Rose is finally opening up :) I wanted to get some Romitri in here so here it is.

"The darkness I took from Lissa wasn't the only reason my abductors kept me locked up in a room," I confessed, nearly choking on my words. "One night, I was in their basement because I wanted to find out more about them. They had a private room filled with blood bags, documents, experimentation records and videos. My pimp found me there and let me go, but I was taken later that night. His boss—Sebastian—drugged me, and there was nothing I could do as he strapped me down and..." I had to stop for a moment to fight back my tears. Dimitri took my hand in his and rubbed my skin to keep me steady.

"When I woke up," I continued, "I felt different. I was confused. I had no idea what was wrong with me. My throat was burning—actually, everything in my body was burning. The light was hurting my eyes, and the smell of blood was intoxicating. Every possible sense I had was heightened to a whole new level—more than a dhampir or a moroi." I stopped again, unsure as to whether or not I should've even continued.

"Go on," Dimitri encouraged.

"I found the fridge full of blood bags and I just—I just started drinking." The tears finally started to fall. I couldn't hold it in any longer. "I killed someone. I killed the nurse that was trying to help me. She was just getting me water and I couldn't control myself. All I could think about was feeding on her. I'm a monster—"

"Don't even go there. You're not a monster. You're anything but a monster. Just calm down."

"I can't calm down. They did this to my friend. They did the same thing to all the other girls in the house. None of them made it out."

Dimitri's face went pale. "People have died from this?"

"Yes," I said reluctantly. "They either died or turned into a strigoi."

Dimitri pulled away to wipe my tears, but his mind was hooked onto something else. "If that was the case, why did you survive?"

"Because I'm shadow-kissed. Since Lissa revived me from the dead after our car crash, my blood was laced with spirit. When that asshole injected me with strigoi venom, the spirit was fighting against it. For the most part, Lissa's spirit magic protected me—and it's still in me. That's why I can still walk through wards. It's also why I can walk in the sun and enter holy ground."

Dimitri fell silent. He shut his eyes before opening them again, his dark brown eyes staring into mine. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, exactly, but I knew he was trying to process everything.

"This is why you were healing so fast after the strigoi attacked the other night. It's why you were able to pull one of their hearts out. You even resisted their compulsion." He paused, muttering something in Russian before he continued. Now, I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or himself. "And the feeding department! I thought it was weird that you were there by yourself, but I tried to brush it off. I knew something was wrong with you, but...god, I feel stupid now. I can't believe I didn't notice this before..."

"You couldn't have," I said. "My mix is too rare. Nobody could have suspected it."

"There's still some things I want to know," Dimitri said. I nodded, deciding it was best to just be honest about whatever he wanted to know. Fighting against it would only make things worse.

"Do you drink blood?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Okay...how do you get your sources?"

"I've been stealing blood bags from the feeding department," I answered honestly. Dimitri let out a sigh of relief.

"And how often do you...uh, feed?"

"Three times a week."

Dimitri lifted a brow. "That's all?" he asked. I could understand why he was surprised. Both moroi and strigoi drank blood at least everyday. My body ran on food too, and although drinking blood only three times a week made me slightly weaker, it was something I could somewhat cope with.

"Yes," I answered.

"I see," he said, still trying to wrap his head around the new information. "I'm assuming you haven't taken blood from any of your friends or classmates."

"No. I would never do that. I've had those urges before, but I don't want to hurt anyone." I dreaded my next words, but I had to address them. "Listen, I know this is a lot, but if you want to report this to the court, I can't stop you."

"Is that why you were so afraid of telling me?" he asked. "I mean...do you not trust me?"

"No, I trust you, I just..."

"Then why didn't you come to me sooner? You've been going through this alone this whole time."

"It was for my own selfish reasons. It wasn't just because I was traumatized. I was afraid of the royal court finding out and locking me up. I was afraid you would never look at me the same way. I was afraid you'd leave or think I was lying—and I didn't want any of that, as selfish as it may sound."

"It's not selfish. And I would never do that to you," he said. I could hear the pain in his voice now. "Why would you even think that? You mean the world to me. Is that not obvious to you?"

"I'm half strigoi. Don't you get it? I rely on blood to survive. I've turned into the one thing you've been trained to kill for almost your entire life. Can you honestly look at me the same way anymore?"

"It doesn't matter what you are," Dimitri said. "I understand why you were afraid, but you didn't have to be alone. You should've trusted me. I'm always going to be here for you. I'm—"

Dimitri looked like he was on the verge of tears—a very rare look on him. As usual, he held them back before uttering his next words. "I'm never going to leave you. Regardless of what you are—it doesn't define you. No matter what, Roza, I'll always love you."

I could feel myself getting emotional again, but this time, it was for something entirely different. I had been so stressed out and frustrated after keeping my secret for so long. To hear him say those affectionate, yet dangerous words, made me melt inside. All of the fear I had before was gone. Dimitri really loved me—so much that even being turned into some twisted hybrid didn't change that.

"I love you too," I said. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you. You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you. I was afraid you'd have to turn me in, or that...I don't know. Maybe you'd think I was disgusting after what happened to me. After all those people I was forced to be with, I was disgusted with myself—and I still am."

