CHAPTER 14.

AN: I can't actually apologize enough for the HUGE delay in updating. My final year of highschool has really taken a toll on me emotionally; in short, i've been really stressed and sick. I have a plan for this story though! I've mapped it out, I know what each chapter will include and i've even written the epilogue already! Chapter 15 is also about half way done, so that should be up tomorrow night AEST (Australia).

My real motivation for getting back into this is the fast approaching release of the Vampire Academy film; Blood Sisters! I CANNOT WAIT! Danila Kozlovsky, ladies!

But yeah, I honestly hope to get this story finished soon! I had someone inbox me asking why it's taking so long if all i'm doing is re-writing from a different POV. For those of you who have never done this before, it actually takes quite a while; you literally have to sit there with the book and your laptop and read further ahead before you start writing, to make sure that you're including the right information. Another person asked why I'm so far into LS, but my story is only on chapter 13; answer is simple; I've combined quite a few chapters, and there is also the fact that there are quite a few chapters in which Rose spends the entire chapter in Lissa's head. These parts give me more free-reign with Dimitri, but there's only so much I can include. Hope this answers some questions!

Sorry for the long AN! ON WITH CHAPTER 14. Richelle Mead owns all.

Victor turned the key in the ignition once more. The car's engine stuttered, lingered and failed again to start. Victor slammed his palm against the steering wheel in anger and frustration.

"It won't start!" he spat, climbing out of the driver's seat and forcefully shutting the door behind him.

I cast my eyes to Rose who watched on in amusement. Her gaze flickered to me and we shared a fleeting moment of appreciation for the Alchemist who was able to dismantle a car.

"Well," Rose sighed, wandering toward Victor. "I guess you will just have to come along with us." Her face almost looked contrite... almost. Behind her facade, I could see the snide glee lingering just beneath the surface. Her plan was foolproof. Keep the two brothers close, and we would easily be able to figure out a way to hand them over to authorities without getting ourselves into any trouble. I knew that between Rose and myself, we easily had it in us to retrain the two fragile men, but there were also their powers to take into consideration. If Robert said 'jump', under his spirit control, I would probably say; "How high?" And then on Victor's side, there was earth wielding powers. I'd seen what Natalie could do to a perfectly find wooden bench seat. I didn't want to find out what Victor could do with his elemental control.

"Alright," I addressed our little convoy of Alchemist, ex-Strigoi, a maniac and an unstable spirit user, and Roza. "Since we all have to take the CR-V, there are going to be some seating arrangements. I'll be driving – sorry General – Robert, you get shotgun, Rose in the backseat between Victor and Sonya, and Sydney..." I turned to the Alchemist who had a speculative look on her face. "Cargo space." I told her, with an apologetic look.

"But that's dangerous!" She cried in outrage. "And that's just adding insult to injury for taking my keys hostage!"

I gave her a rueful smile. "Don't fret, I'm an excellent driver. Just be thankful I'm the one behind the wheel, and not Rose. I'd feel worse if it were her in charge of a moving vehicle."

Ignoring Rose's look of mock hurt, I finished piling the bags into the CR-V.

I felt Rose's presence beside me before I saw her. It was just how we worked; always so utterly aware of the other.

"We have got to get rid of Victor and Robert now," Rose murmured to me, throwing a bag of groceries into the cargo space, which unfortunately further reduced the amount of space Sydney would have. I was banking on Sonya's sister's home not being too far from here. I'd feel horrible if Sydney were stuck in the back of the car for hours on end.

"They've done what we needed. Keeping them is dangerous. It's time to turn them over to the guardians."

I nodded, considering her words. "I agree. But, there's no good way to go about it. Not yet. We can't leave them tied up beside the road; I wouldn't put it past them to escape and hitchhike. We also can't turn them in ourselves, for obvious reasons." I chewed absentmindedly on the inside of my cheek, thinking of, and then quickly discounting, ways we could off-load the brothers to authorities. I didn't want to risk Rose and I being spotted by someone who was out looking for us. I couldn't imagine that being caught with an escaped criminal would go down too well with our police, not on top of our already hefty list of crimes. No... if we were caught, there would be no escaping it alive.

