"Good morning, Rose? Did you sleep well?" Dimitri asked first thing the next morning. Rose had woken to her alarm, read Dimitri's note, showered, then booked it to the gym, arriving five minutes early.
"Very well," Rose said shyly. Glancing around to make sure she'd not be overheard she asked, "What time did you leave last night?"
"It was early this morning," Dimitri admitted. "We fell asleep. I woke around two."
Rose hadn't had time to think about it, but hearing she might be someone's mate had been unsettling. She didn't know how she felt about the whole thing and certainly wasn't ready to commit to anything.
"You must have questions," Dimitri stated. "I have a book that explains matters. It helped me work through things before I declared." Walking over to his dark gray canvas duffel, he pulled out a well-thumbed copy of Alpha, Beta, and Omega – a Comprehensive Guide, passing it to Rose who shoved it into her gym bag, hiding it at the bottom. They'd covered the basics in a dhampir health class a few years back, but the details had been light, and Rose's recall was sketchy.
"I found it accurate, but if there's anything you want to know—about me being an Alpha or about maybe being a mate—just ask me." Dimitri's words were confident, yet Rose could tell he was apprehensive.
"What if I'm not ready to be a mate?" Rose asked, vocalizing her biggest fear. "What if I don't want to be? We don't even know each other."
"We have the next few months," Dimitri replied optimistically. "Believe me, this wasn't something I expected, either. I'm going to court you, Roza. There's something between us. Something strong. Let's explore that."
Rose smiled. There was definitely something between them and provided Dimitri wasn't hoping to claim her any time soon, she was prepared to spend time getting to know him better.
"Ok," she agreed shyly, turning to face Eddie as he arrived at the gym.
"Damn, Hathaway. That's twice in a week you've beaten me to training," he said with an easy grin, arriving right at five.
"Castile? Hathaway? Let's start with a run," Dimitri said with a satisfied expression.
"Why do you think Belikov wants individual sessions with us on the weekends?" Eddie asked Rose as they walked up to breakfast after their morning session.
"I guess there are things he'd prefer to work on with us solo? I mean – we have different training needs…"
"Still you got the worst of it. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning training? At least Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon leaves me with most of the weekend free…"
"Don't remind me or I'll ask Belikov if we can swap," Rose retorted, not meaning it. She had a pretty good idea why Dimitri had suggested the time-slots he had; she was willing to bet Saturday nights were when he planned to woo her. She was trying not to read too much into the fact he'd also claimed her Sunday mornings…
"I'm just glad he was in a better mood, today. And I'm glad Adrian Ivashkov wasn't watching us train this morning. He's creepy."
Rose nodded in agreement. Adrian was never awake in time to attend their morning training sessions, but he'd attended their afternoon sessions often enough. After the first few times, where Rose had called him out on it, now she ignored him. It still grossed her out, though. It's not like he was there to check out Eddie! In fact, Rose was grateful that with the colder weather she could cover up more when she trained.
"Hey, Liss!" Rose greeted fondly, flopping beside her bestie with an overloaded plate of food. "Sparky," she added nodding at her best friend's boyfriend.
"Oh – the dhampir garbage disposal units are here," Christian replied with his usual snark, gesturing to the enormous plates of food Rose, and then Eddie, placed on the table.
"Hey – at least I don't suck blood to survive," Rose replied good-naturedly, not letting Christian get to her. Cuddling and purring with Dimitri had put her in an excellent mood, as had knowing he'd slept beside her half the night.
A lot of Moroi didn't eat breakfast, choosing instead to just see a feeder. In a bid to spend time with both their friendship groups, Lissa and Christian would breakfast with Rose, Eddie, Mason and a few of the other dhampir, then eat lunch with their Royal Moroi friends.
"How was training this morning?" Lissa asked as Mason joined them. Not an early riser, he looked half asleep.
"Great," Rose chirped. "Belikov was in a good mood," she said leadingly, looking to Eddie for confirmation.
"True. It's like yesterday didn't happen. He's doing individual training with us each weekend. I got Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, Rose has Saturday night and Sunday morning," Eddie explained.
"That will fill up your whole weekend," Lissa wailed. "By the time you train, you'll be tired, and then you'll have to sleep to be up the next morning!"
