Sometimes, it felt like each moment was a lifetime. All I was doing was biding time, day in and day out, until I could eventually be free. The only reason I took this job was because I was promised that freedom would come eventually. It was too insane to believe, guardians never had that gift, but what other choice did I have?

When Victor had hired me, I had been on the verge of a dishonorable discharge from my previous employment. Apparently, the boss's daughter was off limits. It didn't matter that she had propositioned me first, I was somehow expected to decline her generous offer without actually disobeying her. Not that I had any inclination to go against this particular wish. It was like a bonus, considering how low my salary was. Not to mention the extra perk of sticking-it-to-the-man...or to his daughter to be more precise.

I wasn't heartbroken leaving that household, though I was intrigued as to why one of the highest ranking royals, and a Prince of all people, was seeking out a good for nothing guardian who had a habit of getting into trouble. His answer had left me speechless. He had sought me out because he knew I was less than content with my position in life, the position of all guardians, and he wanted to change that. My new guardian partner, Ben, was of a similar mindset as I was. We both had our tragic back stories, but both had left us bitter to the way our world works. He was the one who finally convinced me to accept the position.

Ben told me that Prince Victor, though he appeared weak, was actually in a position to make a significant change in the lives of guardians. He was the one most likely to take the throne until his disease took hold. The Moroi world had given up on him, but he never settled for being looked over. If he were a healthy man, he would be able to take the throne as planned. His niece, Vasilisa, was the key to his health.

Prince Victor spun a fantastical story of a long lost element of magic called Spirit. It was apparently able to do many unbelievable things, but the particular skill we needed was its healing ability. Unfortunately, the element of Spirit had essentially been struck from the history books due to its power and the consequences of its use. Many Spirit users were unaware of their specialty, and most that Victor did know of and those who understood how to use it were just shy of mad. Thankfully, there was one Spirit user, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, that was not only a Spirit user, but had such a strong ability with healing that she had brought someone back from death, binding the two together for life.

Her bond-mate was the only one standing in our way now. For such an unruly child, she had quite the habit of upsetting Victor's plans. We had spent nearly two years searching for the pair after Rosemarie had broken them free from the confines of St. Vladimir Academy, and they had only recently been discovered and apprehended. They were both back at school. Not only did we have to deal with the pseudo-guardian, we had to deal with Vasilisa's actual guardian. The plan was to kidnap both girls, using Vasilisa to heal Victor, and using Rosemarie to heal Vasilisa. The biggest issue was how we were going to accomplish this.

That was why we were here now, at the Academy. We were gathering information and making plans to take the two girls. I must admit that the prospect of two teenage girls joining the household was less than ideal. Victor's daughter, Natalie, was the same age as the other girls and she was a headache more than anything else. However, the moment I saw Rosemarie Hathaway, or Rose, as she preferred to be called, I began warming up to the idea. She was undeniably attractive, and rumor had it that she was more than willing. I was eager to learn the truth, first hand.

After a week or so of watching her – in practice, in class, and during her limited free time – it became apparent that I wasn't the only one who had taken a keen eye to her. I don't know how he had managed to keep it quiet so far, because it was almost painfully obvious to anyone truly paying attention, but her mentor and soon-to-be guarding partner, the famed Guardian Belikov, was twisted around Hathaway's finger.

Dimitri Belikov was my age, but you wouldn't know it by how he acted. He was one of those guardians who did everything by the book; straight-laced and without questioning authority. His reputation preceded him and news of his position as the lead guardian to the Last Dragomir was spread far and wide within our ranks. Oh, but Mr. Can-Do-No-Wrong apparently had an Achilles' Heel in the form of his little student. His still-a-minor student. Mr. Perfect wasn't quite as perfect as everyone made him out to be.

From the frustration that seemed to be constantly radiating from him, it seemed like Rose had yet to put out. Little minx was probably milking this for all it was worth and I wondered how much longer he could go before cracking under pressure. This off-grounds trip would be the perfect chance to test his limit.

After introductions were made and plans were formulated, we piled into the school van. Ben sat up front with Guardian Stan Alto, who I thoroughly enjoyed annoying while I was here. I had never quite forgiven him for the torture he had inflicted on me during my education at St. Vladimir's, and since I was a private guardian rather than a school guardian, he wasn't able to pull rank on me. I chose to forgo the empty seat in the middle sections with Victor and the slew of teenagers, and instead slipped into the back row, pressing young Rose closer to her clueless Russian.

He continued his explanation to her about the trip and how we would be working today, but I didn't miss the slight catch in his voice as her body brushed against his in an effort to settle herself in the middle seat.

Rose nodded, apparently oblivious to how her close proximity set Belikov on edge. "She's supposed to have two guardians. Princes and Princesses always do."

I spoke up, catching her attention by placing a hand on her knee. Without Dimitri beside her, I might have pressed my luck a little higher. "Don't worry, she'll have plenty when the time comes. Dimitri's already one of them. Odds are you'll be one too. And that's why you are here today." I knew he had encouraged her attendance as a so-called training exercise, but both were unaware that we would be watching them as much as they were watching Vasilisa.

She looked back towards us with a questioning glance, "The training part?"

"Yep!" I shot a grin towards Belikov over her head, playing into his ruse. "You're going to be Dimitri's partner."

I reveled in the awkward silence fell that followed. I could see a light pink flush crawl up Rose's neck, confirming that Dimitri wasn't the only player in this illicit affair.

Belikov coughed slightly, breaking the tension. "Guarding partner," he clarified, shooting me a subtle glare.

"Yep," I smirked, quietly challenging him. You wanna play man? It's on.

Belikov's jaw clenched, obviously biting back his growing anger towards me.

I ignored him and went on to explain a few different methods to partner guard, glossing over them all except the near-far guard set up. One guardian stood close, keeping direct protection, while the other allowed some distance and surveyed the general area for incoming threats. Ben and I used this method, and it seemed like the logical one that he would teach Rose.

"You'll probably always be near guard," he explained. "You're female and the same age as the princess. You can stay close without attracting attention."

It wasn't likely that Rose could go anywhere without attracting at least some attention, and I wondered if Dimitri would actually be watching his charge...or his partner.

"And I can't ever take my eyes off her...or you." Rose sounded like she was reciting from a text book, but what she had said mirrored my own thoughts so well, I let a small laugh escape me.

She didn't seem to notice, but you can bet the Russian did. He tossed me another sharp glare so I quickly changed the subject.

"You've got a star student there. Did you give her a stake?"