"Sydney could turn them in," Rose said, leaning against the car, allowing the sun to glint through her dark hair. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth kiss her skin. I also, revelled in the feel of the heat.

"That would probably be our best bet," I agreed with her, nodding. "But I really don't want to part with her just yet, not until we get to wherever it is we're heading. We might need her help."

Rose sighed in frustration. "And so we bring them along." She muttered.

"Afraid so," I cast her a wary look. "You know, when they are taken into custody, there is a very good chance they will have quite the story to tell the authorities about us." I couldn't shake the fear that as soon as Victor and Robert were handed over, everything Rose, Sydney and I had done to keep ourselves of the radar of our police would come unravelling, like a ball of string being batted around by a cat.

Rose crinkled her face slightly, thinking, no doubt. "Yeah," she sighed. "But I guess that's a problem for later. Gotta deal with the immediate problems first."

I smiled gently, wanting to reach for her. I quashed the brief thought. "Well, that's always been our strategy, hasn't it?"

"There's also the matter of what we're going to do once we get to wherever it is Sonya is taking us," Rose said. "How are we going to tackle this?"

"I've been thinking about that. And I think we need to approach this in the smartest way possible. We have no idea who these people are, or how they're going to react, because there is the possibility that they will know exactly who we are if they have a connection to the Court happenings. So, I was thinking; you should go in first. They won't be as thrown by you. Robert and Victor aren't getting out of the car until we can assert that it's safe to do so," Rose nodded in agreement, chewing her bottom lip.

"So, you stay in the car with them, and I'll go in with Sydney and Sonya?" Rose finished off my plan.

I nodded. "I think taking Sydney is a good bet because they'll immediately see that she is an Alchemist and, hopefully, they won't feel so threatened. Of course, they're going to be shocked when they see Sonya, so be prepared for that."

"Gotcha, comrade." Rose said with a mock salute.

A few moments later, we were all piling into our allocated seats in the CR-V. Once we hit the highway, everyone fell silent, except for Sonya who was giving me vague, sudden directions.

For once, even Victor was silent. Which was unusual for the chatty man. Victor Dashkov had always struck me as the type of person who always had something to say about absolutely everything. I suspected that his lack of witty remarks came down to his lack of blood. I didn't know how long it had been since Victor and Robert had last fed on human blood, but I guessed that it had been too long. Both men appeared to be weak, particularly Robert who had used eons of energy channelling spirit into healing Sonya. Despite having a human in the back of the car, I felt grateful that neither Victor, nor his brother were at full strength. Having them weakened would only benefit us in the long run.

"Head north on the I-75," Sonya instructed from her place beside Rose in the backseat.

"How long will this take?" I asked Sonya.

"Not long," the woman mused. "A few hours, maybe more." I sighed quietly, settling myself in for a long drive.

Silence filled the car once more. I glanced in the rear view mirror, noticing that Rose had a slightly dazed expression on her face. She was with Lissa, I guessed.

As I drove, I had to consciously keep reminding myself not to let my mind wander, or dwell on the past, or worry about the future. Just drive, Belikov. I ordered myself. It's not that hard. Keeping my mind simply focussed on the present was slowly becoming easier. My night terrors were less frequent, and my fears of sleeping were subsiding. My self-loathing was changing, but into what, I didn't know. I certainly didn't love myself. But I didn't necessarily despise everything about myself anymore either. Perhaps I was Turing over a new leaf, as they say. Changing my attitude and outlook on life for the better. Maybe I could be happy someday.

I was abruptly withdrawn from my epiphany by Sonya's voice. "You're awfully happy," she noted. I took a look in the rear view mirror, seeing Sonya peering inquisitively at Rose.

I heard a slight hesitation in Rose's voice as she said; "Lissa passed her second monarch test."

