"What time is your aunt arriving?" Rose asked, stretching as she followed Christian and Lissa from the room where they'd endured their Moroi Culture exam. Confident she'd done well, Rose wanted to thank Dimitri for his help, but surprisingly he wasn't around.

"Any minute now," Christian replied, appearing happier than Rose had ever seen him.

"Guardian Belikov went to collect Tasha from the airport at Billings. She was coming in on the red-eye," Lissa explained, all smiles now the last exam of the year was done. Classes finished this afternoon, Friday the twentieth of December, and would not restart until Monday the thirteenth of January. A long gap, the Academy always ceased classes the Friday before the twenty-fifth of December, restarting them the Monday after the Russian Orthodox Christmas in January.

"Where will she stay?" Rose pressed curiously. Christian had been pretty clear that his aunt was unconventional. With many Royal Moroi visiting over Christmas to see their kids, Tasha Ozera in Guest Accommodations seemed unlikely given Christian's descriptions.

"I offered that she could stay with me since I don't have a roommate," Christian said, "but she said she'd prefer a room of her own. Besides, she wants to be as far away from other Moroi as possible. Last I heard, Guardian Petrov was going to sort something out."

They hung out for an hour and a half in the smaller Moroi common room they'd recently commandeered as their own. No one else used it, so no one objected to Rose, Mason, Eddie, and Meredith being there with Lissa and Christian occasionally. Tonight, Lissa, Christian, and Rose watched a movie, headed to dinner, and were walking back across the commons toward the Moroi dorm block trailed by Guardian Chaung when a black SUV pulled up on the driveway almost in front of them. Dimitri stepped out of the driver's seat, going around to open the tailgate then the side door. A tall, slim Moroi stepped out—immediately identifiable in the early morning sun by her black hair and bright blue eyes. Other than the ragged scar running down one side of her face, she was honestly an older female clone of Christian.

"Tasha!" Christian exclaimed, walking over and wrapping her in a tight hug while Lissa and Rose hung back. Dimitri pulled a canvas duffel bag out of the rear of the SUV. Rose was surprised. Tasha traveled light; more like a dhampir than a Moroi! Beckoning his girlfriend and her friend over, Christian made the introductions. Rose could tell Lissa was nervous—this was, after all, the first time she'd met any of Christian's family—but Tasha soon put her at ease.

"Did they work out where you're staying?" Christian asked, spotting Belikov standing to one side with Tasha's bag.

"Yes. Guardian Petrov rang on the way here. She suggested I stay in the senior dhampir dorm wing. Apparently, it is all but deserted, and she promised to have the boiler fixed so it would be warm!"

"You didn't tell me the boiler was broken again! You could have stayed with me," Lissa chastised Rose, upset at the thought of her best friend shivering in a chilly dorm room. "I wish you'd tell me when it happens!"

"Honestly, Liss—it would be more noteworthy if I'd told you it was working," Rose replied sarcastically. "You know it's always on the blink."

The boiler had been out of service for a few weeks, as it was wont to do every winter. Rose knew Alberta knew about it—she and the other Novices had mentioned it more than once—but fixing anything in the dhampir dorms was low on the Academy's maintenance schedule. While Rose was thankful Alberta had manipulated the situation to get the boiler repaired—no Royal Moroi being expected to endure a Montana winter without heating—it sucked that the comfort of an entire building of Novices rated less than one visiting Moroi, and one with a reputation at that.

"You'll be near me, then," Rose addressed Tasha pleasantly, determined not to get Christian's aunt offside. "Did Alberta give you a room number?"

"Three-twelve? She said I'd share a bathroom with just one other."

"Well, since your room is next to mine, I guess that would be me!" Rose said, her eyes briefly flicking to Dimitri and suddenly feeling a little less kindly disposed to Christian's aunt. The walls in dhampir dorm rooms were notoriously thin; there was no chance Dimitri could visit or stay over if someone was occupying the room next door.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lissa declared enthusiastically.

"Isn't it," Rose said, wondering whether anyone noticed the flat tone of her voice.

"Wow, this really is basic," Tasha said a few minutes later looking around her allocated dorm room in surprise. Lissa and Christian seemed shocked, although Lissa shouldn't have been—she'd visited Rose's dorm room before. "Still, it won't be so bad once they fix the boiler."

