AN: First exam down, yay! Now two more to go, can't wait for the exam period to be over haha. Thank you to everyone for the favourites, follows and welcome to any new readers :) I can't believe how close we are to the end of this story before a new one starts it's gone by so quickly. Also, a huge thank you to all the reviews, you guys are so incredibly sweet xo Anyway, here is chapter 25, enjoy!

DPOV

There were so many questions I wanted to ask. I couldn't believe that after all this time of wanting to know the identity of the Dark One, they had been right in front of me. When I had found her in the caves next to Isaiah's dead body, my heart broke looking at her. Rose had to face the person who took away her mother and I understood how difficult that could be.

Which is why I let her come to me when she was ready. I was sitting on the edge of my bed and she was standing in the middle of the room, looking anywhere but at me. It had been like this for about five minutes and I didn't think I could take it anymore. Looking at her closely, I could see how nervous she was. This didn't change how I felt about her but I couldn't help but feel cautious around her. I didn't know her as well as I thought and because of that, it was hard to trust her.

"Tell me everything," I said.

I was actually still kind of mad at her for keeping this secret from me. All I wanted was for her to open up to me and let me in. I couldn't take not knowing anymore.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and finally spoke. "I'm not a dhampir, I might look like one but I'm of a different race of vampires. I'm a Draugr."

With that she told me everything and I listened without interrupting. She told me everything about being a Draugr-her abilities, the darkness, her purpose, the previous Draugr's before her and how she found out what she is. She spoke of missions that she went on and the Zvezda marks down her back, which shocked me. I couldn't believe she had made that many kills. She explained the details of the mission she had here and her relationship with Sydney and Adrian.

"I met Sydney first, it was through Abe actually. She was secretly working for him after he had done her a favour and Abe thought it would be a good idea if I had someone to help me out with my missions when he couldn't. She would give me locations of strigoi hide-outs and organise my assignments."

A small smile spread across her face but her eyes were filled with sadness. Rose still missed her.

"Sydney hated the idea of being around vampires but to be around someone like me scared her even more. Eventually, the more we worked together the more she became at ease. Slowly she became like a sister to me and we've been inseparable ever since."

"And Adrian?"

She laughed quietly. "I met Adrian when I was undercover on an assignment in Las Vegas. It was at a casino and the first thing that he noticed was my aura, he said it stood out."

"What's so different about your aura?" She had told me about Adrian being a spirit-user like Vaslilisa a while ago.

"He said that it was covered in black and that the shadows around me grew. There were even hints of silver, something that he had never seen before and now we know that it's a colour that only Draugr's must have."

"These shadows are because of the darkness right?"

She nodded and I let her continue. "Adrian was irritatingly annoying, he kept getting in the way when I was trying to watch someone. He did pick up on what I was doing and knew that I wasn't a regular dhampir. I thought that would be the last time I would see him but I found out that he was a friend of Abe's. It was hard to hide my secret with him being around all the time and even though he annoyed me a lot, we did get along. I know I could have used compulsion but I've always felt weird using it on people that I care about. He became my best friend and then he met Sydney and I'm sure you know how that story goes."

I could imagine. "Sydney didn't like Adrian but I'm guessing he was persistent."

Her smile grew and I was glad she was sort of starting to get back to her usual self.

"Those two were complicating my life, I literally had to force those two together and now I'm pretty sure marriage for them isn't too far away."

"How did you know what you were?" Seeing her smile was making me want to kiss her but I still had questions.

"Sydney helped. My parents knew what I was since Alistair was alive before I was born but Sydney was the one who told me everything I needed to know. It's what helped us become closer. It was the kind of thing she was interested in."

"And this darkness, is there anything to stop it?"

Her smile disappeared. "No, we haven't been able to find anything and honestly, I don't think we will. I exist only because I serve the purpose of sacrificing myself to protect others."

A huge lump developed in my throat. Rose was only seventeen; she had her whole life ahead of her yet she couldn't live it the way she wanted. She had it worse than guardians. It was hard to comprehend that the weight of the world was on her shoulders and it was her responsibility to carry it all by herself.

