"I'm so tired," Lissa yawned, leaning against Rose in the bus on the way home. The shopping trips taking place during sunlight hours, everyone had been up for almost twenty-four hours. While Novices trained to endure lengthy shifts, the same could not be said for Moroi. The long day, combined with the sunlight, had done Lissa in.

"Go to sleep—I'll wake you when we get to the Academy. Since I have the weekend off training, I thought I could do a sleepover at yours?"

Rose had been trying to find a chance to talk to Lissa about Dimitri. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but with training and everything else going on, she hadn't had a chance.

"We should invite Tasha! Natalie won't mind if Tasha uses her room while she is away."

"Can we just have us two? I haven't seen a lot of you lately." Rose hated to pull the guilt card however, it was important to her Lissa heard about her and Dimitri sooner rather than later, and she didn't want Tasha to be part of that discussion.

"I'm sorry. We haven't had much time alone, have we? We'll all be wrecked tomorrow, anyway. You can stay at mine, and we can lounge around, watch movies and you can help me wrap Christian and Tasha's Christmas presents." Rose nodded, resting her head against Lissa's as the Moroi Princess fell asleep on her shoulder. The sun was setting as the coach pulled up in front of the Moroi dorms. Rose woke Lissa and helped her up to her room. Dimitri and Celeste followed, bringing up the Princess's shopping.

"You can go, Celeste. I'll stay until Naismith turns up," Dimitri murmured.

"Thanks, Belikov. After night shift, then shopping, I'm wrecked."

Rose tucked Lissa into bed, closing the door to her room as Dimitri secured the suite. "Guardian Naismith will guard the Princess while the team rests. He should be here in thirty minutes."

"Then we have some time to ourselves," Rose remarked, pulling Dimitri down to sit beside her on Lissa and Natalie's sofa. Moving so they were sitting close, Rose stroked Dimitri's hand. "I want to tell Lissa about us… I need to talk to my best friend about how I'm feeling and what's going on... You have to understand; this is all new to me."

"Ok."

"Ok?" Rose repeated in surprise. She'd been certain Dimitri would be against her saying anything to his charge.

"If it's important to you, then I'm ok with it. When we bond, we will be promised together forever. The Princess needs to understand that."

"You think I will agree to bond with you?" Rose teased, her eyes locked with Dimitri's.

"I know it," Dimitri declared. Their lips met, Rose climbing onto Dimitri's lap straddling him as they kissed. Gentle, at first, soon Rose was grinding against the rock-hard length in Dimitri's pants as he reached underneath her top to fondle her breasts. Feeling her nipples pebble under his fingertips, Dimitri groaned. He wanted to tear Rose's sports bra and shirt from her body and suckle on her sweet twin tips. He knew he could make her cum in minutes just with his lips!

Doing his best to hold back, the scent of his mate's arousal was thrilling as was the heat he could feel between her thighs. Dimitri knew Natalie's bed was vacant, and his charge all but comatose. All he wanted to do was take Rose into the absent Moroi's room and make her HIS!

A rap at the door had them jumping apart; Rose smoothing her hair and shirt, Dimitri adjusting himself as he muttered mutinously in Russian. Opening the door to Guardian Naismith, Dimitri did the required handover, brusquely explaining Novice Hathaway would stay with the Princess. With a final look at Rose, Dimitri departed—bound for a freezing shower then a lonely bed.


"I can't believe I slept for so long!" Lissa said hours later, stepping out of the bathroom she and Natalie shared.

"You must have needed it," Rose replied. "Come on—I'll take you to the feeders, then we can pick up some food from the cafeteria."

Naismith must have clocked off sometime while they'd slept because MacAllister was waiting outside the door when they emerged. The whole way to the feeders Lissa chatted about inconsequential matters while Rose pondered how to tell her about Dimitri. Worried, with a lack of food, and a poor night's sleep on Lissa's sofa, Rose was particularly cranky.

