I'm relieved to announce this is the final chapter.

I've kind of lost interest in writing this story and I can't seem to come up with anything new.

It was only meant to be a few chapters, just a different ending for Shadow Kiss.

So I hope you enjoy this, and I'm sorry it took so long. It was a really long chapter.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sooooo.... Read and review. and i plan on starting to write my own book in the near future.

Chapter 8

So here it is.

The day I've been waiting for has finally come; I'm officially an adult.

I don't feel any different, but then again I never expected to. I guess I was hoping to feel some sort of fulfilment you know, like I finally reached another difficult peak in my life that will make me feel like I've changed, matured. But maybe there is something different about me, something that's already altered over time that I just haven't noticed. Olena said I sounded more like Dimitri, Dimitri says I'm not the same as I use to be – only he didn't mention how, Lissa says I'm not as wild and flirtatious as I use to be; maybe this is growing up. Maybe this is the beginning of the soon to be Guardian Hathaway.

I was lying in Dimitri's bed alone to my own disappointment, his room illuminated by the golden sunlight pouring in through his bedroom window. He wasn't in the bathroom because the door was open and I could hear faint noises downstairs. It sounded like people talking quietly along with the clatter of pots, pans and china plates.

I rolled out of bed grudgingly and headed for the shower in an attempt to wash away my weird mood. I needed to get a more cheerful appearance before I hunted down the rest of the Belikov's.

When I was washed up and feeling a lot more enthusiastic about today I walked back into Dimitri's room just when somebody knocked.

"Just a second!" I called back.

"Hey Rose! It's me!" Viktoria's voice came from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"If you don't mind me in a towel, I guess!" I answered.

She slipped in through the door and closed it behind her.

"We're both girls, you haven't got anything I haven't got." She replied. "I hope." She added with a smirk.

"I'll let you know if anything unusual appears. Then we can call Dr Phil or something, make some cash off my abnormal appendage." I joked.

She gave me a concerned look just like her brother would have at my crazy ideas, and much like him; she didn't laugh. "I don't think Dr Phil is the guy we'd want to see. I was thinking more along the lines of 'Circus Freak'" She said seriously with her brows furrowed. "Anyway…" she trailed off, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she squealed and ran over to me, she slammed on the brakes a few feet away and looked a little uncomfortable. "I'll take a raincheck on that hug and get it later." She said looking down at the towel.

I smiled up at her and winked. "Smart thinking ninety-nine." She nodded. "What did you want to talk about? Or was that all you wanted to say?"

"No, that was the first thing. Secondly, I have this really cute dress that doesn't fit me, but would be perfect on you. And it's your birthday so you should look pretty, not that I don't think you are, you're gorgeous, but I mean dress pretty." She went on and on.

I was kind of excited about this dress all of a sudden. I won't get many chances when I become a guardian to get dressed up and go out so I might as well enjoy myself now. "Can I see it?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go get it." She answered, grinning from ear to ear as she headed for the door.

She left and came back in less then a minute, which was kind of impressive. She was holding this pretty cream dress made of soft fabric that swayed as she moved; it had little material flowers stitched along the round neckline, apart from that it was plain. It was a dull shade and slightly rugged looking, but at the same time I liked it. It's like the clothes you see in the mall, the ones with the ugly patterns on that are on display but when you try them on they don't look half bad.

So I went into Dimitri's bathroom and put it on gracefully and once I was in it she dragged me into her room.

It fit like she said, and it suit me. It made my tanned and slightly muscular figure stand out, my face more prominent. Viktoria lent me some make up and a light cardigan because it was still a little cool outside, and the next thing I was standing in front of a mirror in her room.

"Wow, you are amazing." I said as I stared at a gaping appealing version of myself. "I haven't felt this pretty in so long. I don't get the time to dress up for your brother with school and everything." I brushed my hands down the front of me, smoothing out the dress of any creases. My skin practically glowed in contrast to the delicate fabric.

"He told us about that." She said quietly. "The Strigoi attack on the school," She said as she sat down on her bed, "and the rescue mission."

"What did he say about them?" I asked. Just saying that he told them about it didn't mean he actually went into detail.

"He said you were an amazing fighter. He told us that you and a Moroi guy who uses fire dominated almost half of them." It was true, Christian and I killed most of the Strigoi that day.

"His name is Christian," I said. "The Moroi guy. He's actually Lissa's boyfriend." I explained.

"That's your best friend, right?" she checked, I nodded back. "It must be hard not having her here on your birthday."

All of a sudden I felt really guilty. I hadn't even had a though about Lissa ever since we got here. I'm her best friend; I should be worried sick about her being in a different country without me – her guardian. But I'm honestly not at all on edge; I can feel that she is safe and happy, and I'm glad she took Eddie with her last minute. I trust him, and I know he will look after Liss. Okay, and I know he will look after Christian too; as much as I hate the cocky prick, I kind of have a soft spot for him these days. Nothing romantic, more like… newfound respect.

"I guess." I replied. I didn't feel it necessary to actually confess what I was feeling to her. Maybe to Dimitri later, if it comes up. "It's okay though, I know she's safe and happy. So its all good."