"And you're immortal? You don't age?"

She nodded, looking down at her hands. "If a species was going to be created to take down strigoi, it had to be one that was more powerful. As for aging, Alistair remained twenty-five for years so I suppose that will happen to me as well. That is if the darkness doesn't take over."

"You can be killed though," I stated.

"Yes, but I would have to compel them to kill me, I highly doubt anyone could do so against my will."

Silence fell between us and all my different emotions diffused, including my anger, except for one. Sadness.

"Roza why didn't you tell me?"

Her eyes met mine and her expression faltered. She moved towards me and took my hands in hers.

"I'm sorry but one it has to be a secret and two, I was worried that it would change things between us. I was worried that you would see me differently and not want to be with me."

Did she honestly believe that I wouldn't accept her? Yes I was shocked and angry at her, at first but now that she explained it to me. I could understand why she didn't tell me. It didn't matter to me that she's a Draugr, although it was going to take some time to wrap my head around it. I removed my hands from hers and cupped her face.

"All that matters to me is that you know that you can confide in me about anything. This doesn't change how I feel about you but I wish you had told me sooner. I can't be mad at you when you saved me. Mason would have drunk from me but you took that upon yourself. You are self-less and that's one of the many reasons why I love you. I love you Roza, not even this secret could change that."

Her expression shifted and she breathed in sharply.

"You love me?"

I immediately froze. It was the first time that I had said those words out loud and I knew that it was still early but it was true. I love her. Hopefully, those words didn't scare her off.

"Yes I do."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and I pulled her into my lap. Her breathing was heavy and her grip on me tightened. I felt bad that I had put her under so much pressure to talk to me but I was glad she had finally told me everything. She buried her face into my neck, placing soft kisses and I played with her hair, feeling content to have her back in my arms.

"I'm so sorry you had to see me kill Mason. I couldn't control myself with the darkness taking over. I genuinely believed that I would lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," I said firmly, pulling away to look her.

Our lips met and I kissed her passionately. After what we had been through I was desperate to have her as close to me as possible. My hand was tangled in her hair and my other hand was under her shirt, stroking her back. She moved her legs so that they were on either side of me.

It was times like these where we would be caught up in the moment that I wanted more but I had to remind myself that even though she wasn't technically my student since she was undercover, she might not be ready for that. Besides, I would want that moment to be special. We pulled away, gasping for air and I brushed her hair away from her face wanting to stare into her gorgeous brown eyes.

"Do you mind if I stay the night? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course not."

An entire night of having her in my arms and waking up to her tomorrow morning? There was no way I was going to decline. I gently moved her from my lap and stood up.

"I'll get you a shirt for you to change into."

I was about to walk over to my closet when she reached out and grabbed my hand. Turning back to her, I saw her eyes sparkle.

"I love you too Comrade."

Hearing her say those words brought a smile to my face. I couldn't be happier than I was right now to have the most beautiful person look at me with so much love in her eyes. I never thought I would get a chance like this and now that I had it, it was one of the best feelings in the world. My mother would be happy. I couldn't wait to tell her.

RPOV

The moment when you first wake up without a single worry in the world before reality sets in has been the only good thing about mornings. That was before I realised that I wasn't alone in bed. Dimitri was lying beside me, holding me and I snuggled closer to him. If my mornings were like this every day then I would gladly wake up without a single complaint. I lightly ran my fingers over his chest drawing random patterns and let out a content sigh.

Most of my problems were gone. I found out who was behind the kidnappings, Jesse and Ralf will be sent to Court far away so they won't be hurting anyone, Eddie, Christian and Lissa were safe and accepted the real me. Dimitri and I were stronger than before and I had avenged my mother's death. Not everything was perfect but I was feeling pretty good about my life.