"Roza..." Dimitri pulled me towards him. He sighed and sat on the bed, dragging me with him. Without giving it a second thought, I straddled his thighs and let him hold me.

"I don't think you're disgusting at all," he said, pulling back to cup my sad face. "I would never think that of you. I don't want you to think that of yourself either. You're absolutely beautiful."

"That's not what I feel," I admitted shamefully. "And I still hate myself for killing that girl. Even if I didn't mean to, I still killed her. It doesn't make me any better than those assholes who took me away."

Dimitri shook his head. "Don't compare yourself. Those are rapists and murderers. They trafficked you and turned you into something you never wanted to be. You are nothing like them."

"I'm still trying to get around that...forgiving myself and all."

"Don't worry. I can help you with that. Does anyone else know about this?"

"Yes. Dr. Olendzki found out with the blood test, and Lissa found a blood bag I was hiding in our room. I had to tell her at that point. Dimitri, can you just promise me you won't tell anyone about this?"

"Of course. Your secrets are always safe with me. But you also have to promise me one thing."

"And what would that be?"

"That you won't keep anything from me anymore. And no more lies," he said. "I know you have a tendency to push your feelings away when you're hurting, but I want you to open up about it—at least with me. Don't bottle it up inside. It's obviously affecting you."

"It's not that bad..."

Dimitri stared at me. "Rose, you may be able to fool others, but you can't fool me. I know you."

Truth is, he did know me well and I knew that. I wasn't sure if I hated it or if I loved it. "Fine."

For the first time in a while, I smiled and caressed his face with my hands, staring at him through my lashes. The tension started rising as our faces got closer and closer. I tipped my head to the side, but before I could kiss him, he pulled away.

"Rose, wait. We shouldn't do this."

"Why?" I asked. "Do you not want me? Are you disgusted?" I started to pull away, but Dimitri was quick to reassure me as he wrapped an arm around my waist and held me closely again.

"No, Rose, it's not that. Never that," he said. "Believe me, I want you. I just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. After everything you've been through...well, I don't want to ruin any progress you've made. I don't want you to feel pressured."

"You're not going to ruin anything. I'm not afraid of you, Dimitri. I never have been. Maybe I won't be having sex for a while...but I don't want to avoid intimacy. I know it sounds complicated, but I can't keep running away from it. Let this be a part of my healing process. We can take things slow."

Dimitri leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I whispered, pressing myself closer to him. "Dimitri, please."

Not wasting another second, Dimitri pressed his lips against mine.

Oh my, how much I needed this kiss. I hadn't kissed him in so long. I responded in an instant as he pushed my body closer to his and kissed me with the same love and excitement that was radiating off of my body. He was the only man in this world I could ever be intimate with. With all the trauma from being abducted, I thought for sure that I'd never be able to do things like this again. In this moment, however, I couldn't be more grateful that I was still able to share our love.

I ended up sleeping in Dimitri's room that night. We didn't do anything intimate other than a few tender kisses and cuddles since I wasn't up for doing anything that involved sex. I did want to experience it again with him, and I was sure I eventually would, but my body wasn't anywhere near ready for it. Dimitri said to give myself as much time as I needed to heal and recover from my trauma, and he was right. Both of us didn't rush into anything, but I was more than happy to let him hold me in his arms as we slept.

The next morning, I actually felt content upon waking up. My sleep hadn't been disturbed by a nightmare. It had been so long since having a peaceful sleep. I curled closer to Dimitri's body, resting my head on his bare chest. I smiled against his warm skin as I listened to his steady heartbeat. The sound was loud in my ears, but it didn't trigger my thirst or drive me crazy. It was a beautiful and peaceful sound.

I moved my fingers to his abdomen, tracing the lines of his deeply sculpted abdominal muscles—a result of the hard work he put into taking care of his body. After tracing the same pattern a few times, I rested my hand on his pec and listened to his heartbeat again.

"I didn't say stop," Dimitri said. I jerked my head up.

"You've been awake this whole time?" I asked.

Dimitri chuckled. "I've been awake for almost an hour."

"What? Why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you," he whispered. He placed his hand over mine and moved it back down to his abs. Closing his eyes with a slight smile, he said, "please do that again."

I laughed as I went back to tracing the lines on his abdomen. The smile on Dimitri's face grew, but his eyes remained closed as he relaxed against my touch. Knowing that I could please him even with the slightest brush of my fingertips was enough to make me feel happy inside.

I would have stayed like that for hours if I could, but a knock on Dimitri's door broke us apart. Alberta's voice rang through on the other side. "Dimitri!"

I shot Dimitri a panicked look as I scrambled away from him. "Just a minute!" he yelled, gesturing for me to hide. I considered hiding under the bed, but it was too late as Alberta's hand was already turning the doorknob.

"Oh, come on, what could you possibly be—" she abruptly shut her mouth as soon as she walked in, her eyes widening. Dimitri and I froze, and I couldn't have been more thankful in that moment that I had left my clothes on. It would have looked so much worse if I was naked.

