A/N : Hey! Alright, this is a new story which revolves around Rose and Dimitri, with Christian and Lissa as the continuing story in this series.
An important note though, all of them are Dhampirs in this story, none of them are Morois.
Review please! Tell me what you think of the attitude revamp in Christian, as well as the stoic Dimitri and Rose and Lissa!
Oh, and if you like how this story is going, then you'll also like my other story, Fixing the Broken. Check it out, it's of the other characters that were left out of the relationship circle, like Eddie, Adrian, Jill and Mia. Currently still doing Eddie though.
Read on!
The first thought Dimitri Belikov had when he saw the new recruits hopping off the step of the old, battered bus that can easily pass as a relic of the nineteenth century was that none of them would survive the first week.
Every one of them were still chattering away happily, no doubt unaware of the rigorous training they would be put to immediately. Being a Guardian was no laughing matter like some people might assume; it was a life or death job. Only with the proper conditioning can a good Guardian actually live to see the next sunrise – or have any hope of surviving past the age of thirty.
The number of Strigois – the Moroi's fiercest nemesis – had never ceased increasing despite how many Guardians have taken to the street to attempt to put an end to their reign of terror.
In fact, it appeared that they were thriving.
Another cause for concern was how the Strigois seemed to have a sudden change in dietary preference – preying on the dwindling Moroi population rather than the abundant and rapidly growing human crowd. It wasn't a bad thing, since the human government had stopped investigating the mysterious disappearances and speculating about the real reason behind it.
It was a totally different scenario for the Morois though.
Christian Ozera, his friend of a few years and assistant-in-charge of the training course, standing next to him gave a whistle of appreciation as the two last female trainees emerged from the bus. "I swear they're getting hotter every damn batch. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
Dimitri hardly spared the two girls a glance, instead ticking off the names of the trainees on the attendance sheet. He already knew who would be able to capture his friend's attention – not that it was particularly hard to accomplish that, considering how Christian was too much of a playboy to note the exact difference between a blonde and a brunette, only whether he had 'nailed' them or not – as he had memorized all the stats of the twenty four recruits that would be under his care this year.
Rosemarie Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir, more commonly known as Lissa.
Rosemarie Hathaway looked harmless on the first glance, like some innocent girl that had somehow lost her way and needed help due to her large, imploring black eyes. Her rich brown hair fell in tangles around her slim neck, ending only above her waist. Her body was to die for. Literally. The innocence portrayed by her delicate facial features definitely seemed to be at odds with her athletic figure, looking capable of murder with her curves alone that should be illegal in forty three different states. Don't even get him started on her breas –
Another aspect of her appearance that had roused his interest – ah, who the hell was he kidding? Everything about the girl roused something else besides his interest, more specifically located below his waist and above his thighs – was how lightly tanned her skin was.
Just like chocolate; made for nibbling, licking and… absolutely revolting. Yeah, that's right. She was in no way appealing. Besides, he was the fucking instructor. Relationships with trainees were a strict no-no, and he was sure of that because he was the one to implement that fucking rule.
Back on track. Lissa Dragomir, on the other hand, was a fluff of femininity who had long, curly platinum blonde hair and green eyes. The only common trait the both shared was the similar pixie-like features, giving them both that deceiving harmless air. Oh, and Lissa was only 5'4 in a pair of heels. The only reason he had known this was because the picture she had submitted for her profile was one of her in a strapless black dress that hugged her damn curves like a boa around its food, along with a pair of black stiletto heels.
But the thing that worried him most was how that picture had not aroused him as much as the one of Rose in just a fucking T-shirt and jeans.
Yep, he was definitely suffering from temporary insanity.
Besides for that little, redundant in-depth study of their appearances, Dimitri had naught on their background. He knew almost everything about the other trainees, from their parents to their results to their achievements. But, he drew a blank when he reached the two girls, as if they had somehow managed to wipe the information from their system. Or bribed to get it done, which was probably the more feasible explanation, seeing how opulent Lissa was.
"Dimitri!" Exasperation laced Christian's voice as he hissed at him, nudging his shoulders with his own violently. "What the fuck is wrong with you, man? You're supposed to give the damn speech to scare the panties off those pussies there."
Dimitri squared his shoulders, cursing inwardly for his lapse in awareness. "I know, fuck head. Patience is a fucking virtue, can't you wait?"
Christian lifted an eyebrow at his rare outburst of temper. "Geez, you need to get laid." Typical Christian thinking – the solution to every problem to him either involved fucking a girl or well, fucking another one. "And being cranky isn't going to help you accomplish that," Christian paused. "Another piece of advice – virtues don't help you get that done neither."
