"Forgive Rose, she can be a little irritable when she wakes up," Dimitri said, holding out his hand. "And when she's hungry. Guardian Dimitri Belikov," he said shaking Abe's hand.

"She takes after her mother then," Abe said indulgently. "Abe Mazur," Rose's father introduced himself, although it was unnecessary. Dimitri knew who Abe was and despite having about a foot on him, Dimitri had a very healthy respect for the man half of Europe's Moroi and Dhampir knew as Zmey.

"In that respect, she takes after her father, too!" Abe's Guardian chipped in, shaking Dimitri's hand and introducing himself as Pavel. He stared at Dimitri before letting his eyes wander across to Rose then back to Dimitri before smirking at the younger man. And that's when Rose realized… her father's Guardian was an Alpha!

"Yeah yeah—time for the family reunion later. Can we get out of here before I freeze to death?" Rose snapped, discomfited by this discovery. Could Pavel scent that Dimitri had already claimed her? The smirk he'd given Dimitri made it seem likely…

Settling into the back of her father's car, Rose all but sat on Dimitri's lap as he put his arm around her and started purring in her ear, stroking her hair. By the time they reached the private airport five minutes away, she was already asleep. It was understandable since they'd spent the Moroi night awake huddled in the back of the van waiting to escape Court.

"I'll carry her," Dimitri said, unbuckling his mate and effortlessly scooping her into his arms. Dimitri followed Abe across the tarmac, Pavel bringing up the rear, juggling the duvet, pillows, Rose and Dimitri's duffel bags and the enormous bunch of roses. Inside the luxuriously appointed plane, Dimitri placed Rose onto a butter-soft leather chair, fastening her belt before surrounding her with the pillows and duvet he'd let her keep. "If you have any pillows, blankets or similar on board, can you bring them out? We'll need them."

Pavel searched the overhead compartments, locating several blankets and pillows. Dimitri put them on the chair opposite Rose, knowing there was no point in trying to position them for her. Sitting in the seat beside her, Dimitri took Rose's hand as Abe took the leather seat opposite his. Pavel sat across the aisle from Abe, the four remaining silent as the plane lifted into the sky. Once they had leveled out, Abe started.

"So, Belikov? How do you know my daughter is cranky when she first wakes up?" Abe asked, his tone icy. Dimitri's eyes dipped across to Pavel's and sure enough, the dude was smirking.

"How much has Guardian Hathaway told you about what's happened?" Dimitri countered, wondering how much he'd need to disclose.

"That Rosema… Rose is in trouble and needs my help."

"Did she mention Rose recently discovered she is Omega?"

"Janine said something along those lines," Abe admitted, not telling Rose's boyfriend that he'd spent every moment during their flight to the States reading up on what that meant for her.

"Well, before Rose learned she is Omega, we discovered we are mates."

"An Alpha's mate and an Omega… What are the chances?" Abe said his voice still cold. "That must have made things difficult?"

"Well, it would have been easier if she wasn't Omega," Dimitri agreed warily, "but I love her, and she loves me. We're in this together."

"So, Rose has gone through an estrous?" Abe asked, his eyes dark and menacing.

"Yes…"

"And you were with her?" Abe growled.

"Also yes."

"So you've slept with my daughter?"

"Enough!" Rose snapped opening her eyes and glowering at everyone. "You, old man," she said pointing to Abe, "have not been part of my life until now. You don't get to do the menacing father thing. Dimitri is the man I love. I am his mate, and he is mine. You might not like it, but you need to deal with it."

"And you?" Rose continued, turning to face Dimitri. "Pass me those blankets!"

Proceeding to ignore everyone around her, Rose started positioning the blankets, pillows, and duvet, huffing in exasperation when she couldn't get things just the way she liked. Usually, Dimitri felt welcome to join Rose in her nest, but this time, despite her lifting the armrest between their seats, he got the distinct impression she wasn't open to sharing.

"Can I get you something to eat, Roza?" Dimitri asked when Pavel said something about food and walked toward the front of the plane.

"Yes! I'm starving!"

Dimitri and Abe both stood, following Pavel to the galley.

"Belikov? What's she doing with all the blankets? Is that nesting?" Abe asked once they were out of Rose's earshot.

"Yes. It's one reason she's in a bad mood. Omega make themselves a permanent nest. It's a soft warm space where they feel safe and where they retreat to when they are scared, upset or just want to relax. Since she presented, Rose's nest has been moved again and again. It's upsetting her, particularly in light of everything else going on."

"And you know this, because…?"

