The training fields were just as large as I remembered them. The grounds stretched up to track and back to the side of the wards and wall. Christian, Mia, and I began stretching out. Lissa and Adrian stood close by me to keep the disguise over me. If anyone stopped to ask who I was I was to say that I am Mia's cousin visiting Court for a while. Dimitri took a seat on a bench and watched patiently. The lights made streaks dance arcoss the darkness of his eyes and I could make out the brown colors. In some way I wished that he could join us.

"Ready?" Mia took a stance beside me and nodded across from us. "First to destroy the five targets fastest wins the round. It's a three out of five game."

I nodded, "Sounds easy enough."

Christian chuckled, "Doesn't it?"

Then the targets started to drift back and forth. "What's doing that?"

Adrian cleared his throat, "We thought it would make things interesting."

"Makes things more of a challenge", I smirked. "Who goes first?"

Christian stepped in front of us, "I'll take this one." He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and stood feet apart and hands up. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for just a second. When his eyes shot open the targets started to burst one by one in a matter of seconds. He sighed in relief and nodded at the now destroyed targets. "Got it. What was my time?"

Dimitri called out, "5.3 seconds." He had a smile on his face like this whole thing was just so entertaining.

Christian replaced the burned targts with new ones and gingerly walked back over to us.

"That was actually very impressive." I patted his shoulder as he passed by me.

He patted me back, "Thank you. Who's next?"

"I..."

Mia cut me off, "We'll save Rose's surprise magic for last. I'm next." She took her place where Christian was standing and inhaled and exhaled slowly. I could hear her breathing in a slow steady pace. Like it was my own breath. Then I realized it was because she was pulling in all the moisture from around us. I heard her take in one last long inhale and then it was like a rush of cool air as a long whip of water sliced through the five targets and then shattered into droplets. It reminded me of the shape of a bullwhip but with a razor's edge. And it was so fast even for my enhanced dhampir senses that I was a bit taken back by the speed of it. She exhaled and grinned. "Time, please."

"4.8 seconds." He chuckled after he said it. "That was cutting it close."

Adrian laughed, "Impressive."

Mia brushed off her shoulder, "I know." She happily skipped over beside me. "You're up."

"Let's see what you can do, little dhampir." Adrian was watching me with some interest. I couldn't help but stare back. He was doing it again. I felt the string of spirit attach and then I heard him, "Don't ball it up. Just spread it throughout your hand. Like an extension of your fingers. Feel it reach out and strike the targets. Like a beam or rays."

I smiled at him and nodded. I turned back to the targets and took my place. "I hope you're watching that timer, Dimitri. This is going to be over quickly."

I heard the others chuckle and giggle behind me. But they had no idea what was about to unfold. Honestly I had no real idea about what was going to happen. I think the only other person that might have understood it better might have been Adrian. I sighed trying to release any tension in my shoulders. I felt the tingles build up inside me and instantly started making it flow. After it accumulated enough I pushed it into my hand. I let it spread into my palm like syrup and slowly let it seep into my fingers. It felt like my whole hand was filled with power. It was invigorating.

"Hope you're all ready." I took in my targets and spread out my fingers so that each finger pointed at a target. I exhaled and pushed as hard as I could. I saw beams of light burst out of the tips of my fingers and shatter all the targets but one. The last one on the left remained intact but it had a giant chunk missing of the top. I figured it counted. I took a breath and settled my magic. It was a fullfilling feeling. "Time, Dimitri?"

He laughed out and clasped his hands, "2.1 seconds."

I turned on my heel to look at everyone. If their jaws weren't hanging then their eyes were nearly popping out of their heads. "Amazed?"

Mia clapped her hands over her mouth and giggled, "Oh my gosh! That was unbelievable!" She grabbed my hands and examined them. I looked down too to see if there was any damage. But they looked the same. No mark or sign that anything had happened. "Insane."

Christian began clapping his hands. "Bravo. That was very impressive."

