silently pleaded with the Princess to get me out.
"I'm sorry, Dimitri. I won't have Rose run again because of one foolish word on your or my part. Adrian has made me realise my sister is less stable than she lets on." They come first, they come first, they come first. I would do anything to try to repay Vasilisa for saving me. "I've been blinded to her and her pain once, I won't do it again. I most certainly won't take all the credit for your miracle restoration." Rose couldn't have done anything! She was dhampir! Vasilisa had wielded the magic and the stake.
"The Princess and my nephew have enlightened us," ridiculous royal plural, "that you may be the only way to keep Rosemarie Hathaway restrained and somewhat respectful." Tatiana declared.

Oh no. Rose had finally told her best friend, my saviour, who had sold us out to the queen... With Rose's current boyfriend as her accomplice. If I wasn't already in such a dubious position and stripped of my title I would say I was done for.

Tatiana continued, "a challenging collection of days awaits you and a few, choice others. Everything you all require is provided- Moroi and dhampir alike. As for you, Mr Belikov, we worry over how this experience will effect you but Rosemarie is the priority in this exercise. We made an example of her, who only wanted to make an example of you. The current amendment depends and relies on her and her stability. If you refuse to be what balances her and guides her... she can say farewell to mainstream society," her eyes narrowed and I wanted to pale. This was bad, very very very bad. "As can you." The Queen was threatening to remove Rose and me from society, send me home or wherever, if I didn't let Rose into my life. I was practically being ordered into a relationship with the one I would likely send over the edge Tatiana wanted me to save Rose from.
"Understood, Your Majesty." I nodded my understanding and agreement to the task as well as its outcomes if I failed. The likelihood of failure was high. Extremely high.

The queen promptly and abruptly left. Adrian and Vasilisa led us through to a common room type of space.

The room was spacious but still practical. A low and heavy oak coffee table sat in the middle of the cream plush-pile carpet. A number of love-chairs and single and three-seater lounges were spread around the room, all facing the coffee table. A kitchen, feeder room and two bathrooms sprung off from the main room.

Vasilisa, Adrian, myself and my guards were first to enter apparently. Even so, only one guard had entered the room with us.

My guarding instincts found the pattern of the chairs disconcerting. Just as they should have. A stack of five books was the coffee table's centrepiece and the table was where everyone's attention was to be directed. Therefore, whatever was in those books was for everyone to hear... Whoever 'everyone' turned out to be.

By the tone of the briefing, I could gather those books were going to reveal Rose's past, Rose's thoughts... Of me, of us. Oh boy. I had to wonder if the charm, cabin and Russia were in there. Judging by the size of each book, yes, they were. In detail.

"Take a seat, Belikov," Adrian instructed. I went towards one of the few single-seater's. "No. Absolutely not. You are not avoiding her, Belikov."
"She's yours, Ivashkov," I tried to rebut. He just shook his head.
"Honour. I had none from moment one. She's yours, Belikov. She's always been yours. You have to know I've always known she's yours and I actively tried to take her because of the idiotic way you treated her. But her aura for the two weeks between the attack and her birthday? It didn't want to be there without yours around. It's one of the worst things I've seen. Her aura reflected her actions- she retreated into herself and her aura copied, retreating back into itself."
"She'd and her aura had been glowing immediately after the attack."

After the cabin, Vasilisa. After I took your best friend to bed and now hold her innocence and virtue as a result. Her blood still lingers in my veins after Russia. Months may have passed, but I can still taste and feel her blood in my mouth and veins.

"Belikov, I ended it with your woman just before collecting you. She should be here in two hours. She has to come in last because she doesn't know how to feel about you. She's all yours but an absolute mess right now, man."
"Dimitri, please. Sit in a love-seat and give her the option to come to you. Your auras are still connected. Please take the step of giving yourself the chance to reconnect with your emotions by reconnecting with her. She is your only way out." That shot me into action. I moved into a love-seat.