"We're pair-bonded. I knew Rose was my mate the first minute I saw her. We planned to wait until she was eighteen, but her becoming Omega forced things forward. I've already claimed her as my mate, although it won't be recognized until her birthday. Through our pair-bond, I can sense her emotions. She's excited to meet you, Mr. Mazur. Let her finish her nest and have something to eat—she'll be much happier, then. I know she has a lot of questions for you."

Locating then heating the largest meal he could find for his mate, Dimitri loaded a tray with a braised beef, mashed potato and vegetable dish, a bread roll and butter, a slice of lemon cake and a can of Coke.

"This will be good, to start her off with," Dimitri said, missing Abe's incredulous expression about the volume of food as he walked back down the aisle to give Rose her meal.


Adrian was lying in the bed on the ground floor of his apartment, drinking Vodka from the bottle and watching Caitlin dance for him while Amber sucked him off. It said a lot about his state of mind that even with a relatively attractive woman's mouth fellating his cock, he was struggling to maintain a hard-on.

"Amber… enough. I'm not in the mood," he said, pushing her away from his crotch.

"Adrian… you know I'm Amanda," the young woman said, confused why he was so disinterested. The Lord Ivashkov she knew would have had Cassie and her both by now and been well on his way through round two. But today? Well—he could hardly get it up!

"If you say so," Adrian drawled. He'd slept with her numerous times over the last couple of years and genuinely thought her name was Amber. "Why don't you and Caitlin run along? I'll drop by the bar to see you tomorrow."

"Her name is Cassie," Amanda hissed. "And you're a fucking asshole!"

The girls threw their clothing on, uttering a few choice expletives before exiting his apartment and slamming the door. Not that Adrian cared. There were plenty more where they came from, and that was the problem. Woman after woman, yet not one of them was Rose. He'd been so close to having her yet, somehow, she'd slipped through his fingers. Aunt Tatiana had people looking for her, however, unless she showed up at an Academy or Court, it seemed unlikely she'd be apprehended.

Something about the way the whole thing went down bothered him. It all seemed too neat. How did Rose manage to just disappear and supposedly without help? Guardian Matthews had been questioned and was now on her way back to the Academy. Rose's mom, though, was still at Court. With a replacement Guardian for Lord Szelsky already organized, Guardian Hathaway said she planned to take a week off in the hope Rose might return to Court. Adrian had no hope that would happen—still, it might pay to visit Janine. If anyone knew where Rose had disappeared to, surely it would be her mother?!


Alberta sat in her office, massaging her temples. It had been a tough day. Scratch that—it had been a tough few weeks. Ever since she'd got Belikov's call about Rose, and she'd learned Rose was Omega, Alberta had been on edge. It was hard to believe the little girl Janine Hathaway had brought to the Academy at four years old was all grown up. Not just grown up, but mated to an Alpha and herself Omega.

Rose was a wee thing when she'd arrived at St. Vlad's. Shy and scared at first, when Janine left Rose looked to Alberta as a surrogate mother figure, transferring her love and affection to the thirty-something Guardian. Alberta had been worried and protective of the dark-haired, dark-eyed child, allowing Rose to follow her around after school and on weekends. It was no secret amongst the Dhampir staff that Rose was Alberta's favorite student, and that a sure way to get on the new Head of Guard's bad side was to criticize Rose without cause. Indeed, Guardian Stan Alto had found himself on several undesirable shift allocations after accusing Rose of pranking without proof.

It relieved Alberta when Rose struck up a friendship with Eric and Rhea Dragomir's daughter Vasilisa. A study in opposites, by the end of kindergarten, the two were thick as thieves. Lissa's natural reserve helped Rose contain her wild and fiery nature, while Rose brought Lissa out of her shell, and gave her a much-needed glimpse into a life less privileged than her own.

With Janine an absent parent, Rhea Dragomir took Rose under her wing, including her in shopping trips and weekends off-campus with Lissa. Eric and Rhea hoped in time Rose would be Lissa's Guardian, and that looked like the way things would work out until the untimely death of Eric, Rhea and their son Andre. All but one of the Dragomirs wiped out in a single accident, Lissa became an orphan and a Princess via the same tragic event.

The blonde Moroi Princess would not have made it through the early months after the accident without Rose. Knowing Lissa the way she did, Rose understood how to reassure and support her and when to let her break down. At first Alberta would have liked them to share a dorm, however, there would be objections if a Dhampir was accommodated in the Moroi dorm block, and no Moroi would be expected to endure the spartan Dhampir dorms. Accordingly, Lissa shared with Natalie Dashkov. Also an orphan, Natalie's late father had been good friends with the Dragomirs, and the girls had known one another since birth. With the benefit of hindsight, it was for the best that Rose and Lissa weren't roommates. Rose had already taken on a heavy load training to be Lissa's protector. Increasing the emotional toll on her would not have been fair. As she pondered how everything had come to how it was, there was a knock at Alberta's door.

