"Wake up," Dimitri demanded, kissing Rose's lids, cheeks and finally her lips.
"What time is it?" she sighed, curling closer to him, refusing to open her eyes.
"It's 4:30 pm… We're due to train with Eddie in thirty minutes."
Rose bolted upright, looking around to see her room, and Dimitri, bathed in late afternoon sunlight.
"You stayed?" she gasped, noticing that even sitting upright, Dimitri's arms were wrapped firmly around her.
"I didn't mean to," he half lied, his voice low and gravely. He'd brought his gym bag with him, after all, so when he felt himself drifting off last night with Rose in his arms, he didn't fight it. It wasn't something he could allow all the time, but the need to hold his mate as she slept had been overwhelming. "I only woke a few minutes ago. It was pleasant waking up next to you"
"I liked that, too," Rose replied. They'd not done anything beyond kissing last night. Still - Dimitri spending the night in her bed was wonderful. Hers being a twin bed, they must have been pressed tightly against one another all night. And she liked that.
"Where can I clean up? You said you had your own bathroom…?"
"Yes," Rose almost moaned, imagining Dimitri standing naked under the spray of her shower. "The only Novices on this level are Meredith, Chelsea, Angela, and me. There are four communal bathrooms, but since there are only four of us, we've each taken one as our own. You can use mine – no one else goes in there, and no one else is usually up at this time."
Dimitri fought hard to suppress his groan. Even the thought of being in the space where Rose showered aroused him. While he was doing his best to keep things low key as he learned about his mate, Dimitri was ready right now to claim Rose as his own – and thoughts about her showering did not help suppress those longings!
By the time they made it to training at 4:55 pm, Eddie was already waiting. Dimitri entered the gym first, gesturing for Rose to wait a moment or two. By the time Rose walked in two minutes later, Eddie had no idea they'd walked across from Rose's dorm room together.
"What's up first, boss?" Eddie asked as Rose arrived.
"Yeah, Comrade? Choose our punishment," Rose quipped with a smirk. She was still blissed out from Dimitri sharing her bed last night.
"Comrade?!" Dimitri asked, more amused than offended.
"You know – the whole Russian thing. Weren't you all Comrades?!" Rose asked, unsuccessfully attempting to lift an eyebrow.
"I think Guardian Petrov needs to add Modern History to the curriculum," Dimitri joked with a smile. "Come on, you two. Time to run again!"
"You're looking happy," Mason commented as Rose and Eddie joined him at the cafeteria for breakfast. Their training finished, they were ravenous.
"You're not," Rose retorted.
"Moroi Culture Four," Mason explained. Eddie and Rose both groaned, as did Christian.
"It's not that bad," Lissa said, not telling her friends it was actually her favorite subject.
"I just can't remember all the dates and names," Mason grumbled.
"Well you'd better learn," Rose said. "We have a test on Friday."
"I know. I was trying to study for it last night. Is that what you were catching up on?" Mason asked Rose.
"No. But I need to," Rose replied.
"Need to what, little dhampir?" Adrian asked, walking up to their table and catching the last part of the conversation.
"Study for my Moroi Culture Four exam," Rose answered momentarily stunned. Adrian was never awake at this hour. That's one reason she particularly enjoyed breakfast Rose thought, her previous good mood disappearing quickly.
"I could help you with that," Adrian offered. "Aunt Tatiana taught me all that stuff. I know the entire Royal progression from the Middle Ages, plus info on each of the Monarchs, their lives, and reigns." The sad thing was he wasn't lying. As a kid, he'd spent hours trailing Tatiana around the palace listening to story after story about former Moroi kings and queens as his aunt pointed out their portraits.
"That's so kind, Adrian," Lissa jumped in, thanking her Royal cousin. "We could all use the help! I'll see if I can book the small Moroi common room. No one else uses it, and it would fit all of us," she said, looking at the assembled Moroi and dhampir. Lissa knew Adrian had a thing for Rose, just as she understood Rose did not reciprocate his feelings. Like any good friend in that situation, she ran interference whenever she could. "Does tonight suit everyone?"
Rose nodded. She'd prefer to spend another evening in her room reading with Dimitri, but he had said nothing about it this morning, besides which she needed to study.