"Thank you." I bowed my head. Then it hit me. The world tilted and swerved every which way and I dropped down to a knee. I felt someone grab my arm just before my body completely folded under.

"I got you." Adrian was the only thing holding me up. He threw my arm around his neck and led me to my feet. "Just breath, Rose."

Dimitri appeared by his side and put my other arm around him. "Should I carry her to sit?"

Adrian shook his head, "No. She needs to learn to steady the after effects. She can do it." He nodded at me.

"I'm fine. I just need to get my legs back." I laughed it off.

They slowly began to release me. I forced myself to try to stand but my legs still felt like jelly. I tightened my grip on both men. Adrian gently cradled his hand on my back and I began to feel hot and cold waves come into my body. I shot him a glance but all he did was smirk. No messages this time. I felt my legs gain strength little by little until I released the guys to stand on my own. Dimitri was still watching me with caution and worry. I could tell when he was nervous about something. He always got that glint in his eyes.

I took a few steps and stopped. I sighed heavily. "Well that was fun. Who's up for round two?"

Liss scolded at me, "No! No more rounds. Rose showed everyone what she could do and she won. Game over."

"I'm fine, Liss. It was just a little fatigue." I gave her a reassuring smile.

She shook her head, "You are in no condition to be waring yourself out."

"Liss!" I hissed her name.

Mia shot her a curious glance, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's all too new. She's not used to it." She began playing with a piece of her hair and stared at me sheepishly, "You don't know how it could be effecting you."

I paused for thought. I didn't like it but she was right. I was in no condition to be throwing around my magic with a baby. I didn't know how it would affect either of us. "I guess you have a point."

Dimitri wrapped an arm around my waist and placed his hand over my stomach. It wasn't obvious to the others but I knew what he was signaling. I put my hand on his and ran my fingers over his. He put his lips to my ear, "Be careful." I slightly nodded. He slowly slid his hand off.

Christian was playing with a string of fire, making it weave through his fingers. He looked like he was really focusing on it. "What about Synette for a girl name?"

Liss' eyes shot up, "What made you think of that name?"

He shrugged and kept his eyes on the fire. "Not sure. I was going through your book of baby names and that one just stuck in my mind."

"That's not random at all." Mia sat down in the grass. "But I will admit that is a pretty name."

"You read the book?" Lissa's eyes glittered with adoration. "I can't believe you actually read the book."

He grinned, "You asked me to help you go through some names. I don't want you stressing over something like that so I figured why not." He snapped his hand closed around the fire and it fizzled out. "Still haven't settled on a boy name yet."

She smiled, "That's fine. We have plenty of time. I'm glad you found a name at all." She laughed softly.

I looked at Dimitri who seemed eased and relaxed behind us. His facial features were softened. It made me smile seeing him so happy. I reached back and touched his hand. He gently grabbed my fingers for just a moment.

Adrian pulled out his cigarettes and began lighting one up. Christian snatched it out of his hand and put it out. He handed it back to him and shook his head, "Pregnant women don't go well with smoke."

Adrian nodded, "I'm sorry. Must have slipped my mind." He turned to Liss, "Sorry."

She waved it off, "It's alright. No harm done."

He started turning towards me but quickly recalled our earlier conversation and made a complete 360 turn. "So what else do we have scheduled for our oh-so-exciting lives?"

I rose my hand but spoke before being acknowledged, "Food?"

Everyone else rose their hands and spoke in unison, "Food."

"Where do you want to eat?"

We somehow ended up in a cafe down the street from the spa. It smelled like what I thought Italy might smell. I ordered myself a couple slices of pepperoni pizza, cheese sticks with marinara sauce, and a large soda. Compared to me and Liss everyone else was eating like a bird. That wasn't unusual for me so I didn't have much to worry about.

"Are you anxious about tomorrow?" Liss had been waiting to ask about it. I could tell by the tone of her voice.

