Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy.

A/N: Here's the chapter I think most of you have been waiting for. I hope you like it! Don't forget to review!

Chapter Six

The walk back to my black stallion was a quiet one. When I reached where he was hidden, I got on top of him wordlessly and ushered for him to take me home.

For the first time in my life, I felt like crying my eyes out. I had almost died.

Why didn't he kill me? He had me. He could've killed me... but he didn't.

When my stallion reached the spot where I normally tied him up, he stopped, trotting his feet. I slid down his side and half-heartedly tied him to the wooden post. Walking through the village, I was thankful that it was late enough for most people to be in bed at this time.

The guards who stood at their posts eyed me as I walked by, probably wanting to comment on my choice of clothes, but I couldn't find the time to care. My hair was scruffled and I was bleeding from multiple points on my body. I probably looked like Lissa on the night I kidnapped her.

Thinking of Lissa made me realize I forgot the herbs. Sighing at my mistake, I walked heavily toward my room and closed the door behind me quietly. I was a mess and the bleeding wasn't going to stop until I got treated, but I didn't want to wake Lissa up. It would have to wait until morning.

In the mean time, I ripped a few pieces of cloth off of one of my dresses and tied up my wounds to try and stop the bleeding. I only knew the basics when it came to medical care, so I followed what I knew and put pressure on the cuts.

Soon the adrenaline left my body and I started to feel the pain for what it was. Swallowing deeply, I wished for some water to cool my dry throat but I didn't want to get up. Laying down in bed, I sobbed once and then again and again, as tears slipped out of my eyes.

That night I hardly got any sleep at all, my mind wondering over and over again why the soldier hadn't killed me when he had the chance.

When I did finally get some sleep, dawn was approaching, the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. I snuggled deep into the mattress, and buried my face lower into the pillow.

To my surprise, I awoke in a different bed. My immediate thought was that I had been taken captive, but that was probably because of the confusing event that had taken place the night before. I shot up and started to pull at the cover when Lissa's calming voice shushed me.

"It's okay, Rose." I blinked my eyes a few times and focused on her gentle expression. "You're in the infirmary." I looked around, noticing that she was right. A few others were in the beds around me, recovering from illness or injury. I noticed Eddie watching me worriedly from the doorway. His job right now was to keep an eye on Lissa, but his eye showed concern for me.

"How did I get here?" I knew she couldn't have been the one to bring me here.

She smiled happily like nothing was wrong in the world. It lifted my mood some. "Eddie carried you," she explained, and my eyes found Eddie's once more. I tried to show him gratitude, though I was worried about the inquisition I'd be getting from him later. You didn't get cuts like the ones I had just from anything.

It was obvious my wounds hadn't been self-inflicted, and it was obvious that I'd received them from the blade of a sword.

My father probably knew about this too.

Sighing, I flinched when Lissa placed a wet cloth on the cut on my arm. Things were not looking good.

"They're looking better," Lissa noted, rubbing some green paste over the cut. If I thought the cloth had stung... Dear God, the paste was pure agony. My teeth gritted, and I dug my nails into my palm. "You should've seen them when Eddie brought you in. Rose, you can't let injuries like this go overlooked. I don't care if I'm asleep. If this happens again, which I hope it doesn't, you find me. You're lucky this isn't worse. You could have contracted blood poisoning. You were covered in dirt!"

I shrunk back into bed, feeling guilty for worrying her. I think I was a little too lost in my thoughts last night to know what was best for my body.

Dimitri. Why hadn't he killed me when he had the chance?

Lissa noticed my distraction and looked back at Eddie before lowering her voice.

"What happened to you? Is everything alright?" She had meant to be secretive about it, but Eddie saw the look she gave him and had stepped forward, until he was within hearing range.

"Yes, I'd like to know that too." He stated, causing Lissa to jump a little. Thanks, I thought sarcastically, but then realized I'd have to get it over with sooner or later.

