I didn't know what to do. I looked around at the other guardians. They didn't trust me. They didn't want me around them. But, Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Belikov, and Guardian Croft cleared me of all

charges. They couldn't do anything about it.

"HEY! MOORE!" a voice called out to me.

I looked up just in time to see Mikhail Tanner heading toward me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Guardian Hathaway wants you. Immediately."

I nodded. I followed Guardian Tanner out of Guardian headquarters and he lead me directly to Guardian Hathaway's home. I stood beside Tanner waiting for Guardian Hathaway to rip into me.

"Hey, Mikhail." Hathaway said with a smile.

"Hey, here's Moore."

"Guardian Moore, nice to see you again."

I nodded, "Same to you, Guardian Hathaway."

"Really, Rose? Someone so stiff is going to teach me?" a girl with strawberry blonde hair said. Obviously someone had a bad attitude.

"You need your training and you can't be at Court officially yet. Eddie and Mikhail are more than enough to watch over Jill. Guardian Moore can help you learn your training and learn it quickly. You'll have me and Dimitri too. But, this is part of Moore's punishment."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" the girl said narrowing her eyes. Hathaway rolled her eyes, "No. But, anyway, you need to learn the proper way to do stuff if you want to stay with Jill."

"Who said I want to stay with Jill?" she countered.

Hathaway blowed out a frustrated breath. "Anyway, you don't have a choice. It's this or go back with the Keepers."

The girl glared. What the hell were the Keepers?

"Guardian Moore, this is Angeline Dawes. Angeline, this is Guardian Ethan Moore. Moore, Angeline is a special dhampir. She has never officially trained as a guardian. But, she is good and has amazing raw potential. Guardian Castile was in charge of her training until recently. I am putting you in charge of that training now that Guardian Castile will be on constant duty guardian Princess Dragomir while she is here."

"Yes, ma'am." I replied.

"You'll start tomorrow at 8." she said, giving orders.

"Yes, ma'am. I replied with a curt nod.

"Okay, you're dismissed."

I nodded again and Mikhail walked with me.

Why was she allowing me to do this? Was this some sort of test? Or a way to keep me under her eye?

"Are you okay?" he asked, realizing I was brooding.

I nodded, "Is she serious? About using me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't she be?"

"Well...I...I used to date Tasha...and..."

Mikhail chuckled, "Rose doesn't care, Moore. Trust me. She knows what it's like to be used and how it is when no one takes you seriously. Don't worry about it. She's giving you a chance to redeem yourself."

"What if I can't?"

"You will. Things have a way of working out. Trust me."

"Mikhail? Are you ready to go?" a voice called out.

We had gotten back to Guardian Headquarters and there stood Sonya Tanner. She'd married Tanner soon after coming back. She had been Strigoi and she was working with Belikov and some other people to learn more about Spirit and Strigoi who are turned back.

I thought back to what I knew about Mikhail Tanner. If he could come back from that maybe I could come back from this...Only time would tell.


A week had passed since I'd started Angelina's training. She was snippy and quick to argue. She really did have a bad attitude, but she was also determined. And just like Hathaway said she had a lot potential.

I met Angeline outside. She looked at me irritated.

"Ready?"

I nodded. I began her training with laps again. We ran in silence for a while.

"Why do we have to do this?" she groaned looking at me once we were done.

"Endurance training." I replied in a cool voice. She actually amused me, but I really wasn't in the mood to be open with this girl.

I didn't know her and something I learned was never to trust someone you don't really know. Even with idle chatter.

She nodded, "Rose warned me I wouldn't like a lot of what I had to do."

"Why don't you have any guardian training? I mean, all of us have to go through it."

She looked at me evenly, "I used to be a Keeper."

"What's that?"

"My family lives like they used to back in medieval times. Some of it's okay because everyone learns how to defend themselves, but in other ways it sucks. There's no electricity, no convenient things like microwaves and t.v. dinners, no malls, no grocery shopping. We work all the time. It's a hard life. But, it taught me a lot."

I was shocked by a lot of what she said. I had no idea people still lived like that.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my family. But, I always felt so stilted there. I felt like all there was to do was have some idiot marry me and start popping out kids and being a housewife. I don't want that life. I want something more."

"And being a guardian is that?"

"I don't know. But, it's a start. Right? I mean, I really can't go to college or anything. I've never been to college. It's hard being with Jill and having no idea what the hell is in front of me. I mean, I know how to read and I have a basic use of math and stuff. But, it's still hard."

I realized then that Angeline was lonely. That front she had the last week was just that, a front. I nodded.

"Well, Guardians can be pretty critical. But, I think you can make it."

"Ethan...I don't mean to pry...But, it seems like somethings going on here. I mean...I never see you around the other guardians. And I heard you're on desk duty."

"I am." I mumbled, throwing a wall up.

"Why?"

I sighed and looked at her earnest face. "I'm going to tell you a story, okay? About a guy who was pathetic and sick. And how he grew up to be a guardian. And then ruined it."

Angeline looked confused.

"I'll tell you a little bit every day until your training's over. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"We'll start tomorrow."

She nodded, "Bye."

"Bye."

She walked away and I felt myself sink back into my depressed thoughts. Why was talking to Angeline so easy?