I only made some miner changes to this chapter but I hope you like it. The first completly new chapter will be chapter 7 and it will Be from Yuri's POV. I will post a chap every day till 7 after that I will posting as I write.

Chapter three: Our Secrets

Adrian POV

I waited in Dimitri's Room while Rose joined the rescue mission. My stomach was in knots. She was my closest friend, even closer than Arthur. Yes I was really attracted to her and I felt more for her than just friends but I knew that she would never feel for me the way she felt for my brother. I looked at Dimitri as he lay unconscious in his bed. Rose was the one who had put it together that we were half brothers. Dimitri knew but I didn't. I thought about that night she figured it out.

Flashback

I set the scene for my dream walk with her. I chose my grandmother's property near court, a nice fire pit out by the large pond. I looked for her mind and called her to me.

She appeared sitting on one of the logs that circled the pit. She looked like a dream in the outfit I chose for her; black skinny jeans, black tank and an unbuttoned purple plaid shirt.

"All right Adrian, I know you're here come out where I could see you." She sounded annoyed like always. She hated when I pulled her into a dream walk but she always warmed to them within a few minutes. This was really the only time she and I spent alone together. I was the only one who knew that she and Dimitri had the hots for each other and I promised her I would never tell so, she often confided in me. I walked down the steps of the porch and jogged over to her.

"Nice to see you Lil' Dhampir. Miss me?"

"Hardly, I just watched a movie with you and the gang less than an hour ago."

"Well I missed you my love." I flirted with her often because she was such a flirt in the first place and well I hoped that one day she would see me the way she saw Mr. Cradle Robber.

"Jeez, Adrian if you are going to keep me here just to try to annoy me to death; can I please go back to sleep?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that you are asleep? I brought you here cuz you looked down tonight and your shadows are really getting dark. I am worried about you."

"I know, I am getting kinda worried about me too. Look I really don't want to talk about me right now." She looked like she was trying to find another subject to talk about. "So why do you bring me to this house a lot?"

"I spent the happiest part of my childhood here. It was my Grandmother's house. It's mine now I guess; she left it to me in her will."

"It's pretty. So what made your time here so happy?" I sat next to her and decided if I want to let her in.

"When I moved here at the age of 10 I finally felt safe; for the first time in my life." She cocked her head and I knew I had to go on.

"My father, Nathan Ivashkov was…. Very cruel and abusive; I was his favorite punching bag when he would get drunk. Several times he beat me to unconsciousness. When I was ten, something happened that made my mother leave him and move in with my grandma Ivashkov."

"What happened?"

"My father came home from his Blood whore's place in Siberia looking like he was beat to a bloodied pulp. My mom found out from her guardians that he had been in the middle of raping the poor woman when his own son pulled him off of her and beat the shit out of him. Somehow hearing how violent he was with his other family and knowing how he was with us made her decide to get away from him. She called grandma Ivashkov and told her everything. Grandma disowned her own son and asked us to come live with her."

"Adrian, your 21 years old right?"

"Yes." Why was she looking at me that way?

"You said that this happened when you were 10 years old."

"Yes?"

"Dimitri would have been 13… OH my God! I never saw the resemblance before but now…. OH my god! Who would have thought that they were brothers?" She mumbled all this but I heard enough to really get a bit freaked out.

"What the hell are you talking about Rose?"

"Dimitri told me that when he was 13 he beat up his father. He didn't say why but he did say that just because his father was a rich royal Moroi didn't give him permission to treat his mother and his family the way he did."

"Dimitri is three years older than me and comes from Siberia?" She nodded.

End Flashback

It turned out that Dimitri knew that I am his half brother and the reason he didn't like me was because of the fact that I drink a lot. (To dull spirit's effects) I also have a reputation for sleeping with a lot of women. In my defense they were all Moroi woman who thought that being with me could improve their status in life. I never slept with Dhampir women because I respect them too much. Though he didn't know it at the time I have always credited my Dhampir brother for saving me from my father. The fact is I also have a reputation for being lazy and not using the degree I have in accounting and business. Add all that together with the fact that I constantly flirted with Rose and I can understand his dislike of me.