There was one problem, I was no longer needed here and I had to keep moving. I had never been this reluctant to leave an assignment behind though I hadn't ever made friends or fallen in love because of a mission. Was leaving a good idea? What would that mean for Dimitri and me? Could I even bring myself to leave? I had to continue the Draugr bloodline and that couldn't be done with another dhampir it had to be with a moroi or human.

Suddenly the calmness of this morning disappeared and I started to worry about what was yet to come. I didn't want to lose Dimitri I can't even begin to imagine a life without him. He stirred slightly and I knew he was waking up. I had to leave it aside for now and come back to it later. Right now I wanted to enjoy my time with him, in case I wouldn't get this again. He eyes flickered open and when he saw me watching him, he smiled.

"Morning," he said, his voice sounding sexy from just waking up.

I kissed his chest softly. "Morning, sleep well?"

"Mm, I certainly did."

His arms tightened around me and he ran his hand through my hair.

"Can we stay like this for the entire day?" I really didn't feel like moving.

Dimitri chuckled. "As much as I want to, there is a lot I need to do today."

I flipped over so I was lying on my stomach and I placed my hand on his cheek.

"How long do I have with you until you need to do your guardian duties?"

"Maybe an hour or two," he murmured as he snaked his hand behind my neck, pulling me to him so he could kiss me.

We spent that time cuddling and kissing until Dimitri had to get ready. I laid down on the bed, watching him get dressed and he would occasionally pass by to kiss me quickly.

"How did Christian and Vasilisa take it?"

I pulled the covers around me. "Better than I expected. Lissa was freaked out at first but she was okay after I told her everything."

"And is Eddie okay?" It was nice that Dimitri took interest in my friends.

"Not really but he will be. It's going to be hard for him, he felt like he lost Mason all over again."

Dimitri looked sympathetic and he came over to kiss me on the forehead. "He has you, he'll definitely be fine."

"You know he reminds me of you."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yep, stoic and serious, dedicated to his guardian duties. You two have a lot in common."

"I'm not that stoic and serious," he mumbled.

I laughed. "Oh but you are. It doesn't matter because when you're with me, you're more relaxed."

He returned the smile. "You have that effect on me."

Lifting the sheets off me, I stood up and crossed the small distance between us, his arms around me immediately.

"Do I have a strong enough effect on you to convince you to stay here with me?"

"Of course you do. However I'm good at resisting so it won't work," he teased.

I playfully glared at him. "You should go, I don't want you to be late."

"Are you really kicking me out of my own room?"

Shrugging, I gathered my clothes. "If you're late because of me, I won't ever hear the end of it."

He swept me into his arms and brought his lips down to mine. If he hadn't pulled away so quickly, I would have dragged him back to bed.

"Make sure no one see's you leaving," he said.

"Don't worry, I'm a pretty fast runner," I replied, winking at him.

His face broke out into a full smile and I still found myself taken aback by how handsome he looked. He always looked great but his smile lit up his features and it was rare to see. I felt good knowing that those rare smiles were mostly kept for me. He left the room and I changed into my clothes and decided that I should make his bed for him.

After I was finished, I was about to leave when I caught sight of his shirt that I had worn last night. I'm sure he wouldn't miss it I thought as I grabbed it and darted out of his room so no one would see me. When I arrived at my room I turned the shower on. This morning with Dimitri was everything and something that I would never forget.

Unfortunately it wasn't going to last. I know I should have told him about leaving but I just couldn't do it. I took a quick shower and when I was done, I pulled on a pair of comfy shorts and long-sleeved top just as I heard a knock on the door. Throwing the door open I saw Adrian standing there and let him in. While I had been with Dimitri, I had actually forgotten about Adrian.

"I thought you were going to leave last night."

"Really little dhampir? Now you remember, not last night?" he asked sarcastically.

I felt bad. "I'm sorry, I just had a lot on my mind."

He was silent and I knew by the look in his eyes he was looking at my aura.

"You were with him weren't you?"

Right. Adrian knew about Dimitri, guess that was another secret out there.

"Yeah I was."

"Your teacher Rose? What happened to not getting attached?"