"No. She's not ready," He replied, stoically.

Rose head fell back against the seat as she let out an exasperated sigh. This was obviously a sore point between them. "I would be if someone would show me how to use one."

Oh Sweetheart, I thought, surprised that he hadn't even begun to teach her stake work yet, when I get my hands on you, I'll teach you how to handle a stake...and a few other things for that matter.

Dimitri's voice interrupted my train of thought. "More to it than just using the stake," he said, sounding more professional than he had a moment before. "You've still got to subdue them. And you've got to bring yourself to kill them."

I was intrigued by what he said. I had yet to come against my first Strigoi, but I couldn't imagine that killing them would be hard once you had them subdued. It was what we trained for our entire lives. It was what was expected of us.

"Why wouldn't I kill them?" Rose asked, silently voicing my own question.

"Some Strigoi used to be Moroi who purposely turned. Sometimes they're Moroi or dhampirs turned by force. It doesn't matter. There's a strong chance you might know one of them. Could you kill someone you know?"

The silence in the air was heavy. I knew it wasn't impossible, but I have never thought about what would happen if I came across someone in that form that I had known before. I didn't consider myself close with anyone – I have long abandoned personal relationships with others after being burned too many times – but I would guess that it would be a shock to see someone I recognized.

"I guess so. I'd have to, right? If it's them or Lissa..." She gestured to the blonde spirit user.

"You still might hesitate, and that hesitation could kill you. And her."

"Then how do you make sure you don't hesitate?"

"You have to keep telling yourself that they aren't the same people you knew. They've become something dark and twisted. Something unnatural. You have to let go of attachments and do what is right. If they have any grain of their former selves left, they'll probably be grateful." The grave note in his voice made it clear that he was talking from experience.

"Grateful for me killing them?" I couldn't see her face, but I could hear a bit of disbelief in her tone.

Dimitri sighed before turning to face her a little better. Rose mimicked his action, turning her back to me.

"If someone turned you into a Strigoi," he asked, "what would you want?"

She hesitated, perhaps wanting to avoid the depressing thought. He continued to press her though.

"What would you want if you knew you were going to be converted into a Strigoi against your will? If you knew you would lose all sense of your old morals and understanding of what's right and wrong? If you knew you'd live the rest of your life – your immortal life – killing innocent people? What would you want?"

I didn't know how I would answer, and for a moment I was very glad that the question wasn't directed towards me. A part of me was thrilled at the idea of immortality and the power and freedom it would give, but the cost of it was too high. The thought of killing innocent people for my own survival made me sick.

"If I became Strigoi...I'd want someone to kill me," Rose whispered.

Dimitri's typically emotionless face softened a bit at her words. "So would I," he replied.

There was an odd feeling, like a wall was built around them in that moment. I'm fairly sure they forgot the rest of us were even here.

Finally, it clicked. He's more screwed than I realized, I thought to myself. He actually loves her.

We finally arrived in Missoula around 11am. Rose and I took the two positions near the group, while Ben, Stan, and Dimitri created a perimeter. Ben and I occasionally spoke through the radio, but Alto pointedly ignored us and Dimitri was apparently too focused on Rose – who was the only one without a radio – to bother paying attention unless it was an emergency. He didn't even notice when Ben and I switched positions an hour or so later. He was staring at his bubbly little charge and his pseudo-partner as they flipped through the clothing racks again and again.

"She's doing a great job you know." I commented, breaking the silence. "You've done a good job training her. She'll be a fine guardian at some point." She really was doing a great job, better than most would expect at her age, but I still couldn't help the hint of indignation of it all. She didn't even understand the life she was walking in to.

"Thanks. I have to admit though, I simply taught her the techniques, she had the heart and dedication before I ever met her." The pride in his voice was evident, and it did nothing to sooth my resentment. He had been guarding long enough, he should know what this life cost us, yet he was doing nothing to stop it. He was actually doing the exact opposite and training others to live this way. I carefully quieted the growing rage and tried to get more information about Rose, like Victor had asked me to.

"Still, it must be nice to train your eventual partner. It looks like it has made you two close."

He cocked an eyebrow at me suspiciously. He had to know by now that I was on to him and the not-so-innocent relationship I suspected he had with his little student.

I gave him a smirk but didn't say anything else. I was honestly curious about how he had managed to keep it a secret thus far when it was plain as day to me. With his radio mic still on, he would need to be even more careful.

His jaw twitched for a moment while he chose his next words carefully. "It has its benefits."

I couldn't help smiling like a fool as I imagined those extra benefits he was enjoying.

He quickly shut my unspoken thoughts down though as he continued, "We've had an opportunity to build our communication and trust before entering the field. I'm grateful for the opportunity and it will be interesting to see how our educational relationship impacts our professional one in the future."

"Ahh, I see, " I grinned, silently adding Whatever you say... "Either way, if the stories are true she has come quite a way from the nightmare she was a few years ago. Victor is planning on picking up something for her to congratulate her on her first day."

It was barely noticeable, but I could see him stand a little straighter as the wheels started spinning in his head. I had no clue what fire my comment had sparked, but I saw him switch his focus from Rose and Lissa towards Natalie.

After several moments, she picked up on his attention too. When he gently waved her over to us, away from the rest of the party, she flicked her eyes to me for approval and I nodded. I was insanely curious to see what he was planning now. Even more so when he suddenly switched off his mic to speak to her.

I was just far enough that I couldn't quite understand what he was whispering to Natalie, but I saw him hand her a few bills before he caught my eye and nodded in her direction, silently asking me to keep an eye on her.

Within moments, Natalie was stepping into a make-up store. She was in and out before five minutes had passed. I caught her arm as she walked by me.

"What did he ask you to pick up?"

"A gift for Rose," she said sweetly, though her clueless-ness soured that charm a bit. "Nothing much, just a tube of lip gloss, but he knew the exact brand and color she uses."

"How observant of him."

"I'd say so. He'd have to be paying pretty close attention to know a detail like this. I'm not even sure Lissa would know exactly what type Rose likes. Then again, he is good guardian, not to mention her mentor. They spend enough time together, perhaps he simply noticed..."

"Yeah, perhaps." I cut off her impending rant. It wasn't likely to be simple observation. I don't care how well trained he was, you didn't learn something as trivial as make-up preference without purposefully paying attention.

I watched as Natalie handed Belikov the bag, and he quickly tucked it away into his jacket. When I looked towards Ben across the room, I could see that he had watched the whole thing unfold and the question on his face was obvious.