"I think it already has been," Rose replied. Yeah, it was still chilly, but it was a good deal warmer than it had been a few hours ago. "Even when it's working, it never works well…"

"Don't worry—heaps of Moroi students have gone home for Christmas. There's a small Moroi common room we've been hanging out in. It's warmer there, so here will just be for sleeping... And if it gets too cold, I'm sure they can find you a room in the Moroi dorms," Christian offered.

Tasha looked as though she was seriously considering it as an option, but shook her head and said cheekily, "Or maybe I just need to find someone to help me keep warm?" She looked right at Dimitri as she said it. Pretending not to hear her, Dimitri put Tasha's bag on her bed before turning to Rose.

"There's no training tonight because of the trip to Billings. In fact, take the whole weekend off. We'll resume training on Monday."

"There's a trip to Billings planned?" Tasha asked Christian, missing the loaded look between Rose and Dimitri.

"Tomorrow. It's so we can shop for Christmas and all that. I think there're spare seats; did you want to come?"

Given Tasha lived in the human world, a trip to a mall probably little interested her. That said, she was here to spend time with Christian.

"Do just students go?" Tasha asked Christian, meanwhile eyeing Dimitri as though he was some tasty morsel she couldn't wait to wrap her mouth around.

"No heaps of Guardians come too. Some are on duty guarding, but most of the off-duty Guardians also come. They need to shop for Christmas, too." Rose's eyes were on her mentor as she said this. When she'd last asked, he hadn't decided whether he would attend.

"Will you be going, Guardian Belikov?" Tasha asked him in a breathy voice.

"Yes. My sisters have a list of things they want me to buy to send home to Russia."

"Well, I'd be happy to show you around. Leave these young ones to do their own shopping?"

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary Lady Ozera," Dimitri said formally, excusing himself before leaving the room.


Guardian Matthews had drawn the night shift for Lissa, so was sitting in the smallest Moroi common room an hour later with all the gang. Most of Lissa's Royal Moroi friends had traveled home for Christmas, so she and Christian had invited Rose, Eddie, Mason, and Meredith to join them with Tasha hanging out.

The boys were busy playing a car racing game on the X-Box, a novelty for Eddie and Mason as the dhampir common rooms had nothing like that. And while the boys played, the girls chatted—sharing a large bottle of Schnapps Tasha had brought with her. Strictly speaking, Guardian Matthews was meant to report underage drinking, but she liked the Princess and her dhampir friends, so she wouldn't be saying anything.

"How lucky are you to have scored an Alpha as your head Guardian?" Tasha trilled to Lissa once she was sure the boys were suitably engrossed in their game. "I nearly died when I saw him waiting for me at the airport. Not that he's much of a conversationalist…"

"He doesn't say a lot," Lissa agreed, surprised at Tasha's comments.

Rose kept her thoughts to herself. When they were alone, she and Dimitri had no trouble finding things to talk about. In fact, Belikov was surprisingly loquacious.

"So is he mated?" Tasha asked Rose, aiming for nonchalance.

Meredith stepped in. "If he is, she's not here on campus…"

"Hmm… an unmated Alpha… I wouldn't mind helping him ease his tension," Tasha tittered. "Believe me; there is NOTHING like an Alpha!" she added knowingly, lifting her eyebrows as she surveyed the young women in front of her.

"Have you," Meredith looked around her cautiously before continuing, "been with an Alpha before?"

Christian's aunt looked like the cat who'd had the cream. "Not just one," she said with a soft giggle. Checking Christian and the boys were paying no attention, she whispered conspiratorially to Lissa and the other girls, "Once you've had an Alpha nothing else quite measures up!"

Rose was curious despite herself. Sure, she and Dimitri were in the early stages of a relationship, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious about that aspect of things.

"What's it like?" Meredith asked, sounding awed and hanging on Tasha's every word.

"Firstly, an Alpha is bigger than any human, Moroi or dhampir I've encountered. And their stamina is second to none. My first time with an Alpha, I could barely walk the next day!" Rather than sounding distressed, Tasha happily recounted her experiences. "He was amazing! He made me cum numerous times before he knotted. When we were locked together, he came for ages, his knot giving me even more pleasure."

"That good?" Meredith almost moaned.

"Even better!" Tasha said with a guilty laugh. "Most unmated Alphas are open to a roll around the sheets… I'm hoping I might tempt your Guardian Belikov while I am here."