"It's only for a few months," Rose consoled, not missing Christian's happy expression. She recognized he resented the time she spent with Lissa on the weekends, and that he'd relish the opportunity to hang out with his girlfriend without her around. "The more I train, the greater the chance I'll get to be on your guarding team!"
"But I'll miss you!" Lissa complained.
"You and fire crotch could make Saturdays your date night?" Rose suggested. "With me training in the afternoon, and again the next morning, I will be exhausted anyway… Liss - we can make Fridays our night? I'll train Friday afternoon then not again until Saturday afternoon, so I'll still have time to spend with you."
"But Saturday night is the only time anything exciting happens around here," Mason argued, alluding to the occasional dhampir and mixed Moroi/dhampir parties or movie nights. "You'll miss everything!"
"In a few months, it won't be about parties, Mase. I need to focus on what matters," Rose declared, feeling bad that she was partially lying to her best friends. Yes, her focus was on Lissa and training, but Dimitri's declaration had given her other things to consider. "I need to work on being the best Guardian I can be so I am ready to guard you, Lissa. Guardian Belikov will help me with that."
And with that, all arguments stopped.
"Thank you, Rose," Lissa said, using her more formal 'Royal' voice. "We all understand you're not doing this by choice. I appreciate the lengths you're willing to go to make sure you're on my guarding team." Looking at Lissa, Rose could see the sacrifice she believed Rose was making genuinely moved her.
"Will you both still be able to go to Billings next weekend?" Mason asked hopefully. The annual shopping day was a big thing for those St. Vlad's students who stayed on campus over Christmas and New Year. A day to shop, go to the movies, and hang out in the human world, Eddie and Rose would be bitterly disappointed to miss the opportunity.
"I'm not sure," Eddie said. "Do you think if we explained how it only happens once a year, Belikov might let us off training so we can go?" he asked Rose.
"I'm sure he will," Rose replied wondering whether she could convince Dimitri to accompany her on the trip. She felt like she barely knew the man, yet somehow, she was certain once she explained how important it was to her, he'd let her go. Eddie, too. Looking around the cafeteria, she was disappointed Dimitri had not chosen to eat breakfast here. Guardians could eat at the Guardians' Lounge or the cafeteria. While Rose didn't blame the guy for choosing to eat with the Guardians, she would have enjoyed observing him more. Being Alpha he'd have to eat a lot. All dhampir did, but Alpha in particular. Rose wondered if he liked American food and whether it was different from what he'd had in Russia.
"… so she'll travel overnight then be collected from Billings at dawn."
Rose tuned back in as Christian finished. "Who's traveling?"
"Christian's aunt, Tasha," Lissa explained, used to Rose tuning out. "She's coming to campus for Christmas."
"How long is she staying?" Eddie asked curiously. Of those at the table, only Mason and Rose had a living parent. Mason saw his mom every summer when he returned home for the break, while Rose lived year-round on campus, having only seen her mother once or twice when she'd visited over the years. A relative coming for Christmas was a novelty for all of them.
"She's not sure. At least a few weeks? Maybe a month?"
"I'm sure you're looking forward to spending lots of time with her," Rose responded with an arch smile. Sparky's amorous activities might have to take a backseat to his aunt's visit!
"You've both done well," Guardian Belikov remarked at the end of their afternoon training session. The sun was coming up, and the Novices were tired, but a bit of positive feedback was always welcome. "Castile? I can already see you disguising your tells. And Hathaway? You are seeing more of the subtle signs before an opponent acts. Well done!"
It had been a weird day. As he'd foretold, Guardian Belikov had been near Rose nearly all the time. He'd appeared after breakfast, guarding or assisting in the senior Novice morning combat classes, was nearby in the cafeteria during lunch, and then guarded all her afternoon classes bar pre-calculus. Secretly, Rose was relieved he hadn't been there to bear witness to her lack of mathematical skill. While punching and fighting came naturally to her, functions and formulas did not!
"Thanks, Guardian Belikov," Rose smiled, giving Eddie the look to disappear. They'd agreed Rose would be the one to ask Dimitri about having the weekend off training to go to Billings, so when Rose gave him the eye, Castile headed for the change rooms without comment.
"Do you have plans after dinner tonight?" Dimitri asked urgently as soon as Eddie was out of earshot.