She looked at me curiously, "How do you know that?" she asked.

Uh-oh. Do I tell her about the bond or not?

"Uh…" What do I tell her? "Um… well…" Oh, hell. She's got great guardians? "She's being watched by really good guardians while she's travelling, one of them I'm really good friends with. And I know she's happy because she couldn't wait to leave, plus she's got the boyfriend with her twenty-four/seven." I smiled.

She narrowed her eyes at me. She could tell that I was not saying something. Technically I was telling the truth, but I was leaving out some major details that she didn't really need to know.

She shook her head deciding to drop the subject.

"Now," She started. "I have these really cute pumps that go with it, I hope we wear the same shoe size." She said eagerly as she grab the shoes from her a wooden storage box at the foot of her bed. She threw them at me one by one and watched me strap them on. They were cute, they matched the dress using the same little material flowers and the same shade of cream. They were round at the end and covered my toes and strapped around me ankle, and fit like a charm, not to low and just high enough.

"You know, I think I might just ditch your brother and fall in love with you," I joked. She laughed. "Girl, you seriously know your clothes."

"I don't think Dimitri would be to happy to hear that." She said still smiling at my compliment.

"Hear what?" said a voice from the doorway.

We both spun around to see you know who with a smirk on his face looking at me.

I stood up and started making my over to where he was. "I'm thinking about breaking up with you," I teased, "Viktoria has better taste in fashion." I smiled as I reached him, which was the same time his face transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful smile that threatened to make my heart stop beating. He reached out and grabbed my waist and pulled me forward. My arms instinctively going up and around behind his neck that I could manage to reach in the heels, my arms brushing against his silky hair that he was wearing down. This close to his face I could take in the smell of his aftershave, the sweet, spicy, clean smell. His gorgeous dark eyes were boring into mine; it felt like he was looking into a window to my soul; and from the look on his face, he liked what he saw.

"I don't think I can let that happen." He murmured as he lowered his face down and pressed his lips to mine. I couldn't stop myself as I smiled against his lips and kissed him back eagerly. I loved the rush that coursed through my body every time our lips connected or our bodies made contact. I almost got lost in the feeling of his lips against mine – almost – but I could hear annoying choking sounds and a barely coherent "gross" coming from the general direction of where Viktoria was standing.

He pulled away but kept his face close to mine.

"Happy birthday," He said quietly with his winning smile.

"Thanks," I smiled back. "Hey Vik, on second thoughts, I'm gonna stick with Comrade here." I called over to her, never breaking eye contact with him.

Dimitri shook his head and laughed, "Stop calling me that."

"Never." I said defiantly and pecked his lips. "Quit complaining, I know how much you love it." I teased.

"You're wrong." He argued, leaning down to kiss me again, but he never made it.

Viktoria smacked away his hands that were holding my waist and grabbed my elbow; once she got a good grip she yanked us apart pulling me behind her, putting space between Dimitri and me.

"You," she pointed at Dimitri, "take a hike or something, I'm not done with her yet. So let me finish, you get her for the whole stupid day while I help everyone else, so it's only fair." She complained with a pouty face.

"What? Am I going somewhere?" I asked extremely confused as to what was happening that I clearly didn't know about. I narrowed my eyes both of them.

"Yes, you are. And I'll explain in a minute but countrified Prince Charming here, needs to leave so I can enjoy the last of our girl time." Viktoria said with an annoyed expression. I guess she really did like her girl time.

"Yeah," I chipped in. "You heard the woman. On your horse, cowboy." I called over to Dimitri with a grin.

He held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, but can I get one more thing before I go?" he asked, but it sounded more like he was begging.

"No." Viktoria said standing her ground. "She's mine." I wanted to argue that I was actually his, but this sibling rivalry was kind of cute in an amusing way. I never pictured Dimitri to be like this.

"But it's my birthday." I whined putting on my best sad face, puppy dog eyes and all.

"One second you're telling him to go, the next you want him to stay." Viktoria was starting to get frustrated with the scenario, and she was taking it out on me. "Make up your mind, Rose." She growled.

"Here, I'll fix this." I said as I slid my arm out of her grasp and marched over to where Dimitri was standing. I reached up using both of my hands and grabbed his angelic face and slammed it against mine. He sure as hell didn't waste any time deepening the kiss, and tangled his fingers in my hair securing my lips to his. I had to admit it was hot and fast and making me week in the knees. Everything I could smell, taste and feel was Dimitri.

This has got to be bad for you first thing in the morning.

"Ewww!" Viktoria bellowed. "I saw tongue!" I could practically hear her shuddering.

Dimitri and me laughed together and snuck another kiss, but this time it only lasted a few seconds and was completely sweet.

"Then don't watch," I replied to his sister without taking my eyes off him. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "You got what you wanted, so… scat!" I ordered.

He stole another quick kiss, and laughed a deep throaty sound, said in a low voice close to my ear "You wanted it too," and left.

