A black SUV pulled up beside the car Dimitri had stolen. He was parked ten minutes outside Court and was waiting for Celeste. When she'd called back, she reassured Dimitri that Rose was sedated and resting comfortably in a room in Guest Quarters. She hadn't asked about his interest, nor commented when he revealed he was just outside Court. Instead, she promised to come and collect him. So it was a complete surprise when Guardian Croft stepped out of the vehicle.

"I was expecting Matthews," Dimitri said, giving nothing else away.

"She's with Novice Hathaway," Hans explained. "Let's hide this," he said gesturing to Dimitri's stolen car. As unlikely as it was that a human would chance along the lonely road that only lead to Court, Guardians frequently traveled this road and were an observant bunch, so it was prudent to conceal the vehicle just in case. Reaching into the cabin, Croft released the park brake and put the car into neutral. The two Alphas pushed it down the small embankment and behind a conveniently situated thicket of trees. Dimitri could collect the car later, but for the time being, it was out of sight.

"So, Hathaway is Omega?" Croft said as the two walked back to the Court-issued SUV.

"Yes," Dimitri replied. There was no point lying—the tests would come back positive. "She had her first estrous at New Year."

"And you know this because…?"

"She's my mate. I knew we were mates from the moment I saw her. She's not yet eighteen, so we were taking it slow, but then she started going into estrous."

"You claimed her?" Croft asked, perturbed that Belikov might have taken advantage of Rose while she was in a vulnerable state.

"I did. Before her estrous. We'd already discussed bonding once she was eighteen. Her estrous pushed things forward a bit. She was still herself when I claimed her. I wasn't willing to claim her if she wasn't absolutely sure."

"You're positive she's your mate? Her estrous scent didn't overcome you?" Croft asked, recalling his attraction to his own mate Mirabelle. From the first second they'd met, he knew he was hers and vice versa.

"We've already formed a pair-bond," Dimitri proudly replied. It was the ultimate proof a pair were meant to be. "It's only been two weeks, but we can already feel one another's emotions."

"She's drugged, right now, which is why you can't sense her," Croft explained, recognizing the young man would be panicked. "Matthews is with her, and I have mated Alphas guarding her door." Croft left the rest unspoken. They both understood mated Alpha would be disinterested in anyone other than their own mate, and would recognize another Alpha as part of her scent, so would pose no threat.

"What will happen?" Dimitri asked.

"They'll test her. If she's Omega, they will detain her at Court until she marries."

"But she's my mate!" Dimitri shouted. "We're bonded!"

"I appreciate that. But since she's not eighteen, they won't recognize that."

"But surely once she's eighteen they can't detain her? She's a legal adult then."

"They can and will detain her if they deem it 'for her own protection.'"

"That's a very broad term," Dimitri said, freaking out.

"Exactly."


"Guardian Matthews?" Rose asked, opening her eyes and seeing the familiar Guardian sitting in a chair reading a book. A large, pleasant room, Rose found herself on a massive and comfortable bed wearing the clothes she'd had on hours ago.

"Hey, you're awake!" Celeste said. "I wasn't expecting you to wake for another few hours."

"Um ok. What are you doing here?" Rose looked around a bit more. "And where is here?"

"Oh, right. We're in Guest Accommodations at Court. Alberta told me there was a thought you might be Omega and had to come to Court for testing. She sent me with you so you wouldn't be alone with Lord Ivashkov."

"Let me guess—he came back to Court with me?" Rose growled, not in the least bit surprised. He was, after all, the reason Dr. Olendzki sedated her in the first place. There simply weren't enough words in the English language to describe how much Rose hated Adrian right now. Before now, she had felt annoyed and irritated by his repeated attentions, but she could mostly ignore them, and him. Now she wanted to beat the living hell out of the dude.

"Yes. But I made sure he was nowhere near you," Celeste promised. "Guardian Croft met the plane and brought us here. I'll be staying with you until the test results come back. Your mother is finishing her shift, then she will be here to attend to you, too."

"My mother?" Rose asked, surprised. It had been a few years since she'd seen Janine, and even then, it had only been for a few days. "Does attend mean guard?"

"No. There are Guardians in the hallway outside doing that," Celeste said apologetically. "Your mom and I are here to keep you company and to make sure you're not harassed or pressured."