The feeders were busy, thanks to the Billings trip, but Lissa eventually got through then they headed to the cafeteria. Walking in, Rose's eyes were drawn to the side where Guardian Belikov was sitting with some other Guardians. It was like she could sense his presence. Their eyes met—Dimitri smiling and lifting an eyebrow in question. Rose shook her head slightly, telling him she'd not yet spoken with Lissa.

"There you are! Tasha's still asleep, so how about you and I head back to your room for some alone time?" Christian said, snaking his arm around Lissa's waist.

Despite being tempted, Lissa shook her head.

"Sorry. Rose and I are hanging out this morning."

"That's cool. We can all watch a movie?" Christian replied, sounding a little disappointed.

"Nope. We're wrapping Christmas presents. She'll call you once she's free," Rose said almost daring Christian to challenge her, which he didn't.

"What's up, Rose?" Lissa asked once they were on their way back to her suite with slices of pizza and some movie snacks. "You've been quiet since I got up."

"There's something I want to talk to you about," Rose replied, clamming up again until they were at Lissa's door. Once inside, Rose switched on Lissa's sound system, picking a playlist at random. She turned it up just a little. Enough to make sure MacAllister could not overhear them from his position outside the door.

"What is it, Rose? You're scaring me. Is everything ok?"

"I guess…" Rose replied, sitting on the sofa then grabbing Lissa's hand and pulling her beside her. "Something big has happened. It involves Guardian Belikov."

"Guardian Belikov?" Lissa asked.

"Yes. Guardian Belikov. It was unexpected, but it turns out I'm his mate."

Lissa's eyes were round in surprise, her mouth looking like a goldfish's. It was moving but nothing was coming out.

"Are you sure, Rose? I mean, Tasha's descriptions haven't made you hopeful…" Lissa was blushing bright red. She didn't want to admit it, but Tasha did make being with an Alpha sound appealing.

"I'm sure," Rose said. The less said about Tasha and her descriptions the better! "We both feel it. We've been getting to know each other; he's even been sleeping over at my dorm."

"Oh my God, Rose! You've slept with him!" Lissa squealed.

"ONLY, slept," she replied, quickly turning up the volume on the stereo. "We haven't had sex, yet."

"But you're going to?"

Now it was Rose's turn to blush. "I want to, and he does, too."

"Tell me everything!" Lissa demanded, opening a packet of hot Cheetos and settling in to listen as Rose started at the beginning, telling her all.

"Wow. When you find a guy to fall for, you don't do it by halves, do you?" Lissa teased once Rose was done. "An Alpha!"

"I didn't set out to find an Alpha!" Rose defended with a giggle. "But you have to admit, he is easy on the eyes!"

"You two will look so great together! When are you going to tell everyone?" Lissa asked, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"Dimitri said our bond won't be recognized until I'm eighteen, and that since I'm a student, he might get in trouble if we do anything before then."

"That's only if you're caught.. But once you're eighteen?" Lissa asked.

"Then we can live together if we want."

"Even here at St. Vlad's?"

"I think so. He said the Academy and the Guardian Council will recognize our bond once I'm legally an adult."

"If you're mates, I guess that means you'll automatically be on my guarding team," Lissa mused.

"Shit! I hadn't thought of that," Rose exclaimed, her eyes wide. She'd have to ask Dimitri if that's how things would work.

"When I said not to get on his bad side, this wasn't what I meant!" Lissa teased, shoulder bumping her best friend. Something that had worried Lissa for some time was that Rose might never find someone to share her life with. After all, most Guardians didn't. She was beyond thrilled that fate had found Rose someone. "I wonder how Adrian and Mason will take it?"

"I hadn't thought about that, either," Rose moaned. When Adrian had announced his aunt had recalled him to Court for Christmas and New Year, Rose had been relieved. Three and a half weeks without the dubious pleasure of his company was welcome. So much so, Rose was already dreading when classes resumed. As for Mason? Rose realized it would upset him but hopefully, he'd get over it. First and foremost they were friends, so she was confident Mason would want her to be happy.