Before I ever met Rose and Lissa at the lodge; Dimitri had told Rose that he knew he had a half brother. He said that though he loved his brother; was very disappointed in the way he was turning out. According to Rose the conversation had taken place during one of Dimitri's many life lectures; or as Rose calls them, Zen Lessons.

Once I realized we were family I decided to talk to Dimitri. I was really nervous about talking to him but thankfully Rose had told him that she had accidently spilled the beans. He was prepared for my visit. We talked very little about our father since neither of us has happy memories of him. In the last month we have become much closer and he is helping me to channel my darkness into physical exercise and meditation. It has helped me some and I am trying to reduce the amount that I drink and smoke.

I am still totally in love with Rose but out of respect for my brother; I have backed off a little on my flirting with her. It is both in her nature and in mine to be flirtatious so we still flirt but I know it is not going to go anywhere. In fact I have been trying to help him come up with a plan to be able to be with Rose without putting Lissa in danger.

After graduation Lissa will be moving to Court. There she will be going to Lehigh University and also learning about Moroi politics from my aunt, Queen Tatiana. Rose will almost certainly be Lissa's sanctioned guardian and will be there with her. If Dimitri asked to transfer to Guarding me instead of being Lissa's second Guardian; then they will be able to see each other without complications caused by both being Lissa's Guardians. Unfortunately they will still have the problem that they are both Dhampirs. A relationship between them would never be accepted. This is where I get to have permission to flirt with Rose. We will make it look like I am the one dating Rose. It is not a permanent fix but it will keep them together for a while. This part was all Dimitri's idea. He hates that she and I flirt but at the same time he doesn't want to see anyone else pressure her into dating them.

Like I have said before; I am still in love with Rose. I cannot however ignore that she is in love with Dimitri and he with her. It has only been a couple of months that I have known that Dimitri is my brother but I love him as if we had grown up together. Even if it hurts me I want them to be happy, I love them both that much. Alberta and I are the only ones who know about their relationship. She was helping us get Dimitri's Transfer arranged.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dimitri's aura flicker. I sit up to pay attention. I can't be certain but I believe that this means that Rose has been injured. Dimitri and Rose are so interconnected that they don't need to be near each other for their aura's to react to each other. I went to the door so that I can see when they bring her in. I waited forever but finally I heard the commotion as the surviving captives as well as the injured rescuers are brought in. Lissa came in with them and she was already at Rose's side. I breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back at Dimitri I could see the golden light from Lissa's healing. I could tell that Rose would be ok but she would need rest. As soon as she was in a room I went to sit with her for a while. She was in a deep sleep and I knew she would be out for at least a day. She must have gotten bit because they gave her two bags of blood.

About two hours later Alberta came into the room. By the look on her face as well as her aura I can tell that we have a problem.

"Lord Ivashkov may I have a private word with you?"

"Sure, no problem." I leaned down and kissed Rose gently on the forehead.
"Rose sweetie I have to go talk to Guardian Petrov but I will be back soon. I will check on Dimitri before I come back." She was still sleeping but I could see her aura respond when I told her I would check on Dimitri.

Alberta POV

I waited till we were out of the clinic and talking out around the parameter of the school before I spoke. Adrian must have known that it had to do with Dimitri and Rose. He didn't say anything; he just walked with me and waited till I felt safe to talk about it.

"They know. They have known for a while."

"You didn't tell them did you?"

"No but apparently some of the guardians have suspected since Spokane and some like me have suspected since Viktor Dashkov abducted Princess Vasilisa."

"Are they going to tell?" His face went ashen.

"No but they have a plan that might work; but it is just terrible."