I shook my head, "Not really. I know we'll get it done quickly. Look at our team. There's already three awesome people here that are going."

Mia looked around, "Who else is going besides me and you?"

"I am. Hans added me on short notice." Dimitri took a bite out of his bread stick.

"Oh. Did he say why?"

"I asked him to." He looked so serious. I couldn't help but think of him in some kind of interogation. This is probably the face he'd be making.

Her face lost its humor as she simply returned to her plate. "Oh."

Adrian began drumming his fingers on the table. He was looking at me and then he caught my eye. He made a sour face, "May I get a drink?" He didn't say it out loud so nobody else heard him.

I smiled and took a drink of my soda, acting like I didn't get anything. He squinted at me and made a face that looked like he was waiting for an answer. He knew I had heard him. I guess it was due to the fact that I was obviously avoiding his eye contact.

"Rose." He spoke out loud this time. "May I?"

I sighed and gestured to the bar. "Be my guest." Just as he rose from his seat I grabbed his wrist, "But you cannot get plastered."

Mia laughed, "Are you seriously listening to what she tells you?"

"I made a promise and I am not the kind of man that goes back on my word." He bowed his head to me. "I will be on my way."

"Can we join you?" She looked around at us all, "Anyone want to join in? Come on."

I waved her off, "I'm not in the mood to drink."

She gave me a curious look, "Really? I thought you didn't mind the occasional drink."

"I don't. But I am just not currently in the mood."

Dimitri cleared his throat, "Why don't we all just go to have a good time?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question. He looked down at me, "Drinking or not drinking we can still enjoy ourselves."

Liss stood slowly, "I would love to join you all but I believe I have a meeting to attend in just an hour. I have to go get ready." I would have thought the jeans and T-shirt were a fine outfit if not for the formalities of Court. Being queen meant acting and looking the part. I don't know how she handled wearing those dresses all the time. Even though they were pretty they still looked hot and heavy. Not in the good sense either.

I walked over and hugged her, "I will see you later then."

"It'll probably take a while. We're discussing Jill today." She started playing with her hair again.

"Jill?" I looked back at the group. "What about her? Isn't she safe here?"

She nodded, "She is but she has requested to be moved."

"Why?"

"That's why we are having the meeting. She's going to explain everything to myself and the council. We will decide what's best." She threw her hair over her shoulder and sighed. "We need to get the law changed fast or she could be in some real danger."

I sighed, "So I am guessing your mind is made up. She has to stay."

"She has to. But once the law is changed she can do as she pleases. I just... I just cannot risk it." She stood up straight and sighed. "I'll see you all later." She walked off so quickly nobody else had a chance to say a word.

Adrian scuffed, "Poor, jailbait."

"It's for her own safety." I sat down in Liss' chair.

"It could all be for Lissa's sake. If anything happened to Jill chaos would follow and Liss would lose the throne."

I kicked his shin, "I honestly don't think Liss is doing this based on selfish reason. She's worried that because she's queen that someone will try to hurt Jill in order to get her off the throne" I jabbed his chest, "Would you like that on your conscience?"

He held up his hands, "It was just a theory, little dhampir."

"A stupid one." I crossed my arms over my chest.

He chuckled, "How about that drink?"

I shook my head, "I'm going home." I looked at Dimitri and shrugged, "I'm just tired."

Dimitri nodded, "Okay. Let's go." He took my hand and started leading away.

Mia grabbed my other hand, "Wait! I thought we were all going to hang out." She pouted.

Christian draped an arm around Adrian and Mia's shoulders, "Come on guys. We could all just go for a drink and let the love birds go off for alone time." He winked.

"Thanks but I'm seriously just tired." I leaned against Dimitri's arm. "I think the magic wore me out."

He laughed, "And the food didn't rejuvenate you?"

I slugged his arm, "All that did was fill me up." I laughed softly.