Grunting in acknowledgment, Rose climbed off the bed, letting herself into the attached bathroom. Celeste was in the lounge room when she came back out.

"I packed what I thought you'd need," Celeste said, pointing to Rose's duffel. "Alberta said she'll send anything I missed." Riffling through the bag, Rose was pleased to see Celeste had packed the essentials.

"Does anyone know where I am?" Rose asked casually, trying not to give too much away. She had no idea if Dimitri knew she was not on campus, or if their bond would work from so far away, but she immediately projected strong loving feelings to him. Moments later she felt relief, love, and determination returned through the bond. Trying not to read too much into it, she was hoping it meant he knew they had taken her.

"Alberta was going to tell Lissa, and Guardian Belikov knows they brought you here."


It was the middle of the Moroi night by the time they landed and settled at Court. While Adrian's childhood room in his parents' house at Court was available, he far preferred the luxury and convenience of his apartment in the palace. A gift from Aunt Tatiana when he turned eighteen, if Adrian were at Court, that was where he stayed.

The perfect 'bachelor pad,' spread over three levels, the residence boasted three bedrooms, three and a half baths, two large living spaces, a sitting room, kitchen, its own private entrance, and courtyard. One of a row of apartments along the rear edge of the palace accessed via a discreet laneway, mistresses of the King once occupied them. Now Aunt Tatiana was in power, only two were used; Adrian's and the one inhabited by Tatiana's lover, Ambrose.

In his late thirties, Ambrose was brought to Court when he declared Omega at fifteen. Female Omega were sought after status symbols as wives, and to some extent, the same was true for Omega males. Gay Omega males invariably became long-term lovers of prominent Royal Moroi men. Being heterosexual, this option was not available to Ambrose. In a shameful display of double standards typical amongst Roya Moroi, men could openly have mistresses or long-term lovers, male or female, while Royal Moroi wives were defined by their husbands and children. They were expected to remain conspicuously monogamous and faithful.

With little opportunity for a relationship, Ambrose started work as an apprentice at Court's premier hairdresser and spa before attracting the attention of Her Majesty. What started as friendship soon morphed into more. As the reigning monarch, numerous suitors had courted Tatiana over the years. Her recognition that they cared more for her status and connections than her as a person had prompted her decision to rule alone. Meeting Ambrose, Tatiana decided being unmarried didn't have to mean being unsatisfied. Accordingly, for the last twenty years, Ambrose had served as Tatiana's lover, confidant, and good friend.

Stepping into his apartment, not for the first time, Adrian thought it was the ideal design. The ground floor housed the essentials; laneway entrance, powder room, a large bedroom with attached bathroom, kitchen, and a living room opening out onto his secluded private courtyard with hot tub. Most of the women he brought here saw nothing beyond this level. The next level up contained another bedroom, bathroom and larger living space with a bar and an expansive window opening onto a space to paint. When Adrian was here alone, that was where he would hang out.

The top level had the largest bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, and a sitting room. The sitting room had the only door into the palace—opening out onto a long corridor on the third floor. No one accessed that level other than Adrian and, when she wanted to visit him, Aunt Tatiana. Flopping onto his bed, Adrian thought he would miss this apartment when he had to give it up. It would be all right for a young married couple, he considered. There was plenty of room. But once Rose was pregnant, they'd need to move to somewhere larger. Perhaps they could remodel and incorporate the vacant apartment next door so there was room for a nursery and staff? He'd have to ask Aunt Tatiana about it in the morning, Adrian thought shucking off his shoes and clothes and flicking the bedclothes over himself.


"Novice Hathaway? My name is Dr. Bojarovski," a pleasant-looking Moroi in her late forties introduced herself. "I'm here today to take your blood and a DNA sample to test if you are an Omega. Do you have any questions?"

"Do I have a choice about this?" Rose asked.

"I'm afraid not," the doctor replied giving Rose a tight smile. "I'd prefer to take the samples with your permission, but if you need to be restrained, you will be."

Rose could see the sympathy in the older woman's eyes. Whatever her opinion, she was here with a job to do and Rose saw no reason to make it more difficult than it had to be given the outcome would be the same either way.

"Ok then. What do you need me to do?"