"Walking Lissa to her dorm, then I thought I'd read some of that book you gave me."
"Can I join you?" Dimitri asked.
"You want to walk Lissa with me?" Rose asked with a smirk, knowing that wasn't what Dimitri meant.
"No, Roza. I want to spend time with you."
"We've been within thirty feet of each other most of the day," she teased.
"Not alone," Dimitri replied, growling softly. Rose shivered. Dimitri's proprietary rumble did things to her.
"My room at eight?" Rose suggested looking up at Dimitri under her lashes. She didn't need to flirt; she was as curious to learn about Dimitri as he was her. "If you use the back stairs, you're less likely to be seen."
"Until eight," Dimitri replied, checking the gym before grasping Rose's hand and raising it to his lips, kissing it gently.
Rose almost floated to dinner, her mind full of Guardian Belikov and the possibilities of the evening ahead.
"You're looking happy," Mason commented, studying Rose as she joined the dhampir table for dinner. Mason Ashford had been crushing on Rose since grade school. While she loved him as a friend, it would never be anything more - not that Mase had got that memo!
"I am! Ivashkov didn't show up for training, plus Di… Belikov was in a happy mood."
Mason stared at Rose searchingly. Something was going on with her, but he wasn't sure what.
"Rose! I heard you're training with Lissa's new Alpha morning and night!" Meredith said, dropping into the vacant spot beside Rose, ignoring her tray and dinner as she tried to pump the latest out of her friend.
"Guardian Belikov," Rose confirmed, a part of her objecting to hearing Dimitri referred to as Lissa's Alpha. "And yes, Eddie and I are training with him every day. Even weekends."
"What's he like?" Meredith pressed. Like the rest of the senior class, she'd seen Dimitri in the morning combat classes, then guarding the mixed Moroi/dhampir subjects after lunch, but so far, he'd been distinctly taciturn, so his personality was a subject of conjecture.
"He's… nice?" Rose said with a shrug, looking at Eddie who sat beside Mason. "He knows his stuff training-wise."
"But what's he like?" Meredith insisted. "Does he have a mate? If so, where is she? What about his past?"
Rose was relieved when Eddie answered Meredith. He'd had a thing for her the last year and would take any opportunity to converse with her.
"He doesn't talk about personal things, but I don't think he has a mate. He said something about a former charge, but other than that he mostly talks about training and technique."
Nodding her head in agreement, Rose was relieved when Meredith accepted Eddie's assessment, not pushing further.
"What's he teaching you? Maybe you could show me in the gym after dinner?" Meredith suggested, addressing her question to Rose.
"Normally, I'd be happy to, but I have homework to catch up on. Eddie? Are you free to show Meredith some of Belikov's moves?"
Eddie lit up like a firework on the fourth of July! He might not be Alpha, but he was still the top male Novice in their year. Everyone at the table pretended not to see Meredith considering her options.
"I wouldn't want to impose, but if you have time…" Meredith said leadingly.
"Happy to," Eddie replied, looking like the cat who ate the cream. Rose shoved food into her mouth to suppress a giggle. Now Eddie would think he owed her one, even though he was helping her out by getting Meredith off her back so she could enjoy Dimitri's visit!
"Lord Ivashkov," Alberta greeted as the Royal Moroi knocked on her office door. At 8:00 am she should have finished hours ago, but such was the life of the Head of Guard at St. Vladimir's – there was always something to do.
"You wanted to see me?" Adrian asked urbanely. He hated to admit it, but something about Alberta scared him a little. It was the way she was always fair and balanced but took shit from no one. She reminded him of his dhampir Nanny growing up – a formidable woman if ever there'd been one.
"I did. I understand you've been watching Eddie and Rose train after hours in the gym?"
"Yes. I went to Alder, which as you know is Moroi only. I've never seen Novices train, so it's interesting to me." He knew better than to reveal his real motivations for observing Rose. Telling Alberta he didn't want to stay away from the pretty Beta dhampir would not bode well!
"Be that as it may, Lord Ivashkov, if you wish to observe Novice training, please confine it to during scheduled class times. I appreciate that the senior Novice class train while you are practicing your element with Princess Dragomir, but you're welcome to study the Junior year training class after lunch."