Over the following two hours the room started filling. My entire family had been flown out and were the first to enter. That bittersweet reunion had barely calmed when before Guardian Edison Castile entered. He shot me a haughty look to rival Rose's, one that quickly morphed into a look of disappointment and... Betrayal. So. He knew to some extent, too. Clearly. Christian Ozera came in not too long after. Next to enter was Rose's mother... With Abe Mazur. What. The. Heck?! What was zmey doing here? I remembered Rose mention him tailing her around Russia, but what did he have to do with her? Why should that businessman know about Rose's past? Especially if it concerned our illicit and screwed-up romance? Why had he entered with Janine Hathaway? A girl I recognised as human and an Alchemist no less shuffled in behind him. Mia Rinaldi, Rose's ex arch-nemesis, entered next. A girl I'd only met once before entered after- the easily star-struck Jill Mastrano.

Last to enter was Rose, herself. Vasilisa had made sure the last available space was next to me. "Join me, Rose?" I gently and warily offered the spot next to me to an uncharacteristically uncomfortable Rose. "Please?" I retried when she didn't twitch a muscle or bat an eyelash after almost a full minute. Her movements were nearly robotic, stiff and forced, as my ex-student-turned-lover moved to join me.
"Dimitri," her voice was pained as she sat next to me. "Don't cry," she whispered in my ear before wiping away an escaped tear. Her touch burned my skin and I stared at her in shock. "Let's get this over with," she sighed and turned her attention to the rest of the room. "Not now old man," Rose growled at a clearly-intrigued and calculating zmey.
"Some respect, please, little girl," the out-there with his dress sense and logic Moroi returned. Rose gave an exasperated sigh.
"You'll get it from me when you give it to me."
"Rosemarie!" her mother snapped. Janine then looked between the two who were locked in a silent battle of the wills then sighed. "Incorrigible. Both of you," the older and highly-respected guardian sighed in resignation from her spot beside Ibrahim Mazur. What was their deal? Abe and Janine, Abe and Rose and Abe, Janine and Rose? How were they all interconnected?

"Let's get this show on the road!" Adrian broke the building tension. Everyone murmured their agreement before he continued. "As you can see, we have five books in front of us."
"My books," Rose spoke in a hushed undertone but everyone could hear, even the Alchemist. "They're of the last twelve months of my life." The young woman who was a seasoned guardian well before graduation shook her head. "Paul? Could you please join me and your uncle?" Rose opened her arms to the ten year old. He nodded, smiled and said "my pleasure, Aunt Roza." He moved then sat on her lap. "Why'd you leave? Without a goodbye?" my nephew looked at Rose with tears in his eyes. "I missed you!" he cried and snuggled into her chest.
"I had to, Paul. You'll soon know why. I just had to leave," Rose cooed and held Paul until he calmed. As well as herself; I could see her on the verge of tears.

Everyone else in the room was silent throughout the interaction. They'd likely only seen that tenderness come out of Rose when directed at Vasilisa, if they'd seen that side of her at all. I knew better. I'd been the recipient of that tenderness and then some, I'd felt the full power of her innermost tenderness and passion. I should not be thinking of our sex in the cabin right now. I should have better control over my thoughts than I currently did.

"I'll read first," Vika offered when my ex-lover and my nephew had recomposed themselves.
"Thanks Vika. Are we good?" responded Rose. What? Why weren't they on good terms? I had no clue what was going on. I'd known Rose had spent time in Baia, but didn't really know anything about what had happened.
"Yes, we're good!" Vika cheered.
"Alright then, read chapter one of 'Vampire Academy'." Rose then whispered in Paul's ear so low not even I could hear. My nephew laughed, picked up a book from the pile and threw it at his aunt- whom deftly and expertly caught it.

"One..." my littlest sister started. "I felt her fear before I heard her screams."

Rose and Liss shared a look I knew all too well... Something had just shot through the bond.

"Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me out of my own dream, which had had something to do with a beach and some hot guy rubbing suntan oil on me," continued Vika.

Rose sent a pointed look my way out of the corner of her eye while the rest of the St Vlad's gang laughed at her. Did that look say she wanted that to be me, or was it to say that it had been me even before she'd met me? Or was it saying she never wanted that to be me?

