Chapter One

" Liss I'm not in the mood, please don't start with me!"

I could feel her anger radiating off of her but I was already so close to crying. I just didn't think I could take it right now. Dimitri didn't love me. Apparently his love had faded. ' I've given up on you...love fades...mine has' that's what he'd said to me.

" We need to talk about this Rose. I asked, no I told you to leave him alone."

"Yeah I know Liss I fucked up." But he wasn't so fragile in there that he couldn't break my heart. He had handled himself just fine I thought to myself.

" What would Adrian think if he knew you were chasing Dimitri down and terrorizing him?"

Was she threatening to tell on me? Was this really my best friend? The person I'd grown up with, and swore to protect! The whole reason for everything leading up to this moment was for me to have Dimitri back. I knew it was wrong what I was doing to Adrian. But Dimitri was my life I couldn't help it. Everything was falling apart, right down to my friend ship with Lissa.

" I guess I would understand!"

Lissa and I both turned toward the voice. There stood Adrian Ivashkov himself. Damn it! He looked hurt, but I could also see he did understand. Lissa threw her hands up knowing her threat was dead now. But she came up with a new one. One that held no weight for me right now.

" We're not done with this Rose."

And she walked off. I watched her go. She had been mad at me before, but she was never really mean about it. Once she rounded the corner I looked at Adrian again.

" Would you like to come in because I can not deal with one more person telling me off in public today."

I turned and walked the rest of the way to my room letting Adrian and myself inside. I sat down in the chair by the desk removing the heals I'd worn to church. I watched as Adrian looked around my small space. The room I had been given had a small closet, a full size bed, a desk and chair, and a small bathroom. It was like a slap in the face, you know thanks for dying for us here's a bathroom to go with your hole in the wall. i was on edge now as Adrian remained silent.

" Please say something Adrian! Yell at me anything, I don't care." my voice cracked at the end.

" I knew you still loved him, when you got back from Russia you were half a thread from falling apart. I'm not mad Rose you promised you would try and you did." He sat down on the edge of the bed in front of me. " I do love you Rose, but I know when to quit. Here is where that happens. But don't worry little dhampir I'm not going anywhere. You're like my best friend."

I couldn't help but smile. Sure I'd lost Dimitri again, Lissa and Eddie were mad at me, but I wouldn't lose Adrian too.

There was a rough knock on the door so I went to answer it. A Guardian stood there looking bored.

" Guardian Croft would like to see you immediately."

He didn't wait for a reply, not that anyone would say no to that. Adrian said he had to go see his great Aunt anyway. She wanted to explain the importance of that death party again. Really I think they just used the time to gossip like little girls. I put my heals back on in hopes Croft would let me have the day off if I looked like a good church going girl. I'd had enough of garden duty this week.

The walk to Guardian headquarters didn't take me that long. It was afternoon but being Sunday there weren't that many Guardians here. I told the female Guardian at the front desk that Guardian Croft had sent for me. She told me to wait and went to go get him. After a few moments she returned.

" He said just go back to his office, you know where that is!"

That was a dig at me I'm sure but it really didn't bother me. I smiled at her and made my way to his office knocking on the door when I got there. He told me to come in and have seat.

" Let's just get straight to the point. I'm putting you on permanent desk duty for the foreseeable future."

He sure as hell didn't beat around the bush, and I could only find one word to respond to his statement.

" What?"

" The council thinks with your actions as of late and your mouth and temper that it would be unsafe to put you in a position to guard anyone right now."

" Is that the Guardian council or the Moroi?" I already knew the answer because Guardian Croft looked like he didn't want to be doing this at all.

" You know what don't answer that I already know. I am as dedicated to their safety as much as every other dhampir. I've killed more Strigoi than most senior guardians. They can not seriously want me on a desk sorting through papers!"

He looked down at his desk and I knew my fate was sealed. No amount of pleading, arguing, or any of my achievements would help me now.

" We can revisit the situation in a few months time. Don't lose hope, I know how much of an asset you are here."

That was comforting but didn't change the fact that the Moroi would never let me off of that desk. With nothing more to say besides I'm sorry, I was dismissed. I wandered down the hall back to where he receptionist was. I prayed she didn't say anything because I might go off and I didn't need one more reason for the Moroi council to hold against me.

Thankfully she wasn't at her post and I walked out if the building with some of my pride still intact. On the back way to my room I wondered if they would keep me there or if I would move to a more permanent residence. What did it even matter anyway? My life was falling apart at every turn and I was worried about a room!

