A/N: Here you go! Another Chapter! Hope you enjoy! Next one coming soon!
Disclaimer: Once again I do not own VA and its characters. I am not that awesome hahaha Richelle Mead it.
Nothing is said for a long time. My gaze jumps from Dimitri to Lissa. Lissa looks in between Christian and I. Christian is the first to speak, "Is there something you wanted, Princess?" His voice is dripping with sarcasm and I see her flinch. Christian and Lissa hadn't ended on the best of terms. On a drunken night she had made out with an ex-boyfriend and tried to hide it from him. That plan hadn't really worked, because he found out about it.
She clears her throat, "Christian, it's good to see you." I see her eyes take him in, surprised at what she sees, "You look amazing." I can see a vein popping out from his neck, but he doesn't say anything. Even without the bond I can practically see her emotions. Lissa was very easy to read some times.
I can see the longing in her eyes; she misses him. Anger and jealous hit me hard and I am a bit surprised. I have no reason to be jealous. But I can't help it. I see her hand twitch toward him. She wants to touch him. She better keep her hands to herself. Lissa says, "I've wanted to see you since I heard you got in. How are you both?" Her eyes flash to me. I see a different kind of longing in her eyes. It's how I used to feel the first few months I was reassigned.
Christian says, "We're just peachy." His answer came through gritted teeth. I place my hand on his shoulder. I need to relax him. I try to convey the message through my eyes. He looks at me and after a few moments I feel him relax. I squeeze his shoulder and I let go. I look at Lissa, "We're both great. If that's all, Princess, we really must be going." I see her flinch again. I don't know what she expected but it wasn't my smooth and calm tone. I've really grown up I guess.
She takes a step towards me and I fight the need to move back. Her eyes seem sad, "Rose, I've missed you. We should catch up." My hands, which are hidden behind my back, become clenched. I take few breaths before I answer, "I'm sure that's not true and we have nothing to talk about. Well Princess Dragomir, we really must be going." Her eyes begin to water and I refuse to let myself feel for her. I look at Christian, "We should go My Lord." For a moment I see his eyes dance with amusement. He knows I hate calling him that.
For the first time Dimitri speaks up, "Actually I would like a word with you Guardian Hathaway." His voice brings back a thousand memories and this time I do flinch.
I see Christians scowl, "Sorry Guardian Belikov, Rose is still on duty. We really need to get going." We don't wait to be dismissed. We turn on our heel and leave. And for the first time ever I hear Dimitri break face. His voice sounds pained, "Rose, wait." My stomach turns and I feel like I am going to be sick. Some cruel part of me wants to turn around; wants to hear what he has to say. Christian grabs my arm and we both walk out of the palace.
I feel like he's dragging me, but it's alright. Seeing them and hearing them had drained me. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
We don't say anything until we are in his room. He slams the door so hard that I think it's going to break. I plop down on the couch and watch Christian pace. He runs a hand through his hair, "They have the nerve to actually try and talk to you." I watch him as I say, "Are you upset Lissa spoke to you?" He chuckles humorlessly, "Why wouldn't I be?" I sigh, "Yeah, stupid question." He looks over at me, "Are you alright?" The lie is on my lips. I am about to tell him yes. It's what I am used to doing. But as I look at him, see the concern in his eyes, I don't say it.
Instead I shove my head in my hands. I take a deep breath and say, "It hurts, Christian." My eyes hurt and I know I want to cry, but I won't do it. I promised myself I wouldn't cry over them anymore. I feel him sit down next to me, "It sucks, doesn't it?" I just nod my head.
After a few moments I can't help but ask, "Do you miss her?" He doesn't say anything. I look up and see him staring straight. His face is thoughtful. Finally he says, "No, I don't. It just really stuck a chord to see her. We didn't end well." I nod my head, "I remember."
He sighs, "What about you? Do you miss him?" His voice becomes hard. I shake my head, "Not in the way you think. I miss that I could talk to him about anything; I miss his trainings. But the love I had for him is gone." I finally look at Christian. His eyes are locked with mine. I say, "It just hurts to see him; hear him. It brings back memories I don't want."
