Chapter 23

Dimitri stayed close to me the whole walk back to my dorm. The way his hands hovered by my sides, I knew he wanted to just carry me rather than watch me struggle with each step, but I was determined.

Due to the healing that I had received, my injuries were much more manageable, but I still had to bit my lip not to let out groans of pain. The worst of it is the bruised ribs. They were better than broken or cracked but was still a bitch to deal with. I hadn't had a chance to look at myself though I could guess that I was black and blue under my clothes.

Dr Olendzki had let me leave the infirmary with the promise of taking it easy for the next five days and bed rest for two, which unfortunately also included no training, especially with my sprained wrist. With a list of instructions and some painkillers, I was released.

Alberta gave the go-ahead for Dimitri to watch over me, which I knew meant to keep an eye on me. I was just happy that she allowed us to remain close to each other despite knowing the truth of our relationship.

"Rose, please just let me carry you," Dimitri pleaded. I had to stop to catch my breath again; I waved him off, taking another step.

"I'm fine. Besides, someone might see."

"It's the middle of the night. Everyone is sleeping."

He had a point. I glanced up the path we were following, the dhampir dorm in the distance. What would only be a couple of minutes walk had become almost half an hour. And that was just getting to the dorm. I broke out in a cold sweat at the idea of climbing the stairs to my floor.

"Fine, take me," I threw my arm out dramatically towards Dimitri. Not wasting a second, his arms looped around me, carefully lifting me bridal style. The position hurt but was less so than walking. I relaxed against his chest breathing him in, "I don't understand how I'm still so tired."

Dimitri chuckled, "Better get used to it. Resting is all you will be doing until you are better."

I glanced up at him. He had been looking better since I woke up, but there was still a shadow to his expression, pinching around his eyes. He really had been scared, and it was going to take some time for him to shake that feeling off.

Within minutes we were up in my room. Managing to open my door with one hand, Dimitri carried me until we reached my bed which he slowly lowered me to.

I had been given a painkiller before leaving the infirmary, which I could now feel taking effect, making my eyelids heavy. I didn't want to give in to sleep yet, still needing to hold Dimitri close to me.

After shuffling around my room a little, he came and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a water bottle on the table next to me. "Is there anything you need?"

Sluggish, I tugged at his shirt with my uninjured hand, thankful that it was my left hand that I sprained and not my dominant one. "I want you."

He shook his head, "I don't know if that's -"

"Please."

He gave in. I knew he needed this as much as I did. The kiss before was not enough.

Dimitri removed his shoes and duster, then moved to take off my shoes. I started to unbutton my jeans but struggled to push them down. His hands replaced mine and gently pulled them down my legs. He grimaced at the sight.

Glancing down proved my theory; I was indeed covered in bruises. My left side, which had impacted both the side of the van and the road, had a series of bruises trailing up my leg and under my shirt, which was also the side with the bruised ribs. The only part of me that hurt on my right was my jaw, where David had punched me.

"It looks worse than it is," I told Dimitri, his eyes still focused on my leg. I shuffled over in my bed, trying to give him room to lay beside me, "Hold me?"

Pulled from his trance, he nodded in response. Once I had moved over enough, he gracefully laid out beside me. He had arranged my pillows, so I was somewhat elevated, laying on my back. Dimitri was on his side staring at me; he kept his hands to himself, unsure of touching me. I tugged on his hand, bringing it up to drape across my stomach.

"You aren't going to hurt me, Dimitri," I told him, his breath hitched.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, "I'm sorry, Roza."

I turned my head, so we were looking at each other, "None of what happened is your fault. In fact, without you there, I probably would be dead."

He inched his face closer to mine, closing his eyes, "I hate seeing you in pain. I wish I could keep you safe."

I squeezed his hand in mine, making him open his eyes, "You do keep me safe, Dimitri," I gazed into his eyes, losing myself in the deep pools of colour. I held his eyes until mine were fighting to stay open.

He smiled, "Sleep, Roza."

A scream tore from my throat before I could stop it. I suddenly sat up in bed only to cringe back, clasping a hand over my ribs, gritting my teeth against the pain. Taking shallow breathes, I tried to lower myself back down against my pillows.

It took me a second to convince myself I wasn't in my dream still. Red eyes, blood, and David's screams played over and over in my mind.