Ignoring Christian's moronic advices – but damn if that didn't get a twitch of his lips – Dimitri gave a bellow for everybody to get into line. Everybody jumped to attention, wide-eyed and lips parted in shock at the authority in his voice, along with the unsaid do-it-or-die message he was spontaneously sending out. Well, everyone except for Rose and Lissa, who were pointedly ignoring his orders and chatting animatedly with each other. Had he actually heard 'nails'?
"You two!" He growled, jabbing a finger in their direction. What was wrong with him? He was usually calm and composed, but just a few minutes into the start of the new year and he was already fighting for control – and failing. "Get into line."
Rose looked up from the conversation, looking bored and, to his consternation, annoyed. "We need a minute here." Jesus Christ, even her voice sounded like cotton candy dipped into a bowl of sugar and drenched with liquid honey then sprinkled with star dust.
Barely keeping his anger in check, Dimitri clenched his fists tightly and drew in a ragged breath to calm himself down. It seemed to have the opposite effect on him though, aggravating him further. "Now." He enunciated the word with as much control as he could muster, making it sound cold and demanding at once.
Rose's head whipped towards his, their gazes clashing with scorching intensity and she frowned as if confused. Though it was brief, he had a sudden, irrational thought about never letting her frown again. As fast as that thought came, he dismissed it without entertaining it any further, blaming it on the lack of sleep he had every intention on catching up on today.
His tight control over his emotions quickly returning, Dimitri repeated, more harshly this time, "Now."
Rose's mouth thinned with displeasure, but she complied with a glare that promised retribution. Lissa just shrugged it off with a toss of her hair, sending her ponytail swerving into the air. Dimitri watched as Christian's eyes followed the movement of her hair as if entranced. He almost laughed; he had never seen Christian take to a girl so quickly, much less be mesmerized by something less promiscuous than a girl's body. This might spell trouble for the playboy that had never known commitment in his whole life.
Seriously, Dimitri actually doubted that word even existed in Christian's vocabulary. So far, he had made known to him that only words related or somehow linked to the woman's body had any place in his mind or they were 'thrown into the bin, along with the condoms'.
Anyway…
After Rose and Lissa got into their positions in the line – or in Rose's case, stomped into position – Dimitri started the impromptu speech that was supposed to scare the shit out of the ones who were vying for the position of Guardian just because it was 'cool' and 'got them ladies'. Granted, male Guardians were widely regarded as the best available male specimen in the dating market purely because they were stoic and prime muscular meat for the taking.
Female Guardians? They were portrayed as untouchable and chaste, and surprise surprise, all the guys wanted to nail them simply because of their tag that screamed 'Hard to get!"
"I would like to say that I'm pleased to see all of you, but I would be lying. There are a specific few that I'm not all too pleased with" – Dimitri sent a pointed glance at Rose who stuck her tongue out in response. That pink little tongue did things to the lower part of his body that he would prefer not to acknowledge – "along with your slow movements and response. If you were out fighting Strigois and you had hesitated for such a long period of time, you would have been dead. No second chances. This isn't a holiday, this isn't a vacation. This is a place to train your mind and body to prepare yourselves for the cruel world outside that you would face if you pass the exams at the end of the grueling two years of training – and that is only if you can withstand it. If anyone of you present are here just to hopefully acquire the title of 'Guardian' for bragging purposes, please leave the camp now." Dimitri paused, scanning the fidgeting crowd of trainees who were mostly averting his gaze and looking down at their feet. Rose and Lissa, of course, faced him without the slightest hint of fear. Instead, they looked defiant and ready for anything he was going to throw at them.
Such perseverance and confidence was admirable, but might also prove to be their downfall if they decide to be stubborn in the wrong circumstances.
And he definitely was going to enjoy teaching them why.
Christian took over after that, sensing how the recruits were feeling very depressed. "The name of the instructor next to me is Dimitri Belikov, but you all can only address him as Instructor Belikov. I'm Christian Ozera, address me as Instructor Ozera as well. Or, and this is only reserved for the beautiful girls in this batch, you may call me sweetie pie." With that, Christian shot all the girls, all eight of them, his trademark grin, a slightly lopsided grin that held just the hint of seductiveness that had almost anything female in gender falling to their knees in surrender.
Dimitri swore that one of the recruits almost fainted, her breaths becoming shallow and her cheeks flushed.
Rose just rolled her eyes and Dimitri felt a flood of satisfaction at that. So she was immune to Christian's potent flirting attempts.
Wait, why the hell should he care?
Lissa, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at Christian with undisguised hatred in the green depths of her eyes. Now this was interesting. The girl that Christian was interested in seemed to detest his smooth talking rather than falling head over heels for them. Maybe Christian will finally have some trouble actually persuading someone to get into bed with him rather than have them practically begging him to take them home.
"I see that all of you are tired after the long, bumpy trip here and would like to get some rest. This is entirely acceptable, except for the fact that you won't be able to get any rest." This announcement was met by a chorus of groans and complaints. "The training will commence right after you all have put your belongings back in your bunks. Meet back here in thirty minutes."