"Can I at least get some water first? My throat is so dry." Hey, I'd take as much time to answer as I could. I needed a plausible excuse.

They believed that I was out last picking herbs. So it had to coincide with that. Thinking of herbs brought me back to Dimitri. He was a soldier. I wasn't expecting to see him there when I was picking herbs to first time - bingo.

Lissa rushed back with a cup of water as Eddie stared me down. His eyes examined my cuts, and then stared at me expectantly as I took my drink. Lissa went to patching up the cuts with special cloth.

"So?" He started again.

Sighing, I placed the glass down on the stool beside the medical bed and folded my hands out in front of me.

"While I was out picking herbs last night, I ran into a soldier. I wasn't expecting to see him there, it was dark, we scuffled, he ran away. I dropped the herbs somewhere on the way back. I didn't say anything when I got here, because I didn't want Abe to cause a frenzy. You know he would have," I said, happy with my lie. I was surprised at how easily I was able to spit out a story.

"He will want to know," Eddie replied, taking my hand to help me stand now that Lissa was done.

"I don't care," I said, bending back and forward to stretch out my achy muscles. Fighting last night had really done me in. Dimitri had held is own up until the end there when I almost had him. Then he almost killed you. My eyes drifted back to Eddie who was looking at me sternly. "He doesn't need to know. He's already busy with all of this planning for the rebellion." I didn't care if Lissa heard me or not. She would find out sooner or later now that she was living here.

Eddie's eyes searched mine and I knew I wasn't getting through to him. I rolled my eyes. Once you started working for my father, you basically owed your whole life to him. Eddie and I had been friends for over ten years, but once he accepted the job offer from Abe, he was obligated to tell my father anything and everything, because it was expected of him.

I trusted him with my life, but not with my secrets. Not when I was keeping things from Abe.

"Please, Eddie," I begged. He knew that I wasn't a beggar, so this must've been a new sight for him.

His mouth opened as he contemplated my request. Finally, his eyes glanced over at Lissa for one moment and then he said, "Fine. This stays between us three, but don't expect me to do this again."

"Thank you."

The next couple of days I used for recuperation.

I knew that I'd have to go find the herbs I "dropped" once I was cleared. Which was I why I was getting on top of my stallion right now.

"Come on, boy," I encouraged as he started to take off.

Today was Sunday, so it had been almost a whole week since the run-in I had with Dimitri Belikov. I now despised him more than ever because he had been able to overtake me. It was my own fault. I had been too cocky and I had given him the opening.

Then there was also the part of me that wanted to like him, because he had spared my life.

Sighing, I jumped off my horse once I reached the clearing. I looked wistfully at the lake, remembering the day I had bathed.

Time passed quickly as I found the herbs I needed. There were a few new items on the list, so it took longer to locate those and make sure I had the right ones. Lissa's descriptions were very helpful, but my mind just wasn't in it.

That seemed to happen a lot this past week. My mind would wander and I'd doze off during conversations. I knew that Lissa saw a change in me. She just wouldn't say anything, which I was grateful for.

My eyes read over her description of a plant I needed for what felt like the fortieth time. I blinked a couple times, trying to get my mind to focus. I laughed when I realized what she needed. Grabbing my bag, which was already full of other items, I walked over to the other side of the lake and bent down to pick the flowers I had used to try and make myself smell good.

The snapping of a branch right behind me made me freeze up. My hand slowly moved to the dagger in my dress. I heard his voice at the exact same time I realized I could see his reflection in the water.

"Dimitri Belikov," I mumbled turning around, standing up immediately. He wasn't armed. At least, he didn't show it. He had no weapons in his hand, and he didn't seem like he would attack me, but I didn't trust him.

He eyed the cloth that covered my cuts which had just began to scar.

Lissa had told me I could take the cloths off because I couldn't have so much friction on the spot when they began scarring or else it would be like starting over again, but since I was coming out into the forest, I kept them on. I didn't want them to get dirty or infected. I was never one to follow orders either.

"Rosemarie Mazur," he said, unmoving.