Victor made a small noise in the back of his throat. "Of course she did." He said dryly, as though he had expected nothing less of the last Dragomir princess.

I, however, felt a small surge of panic upon hearing the news. "Is she okay? Injured?"

"She's fine," Rose said, almost uncertainly. I stopped myself from questioning her. Maybe there was something that she didn't want to say in front of the brothers. I had to rest easy knowing that if something serious had happened to Lissa during her monarch test, Rose would certainly have told me. She wouldn't keep something bad to herself. Besides, a brief glace at Rose told me that she was no worried, and I knew I could relax.

A half hour of silence passed, Victor, I could see was resting his head against the car window, napping. I couldn't see Sydney in the cargo area anymore, which meant she was either sleeping, or just lying down. Rose had her eyes closed, her head resting back against the backseat. Sonya and Robert were both still awake.

Voices from the backseat caught my attention. Rose was awake.

"You were having a spirit dream," Sonya was saying.

"How'd you know?" Rose asked.

"You aura,"

I heard a small snort from Rose, which made me glace back at her. She had a speculative look upon her face. "Auras used to be cool, but now they're just starting to get annoying."

Sonya ignored the jab at aura reading. "Were you with Vasilisa?"

"No. My boyfriend. He's a spirit user too." I felt my heart jolt rather painfully at the mention of Adrian. No, I had to remind myself, despite Adrian's flaws, he was actually a really good guy, and it had been evident since they moment I saw him look at Rose for the first time at the ski lodge all those months ago, that he truly loved and cared for her. What more could she ask for? He loved her unconditionally. And he certainly didn't have demons haunting him for the murder of hundreds of people. They were good together. I swallowed painfully at the words. Did I really believe that? I wasn't so sure anymore.
I missed the end of Sonya and Rose's conversation, but I was startled when Sonya suddenly pointed and abruptly said; "There! Take that exit,"

I growled in frustration as I did some rather spectacular maneuvering to avoid a car and still manage to make the exit without causing an accident. Sydney hadn't fared so well in the cargo with the sudden lurching of the car. Being unsecured by a seatbelt caused her to yelp and suddenly sit up.

"A little warning next time would be helpful," I noted dryly. Sonya appeared to ignore me.

Coming to a halt at a red light, I peered at the sign at the entrance to a housing estate. 'WELCOME TO ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.'

"Are we here?" Rose asked eagerly, shifting in her seat to sit up properly. "And how long were we on the road?"

"Six hours," I said wearily. I was definitely tired, but I couldn't afford to be right now. I forced myself to concentrate, thinking about the possible threat that may lay ahead for us. I had no idea whose house we were going to walk into. There was a great possibility that the person Sonya was taking us to would be completely aware of who Rose and I were and wouldn't give us a chance to explain. There was also the minor fact that we were harbouring a real fugitive. I didn't want to run the risk of these people identifying Victor Dashkov. It was no secret that the former Dashkov prince was on the run from the law, having mysteriously broken out of a maximum security prison. No, I had to be ready for whatever we may be facing.

"Go left at the second light," Sonya motioned toward the turn off. "Now right at the corner." I followed her instructions wordlessly. The car was filled with a silent tenison, no one daring to breathe a word. My heart lurched a little, and I worked to keep myself calm. I had to trust that Sonya wasn't leading us to someone who would immediately hand us over to authorities. I gathered that she wouldn't purposely endanger us; vindication didn't really seem her style. But Sonya hadn't been in contact with her relative for a very long time. There was the possibility that she had moved houses, or that she wasn't too keen on taking in fugitives. There was also a chance that this person we were headed for was part of authrotiy themselves. That would truly be our worst case scenario.

I pressed my foot on the accelerator a little harder, unconsciously desperate to finally get this over with.

"There!" Sonya said sharply, pointing to a modest brick house. I slowed the car, and pulled into the driveway. The house was much like all the others in the small area, neatly trimmed garden with a nice homely modern appeal.