Adrian nodded, "Alright then. Have a good rest and we will see you both before you depart tomorrow." He caught my eye and once again I could feel the attachment. "Be safe, little dhampir. Wouldn't want to lose you."

I smiled, "Thank you, Adrian."

Mia hugged me, "I will see you tomorrow then."

We started walking off towards our building. The ground seemed to run under our feet forever. I don't know if it was because I was thinking too much or if it really was a long walk. Then suddenly Ambrose appeared on the road walking straight towards us. He was most likely heading back to the spa. "Hey Rose."

"Ambrose. Haven't seen your face in a while."

He shrugged, "I'm always indoors helping my aunt and doing my job." He winked.

Dimitri frowned slightly, "You're job?"

"I'm a masseur. It's a living." He smiled big and revealed his pearly whites.

He nodded. "And how is Rhonda doing?"

He shrugged, "Making predictions, driving people mad. You know, same as before."

"Has she made any new ones?" I was slightly curious as to what she might say about me now.

"You can go ask her. She doesn't have her next appointment until tomorrow morning." He swept in the direction like we were going to follow.

I looked at Dimitri, "Can we?"

He looked anxiously between me and Ambrose, "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

I paused, "I think we can trust her."

Ambrose looked lost, "Trust her with what? All she's going to do is give you a reading."

"Right." I nudged Dimitri. "It's just a reading."

He scuffed, "The last reading I got wasn't the best."

Ambrose forced a laugh, "She just calls them as she sees them. She doesn't cause it."

I pointed at Ambrose, "Very true." I grabbed Dimitri's hand and started walking up to him. "Lead the way."

The walk to Rhonda's felt long. This time I know it was due to all of Ambrose's talking. He kept going on and on about how well Lissa is handling things, how many customers have been coming in, congradulating Dimitri and I on our marriage, and how he still missed Tatiana. Finally we arrived. Ambrose knocked on the door.

"Come on!" Rhonda's voice sounded ominous.

Ambrose peaked his head in, "Aunt Rhonda. Rose and Dimitri were wondering if you had time to give a quick reading."

She let out a surprised laugh, "Oh! Come in, come in!"

I took in our surroundings. The decor had changed quite a bit since our last visit. I smiled and waved, "Hello. It's nice to see you again." I took a seat on a red plush chair. It looked like it was big enough to fit both Dimitri and myself.

She nodded, "And the same to both of you. It's nice to see you made it through your ordeals."

"That we have. I will not say it was easy." Dimitri sat down in the plushy red seat with me.

"No. I would guess it wasn't." Her smile dropped slightly. "So what would you like to know?" She weaved her fingers together and rested her chin on them.

I looked over at Dimitri and back to her, "Well first we wanted to be sure that we have your discretion."

She nodded, "Yes. I take everyone's readings seriously and do not tell others about someone else's readings." She scuffed, "That's just unprofessional."

Ambrose agreed, "Mm-hmm. Discretion is key in our lines of work."

I smirked at him, "I am sure of that."

He blushed slightly, "I have to get back to my own work. I trust you know the way out." He smiled big again, "It was nice seeing you two again. And under much better circumstances."

"Much better." I smiled back.

He bowed out as he exitted the room. "See you later. And good luck."

We both turned back to her. She was already shuffling her tarot cards. "Who goes first?"

Dimitri and I exchanged glances. I shrugged, "I will."

She handed me the deck, "Quick shuffle, cut it into three stacks and place them face down in front of me and join the stacks as you see fit."

Didn't sound too hard. I split the deck and shuffled them together. I tried to split it into three perfect stacks but once I placed them down I did notice the slight differences in height. Guess I wasn't too good at evening things out. I grinned thinking about it. I slid the stacks side by side and the cards joined into one large pile once again. "Okay. Now what?"

She smiled, "Patience." She began to lay the cards out. "This is called the Celtic Cross." She placed two cards in the center forming a cross, four cards surrounded them and finally four cards on the right side of the others. She stared down in thought. "Hmm. That's an interesting hand, isn't it?"

