Lehigh had proven to be everything Lissa had hoped for, and more. She loved her classes, had made a few casual human friends, and living with Christian full time had proven to be amazing. Celeste was doing well as her daytime Guardian. She was no Rose, but she was attentive yet discreet. While she missed Rose every single day, Lissa couldn't fault Celeste's service. Eddie was also doing a credible job guarding Christian. The same age, and knowing one another from St. Vlad's, it had been a good match. The two had quickly established a way of interacting that suited them both. Not exactly friends, but not servant and master, either.
The only one who didn't seem to be adapting to their new situation was Guardian Belikov. While he was one-hundred percent professional, and the model Guardian, he hadn't embraced their college lifestyle. Part of this was because of his guarding hours; Dimitri had given himself the 6:00 pm to 6:00 am shift—the hours when a Strigoi attack was most likely, and his charges spent part of that time asleep due to the need to run on a human schedule. But even beyond that, Dimitri was a different man than the one he'd been before Rose died. Taciturn, to the point of being reclusive, Dimitri would sit with them for meals, but rarely contributed anything to the conversation. While he'd answer any question put to him, he didn't put forward his thoughts or ideas unless explicitly asked.
Lissa knew he woke in the early afternoon and every day, bar Sunday, would attend the closest Russian Orthodox church. When she asked why he avoided the Sunday service—typically the busiest of the week—he'd explained he preferred solitude, and that the busy weekly service did not suit him. Instead, he'd spend Sunday afternoons doing his washing and other chores to prepare for a new week.
"Tasha noticed we have a long weekend coming up and mentioned she might visit."
Lissa internally groaned hearing Christian's words. They'd only been at Lehigh a few months, yet she had enjoyed the physical and mental space away from Tasha Ozera. Not only was Tasha overbearing, but Liss also had the impression Guardian Belikov would appreciate a bit of distance from Tasha's interest.
"Oh? I think we might already have someone visiting. Adrian said he was thinking of coming and I told him since we had no other plans, he was welcome to." Not strictly the truth, Lissa was sure if she invited the Moroi party boy to their college campus on a long weekend, where parties would be abundant, he'd take her up on the offer.
"Probably for the best. It's a long way to come for just a few days—and if Adrian is here, then we'll be partying, anyway." Lissa could hear relief in her boyfriend's voice. Tasha had looked after him after his parents turned and subsequently been killed, but living at St. Vlad's for so many years found Christian unused to being with his aunt so frequently. A little of her company went a long way.
"Ok. You can let Tasha know we already have a visitor booked, so it's not a good time, and I will check that Adrian still intends to visit."
From her place lining the wall, a silent witness to their conversation, Celeste Matthews suppressed a smile. It was totally obvious something about Tasha Ozera irritated Princess Dragomir, and even Christian seemed to be annoyed by her. Belikov actively avoided Tasha, too, which was sad given at one time they'd counted one another as friends. Still—if it was between Tasha or Adrian visiting, Celeste preferred the latter. The matter was resolved several hours later when the crew met for dinner.
"I called Adrian, and he's coming for the long weekend. He said he had some Spirit things he wanted to work on with me." Lissa was sitting at the dinner table with Christian, Celeste, Eddie, and Dimitri. She was talking to Christian as he was serving up a delicious smelling Chicken Masala, so didn't notice the tightening of Dimitri's jaw.
There wasn't a lot of love between Adrian Ivashkov and Dimitri. First cousins, they'd also both been Rose's suitors at one time. Adrian represented everything that Belikov abhorred; he was rich, lazy, a womanizer, and a drunk. He flitted from place to place with no responsibilities and no work ethic. For a man who single-handedly supported a family of eight on his modest Guardian wage, Adrian's indolence and reliance on the vast Ivashkov fortune was even more an affront to Dimitri.
"Since I don't have any classes Friday, and it's a public holiday on Monday, he intended to arrive early Friday morning and stay through until Tuesday," Lissa added, it being understood that for safety's sake, Adrian would travel during daylight hours.
"What do you think he's going to show you?" Christian asked. Without Rose to take the darkness, the by-product of Lissa using her Spirit magic, Lissa had been using Spirit sparingly since her best friend's death.
"No idea. But I've been feeling a little edgy, so it will be good to use some magic and get it out."
"No. Not a chance. Absolutely not!" Guardian Belikov growled at the young Ivashkov Lord, who was artlessly slumped on one of the sofas in the Dragomir/Ozera living room. "What you're suggesting is completely reckless and irresponsible."
Adrian shrugged, while Christian looked amused.
"I have to agree, Lord Ivashkov," Eddie said, supporting Dimitri's take on things.