I tapped my temple, subtly indicating that I had an idea.

Ben heard the message loud and clear, bending down to whisper the news in Victor's ear. He looked pleased and suggested that our group grab a small bite to eat.

Dimitri and Stan offered to keep a distant post while the rest of us ate, and it was easy to convince the group of teenage girls to sit at one table while Victor, Ben, and I took the one beside it.

With the rest of the group sufficiently distracted, the three of us quickly got down to business.

"So Spiridon, Ben tells me you might have some useful information for me."

"I do, Sir. I think I might have a way to get Rose out of our way, and more importantly, it should get Guardian Belikov out of the picture too."

Victor looked intrigued and slightly surprised, but I could already see Ben fitting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"He does seem to pay close attention to his little student, doesn't he?" Ben questioned suggestively, as the Victor realized the full potential of the observation. "Perhaps the two of them just need a little push?"

Victor's smile curled deviously. "Yes, and I think I know just the trick."

Victor wanted a personal confirmation of the relationship between Rose and Belikov before setting the plan in motion. Watching how the guardian tucked his sleeping student under his arm for the ride home should have been more than enough, but he apparently took it a step further as we returned to campus. Not only did he get what he needed to confirm our suspicions of the duo, it also provided the perfect opportunity to test the healing abilities of the young princess. We had yet to truly see her in action, despite all of our attempts with the wounded animals.

Dimitri had tried to brush off his cozy position with little Rose, but I could tell he was starting to get annoyed with me. Our conversation was quickly silenced when we both watched Rose preform minor acrobatics on the benches lining the walkway. One thing was for certain, she would never leave me wanting for entertainment.

"Hey," I called, laughing at her over exaggerated dismount. "You're still on duty, no fun allowed up there!"

"No fun here!" She called back, rushing towards her next conquest. "I swear – shit!"

Rose disappeared from view so quickly, it surprised even me. Her scream tugged at the instincts burned into me while I was young and I rushed nearly as quickly to her side as Belikov. I held Vasilisa back as he tore at the bench like a mad man, exposing her severely broken ankle. My stomach rolled at the sight of the exposed bone.

We wanted Lissa to heal Rose, we needed solid proof of her abilities, but we also needed to make sure it happened at the right time. If others realized she was spontaneously healed, then Vasilisa's special talent could be exposed and Victor's entire plan would be blown.

It was pretty easy to see that the ankle was useless; the bone was peeking out of the compound fracture. A glaring white against blood and flesh. I glanced towards Victor and Ben, who were both eerily calm about the whole situation, and confirmed they had seen the injury. A few seconds later, an obliviously frantic Belikov had swooped the now unconscious girl into his arms and was running towards the school's clinic. Vasilisa followed close behind and I took off after her.

I didn't enter the room though. I watched from the hallway as they set Rose up on a cot, and I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her. She was an unwilling test subject in this experiment and to say that she was suffering the consequences of it all was an understatement. Her head thrashed side to side on the pillow, and small, incoherent whimpers of pain were mumbled through her lips. It was obvious that she had yet to be healed.

Both Dimitri and Lissa seemed distraught over her injury, but they also eyed one another warily. It was painfully, almost awkwardly obvious that they were both hiding something from the other. Finally, I saw the Princess lay her hand on Rose's leg and almost immediately, Rose quieted down.

I guess I expected something more grand, but if you didn't know any better, you would have no clue that Rose was being miraculously healed by some long-forgotten magic. It would work in our favor though, and I'm sure that Victor would be eager to hear of this update.

As soon as Lissa removed her hand and Rose had fallen asleep, I raced back towards guest housing. Victor and Ben were waiting – not so patiently – for my report.

"Well?"

"I can't be sure yet, but I'm fairly positive that Vasilisa healed Rose. We'll know for sure soon. Better yet, she did it right in front of both me and Belikov. Unless you knew what to be looking for, you couldn't tell what was going on. Dimitri didn't notice a thing."

Victor smiled, looking pleased at the development. "Wonderful. That could come in handy. We need proof though." He reached behind him, grabbing the necklace that he had purchased this afternoon and handing it to me. "I've placed a charm on this. The moment he touches her, as long as she's wearing this, they'll be...busy. It's designed to only work between them, and it should be quite strong. Guardian Belikov's heightened emotions this evening have made it particularly easy to create the charm."

I opened the small box, admiring the rose shaped diamond necklace. It was a tad on the nose, but beautiful none-the-less. It's a shame that it would be put to work behind closed doors because it was certain to look amazing on Dimitri's little student.

"Make sure she gets that." Victors command pulled me from my wondering.

"I will. How do we know that it won't trigger before we need it to?"

Victor gave one last look at the pricy necklace before I closed the velvet lid. "Something tells me she'll save it for a special event. Now go, she should be waking soon."

I had just gotten to the lobby of the clinic as Dimitri and Vasilisa were leaving the room where I had seen Rose last. I rushed their way, closing the distance in just a few steps. "Hey, how is she?"

"No official word yet, but they did give her something for the pain and she's resting. The doctor is looking her over now." Dimitri was practically an open book for the moment. He could hardly pull his eyes from the exam room.

"It looked like a really bad break. I hope it doesn't take too long to heal. I may not know her very well, but I'm pretty sure she's not one to sit still during recovery."

He smiled like an idiot and I knew I had hit the mark. Rose wasn't a "lie back and take it" kind of girl. She was active, she was stubborn, she was...feisty. I was starting to see how she could get under Belikov's skin.

Vasilisa was still pacing outside the door, so I knew I wouldn't get to see Rose tonight. We still had several other key elements to put into place for tomorrow, so I would leave it up to Belikov to make sure the necklace made it into the right hands. Let's just hope Victor was right and they didn't get too excited tonight.

"I should probably get going, but I wanted to make sure she is alright and drop something off from Prince Victor. It's just a little gift for when she wakes up."

Dimitri's eyes lit up in recognition. "Thank you, I'm sure she'll love the surprise." He glanced towards Lissa and gave a little hum. "Would you mind escorting the Princess to her room?"

I nodded but I could hear the girl start her protest. Dimitri quieted her fears. "Don't worry Vasilisa, I'll stay with her until she wakes. You should get some sleep though, you can hardly stand up as it is."

I took her arm as she started to yawn and lead her out of the clinic. The closer we got to her dorms, the more I could feel her leaning on my arm. We were only half way there and I was practically carrying her.

"Are you alright, Princess?"

