The bottle moved across the room with ease. When it settled on the table, Ivan released the breath he had been holding and laughed. "Telekinesis."
Lissa, Christian, Jill, and Rose clapped and laughed. Dimitri merely rolled his eyes, as did Brandon. They were gathered in Ivan, Dimitri, and Brandon's guest apartment. Classes were over for the day.
Ivan raised an eyebrow as he looked at his guardians. "Come on you two. They haven't seen telekinesis before. I am here to teach Vasilisa about her element."
"I know," Dimitri agreed. "That doesn't mean you need to show off so much."
"Why have an element and not show off with it? You've seen Tasha and Christian show off with fire."
Dimitri didn't soften as he looked at his bond mate. "Fire doesn't drive its users insane."
Ivan rolled his eyes.
Rose interrupted their bickering. "Hey now, no fighting."
"We weren't," Ivan assured her. "Anyway, we need to tell you the good news. Lissa, I am now your official tutor. Your normal class time with Ms. Carmack will now be spent with me."
Lissa was bouncing in her seat. "That's great! How long will you be staying?"
"Until you graduate in the summer."
She squealed in delight as she launched herself toward Ivan, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you, thank you so much." Reddening, she disentangled herself from the older Moroi. "Sorry."
He gave her a warm smile. "It's fine. I know how much it means to find someone else who uses spirit." His expression shifted as he looked at Christian. "Take it easy. I'm dating your aunt, not your girlfriend."
Rose began to laugh, seeing Christian's jealousy and embarrassment. Jill was stifling her giggles.
"It's not funny," Christian muttered under his breath.
Rose looked at him. "Actually, it really is." She gave Lissa an apologetic shrug before looking over at Dimitri. "So, what are you going to be doing while Ivan is teaching Lissa?"
"Brandon and I will be working with the campus guardians. We'll be staying here in guest housing with Ivan. Also, I have been assigned as your mentor."
Rose's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"
Dimitri nodded. "Yes. Since you missed almost half of your school year last year, and had the trouble with Victor this year, they thought it would help to assign you a new dedicated mentor. They also thought that it would give us more time to discuss being shadow kissed."
A broad smile lit up Rose's face. "That is awesome!" She walked over to him, but didn't throw herself into his arms like Lissa had done to Ivan. "So, are you going to teach me how to be the world's best guardian?"
Dimitri gave her a small smile. "I can try."
She stepped back, mock offense on her face. "What? Don't you think I'm good enough to be the best in the world?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you fight yet."
She tilted her head to the side. "Well then, why don't we go to the gym while they practice magic?"
"Alright," his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Let's go."
They excused themselves from the apartment and began walking toward the gym. When they had passed the guest housing buildings, Rose turned, stepping in front of Dimitri. "How do you know about us being pulled from school or anything with Victor?" There was a sharp edge in her voice, fierce and protective.
He looked a bit sheepish. "Headmistress Kirova and Guardian Petrov briefed Ivan, Brandon, and myself on your school records today."
Her eyes narrowed. "Seriously? You show up and get to learn all about our lives just because Lissa and Ivan share a rare element?"
"We didn't learn all about your lives, we only learned relevant information in your school records. I don't know the whole reason behind why you were taken out of school. I only know that two months after the accident, the Dragomirs pulled you and Vasilisa out of school and you were returned here this school year."
Rose shifted uneasily. She could see that he wanted to know why, but that he wasn't going to push the matter. She didn't want to talk about it. "Yeah, they did."
His next words caught her off guard. "I was surprised to learn that the Dragomirs are your legal custodians. I know who your mother is..."
Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Then you know that being a guardian matters more to her than being a mother. The last time I saw her was when I was fourteen. We were at the Dragomir Estate in New York. It's out on Long Island. I gave my mom a hug at the door and she left."
"Is that when she gave them custody of you?"
She shook her head and began walking toward the gym again. "No. She gave them custody of me when I was nine or ten. It was easier for them to take me out of school or to go on trips with Lissa if they didn't have to ask for permission. They still tell my mom where I am and all that, but there aren't any snags getting me out of school this way."
"That makes sense. I'm sorry about you and your mother's relationship."
She shrugged. "It's fine. Lissa's parents treat me like I'm their daughter. They took us out of class last year because we were both having a hard time adjusting after the accident. Lissa's issues were due to spirit while mine were from the accident and spirit. They put us in one of their private cabins, gave us tutors and therapists, and kept us safe. We wanted to come back to school. We thought that we had nothing to worry about anymore. Eric and Rhea also wanted everyone to see how fine and upstanding their daughter was, since Andre has been causing so many issues, and Jill is illegitimate."
