I was met by a boy, who was maybe 10 years old. He looked how I imagined Dimitri to look like at this age. Dimitri said his name was Paul. We all ate together, everyone chatting over everyone. Happy chaos is what Alberta would have called this, this was something new for me. Family. I'd never had a family so to speak so now I was surrounded in a large loving one, one that laughed and joked with each other I found myself just taking the dynamics in. The only person not speaking was Dimitri's babushka, who just stared at me. I tried to ignore her but it was hard when I could feel her eyes on me.

"I think I'll go for a walk." I said quietly to Dimitri, who was in the middle of a loud conversation in Russian with Vika so he didn't hear me. I stood and made my way outside and looked around. The bodies from last night were gone, on the floor was a bloodied and broken spade. I picked them up intending on throwing them away.

"You fight well. Dimka spends many hours with you." I turned sharply to see that the older woman was stood behind me.

"Sorry you startled me." I said looking into her wizened eyes that were boring onto me.

"You won't be the guardian of the royals. You are destined for much more. Train, learn, live and love." With that she turned and walked back inside. Rose was still stood there minutes later when Dimitri turned up.

"What did she say?"

"That I won't guard royals, that I'm destined for more that I need to train, learn, live and love. She joking right? Like the one at the court." Dimitri looked down at the woman he thought of as his.

"Would it be so bad if we didn't guard the royals?" I was too shocked to answer, life as a guardian, wasn't a life really. But this was what she had grown up knowing. That she would protect Moroi with her life.

"I'm not sure yet." I replied. I didn't know anything anymore. This new lust through the bond would almost make it impossible for me to guard a male, or be around many men in case I went into heat again. I tried to push it all away right now it was questions for another day. "Ok, comrade, do we have a plan yet?" I smiled up at him.

He took the subject change gracefully. "We do. In three weeks I will start working at St Basils, with a new novice and two new royal moroi's."

"You mean Lissa and Christian are staying too?" He nodded in answer.

"Did you think we would abandon you?" From the back door stood Lissa, Christian and Adrian all smiling down at me. "There's no way you're going to another school without me." Lissa exclaimed coming down and now hugging me tight.

"And naturally your shadows need to follow." I teased towards the two Moroi.

"And here I thought we were friends little dhampir." Adrian held his heart in fake hurt making me roll my eyes. I turned back to Dimitri.

"Do they know…?"

"Kristoph, the head guardian, knows everything. The spirit bond, Spirit, the effect that the bond has on you. Which is also why he knows we are together. While there we all will be staying in the guest suites, guardian Hathaway has also agreed to help by taking some classes with the novices so I can spend extra time training you." I frowned since when has Janine actually cared enough about me to help me out? Again that was another question for another time.

"Ok so what are we doing for the next three weeks?" I asked the group who all seemed to know what was going on.

"Russian language 101." Lissa said with a smile.

"What? Language? I'm pants at languages." Dimitri smiled.

"Lord Ozera and you need to learn the basics of Russian. Some classes are taught in English, but some won't be, you need to be able to follow along. We will be up at 5am, training so you have time to learn the language. It'll take longer to learn everything but you can pick up more as you go along." Dimitri said smiling down are me.

"Ok fine, did anyone pack me a bag?" I looked down at the clothes that I was wearing my jogging bottoms had been washed but I was wearing one of Dimitris shirts that looked like a dress on me. Lissa shook her head.

"Sorry it was very last minute, which means we get to go shopping." I rolled my eyes at my friend. I had no money for shopping, which meant I would be following her around while she shopped.

"Which I will be funding." Came a male voice from the back door, my father was stood there with Janine behind him.

"I don't need your money old man." He smiled down at me his eyes were sparkling in amusement though Dimitri's grip on my arm tightened in warning.

"Which is exactly the reason why I want to spend even more on you." He said walking down towards us.

"I'm fine, I'll just wear the things I have." I threw him a glare before I made my way inside.

"Rose!" Janine started but I ignored her. How dare he?! I didn't even know his name and he was trying to buy me already! I needed a run, my muscles felt tired where they had been unused properly. I told the women in the living room that I was going for a run and I'd be back soon as I exited out the front door and began a jog that slowly became faster and faster until I was flat out running. Not as fast as when I was running from the sexual frustration but still fast enough that I forgot to think. I could only see my destination in front of me. I could see frozen fields as far as I could see to my right and a town alive with cars and people as they enjoyed their loves to the left. I followed the edge of the town, not knowing how far it was but I knew I needed the run.

