I ordered several sets of clothing for Rose, knowing that her dirt stained shirt and jeans wouldn't do well for the few days she would be held in her guest room. The knowledge that she would be for my eyes only provided quite the unique opportunity for me as I selected a few more impractical options that I would never allow her to wear under the gaze of another man.

I was sure to only pick dresses; impractical for fighting, training, or much more than sitting in her room and debating her future with me. For once, money wasn't a problem and I was happy to provide her with only the finest available, throwing in a few items for myself that I hoped she wears when she felt a bit more comfortable in my presence. The sheer red bodice and matching panties probably wouldn't last long on her body, but they would be stunning before I tore them off of her.

My only bit of sentimentality I fell victim to was when I spotted a green dress made of soft cashmere that would fit her like a long sweater. It reminded me of the dress that had first caught my eye back at the academy when we first met. Not the black one the night of the lust charm, but the night of the Queen Tatiana's dinner, where I had watched her from my post. It was the first time I had seen her in anything other than training clothes or casual jeans, and I couldn't help but stare. I had been nothing then. No… now I could give her everything and more.

I ordered Inna to bring them to her immediately while I wrapped up some business. While I wished I could spend my entire time with Rose, persuading her to see the light of her situation, I still had responsibilities here. I didn't want to sacrifice my favor with Galina. Nathan had delivered the news about our most recent default client, but I had a meeting with her in less than an hour to make sure we didn't have others with late payments.

I made it in plenty of time to hear a raised voice behind the cracked door of Galina's study.

"...Putting the entire estate in danger. What if she breaks out of that room? Or worse, what if she manages to escape the estate?"

"Are you questioning the security of this establishment? If I remember correctly, you helped set up the security systems of the guest quarters so if there is some oversight, I believe you would be held responsible."

"I set up and signed off the financial purchase of them, but I am not a security expert," Nathan defended. "I freely admit that a trained former dhampir with a security background would be better suited to that task. The programs we have in place have proved suitable over the years, but we have also never dealt with someone being contained in one of the suites for longer than 48 hours. The longer she's in there, the longer she has to plot an escape."

"If she manages to escape-"

"She could lead a dhampir army right to us!"

Anger tinged Galina's voice at being interrupted, rising a single dangerous note in warning. "If she escapes that room, she would be killed within minutes by the residents here. She'd never see the sun. I trust Dimitri in this matter. He can contain the girl. If she was willing to track him down in the first place, she obviously has some devotion to him and that will give him a significant edge in controlling her."

"You trust Dimitri, but I question his motives. She could be useful in other ways."

My breath caught, choking me as my hand reached for the door knob.

"Such as?" she questioned.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Nathan shot me a glare, not for one moment under the illusion that I was unaware of the conversation that was about to unfold. Galina waved me in, however.

"Not at all, Dimitri. Please, take a seat. Nathan, we'll talk later, but for now, I implore you not to question me or my authority. Your advice may be worth consideration, but my commands are absolute. You would do well to remember that."

It was a struggle for both me and Nathan to keep a straight face as I tried to keep smugness off my lips and I watch his teeth grind together in frustration at the public reprimand.

"Now, to business. We don't have any incoming clients this week, but we do need to collect some payment from a few of the institutions that we partner with in the local towns."

I nodded, listing a few of them in my mind. The club Nathan early on had taken me to was one of the said businesses, but several others 'partnered' with Galina. A bar or two, another club, an orphanage, one of the homeless shelters, a tattoo parlor, a small jazz style club that catered to small bands, and a high-profile restaurant that was open late into the night. Occasionally, Galina took clients there, and they would tailor a very special meal to suit the evening. Each paid a small fee for services we rendered, be it protection, disposal of undesirables or excess bodies, exclusive use, and so on.

"Thankfully, we also don't have any defaulting clients this week so we should have some extra time to take care of things at home." Galina shot me a significant look with clear intentions.

"Nathan, I want you to go over our recent business transactions for the quarter and make sure that everything is in order. Dimitri, Nathan has brought up concerns with whether or not our security is fully up to date. I'd like you to look into that."

"Galina..." Nathan started hesitantly.

She barely began to open her mouth, harsh words on her tongue, before I answered.