"Yuck. That is definitely something to add to the 'Don't ever see your brother doing' list." She grumbled. I had to laugh at that. I wondered what else she would add to that list.

"What else is on that list?" I asked as I made my way back over to where she was.

She glared at me for daring to ask such question. "A large percentage of what you two do together," she said in a dark dangerous tone as she walked over to her vanity table.

I laughed again, "Is that it?" I asked knowing that she must have tons of things.

"That's only the beginning." She said and pointed to the stool in front of her. "Sit," she commanded.

I sighed and reluctantly sat on the stool and let her abuse my hair. While she pulled out a curler and a variety of hair products, I picked up a magazine that was lying on the floor. I couldn't read any of the words because it was all in Russian, but the pictures were of actors and actresses that I was familiar with and had seen on television.

I didn't bother paying attention to what she was creating with my hair, and after about ten minutes Viktoria made a satisfied noise and said, "Done."

I looked up.

"Holy crap!" I let slip before I could stop myself. I couldn't believe what she had done to my hair. It looked beautiful. It was shaped into soft long curls that looked more like waves and took some of the boldness away from my features making them appear softer and more or less delicate.

"Do you like it?" she asked; I could hear the underlying hope for my approval.

I turned on the stool to face her and gawked at her. Once I shook myself, I jumped up and squeezed her. She made little groans and whimpers at my fierce embrace and I eventually let go.

"Ouch," She complained while rubbing her ribs. "I guess I got that hug then, and I'll take the death grip as a 'you like', am I correct?" she questioned.

"Hell yeah!" I said back beaming at her.

"Good then." She said, her posture and tone radiating contentment, she rubbed at her torso again and mumbled something like "What the hell does he make you do in training? Strangle bears?" but she replaced it with an excited mask and finally gave her consent. "Now you and Dimka can go."

"You know, you never did say where and why I was going." I told her.

"Where you're going? I don't know. Dimitri was in charge of that." She began, "Why? Because we don't want you to see what we've organised until tonight so it's like a surprise. That explains why he was downstairs this morning and not with you, they need his help with putting the decorations up." She smiled.

"Okay, makes sense." I said calmly, on the inside my stomach was doing cartwheels because I was about to spend my birthday with just Dimitri. Who knows what might happen.

"Oh, hey! Where's that camera you brought for your birthday?" Actually it was Lissa who bought it, but it wasn't important.

I ran back to Dimitri's room where I was staying with him and found the camera buried under some clothes in a draw that he had cleaned out and put my entire suitcase contents in. might I add, including the specially chosen underwear I selected for spending a week with him, which he had neatly folded. The lingerie I bought was still in its bag hidden at the back of the draw.

I returned back to her room and handed over the camera.

"Thankyou." She said as she swiped it from my fingertips and took command once again. "Now, stand over there," she pointed to an empty space in the center of her room, "and let that deadly smile of yours rip." She said light-heartedly.

After the one serious photo that she was determined to take, alarmingly the same kind of determination that Dimitri showed when he was set on something, we took a couple of us just mucking around and having fun. We were striking funny poses and making stupid faces, and just enjoying ourselves.

Viktoria reminded me of a younger, tamer version of me before I met Dimitri. It made me smile on the inside. I kind of wish Lissa was here to have fun with us. After Viktoria mentioned her name this morning, I've started missing her. I felt sort of empty without her here; without knowing that she was just a few minutes or seconds away. Right now she would be at least a few days away, which made me a little sad.

There was a lite knock on the door. I looked over to see my favourite person, and just because it was Dimitri – my heart started to speed up a little.

"Do you mind if I have her now?" he asked his sister in a sarcastic tone that he had never used around me before. It was amusing watching him react and respond around his family.

"Yes." She said with a serious face. I elbowed her. "Ow…" she mumbled and glared at me.

"We're done now, so… I guess I'm all yours." I said looking over at him with a small smile. I sounded so innocent and small, I could feel a flush creeping up the back of neck and crawling its way towards my cheeks. Don't you dare, I inwardly warned the evil blush, and… it swept across my cheekbones anyway like I never said a word. My entire face felt like it was on fire. Traitor. I looked anywhere but at him after that, hoping it would disappear before he could see it.

He walked over to me and brushed the tips of fingers across my hot cheek and smiled down at me. "You look beautiful," he murmured quietly to me.

I looked up into his eyes and couldn't hold back the smile that broke across my face.

"Ugh. I'm so getting out of here before you two go all kissy-face again. That was gross, you know." Viktoria grumbled as she made her great escape.

"We sure know how to clear a room," I stated when she left.

"I'll try to remember what we did for the next time I want to get you alone." He joked. I giggled, I actually giggled. As embarrassing as I thought it was, I was rewarded with one of his secret smiles. He needs to smile more like this, its like sunshine.

"You know, I could really get use to this new attitude of yours. I don't think I've ever- well I've never seen you smile so much. It looks good on you." My hand came up towards his face and using my first two fingers to trace the shape of his bottom lip, and then I really wanted to kiss him. My body started moving of its own free will and the next thing I knew I was pressing up against him suggestively. It was like magnetic attraction, I couldn't help myself.