Thinking about Tasha and Dimitri together pissed Rose off. He was meant to be her mate, Vladammit! Even though she wasn't ready to seal the deal, there was no way she'd allow another woman to do so, and she'd make sure Dimitri well and truly understood that!

"Has he said anything about partners or mates during training?" Meredith asked Rose, sounding as excited as Tasha.

"Not a thing. He does spend a lot of time watching Eddie, though," Rose added wickedly. As one, Meredith and Tasha gave despondent sighs. A gay male Alpha was not common, yet not unheard of.

"I think he's heterosexual," Guardian Celeste Matthews commented, joining the conversation for the first time.

"What makes you think that?" Tasha asked, her voice eager again.

"MacAllister said he doesn't use the communal men's showers. If he was gay and looking for a mate, surely he'd put himself on display?"

"And what a display it would be," Tasha moaned. "You must love your training sessions, Rose?"

"I guess. Sometimes he's ok, but sometimes he's an asshole and bitchy as hell."

"Maybe he's frustrated because he's coming into rut?" Tasha giggled.

"Rut?" Meredith and Rose asked at the same time. This was something that hadn't been covered in their health class.

"Once a year Alpha rut. Basically, for a few days, they're super horny and easily turned on. When they rut, an Alpha will fuck anything in sight. An Alpha in rut would shove his cock into a vacuum cleaner if it got him off," Tasha explained with a laugh. "If he is about to rut, I'd be more than happy to help Guardian Belikov out with his problem!"

"And that's a mental image I could have lived without," Lissa muttered with a shudder so only Rose could hear. While she liked her boyfriend's aunt, her frequent sexual comments were a bit much and not quite seemly, in Lissa's opinion.

Rose silently agreed, imagining Tasha as a thirty-something-year-old Hoover was gross! But rutting was something Rose needed to add to her list to ask Dimitri about.

"So how long are you planning to stay on campus, Lady Ozera?" Guardian Matthews asked, uncomfortable with this discussion about Belikov. Sure, the dude was a fine male specimen, but he was also her boss and colleague and had been nothing but professional so far. She didn't like to hear him spoken about like a piece of meat.

"Call me Tasha, please! And I'll stay until the new year. Maybe longer if I find a reason to."


"Rose! There you are."

"Wassup, Alberta?" Rose asked as the senior Guardian approached where she was standing with Eddie, Mason, and Meredith. It was the morning of the shopping trip, or her yearly get out of jail day as Rose considered it.

"Just a little something for today," Alberta said, discreetly slipping Rose an envelope. True orphans at the Academy got a small allowance each week to buy whatever they needed, the other students getting money from their families. Strictly speaking, Rose was not an orphan, but since her mother Janine rarely visited and never sent money, she might as well be.

It hadn't been so bad when the Dragomirs were alive. Kind-hearted Rhea had always bought for Rose as well as Vasilisa. But now they were gone, the Princess had her trust-fund, and Rose had nothing—which is why Alberta was giving Rose an envelope of cash.

"Thanks, Alberta," Rose said, surprising the older Guardian with a hug.

"Buy yourself something nice," Alberta ordered before slipping away to calm down some over-excited juniors.

"Good morning, Hathaway. Castile," a deep voice greeted, its owner coming over to their group. "Looking forward to today's trip?"

"Hey, Guardian Belikov," Rose replied, smiling even more now she saw him standing there. With his chin-length hair out, and wearing a long leather duster, Dimitri in casual clothing was a sight worth seeing. "I can't wait! It's been a year since I last hit the shops! Do you have a lot to buy?"

"My sisters, mother, and grandmother have given me a long list," he replied, the sides of his mouth curling into a soft smile. "What about you, Castile?" Dimitri asked, drawing him into the conversation so it wasn't just him and Rose.

"Just Christmas presents. Some people are hard to buy for," he said, his eyes flicking momentarily to Meredith.

"I can imagine," Dimitri replied, his eyes meeting Rose's.

"Rose!" Lissa was so excited, her piercing voice could shatter glass. "I can't believe we're going off-campus!" she said, striding over to the group and putting her arm around her best friend. She'd just come from the feeders along with Christian and Tasha, dutifully followed by Chaung and MacAllister, both dressed in casual clothing but no doubt still packing silver. Even though they were traveling in daylight, they'd be outside wards, so Lissa needed to be guarded.