"Would it be ok if I invited Meredith?" Eddie asked. "She struggles with Moroi Culture, too."
"The more the merrier," Adrian replied caustically. When he'd suggested he could help Rose, he'd had something more intimate in mind. Like just him and her in her dorm room. Somehow his attempt to get closer to the pretty dhampir had ended with him running a cram session for her and her friends. But perhaps it wouldn't be too bad? At least he'd be in her company and she'd owe him one.
"So how did it go with Meredith last night?" Rose teased Eddie in an undertone, ignoring Adrian. "Did she like your moves?!"
"Shut up!" Eddie hissed as he spotted Meredith in line but about to approach their table.
"Oh, Eddie! Can I squeeze your tight, hard muscles?!" Mason trilled in a breathy high-pitched voice, imitating Meredith.
"I said shut it!" Eddie hissed while Rose smacked Mason on the back of the head.
Dimitri pretended not to watch Roza as she trained. He knew her first and third classes were held in the gym, her second – Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection with Stan Alto – in a classroom adjacent to the gym, negating the need for students to shower and change between their combat classes. And Rose in workout clothes was definitely something worth seeing! Skintight workout pants highlighted her shapely legs, her crop top sports bras barely concealing her full breasts. Even hidden beneath a hoodie, due to the weather, his mate was breathtaking.
That he wasn't the only one admiring Rose caught Dimitri's attention. At first, he'd worried Castile might be attracted to Rose – but it soon became clear he was lusting after Novice Meredith Edwards. No; it was red-haired Novice Mason Ashford who couldn't keep his eyes off Dimitri's mate.
"Novice Ashford," Dimitri said, pushing himself off against the wall where he'd been observing Townsend's Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques class and, surreptitiously, Rose. "You are overextending your leg kicks. It takes too much energy and leaves you open to attack while you reposition."
The other students stopped to watch Dimitri slowly demonstrate the correct move to Mason.
"Think of it like a jab but with your foot, not your fist," Dimitri explained, repeating the move but so quickly it was almost invisible. "Go over to the mannequin in the corner and practice it one hundred times with each leg until it becomes muscle memory."
Townsend nodded in appreciation while Belikov leaned back against the wall, satisfied. For the remainder of the session, Ashford would be too busy correcting his technique to admire Rose's ass.
"Belikov? I didn't expect to see you here?" Adrian said, surprised and distinctly unimpressed when the Russian Guardian arrived with Lissa, Christian, and Rose for his impromptu Moroi Culture study session.
"Guardian Belikov is guarding me this evening," Lissa explained, picking up on the animosity between Adrian and Dimitri, yet uncertain of its cause. Rose, Lissa, and Christian seated themselves at the table, pulling out their Moroi Culture texts. Adrian was angling to take the seat beside Rose when the rest of the gang arrived.
"Thanks for including me," Meredith said to Adrian, flopping down beside Rose and eyeing Dimitri up and down. "I suck at remembering all this stuff."
Eddie looked as though he'd tasted something unpleasant hearing Meredith's breathy thanks and witnessing the direction of her eyes.
"I've got the room booked until ten. That gives us two and a half hours to study for Friday's exam," Lissa blithely explained. Moroi and dhampir alike opened their books. They knew the exam was on 'modern' American Moroi history – specifically from the establishment of the first Moroi Court in 1796 in Pennsylvania, the reasons for Court's eventual move from Europe, and the decision-makers integral to the shift.
Dimitri stood to one side of the room, positioning himself where he could watch Rose as she studied. He hadn't anticipated overseeing a study session tonight, but when he'd heard his charge's plans, it pleased him it would occur on a night when he was scheduled to guard. Being apart from his mate sucked, so extra hours in her company was more than welcome; even if it meant watching Ashford and Ivashkov continually check her out!
"So, let's start with the formation of a Moroi Court in Pennsylvania," Adrian announced. Dimitri had to hand it to Adrian; mostly he knew his stuff. Listening to the Royal Moroi playboy's explanations, Dimitri learned Adrian had apparently grown up in the Royal Palace hearing the history of the Royal lineage from his great aunt Her Majesty Queen Tatiana. The same woman who'd taught Dimitri's father, Randall.