He looked down at my body that was flush against his. I saw him swallow and take a couple of shaky breaths. "As-as much," he swallowed again and I had to swallow a laugh. He took another steadying breath, "as much as I want to drag you to my room and lock the door," this scored him a dirty smile from me, "I really do have to get you out of the house." He moved one of his arms behind him and from how I was 'connected' to him, I could feel the material of his jeans move as his hand slid into his back pocket. He brought his hand back up with his fingers enclosed around a piece of fabric.

I attempted to try and lift one eyebrow, the way he always annoyingly does when even he feels the need, but I think I just made a face similar to a grimace. Oh well, that will have to do.

"Blindfold." He clarified with a smirk.

"Kinky," Was my cocky comeback.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. He mumbled something in Russian and used my shoulders to spin me around. He tied the material over my eyes tightly, I mean really tightly.

"I still want some blood to circulate around my brain." I said. God, I was starting to sound like Christian.

"Don't worry. You'll survive. I'll be right behind you, holding on so you won't fall." He replied. I could hear the smirk in his tone. "Okay, lets go."

He started navigating me out the room, through the hallway and towards the stairs.

"Use your other senses to work out what is surrounding you." He instructed.

"Sure thing, Yoda. Hell, I'll even try using the force." I said in a dry tone. "I thought this was suppose to be something like a date, not a step-by-step tutorial of 'How To Gain a Sixth Sense.'" I complained, "Which, might I add, I already have. But it's more commonly known as a bond. Then again, it's not actually common at all. What about when I get nauseous because Strigoi are around, that's got to be another sense. And seeing ghosts, that has to be another one too." I rambled on and on. I had no reason exactly, just the need to keep my chin wagging. "So technically I have like eight senses." I concluded.

"Maybe I should have put a gag on you along with the blindfold." He mumbled.

"Heard that." I said with a smile in my voice.

"Good." He replied, but I could hear a smile in his voice as well. "Here is the tricky part," he said and pulled me to a stop. "You can put your hand on the railing, and I have a good grip on you back here," he said close to my ear as he moved my hand up onto the railing of the staircase and then got a firm grasp of my waist.

"Higher." I said keeping that smile in place. His hands actually moved a little higher on either side of my waist, around my ribcage. "Higher," I said again, testing to see if he would really put his hands on my boobs. It was kind of fun, and I knew he would never admit it seeing as he's such a gentlemen and all. Unbelievably he actually moved them to the intended destination and I gasped a little. "Good grip you got back there, Comrade." I sounded breathless and I hate to admit it, but totally turned on. Great. Now I'm the female version of a horny teenage boy.

His nose glided along under my jaw and his breath against my neck made me shiver with excitement. "Is this high enough?" he rumbled in a deep and husky voice.

"Uh-huh." I said as I felt his lips press along my neck. My body felt hot and tingly, and it was what? Not even ten o'clock in the morning. Jeesh.

He pulled back with a sigh. That's Dimitri for you, always doing the right thing. I'd say his mother would be proud, but if Olena had seen some of the things we've been doing together- lets just say I don't want to be responsible for my mother-in-law's cardiac arrest.

It wasn't an awkward air, but it definitely wasn't a comfortable one either. So I decided to crack a snarky remark as we slowly descended the stairs. "You know, this a lot of effort to go through just to see me break my neck. You could have picked something a lot more simple." I teased.

"Rose, that's not funny. And I know this is a lot to go through, I would have devised a much quicker plan, and much less painful for myself if I was intending to break your neck." He said back in his 'Not Funny, Rose' voice.

"It was joke." I clarified. His only reply was a manly grunt. I could just picture his facial expression right now. It made me laugh.

"What?" he asked, clearly not understanding what I found so amusing.

"I can just see what your face looks like right now. That scolding, disapproving look you give me when I crack bad jokes. It made me laugh."

"Well maybe you should get better jokes," he suggested.

"What's wrong with my jokes?" I said in a mock hurt voice, at the same time my heel clipped the edge of the step I was just passing and Dimitri grabbed hold of me to keep me from stumbling.

"Can you just keep concentrating on not falling down the stairs so I can take you somewhere that isn't a place to get medical attention?" he asked me. I'd lost count of all the times he'd taken me to the infirmary.

I sighed and agreed. Once we were outside the front door he took me to a car and opened the door, he even lifted me into the car despite my complains and protests and buckled me in. He closed my door and from the sound of his footfalls he was walking around the car. Next I heard the door to my left open and he jumped in. Not long after that the car was on the road and he finally said, "You can take it off now."

"The blindfold or my clothes?" I asked as I undid the knots behind my head. I heard the quiet chuckling that were making the air vibrate a tiny bit.

Everything was bright at first but my eyes soon adjusted to the sudden light.

"Where are we headed?" I asked out of curiosity. I looked over at him and his eyes were on the road when he answered.

"To get you breakfast." He said simply. My stomach growled loudly. I was starving.

"That's sounds really good." I said with a happy grin. He gave me one of his gorgeous smiles and then we sat in a comfortable silence the rest of the way.