"Let's take the swab for the DNA test first," Dr. Bojarovski said, donning a pair of gloves before opening a plastic vial with a Q-Tip sort of thing in it. "This is just a cheek swab. It's completely painless."

Opening her mouth and allowing the doctor to swab the inside of her cheek, the whole thing was done in seconds. Placing the Q-Tip back into the container, the tube was carefully labeled and placed into the doctor's bag.

"The second part is a blood test. It will test various hormones in your blood."

"Can you add other tests?" Rose asked. She hated having blood taken, so if it had to occur, she might as well get everything done at the same time. "I'm due for my yearly health assessment and I hate needles…"

"Sure thing," Dr. Bojarovski replied with a grin. "I'll run the usual screen for you."

"Thanks," Rose said, turning away as the doctor found a vein, swabbed the site with an alcohol wipe and applied the tourniquet. Biting her lip as the needle pierced her skin once it was in Rose turned to watch the red spurt of blood fill each of the vials.

"All done," the doctor said, labeling the tubes and placing them within her bag. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Can I have a repeat prescription for the pill? I only have a few weeks supply left, and I need to time my period around my training schedule."

"Yes. I heard you had been training to be a Guardian," the doctor said, her voice making it sound as though it was now a past endeavor.

"And I intend to keep training, so I'd appreciate a repeat prescription."

"Of course. You need to understand being on the pill will not delay or diminish your estrous. There are drugs that can do that, however, we can talk about how to access those once it's established you are Omega."


Seated in the back of Croft's SUV, Dimitri had no option other than to trust the Chief Guardian. Appreciating he needed to lie low at Court until he could work out how to rescue his mate, Croft's offer to stay with him and his wife Mirabelle was Dimitri's only option. The guy could have abandoned him—hell… he could have had him arrested—yet he'd offered a safe place to stay at Court, even smuggling him in over the border so there'd be no record he was ever there.

"Guardian Croft, Sir!" one of the Guardians on gate duty greeted, not daring to perform the standard vehicle search when it was his commanding officer coming through the checkpoint.

"All well?" Croft asked.

"Quiet," the Guardian confirmed. "Yours has been the only vehicle in and out."

"Ok. Keep watch then."

Driving through Court at three pm, there was little to see through the heavily tinted black windows. Other than dhampir service workers and a few Guardians, the place was deserted. After a long shift, flying to Pennsylvania, then driving to Court, Dimitri was bone tired. All he wanted was to crawl into bed with his gorgeous mate, but that would not happen. Still—he was here not too far away from his beloved, and if what Croft had to say was true, she was safe in a suite at Guest Quarters with Matthews.

"I understand you want to see Rose. I'll organize something as soon as I can. In the meantime, you're welcome at ours." Croft paused as he struggled to put his next request into words. "Mirabelle likes to keep a very clean house, so please do your utmost to be a neat and tidy guest." Croft looked embarrassed, but Belikov understood. A man did what he needed to keep his mate happy.

"Until my nephew arrived, I was the only male in a household of five women. I promise you, the toilet seat is NEVER up, I know how to be neat, and how to disappear when required," Dimitri said with a soft chuckle, thinking about his home in Russia. "I very much appreciate your help," he added, unable to articulate just how worried he was about Roza.

"She's your mate," Croft replied simply. "Any bonded Alpha understands that."


"Adrian. I'd say I was surprised to see you, yet I'm not. I heard you've brought your little Omega to Court?"

Her Majesty Queen Tatiana regally lowered herself into a chair in Adrian's sitting room, choosing to ignore her great-nephew's slightly disheveled appearance. Relatively adept at appearing composed with little sleep, despite less than a handful of hours repose, Adrian had thrown on some clothes and endeavored to be awake enough to receive Her Majesty.

"Not my Omega, yet. But I'd like her to be," he said respectfully.

Tatiana raised an artful eyebrow, her interest piqued.

"She fascinates me. Even before I knew she was Omega, she intrigued me. She's beautiful. Smart, too."

"Is she attracted to you?"

"Not yet, but she will be."

Tatiana's forehead furrowed. Adrian had never shown more than a passing interest in any young woman—and no one she considered suitable. Indeed, she and his mother Daniella were despairing he'd ever find a nice Royal girl and settle down. While a dhampir was not what she'd choose for her great-nephew, an Omega was acceptable given the offspring would be Moroi. "You're really like this girl?"