"Certainly. I'd love to make sure everything is secure. I could have that done within the week as long as I have the specs and blueprints by tomorrow."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at Nathan. "See that he gets them. That is an order."

Nathans jaw set and he nodded once instead of answering.

"Other than that, I believe we are done for today. I'd like to congratulate you on a successful close on our default client, Dimitri. Well done. You're dismissed."

I stood, ready to change and get back to Rose, but I paused near the door when I realized I was leaving alone.

"If we might continue our discussion..."

"You're dismissed, Nathan. I don't want to hear more about it today. Don't make things worse for you by angering me further, is that understood?"

"Understood."

I left, not bothering to hide my smugness at Nathan's rebuke now that it wouldn't cost me some of Galina's disfavor. He didn't even attempt to hide his footsteps as he came up behind me. The moment I felt his hand touch my shoulder, I grabbed his arm and leveraged it to press him against the wall.

Still, he acted as if he had the upper hand. "You won't get away with this, you know. I know you are up to something. Whatever it is, I will figure it out. I'm not duped so easily. You can't replace me and Galina won't let her Estate fall into the hands of some lovesick weakling and his pet. You might have upset the balance, but it'll be a cold day in hell if you ever gain control."

I scoffed at his ridiculous idea of me and his conspiracy of this grand plan I supposedly had. If he wanted to run around in circles like a dog chasing his tail then fine, let that keep him busy. I had better things to do. Still, I couldn't help goading him a little.

"You're wrong," I smiled devilishly. "I've already replaced you."

I jolted him once more against the wall before letting him fall to the ground and walked away without a second thought. Let him try to follow me. He wouldn't win against me and he knew it.

I changed out of my more formal clothing, a callback to my professional guardian days that fit in better with Galina's more elaborate dresses and Nathan's pressed shirts and blazers. Where Nathan often looked like he could have come from some high-end North Eastern American country club, I preferred a classic black suit. Something about the black and white from my former days felt comfortable, though instead of my ill-fitting guardian uniform, I was much happier in my custom Italian design. That was for our meetings only, though. My more casual jeans or training gear would always be preferable to anything else. That and my coat. Old habits die hard.

I braced myself as I punched the code for the second door to Rose's room. She hadn't made a sound yet, but she could easily be lying in wait. When I entered without any assault, I was able to look around.

She was fast asleep on the bed, not even bothering to slip between the covers. I shook my head at the sight, wondering if she had fallen asleep like that due to exhaustion or stubbornness (or, more likely, both) before covering her with the blanket that was thrown over the couch.

Inna had told me that the food I brought her had been devoured completely, much to my satisfaction. So much for her hunger strike. If her will power on that wasn't strong enough to last even a few hours than I might be able to break her down easier than I initially thought.

She seemed less thrilled by my second present, however. I had noticed that she was still dressed in the ragged clothes that I had dragged her here in. The clothing that I had bought had been rifled through but left on the coffee table. The red lace garment had even been tossed on the floor near the trash can.

Her stubbornness would eventually be her downfall, but two could play at this game. She would eventually need to shed those clothes and when she did, they would be taken. She could either wear the clothing I provided or walk around naked. It didn't matter to me. Truth be told, I might prefer the latter. I was being generous offering clothing at all.

I tossed the lingerie back on top of the pile and sat down on the couch, throwing my feet up across the length of it and opening my latest book to read until she awoke. One of the best benefits of immortality was the amount of time I was now afforded to read books I had always wanted to but never had the chance to before. I explored stories and genres that I wasn't totally sure I would enjoy before, always relying on my old standbys in my limited library. Now my bookcase was filled with whatever book I wanted and more. Anything that struck my interest even slightly was now mine, and I was often reading a new book once or a day, if not more.

I was half way through my current paperback when Rose suddenly popped up from the bed, seemingly asleep one moment and awake the next. She spotted me in the next instant and scrambled off the bed.

"What are you doing here?"

I barely gave her a glance as I finished my paragraph. "Waiting for you to wake up."

"Sounds kind of boring." She sounded overly confident for someone who was currently pressed up against the wall. In an unusual moment of bravery, she moved closer to me, around to the other side of the couch so she was facing me fully, before stepping back towards the wall again. She leaned casually, with her arms crossed in front of her, but the protective stance wasn't fooling anyone.