***

We were sitting together on a hill looking over at the sun as it drew closer and closer to sunset. We were leaning against a huge oak tree; Dimitri's back against the bark and mine against his chest. His strong arms were wrapped around me and I felt safe and loved. We'd spent the whole day driving around with him showing me places from his childhood and I managed to snap a couple of photographs of him and I. I even caught one of us kissing. Now I completely agree with him; Russia is a beautiful place.

His fingertips were drawing aimlessly across the skin on my forearm. It made my skin crawl in a good way. I turned my head up to look at him. He was looking out over the setting sun, the golden sunlight covering his stoic features in a heavenly glow. Right at this second he looked like an angel. His skin a flawless gold, his hair glimmered in the light. The only thing that didn't fit in this picture was the faint scar on his neck. The one the blonde Strigoi made when he bit Dimitri back I the caves. My hand came up and brushed the slight blemish.

"I wish I could make that disappear." I said quietly as my fingertips grazed the rutted skin.

He looked down at me when I spoke and his eyes searched my face. "I don't."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why?" Why would he want to remember that? I turned my body slightly in his embrace so I could see his face in a more comfortable position.

He stared into my eyes and a small smile played on his lips. Both of his hands came up to cup my face. "Because it's the day I got a second chance. It made me realise how easily I could lose everything, how easily I could lose you." I could feel hot tears forming in my eyes and I had to blink a couple of times to keep them down. "You were the only thing I could think about when that Strigoi was on my back, Rose. Only you. I didn't even spare a thought for my family. I only wanted you to get out safe. So I could hold you again, and tell you how much I love you." His voice had dropped lower and lower as he spoke and ended close to a whisper. My tears were streaming down my face silently. I couldn't hold them back. I quickly swiped at them and gave a half sob-half laugh. I sniffed and looked back at him just in time to see him pull out a little gold bag from one of his pockets. He held it up and I gave him a questioning look.

"You didn't think I wouldn't get you a present on your birthday?" He asked with an incredulous face.

"I didn't want anything." I said giving him a disapproving look. He just smiled clearly proud of himself as I took the bag. I loosened the strings and tipped the contents of the bag into my open palm.

I gasped. I looked up at him; I couldn't believe he got me this. I picked up the gold chain and it glittered in the light. A gold locket hung at the bottom with a rose engraved in the center with something in Russian underneath.

"It's beautiful." My voice trembled, filled with awe. "This must have cost a fortune. Where did you get it? You shouldn't have spent so much on me-" he cut off my protests by pressing his finger to my lips. Once I was quiet he moved his hand away. "What does it say?" I asked him. I really needed to learn some Russian if I was going to stay with him, which I was, preferably forever.

"It says, 'My Heart'. Because you will always have my heart." He said as he took the locket and put it around my neck. When I faced him again I started to lean into him.

"Since the moment I met you, mine was yours," I whispered against his lips.

He chuckled. The sound was a deep, sexy sound. "'Cheap foreign labour' is your idea of sweet talking?" he joked.

I groaned and pulled away, ignoring his attempts to pull me back. "God, I can't believe you remember that. I can't believe I said that." I complained about when we first met, "I was such an egotistical… bitch."

He pulled me back. "I remember it because it was the day I met you. If it makes you feel better, when you said it I had a hard time not laughing. I didn't take offence at all. And you did what you did, and said what you said to protect Lissa."

I looked at him to see if he really believed what he told me. His jaw was set and his dark eyes kept contact with mine. "I-" I never got to say that I didn't know what to say. His mouth was stopping any thing I wanted to say. His lips were soft and gentle, never pushing me. I moved into a more comfortable position by straddling his legs, the soft grass cushioning under my knees. The kiss started to get stronger; it's intensity building. His tongue grazed my bottom lip and I opened my mouth wider to let him come join the party.

I needed air but I so was not finished kissing him. I moved along his cheek until I reached his ear, when my hands stroked his neck I breathed his name into his ear, "Dimitri…"

A shudder rippled through his entire body at the same time I took his earlobe into my mouth and suckled. It was a learnt over all the years I spent kissing boys, they love it when you pay attention to their earlobes, neck, and chest; and I had every intention to do just that right now with Dimitri.

"Rose…" he managed to choke out my name. His hands were gripping at my thighs; I could tell he was restraining himself from sliding his hands under my dress. My shoes were in the back seat of the car, where I would like to be right at this second. "Rose, we can't do this here…" he said breathlessly.

I pulled away from him and stood up. I grabbed his hand and pulled him up and started towards the backseat of the car. He never said a word as I dragged him along. I opened the door and sat on the seat facing him, I looked up at him and then slid back along the backseat. He didn't even argue, amazingly, he followed me in and shut the door behind him. It wasn't long until things got heated between us, his shirt seemed to vanish into thing air and his hands disappeared to places I doubt I would let a doctor go anywhere near. He had me gasping for air. Were we really going to do it in the backseat of a car? That would definitely be something to tell Liss.

Apparently not.

