There was a flicker of thought at the back of my mind that had me jumping to my feet in an instant. It was the first conscious thought that led to several others.

For the past two hours, I'd been listening to what I'm sure was Pavel and Abe discussing, in great detail, what they were going to do to Roza's kidnappers. However, they were speaking in Turkish, so I couldn't be sure, but I liked to imagine that was the topic of discussion.

Abe immediately halted in his frustrated, angry pacing and spun to face me with an expectant look. The conversation stopped as abruptly as my movement. Pavel pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against and took a few steps toward me. I'm sure that it wasn't meant to be threatening, but after hours of working myself into an anxious state I couldn't help but shrink back at his advancement.

"What is it, Dimitri?" Abe asked, the hope that had lived in his voice shining through. "Is it Rose?"

"I think so. I can feel Roza waking up. At least, I think that's what it was. I don't know everything to expect with this mysterious bond we've formed. However, her mind is coming back into focus." I said sitting back down hastily. I closed my eyes and focused on Roza's senses, trying to get into her mind, hoping to get enough from her surroundings to know where she was.

I could hear her fleeting thoughts as she tried to make sense of her surroundings without being able to see anything. A dull ache of pain ran through me, a familiar pain the drug, which Sydney had informed us was most likely Midazolam, caused when the body was trying to fight it off.

Sydney said that it had to be a pretty high dosage to be administered via dart and keep us knocked out for more than twelve hours. It seemed that the Guardians didn't expect me to be there at all considering I probably received the same dosage as Roza, resulting in a slower percolating time and a faster metabolic response.

My chest ached when Roza groaned as she tried to roll onto her back. She'd remained still on her left side for the hours that had past, and the dull ache of pain was more apparent on that side.

Unlike when I came to, Roza didn't panic when she woke up in an unfamiliar place without me. Remaining on her back despite the uncomfortable position for her arms and hands, Roza opened her eyes and looked around.

I couldn't see anything through her eyes, I just got feelings and thoughts that filtered through her mind. I cataloged the objects she took note of: no windows, one door, one metal chair, one overhead flickering light, and an uncomfortable, cold cement floor.

She strained her ears but didn't hear anything. I was bouncing my knee up and down hoping to clue in on something that could help me locate her, but if she saw anything that could indicate where she was, there was no way I could find out.

She pulled herself off the floor far enough to sit up and lean back against a wall, facing the door. The longer she waited in silence, the more her anger grew. She was weak, though, and her anger gave way to exhaustion.

Still trying to fight off the side effects of the drug, she didn't have anything to feed off of to regain her strength. There was no one nearby to feed off of emotionally, and there wasn't any food in the room to feed off of physically.

I chuckled internally as her stomach growled loudly. It was pleasant to hear something so familiar in such an unfamiliar and frightening situation. I could feel her becoming more fidgety. I could also hear Abe and Pavel questioning me loudly, but neither of them touched me in fear of breaking the trace I'd worked myself into.

"Dimitri?" I heard her hesitantly ask.

"Roza? Are you okay?" I asked quickly, pushing my thought through.

"How is this possible?" She asked, the awe present in the four words.

"We'll worry about that later. Are you okay?" I asked yet again.

"I'm tired. I'm cold. I'm hungry." She said, listing the most relevant information.

"I don't know if I can do about the hunger or the cold, but perhaps I'll be able to send something across this bond to give you energy?" I suggested.

"You're going to have to figure out how to send a lot of a negative emotion over because I'm going to need it to fight my way out of here." She chuckled mirthlessly.

"Don't try to fight your way out, Roza. You don't know how many people you'll have to fight through. We're going to find you. Save your energy until we find you." I said firmly.

"How are you going to find me, Comrade? I don't know where I am, and there's nothing in this room to indicate any sort of location. I could be states away from you or in a different country completely. How can you be so sure that you're going to find me?" She said gently, as if she was trying to let me know not to waste my time.

"No, Roza. We're going to find you. I'm going to find you. You worry about staying safe and alive, I'll worry about finding you." I growled. I felt her shiver, and a spark of desire ran through her body fueling my determination and my energy level.

"Wait, how did you do that?" She asked quickly.

"Do what?" I asked confused.

"You took my desire." She said somewhat annoyed.

"I did?" I asked, still confused.

"Yes, and now I want to know how you did it." She demanded.