"Do you know if your relatives still live here?" Rose asked Sonya. Again, I was struck by how often Rose and I had exactly the same thoughts. It was starling how well we worked together.
Sonya made no attempt to answer Rose. I only realised now how terrified the woman must be. She had been thrown for a loop when she was brought back from the dead - or rather, undead - and was still recovering from that. I could recall after my change how I never wanted to leave my room, didn't want face up to anyone. And now, poor Sonya was doing something she promised to never do. She was letting outsiders in on her family's secret. I felt terrible for her, but I forced myself to squash those feelings of guilt and remorse for Sonya's unfortunate situation. We needed this. I had to do this for Rose. This was the only way Lissa could take control of our world. She needed her sibling.

"Same plan?" Rose asked, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Same plan," I nodded. "You go into the house. You look less threatening."

"Hey!" Rose shot back with mock indignation.

I chuckled lightly, despite the tension building in my body. "I said 'look'." I knew Rose could hold her own. She was deceptively small on the outside, but I knew first-hand that under her clothing, she was all slender muscle.

I turned to gaze at Rose. "Be careful," I murmured gently as she slid out of thr car, followed by Sonya and Sydney. I couldn't help but feel I was sending her into danger.

"You too," she said with a smile. I couldn't help the warmth that grew within me, coming to display in a smile on my face.

I watched, slightly fearful, as the three women approached the house. I had no idea what they were heading into. All I could do was hope that these people would give Rose a chance to explain what was happening, and hope, that we weren't following a dead lead.

I watched as the door opened, revealing a slender Moroi woman. I couldn't really make out her features. I small confrontation occurred, putting me on edge. Every muscle in my body was coiled, ready to attack if necessary. Before Rose entered the house, she turned to give me a small smile, easing some of the tension from my body.

Time seemed to slow down as we waited, mostly in silence, apart from Victor's quiet murmurings to his brother.

"What are you saying?" I snapped, drawing my eyes away from the front window of the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside.

Victor shot me a glare. If I had been paying attention to the brothers, I wouldn't have had to ask what he was saying. Pay attention, Belikov.

"I was just saying that if this all goes without a hitch, and we all go inside, both mine and Robert's identities have to be concealed. I won't have these people knowing it's me," Victor tells me with a snide smile.

"Spirit," I said by way of explanation.

"Exactly. If Robert and Sonya can combine their spirit, they will easily be able to mask both mine and Robert's true features. Whoever's on the other side of that door," he gestured to the house. "Will have no idea who we really are."

I considered it for a moment. If we took in a well-known fugitive, Sonya's relatives might freak out a little. Victor's plan made sense, really.

Eventually, I nodded. "Okay. We'll wait for the others to come back and fill Sonya in. But only if she's feeling well enough to handle the use of her spirit. I don't want her to be too weak."

"It's Jill Mastrano and her family!" Rose told me breathlessly. I was slightly puzzled by the name.

"Jill?" I questioned with a frown.

Rose sighed impatiently as the brothers and I slid out of the car. "You know, Jill! The girl we met that time we were helping the priest to move the boxes to the junior campus back at St. Vlads. She was all star struck when she saw you!"

"That's her?" I asked incredulously. "And she's the girl we're looking for?"

"Exactly. She's Lissa's half-sister. Her mom, well, she was just paying her way through life when she met Eric Dragomir, and you know the rest."

Rose and I quickly exchanged what was going on, and with Rose's ascertain that the Mastrano's weren't going to turn us in, I let her know Victor's plan.

Turns out, Sonya was feeling rather happy after reuniting with her family once more. They seemed to have welcomed her back into their embrace with hardly a second thought. Sonya's spirits – no pun intended – were lifted enough for her to exercise control over her magical abilities to combine with Robert and create a sort of veil over the two brothers.

Once inside the house, we were all quickly introduced to each other, and showed to the guest bedrooms where Jill's mom, Emily, said we could shower and clean up. I realised that I actually couldn't remember the last time Sydney, Rose or I had had the chance to take a shower.