I looked down at them but aside from the artwork I didn't get what she meant. I touched one card that sat in the center that read 'The Lovers'. It had a man and a woman side by side with an angel looking down on them. "What do they mean?"

She grabbed the one I touched. "The Lovers? They are upright so that's a very good sign. It's union and harmony. It could also represent a test on commitment or even a difficult desicion to be made."

"About love?"

She shook her head, "Not necessarily."

I heard a slight sigh from Dimitri. I took his hand in mine and gently squeezed. He smiled and sat up. I looked back to Rhonda, "Well what do they stand for?"

She smiled and started tapping the cards one by one. "Let me start with the cross. The Lovers are the immediate challenge, the one below it was present, the ones surrounding it, on top is best outcome, the left is immediate future, bottom is recent past, and the right is distant past."

"And those?" I pointed to the column of cards on the right.

She brushed my hand back, "We'll get to those soon enough. Let's focus on these." She pointed at The High Priestess, "This is your present. She stands for influence of women, intuition, wisdom and secret knowledge." Her eyes shot to my face, "Do you know a secret? One of great importance?"

I couldn't look away, "Can we please complete the reading first? I'd like to see where this is going."

She clasped her hands together and focused back on the cards, "Oh, me too." She grabbed the top one, "The Chariot. Triumph over adversity, overcoming life's obstacles, decisiveness and ambition in achieving one's goals, well deserved victory. There's a period of struggle ending in worldly success. You gain self control, effort, and perseverance. Working within the boundaries of one's life to build up a successful existence." She nodded. "That is the best outcome."

"Thank god." I felt Dimitri's grip tighten around my hand.

Rhonda laughed, "I think we all hope for that as our best outcome!" She grabbed the one on the right, "Oh. You drew The Knight of Cups." She ran her fingers of the knight's face. "He's change and new excitements, particularly of a romantic nature. A person who is a bringer of ideas, opportunities and offers. He's constantly bored and in constant need of stimulation but yet artistic and refined." Adrian shot through my head. "Hmm. That's your distant past."

I nodded slowly, "Yes, he is." The image of his green eyes lingered in my mind just a moment longer before I snapped back.

She was already holding up the next card, "The nine of swords. Not so good."

"Why? What's that?"

"Your recent past." She laid it back in its place. "Deception, premonitions and bad dreams. You've gone through great suffering and depression, cruelty, disappointment, violence, loss and scandal. This is the card of the martyr and with it comes new life out of suffering."

Dimitri softened his hold on my hand, "That sounds horrible." He looked at me with great concern. "Roza?"

I felt frozen. Shocked even. I couldn't respond. The cards were reading me like a book. And the last two had really hit home. "Yea. Sounds like my life."

Rhonda tsked, "It is not all that bad. You gave up what you could not keep to gain what you cannot lose." The smile on her face was actually comforting. "Shall we go on?"

"Yes." I looked at Dimitri and smiled, "Just one more card, right?"

Rhonda inhaled sharply, "Death!" She covered the whole of the card with the palm of her hand. "It could be the beginning of a new life. As a result of underlying circumstances transformation and change." She raised the card so that I could look directly at it. "The end of a phase in life which has served its purpose. Abrupt and complete change of circumstances, way of life and patterns of behavior due to past events."

I took the card from her hand and held it just inches from my face, "Great. It just had to be Death in my future."

"Immediate future, my dear."

Dimitri took it from me. "The meaning doesn't have to be an actual death?"

She shook her head, "No. Tarot reading is never quite so obvious. It's the meaning that comes from the cards that tells me what lies in the person's past, present, and future."

"I don't think I want to know anymore." I placed my head in my hands.

"Are you sure? You don't even know what they'll tell you?" She touched the four unread cards gently.

I sighed heavily, "What do they stand for?"