"It's not what it looks like," I blurted out.

"Rose was having a bad dream yesterday...so...I offered her comfort," Dimitri explained. "That's all it was. I swear."

"He was just helping me sleep," I added.

Alberta was still stunned from what she was seeing but finally managed to speak. "What you two do with each other is really none of my business since he's no longer your teacher and now that you're...of age." Turning to Dimitri, she added, "however, if it had been anyone else standing here, it wouldn't have looked very good for you, Belikov."

Dimitri threw his hands up in surrender. "Alberta, I promise you, we didn't—"

"Yes, okay! I believe you!" she said hastily. "Anyways, I came here to tell you we're leaving in an hour—so get ready." After rolling her eyes, she finally left the room.

"That was weird," I said after several moments of uncomfortable silence.

Dimitri shook his head and sighed, disentangling himself from the sheets. "Go pack your things. I'll meet you in the lobby."

I frowned. "We were having such a good time together."

"And I intend on making the rest of it up to you," Dimitri ensured me. "But right now, we don't have the time."

I stood in front of him now, crossing my arms and showing off a ridiculous pout. Dimitri almost fell for my tactic before standing up and spinning me around.

"Pack your things," he repeated with a little more authority. I threw my hair over my shoulder, sticking my tongue out at him before dashing out.

I spent most of my time packing Nevaeh's things which had been thrown around on the floor. I thought I was untidy, but she was on a whole other level of disorganized. Then again, she was only four years old, and all I could really do was chastise her. Sometimes, I felt like a mother to this little girl, but then I remembered that I had no idea how to teach her right from wrong. I certainly wasn't very good at following those rules myself.

We headed down to the main lobby where everyone else was. Dimitri was having a conversation with Alberta, but whatever they were talking about seemed private. I was still a little embarrassed at what she had seen this morning and purposely tried to blend in with the guardians that were waiting to board their luggage.

Upon looking around, I noticed a young guardian walking down one of the stretched hallways. He was the same guardian who had let me into the court's prison. I ran over to him before I could stop myself.

"Hey!" I called. He turned his head over his shoulder but didn't give anything away on his face.

"I thought I recognized you," I said, stepping into his path.

"Ms. Hathaway, right?" he asked. It felt so weird to be addressed by my last name by someone so young. He was probably only a year older than me, meaning he must have recently graduated.

"Just call me Rose," I clarified.

"Sure," he said before clearing his throat. "I'm Jeremy. Is there, uh, anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, there is," I said. Guardians were usually good at keeping their emotions in check, but Jeremy's slight irritation was evident now. He was probably hoping for me to say no.

"I don't have much time," he stated.

"Neither do I. I was just wondering if you could let me see someone else."

This time, he rolled his eyes and walked past me.

"Hey, wait!" I stopped him again, blocking his path.

"I'm not usually allowed to let visitors in," he said solemnly. "I'd have to call another guardian to escort you and most of them are on duty right now."

"Oh, for God's sake," I rasped. "I'm going to be a guardian in a year and I need a damn escort?"

"I don't decide those rules."

"Well...can't you escort me, then?" I asked impatiently.

"I have a guardian meeting to attend," he said.

"I'm departing in less than an hour. I just need to see someone before I go. Please."

Jeremy pressed his lips together and sighed. I was obviously annoying him, but there was a hint of sympathy in his features when he looked at me. "Fine," he finally said. "Who is it you want to see?"

"His name is Damian...but I don't know his last name."

Jeremy nodded, pulling out his phone. "I know who you're talking about. Just wait in the lobby. I'll have someone send him down. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you," I said gratefully, heading back to the lobby where everyone was still waiting. Dimitri and Alberta now looked a little more relaxed. They seemed to notice me right away as I walked over.

"How much time do we have until we board?" I asked.

"About half an hour," Alberta confirmed. "Why?"

"Just wondering. Thanks," I said. Dimitri must have seen the urgency on my face. He definitely knew I was up to something and grabbed my arm before I could walk away.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just—" I gave up at Dimitri's look of disapproval. Really, there was no point in lying to him anymore. He already knew about my secret. He probably wouldn't approve of me going to see Damian, but he was my last resort. Unlike Sebastian, he was probably more willing to cooperate.

"I'm going down to the prison to see someone. I promise it'll be quick."

"Again?" he asked. "Rose, we talked about this. All he's going to do is piss you off—"

"It's someone else. He was trying to help me escape before you rescued me. I need answers, and he's the only person I have left."

Dimitri sighed, exchanging looks with Alberta. She seemed to understand his message and nodded. "Just be quick," she said. Dimitri nodded.

"Alright," he said, turning back to me. "But I'm going with you."

Okay so while I wanted Rose and Dimitri to share some intimacy, I didn't want them going too far or doing anything crazy as I don't think Rose is currently ready to dive into anything after what she's been through. Since Rose is still struggling and beginning to recover, I thought it would be best for them to share more caring and loving aspects with each other instead of just diving into sex (which can certainly be loving as well, I just don't think it's appropriate for Rose at the moment).

Hope you enjoyed, please leave a review!