Hello again. Here is the second chapter for this story. I hope you all enjoy it and continue reading it. I don't want to keep you waiting with lengthy greetings; I know I have kept you waiting with my procrastination long enough. ( I'm so sorry for that :( ….. ) So, without further ado …. Here is the next chapter ….. Keep reading and enjoy :D :D . .

Rose. That single name captivated and repulsed Dimitri at the same time. He could not stop thinking about those chocolate eyes, nor could he stop associating her with what she was. It bothered some innate part of him and as much as he hated to admit it, he simply couldn't overlook what she did for a living.

But surprisingly, the reality of the mysterious woman had not quite struck Dimitri the previous night; not until Rose staggered out of Jesse Zeklos' bedroom in the morning, right after Dimitri had gone to his suite for duty. Her messy hair flowed over her shoulders, a slightly haphazard version of her style from the night before and she had on the same dress as well. No sign of lipstick, no makeup. Only the dress indicated her whereabouts of the previous night.

She obviously hadn't expected to see him there, causing her to pause when she did notice, but she regained her poise quickly and greeted him with a smile, "Well, hello there. Looks like we meet again, huh? When I said that we would meet soon, Comrade, I wasn't expecting it to be this soon. But, I don't think I'm complaining. "

Dimitri was about to reply when his eyes fell on a part of her neck that peeked out through her mane. A part of him had direly hoped that she was not Zeklos' "companion" , but the distinctive bite mark on her neck shattered that hope of his. He felt disgusted and Rose began patting her hair down when she noticed where his eyes had landed. She shifted uneasily, the intensity of his eyes made her uncomfortable.

She moved away and began lightly, trying to draw his questioning eyes away, " Don't you know it's rude to stare, Comrade? Someone ought to have taught you that."

" Well, apparently staring is the nicest thing people do to you. Probably shouldn't bother you as much." He blurted out. Rose stopped in her tracks and Dimitri regretted it the instant the words had slipped out of his mouth. He had no idea why he had spoken his thoughts out loud. Yes, her work bothered him, but who was he to deride her for it. It's not like he didn't know anyone of her kind. He simply preferred to keep his distance.

He opened his mouth once again, this time aiming to redeem himself but the look in her eyes stopped him. She looked furious, absolutely furious. But, somewhere in those brown orbs he saw a tiny bit of sadness as she straightened her dress and said indignantly, " Very well then, Guardian Belikov. If that is the case, I should probably leave now. No use chitchatting here. Have a good day." And with that she rushed out the door in a raging stride.

He wanted to run up to her and apologize, but he decided against it and instead, flopped onto a couch nearby and let out a deep sigh strangled with frustration. He couldn't believe himself. He was no better than the rest. No better than the men he had seen around their village as a child. The men he had come to despise over the years.

This should not have come as a shock to him. After all, there were so many dhampir women in this profession. But, Dimitri just couldn't get comfortable with the idea of letting someone drink your blood, especially in bed. Something about that act simply disgusted him.

But, it was still no excuse for his words.

Dimitri felt ashamed of himself, and frankly, quite confused. Here was Rose, a woman he barely knew, a woman he had been talking to the previous night, and this morning she emerged from his charge's bedroom. Why did this bother him as much? Should it bother him as much? He didn't have an answer to it, yet it sickened him to think of what had happened here last night.

But, one thing was for sure. No matter what Dimitri did, whether he was tossing and turning in bed at night, or sitting on the couch in Zeklos' living room, his mind always stumbled back to the dark – haired woman he had met. It was always her, and it was droving him crazy. But, his preoccupied mind let slip the slight shuffle he had noticed in Rose's steps as she had walked, fuming, out the door.

Did you like it? Tell me what you think about it in your reviews. :D …. Thank you for reading the chapter and I hope you stick around to read the next one too ….. So, until next time ... Keep reading and enjoy :D . :D . .