"Morning Belikov," Chaung professionally greeted. "Today's your day off—are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely. You and MacAllister will guard until midday, then Matthews and I will take over."

"That's kind of you," MacAllister commented, appreciative he'd have a chance to shop instead of trailing the Princess around the mall all day. Officially, Dimitri and Matthews had today off. They were both within their rights to enjoy the trip while he and Chaung guarded.

Dimitri shrugged. "We're part of a team..."

Walking away from the group before Tasha Ozera had a chance to proposition him again, Dimitri checked in with Guardian Matthews, confirming the guarding arrangements before choosing a seat near the back of the first bus. Pulling out a Western novel, he appeared deeply engrossed, while really he was pondering what to buy Roza for Christmas. They hadn't discussed gifts—hell they'd hardly discussed anything - but as the first of hopefully many Christmases together, Dimitri wanted to buy his mate something special.


Christian and Tasha sat next to one another close to the front of the bus. Rose took the window seat in the same row so Lissa could easily chat with Tasha across the narrow aisle. The two Moroi women planning which shops they wanted to hit up, Rose opened the envelope Alberta had given her.

Whoa! There was five-hundred and fifty dollars in it! Combined with the seventy-five she'd earned fleecing Royal Moroi at billiards, Rose could buy herself some stuff this year! Her Christmas shopping list was mercifully brief. Years ago, a mutual lack of funds had led to an agreement with Mason and Eddie not to buy for each other, and more recently Christian and Rose had agreed likewise. So the only people Rose needed to buy for were Lissa, Alberta, and now Dimitri!

Lissa was easy. She liked Chanel Le Vernis nail polish. At close to thirty dollars a pop it was expensive, but once a year Rose could manage it. Lissa had been talking about a new color, Ballerina so that made an easy Christmas gift.

Alberta was always tricky to buy for, but Rose knew she had a soft spot for the kids of her former students, and she was a big-time knitter! A supply of baby-soft wool in pink, mint, blue, lemon, pale gray and white would keep Alberta well-stocked in her chosen hobby. So that left Dimitri. Rose was torn about him. He believed that they were mates—and that there was a connection was undeniable—yet despite the sleepovers, they really were just courting. Rose wanted to give him something, however she had no idea what! Hopefully, she'd know it when she saw it.

"Will you join us this morning?" Lissa asked, tuning back into Rose after half an hour chatting with Tasha.

"No can do! I need to do my own shopping this morning," Rose said, attempting to be mysterious. Not that she didn't want to shop with Lissa, but she wanted a few hours to check out the perfect gift for Belikov and she couldn't do that with Lissa around. "I'll meet you in the food court at twelve. We can shop together after that?'"

Lissa was ok with this. She had a list of thirty-plus shops she wanted to see—she'd reorganize her schedule, so the afternoon shops were the ones she wanted to visit with Rose.

"You're not usually into shopping?" Lissa quizzed.

"Alberta was extra generous this year. I can afford to buy stuff this time," Rose explained, unthinking of the implication behind her words.

Lissa did not let on, but she remembered the role her mother once played in clothing her dhampir best friend. Gone these last two years, beyond Alberta's small monetary gifts each year, Rose had no money of her own. Last year Lissa dragged Rose around the shops, trying to convince her best friend to buy up big on her trust-fund allowance, Rose declining anything not strictly necessary. Lissa congratulated herself that slipping Alberta an extra five-hundred to include with Rose's usual fifty dollars was an inspired move on her behalf. Now Rose could afford to buy extras for herself without feeling guilty.

"What are you thinking of getting?" Lissa asked, still planning to pay for whatever she could for her best friend.

"Other than Christmas presents, I'm thinking a few pairs of jeans and maybe a new duvet? The Academy one is so thin. It's a matter of days before the boiler dies again; a warm duvet and maybe an extra blanket would be nice." Rose's thoughts centered on how she'd need the extra warmth since, thanks to Tasha, Dimitri could no longer visit her at night. It had only been days, but whenever he was there she was warm and happy. "What do you want to get?"

"The usual. New makeup, clothes, and lingerie," Lissa said, answering without thought. "Plus Christmas presents!"

"Well I need to Christmas shop too, so I'll meet you at midday then I can help you with your selections."