She went from bottom to top, "Factors affecting your situation, external influences, hopes and fears, and the final outcome."

I reached out to the final outcome. "Do I really want to know what's going to happen?"

She shrugged, "Some times it's for the best."

Dimitri grabbed my hand, "And it can help you stray from an unwanted outcome."

"It all depends on the paths we choose. Your future can always change." She smiled sweetly.

I sighed and slowly put the card down. "I would rather not know what my future holds." I stayed staring down at it. It was very beautiful. It had a giant sun in the back with a young child riding a white horse. In big bold print on the front of the card was written The Sun. I would just take it in good conscience that it was a good sign.

Rhonda grabbed the card and smiled. "Fear not, dear Rose. It is a bright one." She took my hand and placed the card in my palm. "I want you to carry it with you. As a reminder and just in case you ever want to look me up and ask what it means." She chuckled.

"Thank you, Rhonda." Dimitri and I stood up to leave.

She shot up from her seat, "Wait! Don't you want a reading as well?"

Dimitri shook his head. "The last time I got a reading I wasn't quite so pleased with the outcome."

She laughed out, "I promise you one card could not hurt."

I scuffed and murmered under my breath, "That's what I thought before I drew Death as my last card."

Dimtiri shot me a glance. He definitely heard me. I just smiled innocently. He walked back to her, "Just one?"

She smiled and handed him the deck. "Shuffle and split the cards and shuffle them together again."

He did so. He stayed looking down at the deck and then handed them to her reluctantly. "Now what do I do?"

She held out the deck to him, "Pick a card."

He reached in and pulled out one from the upper part of the deck. It read Judgement. The picture was an angel blowing a horn while looking down on a small group of people. He shrugged, "What does it mean?"

She took the card and inhaled deeply. "Hmm. Well it stands for changes and improvements. Satisfactory outcome to a specific matter or period of life. Joy in an accomplishment." She placed it face up on the deck. "It can be an awakening or rebirth. Renewed health, vitality and mental clarity. Sometimes indicates important decisions that will change the pattern of life for the better."

He laughed softly, "Thank you."

"That's all you have to say about that?" I tugged on his arm as he rose from his seat.

"What more is there to say? I have been given my fortune and I will go with it as best as I can." He gestured to the card, "It's obviously for the better." He bowed his head as he reached the door, "Thank you again."

She waved at us, "Good luck with everything."

We walked out and it was so bright. I was positive now that it was passed bed time. We made it to our building in complete silence and managed to keep from being stopped by anyone. Once we stepped into the room I decided one of us had to break the silence.

"So what do you think the reading means? Is that a good sign?" I laid back on the bad and spread out.

He sat beside me and laid his head on my stomach, "If we are both ending up with a successful future then I would guess it is." I could feel him running his fingers on my skin.

I sighed, "How can you be so calm after everything?"

"What Rhonda said doesn't change a thing. We were heading down these paths either way. Readings aren't always 100% accurate." He turned his face so that we were looking at each other.

I thought back on the cards. They seemed pretty accurate to me. I had been getting flashbacks since we left Rhonda's. I ran my hand through his hair. "I guess you're right."

He pulled himself up to where he was looking straight down at me. "You guess I'm right?"

"Kind of." I tried to pull him down to kiss me but he resisted.

He smirked, "You know I'm right." He slowly lowered his lips to mine but didn't immediately kiss me. He ran his lips against mine softly. "Right?"

I giggled, "Whatever you say, comrade."

He laughed and it rumbled through his chest. He smile slowly disappeared and he stared back at me in all seriousness. He caressed my face and stared down at me so intensely. "It's feels nice being reassured that everything's going to be okay."

"I always tell you it is." I twisted my fingers into his hair.

I felt him wrapped an arm around me and pulled. My back arched and our stomachs were touching. "But coming from someone like my grandmother and Rhonda is more of a guarantee. Your word only goes so far. You're not exactly the most careful person."