"Yeah, yeah. I'm a slut, I know. Read Vika!" Rose was getting too wound up already.
"Not yet, sister," I warned her before turning my attention to the Rose sitting next to me. "Don't listen to them, Rose," I gently advised.

I hoped I didn't sound like her 'zen master' or an ill-timed 'Christmas special'. We locked eyes and something powerful shot between us. She took a breath and moment before nodding and sighing. Her grip on Paul tightened and he directed his aunt to continue. She did after a nod from me.

We received odd looks from those who knew nothing of us and indulgent looks from those who did- Adrian (who was mesmerised by the Alchemist), Vasilisa, Edison, and all my family. That last part surprised me a little. How much time had Rose spent with them and how much of Us had she told them?

"You what?!" Janine screeched. I'd missed a bit in my musings.
"We had no other choice, Mother," Rose growled. Abe smirked.
"Atta gal! I can't say I'm happy about it, but..." Abe usually never trailed off like that unless it was a dangling threat. Which this wasn't, he was being wary and hesitant.
"Yeah. I gathered, zmey. Let the books enlighten the others."
"Okay, Kiz." He turned to my sister and she paled. "Read Viktoria."

What! Oh. No. Now I connect the dots?! Rose was Ibrahim Mazur's daughter. My entire family paled when they learned Rose was in the familial league with the serpent of a businessman. I had missed another little bit while reflecting on the shared traits between Abe and Rose. The next one always seeming worse- and more obvious- than the previous.

"Better than sex," gasps went around the room when Vika quoted that. Rose and I didn't gasp since we knew better. We knew I'd been her first, and likely only judging by the look on her face. And Adrian's and Vasilisa's.
"I've done it once! Once! And it was after this!" she defended. "It's not better. Sex was far better," Rose muttered. I was guessing it was for my benefit. She'd even covered Paul's ears.

"His tail started twitching," Vika continued quoting but Rose quickly interrupted, clearly having thought of something.
"Paul," she prompted and patted his back. He stood. Rose did too. Then, astonishingly, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the kitchen. I let her lead me away since I needed a break from all those judging looks. Just as she did. "Dimitri," she sighed, clearly unsure where to go with whatever she wanted to go with this interaction.
"You did mean for me to hear that comment, didn't you?" I asked non judgmentally. The last thing she needed right now was judgement from me, for obvious reasons. Her eyes flashed with understanding, she knew exactly what comment I was referring to.
"You caught that? You actually caught- and took note of- that?" Rose blushed.
"Rose, we're adults." That only caused her blush to increase. "That is not a night to be ashamed about if it truly is better. Out of all our memories, that is my most powerful. Even with numbed feelings I still know and feel how powerful and special that night was. You, Rose Hathaway, made that night that special for me."
"I meant it, that was far better." She began to reach up, I knew what she wanted so I picked her up to whisper in my ear. "It's even more powerful than a Strigoi bite." I still felt terrible over doing that to the woman, yet she'd just eased it ever so minutely with how sincerely and seriously she'd admitted that. I could do nothing but stare at her in shock, another rediscovered emotion. "It was. It was so much better because there was life and love, true emotions shared and the physical further powered the moment."
"What have you done with Rose Hathaway? Best friend, badass and guardian extraordinaire?" I nearly didn't recognise the woman still clinging to me.
"She's still here. But right now my Comrade is looking at his lovesick Roza."

Oh, that nickname! I didn't know how to respond to that. My body acted before my mind could register. My body was burning from her touch and I needed her, her lips against mine. At their touch, my chest exploded. Everything was unlocked with their meeting while life flowed through and between us. I felt the difference and was overwhelmed by the sensation. All my nerves came alive, and my heart beat faster, harder with all these kinds of kisses had meant before... More importantly my heart hammered with all it meant right now. I was truly forgiven and she had never stopped loving me. I had never stopped loving her, not really, the monster then the guilt had hid it from me.
"You are clueless, Roza. I love you, you clueless woman," I breathed against her lips when we finally pulled back ever-so slightly.
"I love you, Dimitri. So much."