I arrived back at the Belikov's a few hours after I'd left. The sun was high in the sky and I needed water. I walked up the steps wondering if I should knock or not deciding for both I knocked then let myself in. I was bombarded by the Belikova women. "What's going on?"

"You were gone!" Karo spoke from the back.

"I went for a run." I'd told them I had gone for a run, I needed to think, to think a lot without interference or interruption.

It was Dimitri's mother, Olena, who spoke next, "You were gone for over two hours!"

"I ran the boarders of the town." What was the problem? You'd think they thought I ran away, maybe they did think that.

"That's about 30 miles!" Karo spoke surprised. I ran 30 miles in about 2 hours? That was a good time, in fact that was a great time. I looked around the room and noticed the lack of people in attendance.

"Where's Dimitri and Lissa?" I ask trying to change the subject.

"They have gone shopping. The princess needed clothes and Dimka is her guardian." Olena spoke with pride. Of course if Lissa went shopping then Dimitri would need to go as well. Well I needed shower before I did anything else. I washed and changed into some of Dimitri's old clothes. I'd have thought he outgrew these clothes many years ago, even if they were still too big for me, but they weren't as big as his current clothes I had been wearing. I was even more thankful when I spotted a pair of jeans hung over a chair in Dimitris room, the note on top of them said Vika had loaned me them. I threw them on noticing they were slightly big for me around the waist but otherwise they fitted well. I looked down at the shirt I was wearing, it had writing on it that I didn't understand. I had on his socks and underwear as well. Boxers were actually very comfortable.

Olena was preparing food in the kitchen, no one was back yet. "What do you need a hand with?" She started to decline but I interrupted. "Olena, I can't boil water, surely you cant not show me how to do something?" Olena gave Rose a look, deciding what would be best. I the end Rose knew she'd let hr help as this was the sort of mother who taught all her children to cook, to look after themselves.

"Cut the potatoes, like this." Olena showed me once and then I cut the mountain of potatoes in to thin slices. She was making some kind of potato bake dish to go with a sweet and spicy casserole. She showed me how to layer the potatoes and creamy mix and then placed it in the oven, she showed me how to make black bread and how to make the casserole that she was making. It all looked easy enough, I had no idea how long we were in the kitchen but when I looked up it was dark outside and the front door was opening. By now I was sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in hand, Olena had been teaching me the Russian words for the items in the kitchen. She was a very patient teacher.

"There you are Rose, we couldn't find you." Janine bristled as she walked into the room behind Lissa who was followed by the guys who all had hands full of bags. Lissa had gone all out.

"God Lissa how much did you get?" I said eying the bags, she raised her eyebrow and smiled.

"These aren't mine, these are yours." I looked at the bags there had to be easily 50 bags of varying shapes and sizes.

"Don't be silly why would you…" Then I spotted the Moroi who was my father smiling at the back of the group. "Why? I don't even know your name! What's in this for you?" I almost growled to the tan Moroi whose smile turned upside down. "Thank you Olena, this afternoon was fun and I learned a lot. I'm tired I think I'll go to bed now." This was getting tiresome. My 18th couldn't come fast enough. I didn't stomp, bang or otherwise show how annoyed I was truly feeling until I reached Dimitri's bedroom. That was when I took my jeans off and flopped on his bed and then got under the covers. I was actually tired. I'd done a 30 mile run, I was exhausted. I was asleep quickly, I vaguely remember someone coming into the room and sat on the bed, but I was too tired to wake up properly so I snuggled down closer and remembered no more.

I awoke to the alarm sounding and feeling of arms holding me close, I could smell Dimitri all around me. I wiggled back more so my back was flush against his front. "Are you going to turn the alarm off?" I asked him my voice still heavy with sleep. Seconds later the beeping had stopped and he snuggled close to me. "It's a shame we must get up, but we must." He kissed the back of my head before hr threw the covers off us and stood. "Come on Milaya. Up." I groaned against the cold of the room and the fact that Dimitri was making me get up.

I was up my hair brushed and in a ponytail in minutes. Dimitri threw me a pair of workout leggings and one of his old shirts again. I slipped on my trainers and I was ready to go. We ran until we were warm, Dimitri leading me back to his back garden, there we worked on conditioning and then sparred. Vika was sat on the steps watching us work out. "You know Vika, you could join in." She started to decline when Dimitri interrupted.