"I don't know how I did it. You're the one that has the experience with bonds. Maybe you can take my emotions the same way you would take the Darkness from Lissa." I theorized.

"I can try that. Do you have a particular emotion you'd like me to take from you?" She asked.

"I've got enough fear to power a city, so I'd start with that." I chuckled. I felt her roll her eyes, but I soon felt my fear slipping away, left only with a steely determination to find my Roza.

"That feels good." She moaned.

"I'm glad you enjoy my fear," I said sarcastically with a small chuckle.

"Is my dad okay?" She asked quietly after a few moments of hesitation. "And Pavel?"

"He wasn't, to begin with, but I'm pretty sure he and Pavel have been talking about nothing but bloody dismemberment since I confirmed you were missing." I relayed.

"That sounds like them." Roza snickered.

"I miss you, Roza. I'm going to find you." I said pulling myself back from her mind slightly. I left my presence there, but I opened my eyes.

Abe, Pavel, and Sydney were crouched in front of me, staring at me with hope shining in their eyes.

"Rose is awake, but there's nothing in the room she's in that can indicate where she is," I told them. Sydney's hopeful expression fell as she sat back on her haunches. Abe and Pavel looked ready to commit murder. Abe shot up and began his pacing once again.

His Turkish ramblings were halted again as Kyle, Jasper, and Christopher trudged through the back door. Everyone, myself included, turned to look at them, questions buzzed around unasked as they took a few seconds to take us in.

"We found something, but we don't know how useful it will be," Kyle stated looking at Abe and avoiding eye contact with me. I narrowed my eyes at him before noticing that all three of the men were avoiding direct eye contact with me.

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked quietly, though my voice was tense and commanding.

"When was the last time you slept, Dimitri?" Jasper asked, avoiding my question.

"With Roza, and the next time I'll sleep will be with Roza by my side! Now, why won't you look at me?" I asked, my voice starting out soft but growing louder with each word. By the time I finished, I was shouting, or growling depending on how you look at it, and everyone was looking at me with wide eyes.

"We talked to the neighbors to see if they heard anything," Christopher said, breaking his stare, and reverting back to avoiding eye contact.

"And?" Abe asked anxiously, his patience already worn thin and getting thinner.

"They heard shouting around the time that Dimitri thinks the two Guardians took Rose. While they didn't go out to investigate the source of the argument, they did overhear most of it. Apparently, the two men were wondering if they should, quote, 'deal with the monster.' We believe that the 'monster' in question was you, Dimitri, though the neighbors thought they might be talking about some fish or shark they'd caught. The neighbors said that the men eventually decided to leave you and get as far away from you as possible. Apparently, their boss hadn't warned them of your presence and would inform them at a later date." Kyle explained. "Of course, we didn't inform them of the real identity of the monster outside their house.

"So, the kidnappers changed their plans because of me," I stated, my shoulders slumping in defeat. "Rose could have been kept nearby had I not gotten in their way."

"So it seems," Christopher mumbled sitting down and wiping a hand over his face in exhaustion. All three of them looked exhausted, but like myself, they were hesitant to sleep without Roza being safe and sound.

"If they had to change their plans, that means that they probably made a mistake along the way. They didn't know that Dimitri was there, so whoever is watching Rose knew that she would be here, but not Dimitri. This person as not received updated information on who is with Rose in a few weeks, or these Guardians didn't think your presence was notable and didn't relay it back to their employer." Abe theorized, his pacing returning with vigor.

"I don't see how, or why, the Guardians wouldn't think that Dimitri's presence wouldn't be worth noting. He's been with Rose almost constantly and just looks like a threat. There's no way a decent Guardian wouldn't note Dimitri's presence to an employer." Pavel commented, his head swiveling as he watched his Moroi pace with a calm demeanor.

It seemed that Pavel knew that Abe paced when he got anxious, and when Abe got anxious, Abe started planning. However, it was Abe's planning that I was counting on right now. I couldn't plan anything myself because my mind was with Roza, but I could follow instructions well enough to be useful.

"So, the information that the Guardians had to go off of is definitely not current. Do you know if Rose told anyone where she was going?" Abe asked, spinning on his heal to face me.

"I don't think so. I know that Lord Ivashkov stopped by to see her before she left, but I don't know how much she told him. Princess Dragomir and Lord Ozera didn't know, they were just as shocked as I was that Rose just up and left like she did, but I have a feeling that Roza would have contacted Guardian Castile to let him know she was alright, but I doubt that she told him where she was, nor would he have pressed her for the information as long as he knew she was safe wherever she was." I said, running through the list of people Roza could have possibly told her location. "She would have informed Guardian Croft that she was leaving, but, again, I doubt that she would have given him a location."

