After the earth-shattering sex with Dimitri, I had fallen asleep curled up in his arms, when I woke up the sky was dark and I looked around, Dimitri wasn't there. We had fallen asleep and the others were probably here!

"Dimitri!"

He ran into the room and smiled as he saw that I was okay, he shut the door and walked over and kissed me softly, "You're awake." His smile was gorgeous. It melted my heart.

"Did we get caught? Are they back yet?"

"No, we didn't get caught. Yes, they got here about thirty minutes ago, I heard them and got dressed and closed your door, they don't know a thing," he said reassuringly and kissing me gently once more.

"Good…" I wrapped the sheets around my naked body, the room was cold.

"Adrian got access to your room and packed a bag for you, well, he packed a huge suitcase for you," Dimitri said and pointed to it by the closet.

I laughed, it was a large sized suitcase and as I slowly stood up, the blanket fell off and Dimitri sighed quietly. I looked at him and bit my bottom lip, I was surprisingly comfortable being naked around him. He obviously liked it too. Dimitri leaned down and kissed me, I smiled and kissed him back, pulling away before things got too heavy.

"Let's see what Adrian packed for me," I said and walked over to my suitcase, opening it and looking. Everything was perfectly folded and I found my tan knee high boots and my Ugg boots in the bottom. My yoga pant leggings and some hoodies were in there, along with some tees and some jeans. "Thank the Lord for Adrian."

Dimitri chuckled and looked at me admiringly as I bent down. I looked over at him and smirked, "See something you like?"

"Very much so," he said and wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing my neck.

My knees grew week and I whispered, pointing to a door, "Is that the bathroom?"

He nodded and smiled down at me, "Go get a shower."

I smiled and took a much needed shower, but I missed seeing Dimitri so much that I was out ten minutes later. I dressed into my yoga pant leggings, a white low cut v-neck tee, and a chunky warm knit sweater. I skipped a bra and panties to tease Dimitri as he watched every move I made while getting dressed with pure lust in his eyes. I slid on some gray high socks and my Ugg boots. I was definitely feeling warmer. I walked over to Dimitri and straddled his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I love you," was all I said.

Dimitri smiled like it was the best thing he'd ever heard, he nodded and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear and kissed my lips tenderly, "And I love you."

"We should probably make an appearance or everyone might suspect something," I said as I began to stand up.

"Wait wait," he said and playfully pulled me back onto his lap. "it's only Adrian and Cherkesov, they can wait." He leaned down and kissed my lips deeply, I gasped at the feeling it gave me and kissed him back deeper, massaging his tongue with mine. Minutes later we pulled away, my head was light and my heart was pounding. So that's how a kiss is supposed to feel.

I smiled at him and pecked his lips, going over to the mirror and brushing my hair and fixing my clothes from our little make out session. Despite all the bad things that had gone on today, my heart was soaring with the love I felt for this man.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear once more as he stared into my eyes through the mirror. I smiled a big smile and I knew I didn't have to say anything back. He knew I loved him too.

Rose was beautiful. Amidst all this pain and suffering, she was my light. I knew how wrong it was to be in love with a student but I didn't care. I wouldn't care anymore.

"Shall we make an appearance?" she said with a smile.

"I guess we shall," I said and opened the door.

We walked out into the kitchen and saw Adrian pouring Russian vodka into a glass filled with coffee liquor? Then he poured some cream and mixed it all together.

"Anyone care for a White Russian?"

I chuckled and shook my head no while Rose looked at me expectantly. She was asking me if she could have one.

"I saw how much vodka he put, cut it down half and she can have one," I wasn't one for underage drinking but what could this hurt?

Cherkesov was outside the door, guarding. It was below freezing and snowing outside, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm also making hot chocolate," Adrian said as he finished Rose's drink.

"Dimitri will take one of those," Rose said with a teasing smile.

"I guess I will!"

Adrian chuckled and poured some hot chocolate for me.

Rose handed me the hot chocolate and turned around, "Pour one more Adrian."

Adrian looked at her oddly and poured one more, she smiled at me as she walked to the front door and tapped Cherkesov on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled as he saw Rose, his smile grew as he saw the hot chocolate. He thanked her and she walked back inside, shivering and holding her White Russian like it was hot chocolate.

"That was sweet of you, Roza.." I said and kissed her forehead, my heart pounding with the love I felt for her.

She smiled at me brightly, drinking her White Russian and sitting on the bar stool beside me.

"So are you two a thing now?" Adrian asked normally.

Rose shushed him and my hand tightened around my mug.

"Can you be any louder?" Rose asked, obviously annoyed. She sighed and linked her fingers with mine. "And yes, we are."

I smiled nervously and looked away.

"It's okay Dimitri, he's not gonna tell anyone."

I shook my head and looked up to see Adrian looking back and forth between both of us. "I'm not going to say anything to anyone. If you two want to go against everything and break all the rules and be together, be my guest. I'm all for rule breaking."

I smirked and so did Rose, I knew it was true.

As I looked at Rose, I couldn't help but think of the news Alberta and Cherkesov had shared with me when they got to cabin.

"Aleksander and his brother weren't among the bodies, Strigoi and Moroi alike, they escaped," Alberta said with a grim face.

"Which means..." I started.

"Which means that it is possible that they can come back, they didn't finish their plan, correct?" Alberta said, I guess Adrian had told her everything.

"She isn't safe..."

"No one is, we haven't seen that many Strigoi together ever. Who knows how many more the Voda boys know," Alberta said and began pacing.

"The gates will be guarded more closely than ever this week, the Queen has sent some of her best guardians, and some disposable ones, I heard, and no students are allowed outside of their dorm until further notice from Kirova and the Queen," Cherkesov said.

"I'm guessing we won't be leaving the cabin anytime soon," I said and sighed, thinking of Rose laying on the cave ground, not breathing and without a heartbeat. It'd haunt my dreams forever. I never wanted anyone or anything to ever hurt her again. I wouldn't allow it.

"Then we need to protect this cabin with everything we have. I won't allow Princess Hathaway to be hurt," I said and looked at them."What do you think Guardian Petrov?" Alberta was the guards captain anyway.

"Do what you must, Belikov," she said and patted my hand and Cherkesov's back. "I must go back to the Academy's grounds and help everyone else. I'll come check in tomorrow, stay safe."

And as she walked away my heart pounded with worry. Worry about my love and about the students of St. Vladimir's Academy, in all my life I had never heard of a school getting attacked like this. Or at all. Moroi and Dhampir parents sent children to academies like this because they were safe—safe from Strigoi. This was changing everything.

"Dimitri?" I heard Rose say and looked at her.

"Yes?"

"You blanked out there for a minute," she said and rubbed the back of my arm.

"I'm sorry," I said and leaned down and pecked her lips. Adrian made a disgusted sound and I looked at him, he was smirking. "Watch it, Ivashkov." I said with a matching smirk.

"Hey, you can't kill me. I'm bonded with your girlfriend," he said with a chuckle and Rose grinned.

I knew why too. He had called Rose my girlfriend. But she was so much more than that. She was my soul mate, girlfriend sounded too juvenile, too light of a term. Soul mate was the right term. She'd always be my soul mate and nothing would change that.

As our fingers laced together under the counter I sipped my hot chocolate and looked at Rose, drinking her White Russian and leaning against me as she talked to Adrian about their bond. This was how it was always supposed to be. I would protect her and love her for the rest of my life. No matter what.