Holy crap guys! I looked up the meaning of Moroi and they said that in Romanian folklore it's associated with werewolves in addition to vamps? Wow! Mind blown. You know, because werewolves and the title… Anyways, enjoy…

Chapter 2

A week Later…

It was a good night. As good a night as Tuesday could be, actually. The club was filled to capacity. I hadn't heard from my father, which was neither good nor bad. It simply was.

It's tomorrow I have to worry about.

The waiting would kill me for sure. Not knowing where he was, if he would show up, was going to eat at me but I was no stranger to watching my own back. Not since I was six years old.

The streets of East Moroi were barren this time of morning. The chill of the breeze coming from the half-cracked window a refreshing counterbalance to the nice buzz I had going on from another long night of exchanging fake pleasantries and even faker smiles.

I resigned myself to counting the number of times my eyes try to slip shut as we pass by. The sky, already a light blue with oranges and pinks bleeding into each other makes me eager to get inside before the fucking sun shows up in all of its blazing glory.

I'm no vampire but I know for a fact that my eyes are red and soon I won't be able to take a piss without messing up everywhere in my condition.

The only saving grace is that my mind is pleasantly blank.

No thoughts of bodies or money or auburn hair to pull at my focus.

I could feel my eyes grow heavier as the toll of the previous week fights to wear me down. I hadn't been home since Friday. A normal man would shut his eyes and drift away without a care in the world, knowing his driver would get him home safely and in one piece.

Dimitri Belikov was not that man. Could never be that man.

And so I fight the creeping exhaustion. Instead turning to stare out at the sleeping town I call home. Not because it felt that way. But because it was mine- because I own most of the buildings and the people in it- that I feel compelled to call it that. It wasn't anything special and yet, it took on a life of its own.

East Moroi. Powerful fucking name.

It wasn't exactly a dump, but it was not a place for fallacies like family and love and friendship.

It was where rich men with no hearts came to flex their power and where good girls with too big dreams came to die. Because they would eventually. Die, that is.

This place drains you, piece by piece, and there's little anyone could do to stop it once it's gotten into you.

Anyone short of a Belikov.

Too bad that wasn't going to be me. Or my father.

Although, I suspect that we each have vastly different reasons. His being that he thinks he's invincible and mine being that I simply do not give a fuck.

I guess I belong here after all.

But I didn't seem to care about anything these days and even though I tried, I could feel what little humanity there was left slipping away.

If Mama could see her boy now.

I was about to roll up my window, having had enough air and depressing thoughts to keep the lingering drowsiness at bay for a while when the car screeched to a stop. My hands shoot out in front to brace for impact but there's barely a thud followed by a more jarring shout- that manages to penetrate the fogginess in my brain.

"Aw fuck! Where the fuck did she come from!"

It took me a second to realize that we had just hit something and the annoying sounds were coming from Eddie, who wouldn't just shut the fuck up already.

Fuck knows what compelled me to, but I stop him from getting out.

"Hey, Boss. Are you sure you wanna get out here?" Eddie's hesitant voice cuts through.

He knew better than to question me, but considering it was an unusual circumstance in that I had never made any detours of this nature before, I cut him some slack.

"Is good. Keep it running. I will be back shortly."

I must be more fucked than I thought if I couldn't form a few short words without sounding like a Russian tourist reading English from one of those stupid dictionaries.

Pissed that I wasn't already in my house I slammed the door shut before making my way towards the loud groans emanating from the front of the car.

I stopped short at the sight of hair. Lots and lots of hair just fanned out in the middle of the road. I continue to stare stupidly at the creature on the ground who was groaning and half-sobbing dramatically and who also did not notice me looking.

What were the fucking chances after all?

"Hey! Stupid girl on floor," I called after her since it seemed like she would have gone on all fucking day.

At the sound of my voice she froze, her head turning slowly in my direction before wide eyes finally connected with mine.

I don't know why but at the sight of her increasing horror my irritation gave way to slight amusement.

Apparently remembering her scam her face immediately changed to a pained grimace before she grabbed at her lower back with an ungodly shriek.

I rolled my eyes, deciding to see how far she was willing to take this little con of hers.