She didn't answer, staring out into the distance of the setting sun yet looking like she couldn't see anything at all.

"Princess?"

She still didn't say anything, and it wasn't until I placed my hand on her shoulder that she seemed to return from the recesses of her mind. She jumped slightly and looked up at me as if she had entirely forgotten I was there.

"Oh! I'm sorry, did you say something?"

I cocked an eyebrow, wondering if we should turn around and head back to the clinic.

"I asked if you were alright..."

"Oh, um...Yes. I'm fine. Just tired." She let out another yawn. "Really tired."

I wasn't even able to offer a reply before she was zoning out again. Not knowing what else to do, I guided her the rest of the way to her room and reluctantly left her to get herself into bed. I briefly debated about telling Victor about her sudden change in demeanor, but it had been a long day. Maybe she really was just tired.

Everything was in place. Victor, Ben, and I had made sure of it. There were several other guardians, like minded allies that we had picked up over the years, standing in the wings. Our Air user was ready to play his part if needed. Now...it was time to wait.

I was on the roster to watch Lissa today. After her breakdown the night we returned from the shopping trip, it had been mandated that she be monitored 24-7. Initially, we had thought it was an issue, but it actually ended up being a great opportunity. Several guardians were asked to take shifts watching her, since Alberta was human enough not to force Belikov to follow her around all day, every day. All I needed to do was graciously offer to take Dimitri's place the night of the dance so he could have the evening off. Guardian Petrov was only too eager to agree.

The other perk to Princess Vasilisa's increased watch was that we were instructed NOT to make her aware of her supervision. She had no idea that I was keeping my eyes on her. Now I just needed to find a way to get her away from the other students. That was my task tonight.

We were so close. The guardian keeping an eye on her would tail her to the dance and then I'd take over. It seemed like our task would be even easier since not only was Dimitri taking the night off, Lissa had basically outcast Rose and she wouldn't be in the way either. Part of me almost felt bad for Belikov. It seemed like he wouldn't get to enjoy Victor's gift.

It was about an hour into the dance and I was still looking for a way to get the Princess out of there. She was sticking with a small group of friends, and I wanted to be sure that everyone saw that she was here at one point. The longer we could have people unaware that she was missing, the longer we would have to put distance between us and this school.

I caught a bit of movement in my peripheral vision, near the entrance, and my eyes automatically took it in. Instincts brought on by my guardian training, but this time I didn't mind one bit. Rose was...hot. Incredibly, unbelievably, and unapologetically hot. I knew my eyes weren't the only ones watching as she walked in, and most of the guys weren't even trying to hide their stares.

Her little black dress barely made it mid-thigh and made those toned legs go on forever. I may not like the man very much, but damn, props to Belikov on his work. His girl was defiantly keeping it tight. Between those legs, that hair, and that damn dress, my job of focusing on the Princess just got a whole lot harder.

They kept their distance for a while but eventually, Rose made her way to the person I was supposed to be watching. She grabbed this little blonde girl, pulling the child away from her tantrum at Lissa and shared some words of her own. Out of nowhere, she reared back and punched her. The other girl practically flew into another student from the force of the hit.

"Oh shit!" My exclamation came out as a surprised laugh. I had to hand it to her, Rose might be crazy, but I liked her style.

Several guardians, including myself, ran towards Rose and the tiny Moroi girl. As we got closer, I realized that no matter how much younger the blonde looked, she had the mouth of a sailor. I couldn't blame her though, it looked like Rose had easily broken her nose. It was going to be a bitch to get a good plastic surgeon in the middle of nowhere.

Rose stopped fighting as soon as a few of the other guardians restrained her and started to lead her out of the dance. The headmistress tried to calm the rest of the party, but it was obvious that this would be what everyone remembered from the night. In the chaos, I lost Lissa and just before I started to panic, I heard Rose call out. It wasn't a protest of any sort, but a message.

"Christian! Go after her. Hurry!"

Following her eyes, I saw the dark-haired brooding boy who I had caught watching the Princess more than once over the course of the night. He turned and took off running towards the back exit, and all I could assume was that he somehow knew where Lissa was or where she was going.

I tore after him, keeping enough distance between us so that he wouldn't realize that I was tracking him. I was a bit surprised when the chapel came into view, but he continued to stride in as if he owned the place. It was only when he reached a small, unassuming door off to the side of the main hall, half hidden by a decorative screen, that he looked to see if anyone else was around.

His eyes passed over me, hidden behind a column, before he opened the door and disappeared through it. I gave him a moment before opening it myself, just enough to see that it was a long staircase leading upwards.

Pulling my phone out from my pocket, and making sure that the door closed silently, I sent a text to Ben.

Chapel attic. There's one male Moroi with her. He won't be an issue.

I knew that he and the others would be coming within minutes. This would be the last moment of quiet before all hell broke loose. Once we had Lissa, we needed to get to the SUVs as soon as possible. If we were lucky, we would have eight to twelve hours before anyone noticed she was missing, but there was always the chance that we would have only an hour or two.

I took a deep breath, savoring the moment before hearing the slight creek of the large wooded chapel doors. I pulled myself out of view, but stepped out when I saw Ben and the others making their entrance. I didn't know the three other men with him, but to be perfectly frank, I didn't care. I'd learned a while ago that you shouldn't get attached to your fellow guardians. They never lasted long. Sure, I had a camaraderie with Ben after working with him over the years, but my emotions would be limited to annoyance if he died. It wasn't exactly easy to train a new partner. I unsympathetic as it seemed, I knew Ben felt the same way about me.

He nodded his recognition as I led his way to the door. We cleared the stairwell and made out way up as quietly as five full grown men in a 100 year old church reasonably could. A second door at the top was partially closed, but it was so battered that we were able to see right through the planks.

Lissa seemed anxious, pacing the floor and gesturing wildly even though I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. The boy – Christian, as Rose had called him – seemed to be trying in vain to calm her. He finally was able to step in front of her pacing, holding her by the shoulders to physically stop her in her tracks. With their attention wholly focused on one another, and no other signs of another subject in the room, this was the chance we were waiting for.

I held three fingers up, quickly and rhythmically lowering them one at a time. On the final beat, I kicked out, breaking the old door and surprising the pair. Ben and I held back as the other three pressed forward.

Christian admirably stepped in front of the girl, using his body as a shield, flames shooting from his fingertips, but it took all of two seconds to dispatch him with a quick strike to the head. It was a shame really; I think Victor would have like the fact that he was willing to use his magic in defense. But we were given strict instructions. Nobody else would be tagging along tonight. One of the other guardians slowly approached Lissa as she stared between us and Christian in horror.

