125 minutes later as the credits rolled, Isla looked up at me her large almond eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I really love your friends," she whispered. "but I wish you had told me the Queen was going to be here."

"Sorry," I smiled back at her. "I totally spaced, but it's not like she's that much different from the rest of us, I mean she eats her popcorn buttered just like you and me."

At that moment we both looked over to where Lissa and Christian were cuddled up together on one of the couches, a bowl of popcorn resting between them. Christian having deserted the popcorn for Lissa –trailing soft kisses up and down her bare arm- She was smiling but still watching the screen, placing popcorn kernels one at a time in her mouth.

When the screen flicked back to the Netflix browse section, most of my friends excused themselves out of the room for bathroom breaks, snacks or other things, Isla and I remained. After the remaining couple of people left in the room –Lissa, Rose, Jill and Dimitri- started up their own conversation,so Isla turned so she was facing me.

"Tell me about Rose and Queen Vasilisa, I've heard about how Rose was convicted of killing the Queen, but then was shot by the actual murderer who was trying to shoot Lissa!" she stopped to take a breath. "I've also heard all about Rose and Dimitri, their like living legends around the guardian world, I heard their lethal. "she looked over at them, she looked so excited. Even though at this very moment Rose and Dimitri didn't look like a fatal fighting duo, but just two young people, happy and madly in love.

"Well Rose and Lissa went to the same school, they have been friends since they were practically in diapers. Lissa and her family had already applied for Rose to be her guardian, when they were in high school, Rose was with Lissa and her family, on their way off on holiday." I stopped and I could tell that Isla already knew this part of the story –like all Moroi and guardians—

It was always a travesty when we lost someone in the royal family, but it was even worse when it was one of the smallest, one of the purest blood, and to something like a drunk driver. It was horrible to think even though we dedicated our lives to save the Moroi from Strigoi, we could never completely protect our charges, because dying was a part of life. Be it illness or a car accident, and these where things we often had no control over and it killed us.

"Rose and Lissa where the only ones to survive, but it was a miracle, all the doctors said it made no sense for Rose to still be walking around as hers was the side hit, she should have died. But she didn't because . . . Lissa saved her." Suddenly through the cloud of tears welling in Isla eyes they started to shine, she blinked the tears back and nodded for me to continue.

"Lissa saved Rose, brought her back from the dead, and she became bound to Lissa, with the work of spirit, have you heard much about spirit?" I asked.

"Yeah I have actually." She practically snorted.

Before I could ask about her strange reaction, Rose came over and perched herself on the arm of our couch, she put her arm around my shoulder and smiled brightly at Isla.

"Hey I heard my name, are you guys bagging me out?!" she laughed.

"Only always Hathaway." I joked, she gave me a playful punch on the chest and poked her tongue out at me.

"Actually Gavin was just telling me about yours and Lissa's story," Isla confessed. "I hope you don't mind I was just curious."

"Of course not, I completely understand." Rose grinned widely and winked at Isla, Isla looked taken aback. "What part where you up to?" she looked back at me, regaining her composure.

"Oh, I was just telling her how Lissa brought you back from the dead with spirit." I said. Rose nodded her head, I knew that Lissa and Rose used to keep their bond a secret, but now that it was broken, they weren't as secretive.

"Yep, I was shadow kissed," she smiled kindly at Isla, "bonded, fated together if you must, permanent BFF'S." she laughed softly, Isla laughed too.

"Two pees in a very dysfunctional pod." I laughed. Rose just rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, after that I started to be able to feel Lissa's emotions, I always knew where she was, and when she was particularly emotional I used to get sucked into her head, it was like I was her." As she spoke it looked like Roses face puckered slightly. I couldn't even imagine having to go through something like that, poor Rose probably got 'sucked in' every time Lissa and Christian had sex. . . Gross.

"and then you know, Prince Dashkov tried to kidnap Lissa to be his personal nurse." This time Rose was completely grimacing, few people knew what had happened to Prince Dashkov after he escaped from Moroi Prison. Most of us knew that Rose had killed him, but that was all we knew, we couldn't get her to talk about.