"So, do you love him?" Lissa asked, smiling at her best friend.

"I'm starting to," Rose said with a pretty blush. "There's so much we don't know about each other, which is another reason we're keeping things on the down-low until my birthday. Dimitri knows I planned to tell you, but please don't tell anyone Liss. We need time and privacy to work things out."

"I won't say anything - not even to Christian. It will be our secret, I promise."

"Thank you," Rose smiled, hugging her bestie.

"Just promise me I can be there when you tell Tasha and Meredith!" Lissa teased.

"Ugh! Tasha really has a thing for Alphas, doesn't she?" Rose scowled.

"You're not worried she might…?"

"No. She annoys the hell out of Dimitri. And we're exclusive."

"So… What can I do to help?" Lissa asked.

"I'm not sure. We don't get to spend a lot of time together. I mean—he's in most of my classes, and we train, but that's always with other people around. And now Tasha is staying in the next room, he can't visit me in my dorm anymore. If you could try to keep Tasha occupied…"

"I can do that. And how about you stay over here the nights he guards me until classes start? You know I sleep like the dead, and without Natalie here, you won't be interrupted…"

"You wouldn't mind?" Rose checked thrilled at the prospect. "We'd just be talking."

"Mind?! I insist! I could ask if he'd do the bulk of afternoon shifts over the holidays? We can all hang out in the common room after dinner. It won't be alone, but at curfew we can come back here and I'll go straight to bed…"

"You'd do that? What about Christian?"

"Of course I'd do that! Christian will be fine. He can stay the nights Guardian Belikov isn't guarding; besides which, we still have the Church attic! Now let's wrap these presents," Lissa said, slipping into her room to fetch her purchases with a devious expression grabbing her phone while Rose wasn't looking. Twenty minutes later Rose was cursing herself for agreeing to help Lissa gift wrap. While Rose was of the 'near enough is good enough' way of thinking for wrapping presents, Lissa was much more fastidious. Rose was getting ready to fake her own death to escape when there was a knock at the door.

"Can you get it?" Lissa trilled, her hands occupied with copious curls of decorative ribbon.

"Guardian Belikov?" Rose said in surprise, smiling when she opened the door. MacAllister looked mildly interested why Dimitri was calling by when he was off duty.

"Novice Hathaway," he greeted formally, his deep voice smooth as silk. "I'm here to see Princess Dragomir. She asked me to stop by."

"Ahh, hello Guardian Belikov! Come in," Lissa said as Rose shut the door behind Dimitri. "Thank you for coming by on your time off. Please sit down."

Dimitri awkwardly folded himself onto the low sofa, his eyes catching Rose's. Not scheduled to guard until later, he was wearing casual clothes.

"Guardian Belikov? Rose just told me you and she are mates."

"That's right," Dimitri confirmed, his gaze not wavering. If Lissa thought she would intimidate him, it would not happen. He was ready to announce his love to the world, even if it wasn't prudent.

"You're sure?" Lissa pressed.

"I knew from almost the moment we met," he confidently replied. Rose scooted down the sofa, tucking herself beneath his arm when he lifted it for her. Snuggling into Dimitri's side, she inadvertently purred in joy. "It won't interfere when I am on duty or when I need to protect you, but you need to understand Roza and I belong together."

Lissa was almost swooning. Dimitri looked so protective holding Rose, and her best friend clearly relished being held! It was honestly the most content Lissa had ever seen her long-time dhampir best friend.

"I can see that, so perhaps you can switch shifts for the holidays? Rose explained with Christian's aunt staying in the Novice dorms, your opportunities for alone time have been curtailed. If you'd like to take more of the afternoon shifts, Rose would be welcome to stay here on the nights you're here."

"Much as I'd like to, when I'm on duty I need to be guarding," Dimitri replied.

"And you would be. With Rose here, I'd be doubly protected," Lissa countered with her most winsome smile. "It would be no bother to me; I sleep very heavily."