"If that's what you prefer," Adrian replied, mentally fuming. Belikov must be behind this. He'd been watching Rose and Eddie, sometimes with Mason, train for weeks and nothing had been said. Belikov shows up, and suddenly the gymnasium is out of bounds.
"It is," Alberta said with a brusque nod.
Walking back to Guest Accommodations, Adrian plotted how he could spend more time with Rose. Between her schoolwork and training, she was hardly ever available.
Rose had been back in her dorm room only minutes when there was a soft knock.
"Come in," she whispered, opening the door quietly to Dimitri. Stepping inside, Rose noticed he was wearing casual clothing. Dark jeans and a fitted button-up, he looked good enough to eat. Carrying his gym bag with him, Rose had no idea about his intentions.
"Good evening," Dimitri said closing the door before carefully moving toward her. Leaning down he lightly brushed his lips against hers. Each sighed at the sensation that passed between them.
"How was your day?" Rose asked shyly.
"Good, and getting better," Dimitri replied. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to her bed. Other than the single desk chair, it was the only place to sit in Rose's room. Waiting for Rose's nod, Dimitri slipped off his boots and climbed onto the bed, resting her pillow against the bed head so he was sitting up. Unlike last time, Dimitri opened his legs, gesturing for Rose to sit between them. When she obliged, he nuzzled her neck, pulling her back until she was leaning against his chest, his arms draped around her.
The sun bright outside, Rose hadn't bothered closing her blinds. No one could see into her dorm room, anyway.
"You were going to read?" Dimitri asked, his breath tickling the side of Rose's neck, reaching a long arm out to pick up the book from Rose's, now clean, study desk.
"That was the plan," Rose said, wondering how much reading would get done now her potential mate was here.
"Then let's read." Dimitri opened the book to the first pages which gave a brief overview of Alpha, Beta and Omega states in dhampir. Cuddled in Dimitri's embrace, Rose let Dimitri hold the book, turning the page when she'd read each spread. Soon they were into the first section. Alpha.
"If you have questions going along, just ask me," Dimitri volunteered. "Nothing is off-limits – whether it's about becoming and being Alpha or my life before meeting you."
Rose nodded, her eyes running over the words on the page in front of her.
"You have scent glands?" she blurted out, staring at a diagram in front of her.
"You do, too. They run all over your body, but the strongest are in your neck, armpit, breasts, and groin. Same for me. That's why we both enjoy nuzzling one another's neck. Your scent is strongest there."
"It says here you can mark me with your scent via your glands?"
Dimitri nodded, dropping a kiss behind Rose's ear.
"The more time we spend together, the more you will smell of me, and me of you. Moroi and Beta can't consciously detect it, although they seem to sense it on some level, but it is a warning to other Alpha. If an Alpha detects my scent on you, they know not to pursue you as a sexual partner."
"You'd warn other men off me?" Rose asked, suddenly feeling like a bit of meat.
"It's not like that," Dimitri soothed, purring softly and running his nose and cheek against the scent glands in Rose's neck until her anger passed. "Scenting is not a conscious thing… Smelling the scent of an Alpha on a human, Moroi or dhampir makes them… uninteresting to me. It's hard to explain. It's not an aversion… more it's a way of saying that person is spoken for."
"So you get to run around being a sex symbol to half the Moroi and dhampir on campus, while your scent makes me out of bounds?!" Rose snapped, starting to lose her temper again. "What if I want to play the field?!"
"Do you?" Dimitri asked, his voice low and gravelly. Turning to face Dimitri, the look in his eyes made Rose shiver.
"No. But it's the principle of it!" Rose snapped.
"Your scent would also be on me," Dimitri offered.
"What? For all those female Alpha on campus to take notice of?!" Rose scoffed, knowing there weren't any.
"No. While Moroi and Beta don't consciously pick up on it, they'd get a sense that I am taken… Besides; Alpha are protective and monogamous with their mate."
"Really?! Because I have heard Alpha sleep around. Like a lot."
"That might be true for some Alpha, but once we find our mate, we are completely and indisputably monogamous."
"I'm not your mate, yet," Rose reminded Dimitri, nonetheless pleased by his words.
"You are, in my mind," he declared, continuing to run his nose up and down Rose's neck, kissing it occasionally as she continued to read.