As the first Ivashkov of his generation, Randall Ivashkov had been the apple of his aunt's eye. She had indulged his every wish, trying to shape him into the son circumstance meant she would never have. She hoped to make him into a Prince and was eager to see him marry well and start a family. His 'gap year' in Europe becoming two, then twenty, had wounded Tatiana deeply. By the time it became evident Randall would never be the man she'd hoped, it was too late to focus on Randall's brother, Nathan – so she'd started again with Adrian, Nathan's only son. For all the good it seemed to do her.
"…so while people may argue otherwise, the primary motivation for establishing a Court in America was financial. King Mykyta Drozdov believed the new colonies represented an opportunity for Moroi to further prosper," Adrian explained to his captive audience.
"While that is true, to an extent, it's a very simplistic view of what happened. Plus construction on the Pennsylvanian Court did not commence until after Kind Drozdov died," Dimitri interrupted, his voice scathing. "You can't ignore the impact of the Russian plague of 1771 and how that influenced King Drozdov's thinking. Occurring during the 1768 – 1774 Russian-Turkish war, the bubonic and septicemic plagues spread through Ukraine and central Russia - the traditional homes of the twelve Royal Moroi families. Up to three-quarters of citizens fled Moscow where a state of emergency was declared. Shops, inns, taverns, and factories were closed, as were churches, which led to large-scale riots. While Moroi and dhampir have a natural resistance to the plague, the humans Moroi feed from did not. Numerous Moroi contracted the septicemic plague from their feeders, and a good number perished. This led to King Mykyta Drozdov fostering an emigration plan. Moroi families, Royal and not, were encouraged to relocate throughout Europe, and even to the Middle colonies of America. Drozdov sought to ensure the survival of the Moroi by making it geographically diverse, ensuring one plague or epidemic could not wipe out the entire race.
"Royal and non-Royal Moroi moved to England, Turkey, Germany, and America. The early Moroi settlers to America prospered, so it quickly became a tradition for the younger sons of European Royal Moroi families to emigrate here to find their fortunes. By 1796 there was a sizeable number of Moroi immigrants living in Pennsylvania and King Mykyta Drozdov's successor, Queen Vavara Tarus, deemed the construction of a local Court necessary. Lord Lyudmil Ivashkov secured a large parcel of land on behalf of Her Majesty and in 1796 the construction of what we now know as Court began."
"How do you know all this?" Rose gasped clearly impressed, looking at Dimitri with undisguised admiration; something that Adrian also noticed with chagrin.
"I had to study Moroi Culture at St. Basil's," Dimitri replied, preferring not to voice the real reason around others.
Adrian glared at Dimitri before moving on to discuss how and why Moroi shifted their Monarch and government from Europe to America in the early 1900s. Dimitri watched Rose and her friends jot down notes, one of them occasionally stopping to ask Adrian a question.
The truth was the bulk of Dimitri's Moroi education came from the colorful books on the bookshelves back at his family home in Baia. While his mother favored adventure stories, it was his father's many books on Moroi history that had fascinated Dimitri from an early age. An infrequent visitor to their home, every time Randall visited, he'd leave Dimitri's mother bruised, pregnant, and with another shelf-full of books to house – or at least it seemed that way to Dimitri as a child. By the time he beat his father up at thirteen, putting paid to any further visits, Randall had scores of books in Olena and Yeva's home. Dimitri wasn't unaware of the irony of loving the books but hating the man who owned them and resenting the system they represented. Still, they had sparked in him a love of learning.
By the time ten came around, everyone had had enough. Dimitri finished by teaching them a useful mnemonic to remember the Moroi line of succession and they called it a night.
"Thanks so much for all your help tonight, Guardian Belikov," Meredith said, looking at Dimitri demurely. Rose rolled her eyes, Adrian perking up when he assumed this meant Rose did not share Meredith's obvious fascination with the Alpha Guardian.
"Yeah, thanks. You too, Adrian. I might even pass, now," Rose joked.
"You're very welcome. Can I walk you back to your room?" Adrian offered.
"Thanks anyway, but I'm going over to Lissa's," Rose quickly replied, looping her arm through her best friend's. She'd planned to go straight back to her dorm, but was willing to divert if it meant avoiding time alone with Adrian!
"Come on, Meredith. I'll walk you back," Eddie offered giving Mason a look that suggested he make himself scarce.