"Andre Dragomir has another child, doesn't he?"
"Violet, the most adorable dhampir baby since I was one." Her tone was light and easy.
"A dhampir?"
"Yeah, Katrina Lehman is the mother. She's a guardian at court. She and the baby are living with the Dragomirs. Andre's Moroi son and ex-girlfriend also live at court."
He took a few moments to respond. "We heard the baby crying when we were at their home. I didn't realize that the baby was a dhampir."
"That's why it's been kept so quiet. Everyone knows about Kevin, Andre's son, but a dhampir... well, you know how most people treat us."
"The Dragomirs don't treat dhampirs like second-class citizens," he observed.
"No, they don't. I want Eric to be king when Tatiana retires. He'd be good for our people."
"I think you may be right."
She looked at him, grinning. He returned her smile. She looked away as her cheeks began to turn pink. They continued talking about lighter subjects until they reached the gym.
Inside, they warmed up before walking to the padded sparring area. He stood, feet apart and hands ready to strike. His face was a mask, though his eyes watched her like a hawk. She lunged toward him, and he pinned her to the mats before she saw him move.
"How?" She groaned.
He smirked, still pressing her against the mats. "I have few more years of training than you, and real world experience." He shifted off of her, helping her to stand with him.
"I'm supposed to graduate in the summer. How can I defend Lissa if I can't take on a guardian?"
"Well, it is my job to train you."
Her eyes narrowed. "Ok then comrade, train me."
Two days after arriving, Dimitri began observing the combat classes. He didn't think the novices were being trained hard enough. Having been killed by Strigoi, even though he had been at the top of his class at St. Basil's, it seemed a sensible concern.
After a few more days of watching the combat classes, he realized that Rose was never partnered with one novice. At first he had thought it accidental, until two weeks after Dimitri arrived at St. Vladimir's. The novices had paired off as usual, leaving Rose and Mason Ashford face to face. They shifted uncomfortably in front of one another.
A moment later, Meredith Crane left her partner and walked to Rose and Mason. "I'll switch with you."
They both gave her grateful looks.
Ryan Aylesworth looked over at them with a smirk. "Why don't you want to be paired together? I thought you liked touching each other?"
Rose glared at Ryan. A moment later, she was running at him. She kicked him in the gut, and he landed on the ground with a thud. Before anyone could intervene, Mason tackled Ryan and punched him. Eddie Castile pulled Mason away. Dimitri grabbed Rose before she could continue the attack. A different instructor pulled Ryan up off the floor, and led him to the other side of the room.
"Stop!" Dimitri hissed in her ear. He could feel Rose shaking as she struggled to break free.
"Let me go. I won't go after him. I'm not stupid."
Dimitri relaxed his hold on Rose as the guardian in charge of the class called out the names of the three students. "Aylesworth, go to the clinic. We need to make sure Hathaway and Ashford didn't do serious damage."
"He's wearing padding," Rose muttered under her breath.
"Hathaway, Ashford, you're both serving detentions at the end of the school day. Report back here when your classes are done."
"Yes, sir." Rose and Mason both replied.
Dimitri looked inquisitively at Rose, but she shook her head. The students resumed their training. Rose partnered with Meredith while Mason partnered with another student. Ryan's former partner now paired with one of the guardians. The group of novices all seemed uncomfortable throughout the entire session.
When Dimitri was on break later in the day, Brandon told Dimitri more details.
"So, I heard that your protégé got into trouble today."
Dimitri raised an eyebrow. Brandon was a bit older than Dimitri and Ivan. He was also far more social than Dimitri had ever been. He didn't doubt that Brandon had been able to learn this bit of news so quickly.
"Did you?" Dimitri replied drily.
"Apparently Rose dated the Ashford boy last year. From what I've heard, it didn't end well. The other novices usually keep them apart so that things don't get awkward."
"So why did Ryan provoke them?"
Brandon shrugged. "They're teenagers. It's not like everyone in a class gets along with everyone else. I didn't get along with everyone in my class and I'm sure you didn't get along with everyone in yours."
Dimitri smirked a little. "No, I didn't."
"If I remember right, Ivan said you once got into a pretty good fight with a Moroi guy over a girl."
"Ivan talks too much," Dimitri muttered.
"Do I get to learn more?"
Dimitri sighed, chuckling a little as he recalled the incident. "Her name is Sabina, and she is a Moroi. She was dating me and another guy at the same time, and like idiots we fought each other over her. Little did we know, she had a third boyfriend. She dropped us both and went with the third guy."
Brandon started laughing. "She must have been something to look at."