"She's the one I want," Adrian replied with steely determination.


"So now the doctor has been, what am I meant to do all day?" Rose asked, flicking through the cable channels on offer. Used to a high amount of exercise every day, hours spent doing nothing irritated the hell out of her. "Am I allowed to train? Surely there must a gym around here somewhere?"

Their breakfast had appeared promptly at eight pm, and neither Rose nor Celeste could complain about the quantity or quality. The doctor had arrived at half-past-nine, and now at ten-thirty Rose was bored.

"I'm not sure. Croft said he'd be over before lunch today, and your mother should be here soon."

"Oh joy," Rose muttered. If she had to spend a whole week with Janine in a small suite of rooms without respite, one of them would probably be dead by the end. Not that Janine's movements were likely to be curtailed. No. That joy was likely Rose's alone! She was working herself up about it when there was a knock at the door. Gesturing for Rose to remain seated, Celeste opened the door to Guardian Croft.

"Matthews. Novice Hathaway. I hope you've found the accommodations comfortable? Is there anything you need?"

"Other than my freedom?" Rose snarked, feeling particularly out of sorts.

"Well, perhaps I can help with that. I know being cooped up here is not much fun. My wife, Mirabelle, thought you might like to join us for lunch? I'm not working today, but we can talk over lunch and it will allow me to go through what's likely to happen."

Rose would be just as happy to give lunch a miss, but since Croft was in charge of all Guardians, including allocations, it didn't hurt to seem to be compliant. "Sure. I can do that."

"I'd invite you to join us, Guardian Matthews, but I expect Guardian Hathaway will be here soon and you two should run through how you intend to manage things." Croft wasn't rude, but he certainly wasn't inclusive. However, Celeste took it in her stride.

"Of course. What time should I expect Novice Hathaway to return?"

"She'll be back before dinner," Croft replied. "Shall we Novice Hathaway?" he asked before suggesting Rose wear a coat.

Surrendering herself to hours in Croft and his wife's company, Rose thought it rated only marginally better than hanging out with Adrian. At least Croft couldn't compel her—and there was something to be said for seeing how a married Guardian couple worked. At least Rose assumed Croft's wife was a Guardian.

"Um… Mrs. Croft? Is she a Guardian, too?" Rose asked as Croft directed her to a black SUV with the darkest window tint she had ever seen.

"Mirabelle and yes. She's worked at Court since we married. However, mine is a demanding job with long hours, so a lot of the household duties fall to her. She's taken a few months off to relax and recharge." Croft didn't meet Rose's eyes when he said this, so there was obviously more to it—not that Rose expected the older Alpha to confide his private business to her.

"It must be hard for her. There aren't many married female Guardians," Rose mused, thinking about her own future.

"It can pose problems," Croft admitted. Before long, they were pulling up in front of an immaculate double fronted two-story terrace home. Despite the snow, the front path was clear and salted, and there was a cheery light peeking around the edge of the blinds. "It's a pity you're here in Winter," Croft said as they climbed the stairs to the porch. "Mirabelle has a real green thumb; the garden looks much better in Spring."

The warmth of the house enveloped Rose as soon as Croft opened the door. Taking Rose's coat and asking her to remove her shoes before offering her a pair of house slippers, they stepped into a spotless front room with a roaring fireplace. The small room was beautiful, as was the dhampir in her early thirties who was waiting to greet her. Younger than she'd expected, Croft introduced the blonde with brown eyes as his wife, Mirabelle.

"It's nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting me over today," Rose said, noticing the unmistakable smell of a roast cooking.

"It's no bother. When I heard about your situation, I said to Hans we had to have you over as soon as possible."

"It's very kind of you…"

"Not at all. Now Hans needs to help me in the kitchen. Lunch will be ready in an hour, but before that, there's someone else joining us for lunch today. I take it he needs no introduction…"

Rose's heart sank. So this was all a ploy to get her somewhere socially with Adrian. Rose heard footsteps on the staircase and was about to unleash a mouthful of vitriol when she saw who was making their way downstairs.

"Comrade?!" Rose said, racing to the stairs and flinging herself into his arms as soon as he reached the bottom.

"I'm here, Roza. I'm here."