"Princess, it's alright. We're guardians. We're here to take you somewhere safe. You have no reason to worry." He spoke quietly, holding his hands out to show that he meant no harm. Truly, we didn't. Victor needed her alive. That didn't mean we wouldn't do whatever was necessary to make sure she came with us.

"Chris...what did you do to Christian?" She looked like a skittish deer, moments away from bolting.

"He'll be fine. He's just sleeping. We just needed to neutralize the threat. He could have hurt you both. Please come with us."

"No!" The panic was starting to overwhelm her again as she started looking towards the door. I could already see the plan forming her mind, and so could my partner.

Ben slipped a gag over Lissa's mouth, muffling her cries for help. She struggled, but was no match against him.

I quickly checked Christian's pulse, and it was still strong. He'd have a killer headache, but he'd be just fine. I wasn't opposed to killing when necessary, but it would be overkill to take the boy out without cause. He hadn't seen mine or Ben's face so he wouldn't be able to identify us, and he shouldn't have any idea who the others were. Recognition wouldn't be an issue with Lissa. She was coming with us.

As the princess was loaded over one of the grunt's shoulders and carried down the staircase, I could see the fear in her eyes. A part of me felt bad for her. She hadn't personally done anything to deserve this sort of treatment. There was a small portion of me that still wondered if she would have helped our cause willingly if Victor had explained things to her, but he had been adamant that she wouldn't understand, at least not yet. He was sure that she would see reason in time.

Until then, she was a means to an end and I needed to keep that at the forefront of my mind. Her capture meant my eventual freedom.

Lissa struggled through most of the ride to the cabin. Victor had secured this hideaway specifically for this reason, purchasing it in cash a few months back. There shouldn't be any record of this place, should the other guardians eventually figure out that Victor was the one holding the Last Dragomir, and as soon as we turned on to the private street we should be nearly impossible to find.

The moment we removed her gag, she started questioning us. Her eyes flit around to all of us, but Victor seemed to garner most of her attention.

"Why are you doing this?" she pleaded. "What's going on?"

"Come, child. Do you think I'd seriously hurt you?" Victor almost seemed offended at the notion, but I knew he wasn't above it either. There was a reason Kenneth was waiting in the other room.

"What did you do to Christian? Is he dead?" Her eyes locked on mine, but before I could answer, Victor stepped in again.

"The Ozera boy? I didn't mean for that to happen. We didn't expect him to be there. We'd hoped to catch you alone, to convince he others that you'd run away again. We'd made sure rumors already circulated about that."

I gave a small huff. It really wasn't all that hard to start the rumors. Natalie had done a good amount of work, but Ben and I had let a few things slip in the Guardian's Lounge as well. Within a few days, we were getting probing questions disguised as concern and pity. The story just built from there. A sudden flight from her, especially with her history, wouldn't have seemed completely out of place at this point.

"Now...I don't know. I doubt anyone will connect this to us, even if they don't believe you ran away. Rose is the biggest liability. We'd intended to...dispatch her, letting others think she's run away as well."

My head snapped towards Victor, as did Ben's. He had talked to us about taking Rose as well if we couldn't get the Princess alone, but he had never mentioned harming her, much less actually killing her as he seemed to be alluding to. I shared a look with my partner, and the slight surprise in his eyes steeled again, reminding me of our final goal.

A means to an end. Stay the course. It will all be worth it.

Victor continued as if he hadn't just casually mentioned putting an early end to a 17 year old girl. "The spectacle she created at your dance made that impossible, but I had another plan in place to make sure she stays occupied for some time...probably until tomorrow. We will have to contend with her later."

"Why?" Vasilisa cried helplessly. "Why are you doing all this?"

His eyes widened in mock surprise as Victor replied, "I'm surprised you even have to ask, my dear. I need you. I need you to heal me."

"Heal you?"

"You're the only way." Victor wasn't kidding. At this point he had maybe another month and a half to live. Without Lissa's ability, we would never get our chance to change the lives of Dhampirs. "You're the only way to cure the disease. I've been watching you for years, waiting until I was certain."

He had almost lost his chance when Lissa had gone missing two years ago. We had searched for her nearly the entire time, until Victor was too ill to keep traveling from place to place. He might have been a road block now, but we did have to thank Dimitri for finally getting the Princess back to the Academy.

Still, Lissa tried to fake ignorance on the matter. "I can't...no. I can't do anything like that."

"Your healing powers are incredible. No one has any idea how powerful."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come now, Vasilisa. I know about the raven. Natalie saw you do it. She's been following you. And I know how you healed Rose."

I could see Lissa struggle with whether or not to continue denying the allegations, but the truth finally won out. "That...was different. Rose wasn't that hurt. But you...I can't do anything about Sandovsky's Syndrome."

"Not that hurt?" He laughed, interrupting Lissa's protest. "I'm not talking about her ankle – which was still impressive. I'm talking about the car accident. Because you're right, you know. Rose didn't get that hurt. She died."

The room was silent. I could still hardly believe it myself. I had laughed when Victor had insisted that Vasilisa had brought someone back from the dead but surely she had been aware of her abilities. If the look of shock was any indication though, she had been clueless.

"That's...no. She...she lived." Her insistence was halfhearted at best, questioning her own resolve.

"No. Well, yes, she did. But I read all the reports. There was no way she should have survived – especially with so many injuries. You healed her. You brought her back. I'd suspected you could do this for so long, and I tried so hard to repeat it...to see how much you could control.."

"The animals!" Even despite being captured, witnessing her boyfriend rendered unconscious, and learning about Victors surprising plan to take care of Rose, this was the first time she truly sounded betrayed. "It was you?"

"With Natalie's help."

As much as I didn't care for Victor's daughter, something had to be said for her willingness to do anything necessary to please him. It came in handy quite often.

"Why would you do that? How could you?"

"Because I had to know. I have only a few more weeks to live, Vasilisa. If you can truly bring back the dead, then you can cure Sandovsky's. I had to know before I took you away that you could heal at will and not just in moments of panic."

"Why take me at all?" A spark of anger grew in her voice. "You are my near-uncle. If you wanted me to do this, if you really think I can, then why kidnap me? Why didn't you just ask?"

"Because it's not a onetime affair. It took a long time to figure out what you are, but I managed to acquire some of the old histories...scrolls kept out of Moroi museums. When I read about how wielding Spirit works -"

"Wielding what?" She interrupted.

