Chapter One

My phone started ringing and I glanced down at the number. It was Rose. I hit the ignore button on the phone, throwing the phone back into my purse. I heard it beep a few more times. This meant she had left me a message, and by the time that had passed since I hit the ignore button, it was definitely a longer message. Picking through my purse, I suddenly couldn't see. A smile lit up my face.

"Adrian… Hey," I said smiling. I turned towards him, even though his hand was still covering my eyes. His hands moved from my eyes to caress my cheek softly. Adrian took her hands in his gently.

"I bet you were missing me. And just about to call me. Right?" Adrian said, cracking a cocky smile. I laughed softly. I glanced over at my purse.

"As tempting as that is, I got a message… From Rose," I said, looking down at my hands. The smile that was on my face before was gone.

"Rose… As in Rose Hathaway… Did you answer?" Adrian asked, kissing her hands gently. I looked up at Adrian's face. His face was soft and his brow furrowed. He seemed to be deep in thought, as if he was considering why Rose would be calling me. It had been such a long time since we had last spoken. After she went to Russia to search for Dimitri, Rose didn't come back. After leaving for so long, Rose just… Stop calling. I didn't know what happened. I wasn't sure if she was even still alive for that matter. After Rose, I became a whole different person. I began to be more of the Princess Dragomir that was more stereotypical. I started caring more about what everyone thought and whom there was to impress in a room of royal Moroi.

"Adrian… Could you excuse me? I'm going to listen to this message," I said, nodding over to my purse. Adrian nodded slowly. He probably decided it was easier that I handle a few things on my own. I watched him walk away and sit across the room. I smiled to myself. It was such an Adrian move to make sure I was okay by watching me from across the room.

I searched through my purse quickly. Finally grabbing my phone, I punched in my number and hit talk, calling voicemail. I typed in the password and waited for the message to play. I almost fell apart whenever I first heard her voice. As soon as the message was finished, I hit replay.

"Hey Liss. Um… It's me... Rose. I know it has been a long time since we last talked. You must already be in college. How are things with Christian? I really am very sorry about not being there for you. Especially when it hurts so much for us to be so far away. I still think about you, but I just… I just can't come home. Now it seems you are all I can turn to… Dimtri's gone… You seem so far away from me… I haven't spoken to anyone from back home… But I suppose now you won't be at Saint Vladimir's. Where did you finally decide to go to college? I met someone here… He helped me… He helped me do what Dimitri wanted me to do… Well… Please call me, Liss…. Hopefully talk to you soon. Bye."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples slowly. Just to hear her voice brought back memories of a time I was trying to forget. The cold splash of water that brought me back from my thoughts was the thought that she left me. I tried to tell her and convinced her to stay. I even tried to compel her, but I soon regretted that. She just blew up in my face and kept walking. She kept walking, ignoring my cries and my tears. There was nothing I could do to keep her with me. I couldn't believe the nerve she had whenever she decided to call me for advice. She would call me to always ask if there was some way I could save her precious Dimitri. That's also the reason why she left. She left because Dimitri was taken and turned into one of the worst things in our world. He became a Strigoi, an evil vampire that prowls the night feeding on vampires like Rose and me. I cannot believe that she followed that Dimitri guy all the way across the planet. She left me for her teacher. She left her best friend, which had not only always been there for her, but had also saved her from death. That's why we have the bond. Though the bond, Rose could listen to my thoughts and feel my feelings. Sometimes she could even slip into my head. I brought her back from the car accident that had killed my parents and my older brother, Andre. Now whenever I think about her, I remember Rose, as she was the way she looked as she was walking away from me. Her best friend.

I put the phone back into my purse, and crossed my legs at the knee. I watched Adrian stand up, walk over to me, and sat down right across from me.

"How was it? I saw your face… You had that crazed 'I've seen a ghost' look in your eyes…" Adrian said, a slightly worried expression in his face. Soon a smile replaced the worried look his face had taken. "Or could you not understand what she was saying because you were paying attention to me…"

I laughed. What I loved most about Adrian was that he could lighten every moment. When I was upset about school, Adrian would send me flowers during class. He would write a little handwritten note inviting me out later. He always knew what I was feeling. Maybe it was the whole spirit you shared. I suppose my aura always gave away what I was feeling. He could know whatever happened without even asking. That's why I decided to join him at the Royal Court. His aunt, Queen Tatiana, seemed completely enthralled with the fact that Adrian and I were together.

Aunt Tatiana, as she wanted me to call her, loved that the two most known spirit users were together. The possibilities were endless when it came to ideas with Adrian and I. I hadn't really liked Adrian and his aunt before, back when I was still dating Christian. But as soon as Christian and I weren't dating anymore, Adrian just… He was perfect. He was always there for me… Even when Rose and everyone else weren't.