His look becomes soft, "Sorry I dragged you out of there." I shake my head, "I should thank you for that. I didn't want to be in there with them." His arm goes around my shoulder and I lean into his chest. I hear his heart beating and I smile. We say nothing for a long time. I would never have thought that I would find comfort with Christian Ozera. But as I sit here with him just holding me, I can't help but feel happy. It comes as a shock as I realize that I can tell Christian anything. I know I can trust him.
He finally speaks, "Rose, you know you can tell me anything right?" I smile, "Going soft on me, Pyro." I feel his chuckle vibrate through his chest, "Maybe just for you." Butterflies break out in my stomach. I look up at him and smile, "We're going to have to fix that in training. I can't be known as the instructor who makes her students go soft." Now it's his turn to smile, "Then nobody would want you and I could keep you all to myself." My breath hitches at his words. I duck my face down to keep him from seeing just how much he can affect me.
"Rose, what is it?" I force a laugh, "Nothing. I should probably go." I try to stand but his hold tightens on me. He says, "No, you aren't." I am surprised by the edge behind his voice. I still don't look at him, "Come on Christian we both have to go to sleep." I feel his finger on my chin and he tilts my head up. His ice blue eyes are hard with determination. "You aren't getting away this time Rose," His breath fans over my face and my body shivers. The finger on my chin travels down and his hand rests on my neck.
"W-what are you talking about?"
He brings his thumb up to my lips and he traces them. My heart is beating so fast that I feel like it's going to burst. I let out a soft sigh as he touches me. His eyes are hot and his look begins to burn me. He says, "You aren't getting away from me this time Rose." Before I can say anything his lips are on mine. Heat explodes through me making me hotter than I've ever been. His mouth presses harder into mine and the feel of them causes me to shiver; I want more.
He licks my bottom lip and I happily open up to him. His tongue slips into mine and I can't help the small moan that leaves my throat. I want this; I need this.
The hand on my neck goes to the back of my head as he presses us closer. The other goes to my waist. His tongue massages mine as he slowly tortures me. He moves slow as we both savor each other. He pulls back and our breathing is uneven. My chest lifts and falls as I try to regain my breath. His eyes are wide and wild. They make my breath catch; so much passion and hunger look back at me.
Finally I say, "C-Christian, what was that?" He looks down at me with his heated gaze. He doesn't say anything for a while. Finally he sighs, "Rose, I'm sorry I didn't mean to….it's just that…..fuck I'm not making any sense!" He runs a hand through his hair and stands up, leaving me on the couch. I watch him pace, wishing he would just come back and kiss me again.
I ask, "Christian why did you kiss me?" He stops moving but doesn't look at me. I see his back tense up, "Because I wanted to." I don't reply, because I really don't know what to say. I want him to kiss me but I know he won't do it. I'm not really the type to just sit around and wait. I stand and walk to him. I grab his shoulder, spin him around, pull him to me, and get what I want. Our lips move fast and furious. My tongue darts into his mouth and I hear him groan. His hands go to my waist and mine go to his neck.
I pull away slightly and say, "Good because I wanted you to." He doesn't say anything for a few seconds. He just stares at me, that hungry look comes back into his eyes. I bite my lip and his eyes dart to them. He lifts his hand and with his thumb he plucks my lip from between my teeth. He kisses the abused appendage, pulls back and smirks, "Only I can bite you Hathaway." I feel my face heat up, "Who says I'm giving you that luxury, Ozera?"
He doesn't answer. Instead he leans forward and gently bites my lip; then he sucks it into his mouth. My eyes fall closed and I let out a soft sigh. He lets my mouth go and leans his head against my forehead. He says, "You just did."
I smile, "Is that your way of telling me you like me?" He lifts a brow, "I never said that." I return his look, "Oh is that so?" I let go of him and say, "Well Adrian did say I should go see him if I needed anything. I guess I'll head over there. See you Pyro." I turn and head to the door. I hear him growl and He wraps his hands around my waist. He drags me back to him; my back to his chest. He tilts my head so our eyes meet. He says, "You aren't going anywhere." He kisses me again and my hand moves to the back of his neck bringing him closer.