"Spirit. It's what you've specialized in."

"I haven't specialized in anything! You're crazy."

Victor had the patience of a saint, but I could see it waning with each of her outburst. "Where else do you think these powers of yours have come from? Spirit is another element, one few people have anymore."

She shook her head against the possibility. "That doesn't make any sense. Even if it wasn't common, I still would have heard of another element! Or someone having it."

"No one knows about Spirit anymore. It's been forgotten. When people do specialize in it, nobody realizes it. They think the person simply hasn't specialized at all."

I still had no idea how Victor had learned about the possibility of Spirit in the first place, because it truly was all but forgotten. Even the information we were able to dig up was covered up in myth and stories. However, I guess when you are desperate, you're willing to believe almost anything.

"Look, if you're just trying to make me feel -" her words faded as she seemed to remember something. Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my God! St. Vladimir and Ms. Karp."

A sly smile covered Victor's face, glad she was finally accepting what we all knew at this point. "You've known about this all along."

"No! I swear. It's just something Rose was looking into...she said they were just like me..."

That was news to me. Rose seemed so caught up with her training, I wasn't sure where she was finding time to research Spirit. It took Victor years to come to the right conclusion, and for Rose to catch on so quickly was a surprise.

"They are like you. The books even say Vladimir was 'full of spirit.'"

It was almost ludicrous how obvious they had made his history, but we have learned that people will ignore the most apparent things if they don't want to see them.

"I thought...I thought that meant, like, the Holy Spirit."

I gave a self-satisfied grin, seeing my unspoken reasoning proved right in front of me.

"So does everyone else," replied Victor. "But no. It's something else entirely. An element that's within all of us. A master element that can give you indirect control over the others."

Apparently overwhelmed with the thought, Vasilisa moved on to other topics. "That still doesn't answer my question. It doesn't matter if I have this Spirit thing or whatever. You didn't have to kidnap me."

"Spirit, as you've seen, can heal physical injuries. Unfortunately, it's only good in acute injuries. One time things. Rose's ankle or her accident wounds. For something chronic – say, a genetic disease like Sandovsky's – continual healings are required. Otherwise it will keep coming back. That's what would happen to me." His face softened into something resembling pleading. "I need you, Vasilisa. I need you to help me fight this and keep it away. So I can live."

"That still doesn't explain why you took me. I would have helped you if you'd asked."

"They never would have let you do it. The school. The council. Once they got over the shock of finding a Spirit user, they'd get hung up on the ethics. After all, how does one choose who gets to be healed? They'd say it wasn't fair. That it was like playing God. Or else they'd worry about the toll it's take on you."

I could see Vasilisa flinch at the mention of Spirit's negative effects. This was the part of our plan that I was most concerned with. I knew Victor needed to be healed and needed to survive, but doing so at the expense of another – specifically the Last Dragomir – was something that ate away my long engrained ethics.

Victor nodded gently, apparently seeing her reaction as well. "Yes. I won't lie to you. It will be hard. It will exhaust you – mentally and physically. But I must do it. I am sorry. You'll be provided with feeders and other entertainments for your services."

Victor had built a huge apartment for her in the basement of his home, decking it out with everything from a high-end media set up to top rated furniture. It rivaled a luxury hotel suite and was perhaps the biggest indication of just how concerned he really was with his pseudo-niece's well-being.

It didn't seem to matter to Lissa though. She sprang up, immediately being pushed back into the chair by Ben who was standing nearby. She fell into it with a thud but otherwise didn't even acknowledge the use of force. "And then what? Are you just going to make me a prisoner here? Your own private nurse?"

I knew that there was some regret from Victor, but he wasn't showing it at the moment. He had been working towards a better world for much longer than the rest of us, and knew what would be required.

"I'm sorry. I have no choice."

"Yes," Lissa offered in a low, somewhat menacing voice that was completely contradictory to her innocent appearance. "You don't have the choice, because this is me we're talking about."

"It's better for you this way. You know how the others turned out." Lissa's face went blank at Victor's words. "How Vladimir spent the last of his days stark, raving mad. How Sonya Karp had to be taken away. The trauma you've experienced since the accident comes from more than just your family's loss. It's from using Spirit. The accident woke the Spirit within you; your fear over seeing Rose dead made it burst out, allowing you to heal her. And once it's out, you can't put it back. It's a powerful element, but it is also dangerous. Earth users get their power from the earth, Air users from the air. But Spirit? Where do you think that comes from?"

Vasilisa glared, apparently unwilling to answer the question. It mattered little to Victor as he continued.

"It comes from you, from your own essence. To heal another, you must give a part of yourself. The more you do that, the more it will destroy you over time. You must be noticing that already. I've seen how much certain things upset you, how fragile you are."

This really was the best option for her, as unpleasant as it seemed. Yes, she would lose the freedom that she had so readily enjoyed up until this point, but she would be taken care of up until the very end. Victor would make sure of it. Granted, that end would come much sooner than any of us were quite willing to admit at this point. According to Victor's calculations, she would live another ten to fifteen years before losing herself to Spirit, but that was just an estimate. With no data to work off of, we couldn't be sure. For all we knew, the energy required to heal Victor on a regular basis could shorten her life and give her only another five years. Because of this, Victor was already keeping an eye out for the signs of other Spirit users.

"I'm not fragile!" Lissa's temper snapped, almost sealing Victor's words with her actions. "And I'm not going to go crazy. I'm going to stop using Spirit before things get worse."

Victor laughed at the notion. "Stop using it? You might as well stop breathing. Spirit has its own agenda...You'll always have the urge to help and heal. It's part of you. You resisted the animals but you didn't think twice about helping Rose. You can't even help compulsion – which Spirit also gives you special strength in. And that's how it will always be. You can't avoid Spirit. Better to stay here, in isolation, away from further sources of stress. You'd either have become increasingly unstable at the Academy, or they would have put you on some pill that would have made you feel better but stunted your power."

A moment of silence passed before Lissa settled into the chair. A regal calm enveloped her and her voice took on a new authority. "I love you, Uncle Victor, but I'm the one who has to deal with that and decide what to do. Not you. You're making me give up my life for yours. That's not fair."

I could feel myself being pulled to her sense of reasoning, but shook off her unintentional compulsion before it could take hold of me. Victor paid it no mind at all.

"It's a matter of which life means more. I love you too. Very much. But the Moroi are falling apart."