Like any Moroi host would do, Emily managed to organise a feeder for the Moroi travelling with us. It was common courtesy among the vampiric kind, just like any human would offer tea and coffee to their guests.

When the feeders arrived, Rose and I retreated upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. With both Robert and Victor in the living room, it would be stretching their spirit abilities much too far to cover Rose and I from the prying eyes of the feeder deliverers. With us being on their most-wanted list, I wasn't taking the risk that the feeder company would catch a glimpse of our true identities.

"Who gets first shower?" I ask Rose once we were safely in the privacy of one of the guest bedrooms upstairs.

"I say we flip a coin," Rose grins, digging into her pockets and withdrawing a quarter. "Heads or tails?"

"Heads," I smile wanly.

Rose flips the coin, allowing it to fall to a quiet clatter on the floorboards. She kneels and picks it up. "Tails," she says with a grin, grabbing her backpack and racing out the door. I laugh lightly, positive that the coin had fallen heads up.

I allowed her to go, wanting to keep watch over the two brothers. I quietly make my way out onto the landing of the second floor and peer over the railing. In the living room below us, Robert had his face nestled against the neck of a young girl, feeding. I cringed a little in disgust and withdrew the bedroom once more. Both Robert and Victor would be too weak to take on anyone right now. We had time before they would be back to full strength, meaning I could leave them downstairs unattended for a short time.

Rose sauntered back into the bedroom, hair still damp, clad in the dress. "Your turn," she murmured, as I let my gaze drink in her appearance. I shook my head slightly and grabbed my bag, heading out to the bathroom.

To say that that was the best shower I'd ever had would be an understatement. The warm water gliding over my body helped to relieve some of the pent up tension lingering in my muscles. I felt the dirt and grime from the past days wash down the drain, leaving me clean and refreshed, and with a much better mindset. I stepped out of the shower and towel dried my hair and body, stepping into clean jeans and a grey t-shirt. I pulled fresh socks onto my feet and left the bathroom.

I re-entered the bedroom and was startled to see Rose sitting on the bed, a look of distant horror on her face. It was a shocking expression. Fear filled her chocolate eyes, her mouth open slightly. A strangled cry emitted from deep within her throat.

Fear spread through me. Lissa. "Rose! Rose what's wrong? Are you okay?" I clapped my hands firmly on her shoulders, shaking her roughly to pull her from her altered state of consciousness.

Her eyes finally focussed in on me. "No!" she breathed. "I have to – I have to go back to Court. Now. Lissa's in danger. She needs me."

Her words registered with me and I caught her arm in a vice grip, stopping her from leaving the room. "Rose. Roza, slow down." The old nickname slipped from between my lips. I pulled her arm harder than I meant to, turning her around to face me. "Tell me what happened," I demanded.

"Dimitri," she breathed. "Someone tried to attack Lissa. And, it was a Moroi man. Eddie... he killed him," she trailed off, the horrified look on her face becoming more pronounced. "Dimitri, he's in so much trouble," she moaned, letting her head fall forward onto my shoulder. "Someone tried to hurt her, and I wasn't there to keep her safe,"

"But Eddie was," I said quietly, rubbing my hand down her back, keeping her calm. "She's okay. She's alive." I released my hold on Rose and she leant back against the wall, resting her head.

"And now he's in trouble. Those guardians were pissed,"

"Only because they don't know the whole story. They see a dead body and a weapon, that's it. Once they get the facts and the testimonies, everything will be okay. Eddie saved a Moroi. That's his job." My words are rushed as I try to reinforce the idea that Lissa is safe with Eddie. No need for rash decisions. If she were hurt, or worse... well, I'd probably be out the door by now and heading back to Court myself.

"But he killed another Moroi to do it! We're not supposed to do that," I knew exactly what she was saying. We'd both grown up with the mantra; They come first.

"This wasn't a normal situation," I said firmly, keeping eye contact with her.

"I know, I know. I just can't stand leaving her undefended. I want so badly to go back and keep her safe. Right now." I know, Roza, I know. I yearned to reach out and hold her close, keep her calm. "What if it happens again?"