I tugged on his hair, "That's not entirely true."

He tugged back on mine, "Prove me wrong." Without another word more he pulled me to him and the kiss was passionate and warm. I felt instant tingles in my chest but I didn't want to pull away. I just went with it. The magic began to flow through my body in smooth waves. Almost like a pulse. Then there it was. That ditzy feeling that made me into a totally love sick high school teenager.

I started trying to tangle up close to his body. He must have noticed because he pulled back a little. The more I got excited the more it seemed like he was trying to calm me down. But I couldn't help it. I wanted him then and there. My body was yerning for his every touch. I rolled him over to his back and I straddled him. I pulled my shirt off over my head and pulled him upright.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and brought his face to my chest. I felt his lips graze my skin and heard him breathe in deeply. I pulled his shirt of and ran my fingers over his chest. The scar looked thick on his flesh. Like it was a misplaced mark on marble stone. I traced the outline of it and smiled.

He grabbed my hand, "That's one."

"I think that's the one that counts the most." I grinned from ear to ear. I still felt so jittery.

He ran his fingers over the scar on my side, "You got one to match."

I shrugged, "Mine wasn't life threatening."

He pulled me back to him for a kiss. Between kisses he murmered, "You are life threatening."

It made me burst out in giggles. For some reason that rhetoric remark was funny to me. I kept trying to remember it was all due to the magic. And it wouldn't go away until we had connected... physically. I began to wrap my body against his and in a matter of minutes I had us both stripped down to nothing.

All that ensued was pure pleasure. His hands explored my body. I don't think there was an inch of flesh that he didn't touch. Moans escaped from my lips and I felt my body releasing the magic little by little. With every climax I felt the excitement die down slowly. Only passion and lust remained.

I pulled the blank up to my chest and tangled myself against him. "We should try that more often."

He laughed, "I knew you were acting a little funny."

"Funny? How?" I rested my head on his chest.

"For one, you laughed at me calling you life threatening." He began running his fingers through my hair.

I laughed, "Yea. I remember that." I started tracing his abs. "Sorry. It just came out of nowhere."

He abruptly stopped, "It summoned itself and took hold without you doing it?"

"Not exactly." I forced a laugh, "I knew it was summoned but I didn't really do anything to stop it from manifesting and flowing."

He sighed and started running his fingers through my hair again. "Then it didn't come out of nowhere, Roza." He said it with a chuckle. He kissed my shoulder and I felt him sink and relax into the bed.

I yawned and stretched my body out against him. "Now I am really exhausted."

"You do that to me as well." I wrapped his other arm around me and snuggled against me. "Are you comfortable?"

I nuzzled my face into his chest and breathed him in. He always smelled so good. "Mmm. Mm-hmm."

"Good night, Roza." He kissed the top of my head. "I love you."

"I love you, Dimitri."

He ran his hand over my stomach, "Cпокойной ночи, малыш."

My dreams were dark and silent. It felt like I had been sitting in the emptiness for eternity when a light began to seep into my view. Scenery shot past me in blurs and paused in the perfect little dream world Adrian had created. I started walking around and finally spotted him. He was sitting by the waterfall with his feet soaking. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Never been this close to the water." I reached out and dripped the tips of my fingers in the cool water.

He shrugged, "I like sitting amongst the trees but I couldn't resist it. The water looks nice, huh?"

I nodded, "Feels wonderful."

"Want to go for a swim?" He smirked.

I made a face at him, "Funny. I'm not stipping down to go swimming."

"Why not? You're already dressed for it."

I looked down and found myself wearing a bikini. It was red with orange trim. I had to admit it was pretty but I was not expecting it at all. "Adrian! Please put me in some real clothes."

When I looked back up at him he was in just swim trunks. He was standing on a large rock, "Come on, little dhampir. Don't be a party pooper. Join me."

He reached out to me. I stood there thinking about it for a while and finally decided. I took his hand and climbed up behind him. "This better not be for some perverse reason."