"Tomorrow, you will join us, if you're to stay home for the next three weeks, you work out with us, every morning and evening. Every time we work out, you work out." Vika sighed and agreed. She went inside not needing to start today. By the time everyone else in the house was up Rose and Dimitri were starving. Breakfast was a smaller affair today. Both Karo and Sonja were at work already, Paul and Zoya were both eating at the table along with Vika and Olena. Rose ate anything and everything in front of her. Porridge and fruit dominating the table.

The front door opened to Lissa, Yuri, Christian, Adriana and the others including her father. Which instantly out her back up. "You ready for more training Dimitri?" She asked trying not to look at her parents who had just sat down.

"In about an hour. You can work on Russian."

I grabbed Lissa and after wrapping my Moroi up they went for a walk where Lissa would help me understand the world around us while she named cars and post-boxes for me. We walked to a café where Lissa helped me to order, my Russian was still atrocious but I was slowly picking up on things. We sat speaking in English drinking hot chocolates and every now and then Lissa would interrupt and name what we were talking about in Russian. Slowly the words started to embed in my head and as we walked back to the Belikov's I could name random items on our journey. A car, a dog, a cake that looked delicious in the shop window.

When we arrived back Dimitri pulled me out the back for another training session, he was helping me with some flips that would help me with evading and getting into positions easier. I was actually really good at summersaulting; even Dimitri found some of them hard. But then Lissa and I had done some gymnastics growing up. I managed to flip over Dimitri's head and land behind him, using his shoulders as leverage to get over his tall frame. I landed with my fake stake pressed into place at his back.

"Very well done." He said turning around to face me. "You're going to be unstoppable." He had a glint in his eyes making me instantly clench my thighs together. Dimitri's eyes glanced down at my involuntary movement and growled slightly. "Something the matter novice Hathaway?" He asked walking closer to me, his hands reaching out to pull me to him when we were interrupted.

"Rose?" Both Dimitri and I turned to the house where the annoying Moroi was stood. I don't know why I felt so much anger towards the man that was my father. I just felt so much anger towards him and Janine for bringing him into my life now. Why now after years of nothing. "Could we go for a walk?" I was about to decline when Dimitri spoke softly into my ear.

"Roza, you can't keep running, speak with him, then decide when you know him." I glared at Dimitri making him smile at me. I nodded to the Moroi who was now smiling as he walked down the steps and towards me.

"Shall we walk to the orchard?" He said loud enough for Dimitri to hear. I let the man steer me, we walked in silence for a few minutes, neither one of us wanting to start the conversation. "I must apologise. I didn't know that you didn't know my name before. I didn't realise your mother hadn't mentioned anything about me at all. My name is Ibrahim Mazur, though most call me Abe." Abe finally my father has a name. Abe Mazur.

"Why now?" I asked him getting down to the nitty of it.

Abe sighed and stroked the back of his head. "I am a businessman; some of my dealing aren't exactly legal. I have people, human, Moroi, dhampir and strigoi who would do you harm if they knew you were my daughter. Janine and I decided it would be best if you didn't grow up around me, so when you were born she took you away. I know you stayed with the family she was guarding until you were 4. Then I know you were at St Vladimir's until you ran away when you were fifteen. I found you so you could be safe, I found you almost straight away I kept an eye on you everywhere you went. There had been several strigoi attacks in Portland when I decided to help you get captured. I wanted you safe." I took all that information in. I knew that there had been attacks but not so many as several or that they were as close as Abe was making out. If what he was say was the truth then he saved our lives.

"I don't know how to deal with parental figures. I've been alone a long time. Before this winter I don't remember the last time I saw Janine, I grew up at the academy, the only life I've known. I'm not good with authority or relationships like this, I don't know how…" Abe growled a little.

"Are you telling me that Janine dumped you at the academy and just left you?" I nodded because it was the truth he had stopped walking and took a deep breath, I could see he wasn't used to feeling like this so I left him alone to calm down. "Rose, I didn't know you grew up without Janine. I…. If I had known I would have taken you away. I would have kept you safe. I'm sorry you had to grow up alone…"

"I wasn't completely alone, I had Mason and Eddie and then Lissa. It could have been worse." Mason, I missed him so much. "I had extended family like the Dragomirs, they were always kind and tried to include me. Andre was my big brother, Eric and Rhea became the parents I'd never had, they'd buy me the things I needed for the school year. I loved them. So I wasn't completely alone." Abe took that information in.

"I'd like to get to know you. I wasn't trying to buy you. I haven't done this before either. Maybe we can learn together."

"I'd like that, Abe."