Walking down the hallway I noticed Eddie was pacing in front of my door. He hadn't spoken to me since our return from Vegas, and I hadn't seen him since we had garden duty the day the council hauled me in for their new fucked up age law. Sending a bunch of sixteen year old dhampir out to fight and protect the Moroi was a stupid idea. It was also my accomplishments that they just condemned me for that made their final decision.

" Can we talk? Inside please?"

Eddie said as soon as I approached my door. I nodded and let us both inside. As soon as I shut the door Eddie lost it.

" Guardian Croft called me into his office earlier this morning. He informed me that the Moroi council has decided with getting captured by Strigoi twice I'm not fit to guard anyone. My final grades and average for my trials don't even matter."

He turned around and punched the wall leaving a good size hole there.

" My whole life training has been for nothing."

He said as he slumped down to the floor. So I told him about my meeting with Croft. When I was finished he just stared at me.

" What are we going to do? I mean you're the best I have ever seen and they can't see past an image they want."

What could we do? If the council says jump we're supposed to say how high. If they put us on desk duty we're supposed to be grateful. Why? Because without the Moroi our race would be finished and then the Strigoi win for sure. But we aren't treated well. We are just lowly dhampir with one job, protect and obey the Moroi. I was done with that. I suddenly knew what we could do.

" I have a plan, just give me an hour and then I'll come find you."

He looked skeptical but in the end his curiosity for whatever I was planning won out. He left and just as I was about to make my first phone call, Lissa shouted at me through the bond. It was like she was in front of me yelling and only I could hear her.

' Did you seriously go and get thrown on desk duty? You were supposed to be my guardian. I'm leaving for college in the fall and now they have to find me two new guardians. I saved you in that accident and for what?"

That really was the final push I needed to leave this whole place behind. I made my call.

" Abe I need your help."

I explained everything to him. What had happened between Dimitri and I. Lissa and I, and mine and Eddie's new jobs. He was silent for a long time and when he did speak again he said he'd call me back. So now I just had to wait.

I laid back on my bed and was trying to relax from the events of today when I got pulled into Lissa's head.

" I can't believe her. I mean I tell her to leave Dimitri alone, she doesn't. She was supposed to protect me, now she's on a desk. I just need to cut ties. She will end up making me look like a fool."

She was talking to Christian and Tasha. Dmitri was standing in the corner looking out the window as it was getting closer to sunrise.

" Hun you know she's had a really bad few months. She's in love with Belikov, isn't that what started this whole thing? The reason he is now standing here."

She started thinking he was absolutely right when Tasha spoke up.

" No he is standing here thanks to the two of you. And Rose needs to understand she is just a child, with a bad temper. Dimka doesn't want or need someone like that dragging him down. The girl brought all of this on herself."

I pulled out not wanting to hear anymore. Who would have thought Christian freaking Ozera would be the one to take my side.

Finally my father called back.

" Pavel is on his way in my plane to get you, Castile, and your mother. He was already on his way as your mother's charge is at court and she was coming to spend time with me. I called her and she is very unhappy with the way you and Castile have been treated.

Oh I'm sure she was. I have a feeling I'll be begging for ghosts and the migraine that comes with them by the time she is done with me. This plane ride would be the longest one of my life.

" Just get yourselves ready and meet your mother in an hour at the garage. We'll discuss details when you arrive and are settled."

With that he hung up and I called Eddie with the plan.

" Hi Mom!"

" Rosemarie!"

She wasn't hateful about it, but I knew she had something to say so I told her to just get it over with.

" They shouldn't be treating you this way. Either of you. You spent two years keeping the Princess safe, you come back and were ahead of your classmates within a month. You have so many kills under your belt. And Guardian Castile, getting taken was not his fault."

She said all of this as she man handled our stuff into the trunk of the car we were taking.

" And Belikov..Oh where does he get off treating you this way?" She turned and faced me.

" Don't think I don't know what you did for him. That wasn't just a fun weekend in Vegas. Your father told me about Victor Dashkov's brother."

Seriously? Why would he do that? I couldn't believe this.

" Don't look at me like that. I'm not turning you in, he has left a messy trail and they're closing in on it. I do know what it's like to be in love."

Who in the actual hell was this woman? She ushered us into the car and soon we were leaving Court behind us. When we had gone a few miles down the road my mother pulled over.

" What in the hell were you thinking breaking that man out of prison? You're lucky no one would ever think it was you."

Ah and here she is folks, my real mother. She pulled back out onto the road and the whole way to the hanger where we were supposed to meet Pavel, I got the biggest earful of my life. I don't know what that had been back there at Court, but she probably really didn't want me thrown under the bus, or in jail so she couldn't yell at me back there.