"You two go ahead. I need to return a book to the library," Mason lied unconvincingly.
Thwarted in his attempts to get some alone time with Rose, Adrian took himself off to the dubious comforts of guest accommodations. While not a complete bust, it hadn't been the night Adrian had hoped for. Rose and Lissa chatted as they walked through the early morning sun toward the Moroi dorms. Christian broke off along the way heading to his own room. While he often stayed overnight with Lissa, he wasn't sure how strict Guardian Belikov would be about the Academy's policy about no co-ed sleepovers, so didn't want to risk it.
"Here we are," Rose said, delivering Lissa to her door.
"Did you want to come in for a while?"
Rose considered. She wanted to talk to her best friend and tell her about what was happening with Dimitri, but she could hardly do that when the man himself was standing guard. And it was late. She'd have to be up at five tomorrow to train.
"Not tonight. Maybe later in the week?"
"Alright then. Night," Lissa said with a yawn, letting herself into the suite she shared with Natalie Dashkov.
"I'll be right in to secure the premises before I guard outside," Dimitri said to his charge before pulling the door so it was almost shut, leaving him and Rose to stand in the corridor outside.
"Are we training at five tomorrow Guardian Belikov?" Rose asked, her voice free of inflection. If Lissa or Natalie were to overhear them, it would sound completely innocent.
"We are," Dimitri replied, using his knuckle to rub Rose's cheekbone tenderly.
"Then I'll see you then. Thanks again for tonight; it was a huge help."
"You're very welcome. I'd be happy to help you and your friends anytime. We could make it a weekly thing if you wish?"
"That's actually a great idea. Let me run it by Lissa and the others. Well, goodnight…"
"Goodnight, Novice Hathaway," Dimitri replied neutrally before briefly leaning forward to brush his lips across hers. "Leave your door unlocked tonight," he whispered before opening the door and walking into the Princess' suite, ready to secure it for the night.
"Hey wait up, Mase!" Rose called out, seeing the familiar red hair of her friend as he walked across to the dhampir dorms. "What are you doing out here?"
"Giving Eddie a chance to walk Meredith back to the dorms alone."
"How's that going?"
"I don't know. He said they kissed yesterday in the gym, but she looked more into Guardian Belikov than Eddie just now…"
"Poor guy. Every time he walks into the cafeteria the Moroi start preening," Rose replied.
"I'd hate to have that problem," Mason said, his voice a little bitter and filled with sarcasm. "Still it's not like he'd sleep with a student."
"Of course not - that would be completely unethical. So, are you prepared for Friday's exam?"
"Thanks to Belikov, I think I might be!" Mason said with a grin.
"He said next year we could maybe make it a regular thing? He has to guard Lissa two nights a week, anyway."
"If he's willing, I'm in. And if Belikov runs it, at least Adrian won't be there ogling you." It was as close as Mason would come to telling Rose about how he felt. She knew – she'd gently let him down several times in the past – yet Adrian's not so subtle advances irritated him. They pissed her off too, truth told.
"Well there is that," Rose replied, wondering how Mason would feel if he knew Dimitri not only wanted her but believed her to be his mate.
"Night Rose. I'll see you tomorrow," Mason said wistfully.
"You too, Ducky!" she replied, taking the stairs to the third level two at a time. The boiler was still out, so it was cold. Getting to her room, and quickly disrobing, Rose changed into flannelette pajama bottoms and a tank top before climbing into bed. As instructed, she didn't lock her door.
It was quarter past one when Dimitri crept up to the senior Novice women's dorm. Slinking silently along the corridor unseen, he opened the door to Rose's room. There was just enough sunlight around the edge of her blind for Dimitri to see her outline. Curled up on her side on the far side of the bed, it was like Rose was waiting for him.
Stripping out of his uniform and down to boxer briefs, Dimitri set her alarm for four-thirty before lifting the duvet and climbing in beside his mate. This was becoming a habit; not that he gave a shit about breaking the rules when it came to being with Rose.
"Dimitri?" Rose sighed, half-waking.
"Yes. Go to sleep, Roza. I'm here now."
Sighing, Rose drifted off, smiling as Dimitri nuzzled her neck and purred them both to sleep.
