First and foremost, I'd like to thank Richelle Mead for creating V.A and all her characters that SHE owns… 2ndly I'd like to thank YourDemonicAssassin for writing this with me and doing what it felt like most of the work so If you like it thank her for it… without her it might not even have gotten written… speaking of here she is.

This is a new story I'm helping co-write with the awesome AJ aka Stalker. Please enjoy.

… good enough, here's the story!

Broken frames

I was in cheep hotel off the side of some road. I had spent all my money in gas, beer and this shitty hotel room. I figured I could compel them enough later to keep the room for a little while longer, until I had a new plan. I looked at my face in the mirror.
I knew I was handsome with my pale skin, artfully messy brown hair and emerald green eyes. Most women couldn't resist me. None had actually, until I met Rosemarie Hathaway. I shook my head, trying to clear the flash backs, trying not to remember why I left court, why I was here, but I couldn't help it. The first time I ever truly loved anyone she betrayed me. I turned on the bathroom faucet and splashed my face with water and dried it off with a towel. I walked out into the room where I had left the blood-whore. She sat on the bed waiting for me to get my money.

"Well?" she said looking up at me. Sitting on the edge of the bed and looking into her eyes I spoke softly.

"You want me. You don't want the money, you want me." I said my voice barely above a whisper.

"What the hell?" she asked standing up. Raising my voice this time, I tried again.

"You want me. You don't want the money, you want me." I said even adding the fricken Jedi two finger wave… she just looked pissed and angry. Why was this working? I drunkenly thought to myself. They usually just through them self's at me without even using spirit. I looked deeply into her eyes "do you really want money, or do you want me?"

"Ok, if you want me to do some freaky star wars fetish thing, that will cost extra, if not then I'm leaving" and she started to get up and leave

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her, trying to pull her onto the bed but she slipped, falling into the headboard of the bed. The sharp edges of it cut into her arms causing her to bleed as I wondered how long it had been since I had last fed. Still holding her arm I pulled her close to me, ignoring her struggles as I licked over the wound lightly before I bit her. She screamed in pain for a moment before the endorphins kicked in and as she slumped into my lap. I moved off the part of her arm I had bitten as I moved up to her neck. Maybe it was the Vodka, maybe it was the insanity the spirit causes, but I bit her neck, taking in her blood until I felt her go limp in my arms.

I drunk more from her until I felt nothing more come out. Standing up real quick I felt myself move back over to the mirror looked into it and saw my eyes going red. Not liking what I saw I took it and smashed it along with all the other frames in the shitty hotel room… but not before I saw all the blood drain from my face turning me a chalky white color. I had no idea what was happening to me when I felll limp to the floor… the last thing I saw was my fangs growing longer in a shard of the mirror sitting in its broken frame. Then I blacked out…

"Come on dad let go play out side!" I asked with my young 5 years old voice

"Adrian, leave me alone! I need to get this done." Nathan Ivashkov angrily said to me, his son… "Go play with your friends."

Walking way I mumbled to myself with a tears running down my face "but I don't have any… and want to play with you…"

"I'm sorry honey… but your fathers not going to make it… he's busy at work but he said to eat birthday cake without him" said his mother

"Did he say 'happy birthday' at least?" I asked her

"err… yes," his mother quickly caught her self "yes he did, he said 'tell Adrain I wished him a happy 6th birthday" she quickly lied. I could tell because early in the week I told him I was going to be six and he said 'so what? Birthdays aren't that special' . but at least my mom tried.

"Adrian, are your parents coming to our end of kindergarten finally? I want to talk to them about how you're doing in her"

"No Mrs. Arshun… my dads working and my moms not coming if he's not…my aunty said she would though! She's the Queen!"

"Queen Tatiana Ivashkov? Ok class its time for an art project, lets make the class room look like the Courts! The Queen is going to be coming to our finally!