"Other people are there to protect her," I said quietly, giving her a small smile. "Believe me, I want to protect her too, but we'd be risking our lives for nothing if we take off right now. Wait a little longer and at least risk your life for something important."

"And Jill is important, isn't she?" Rose asked in a small voice. She was seeking my reassurance that what we were doing was the right thing, that we were out here doing this for the greater good.

"Very," I assured her, nodding.

A small smile spread across Rose's face. I cocked my head to the side, feeling a smile of my own. "We did it." She said, her smile becoming a grin. "Against all reason. . . somehow, we found Lissa's lost sister. Do you realize what this means? Lissa can have everything she's entitled to now. They can't deny her anything. Hell, she could be queen if she wanted. And Jill..." Rose's excited jabber dropped off momentarily. "Well, she's part of an ancient royal family. That's got to be a good thing, right?" She seemed unsure. I, too, shared her hesitations. I'd seen what royal Moroi politics was like. I wasn't sure sixteen-year-old Jill Mastrano was quite ready for that.

"I think it all depends on Jill," I said quietly, contemplating my words. "And what the after-effects of all this are." My words seemed to cause Rose some emotional upset, as her face became slightly contrite and she cast her eyes down to her feet.

I reached for her, allowing my fingers to gently tap her chin back up. "Hey," I said softly. "It's okay," I slid my fingers down her cheek, following her jaw line. "You did the right thing. No one else would have tried something this impossible. Only Rose Hathaway. You took a gamble to find Jill. You risked your life by breaking Abe's rules – and it paid off. It was all worth it, Roza," I whisper the last words, revelling in the feel of the supple skin of her cheek beneath my rough fingertips.

"I hope Adrian thinks so," she mulls over her words. "He thinks me leaving out safe house was the stupidest thing ever."

The mention of Adrian – her boyfriend – causes my hand to abruptly fall from her face, my words coming out a little harsher than I originally intended. "You told him about all this?"

"Not about Jill. But I accidentally told him we weren't in West Virginia anymore. He's kept it a secret, though," Rose quickly adds, seeing the warning look in my eye. If Adrian slips up, just as Rose had, and someone around Court hears, we will find ourselves being dragged back to Court – dead or alive.

"I can believe that," I said slowly. "He... he seems pretty loyal to you." And why wouldn't he, my subconscious asks. Despite what many people say and believe about Adrian Ivashkov, I knew without doubt, that he was a good person. A little unhinged at times, thanks to spirit, and rather dependent on his vices; but in all, a nice guy. He was certainly very fond of Rose.

"He is," Rose nodded in agreement. "I trust him completely."

I couldn't help the next words that fell from my mouth, coming out in a tumble of words. "And he makes you happy?" It was almost a demand.

For a fleeting moment, Rose appears to stew over my question, contemplating her answer, perhaps. "Yeah, he does," she says at last. "I have fun with him. I mean, hes infuriating sometimes – okay, a lot of the time – but don't be fooled by all the vices. He's not a bad person." There was a slight edge of defence to Rose's tone as she spoke of her boyfriend.

"I know he isn't," I agreed with her. "He's a good man. It's not easy for everyone to see, but I can. He's still getting himself together, but he's on his way. I saw it in the escape. And after..." I almost choked on my words. "After Siberia, he was there for you? He helped you?" Thinking about Siberia and the events that had unfolded there still gave me chills, causing a flood of guilt and fear flood me.

Rose nodded, but I wasn't done there. I couldn't help the question, it was almost like word-vomit, but I just had to know the answer. "Do you love him?" It was a very personal question, one that I wouldn't ask many people. But Rose was different. I could ask her anything and tell her anything. We had a mutual understanding between us.

It took her a few beats to answer my question. "Yeah," she finally said. "I. . . I do love him."

It felt like I'd been hit with a bucket of ice-cold water. Her words cut deeper than I ever could have thought. Was it just a natural response to finally knowing that the woman you had one loved beyond all else was finally moving on, giving her love to another man? I should be happy that she had moved on. I was the one who had told her to do so; "Love fades, mine has."