"Not so boring, I had company." I lifted a book that had been written a couple years prior but was by one of my favorite writers. It certainly held up to his other works.

I caught the surprise and wonder in her face as she saw my choice in books. I doubted she recognized or had any interest in it. Rose wasn't a fan of westerns, or to my knowledge, reading in general. She certainly hadn't done much for fun since I had known her. However, it seemed like my book fascinated her. When her inspection switched from the cover to my face, I realized it was the fact that I was reading, and not the book itself.

She must have expected some dramatic change. It seemed like she kept hoping that I was someone completely different than who she had known before. But the old stories were lies. She didn't realize that I was practically the same person...just better. I was no longer held back by mortal bounds. Whether that was the limit of my body, my faulty emotions, needless societal conventions, or whatever. Once she understood that nothing had changed except for me being stronger, more sure, and more able to take care of myself and her, she would be begging me to awaken her.

"You slept for a long time," I commented flippantly, diverting her inspection. "And you ate." I couldn't help but add the jab.

"Yeah, well, I'm a sucker for pepperoni. What do you want?"

I placed my bookmark in and set it aside. "To see you."

Her eyes widened momentarily and I could barely see her jaw tremble, but that was the only acknowledgment she gave to the underlying meaning behind my words. The moment she regained herself, she spat out a retort. "Really? I thought your only goal was to make me one of the living dead."

I lowered my legs from the couch, sitting up from my recliner and patting the cushion next to me. "Aren't you tired of always standing?"

"I just woke up. Besides, If I can spend an hour tossing furniture around, a little standing isn't that big a deal."

"Sitting's not that big a deal either. I told you before, I'm not going to hurt you."

"'Hurt' is kind of a subjective term." Still, she sat in the chair across from me. I would have rather felt her skin next to mine, but this was acceptable progress. "Happy now?"

I gave her a small smile, a bit of peaceable agreement. "You still stay beautiful, even after sleeping and fighting."

Before, any compliment I would have given would have easily earned me an adoring smile. Now she offered me nothing but skepticism.

I nodded to the clothing between us. "You don't like any of them?"

She scoffed, flicking the pink sheer material of one skirt over the offending red scrap of nearly nothing. "I'm not here to play dress-up with you. Designer clothes aren't going to suddenly get me on board with joining the Strigoi club."

I honestly didn't know how to handle her. Well, in some cases I did. Her sarcasm and stubbornness were annoying but tolerable. It was one of the things that kept her interesting. However, I couldn't get a grasp of her motivations. What did she want? If I could find out what to offer her, what incentive she craved, than I could use that against her. That would be the key to convincing her.

Some craved strength, some craved wealth, some craved immortality. The power was addicting to me, though it wasn't something I had initially sought. But Rose...Rose wasn't giving up her secret.

I could provide for her now, easily. But wealth had never really been a concern for her. While never rich herself, she had never truly wanted for something with Lissa by her side. And though she wasn't as strong as a Strigoi by any means, she didn't seem to fear my strength any more than she should. She seemed to welcome death so I couldn't use that or the lure of immortality over her. Power...perhaps, but something told me she would prefer freedom over power. And if she had true freedom, she'd still probably run back to Vasilisa. She wouldn't be better off by any means.

No, I didn't have anything to use to convince her because she was offering me nothing. She closed herself off and spoke in nothing but snark and quips.

"Why don't you trust me?"

Her hands gripped the armchair, fingertips turning white with strain. "How can you ask that? You abducted me. You kill innocent people to survive. You aren't the same."

"I'm better, I told you. And as for the innocent..." I gave a shrug, knowing that I shouldn't give her more information about the greater business dealings than absolutely necessary, "No one's really innocent. Besides, the world is made up of predators and prey. Those who are strong conquer those who are weak. It's part of the natural order. You used to be into that if I remember correctly."

It was one of the few classes that Rose truly excelled at beyond her guardian classes. Biology and Animal Behavior. She would even show me some of the passages that interested her most.

There was one day after we had finished and I was putting up some mats after our evening practice that she started talking about how vision, hearing, and scent all were heightened in predators, allowing them to hunt more effectively.