Before I could help myself, I said, "It's Rose."

One of his brows lifted and I cursed myself for correcting him. It was something that came as habit. I hated when people called me by my full first name.

"I hate the name Rosemarie," I added though it wasn't important.

"I don't," he said, confusing the both of us.

My hand fell from my dagger, and I pushed the flower into my bag, walking past him. "Well, I don't presume you're here to bathe again," I commented, trying to get out of there before I talked too much.

His hand grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving and I had my dagger out so fast that he blinked rapidly. I placed it up against his throat, and his hand fell.

"What are you doing?"

"Not trying to kill you, if that's what you're wondering." he said.

"Is this a joke to you? I'm being serious. What are you playing at?" My blade pressed tighter against his neck. One swipe and his jugular would be open, and he'd die.

"I assure you I'm not playing at anything. I've come here everyday this week, at this time, just for this purpose. I wanted to run into you. I'm here to speak to you."

My eyes widened when he mentioned he'd come here everyday since our fight. I hid my surprise. "About what? I have nothing to say to you." That wasn't true.

"But I have something to say," he confessed, slowly grabbing my arm to push it away. For some reason, I let him.

My eyes searched him for any signs of deception. This could all be a trap. He could have me surrounded. Why else would he just want to "talk".

My eyes searched the perimeter as a moment of silence passed between us. "Alright, out with it. I don't have all day. You want to say something, you say it."

"I'm sorry."

My mouth nearly dropped. "What?"

"I said-"

"I know what you said. I'm not deaf. What I don't understand is why you're apologizing." I stared at him oddly. My grip on my dagger loosened.

"I-"

"Why would you apologize to me? We're enemies. We hate each other. You're supposed to want me dead as much I want you dead." Clearly he wasn't thinking straight. He wasn't supposed to apologize for almost killing me.

This was almost as confusing to me as him not killing me.

"I-"

"How come you didn't kill me?" I blurted out. I really wanted to know. "You had me. You could've done it. Why didn't you?"

He stayed silent for a minute, before he opened his mouth. "I don't know."

"You dont-"

"No, I get to speak now. You've been cutting me off. No more of that."

I scoffed. Who did he think he was?

He continued, "I don't know why I didn't kill you when I had the chance. I fully intended to, trust me. But then," his eyes seemed lost in thought "Then, I saw you. I mean, you had tears in your eyes. You looked at me like I was a monster. I couldn't kill you."

His eyes refocused and bore deeply into mine. We stared each other down for what seemed like forever. Finally, I pulled up the side of my dress and slipped my dagger back into my sheath. "I accept your apology." I said, turning around swiftly with the full intention to leave.

I almost made it, too, but he followed me up until I got to my horse. I turned around, to tell him to leave me alone from now on, but stopped when I saw how close we were. I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.

He was breathing heavily.

"What are you doing?" I asked when his hand rested on my shoulder.

"I don't know," he said again, leaning down. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine.

I wanted to pull away, I really did, but then his hand moved up to my cheek and I didn't know what came over me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened my mouth against his. His other hand came down to rest at my waist, squeezing the skin there. He was kissing me so passionately, so passionately that I forgot who I was, who he was.

He squeezed me tighter against him until I felt like I was suffocating, but I didn't push him away. His lips against mine was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. I didn't want to stop. My hands tugged on his hair, my fingers moving through long strands.

When he pulled back, he didn't stop to catch his breath. Instead, he placed rough kisses against my neck. I cried out unexpectedly when he bit the skin at my neck forcefully. The sensation was so strange, and I had never made such a sound before.

It brought me back to the moment and I realized what was happening. Pushing him away from me quickly, I tried to catch my breath.

He looked up at me from on the floor, his mouth opening and closing.

Without another word, I got on top of my horse and galloped away.

I could still feel the warmth of his lips on mine. What the hell had just happened?


A/N: I hope you're all happy! Dimitri made the first move! I wonder where they'll go from here :) Review!