Without breaking our kiss I spin around to face him. He hooks his hands on the back of my thighs and lifts me up; I wrap my legs around his waist. He walks us over to his bed and throws me down on it. I pout, "That wasn't very nice." He smirks, "I never said I was." I glare at him, grab his shirt and pull him on top of me. I say, "I never did like nice guys." My lips attack his in a hungry kiss and he responds with just as much force.
We roll around on the bed, our lips never parting. Once again I end up on top only this time I rub my hips against him on purpose. He groans and I smirk, "What's the matter Chris?" I try to sound as innocent as possible. He glares at me, "Careful Rose. I won't be able to control myself." I lick my lips and give him a heated look, "Who said I wanted control?" His eyes are taken over by a haze of lust. He grabs my hips and he grinds himself against mean. I let out a moan as the friction hits me in just the right place.
He does it again and I feel myself getting lost. My eyes snap on the clock and I have to shake my head to clear my thoughts. I lean down and lay my head on his chest. I say, "As much as I want to continue, we need to sleep." His arms wrap around me, "Sleep can go to hell." I laugh, "I know you're tired." I lift my head and give him a quick kiss, "You never did tell me if you liked me." He twitches his hip and something pokes me. I blush like mad as he says, "Believe me Rose, I like you."
He kisses my nose and says, "And if those noises you made are any indication, I'd say you like me too." I smile and run my hand through his dark hair. I say, "You hit the mark Ozera." I go to sit up but his arms tighten on me. He asks, "And where do you think you're going?" I give him a 'duh' look, "To my room so I can sleep." He flips us over so he is on top of me, "Sorry Rose, but you're staying here."
I lift a brow, "What makes you think you can boss me around?" He chuckles, "I'm your boss remember?" I roll my eyes, "That doesn't mean anything." He smirks, "Maybe I can convince you." He kisses my lips lightly, and then he kisses my cheek. He trails soft kisses to my ear, making my stomach flip. He nibbles on my ear and I let out a small moan. He says, "Rose, stay with me tonight." He kisses behind my ear and then moves slowly down to my neck. He licks and nips at my sensitive spot causing me to heat up once again. Damn this boy!
He whispers against my skin, "Stay with me." He continues his ministrations until I feel like I am going to combust. I wither underneath him, "Okay, okay I'll stay." He pecks my neck and then lifts his head. He gives me a triumphant smirk, "That's payback for leaving me hanging back at the house." I blush as I remember rolling around on the bed and wanting to do so much more. I say, "Hey, it was just as much as your fault as it was mine."
He laughs and rolls off of me. We get ready for bed and soon we are pressed against each other. His arms are around me and I feel his warm breath on my neck. He kisses the back of my neck and says, "And I thought this court trip was going to be useless." I smile, even though he can't see me. I say, "I'm glad I came along." He chuckles, "Goodnight Rose." I lace my fingers with his, "Night Christian." I close my eyes and for the first time in months I drift off into a peaceful sleep.
I'm in my room trying to pick out my outfit for tonight. And when I say outfit I mean my black slacks and white blouse at the bottom of my bag. Christian had gone off to the feeders and was going to meet up with Tasha. I had decided to come back to my room and shower.
Remembering about what happened last night brings a smile to my face. Thinking about our heated kisses almost makes me miss the knock that is at my door. I open it and see a Moroi man with a large box. He looks up at me, "I have a package for you Guardian Hathaway." I nod my thanks and take the box. He scurries off and I close the door.
This reminds me of the time Adrian had gotten me a huge box of perfumes. I smile at the memory. I place the box on the bed and open it. I see a note and grab it.
Rose,
I know you thought you were going to be on duty tonight, but you will not. So you can stop trying to dig your Guardian outfit from the bottom of your bag. You will be escorting Christian tonight and you will be a guest. Don't worry the Queen knows and is fine with you attending. You won't be the only Dhampir. I'll be over to help you get ready.