We returned to even more curious looks but shrugged them off. We were still going to hide for as long as possible. "Vika, continue please," I directed once Roza was settled.

"My smile faded," read Vika. I'd seen that Portland dizzy spell from my spot in the trees. I'd also caused those in Russia. "A warm breeze-unseasonably warm for a Portland fall- played with my hair as I leaned out," continued my sister.

"I saw that," I noted loud enough so only Rose could hear. "You looked stunning and my hand had involuntarily twitched at the sight of your hair," I admitted. It made Rose shiver, though she tried to hide it from the others. As lovely as all her other assets were, that beautiful hair kept my gaze locked on her face. As did her reveal-all eyes.

"And a man watching me." Vika had continued reading while I'd been rendering the Rose Hathaway speechless. "This has to be your debut, Dimka!" squealed my sister.
"Bad form Rose, needing a cat to tip you off," Janine noted.
"I believe it's ingenious, Guardian Hathaway, given the circumstances," I looked at Rose, who looked at me with understanding eyes.

It hadn't been one of her finer moments, but it hadn't been one of her worst. We'd seen the other at our best and at our worst. This was one of her somewhere in-between moments, one of many we'd shared together. She'd learnt so much, come so far since then and I couldn't not be proud of her.

"Keep reading, Vika," Rose requested.
Vika continued, "I jerked back in surprise." I'd seen that too, but had been unable to unfreeze. "A figure stood by a tree in the yard, about thirty feet away, where he could easily see through the window. He was close enough that I probably could have thrown something and hit him."
"Really, Rose?" almost the entire room echoed my question but with various different hidden questions.
"Situation assessment, even endorphin addled I managed that. Vika read or we'll still be on this chapter come Christmas."
"He was certainly close enough that he could have seen what Lissa and I had just done," quoted Vika.
"I did. I respected and admired it as the first sign of how dedicated you really are," I whispered in her ear.
"The shadows covered him so well that even with my heightened sight, I couldn't make out any of his features, save for his hight. He was tall. Really tall. He stood there for just a moment..." continued my sister.
"You and your beauty made me freeze, Roza. You made me hesitate," I whispered seriously in her ear but my tone was also slightly husky. Appreciative and respectful, but also slightly lustful.

Rose then just stared at me while a million messages flew between us. A single look had always been powerful and held all the meaning in the world. She was the one my soul called out to even when I didn't want it to. Now all my emotions had been let loose I couldn't stand the thought of losing her, of sending her away- keeping her at arms length. Ignoring her had never worked and now I was back to not wanting to. I didn't want to hide being with her again or any longer, but knew I had to hold out a little while longer. I wanted everyone to know my soul called to hers as hers did to mine, that we were magnetised together by forces bigger than us.

My musings and our eye lock had distracted me from Vika's reading of my Roza's thoughts. The chastising over compulsion use broke me from my reverie.
"Continue, Vika," Mama was the one who instructed this time.

So that's how they'd escaped in the first place, huh. Rosemarie Hathaway, I will never understand how your mind works even if we are each other's open book.

""They won't," I said fiercely. "I won't let them."" continued Vika.
"That worked!" I teased Roza playfully in a hushed voice.
"Shut. Up!" she responded just as playfully and softly. We returned our attention to Vika's reading.
"I made it sound simple. I always did, even though there was nothing simple about being on the run from the people we'd grown up with. We'd been doing it for two years, hiding wherever we could and just trying to finish high school. Our senior year had just started, and living on a college campus had seemed safe. We were so close to freedom.
"She said nothing more, and I felt her faith in me surge up once more. This was the way it always had been between us. I was the one who took action, who made sure things happened- sometimes recklessly so." Vika was interrupted by everyone's murmurs of agreement over my woman's reckless history.
"Almost always recklessly so, love. But it, clearly, pays off," I commented, making sure my volume was at a level only she could hear. "Your bravery and courage are two of the reasons I love you so much, Roza." It was true.

She was so strong, so brave, so courageous in the face of all she'd been through, all I'd put her through. Rose unleashed her flirty and man-eater smile on me and I felt myself falling even deeper in love with her all over again. She'd constantly unleashed that smile on me in training and I doubted she'd registered doing it. I hadn't been immune to that smile. All because I hadn't been immune to her. She really had no clue what she did to me or any of the males around her.