There was a knock on the window above our lip-locked heads. We both looked up to see some guy wearing sunglasses and a scarf looking at us through the slightly tinted glass, a slight smile worn on his face. There were two guys standing behind him that looked like guardians. This guy must be a Moroi.

Dimitri pulled himself off me and had his shirt back on in the next second; I managed to pull my dress down to cover some of the skin I was showing. I really hadn't noticed that my dress was nearly around my neck. I had no idea where Viktoria's cardigan had disappeared too.

Dimitri gave me a slight push towards the door and I opened it and slid out, he was right on my tail. I could tell I had a furious blush covering me from head-to-toe and I didn't bother covering how pissed off I was that we had been interrupted again.

Standing beside me, Dimitri had his guardian mask on not letting any emotion slip and a protective hand around my waist.

"Well, well, well," the Moroi guy started. "What do we have here? This wouldn't happen to be the fierce Guardian Dimitri Belikov?" the guy sneered. "I hear your making quite a name for yourself these days. Its always good to have people know who you are and what you do." He directed towards Dimitri.

"If I didn't know better, Abe, I'd say you almost gave me a compliment." Dimitri said in a flat tone. "Almost." His face never changed. Abe? Is that his name?

Abe laughed at Dimitri's statement and took of his sunglasses and slid them into the pocket of his long heavy black coat. "Then it's a good thing you know better, isn't it?" the Moroi replied. Then his eyes fell on me and I stiffened. That small smile crept back onto his face again and he asked, "Whom do we have here?"

Dimitri didn't answer for me so I opened my mouth. "Rose," I said bluntly. "Rose Hathaway." I swear to God Abe looked stunned for a fraction of a second, and then his eyes flickered to Dimitri again with a deadly glare. What the hell?

In a second his face was neutral and careless again.

"Mmm… I've heard of you as well. The one who ran away with the last Dragomir," He said it in that scornful tone of his. "That's not all though, there's word going round that you're on your way to becoming one of the best guardians the worlds ever seen." He continued, "That's got to be a huge amount of pressure."

"Who the hell are you?" I barked back. I wasn't really in the mood to have a conversation about what I can do as a guardian. I was in the mood to get hot and heavy with my man though. But whatever almighty divinity was out there was making it damn sure Dimitri and I got interrupted every damn freaking time.

"Chatty I see," he said sarcastically. He took a couple of steps towards me and held out his hand, "Abe Mazur." Mazur… Mazur… I've heard that name before.

I shook it cautiously, his grip surprisingly firm like he used it to intimidate people and I decided to take in just exactly what he looked like. He was tall and slim but had the most muscle I'd seen on a Moroi, with dark eyes, black hair and a goatee. He was as tanned as a Moroi could get and appeared to be a little younger then Olena. His outfit screamed money, especially the gold chain around his neck and the gold hoop in his earlobe. His accent wasn't American or Russian, which made me start thinking about other countries and what they sound like. But the worst thing of all about this Abe guy was the vibe I got from him, like a mobster who broke kneecaps to get his way.

"Who told you about me?" I asked him guardedly.

"That's for only me to know, little girl." He smiled over at me. It made my stomach feel uneasy.

"Don't call me little girl, old man." The guardians behind him stiffened, Dimitri's hand tightened along with his grip on me. "Not unless you want this to end in a fight," I warned through my clenched teeth.

He laughed a deep dangerous chuckle, but it sounded genuinely amused. "You live up to that assertive reputation I've heard so much about. How pleasing," he commented. "All you need to know is, I can be a very good friend or a very bad enemy." He concluded.

He nodded at Dimitri, "Belikov." Then did the same to me, making sure he looked me up and down while he was at it. "Hathaway." And the he turned with his guardians and got into a dark car and drove away.

"Did he threaten me?" I asked Dimitri as we both stared after the car.

"Don't look to closely into it," he replied. "Zmey has a different way of showing who he likes and dislikes then a lot of other people. I don't think he threatened you, but there was definitely something he wasn't saying; and I think it was something to do with you."

"Great." I said dryly. "You called him zz-may, or whatever. What does that mean? It's Russian right?"

"Forget about it. I need to get you home." He bent down and pecked my lips softly, and I started remembering what we were doing not that long ago. He obviously didn't want to talk about Abe. Abe Mazur… why does his name bother me so much? I've heard it before… but from who?

"You sound like my prom date." I joked. "Do you really want to take me home or would you rather continue our scintillating conversation in the backseat…" I let what I was saying trail on. He shook his head smiling.

"My family have the whole night set up for you and I promised to have you there. And I don't break my promises." He said cheerfully.

I sighed. "Fine, take me away kind sir."

He kissed me again, only this time his warm lips lingered. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?" he asked in a low husky voice.

"You might have… but you can say it again if you'd like." I smiled up at him as he drew me closer.

"You're the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." He whispered in my ear. "I love you…" his hand was twisting one of the soft curls.

"Those are my favourite three words." I confessed. "And I love you too." I pulled his face down a bit and reached up on my tippy-toes to give him a kiss that lasted longer than a second.