"Guardian Petrov? You asked to see me?" Lissa asked, standing uncertainly in the Guardian's office doorway. An infrequent visitor to the Head of Guard's office, Lissa looked around curiously.

"Yes. Yes, I did. Please come in Princess Dragomir," Alberta said, gesturing to a seat. Lissa sat in a chair, waiting for Alberta to start.

"Princess Dragomir…"

"Lissa. Please call me Lissa," the blonde Moroi requested.

"Lissa, then. I am wondering if you've heard from Rose?"

"No, I haven't. I thought once she was at Court, I would hear from her, but I've heard nothing." Lissa was genuinely worried and upset. Her best friend had been basically kidnapped and taken to Court, and no one seemed to have much to say about it. And the worst thing is, she couldn't even vent to Christian about it because he didn't know that Rose was Omega, and she couldn't tell him why Rose had been taken without revealing that fact. "Have you heard anything?"

Alberta sighed. There was no point concealing the truth, besides which she hoped if she was honest—well as honest as she could be—with the Princess, it might encourage her to be likewise.

"Rose is no longer at Court. I had word that she escaped and that her whereabouts are unknown."

"Escaped? How?"

"The limited information I've received is that she gave her mother and Guardian Matthews sedatives, and while they were asleep somehow escaped their fourth-floor suite in Guest Accommodations entirely unobserved."

"She would have gone out the window," Lissa muttered absently while her mind processed this new information. "She's like a spider monkey." Alberta smiled. She was all too well aware of Rose's climbing prowess. Indeed—Guardian Alto kept his window shut, even in the height of summer, for that very reason!

"Do you have any idea where she is?" Lissa asked Alberta. With no money, and if she was by herself, Rose would be struggling. If only Lissa knew where she was, she could send her some cash or maybe help her in other ways.

"No…" Alberta said, her tone of voice suggesting she was telling the truth, but there was more to the story. Lissa's intuition told her she'd asked Alberta the wrong question.

"Is she ok?" Lissa asked changing tacks. "Will she be ok?"

"Yes. I'm optimistic all will be well. Have you heard from Lord Ivashkov?"

"No. I expect I will, though." Alberta had never said Adrian compelled Rose, yet it was an easy conclusion to reach. There was no way Rose would voluntarily tell Adrian she was Omega, which left only one other option. "Is he coming back to the Academy?"

"Not that I've been advised. Although it might be best if he didn't."

Lissa regarded Alberta, a tacit understanding forming between them. Alberta also hadn't told her that Guardian Belikov had followed Rose to Court, but Lissa wasn't for one moment buying the story he was visiting his family in Russia. If Alberta was convinced Rose was ok, then chances are it meant Rose was with Dimitri.

"I agree. All the work with my element has been taxing. I thought I might focus on my other studies for a few months. If Adrian is still interested, he could, perhaps, rejoin us after Easter?"

The Royal Princess wasn't lying. Adrian had shared his experiences with what he called 'darkness,' and his belief it resulted from using their element. Lissa had been feeling increasingly nervous and jittery even before this whole thing with Rose happened. With the added stress of worrying about her absent best friend, she could do without any extra pressure. Plus, she wasn't sure she could see her Royal 'cousin' without socking him in the face. Rose had made it abundantly clear she had no interest in pursuing anything with Adrian. His refusal to accept Rose's wishes distressed Lissa, particularly given it had resulted in her best friend's disappearance!

"If that's what you'd prefer?" Alberta said with a satisfied expression. It had always been a long shot that Rose would make it through to her birthday without it being discovered she was mated and an Omega. Lord Ivashkov had discovered Rose was Omega, but as far as she knew, the idea of Rose and Dimitri as a couple had not yet crossed Adrian's mind. The longer he remained ignorant that Guardian Belikov was off-campus, and almost certainly with Rose, the safer the couple would be.


Rose was curled up in her seat, legs tucked under her while swaddled in a bundle of blankets and pillows. Warm and full, she was leaning against Dimitri's shoulder rubbing her cheek against him and softly purring.

"How are you feeling, Roza?" he murmured, a little embarrassed that Mazur and Pavel were there to witness his tenderness as he spoke to his mate. Dimitri wasn't a demonstrative guy, other than with his family and now Roza. Yet he refused to be ashamed about showing his mate, at every opportunity, how precious and special she was to him.

"Much better," Rose replied, blushing when she remembered how rude she'd been to her father. If what her mother said was to be believed, he'd flown halfway around the world just to help her and she'd given him short shrift. "I'm sorry for earlier," she apologized, her eyes catching her father's. "I'm tired and just over it."