"I heard all about that, I was still at the academy. It was weird, like none of the Moroi or guardians knew her personally, but when the message was sent out that she had been taken, it was like the whole school was morning," Isla said, her eyes flicked over to Lissa, where she sat talking animatedly with Dimitri and Christian. "But now that I've met her, I completely understand." She smiled.

"Well, now the bond is broken I don't know what going through her head exactly. But I can tell you, she is pure, through and through, a real rare find these days." Rose smiled happily over at her best friend and like clockwork Lissa looked up and met her guardian's eyes and gave her an eye crinkling smile.

"How did you break the bond?" Isla asked sitting up so she was leaning in closer to Rose.

"it wasn't easy." There was what I thought was a slight warning in Roses voice that I couldn't understand as we looked into Isla's large green eyes. "I died again. But this time, I brought myself back, with love and willpower and medicine and all that sentimental shit." Isla looked shocked, and a little crestfallen.

"Oh." She whispered.

"But it's not that bad . . . being bonded I mean, not the dying part that sucked." Rose said to Isla, taking one of her slender hands in her own and giving it a gentle pat. "Personally, if I knew when we were bonded that it would take my dying and bringing myself back, I wouldn't have risked it. Being bonded is a gift, in its own creepy way. It kind of made me feel like Professor Quirrel from Harry Potter, you know, how he had Voldermort in the back of his head. But I guess Lissa could say the same, but I couldn't speak to her. . ." Rose stopped herself and laughed. "Sorry. i'm rambling"

"I just can't believe I'm meeting you guys in the flesh, we heard all about you and Dimitri, and Lissa of course at the Academy, it was huge news." Isla smiled.

"What about me?" I asked in a mock serious voice.

"Nope, your name never came up." She smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, I understand that, Gavin is totally not as good a me, I mean nobody is, Dimitri maybe but only because he taught me most of what I know, but I've picked up some new moves." Rose smirked.

"We don't want to know about the new moves you use on Belikov." Adrian chimed in as he made his way back onto the couch, arm in arm with Sydney.

"I have a new move for you Ivaskov." She said mischievously, giving him the bird. Adrian put on a face off mock hurt, covering his heart with his hands.

"Oh Hathaway, you wound me." He moaned. The smell of fresh popcorn filled the room as the rest of the group took their seats. Rose gave us both a smile and patted my leg.

"Well I better get back to the hottest guy in the room." She said loud enough everyone including Dimitri who was consumed in scrolling through Netflix on the ipad could hear. His head shot up and we were graced with witnessing one of his rare carefree, devoted smiles he reserved for Rose.

I could tell that both Adrian and Christian were dying to comment on Roses statements, but the beautiful ladies beside the men shut them down, with just a look.

Rose practically glided over to Dimitri and sat beside him, bringing her face closer to his till he planted a soft slow kiss on her lips. Christian started gagging, Rose and Dimitri just smiled blissfully at each other.

"Okay, okay." Adrian laughed. "What did you pick Dimitri?" He asked.

"Hey! Why does he get to pick!" Christian groaned.

"Because, he could take any of you in a fight." Rose announced proudly.

"Hey, I can hold my own, I beat him in the trials didn't I" Eddie protested.

"Yeah but that was years ago Edwardo, Dimitri here has bulked up and probably been on some steroids since then." Adrian said smirking. Rose glared at him. "Anyway . . ." Adrian backtracked. "What did you pick?"

"Hmm, how about this 'A million ways to die in the west" I haven't heard of this western, have any of you?" Dimitri asked the room. Christian and Adrian exchanged looks and chuckled under their breaths.

"Should we tell him?" Christian asked quietly to Adrian.

"No, let's let him figure it out himself." Adrian laughed. Doing his Netflix magic again and setting up the movie to play on the big screen. "I already know you're going to enjoy this one Cowboy." Adrian laughed again, and Christian joined in. the rest of us just shook our heads and ignored them like we usually did.


Sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, to make up for it the next one will be longer i promise!

love you guys and please read review and enjoy (:

xox