"The pursuing footsteps grew louder, closer." I tuned back into my sister's reading. Rose, my love, you truly do make me forget a world exists and time passing. Vika continued, "God, if we could just make it-
"Ten feet from the car, a man stepped directly into our path. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. It was him,"
"Oh yeah, it was Him alright- my Him, my man," Rose muttered affectionately.
"The moment I actually, finally met my woman, my Roza," I returned the affectionate tone in my murmuring. Rose's soft smile told me she caught it, just as I had hoped she would. No one else in the room did.
"And under different circumstances- say, when he wasn't holding up our desperate escape- I would have thought he was hot." A burst of snickers went through the room at my sister reading my Roza's first impression of me. Even I was sort of stunned by how immediately that thought had formed in her head, but I didn't laugh about it.
"I still think he's hot!" Rose defended, then turned to me, "you're still hot, Comrade."
"And you are beautiful, Rose. You were dangerously beautiful then, and deadly beautiful now," I smiled. I knew I didn't need to return it, she hadn't been fishing for a compliment but I felt the others should hear just how beautiful I thought she was.

Abe sent a warning glare my way, it was a 'don't mess with my daughter Belikov, or your head is mine' glare. Janine looked confused. My family sent indulgent looks our way. As did Vasilisa and Eddie. Adrian look like he wanted to gag. Christian looked at Rose and I weirdly. The Alchemist was trying to remain impassive but a soft look was on her face, too. Jill was simply stunned.

"Read, Vika!" Rose laughed off the looks and my sister returned to reading.
"Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat- a duster, I thought it was called.
"But his hotness was irrelevant now."
"Rose, really? You thought that coat of mine you hate is a part of me you find hot?" I whispered in her ear while Vika continued reading in the background.
"Yeah, yeah, cowboy. And I am kinda missing it right now even though I'm liking the view." Our moment was cut off by comments on Rose's technique of assessing how many guardians we'd had on the retrieval team.
"We thought you had numerous accomplices," I cautiously explained. "But you, Rose Hathaway, are a one woman army." And don't I know it.
"I can kick ass, but I'm not a one woman army, Dimitri!" Roza retorted. "Certainly not back then, anyway. Vika, read."
"Panicked and not entirely in control of my higher reasoning, I acted out of instinct. I pressed up to Lissa, keeping her behind me and away from the one who appeared to be the leader."
"My alpha," Roza lovingly murmured against my ear. I couldn't believe she still saw me that way. If anything, she is, was and always will be the alpha in this relationship.
"... Like I was some rabid animal he was planning to sedate." Vika continued reading while I owned up to Rose about having been slightly scared of her. And of harming her. "I don't think he meant to strike that hard-probably just intended to keep me away- but my lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond... It was going to hurt. A lot.
"Only it didn't."

The people in the room who hadn't been there started guessing at why. Rose and I shared a knowing look.

"Continue please, Vika," Karo instructed.
"Just as quickly as he'd blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm," my hand reached out and grabbed Rose's right forearm while Vika read. Something warm and powerful flowed between that point of contact with my lover, my Roza. Her left hand then moved and covered mine, causing the power between us to increase. "Embarrassed, I shook my hair so that it fell forward and completely covered my neck. I'd grown it out for precisely this reason."
"And it hasn't been cut since because you love it as it is," Rose looked me in the eye as she sexily whispered. Vika had kept reading and everyone else had ignored yet another of our powerful moments.
"I love you more," I returned, maintaining eye contact.

"Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind," Vika read and preemptive gasps went around the room. "Coming across the bond. It wasn't exactly compulsion- she wouldn't use that on me- but it was just as effectual, as was the fact we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tension left my body, and I sagged in defeat.
"Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Lissa. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which surprised me considering his height. "My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess." And that's it for chapter one," concluded Vika.
"I hear that accent in my dreams. Have done for a long while now," admitted Rose in a seductive purr only I could hear.