DPOV

We'd now been outside the Academy gates for a week, and I was loving the alone time with Rose. She was doing an amazing job balancing protecting us, learning from me and being with me. And it made me love her all the more, this whole situation was.

Whenever possible, I was showing her just how much I loved her.

Meals were my third favourite time of the day, because I was introducing her to new foods, Russian dishes- of course- and she was enjoying them. I was quickly learning the woman had some interesting opinions on food, and they made her all the more adorable. She was gorgeous when her food opinions changed- and that was happening more often than not.

Snuggling in front of the TV after dinner was my second favourite time of the day. My Roza would relax, without letting her guard down. The best thing was, I knew it was me- as me- she was guarding, not me as her 'Moroi'.

She truly did want to be able to keep me safe, because I came first in her heart. I shouldn't be first in her heart; simply because it would cause all kinds of problems when we both guarded Lissa. I also shouldn't come first because I was her mentor- not that I really cared about that. I was wary of it? Sure, because we could-and would- get in massive trouble if anyone other than Alberta knew. (We only suspected Alberta suspected or knew- we had no proof she was supporting and hiding us.) Did I actually care that Rose was my student and I was in a relationship that was deemed illegal and amoral? No. Purely because that mature young woman was my soulmate and it was wrong to cause her the pain that would result from pushing her away.

My favourite time of day was sunrise. Because it was when my Roza joined me in bed. It was in the innocent way. Well, sort of. We slept entangled and entwined, but the beauty would be asleep within seconds of crawling under the sheets. So, I let her actually get the sleep she needed because I loved her that much. She came first, and that included giving up my body's wants, needs and desires for hers and her wellbeing.