"Good, I'm glad." I turned away from her, suddenly feeling the overwhelming need to put distance between us. I needed some breathing space.

I felt her approach me; "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said shortly. "I just want to make sure that you're okay. That you're happy." It was only the half-truth. I did want her to be happy, but was I happy with her being happy with Adrian? It was all becoming too messy. "Things have been changing, that's all," I said, forcing a smile onto my face in a bid to ease some of the tension in the room. "It's making me reconsider so much. Ever since Donovan . . . and then Sonya . . . it's strange. I thought it all changed the night Lissa saved me. But it didn't. There's been so much more, more to the healing process than I realized," I frowned, fighting off the ever-present feelings of guilt and depression. It would not do to dwell on the past. "Every day I figure out something new. Some new emotion I'd forgotten to feel. Some revelation I totally missed. Some beauty I didn't see."

"Hey, my hair in the alley does not go on that list, okay?" Rose teased, trying to lighten the mood, no doubt. "You were in shock."

I moved toward her again, feeling the forced smile become true. "No, Roza. It was beautiful. It's beautiful now." I tell her truthfully, running my gaze along her long locks.

"The dress is just throwing you off," Rose said, her voice strained slightly. I caught her gaze again, looking at her in a way that I hadn't looked at her for a very long time. It threw me. There, before me, stood the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. Roza; brave, stunning, otherworldly. I felt sadness and regret well within me. And for the first time since my transformation back to a living being, I was truly allowing myself to feel the pain over losing Roza. I realized now that that pain had always been there, lingering just beneath the surface of my stony exterior. I'd just never allowed it to come to its peak.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Roza asks, her voice breathy.

I shook my head, and chewed my lip. "Because sometimes, a person can get so caught up in the details that they miss the whole. It's not just the dress or the hair. It you. You're beautiful. So beautiful, it hurts me." Rose's breath caught at my words. I knew why. The last time I'd said those exact words; "So beautiful, it hurts me," was back in the old watch post cabin at St. Vladimir's. The night everything had seemed so surreal, so perfect with Rose laying in my arms, our bodies becoming one. The memory causes me pain now. Pain over what I no longer have.

Without even realising it, I'd moved even closer to Rose, so that barely more than a breath separated our bodies. Rose's eyes seemed to melt, becoming pure orbs of melted chocolate; their beauty undisputable. Her pink lips formed a small 'o', parted slightly. Electricity crackled between us. What I wouldn't give to lean in, press my lips to hers and . . .

"Hey guys, have you – oh, sorry. I –that is -" Sydney came to a halt in the half-open doorway. Rose and I immediately pulled away from each other. We had been so close. I couldn't shake the feelings she had evoked in me.

In a shaky breath, Rose turned to Sydney. "No problem. What's going on?"

Sydney's eyes shot back and forth between us, no doubt contemplating what had been going on. I wasn't even sure what had been about to occur.

"I – that is, I just wanted to come hand out. I can't handle that going on downstairs." Despite her obvious discomfort in here right now, a slightly mortified look crossed Sydney's face.

"Sure," Rose said with an attempt at flippancy. "We were just . . . talking," Rose seemed to realise, as I had, that Sydney did not believe that for a second. "We were just talking about Jill. Do you have any ideas on how to get her to Court – seeing as we're all outlaws."

"Well," Sydney said, visibly relaxing. "We could always have her mother-" her words were cut harshly short by a loud crash emitting from downstairs. Without hesitation, Rose and I sprung into action, quickly shifting for the door. Shouts and screams sounded from the bottom floor.

"Get down!" the words were shouted from downstairs. My blood ran cold, fear swept through every inch of my body.

"Guardians," I breathed, exchanging a horrified look with Rose. "There are guardians raiding the house."

LET'S GO FOR 15 REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER 15? I know I'm getting enough readers to achieve this review goal! I think we can do this :D xo