He eventually pulled away causing me to sigh again.

"Now get in the car Miss Hathaway." He said putting on his authority voice and his guardian mask. I could see the smile in his eyes.

"Yes, Guardian Belikov." I answered in an innocent girly tone with a smirk. I winked at him and dove into passengers seat.

***

The party that the Belikov's had arranged was amazing. There were balloons tied to everything. A bonfire was set up away from the area for a dance floor. I think it was there if you didn't want to be around all the noise and people. There was a long table covered in food and big bowls of coloured liquid that looked like punch. There would have to be just over fifty people here, and nearly everyone one of them wanted to talk to Dimitri. He was standing with a small group of guys that looked about his age, talking about guardian stuff. He wanted to introduce me to everyone personally; that's how I did the head count. Viktoria and Sonya had managed to haul some decent music that actually had English lyrics and a couple in Russian. People were talking and laughing, eating and drinking, dancing and singing, and just having down right fun.

Right now I was sitting on a chair at an empty table drinking some red liquid that tasted like strawberry. It was surprisingly good, in a sickly-sweet way. From where I was seated I could see the door that the guests were entering through which was how I knew when Abe Mazur arrived. Like earlier today, his two guardians were in toe right behind him. What I didn't get was – he wasn't a royal, but he had two assigned guardians with him all the time.

"Ugh. Zmey's here." Said a voice from beside me. I jumped and spun around to face a smiling Karolina. Nice work Rose, you're gonna be a badass guardian with your hearing.

"I didn't hear you sit down," I confessed to her.

She laughed gently, sounding a lot like her mother. "Sorry. It's a habit. When Paul was a baby, he would wake up at the slightest of sounds. So, I made sure when I put him to bed I didn't make a noise." She explained.

I smiled. "You're like Supermom," I joked. She laughed like Olena again and nodded at Abe.

"Have you met Abe yet?" she asked.

"Sadly, yes." I told her. "Why do you and Dimitri call him Zzma-something?" I asked. What did it mean?

"Zmey." She corrected, "It translates to snake in Russian. I think it was a name the Alchemists gave him." She said thoughtfully.

"What's an Alchemist?" I asked stupidly.

"Haven't you learned about them yet in school?" she questioned. I shook my head. "Well, all you really need to know is that they only ever really show up when there's trouble with our kind and Strigoi. If you want to know more, ask your teachers when you get back to America." She closed that topic and moved to a more present situation. "So, how are you liking the party?"

"It's great," I said truthfully because it was great. "The decorations are awesome. And Dimitri introduced me to everyone. Literally." She laughed.

"That's our Dimka. He's proud of you, he wants to show you off. We all do." She said happily.

I smiled over at her. "Did he tell you I had a panic attack on the way here, to me you guys?" I told her sheepishly. It's not exactly fun to tell someone that you did something embarrassing and stupid.

She barked out a small dubious laugh, "Why?" she asked.

"I don't know," I did. "I guess I was just really nervous. I mean back in the U.S. I don't care if people don't like me. But you're his family. You're the people he talked so much about to me; he's crazy about all of you." I explained. "I just wanted all of you to like me."

"We loved you the moment we heard your name over the phone," She said in a serious voice. "Dimka was never really a ladies man," she was trying to hid a smirk. "He was always polite and kind when he didn't have his head in a Country Western book or working his but off to be a strong guardian. But the second your name passed his lips we knew you had him hook, line and sinker. He just kept going on and on and on, and we practically demanded that he bring you to see us."

I laughed. "So do I fit your expectations?"

"You are so much better then we expected." She sounded like she meant it.

"Thanks." I replied, "I mean for everything. For excepting me, for the party, for not eating me alive," I laughed. She joined in too and swiped my camera to take one of me laughing. "Hey!"

"That one's for Dimitri. You're really pretty when you smile."

"Sorry. It's a habit," I teased using the same words she used earlier. We joked around for a while and took another photo together, which was about then when I heard a voice in my head.

I love that dress you're wearing! Where did you get it?

It was Lissa.

My body tensed and I stopped listening to Dimitri's oldest sister. How did she know what I was wearing?

"That's my que to leave. Your surprise is here." Karolina said as she stood up and headed over to a man who gave her a very intimate hug. That must be he steady Dhampir boyfriend she was talking about to Sonya the other night at dinner.

My eyes scanned the partygoers and landed on Dimitri talking and laughing with a woman who had her back to me. She had long black hair and was laughing with him. I was only slightly jealous and possessive until I saw who she was when she turned to face me and waved.

It was Tasha. Tasha Ozera. Is it a normal reaction to want to tear someone's throat out just because they live and breathe? Probably not, but I still wanted to do just that.

Then another really exciting thought hit me.

Lissa must be here too with Christian and his aunt.

I looked around frantically and my eyes fell on my best friend.

I didn't even know I had gotten up and started running until I slammed into her hard. She made an 'Oof!' sound when I collided into her and soon we were both laughing and screaming together. I could tell people were staring clueless at us but I didn't acknowledge their staring. I pulled back at arms length and asked the question I had rolling around in my head.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled in her face.