"Which would you prefer? Better sight, hearing, or scent?" She had looked up at me from the bench where she was laying on her stomach, the book splayed out in front of her as she was writing notes.

"Hearing." It had only taken a moment of thought before I had answered her. I hauled the last of the blue mats on top of the pile with a thud and grabbed my water bottle to join her. "Music would sound better, more nuanced, and I think people would start making things that were more interesting if people had more advanced hearing. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to be able to hear enemies coming up on you from a distance."

"Always the guardian," she had grumbled. "Plus, you listen to nothing but country music and 80's techno-pop. You want that to sound better?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her look of disgust, mocking as it was. She did have a point. As much as I acted like I was polished enough to enjoy classical music, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between one composer and another.

"Well, Miss-Know-it-All, what would you choose? Scent?" I sat on the floor next to her, overlooking her page.

"Oh God, no. Do you see how many guys I have to deal with around here? I smell them enough as it is." Her smile had been brilliant. It always was when we had simple conversations like those. "Sight."

I had thought it was an odd choice for someone who already had exceptional, though unusual, 'sight.' Her bond with Lissa allowed her to see things that I and the greater population couldn't. She was one of maybe a handful in the world with this ability, and the only one that we currently knew of.

"Seeing as far as the world allows, recognizing the smallest movement out of the corner of my eye, seeing in the dark. There are so many possibilities." There was a wonder in her voice when she looked up at me. "I'd like to see the smallest detail in whatever was in front of me."

What she didn't realize then was that she could already see more of me than anyone else ever had.

But now, it wasn't a game of flirting between potential lovers. This was prey and predators, and I had the indescribable hearing, sight, and yes, even scent. I was the ultimate predator that she should fear.

"It's different," she insisted.

"But not in the way you think." I gave her a questioning glance. "Why should drinking blood be so strange to you? You've seen Moroi do it. You've let Moroi do it."

She flinched at the memory, but I felt a quick pang of jealousy that someone else had tasted her blood. I still had yet to do so. I was still longing for that first pull...

"They don't kill," she bit out.

"They're missing out. It's incredible." I closed my eyes at the rush of power washed over me, memories of my most recent kills. "To drink the blood of another...to watch the life fade from them and feel it pour into you...it's the greatest experience in the world."

There was the same tremble in her jaw that I had seen her before, accompanied by a gentle bite to her lip. I ignored the shine in her eye as she whispered, "It's sick and wrong."

Instead, I sprang up from the couch, grabbed her, and threw her where I was laying just moments ago. A second later I was on top of her. My body was half on top of her, allowing my crotch to press into her thigh, reliving some of the building sensation her presence had been causing. Between that and the memories of the power behind taking a life, I was all but ready to take her now.

"No, it's not," I told her. "And that's where you have to trust me. You'd love it." I ran my nose along her jaw and up her cheek, taking in the scent of her hair and I felt her shiver beneath me. "I want to be with you, Rose. Really be with you. We're free of the rules others put on us. We can be together now – the strongest of the strong, taking everything we want. We can eventually be as strong as Galina. We could have a place like this, all our own."

She didn't struggle, but she was stiff underneath me. It was almost worse than if she had fought me. I'd almost prefer her attempting to get away since it would inevitably lead to me holding her tighter against me.

"I don't want any of this."

Then it struck me. Nothing...there wasn't a single thing I could offer her here would convince her to be awakened. Except...

"Don't you want me? You wanted me once."

"No." She glanced to the left, breaking eye contact. It was one of the easiest ways for me to tell that she was lying. She had never been able to lie effectively to my face.

"What do you want then? To go back to the Academy? To serve the Moroi who will throw you into danger without a second thought? If you wanted that kind of life, why did you come here?"

"I came here to free you." Her fire was back and she tried to knee me, earning nothing but a shove back into the couch with my hands and hips.

"I AM FREE. And if you'd really intended to kill me, you would have." I shifted, rubbing against her again as I placed my mouth on her neck and letting my fangs graze her skin as I spoke. "You couldn't."

She pulled away. "I messed up. It won't happen again."

"Suppose that were true. Suppose you were able to kill me now. Suppose you were even able to escape. What then? Will you go back home? Will you return to Lissa and let her continue bleeding Spirit's darkness into you?" Dying by my hand, quickly and relatively painless was one thing, but the slow death by literal madness, while she was nothing more than a slave to an antiquated system, was more than my anger could bear.

