DPOV
as I watched Rose sleep I wished fiercely that she could see me, see that I was still a dhampir and that I loved her and hadn't said those things the blonde told her.

I looked back through all the time we shared from the moment we met when she fought me to try and save her friend.

I remembered all the training sessions we had where I would instruct her on technique and give my Zen lessons as she liked to call them.

I remembered the shopping trip we went on and the promise we had made that day, the promise that had led to her capture.

I remember carrying her to the nurse when she fell from the bench, the bench purposely rotted by Natalie to make her fall.

I recalled the night she went to the dance and how Alberta and I had intercepted her and Mason. The dress had been so beautiful and the desire had flared.

I remembered her coming to my room under Victor's lust spell and how close we had been that night. It had been so hard to fling that necklace out the window; I had wanted her so bad.

I remember her screaming as we drove to save Lissa and the torment she had gone through.

I remember racing to save her from Natalie who had turned strigoi because her father asked her to and how it was so hard to stay focused in the fight with Rose lying there, bleeding.

I remember the agony as I carried her to the infirmary not sure if she would make it.

(Flashback)

"Hey comrade" she murmured

"You were right about Strigoi" I could see her eyelids drooping.

"Rose. Roza! Open your eyes" I said frantically.

"Don't go to sleep on me not yet."

"Was he right?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Victor… he said it couldn't have worked. The necklace." She started to close her eyes again.

"What do you mean?"

"The spell. Victor said you had to want me… to care for me… for it to work." She clutched at my shirt weakly,

"Did you? Did you want me?"

"Yes, Roza. I did want you. I still do. I wish… we could be together." I choked out.

"Then why did you lie to me?" we were inside the clinic now and I yelled for help.

"Why did you lie?" she whispered.

"Because we can't be together."

"Because of the age thing, right?" she asked.

"Because your my mentor?" I wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek.

"That's part of it," I said.

"But also… well, you and I will both be Lissa's guardians some day. We need to protect her at all costs. If a pack of strigoi come, I need to throw my body between them and her."

"I know that. Of course that's what you have to do." She said.

"No, if I let myself love you; I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you." That was a painful memory.

Then there was the ski resort and all the Tasha and Adrian nonsense. I had been surprised when Rose had told me I should go to Tasha, but I couldn't do it I told Tasha no. Then Rose and her friends disappeared and when we found them I had thought Rose would never recover.

And then there was that time in the cabin. That memory was both bliss and scary. Rose had been possessed with some dark rage and had wanted to kill. When she finally came to herself it turned into one of the best nights of my life. We were together and had a plan so that we could stay together.

But that was all gone now as I was jerked from my memoirs when the blonde came in followed by three other strigoi. Two jerked me up hold my arms tightly the other was the one who had fed Rose earlier.

They marched me out of my cell and down the hall a few yards to the door. Blondie unlocked it and walked in followed by the other guy with me and my guards brining up the rear.

As we walked into the room I panicked. There sat Rose on the floor. I realized what must be coming and looked around for some exit.

My eyes fell on the back pack the strigoi who delivered the food carried and I saw a few silver stakes and other weapons. A plan began to form in my head.