Chapter 12

I stayed on patrol until a guardian I didn't recognize relieved me of my duty. Other than the whispered conversation I encountered, the western perimeter was clear. The vampiric day was still early and I knew that Rose would still be in class for another several hours.

The slightest thought of her brought a smile to my face. I was a school boy again. Hopelessly falling for a girl I could never have. I knew she was off limits. We had no future together. Our positions dictated so. But I still enjoyed the freedom my heart felt when my mind wondered to thoughts of her.

As I wondered the empty campus, my stomach alerted me to its need for sustenance. I turned towards the commons and noticed Alberta was coming towards me again. A smiled a greeting at her and quickened my pace to meet her in the middle of the space between us. As the space between us decreased, she reached her hand to me. In her grip, she held an envelope.

"This came for you today."

I looked at the letter. On the front, my messy scrawl immediately indicated the letter was from my grandmother. Even had I tried, I wouldn't have been able to suppress the smile. I missed my family.

"You don't get letters often." Alberta reminded me of her presence. Concern laced her words. I didn't need to open the letter to know everything was alright. A letter from my grandmother meant another vision. Anything dangerous, she would have called.

"My grandmother," I replied as I waved the letter to show her the return address. "I'm sure everything's just fine."

"Good." Alberta sighed. "How was patrol?"

My simple response of "alright" ended our conversation, but reminded me of the conversation I had overheard. There was still something about that conversation that made me anxious. Markus had baited me. He wanted to see if I would react, and when I did, he reported it to a student. I was sure she was a student. And, he played messenger for that student. With whom was he in contact? I was suspicious, but I didn't want to bring anyone else into this. I could confide in Stephen if I wanted, but I knew it was best to wait until I had more information.

I opened the letter and was disappointed by the short sentences written in the center of the page. The ink was smeared and handwriting sloppy. This letter had been written in haste.

Friends aren't always friends, Dimka. And family shouldn't always be trusted. Protect her.

I let my grandmothers message stew as I quickly grabbed a bite to eat in the commons. A couple students still lingered after their lunch. My scan swept the room in guardian fashion. But, to be honest with myself, I was also looking to see if Rose was among the students left in the lunchroom. Slightly disappointed not to find her, and slightly proud to know she was in class, I made my way back towards the gym to for another workout before meeting Rose.

I was several paces outside the commons when a familiar voice reached my ears. "And Daddy says he'll take me shopping, too." I spun on my heals to locate the owner of that voice and came to face Natalie with several other Royals. A sly smirk played on her lips when she looked into my eyes. "Sorry, Guardian Belikov." I nodded. Several of the girls with her giggled as the huddle walked away.

Natalie. Friends aren't always friends.

a/n: My apologies that it's taken me so long to write another installment. I've started to write my own novel. Find snippets of my prequel on my blog at .com/category/cherished/

As always, please R&R.