-Tasha
I stare at the note open mouthed. I was a guest?
Then I groan; I hated these Moroi things. That had never been my scene. I preferred to be a shadow in the background but I guess Tasha had other plans. I wonder if Christian knows.
My eyes go back to the box and I pull out the dress. It is a halter top dress that comes to about mid-thigh. My legs and back are going to freeze. The dress is simple with no designs or ribbons but it looks elegant. The color is a light blue that reminds me of Christian's eyes.
I look back in the box to see a pair of silver closed-toed pumps. I look at the clock and see that it's 10:00 P.M
The ball starts at midnight so I have a couple of hours to get ready. I hear my door open and I see Jill, Tasha, and to my surprise, Mia. I smile, "Mia, it's good to see you." She runs over to me and gives me a hug, "You too Rose!" I pull away and look at Tasha. She smiles at me, "What do you think of the dress." I set it down, "It's beautiful. Not over the top, just the way I like them." She smiles, "I figured that's what you'd want." I finally realize that the three of them are holding bags.
"Uh, so what are you guys doing here?" Jill beams at me, "We're going to get ready together!" For a second my mind thinks back to when Lissa and I would get ready together. Sometimes I would go as her guest and had to dress up. Other times I was simply her Guardian.
I shake off that thought and smile, "Well I've seen how long it takes Tasha to get ready so we better get started."
It was 10 minutes till midnight by the time we had all finished getting ready. I had pinned my hair into a bun and curled a few loose strands. I wasn't trying to stand out; more like blend in. I look at the girls and say, "Are you guys ready to go?" Jill makes a face, "I really hate going to these things." Mia nods, "I feel like an outsider." I can't help but laugh, "Looks like we are going to be sticking together." Mia and Jill both nod. Tasha says, "Well the guys are waiting downstairs. Let's get going."
We all head to the lobby. Once we get off the elevator I see four bodies all nicely dressed. My eyes move from Eddie to Adrian to Christian. I know he hated dressing up but man he cleaned up good. He was in a simple black tux that fitted him perfectly. His ice blue eyes lock on mine and he smiles. My stomach does a little flip; I feel like a high school girl with her first crush.
I reach Christian and I say, "Never knew you could clean up so well." He smirks, "I could say the same about you." He catches a loose curl and twirls it around his finger. He leans and whispers into my ear, "You look beautiful Rose." My cheeks heat up, "Thanks Chris."
We all head out and make our way to the Grand Ball Room. That building was located in the middle of court; so it wasn't a far walk. I slipped my arm into Christian's and walked close to him. His fingers drew patterns on my arms as we walked. I stumbled a few times and I blamed it on the shoes. I don't think he believed me though because he would smirk at me.
We finally make it to the building and we all enter. Tasha says, "You have to be announced. So wait for your names okay?"
I hear a loud voice. "Ryan Dashkov escorted by Tasha Ozera." They walk ahead of us. "Adrian Ivashkov escorted by Mia Rinaldi." I am a little surprised by that. I was so busy paying attention to Christian I hadn't even realized they were paired up.
"Eddie Castile escorted by Jillian Mastrano." I see Jill clutch Eddie's arm as they walk out. They make a cute couple.
"Christian Ozera escorted by Rosemarie Hathaway." Christian and I stepped onto the large staircase and made our way down. The windows and tables were all decorated with the Ivashkov family colors. I had seen this a lot of times so the beauty of the room didn't really stand out to me. We take our spot at our table with our friends. I look over at Eddie who is sitting next to me. I ask, "Feel out of place?" He makes a face, "I'd rather be on duty. At least we don't have to dress up in these monkey suits." I laugh, "I feel the same way. The things we do for our charge."
A few other Royals are being named. I look around and see the Queen isn't here yet. I also notice two empty seats at our table. Great we are going to get stuck with another couple. Christian leans toward me, "Can we go home yet?" I smile, "Sorry Pyro, you have to stick this out." He groans, "But I showed up. Isn't that good enough." Tasha reaches over and smacks the back of his head. He looks at her, "What was that for?" She glares at him, "You aren't leaving me here."
I bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Adrian smirks, "Give him one for me Tasha."
"Dimitri Belikov escorted by Princess Vasilisa Dragomir." The smile falls from my face as I look at the people descending the stairs. My breath stops as I take them in. Lissa is wearing a pale pink full length ball gown. Her pale blonde hair slicked back into an elegant ponytail. A small tiara sat on top of her head. I slowly look over at Dimitri. He had never been one to dress up. But tonight he had gone all out.
His hair was loose and falling gracefully down his face. His tux was simple just like everyone else's, but Dimitri still managed to stand out. He was handsome; just like always. But I felt proud of myself. I watched him walk in and I didn't feel an urge to want to be with him. Just like in the study, the ache he had caused was gone. I guess it also had something to do with locking lips with Christian.
I look over at Christian and see his fists clenched. I grab his hand and try to make him loosen up. He does and laces his fingers with mine. He looks at me and I smile. I say, "Don't let them get to you." He nods and I see him visibly relax. But my own words seem to be ineffective because I go stiff as soon as they sit down at our table.
Tasha looks over at me with sad eyes. Adrian does the same and Eddie squeezes my wrist. Everyone here knows what happened. Maybe except Tasha's date but the others do. The queen enters but I'm not even paying attention. My hand let's go of Christian's and I dig my nails into my palms. 'Don't let them get to you.'
Adrian breaks the silence, "You look lovely cousin." Lissa smiles at him, "Thank you. You clean up nice Adrian." His trademark smirk is on his face, "I always look good cousin." Mia rolls her eyes, "Adrian you take more time getting ready than a girl." Now Eddie scoffs, "I don't know Jill takes a really long time." She lightly punches his arm, "I do not!" Adrian looks at me, "How about you Rose. With your looks I can imagine you don't need much time." I roll my eyes, "Put a sock in it Adrian."
I cast a glance at Chris but he's talking to Tasha. My gaze goes to Lissa who is staring to Christian. The same look she gave him before is there and I clench my teeth. 'Calm Rose.' I move my eyes and clash with Dimitri's. He is staring right at me; not even bothering to look away when I catch him. His face is blank and his voice from before comes back to me. 'Rose, wait.' His voice sounded hurt, but why would it?
Our eyes hold each other with so much intensity, but not like before. This intensity is the kind you don't want to feel. It annoys me that he is staring at me but I don't want to be the first to look away. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look over at Eddie. He leans into me and whispers, "Why does it look like you want to Jump Dimitri's bones?" I pulled back a little shocked, "What?"
He nods his head, "That's what it looks like." I shake my head, "That isn't what-"
Christian stands up and he holds his hand out to me. He doesn't look at me and says, "Rose, let's go dance." Adrian chuckles but it's Lissa who says, "You don't like to dance Christian." He looks at her and says, "How would you know?" She flinches at his harsh tone. I take his hand and we walk to the dance floor.
Other couples are dancing and pay us no mind. His arm wraps around my waist and mine goes on his shoulder. In an annoyed voice he says, "You never did answer Eddie's question." My face gets a little hot, "You heard him?" He spins me, "I didn't have to hear. I saw it." I see the angry lines on his face. I smile, "Chris, are you jealous?"
His eyes look like steel. He is not amused, "You look like you wanted to attack your ex-boyfriend. How am I not going to get jealous." I play with the nape of his neck, "I wanted to attack him but in a different way. I was looking at it like a stare down. There was no way I was backing down first without a reason." He seems to think my words over. We don't talk for a while. Another songs starts and he finally says, "Damn you Hathaway." I laugh, "After last night how can you think I still want him?"
He lifts a brow, "Last night? What happened? I think you're going to have to remind me." I bite my lip and say nothing. His eyes become heated and my heart picks up speed. He says, "Rose, what did I tell you?" I lower my voice, "I think you're going to have to remind me."
The look he gives me is filled with promise. Promise that he will remind me; and make me remember.