"Mr. Ivashkov we have heard that you have not specialized in any element we're worried for you" Headmistress Kirova told me as I sat in the only chair that was available in her whole entire office… right in front of her desk.

"Who's 'we'? And why are you worried?" I ask in I slight slur… that drinking party last night was epic… I held off six other people trying to drink me under the table… so it was a slow night.

"'We' being your parents and myself. We feel that…"

"Both of my parents or just my dad?" I interrupted " I know for a fact that not every mori specializes. Before my father wants to run tests on me and say I'm a failure again… tell him even a teacher that is employed here hasn't specialized. If that's it I believe I'm done here?" looking into her eyes I asked again "am I done here?"

"Yes Adrain" she answered with a voce that sounded as if it was forced… but didn't say anything else, and with that I walked out and went to my room to sleep.

I was smoking out on the porch, looking out at court. It was cold out, but it was nice all the same. I turned around to see a beautiful girl with dark brown hair and tan skin coming over, stomping loudly. She was a Dhampir, maybe about 17 or 18 years old, I would say, but that wasn't what made me talk to her. I see peoples auras all the time. All the color of the rainbow, but I had never seen anything like this girls aura. It was a pitch-black ring filled with other colors. It was a little unsettling to say the least.

"Hey Little Dhampir"…

I held Rose's wrist, keeping her close to me, watching her face. She didn't fight or pull away like she normally did. But the look on her face wasn't one of enjoyment, but more like she was studying me.

"You know, under any other circumstances this would be hot, but instead you're looking at me like me like I'm some science fair project."

"Why don't you ever use compulsion on me?" She asked me, looking into my eyes as if she would uncover some hidden answer lurking there. "And I don't mean to stop me from getting into fights."

"Because half the fun of you is that you're so difficult."

"Do it"

"Do what?" I asked, relaxed. Her being this close to me I could think of a lot of things I could do to her, but I didn't think that's what she meant.

"Use compulsion on me." she said and smiled a little at the shock that must have registered on my face.
"What?"

"Use compulsion on me to make me want to kiss you" she said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "but you have to promise not to actually kiss me.

"That's pretty weird." I said "And when I say something's weird, you know it's serious."

"Please?"

I couldn't say no to her. not when she was looking at me like that. I sighed and looked into her eyes summoning up my magic. I watched her face become relaxed, in almost dream like state. "I want to kiss you, Rose." I started softly. "And I want you to want me too." If she only knew the truth behind my words.
She tilted her face up to mine leaning in close to me.

"Do you want to?" I asked. "Do you want to kiss me?" Her eyes focused on my lips as I moved my face closer. We were only a heartbeat away when I straightened up. "We're done." I said, taking a step back, quickly morphing my face back into its usual amused mask before she could see the look on my face.

"Rose… How…how could you?" I asked. Gaping at her and dropping the bouquet of roses I had gotten for her … "Why?" I asked again tears streaming down my face… I couldn't believe what I had just seen… how could she just turn her back on me? On what we have?

With out a look of remorse or compassion she simply told me to get out of her room. She wrapped a sheet around her and followed me out into the hall, but no before kissing Dimitri and telling he she'd be right back. When he looked at me he gave me a look like he didn't know that we didn't break up… and he mouthed "I'm sorry"

Rose came out and slammed the door "what the fuck are you doing coming to my room without telling me first?" she asked "I have been telling you that since I've come home"

"Yeah… and now I know why because of him… did he even know about us?" I said throwing all the hurt I had with out crying…"Why Rose?"

"Because I don't love you… I never did, never will. Now… I have company. Good bye Adrian" and she turned and walked away…

"Rose… please," I whispered "don't…" and the door slammed shut with my heart in it, shattering it in to a million pieces. I walked away with an emptiness that I have never felt before… 'I need alcohol' was my last sober thought I had while I was alive…

thanks for reading,

S.

YDA, Thanks so much for reading! hope you liked it and please review