"I don't know." And I could hear the truth in her voice. There was confusion and doubt there. I could use that.

"It will consume you, you know. As long as she continues to use her magic, no matter how far away you go, you'll always feel the side effects. At least as long as she's alive."

She tried to push me away, but when that failed, she pressed back into the cushion instead. "What's that mean? Are you going to join Nathan and hunt her down?"

"What happens to her is no concern of mine; you are. If you were awakened, Lissa would no longer be a threat to you. You'd be free. The bond would break."

"And what would happen to her?" She asked fearfully. "She'd be left alone." Her loyalty to Lissa was almost as pathetic as that of an abused puppy to its master. No matter how much she was kicked, she would always come back with her tail between her legs as if she was the one to be blamed.

"Like I said, that's no concern of mine. Being with you is."

"Yeah? Well, I don't want to be with you." There was defiance there, but I could see right through it.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want. I don't want you anymore."

I started to feel it, sense it, smell it. Her fear and something more. There was arousal there too. "You're lying. I can tell. I've always been able to." It wasn't quite a lie. While I may not have been able to sense in the same way, I still was able to tell before.

"It's the truth. I wanted you before. I don't want you now." With every declaration, her words became more and more hollow.

I pressed closer to her, certain that she was now able to tell my arousal just as much as I could tell hers. We were barely a breath away, so much so that I could feel the breeze on my lips every time she exhaled. "My exterior...my power, yes, that's different. Better." Oh, so much better. "But otherwise, I'm the same, Roza. My essence hasn't changed. The connection between us hasn't changed. You just can't see it yet."

I could, though. Her eyes darkened as I spoke and massaged the place where I held her against me. She squirmed slightly at my ministrations but ultimately came back, seeking more. "Everything's changed." Her denial was a weak whisper; not enough to convince herself, much less me.

"If I'm so different, then why don't I force you into an awakening? Why am I giving you the choice?"

She searched for something, anything, to argue against me and came back short. Uncertainty played at her features. I could feel success just within my reach. I was so close to having her. Her body, her blood, it was all just a grasp away.

I closed the distance between us, listening to her quick and hissing inhale as I let my lips play at the corner of her mouth. "And if I'm so different, then why did you kiss me back earlier?"

When I pulled back to see her reaction, her eyes were closed, but her mouth chased mine for a moment. Her body betrayed her, despite the ire in her eyes. And those flames did nothing but fuel the fire between us.

Still, her silence spoke volumes. It was all I needed to hear.

"No answer. You know I'm right."

I kissed her hard, laying my full weight against her so that she was completely pinned beneath me. Her arms tugged against mine, seeking the freedom to fight, and then...they didn't.

As quick as she was to fight me only moments before, she was now pressing against me. I allowed one hand free and it immediately found my shoulder, grabbing the cloth and holding me fast against her. I allowed my fingers to twine into her hair, controlling the kiss as her legs wrapped me close between her hips. Her body sought relief in me and mine in hers, but I toyed with her, enjoying the sounds of her mewls every time I pulled away and her desperate moans the moment I snapped back.

I was ready to make her mine once more. She was so compliant, so willing. Now was the time. My hand slid up her back, feeling the heat of her skin. It was so much hotter now than it was before. She was like fire, but the danger of her flames would easily be quelled in a few minutes.

Her head fell back and away, not in ecstasy, but in an annoying moment of rational thought. "No. We can't do this."

"Are you sure?" I forced her by the hair to look at me again. If she was going to deny me, she better look at me while she did so. Still, I tried to remain calm and gentle as persuaded her. "You didn't seem to mind. Everything can be just like it was before...like it was in the cabin..."

Her breathing picked up a little as I mentioned our one little getaway before everything went to hell. While it had led to my rise to immortality and power, it had taken her from me. I wouldn't let her slip away again. And I could sense her body's remembrance of that night, and everything it had entailed between us. Neither of us could deny how satisfying it had been to finally give in to what nature intended and society banned. We belonged together. I would have her now. She was mine. I just had to remind her.

"You certainly wanted it then..."