"I really want to show you something. But we have to be in the water first." He took a step closer to the edge.

I nodded, "Fine. I'm right behind you."

"On the count of three. One, two..." And I pushed him in. I was nice enough to jump in only a second after. I guess you could say that I did jump on three.

I came up but he didn't. Even though the water was so clear I couldn't see him. So I dove down. It felt like a bottomless pool of water. But I still couldn't see him. I was losing air and I couldn't hold on much longer. Where the hell did he go? I started back to the surface and right when I broke through the water he was there. Sitting in the grass with a grin on his face.

"Did you have fun down there?" He laughed.

I splashed some water at him, "Where the hell were you? How'd you do that?"

He shrugged, "That's what I was trying to tell you." He jumped back into the water and took my hand, "Hold your breath." He pulled me down with him. We stopped just a few feet from the top. He looked at me and I felt the spirit connect. "Now I want you to start swimming against the waterfall." I almost spoke but instead I released some air bubbles. "Finally, you cannot argue." I growled but I doubt he even herad it. "Now do as I say and swim against the waterfall."

I took one glance towards the waterfall and all I could see was the water impacting the surface causing bubbles. But I did it. Dispite the little voice in my head telling me that Adrian was crazy, I did it. And I cut through the water smoothly. On the other side of the waterfall was a cave hidden by the water and hanging plants that clung to the rocks.

I stared in awe as I climbed out of the pool. The water was glistening off the smooth stone. I ran my hand on the surface. It was cool and sleek. Adrian climbed out of the water and chuckled.

"So, what do you think?" He ran his hand on the wall. "Isn't this amazing?"

"It's gorgeous. When'd you make this?" I sat down and put my feet in the water.

He forced a laugh, "I didn't. I was swimming, slightly intoxicated, and stumbled upon it."

I was so confused, "So you found a hidden cave in a world that you created that you knew nothing about?"

He shrugged, "That about sums it up."

"How?"

"Aren't you just curious today?" He sat down beside me. "I figure my creation is adding on to itself. I made something alive so it's only natural that it would grow."

"The card was right. You're a bringer of ideas. Artist and refined." I laughed to myself.

He looked puzzled, "What?"

I shook my head, "I, um, had a reading done earlier today."

"Oh, you saw Rhonda." He grinned, "And how did I pop up in the cards?"

I looked down at my hands, "You're the Knight of Cups."

He laughed, "What?"

"She described him to me and the first person that came to my mind was, well, you." I shivered. The cool air on my wet skin wasn't mixing well. "Can we get to somewhere warmer to finish this discussion?"

He nodded, "Let's go back to the cherry trees." He put out his hand and helped me up. He escorted me out from behind some vines and into the warm air. He stopped and looked me over, "Now about this attire." He touched the strap of my top and it stretched into a red T-shirt. Blue jean short covered my bottom half and I felt my feet get engulfed by the tennis shoes that appeared on them. "Better?"

"Thank you."

"Now about this Knight of Cups. What exactly did she say that made you think of me?" His grin was seductive. Like he was flirting.

I slugged his arm, "Please don't hit on me."

"Can I help it if I have natural charm?" He nudged me with his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes, "You mean you're a natural flirt."

He laughed, "Okay. I promise to keep my hands to myself and be a gentleman." He gestured for me to go on.

"Alright. She said he was a bringer of ideas. A change of a romantic nature. He's constantly bored and in constant need of stimulation. And that he's artistic and refined." I sat down in the grass. "It's a card of my distant past."

He sat beside me. "I see. So naturally I came to mind."

"Naturally."

"What did she have to say about your future?" He tilted his head back to look at the sky.

For some strange reason I reached into my pocket. I felt it there. Right at my finger tips. The final card. I pulled it out and sure enough it had the picture of the glorious sun with the young child on a white horse. "The Sun."

By Shadow Kissed Mori