A bit of annoyance spiked in me. I felt like he was judging me and I didn't like that.

"It's not as bad as you think. I know what it sounds like to you but he's actually a really great guy."

He scoffed at my comment. "He's your teacher and much older than you."

"Fake teacher. I'm undercover so technically it doesn't count and the age gap isn't a big deal."

"Were."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You were undercover, not anymore. You should be preparing to leave."

I shifted on my feet uncomfortably. "I'm not ready to leave."

He stood up and walked over to me. "It's not about whether or not you're ready to leave. It's about when you finish the assignment and you did meaning you have to move on to the next one."

My annoyance grew. "What's your problem Adrian? Why are you getting so mad at me?"

"I'm mad because you're not taking this seriously. Your help is needed in New Orleans and there are several other missions waiting and you want to stay here because you have some crush," he replied, his green eyes angrily piercing into mine.

"Some crush?" I mocked. "He is not some crush, I'm in love with him."

Adrian was surprised by my words. "No you're not. You think you are but you only feel this way about him because he's the first guy you've been this close to. When you move on and you will, you'll get over him."

"How dare you? You don't know anything about us and you have no right to judge me."

"You're allowing yourself to be distracted by Belikov and your new friends," he shot back.

My blood boiled. "Why do you hate them so much? Why is it so hard for you to accept that I have new people in my life that accept me for me?"

"Because I don't want you forgetting about me!" he shouted.

We both went silent, Adrian let out a frustrated sigh and I looked away from him. A few seconds went by of both of us trying to calm down.

"I could never forget about you Adrian," I whispered.

He ran a hand through his hair. "You don't know that. You have new people who you trust and you might not need me as much anymore."

Sighing, I strode over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "You are family and no matter what happens, nothing could tear us apart. Yes, I have new people in my life but that doesn't mean you aren't important to me anymore. You have been there for me through so much and I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have your support."

Adrian rested his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I made a promise to protect you and when other people started finding out, I felt like I failed you because I didn't do anything to prevent your secret from coming out."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," I responded, pulling back to look at him. "You can't fight my battles for me Adrian, I know how to take care of myself."

"I know. Just promise me that you're not going to throw me aside for your new friends."

I smiled brightly at him. "Never. No one could ever replace Adrian Ivashkov, those shoes are too big to fill."

He returned the smile. "Damn right they are. And I'm sorry about what I said about Belikov. I know you're in love with him, I can see it in your aura but are you sure about him? He is older than you."

"Of course. I'm a hundred percent sure and I don't think I'll ever find someone like him."

"He's that important to you?" he asked sincerely.

I nodded. "He means everything to me."

Adrian studied me for a few more seconds before looking satisfied with my answer. "If you feel that strongly about him then I'll accept what you two have. Just a heads up though, I have a feeling Abe might be a bit suspicious of you two."

I groaned. "Do you think he'll believe me if I lie to him?"

"Not unless you compel him."

"I can't, he's my dad," I said dryly.

He shrugged. "Only advice I've got."

I rolled my eyes at him. "How helpful. I suppose it's time I come clean about Dimitri."

Adrian planted a kiss on my forehead. "I think Abe might handle it better than you think."

"If you say so."

"Have you told Dimitri about your next mission? You are going to have to take that assignment, are you sure that you two can handle that?"

They were the same questions I had been asking myself.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "I don't know how to tell him."

"You better tell him soon little dhampir, the longer you wait, the harder it will be. By the way, I didn't leave last night because I wanted to make sure you were going to take the assignment in New Orleans. We're going to be leaving tomorrow, be prepared."

With a final goodbye he left, leaving me alone in my room to think about the problem I would have to face sooner or later. Did I really want to leave Dimitri for a mission?

AN: Do you think Rose will leave for her mission? I know not a lot happened in this chapter but there is definitely more to come. Chapter 26 should be up soon, maybe on Friday since I already have it written just need to read over it a couple more times. Good luck to anyone with exams and thank you so much for reading xo Have a good day/night :D