"What's the likelihood of this Guardian Castile helping us figure out who could have taken her?" Abe asked after a moment of silent contemplation.

"I'm confident that Eddie would do anything to bring Roza home," I answered almost immediately.

"Contact him. Tell him to be ready in an hour. My plane will collect him and bring him here." Abe said, waving his hand to dismiss me.

I bound up the steps three at a time and burst through the door of my room in search of my cell phone. I noticed several missed calls and texts from various people, but I ignored them trying to find the right contact.

I hit a few buttons before pressing the call button and waited impatiently for the call to connect. I was faintly aware of Roza's plotting as she sat in silence waiting for someone to enter the room. She was just as impatient as I was.

"Guardian Headquarters, Hans speaking." Said the gruff voice that came through the other end.

"Guardian Croft. This is Dimitri Belikov." I replied quickly, hoping to get this call over with quickly so I could call Eddie, but I had no such luck.

"Ah, Belikov, nice to hear from you. How's the family?" He asked in a friendly tone.

"I wouldn't know. Before I could get on the plane, my grandmother called me and told me not to come." I chuckled.

"Then where have you been for the past few weeks?" He asked in bewilderment.

"I've been working for Abe Mazur as a personal Guardian for his daughter," I informed him.

"I'm sure that Rose loved that." He laughed. My stunned silence made him continue. "I know more about that girl than you'd think. So, what can I help you with, Dimitri? I'm not really sure that I can get you your job back here at Court, but I can see what I can do."

"No!" I exclaimed quickly, over my previous shock. "I don't want my Court job back. I was hoping you could give me Guardian Castile's personal number. I have a few questions I want to ask, and he's the only one that has the answers."

"I suppose I can do that, just as long as you give Rose my best." He said chuckling. I heard the shuffling of drawers and flittering of paper before Hans asked if I have a pen and paper. It was then my turn to scramble around my room looking for a writing utensil.

"Alright, give it to me," I said, listening carefully to the following numbers. "Thank you, Guardian Croft. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem, Belikov. Take care." He said, not giving me enough time to thank him again before hanging up. Not giving it a second thought, I immediately dialed the number I was given and once again waited impatiently for the call to connect and for Eddie to pick up.

"Castile." The tired voice came through the other end. It hit me then that he would have been asleep, it was the dead of night for him, even though the sun was at its highest in the sky. That made me wonder why Croft was awake, but I didn't stop to ponder it too long.

"Eddie? It's Dimitri Belikov." I said.

"Belikov. It's been a while, but not long enough in my opinion. Why are you calling me? How did you even get my number?" He asked, the hostility in his voice quickly replacing the remnants of sleep. I'm guessing Roza hadn't talked to him in a while.

"I got your number from Guardian Croft. I'm calling you because I need your help." I said, trying to keep my annoyance out of my voice; I don't think it worked.

"After what you did to Rose? Why would I have any inclination to help you?"

"Roza is missing and I need your help to find her," I stated plainly. There was a silence on the other end of the line. I heard shuffling and a violent zipper pulling closed.

"Where should I meet you?" He asked, his previous hostility replaced with determination and worry.

"There will be a plane waiting for you at the airstrip in an hour. It will bring you here." I said, glad that he didn't ask any more questions because I was in no state to answer them. The façade that I had adopted when talking to Croft had fallen as soon as he hung up.

I didn't need to hide my anxiety and concern with Eddie, in fact, I hoped that by my obvious display of emotions, he would understand the depth of feeling I have for Roza, and his assumptions of my indifference were ill-conceived.

"I'll see you then. And, Dimitri, we will be having a discussion about the cause of Rose's sudden departure from Court. It will be a long in-depth discussion that will probably leave you in pain." He said and hung up.

So, Roza had only told the three Guardians here what I'd done to make her flee. She hadn't even told Eddie, her closest friend. Flashes of the horrible day passed in the back of my mind, trying to push their way to the front. My heart clenched as the slideshow of horror paused on the image of my Roza, broken and dull.

"Dimitri?" Roza pushed through in a panic, probably sensing my pain.

"Yeah?" I replied, trying to calm myself down.