Not to mention the horrid state of the dhampir community, I silently added as he continued forward.

"Our numbers are dropping as we let the Strigoi prey upon us. We used to actively seek them out. Now Tatiana and the other leaders hide away. They keep you and your peers isolated. In the old days, you were trained to fight alongside of your guardians! You were taught to use magic as a weapon. Not any longer. We wait. We are victims," he said the final word the same way most people would utter the name of some vermin.

I watched as the Princess because intrigued by the same impassioned beliefs that had caught me a few years ago. Victor knew what was needed and had the will to do whatever was required to make it a reality, even if it wasn't pleasant or popular.

"I would have changed that if I were king. I would have brought about a revolution the likes of which neither Moroi nor Strigoi have ever seen. I should have been Tatiana's heir. She was ready to name me before they discovered the disease, and then she refused to. If I were cured...if I were cured, I could take my rightful place."

It was easy to see that Vasilisa agreed with him on some points, or was at least considering them. However, it wasn't enough to override her fear and trepidation.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, ducking her head in shame. "I'm sorry for you, but please don't make me do this."

"I have to."

"I won't do it." Her determination was admirable, but ultimately useless because Victor would get what he needed – what we all needed – one way or another.

His eyes flashed towards me as he inclined his head and I knew what he was asking for. A part of me sank, really wishing that Lissa would have seen his vision and done what he had asked. Instead, I led Kenneth in from the other room while Ben untied her hands. He stood close enough to stop Lissa if she tried to run.

"This is Kenneth." Victor gestured to the other Moroi before holding his hands out to Lissa. "Please, Vasilisa. Take my hands. Send the magic through me just as you did with Rose."

Lissa shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "No."

"Please." Victor's voice grew hard, and I knew he didn't want to hurt her. She was leaving him little other option. "One way or another, you will heal me. I'd rather it be on your terms, not ours."

She shook her head again, causing some of her tears to trail paths down her cheeks.

Victor gave a sigh, closing his eyes with a small nod.

And then she screamed.

I winced at the sound, resisting the urge to run to her aid fight off her attacker. Her hair flicked around her face, a side effect of the wind that was whipping at her and pressing into her chest. Her hands grasped at her head and her eyes screwed shut. Eventually, her screams stopped, but it was obvious that the pain hadn't. A moment later, the force of the air was suddenly taken away, stealing the oxygen from her lungs and leaving her gasping desperately.

I turned away, unable to watch anymore, and I could see even Ben – cold and nearly emotionless Ben – was having a hard time allowing the torture of the young girl. The only person who seemed alright with the situation was Victor. In fact, as he saw Lissa breaking under the pressure, he almost looked excited. For the first time since accepting his offer, I was questioning Victor's sanity. Surely nothing was worth what he was doing, right?

It didn't last long, thankfully. Within moments Lissa begged for it to stop and took Victors hands. The wind died down, and a warmth radiated from her as I could feel a physical vibration in the room.

Victor's posture became straighter and the cane that he always required fell to the hard wood floor with a loud clack. His thin gray hair darkened and filled out, the deep and jaundiced wrinkles smoothed over, and his eyes even seemed to become more vivid in their jade-like color. Years fell away from him in a matter of minutes, almost as easily as it would be for a snake to shed its skin. Soon, he looked like the man that could rule the world with ease.

And alongside his transformation, my resolve strengthened. I had been wary that Lissa could work such a miracle, trusting in Victor's assurance more than anything else. However, if this could happen, then anything could. This – turning back the clock and changing fate – was the hardest part. Taking the throne and changing the world would be nothing by comparison.

The only thing that brought me out of my elation was seeing Lissa collapse, exhausted, and I barely reached her before she fell to the floor. Ben hesitantly stood next to Victor, still unsure about his new found strength as I lifted the girl in my arms.

Victor stretched his hands out, twisting them to admire the changes. I caught him glancing in the mirror over the fireplace, but he didn't allow vanity to overcome the need for action.

"Go lay her down. She should sleep for quite a while. We'll move on as soon as she wakes."

Our plan was to have some of the others keep an eye on her while Ben returned to the Academy. Our absence wouldn't be noticed right away, but if we disappeared completely, then people would start to question our possible involvement. He would insist that a new treatment option had become available to Victor and we'd leave for a week or two before coming back so that Victor's sudden health increase wouldn't be too unusual. After participating in the search for Lissa, leading them astray the whole time, we would eventually take Lissa and return home.

I didn't know what we would do about Rose or Dimitri yet, especially since I doubted either of them would rest until Lissa was found. Revealing an affair between the pair would probably be enough to incarcerate Belikov and keep him out of our way, but Rose would be more difficult. Perhaps I could convince Victor that she would be an asset to us, somehow. If we could convince her to play nice, I'd be more than happy to take her under my wing. Perhaps I could even step in where Belikov left off, in more ways than one.

For the moment though, that didn't matter. We needed to take things one step at a time. I carried Vasilisa upstairs, gesturing for another guardian to follow. Once I laid her down, I instructed him to keep watch and made my way down the hall to the other bedroom, just to take a moment for myself.

I could feel my heart racing, still burning off the adrenalin of the night. With a few deep breaths, I let my body released the tension and my mind calmed. This was it. This was happening. A few more years, maybe even a few more months, and I'd be free. Everything would be worth it.

I didn't even know what freedom would mean to me. I hadn't allowed myself to believe in our plan enough to think about the future. If I had a dream, it could be snatched away from me. Now...now everything felt so much closer. So much more real.

I allowed my mind to wander, taking in all the possibilities. Maybe I'd travel, on my own terms of course. I had seen a fair amount of Eastern Europe, but I really didn't have much interest in that area. I'd love to spend my days in the sun. Perhaps living somewhere in Southern Florida or even Central America. I didn't have too much ambition to do something grand. More than anything I just wanted to enjoy life. I'd be more than happy to take a job as a bouncer or construction worker, as long as I had time to simply be.

Just a little longer, I reminded myself, taking in the first taste of freedom I had ever allowed myself. A little longer and I'll be able to do anything I could ever dream of.

And just like that, my dreams shattered with the sound of glass braking downstairs. I heard shouts of guardians, orders to get down on the ground. I was so close, and I wasn't going to allow everything to go up in smoke. At least, I wouldn't allow it without giving the thief hell to pay for their troubles.