"Not at all," Abe replied grinning with encouragement. "I should have appreciated you'd be on edge after everything you've been through, and showing up at the bus depot was not a good idea. Guardian Belikov explained part of what's happened. I'd like it if you could start at the beginning and tell me everything…"

"What do you want to know?"

"Absolutely everything. I've missed a lot Rosema… Rose. I want to hear all about your life. For now, though, let's start with the circumstances that brought us here."

While Rose didn't ask Dimitri to step away, he recognized this was a sentinel moment for father and daughter, and some privacy was in order.

"I'm going to get some food," Dimitri murmured, Rose barely acknowledging what he said. "Join me, Pavel?"

The two Alphas moved forward to the galley leaving Abe and Rose to talk.

"So. Mated to Zmey's daughter?" the older Guardian chuckled. "You must be sweating!"

"Yes. I didn't see that coming," Dimitri replied, lifting his eyebrows. While Pavel meant it in jest, Abe could make people disappear without a trace. Dimitri had good reason to be concerned.

"She doesn't know about her father?"

"Until a few days ago she didn't even know his name."

"He intends to look after her," Pavel said, correctly interpreting some of Dimitri's tension. "She's his only child. He wasn't ready to be a father when Janine fell pregnant, but he is now. He wants this to work, so if that means accepting you, he will."

"You've worked for him for a while?"

"Over twenty years…"

"You must have seen a lot."

Pavel chuckled. "You have no idea!"

Leaning side by side in the galley the two ate sandwiches and shot the breeze. Dimitri learned that Pavel was thirty-nine, from the city of Sochi on the Russian/Georgian border, that he'd studied at St. Sergius' and was unmated. He also discovered that Abe had houses in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and various other places.

"Do you think they'll be done talking yet?" Dimitri asked. Through their pair-bond, he could feel that Rose was happy, and after thirty-six hours awake, he was getting tired.

"No, but let's rejoin them."


If it wasn't for his housekeeper, Adrian's apartment would be knee-deep in clothes, Vodka bottles, dirty dishes, and women's underwear. Every second day, when he was at Court, Mrs. Curtis would let herself in to cook and clean for the Moroi bachelor. He rarely saw her, working, as she did, while he was passed out. Still, she did a good job he thought as he climbed out of the shower to find clean, soft towels and his closet filled with freshly laundered clothing.

Choosing a pair of dark wash jeans and a bottle green button-up that brought out the color of his eyes, Adrian dressed and then set to work on his hair. Twenty minutes later he was ready.

"You're up early? I wasn't expecting you," Her Majesty commented when Adrian joined her in the palace breakfast room, the unassuming name belied by the decadence of the table. It beggared belief that one Moroi could eat so much food, yet every morning the palace kitchens sent plate loads of every food imaginable for Her Majesty's breakfast.

Flopping into a chair to the left of his aunt, Adrian took a small serve of eggs and toast. He'd drop by the feeders in a minute, but he liked to have food in his stomach before he fed. Just another benefit of living in the palace, he mused—not having to line up to see the communal feeders!

"What do you have planned for the day?" Adrian asked, making conversation with his great aunt.

"The usual. A Royal Council meeting, then Priscilla and I are playing bridge with Marta and Ava Drozdov."

"Sounds riveting!" Adrian said facetiously, popping the last of his toast into his mouth and standing up.

"We can't all lead a life of leisure, dear," Tatiana said to Adrian's retreating form after he'd kissed her goodbye and wished her a good day.

At the feeders, Adrian fed deeply. He'd probably need to feed again later on, too. Once he finished he left the palace, heading across to the Guest Quarters. Strictly speaking, Guardian Hathaway should be in the Guardian Dorms now her daughter was no longer at Court. However, Her Majesty had requested Janine stay in the suite, ostensibly on the off-chance her daughter returned.

"Guardian Hathaway. I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Adrian said using his most solicitous tone when she opened the door to her suite.

"Not at all, Lord Ivashkov," Janine replied, surprised it had taken Adrian this long to approach her. "Please come in."

The suite looked no different than it had when he'd joined Guardian Matthews and Rose for dinner. He followed Janine to the sofas, sitting on one while Janine sat in an armchair.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to drop by unannounced, but I was wondering whether you'd heard from Rose?" he asked.

"No," Janine replied with sincerity and a little annoyance. "Not a word."

"And you have no idea where she is?" he asked, looking deep into Guardian Hathaway's eyes.

"None at all," she replied maintaining eye contact.

"Tell me everything you know about Rose's disappearance," Adrian commanded, leaning forward and compelling the revered Guardian to share all she knew.