"What are they going to do?"

"They are going to use compulsion to make them forget that they are in love. They will be given someone else to transfer their feelings too."

"Alberta, they can't do that to them. They are pair bonded."

"What, how did you know about that?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Arthur told me about the Marriage of the heart. He has been my guardian and friend for the last three years. He likes to tell me about old Dhampir and Moroi Legends. Within Dhampir legends there are stories of Dhampir couples who have become bonded to each other."

"Adrian, it is a deep, natural kind of magic that no one understands. It is so rare that it has been thought to be nothing more than a legend. The spirit bond between Rose and Lissa was supposed to be nothing more than old legend as well. Did Rose confide in you too?" Adrian shook his head at me as her replied.

"I saw it in their auras this morning. They are so intricately bound that it is truly as if they share one heart and soul."

"Are you sure that they have the bond of the Marriage of the heart?" I began to pace back and forth. I had hoped that I had been wrong about the bonding because I knew that the plans that Kirkova had could be harmful to Dimitri and Rose.

"There are no references I can look up and confer with but, Alberta, If you saw how interconnected their aura's are, you would have no doubt either."

"This is not good. There is no stopping the guardians and Kirkova from acting on their plan. They really want to keep the two of them from ruining their lives."

I stopped and looked him in the face. The light of the full moon showed me the concern he had for the man he has grown to love as a brother.

"Adrian they sent me to see if you would consider being the one that they will make Rose love." His eyes grew wide and anger rolled off him in waves.

"Are you fucking out of your mind? How can I be a part of this plan? Dimitri is my brother! Legal or not; for all intense purposes they are married. I won't go taking his wife from him!" He was trembling as he spoke. After giving me a hard stare he tuned and began to pace.

"Adrian like I said they are going to do this anyway. Kirkova has not only given them the OK; she has ordered it. We need someone to be Rose's 'boyfriend'. You are my choice because I know you will act in her better interest. Some of the other guardians want Ralf or worse yet Jessie Zeklos because she has been rumored to have had relationships with them in the past. Either one of those boys will use her like a blood whore and dump her a week later. She needs someone who won't take advantage of her and who will care for her. I am head Guardian so I forced my vote do to the amount of shameless flirting the two of you do. Also I am hoping that maybe we can still help them."

I grabbed his arm and stopped him from pacing and made him look at me in the face.

"Listen, the Guardians don't want not separate them as a team. They really believe that Guardians Belikov and Hathaway will be the best choice to protect Princess Vasilisa Dragomir. Also they really truly think that they are saving the careers of both. As Long as we can keep them working together there is a chance we can bring them together."

"Who are they going to ask to be Dimitri's love interest? He has never shown any interest in another woman ever that I know of."

"Tasha Ozera has always had a crush on him since they met years ago. She asked him recently if he would consider becoming her Guardian."

"He has no feelings for her beyond friendship. The fact that she moons over him drives him insane!"

"Trust me their current feelings for each other or for you or Tasha won't be a problem."

"Yuri is surprisingly good at compulsion but I doubt that he can erase their love." Oh so he knows about Yuri. Even the Queen doesn't know that there is a Dhampir with some spirit ability.

"I don't know how much you know about Yuri's abilities but let me assure you whatever you have seen or experienced is only the tip of the iceberg." I could see him shiver from the thought.

"I want you to know that I hate this with every fiber of my being. I will do this but only because when I think of the love I have seen from Dimitri for Rose; I cannot let his wife go to the clutches of Jessie or Ralf."

"What of your feelings for her?"

"My feelings are irrelevant. Once I saw them this morning I began to think of her as a sister in law. A very hot sister in law, but still I know where her heart is."

I turned and guided him back to the clinic. We walked by the cabin that Rose and Dimitri had occupied just a day ago. I hate myself for going along with this. Rose is like my daughter, Dimitri is my trusted friend; in an ideal world I would be congratulating them.