Dimitri laughed too. "She was stunning. I got a month of detentions for that fight, and nothing to show for it. My sisters called me an idiot for fighting over a faithless girl. They were right."
"My mother always told me that a beautiful body will never please you for as long as a beautiful mind."
"And do you agree with her advice?"
Brandon's blue eyes danced with amusement. "Well, I think the trick is to find the two in the same person. I'm also pretty sure she told me that so I would use my brain when it came to women."
A sly smile spread across Dimitri's lips. He knew a few rumors of his own. "So does Celeste meet both criteria?"
"You know about that?" Brandon wasn't even surprised. He and Celeste had been spending a considerable amount of time together over the past week.
"It's not like you two are exactly subtle about spending your off duty time together."
Fondness radiated from Brandon. "Yeah, that's true. And yes, she does match the criteria for both the beautiful body and wonderful mind. You could try finding someone too. It's been a long time since you had a girlfriend. There are a few single guardians and other staff members. Get to know them, have fun."
"What's the point? We'll leave at the end of the school year."
"The point is to enjoy the time we have." Brandon said sagely. He stood, ready to go back on duty. "We can die any time. You know that more than most."
Dimitri considered his partner's words for several moments before returning to his own duties.
Dimitri trained Rose after her detention that day. They ran laps, then they practiced staking. This was her third time training with stakes. Her mind wasn't in it.
"Stop," he ordered. "You're distracted."
She set the stake down and began pacing. "It was that stupid detention. They made Ryan come too because his comment was considered inappropriate. So, Ryan, Mason, and I were forced to serve detention together. It sucked."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"What exactly?"
"The reason you and Mason attacked Ryan."
She stopped pacing, sighed, and walked back to Dimitri. "Mason and I dated last year. I thought I loved him, but everything got complicated after the accident. I broke up with him a day before Lis and I left. It sucks. We used to be really close friends, for years before we dated. We don't even talk now. So it doesn't help when people like Ryan bring up the topic."
She picked up the stake again, studying it. She knew that her future lay in protecting Lissa. "I can't afford to be distracted by things like this in the field though."
"No, you can't."
She turned the stake in her hand. "Did you ever have someone who distracts you?"
"You have to be more specific. I have several people who distract me, one of whom I'm sworn to protect."
She looked up at him, smiling at the humor in his tone. There was an edge of nervousness when she replied. "I meant, well, have you had a relationship?"
"Not for a long time," he answered vaguely.
"Not for a long time?" Her tone was teasing. She tossed her ponytail over a shoulder. "Come on comrade, you heard my life story. I want to hear more about yours."
He considered her for a few moments before answering. "The most serious was Sveta. She left me two years ago because she wanted to have children."
"She was a dhampir?"
He nodded, looking away. "She lives in my home town and has a son now."
She touched his arm. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "It's the way of our world. If dhampirs want children, they have to be with Moroi."
"I know." Her sympathy transformed into sarcasm. "I've been a dhampir my whole life. I know how it works." She stuck out her tongue.
He laughed. "Come on, back to training."
Dimitri watched Rose train. She was a quick study, and was very dedicated to learning how to be a good defender for her friend and bond mate. They spent their sessions honing her skills. They also spent the time talking about being shadow kissed. She seemed to have a grim resignation to each revelation he gave her about spirit bonds.
"So... ghosts are real?" Rose was looking very skeptically at Dimitri while they walked around campus. For some reason, walking while they talked about spirit made the conversations easier.
"Yes."
"So why can't I see them?"
He considered the question for a few moments before answering. "I don't know. I started seeing them a few weeks after being restored. We were already in Baia, where I grew up, visiting with Mark and Oksana."
"They're the couple who are bonded, right?"
"Yes. Oksana had taught Ivan a lot about spirit, but we didn't need to learn much about being shadow kissed until I was restored. Mark taught us about being shadow kissed. He can see the ghosts as well, and he taught me that willpower is the only thing needed to keep them away. If I want, I can call them. Ghosts can't usually get inside of wards, but they do sometimes."
"What is it like? Talking to the ghosts?"
"Other than a pain in your head like it's going to explode, it's horrible. You see people as they were when they died. They all want something. We shadow kissed are anomalies. We touched death, but returned to life."
A chill ran down Rose's spine. She remembered Guardian Martins as she had last seen him in the car. She never wanted to see that again. She didn't even want to remember it. Did his ghost still walk the world? And why didn't she see ghosts yet?
Notes:
Hope you liked it! This was another building chapter. There are outlined around 38 chapters, and written 12ish. I think this is the shortest of the chapters.
Thank you to everyone who is following, commenting, and favoriting, you make me smile.
I would love a beta reader, and critiques are welcomed :)