One female redhead raised her hand up shyly, looking at Christian. When given the affirmation to speak, she asked, "Can we bathe first?"
Christian shook his head. "I'm afraid not – you'll get dirty later from your first try at the obstacle course anyway. Thank you for clearing that up…" He raised an eyebrow at the girl, silently imploring her for her name.
"Rachel," she gushed out, practically blabbering. "Rachel Trest."
Christian beamed, smiling down at the petite redhead. "Thank you, Rachel Trest." He paused, looked at all the recruits again. "Any more questions before you all go back to your bunks?"
A long protracted moment of silence while the recruits looked at each other.
"Yes, just one." Lisa spoke up, her anger evident by the tone of her voice. "Why are you such a damn flirt?"
There was stunned silence for a second as every pair of eyes darted from the fuming Lissa to the gaping Christian. Then Christian regained his common sense and grinned smoothly back at her, the mischievous glint that Dimitri recognized so well leaping into his eyes. He shook his head; Christian tended to treat a battle of words with a witty female some sort of foreplay.
"I may have mentioned this earlier, but I only flirt with girls that I deem worthwhile."
"Oh?" Lissa glared, arms anchored at her hips, the picture of female disapproval. "Please enlighten us on why are we worthwhile then?"
Christian blinked. "Is it not obvious? I think you're beautiful."
"Not just because we are most susceptible to falling for your tricks and ending up on your bed?" Lissa asked, oh so innocently.
Christian blinked again – this time in surprise at her unabashed she was. There was a collective intake of breath from the other girls, as if enraged that she had asked such a question. A squeal of dismay escaped Rachel's lips and she glared at Lissa.
Christian shrugged, not the least daunted. "That's an added bonus if I play my cards right. But trust me, if that happens, you won't regret it at all. In fact," Christian winked, eliciting some sighs from the girls, "I assure you that you would be so sated you won't be able to do anything but sleep."
Dimitri spotted a flash of irritation in Lissa's eyes before she smiled sweetly, venomously.
Uh oh.
"Oh come on, Christian. Don't pretend that you don't know me at all." She said in a hushed voice, her timbre low and seductive.
"What?" Christian shook his head in confusion. "What the hell are you – "
"Oh, Christian darling," Sympathy – feigned? – flashed in her eyes as they widened with comprehension – again, feigned? She lowered her voice by just a fraction, though it still could be heard by the entire crowd – just what she wanted, if Dimitri understood what she was doing. "You could have just told me from the start that your… problems were still troubling you. I wouldn't have made a fuss at all."
Christian growled, a menacing sound as all eyes swiveled onto him, wondering if they were understanding the situation. "Lissa, you – "
Lissa smirked, a victorious triumph in her eyes even as she continued with the ruse. "I mean, it must be embarrassing for you, since you have such a glorious reputation to live up to." Her sultry tone implied all sorts of things. Dimitri barely stifled his laughter. "The last time was an aberration, I'm sure. But if not, there's always pills…"
Dimitri burst into laughter, unable to help himself at her Grammy worthy finish. Christian's eyes blazed hot, his anger stoked to a breaking point. "Lissa, you just went way out of fucking line."
The girls were all still gaping while the boys were all snickering and pointing at Christian's crotch.
"No, I don't think I did." Lissa snapped back, her façade gone completely. In place was the still raging fury Dimitri had spotted earlier, though he couldn't even start to fathom why it was there in the first place. "It's about time someone actually fucked you players over, rather than the other way around." Was that bitterness in her tone?
"Get. The. Fuck. Back. To. Your. Bunks. Now." Christian gritted out every syllabus, absolutely livid, before stomping off. The anger poured off him in waves, almost palpable in its intensity. Shit, it had been awhile since Dimitri had seen him in such a fit.
Sighing, he faced the scattering crowd and addressed the remaining recruits. "Take an hour, and report back here. Tell the others that have already left to not be late, or punishments will be dished out."
The recruits nodded and headed off, chatting among themselves leisurely.
This was unacceptable – and Dimitri was referring to both Christian being insulted and the recruits having a nice time. Not that Christian didn't deserve something like that, but Lissa should have known better than to insult his manhood.
Oh well.
Then there was the issue of the recruits actually enjoying themselves. No, that cannot continue. The first three months for them had to be hell, in living conditions equivalent to that in hell or worst. Which they would quickly find out, Dimitri thought smugly. Then only the strongest of the batch would remain, and those would be transferred to the Vampire Academy to be trained to be full-fledged Guardians.
For now, it was his responsibility to eliminate the weak that would not survive in the harsh reality. He was doing them a favor actually, giving them a chance to actually live their life to the fullest rather than throwing it away just because they were stubborn.
And his first unofficial mission was to get rid of Rose and Lissa.