Author Note: So here we go guys. I told you I'll post my own version of Spirit bound as soon as I read Blood promise.

I really hope you'll enjoy it, you can find the playlist for the blood promise/Spirit bound on my profile.

I also would like to take a minute to thanks Megan for taking the type to beta the story, she is fantastic.

And thanks to my friends that I keep harassing with my 'little' VA obsession.

Don't forget to review!!

Take care =D

Chapter 1

"You wouldn't," I said to Dimitri as we were standing in the middle of the room.

"Try me!" He snarled tightening his grip around Lissa's neck. "I'm strigoi remember?"

"But what's the point?" I asked taking an offensive stand, not really knowing how I could attack him and make him let go of Lissa before she got hurt. She would run away and I would probably end up killed but that was not even relevant.

"Fun? Challenge? Revenge? Pleasure?" He shrugged still holding Lissa. "You pick… your guess is as good as mine." He said with his now usual humorless and cold laugh.

"You don't want to do that" I said in a silly attempt to resurrect a tiny part of my Dimitri.

"I told you…That moroi is no concern of mine anymore. Only you are." He said jaw locked.

"Please…Please don't hurt her. I'll…I'll do anything." I added with defeat, raising my hands in surrender and letting go of my fighting stance.

"No Rose don't." Lissa whimpered and Dimitri growled tightening his grip around her neck.

"I have some questions before," he said repeating the exact words I used when he held me hostage.

I looked at him without a word as an invitation to continue.

"Would it have changed anything?" He asked cocking his head to the side.

"Would what?" I asked confused.

"If I told you that I loved you on that bridge…Would you have joined me?" He asked with such a neutral voice that it actually gave me a chill.

"Would you have meant it?" I asked expectantly, my heart racing. That was the question that kept me awake, eating me up inside.

"Does it matter?" He asked with his still cold voice.

I sighed. I was almost convinced strigoi couldn't love anyways. "If you let her go… I'll join you." I said with my head held high.

"Rose…" Sobbed Lissa.

Dimitri looked at me for a minute and laughed. "You know what it doesn't matter anymore." He said seriously. "You staked me twice and I think you deserve a little punishment before I awaken you. You'll understand then, but I think your last minutes of pure agony will be punishment enough."

"Why---" I started but he broke Lissa's neck.

I screamed with all I had. The pain I felt was almost impossible to bear and that's when I jumped out of bed screaming and kicking with my hair stacked with sweat.

It was just a nightmare I thought breathless. Just a terrible horrific nightmare. I added to myself getting off the bed in need of a shower.

I looked at the clock beside my bed and sighed, still two hours before breakfast and I didn't deal with being alone that well these days. It gave me time to think and it was breaking my heart. Too many questions and so much incertitude. I was back four days now and it was my first night back to the dorms that was probably why I was shaken...I was just so confused about everything.

Once under the shower I started to feel better, feeling the burning water on my back made me think of the contrast with Dimitri's icy cold hand, causing me to shiver.

And I was asking myself the same question that I was asking since Dimitri hit the dark water. If I gave him the chance after that will he have said 'I love you too' and more importantly would he have meant it?

I didn't realize that I was crying as the hot water was running down my face. Damn this experience was supposed to make me stronger, I thought I killed the love of my life. I say 'thought' because I failed…twice! But I was not stronger, a part of me was weaker…I realized that even the great Rose Hathaway had her weaknesses. I almost turned the blood whore of a strigoi… Hell I did turn into the blood whore of a strigoi!! And now that I realized he wasn't dead I could feel that weakness in me, that weakness I didn't know was there before.

I dried quickly and dressed for training as I was supposed to meet Alberta to train in an hour now. I still couldn't believe that she decided to put the effort to help me graduate. Well I guessed Zmey senior was a part of it but still, she had been kind and sad for my loss I needed to ask her about that.

Zmey…My father. I thought looking at myself in the mirror I recognized his eyes in mine, his skin tone, even his angry sarcastic smile was the same as mine. Now that I knew the truth it seemed almost impossible to ignore our genetic connection.

I turned around and let my eyes roam to the desk where Dimitri's note was. I brushed the envelope with my fingertips which made my heart ache. I couldn't grieve anymore, I knew for sure he was still walking around…probably plotting my death but shamefully that was not what disturbed me the most.

No what was disturbing me was that I maybe had a chance to save him. I knew it was total utopia and that even if I managed to get all the settings right (which was almost impossible) Robert Duros was probably totally insane by now if not dead and it could also very easily be a lie. So every part of my logical self said to drop it, to be prepared for when Dimitri comes for me and this time end it…by his death or mine. But there was this small part of me, this tiny but powerful part, that kept telling me that I had to keep hoping that there still was some hope. As small as it was, I knew deep down that this minor hint of hope could very well kill me.