Of course it would be Belikov who made his way to the Princess first. He was like a hound dog, hot on her trail. Not even little Rose could distract him for long apparently. His focus was currently on the cot where Vasilisa had passed out a short while ago, but she was nowhere to be found. I pulled my gun from its holster, and he turned at the faint sound of the metal rubbing against the leather. His gun was out as quickly as mine.

"Where is she?" he asked, hardly flinching at my firearm locked on him. "Where is the Dragomir Princess?"

"Hell if I know, Dimitri. I left her right here a few minutes ago." I used the barrel to gesture to the cot behind him. "Probably should have known better than to leave her with the temporary help."

I could see him gauging me for any sign of deception. I honestly had no idea where she was, but I'd let someone else take care of it. If sex couldn't his mind off of his duty, then the only way to get him out of the way was to take him out of the picture entirely.

Perhaps he saw me come to that conclusion too, because the next words out of his mouth was the closest thing I'd ever hear him come to a plea. It sounded more like an attempt at logic.

"Lower your gun, Spiridon. You don't have to do this. Surrender and perhaps we could work something out. You were only following orders, I understand. You can still have a future as a guardian. Victor is already detained. The area is surrounded. You have no way out. Just lower your weapon."

I gave a deep sigh, dropping the pistol in my hand to the ground and kicking it towards him. I slowly raised my hands up in surrender. He looked me over before holstering his gun and reaching for his handcuffs. It was a textbook apprehension.

Too bad for him, I wasn't a textbook suspect. The moment he reached for my wrist, I swung around, knocking his hands away and launching my own attack. I was able to use his predictability against him for a moment, but once he knew I wasn't going to come quietly, he quickly became quite the opponent. He blocked most of my maneuvers, but I was able to keep him on the defensive. Life and death was what we trained for, and the only question was who would be awarded which title by the end of our battle.

One well-placed kick was all it took. He stumbled against the wall and I managed to get him into a headlock.

"Why would I want to remain a guardian?" I was close enough to his ear that he could probably hear my whisper, but my temper was at full ignition and I was all but shouting at him. "You know what it's like. We dedicate our lives to them and they treat us like livestock! I'm tired of it and I know you are too. Victor has promised us freedom, Dimitri. We can make our own choices, live our own lives! Don't tell me you haven't craved that."

I could feel his nails clawing at my arms, but the only response he had to offer was a struggled grunt. As much as I hated to admit it, Dimitri was a strong fighter. He could be a good ally. Typically, I wouldn't even take a second thought at the idea since he was known for his straight laced professionalism, but I also knew his weakness. There was only one thing that might make him consider breaking his vow.

I lowered my voice, and he stopped struggling as I spoke. "I know what you want, even if you won't admit it. I see how you look at Rose. Do you really want to send her into this life, Belikov? Sure, it's a step above being a blood-whore, but either choice will eventually kill her and you know that. Wouldn't you rather her live a normal life? Freedom, marriage, family? Wouldn't you like to give her those things?"

I actually thought I had him. He stilled for a long moment, considering the idea. But I think I knew before I ever said a word that she still wouldn't be enough of a reason. He would always choose this life because he was brainwashed to take the abuse and thank his abuser.

Not me though, I was done being a slave. I rather die free than live another day under the oppression of those who felt my life was so expendable.

With my gun across the room, my options were limited. My stake was holstered just a few inches from my hand. It was designed to kill Strigoi, but shove it through the heart of any creature and they wouldn't be long for the world.

It was as if he could read my mind though. I don't know how he knew exactly what I was doing, but he broke loose from my grip and in the next moment, there was a loud bang of gun fire.

I didn't even feel the pain. Not at first. Dimitri stood only a few feet in front of me, and in his hand was a pistol. The warmth of my own blood seeped into my shirt and down my abdomen, creating a bloom of agony in its wake.

I was tempted to laugh. Perfect Guardian Belikov had just missed a perfect kill shot from point blank. Rather than a quick and painless death, I could expect the next few moments – my last moments – to be filled with excruciating torture.

My knees gave out in shock and I fell against the window sill beside me. Belikov's gun was still trained on me, knowing well enough to not to lower his guard until I was confirmed dead, but not merciful enough to finish me off with another shot.

I looked out the window, knowing full and well that it would probably be the last thing I would ever see. It might as well seek beauty.

And I found it...or her. Rose stood in the middle of the clearing, her hair swirling around her in the night's breeze. Vasilissa stood behind her, using her so-called friend as a human shield. Rose looked like she was wearing next to nothing; just an overlarge sweatshirt as far as I could see. She wasn't even wearing shoes. The large letters across her chest weren't something I could easily read. Cyrillic, I realized. Hmmm...apparently Belikov did get to enjoy his little distraction.

I was smiling. I might suffer my last few moments, but Belikov would suffer the rest of his life. I wasn't the only one who would be dying tonight. Rose was surrounded by Victor's psi-hounds. With nothing more than a stick between her and their fangs, she wouldn't see the morning light. Who knows, maybe I'd see her on the other side.

"Looks like Prince Victor has already called in the hounds." My words were hollow and breathy, with an odd gurgle to them that made me think that my internal bleeding was worse than even I had thought initially. I looked back towards my murderer, relishing the moment his confusion turned to horror. "It looks like they've taken quite a liking to your little girlfriend."

My eyes closed, hearing the rapid footfalls of Dimitri running downstairs. I only had a minute or so left before my injury got the best of me. I could already feel my hands and feet growing numb and my head getting fuzzy.

Part of me wanted to be bitter about dying, especially when all I had ever wanted to do was live. But if I had to die, at least I did it on my own terms. I didn't die protecting someone because I had to. I died for a cause I believed in. I couldn't ask for anything more.

I might be dead...but I was finally free.

Author's Note

I've had this story in my head ever since I wrote the very first book from Dimitri's POV. Spiridon ended up being a favorite character for many of my readers and someone (I'm sorry, but I can't be sure who now) thought it would be fun to get into the inner workings of his mind. I wrote the first part in less then a day but stalled with the rest. A few dear readers got to preview what I had written, but I never really had the chance to pick it up.

However, with Raissa's birthday coming up and no clue what to do for her, one simple question sparked all the resolve I needed to get down to business. "When are you going to finish Spiridon's story?"

So nearly 12,000 words later, here you go my darling. I love you dearly and I hope your birthday was amazing! To everyone else, please enjoy this little slice into Spiridon's life. It was a great challenge to make him both sympathetic and still a bit deplorable and I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not I hit that mark for you.

A big thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, shares, favorites and follows me and my work. You are all so wonderful!