And dear God had she. Memories of her beneath me, writhing as I thrust into her, screaming my name as I came. She had been perfect; so beautiful and so willing.

"No," She pleaded. "I don't want that."

I suppressed the urge to lash out and tucked my face against hers to hide my frustrated sneer. After regaining my balance, I decided to take a difference course.

Gently, I let my kisses trail a path down her cheek, her jaw, and towards her neck. My kindness was rewarded with a whimper that was halfway between pleasure and pain. I knew she was still resisting me, but her hands held tight to my arms.

"What about this?" I asked. "Do you want this?"

She didn't have time to question me before I bit down, tasting her blood for the first time. It was euphoria; feeling her tense and release beneath me. Her surprised yelp quickly became a long, lingering moan of pleasure and she pressed her chest closer, demanding more.

I only allowed myself a drop before pulling away and leaving her wanting. I couldn't deny that I was desperate for more too, but I wanted to hear her beg for it. I wanted to hear her ask for her awakening.

Her eyes blinked open in dazed confusion as I wiped a bit of her blood from my lips. "Why...what...you said it would be my choice..." her words slurred slightly under the pull of the endorphins.

"It still is," I confirmed. While it wasn't her begging for awakening, the way her breasts rose and fell in heavy breaths had me hard against her thigh. If she didn't want to be awakened now...well there wasn't anything keeping me from having some fun until she gave into the inevitable. "I'm not doing this to awaken you, Roza. A bite like this won't turn you. This," I nodded to where her blood dripped from the fresh wound and didn't bother to hide the thirsty growl in my voice. "Well, this is just for fun."

She didn't fight me as I came back, feasting hungrily from her as her hands brushed through my hair. Her docile cries of my name as I indulged were almost as climactic as feeling her shattering around me, and once I was done, she looked at me with those same soft eyes that had once looked blissfully at me in those cabin walls. I offered her a pleased and satisfied smile before those same brown eyes fluttered close and her breathing fell even.

I was sure to check her pulse, looking for a strong and even beat before I moved her to the bed, tucking her under the white comforter and going to find a cotton bandage in the attached bathroom. She didn't even stir as I tilted her neck towards me and I cleaned her up. There was the temptation to draw more blood, but I knew anymore at this point would mean her death or awakening, and I wanted to hold true to my promise to her. I would only make things worse for myself now if I didn't.

After another half hour, I left her to start working on some of Galina's tasks for me, but I knew that I would be back soon. This new method of persuasion with Rose would be much more entertaining for us both.


Author's Note


This might have been one of the hardest chapters for me to write yet. I think I had to call in my "support" team of fellow writers three or four times just to have them reassure me that just because I can write Dimitri's POV, I am not actually manipulative and insane like he is at this point in time. Seriously, I had a small crisis when I looked at what I had just written and thought, "Holy Crap, that just came out of my mind. Something is wrong with me." His abusive treatment of Rose is unfortunately just starting, and we will see some pretty bad things come out of him. Remember that he had lost morality and his humanity at this point, replacing it with obsession and a drive for power. Much of the stuff I'm writing now will play a part in future chapters/books.

Oh, a lighter note, 20 imaginary points to anyone who can guess what book Dimitri was reading when Rose woke up. Hints: It IS a western, and it was made into a movie within the last decade. GOOD LUCK!

This week's Question of the Week is: What was your favorite concert you've ever been to?

My favorite was a Jason Mraz concert about five years ago (during his Beautiful Mess tour) because he is amazing live and super entertaining. Also, he hilariously jumped off stage to pee in some bushes because he couldn't find a toilet. But mostly the "sounds amazing live" thing. But I'm REALLY dying to see Train this year. I'm a HUGE fan and if anyone wants to fund this, please let me know. I accept and it would be about $200 for me and my hubs to have a nice weekend get away.

(PS, I'm TOTALLY joking. Some of you guys are so sweet that I wouldn't be surprised if you actually offered.)

Also, I POSTED ONE WEEK AFTER ANOTHER! Did you notice? I'm kinda proud of that. I shouldn't be because that should be the norm for me but it hasn't been recently. I am trying to be better for you guys. Thank you for your patience. And as always, thank you for reading, reviewing, sharing, following, and favoriting.