I sighed heavily, deciding to run laps before joining Alberta for training. That was at least a lesson given by Dimitri I didn't forget. When you didn't have any weapons to defend yourself what should you do? RUN!! and boy did it help me during my 5 weeks away.

My legs were starting to hurt badly as I only started my third lap that was insane!! Only 6 weeks without training, a week as a blood whore, and some good ( already healed) beatings. I was almost back to the starting point. I felt like I did last September… incompetent.

"Don't use all your strength Rose…You'll need it with me." Alberta shouted from the other side of the track where the gym was.

I ran to meet her, I really didn't know what to expect of a training session with Alberta Petrov.

"It's okay Guardian Petrov I need the exercise." I said dismissively.

She looked at me thoughtfully and I could see the sorrow deep in her eyes before she could hide it again.

We walked into the gym and it was stupid of me not to expect the shooting pain that over powered me when I looked around.

I hoped I was doing my best to hide the pain from my face but I didn't think I fooled her as she just stood there without talking letting me time to be myself again.

You know how they say your life flashes in front of your eyes when you are about to die well it was exactly what happened here except that it was the moments with Dimitri that flashed before my eyes, every fight, every touch, every kiss, every laughter and except that I was not dying...not physically at least.

My heart was aching in my chest like…Like I was having an heart attack. Who would have thought that a broken heart could literally hurt?

After a little while, I took a deep breath stood straighter, concentrating on Alberta again.

She was kind enough to ignore my reaction and talked like I didn't go in 'weirdo mode' for the past 5 minutes or so.

"Well I think you should train with more than one guardian you know, adapt to more than one method." she said sitting down on a bench patting the spot beside her.

"I bet you have so many volunteers" I said sitting.

She had a small smile playing on her lips "Actually I did get two." She said shooting me a sidelong glance.

"Really?" I asked honestly surprised.

She nodded. "Guardian Alto and…" I was about to interrupt but the second name shut me down, "Guardian Hathaway."

"Guardian… my mom? But what about her charge??" I asked completely dumbfounded. That was so not like my mother to stay behind.

"Yeah she managed to get assigned here for a while and I think that they knew it was useless to argue with someone as stubborn as she is." She chuckled. "I guess you know where you got that from."

I couldn't help but smile, my mother was a stubborn, controlling wiseass and my father was the same with a little addition of criminal… I never stood a chance… It was their fault if I was full of attitude and sarcasm, it was genetic.

"You know what…Maybe it's better if we start everything tomorrow." She stood up. "I'll work out a schedule and give it to you tomorrow ok?" She said before awkwardly squeezing my shoulder.

She turned around to leave but I couldn't help to ask. "How did you find out?" I blurted out.

She turned around and knew exactly what I was talking about. She took a deep breath and thought for a little while. "I guess a part of me always knew," she said quietly. "I knew… Dimitri a long time…" She said and I could see she used his first name for my benefit only and it was very nice of her. "I met him once when he was still a student and I crossed paths with him during his years as a guardian and there were always walls around him, he always had his guard up and when he lost his charge." Alberta shook her head. "He seemed tortured deep down but once you two started training I could see some subtle changes in him he seemed less tortured, so much more at peace and even happy and you…Oh Rose…" She smiled sadly. "I could see it in your eyes." She took a deep breathe "Then…Then we had the kidnapping and he was frantic, so much more than what a mentor should feel and part of me knew right then that he loved you so so much too."

I just looked at her not knowing what to say. I was not sure I could even speak, I just bit my bottom lip looking at her trying my best to contain my tears.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she added before exiting the gym.

I stayed there a little while longer looking around and trying to look good enough to join the others for breakfast as even if they tried to hide it they were worrying about me. I could feel it from Lissa, read it in Adrian's eyes and if the great Janine Hathaway decided to stay around it had to be the reason.

I walked slowly back to the commons. Now students were starting to move around I couldn't help but sigh to the not so discreet sidelong glances full of questions that they were giving me.

Some of the rumors were just crazy and some were funny. Some said that I just couldn't deal with the aftermath of the battle and needed to get institutionalized for a while. Others said I went rogue and left to hunt strigoi like Faith in Buffy the vampire slayer (not so wrong) and my personal favorite, I was such a bad ass that I went in an infiltration mission as a spy for the secret service.

Well I'd rather them think I was a spy or a rogue slayer or even psychotic than what I really was…a failure to my one promise and a temporary blood whore.

As soon as I made it to the table and saw Lissa smile I felt better it was like the part of my heart that belonged to her helped numb the part that used to, and still, belonged to Dimitri.

I barely reached my seat when she spoke.

"Rose I need you to help me." She said and I could feel the worry irradiating from her.