After five minutes more of this she finally gave up, covering her face with her hands while peeping at me between her fingers.

"I didn't plan this okay? It's just that some douche came out of nowhere and knocked me down with a fancy car and it looked like he was gonna drive away without doing anything and now I'm sort of embarrassed because I know I can act better than whatever the hell this was but I had already committed to it and- yeah," she trailed off with a sigh, her cheeks red from embarrassment or the cold or all that talking. Probably a combination of all.

It was not endearing at all.

Raising an eyebrow I continued to stare until she squirmed and rolled her eyes before lifting a hand up to me.

She shook it at me until I took it, and gentleman that I was, yanked her off the road in one hard pull. She stumbled on her feet, glaring at me until I couldn't hold back a smirk.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" she demanded, dusting off her clothes.

"I am sorry if such…pitiful performance has rendered me speechless, you little crook." The words were said without any real heat, almost…teasingly. Christ.

"You're incredibly rude for someone who's facing a potential lawsuit." She said, giving me an assessing look. "Why do you look so…" she trailed off.

My brows drew together as I waited. "So?"

"Well, like total shit!" she blurted out, covering her mouth before she seemed to remember that my driver had just hit her with a car and one little insult was nothing compared to that.

"No offence though, Mr. Belikov. I just meant that you look really tired. Like really tired."

Because I am tired. So fucking tired.

I choose to ignore that observation.

"Why are you out here so early in the morning? It is surely not safe for a girl like you to be roaming about by yourself."

Both of her eyebrows go up and she steps back like I've just asked if she wanted to get ran over again.

"What are you doing out here so early in the morning looking dead on your feet? I bet I could probably knock you over with a feather."

Her indignant tone was lost on me. Why was she so defensive? It was a genuine question completely unwarranted of attitude, but the hard look in her eye was starting to warm my blood.

"Is simple question. Why are you angry?"

I don't know why, but she looks…hurt. Like I've asked the wrong things. I want to take them back and ask something else but my head is fucked and I don't know what to say to her. I shouldn't say anything.

She must have noticed the confusion on my face because she started to explain.

"Men, Mr. Belikov. Men are not safe. So, to answer your question, yes, I do know that it's not safe. Do you?"

Had she been any other person, I'd think that I was just threatened, but that's not what she's saying. That's not what her tone and that look on her face says to me. And I could argue, but she was right.

I did know it was not safe. I did know why it was not safe. And it was because of men. Men like those that would not hesitate to tear Rose apart if given the chance, men who seemed innocuous enough, men who seemed safe. Men like me.

Men like my father.

Shit. At this rate my headache was going to return full force. I needed to get home. I don't know what I can say to this little girl to appease her. She was smart enough to be wary of men and she didn't deserve half-hearted lies and weak consolations.

"Come on. I will drop you off to…wherever it is you are going." I offer, hoping to put an end to this. I would make it up to her on the way to her destination.

"Unless your female values will not allow you to accept even this?" I could not help but tease, feeling my lips slightly curl as she narrows her eyes at me.

"No offence, uhh, again…but I'm not going anywhere with a stranger."

See? Smart.

I take a minute to look at Rose- really look at Rose. God knows I've been avoiding it since I realized it was her lying there on the ground.

And just like that the wind gets knocked out of me. Her hair is tousled and wild and so much around her delicate face. She's cupping one elbow in the palm of the other hand and she looks so small, so breakable.

The sun- the fucking sun- is already rising and it casts a gentle glow on her smooth, dewy skin. It's not quite bright yet and the shadows of the early morning coupled with the sun's light makes her look so alone. It would be so easy for her to just disappear.

We both knew the value of safety. The only difference was I sure that I could protect myself if need be, and in any case, it was people that usually needed to be saved from me.

As I look at the set jaw of this mysterious little scamp, one question arises…

Who would save you, Rose?

A/N: Ohmygosh I didn't know you guys would like this so much? But thank you for being so supportive! School is just so bloody hectic and I can barely breathe! Anyways, I know things might be moving a little slowly but it's gotta for now. I'm planning to make Rose and Dimitri into a messy, obsessive couple and we need to work up to that lol. See you guys...err, soonish! Lots of love!