She smiled. "Happy Birthday," she sang. "You didn't think I would miss my best friend's eighteenth birthday? Rose, I've never missed your birthday and I am determined to keep it that way." I squealed again and gave her another hug.

Christian surprisingly hugged me too. "Happy Birthday Hathaway," he said with a smirk. "Your getting old. I think I can see some grey hairs right here-" I swatted away his hand he was reaching out to touch my hair with and glared at him. He just chuckled like the annoying moron he is.

"Oh how I've missed being in the presence of the pyromaniac. And his Princess," I smiled at Liss who was beaming at me.

"We bought you some presents, but figured you didn't want to carry them back on the plane you came here on. I got them sent to the academy and asked for them to be left inside your room." She told me.

"You really didn't have to get me anything. You know that." I said disapprovingly.

"It's already been taken care of, so there's no point in complaining Rose." She said cheerfully. "Oh, and you might want to turn around," she added.

"Huh?" I said as I spun in my heels and got blasted with a cloud of clove cigarette smoke.

"Little Dhampir. Happy Birthday, your finally a big girl now." He mused. I rolled my eyes and gave him a hug, he was actually surprised by the gesture but I ignored it.

He opened his mouth to say something when all hell broke loose. I keeled over and gripped at my stomach.

Strigoi.

I jumped into action.

"STRIGOI! EVERYBODY GROUP TOGETHER, NOW!" I screamed. People obeyed immediately. I thrust my hand up under my dress and pulled out the hidden stake I had wedged between my panties I chosen out for Dimitri and my bare hip. My grip was so tight my knuckles turned white. Everyone had grouped together tightly in a cluster behind me, with at least twenty guardians forming a line around the group of mainly women, children and a handful of Moroi, protectively.

Dimitri was looking out towards the trees just across from the campfire. Somehow I knew that's where they were, and that there was definitely more than one.

Then one broke through the trees.

Shortly followed by four more. They headed straight for us, for the group.

I knew in my gut that there was only this many here. I had no way of explaining how I knew, I was just one hundred percent sure of it.

Seven guardians I counted in my peripheral vision, including Dimitri and me, started creeping forward towards the deadly creatures. I had to take deep breaths to keep from retching I felt so bad. Dimitri kept casting sidelong looks.

"Roza… I love you." Dimitri said quietly, his breathing had sped up and his muscles had tensed up. He must have been thinking about the last time we had a run in with Strigoi, it didn't end very well. For either of us.

"I love you too. But nothing's going to happen, we'll be fine." I said back. Not only to him, but to myself as well. Adrenaline was racing through my veins and I took a daring step forward, towards the enemy.

We were about a hundred feet away when the first Strigoi spoke.

"We heard that last Dragomir was in town. We thought we might drop in for dinner." He sneered.

"Over my dead body." I growled fiercely. I could feel all Lissa's fear and anxiety; she was terrified.

"All in good time, Sweetheart." He laughed; the sound send shivers down my spine. He had dark red hair slicked back and was just a little taller then me, but not quite Dimitri's height.

"Don't call me Sweetheart you disgusting monster!" I screeched at him and lunged at the same time, faking a punch and kicking him square in the gut. He stumbled a few steps and flew straight towards me. I moved out of his way half a second before his fist swung. He turned and we started circling. I could hear the others fighting now, the grunts and the sound of arms and legs connecting with bodies.

The Strigoi tried a few tactics on me but I managed to duck in time or slip away from him before he could get a grip. His arm swung at me and I spun around to get out of its line of target, but he guessed my move and swung with his other fist. He caught me that time, right in the side of the face. I cried out in pain. Damn, it hurt.

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled at him.

He chuckled darkly and kept advancing on me. We kept this for what seemed like forever. I almost cried out in joy when I noticed the six other guardians closing in on the last Strigoi alive, the one I was battling with. I was panting for air, my body hurt from the blows I'd taken and I was feeling exhausted.

It all happened so fast. Dimitri and another guy I think was named August dived forward and grabbed the Strigoi's arms. That was all I needed, that small opening of vulnerability and I took it. I yanked back my arm and slammed my stake into its chest. I cried out using the last of my strength, the sound mingling with creature final cry of pain. It's eyes made contact with mine and it became lifeless.

Dimitri's big hands gripped my shoulders and his eyes searched mine. "Rose. Rose, are you okay. You're hurt. Let's get you cleaned up." He tried to pull me away but I didn't budge. I was suddenly overcome by a body-shaking wave of desire. To put it simply, I wanted sex. And bad.

I looked up at him and tried to show how I was feeling through my eyes. "Right now," I said only for his ears.

I could tell by the way his face changed and his breath caught, that he knew what I meant. "Right now," he repeated but it sounded more like a question. "My room?" he asked.

I shook my head. I had one place in mind. "Backseat." I said simply.

He took my hand and we started almost running for the car where we were going to lock the doors, and we were going to do what we had been trying to do for the last four days.

Pleeeeeeeeeease Review.

and i hope you enjoyed my fanfic. :)

Hannah. x