Rose turned to face Dimitri, her eyes pleading. She wanted to spend more time with the man she was fast considering hers. "She has a point, Comrade. It would give us a chance to talk. We need our alone time."

"I'll advise the team of the shift change," Dimitri agreed. "I'll take five nights in seven with the weekends off."

"They won't be suspicious?" Rose asked.

"The afternoon/evening is the least popular shift. No one will ask too many questions," Dimitri smirked, pressing his lips to Rose's temple for a gentle kiss.

"Well, that's that then. Rose? Since I've finished wrapping my presents, I'm going to invite Christian and Tasha over to the common room to hang out. You're welcome to join us, or you can stay here for a while?"

Dimitri checked his watch. It was an hour until he was scheduled to guard. If he booked it back to his quarters and changed, he could have forty-five precious minutes alone with Roza.

"I should go…" he said standing up.

"Hurry back!" Rose murmured, squeezing his hand as he went to the door.

"Thank you, Princess," Dimitri said, brown eyes meeting green.

"If you're my best friend's mate, it best be Lissa," she said with a smile.

Dimitri opened the door and said a quick hello to MacAllister before heading toward his room. A few minutes later, Lissa prepared to depart. "Rest as long as you want, Rose. We'll be in the small common room when you've rested," she said for MacAllister's benefit.


"The… Lissa… took that well," Dimitri commented when Rose was perched on his lap on Lissa's sofa ten minutes later.

"She's happy for us. We've been best friends for a long time. She wants the best for me."

Dimitri nodded. "It will make things easier."

"What happens once we bond? Does that mean I will work with you?"

"That's the way it usually goes. Most Alpha are in more senior positions, so if their mate is a Guardian, they're allocated to the same team."

"And if they're not?"

"It's rare, but if they're unpromised, they work in the Moroi world, but live with their mate."

"I was hoping to be on Lissa's guarding team."

"You would have been, even without this," Dimitri declared. "Everything recommends you for it."

They spent a few minutes kissing, both holding back so they didn't start something they wouldn't be able to finish. Eventually, Rose's curiosity won out.

"So the other day I asked you about rutting…?"

Dimitri's neck and ears quickly turned red.

"What would you like to know?" he asked, not quite meeting her eyes.

"How does it work? Does it happen every year? What's it like?"

"Yes, it happens every year. For me, it occurs in early Spring. So far, my ruts have only lasted a few days, although my next will be longer now I've found you."

"Is that so?" Rose asked, raising both her eyebrows.

"A mated Alpha ruts for longer," he explained.

"Is that when you've had women?" Rose asked, wondering whether she genuinely wanted to know.

"No. Being with a woman when I am not wholly in control could be dangerous. With a mate, an Alpha's overriding instinct is to protect and give pleasure - even during his rut. An unmated Alpha in rut cares only about his release. Hurting a woman is not something I am prepared to risk."

"So during your ruts…?"

"The first was when I was fifteen. I was at home from school for the weekend when it happened. I took off into the woods camping and took care of things." Dimitri was almost beetroot red now.

"By yourself?" Rose asked carefully.

"Yes."

"And that worked? Were you satisfied?"

"Not entirely. I still go camping each year, but since then I've bought some magazines… they help a little." Dimitri was so obviously uncomfortable talking about this. Rose nuzzled in against his neck, purring to calm her Alpha.

"You do what you have to do," she said pragmatically. "Do most Alphas think like you?"

"No. It's because I grew up in a household of five women. My mother and grandmother would never let me hear the end of it if I used a woman only for my pleasure. I can't stop going into rut, but I can take every precaution when I am."

"Do they appreciate you've been with women?"

"They've not said anything, but I am sure they do," Dimitri replied still embarrassed.

"You never introduced anyone to them?"

"No. My times with women were always one-off things," Dimitri replied, eager to move on.

"So… my birthday is in early Spring," Rose said, peering up at her Alpha from under her lashes.

"The fact had not escaped my attention," Dimitri growled, pulling Rose against him and holding her tight while he plundered her mouth with his own.