"What's wrong?" She asked gently. Despite only being two words, her voice bounced around my mind, soothing as it went.

"I'm fine, Roza," I replied making my way back downstairs to inform Abe of Eddie's arrive and receive instructions for the meantime.

"Liar." She mumbled but didn't push the issue further.

"Roza, do you have any idea about who could have taken you?" I asked secretly hoping that she knew more than I did.

"Not really. I mean, I've made a lot of enemies, but I didn't think that any of them would ever kidnap me because of it. I didn't get a good look at the guys who knocked us out, 'cause you know, I was knocked out, but I think they were Guardians." She said.

"I also thought so, but that still doesn't narrow any list of potential kidnappers. Of course, it would help if we had an actual list of potential kidnappers." I sighed reaching the bottom of the stairs.

Abe and Pavel looked up at my entrance, giving me a questioning look. I held up my finger to signal them to wait before pointing to my head. They both nodded in understanding before turning back to each other to continue their previous conversation.

"You know, it isn't entirely uncommon for Guardians to leave Court and work privately." She theorized, perhaps starting a list of potential kidnappers.

"We already thought about that, but they were driving a Guardian issued vehicle. Most of the time, privately hired Guardians drive what their employer provides, which is usually anything but the Guardian issued vehicle, other than Abe of course." I said, my eyes cutting to the man himself. The mischievous glint that burned in Roza's eyes could be found in her fathers,' making me believe that it was genetic.

"Why is it that Abe doesn't provide more distinct modes of transportation, other than for myself," Roza asked, amusement lacing her words.

"I'm pretty sure it's because it would be less conspicuous to see a standard Guardian vehicle than a flashy sports car. It can also throw the trail off of Abe because there's no way to tell if it was Abe's men versus Court-sanctioned Guardians." I explained, trying to think of anyone I knew who hired privately that might want to kidnap Roza but still coming up empty.

"Is it possible that I was kidnapped because of Abe's business?" Roza asked quietly after a few moments of thoughtful contemplation.

"Abe, is it possible that Roza's kidnapping is a consequence an unfortunate business dealing?" I asked finding a lot of weight behind Roza's train of thought.

"It's possible," Abe said, his face dropping in worry. "However, none of my competitors would have been thoughtless enough to not acquire up-to-date information about who was around Rose at the time. I also don't know of anyone else that sends their Guardians out in the standard vehicle."

"Is it possible that some of your Guardians kidnapped her?" I asked looking at Pavel for my answer instead of Abe.

"There's always the possibility. If they did plan something, it will be a lot easier to track their movements and see who it was." Pavel said, pulling out his phone and leaving the room.

"We're looking into something, Roza. Are you doing alright?" I asked trying to delve deeper into her physical sensations.

"I'm fine, Comrade, just bored out of my skull. I've heard a few sets of footsteps passing outside the room. It seems to be regular enough, and the gate of the steps sounds like a Guardian. I'm assuming whoever took me is still here, probably waiting for someone." She said with a sigh, pulling more of my fear, not because she needed it, but because I didn't need it.

"Just hang tight, Pavel is checking on something, and I'm pretty sure that Sydney might be hacking into the Guardian's system at Court to see if any vehicles were loaned out anywhere near here," I informed her.

"I'm just ready to be back in bed with you. I really want to take a nap, but there isn't a chance in hell that I'm going to take a nap here." Roza joked, trying to lighten the mood. I suppose it worked, it did make me feel a little bit better knowing that she could still make light of this situation.

"Trust me, Roza, I'm more than ready to be back in bed with you," I said lowly, the shiver that ran through her body buzzed through mine.

"Hold that thought, Comrade, I think someone is going to come in the room," Roza said, her desire draining completely, replaced only by anger. I felt her shock grow just as Pavel entered the room with a murderous look on his face.

"There was someone that was planning something, and it makes sense that he didn't have any recent information. However, he has to be working for someone because we let him go weeks ago." Pavel growled.

"Who is it?" I asked, my head swiveling and my anger growing as I watched the man pace, but before Pavel could respond, Roza told me exactly who we were looking for, except I didn't know who it was.

"Guardian Nelson?"

Hey guys,

I've decided with my crazy semester, I'm switching my updating day to Sunday.

I would also like to say that I truly appreciate each and every review that I get. I can't get myself into the habit of responded personally to each review, but I still want to say thank you to everyone that has reviewed so far.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

~Victoria