Celeste didn't think it was that big a deal if Adrian wanted to share a joint with the Princess to see if it helped her see auras.
"I won't let her get stoned," Adrian promised, ignoring Dimitri's outburst, and appealing to Christian. "Too much weed, and it will interfere with Spirit, anyway. Just a few tokes to see if it makes a difference."
Lissa had been drunk a few times, but never high. While students would sometimes smuggle a joint or two onto campus at St. Vlad's, and during his time there, Andre had smoked regularly, no one had ever invited her to partake. Lissa didn't want Guardians Castile or Belikov to think poorly of her, but she was a little interested in trying—and not just because of the potential to see auras.
"It's not just Strigoi we need to worry about. What if campus security smells it?" Dimitri pointed out, still firmly against the idea.
"It's Friday afternoon at the start of a long weekend on a college campus. If they didn't smell weed wafting over half the campus, I'd be worried," Adrian replied, rolling a fat doobie between his fingers.
Recognizing his girlfriend wanted to give it a go, and having already been there done that, Christian suggested a compromise. "How about just Lissa and Adrian have some? Belikov, you can guard from the hallway, Castile, you on the balcony, and Celeste can stay with me in the kitchen." It wasn't as though he could ban his charge from smoking pot, so Dimitri begrudgingly nodded.
"If it works, she probably won't need to do it every time to see auras," Adrian explained to a still seething Dimitri. "It's like once your brain knows how to go there once, you can do it again with very little energy. It's amazing what you can tell about a person from their aura."
Not sure he liked whatever Adrian was implying, Dimitri stepped outside into the corridor, locking the door behind him. Their suite on the third floor at the end of one wing of the building, if anyone saw him loitering there, he could claim to have forgotten his keys and to be waiting for one of his roommates to arrive. Adrian had been right about one thing, Dimitri begrudgingly admitted. The building already smelled like marijuana.
Fifteen minutes later, the door opened, and Castile invited Dimitri back inside. With all the doors and windows open, the room did not smell as bad as Dimitri had feared. Everything looked relatively normal if you didn't consider Princess Dragomir's behavior.
"This is amazing! I can see all the colors!" she hissed, looking at Eddie, Adrian, and now Dimitri enthralled. "What does pink mean?"
"It depends on the shade. Light pink is infatuation, warmer pink is love, cerise is physical love, and when it's almost red, it's lust."
"Yellow and army green?"
"Jealousy and dislike."
"Pale mauve?" Lissa asked when Christian came into the room.
"Affection and devotion," Adrian immediately supplied, also noting the colors of Christian's aura as the young man looked at Vasilisa.
"Devoted is right—look what I whipped up for you two," Christian said with a grin.
"Brownies!" Lissa squealed, launching herself over the edge of the sofa and almost knocking Christian over in her effort to get to the sweet treats. Celeste was laughing at the very out-of-character display from the Moroi princess. "Aww—so warm and gooey," she mumbled as she filled her mouth.
Pulling the plate away before Lissa did a Rose and snatched them all, Christian offered Adrian and then each of the Guardians brownies. Dimitri nodded and took one, all the while glowering at Ivashkov. Still no love lost there. Hell, Christian thought, if this is how it was going to be all weekend, the next batch of brownies he'd make as edibles!
"Still pissed I gave the Princess the devil's lettuce?" Adrian asked, coming out of the spare room and into the living room where Dimitri was guarding. Lissa, Christian, and Celeste had retired to their beds a while ago, Eddie doing likewise about 1:30 am after clocking off at midnight. Working the overnight time slot, Belikov would be awake until at least 6:00 am when his shift ended.
Dimitri said nothing, not trusting himself to respond. No harm had come of it—still Lissa smoking pot was irresponsible.
"I didn't do it for shits and giggles," Adrian said, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a soda. He'd rather pull out the bottle of vodka, but he knew that would likely increase Belikov's ire. "Abe Mazur has been looking into the circumstances of Tatiana's death. Like me, he knows it wasn't Rose. That means the murderer is still out there."
"What does the Princess getting stoned have to do with that?"
"I honestly don't know. Abe said it would be useful if I could help Lissa see auras. I first saw them as a teen after smoking some wacky weed. I thought it was worth a try."
"Can you see a person's thoughts?" Dimitri asked, his curiosity temporarily overcoming his animosity.
"Not thoughts as much as feelings and reactions. If I said something that angered you, if I were looking, I'd know from the reaction of your aura."
"How invasive," Dimitri murmured, his voice laced with recrimination.
"Don't think it's not without its downsides," Adrian said, deciding the soda needed a decent splash of vodka if he was to continue this discussion. What he was about to disclose would give him no joy. "For instance, from the very beginning, I could see the way she felt about you."
"Rose?" Dimitri whispered, his voice tortured.
"Yes. Like I can see how hearing her name, you are feeling love, loss, and guilt."
Dimitri didn't think Adrian needed the ability to see auras to glean that.
"She loved you, you know. Unwaveringly. Passionately. Even before you took things to the next level, you were her only thought. And after? Well, it was even worse."
"You could tell that?!"
"It was impossible not to. The worst part is, even then, I tried to fool myself into thinking that eventually she might come around to giving me a chance. I gave her the money to go on a suicide mission to release the soul of the man she loved. And when she failed, she found a way to restore you instead… For all the good it did her."
There was no mistaking the bitterness in Adrian's tone. Pulling himself together, he swallowed his acrimony with a gulp of vodka and strawberry Fanta, deciding neither of the two liquids benefited from an association with the other.
"I will always regret my actions after I was restored. It was all too raw, and I didn't know what I felt."
"I'm sure that's true. But the fucked thing is, she was still willing to give you a chance. If she'd looked at me even once the way she looked at you, I would have taken it and run with it. But right to the very end, it was you." Belikov's eyes locked with Adrian's, the latter answering the question the former dared not ask. "I visited her. The day before she died. I knew it was going to be farewell, for a while, so I went to say goodbye. We didn't talk about you, but I asked whether you'd visited. Even then, her aura lit up with love, hope, and devotion. So, if it helps, know she loved you until her very last. No one else ever got a look in."
"It doesn't. Help, I mean."
"Then that's something you need to learn to live with. Like I need to live with the fact she never loved me the way she loved you."
Since there was nothing left to say, Adrian grabbed the bottle of vodka, leaving the strawberry Fanta, and moved back into his bedroom. For such a brief visit, there was no point fully adjusting to human hours, so he'd blot himself out for the rest of the human night and hopefully wake up to spend some of the human day with Lissa and Christian tomorrow. Successful in helping Vasilisa see auras, it gave Adrian no pleasure seeing how much guilt Belikov carried about Rose, and how much he still adored her.
Never one to believe in soulmates, he was tempted to believe Belikov and Hathaway Jr. might have been the real deal.
"Do you think we should wake him? He's usually up before now," Celeste whispered. She'd followed Eddie into Belikov's room, only to find Dimitri passed out on his bed fully clothed, an almost empty bottle of vodka on the nightstand beside him. He'd been sober when she'd started her workday at 6:00 am, so he must have imbibed early in the morning once his shift had finished.
"As far as I know, Lissa, Christian, and Adrian have no plans to go out today. Lissa wants to skill up on reading auras, and Christian wants to cook."
"What about Lord Ivashkov?" Celeste asked, wondering about their house guest.
"I doubt he'll be up for a while. He's not used to human hours, and it's not like any parties are happening this early. I say we let Belikov sleep until he's needed. The guy never takes any time for himself."
Celeste nodded, silently following Castile from Belikov's room, but not before removing the almost empty bottle of vodka, and pulling up the duvet to cover the six-foot-seven-inch Guardian. She cared for him. Not romantically—but it hurt her to see him so lost. It made sense that Adrian's visit might have affected him more than it did any of the rest of them. She just hoped he could get through this and eventually heal.
"It's very interesting," Lissa commented as she studied Christian, Eddie, and Celeste. "Now I know how to do it, it's so easy seeing auras! And you can tell so much," she continued to state, not understanding how awkward that made her companions feel. Evidently, whatever colors for you're creeping me out and give me my privacy were not yet on her radar. Matthews and Castile scarfed down the stellar brunch Christian had made before excusing themselves to guard—despite Eddie not due to start his shift until midday. That left Christian to bear the brunt of Vasilisa's aura explorations.
"Do you think getting high might be the key to unlocking other Spirit talents?" Lissa asked, taking a break from deciphering every shade of Christian's aura. She couldn't remember much from the night before, but she was pretty sure she'd had fun.
"If anyone would know that, it's Adrian," Christian said with a chuckle. Hardly Lord Sobriety, Christian was certain Adrian would be across how every drug impacted on Spirit.
Lissa might not remember football tackling him for his brownies, but the rest of them could. Similarly, the Royal Princess asking the same questions repeatedly all night was something they'd struggle to forget. It was only when her uninhibited conversation had wandered into talk about the bedroom that Christian had decided it was time to take his stoned girlfriend off to bed, distracting her with philosophical discussions until she finally passed out.
Despite promising Lissa would only have a puff or two, Adrian had got her completely wasted! Grateful the only long-term effect seemed to be that now Lissa could see auras, Christian was now on Belikov's side. There was now no need for Vasilisa to get shitfaced again!