Once I could breathe again, I took in my surroundings. I had fallen asleep with Dimitri beside me but was disappointed to realise that I was alone now. A glance at the clock told me it was mid-morning; everyone would be down at church.

The deep rumble of my stomach reminded me it had been hours since I had last eaten, not since we had lunch at the shopping centre.

Deciding that the craving for food was stronger than the pain currently, I eased myself into a seated position. As long as I didn't move suddenly, the pain was bearable, thankful that being a dhampir meant my body healed quicker than humans. Even my bruises were less sensitive to pressure, though the colours they were making were quite the sight.

Bracing myself on the edge of my bed, I forced myself up onto my legs, letting out a sharp hiss of pain.

Now standing, my next plan of action was getting dressed. I glanced at my jeans Dimitri discarded on the floor last night; they would be much too hard to pull on by myself, not to mention dirty and torn. It was a shame; they were my favourite pair. Searching my room, my eyes widened when I noticed a collection of shopping bags on my desk. I had almost forgotten that I had bought new clothes.

Shuffling to my desk, I shifted through the bags until finding a pair of black flowing lounge pants. Now to pull them on.

With my arm wrapped around my left side, giving myself extra support, I gingerly brought a leg up and threaded it through one side. I was huffing, annoyed that so little movement had me out of breath so quickly.

Any thought of giving up and just laying in bed was shot down by my stomach again, making its needs known. After some maneuvering that involved a lot of balance, I was now wearing pants.

Now to change my top.

I cursed myself for not wearing a button-up shirt.

I pulled my arms through the holes, now to just lift it over my head. I had the material halfway up when my door opened, followed by footsteps entering.

"What are you doing?" Dimitri asked, closing the door behind him. I let my shirt fall back down to cover me, watching as he placed a tray on my bed then crossed to my side.

"I'm hungry."

"That's why I was bringing you food."

I looked over at the tray. It indeed had a selection of food and drinks, my stomach grumbled in approval.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Dimitri asked, the corners of his mouth tilting up as he took in the sight of me standing in the middle of my room with my arms hidden under my shirt.

"I want to change, but it's tiring," I explained, which earned a chuckle from him.

Dimitri's hands tugged on the hem of my shirt, "Let me." He gently lifted it over my head, leaving me bare, my bra having been removed the night before; I covered myself with my arms. Keeping his eyes above my neck, he asked, "What do you want to wear?"

Turning back to my selection of clothes I had removed from the bags, I pointed at a soft blue shirt; it was my most revealing one with a v-neckline. The material and colour reminded me of my favourite shirt that now lives six feet under, so I couldn't say no to it.

After some fiddling, he had me dressed. I almost laughed at the whole situation; never did I imagine Dimitri helping me get dressed. Most times, I imagined him undressing me.

He took my hands and led me back to the bed, "How are you feeling?" He asked as he gathered my pillows, arranging them so that I could sit up against my headboard, hovering close as I situated myself. I had experienced Dimitri being concerned over my injuries before, but nothing came close to this. It was like he thought me fragile enough to break at any moment. I'll admit, it's nice having someone to care for me like this.

"Great, if I don't move, that is," I joked. Seeing the worry that pinched the corner of his eyes made me reach forward to wrap my fingers around his, "I'm doing much better. Don't worry so much, comrade."

He clutched my fingers, "I'll stop worry when you stop getting injured," He told me. Moving the tray within reach, he gestured to the food, "Now eat."

I grinned, more than happy to comply.

Lissa sat on my bed surrounded by clothes, going through the pile and folding the items to be put away. Another pile on the floor had been deemed rejected. After spending the day with Dimitri relaxing and sleeping, I felt much better, gaining back more of my strength.

Dimitri claimed it was because the painkillers were working; I claimed it was because of my extraordinary healing abilities.

Alberta had not been lying when she told him they were going to speak soon. He informed me that it would be mainly a debriefing about what happened on the shopping trip. Not wanting to leave me alone, he called on Lissa to keep me company.

With nothing better to do, I decided to go through my clothes and try on my new ones, seeing I could not at the store because I was "on duty".

"Are you sure you don't want the red one?" Lissa asked, looking pointedly at the most recent discard.

While I had loved the shirt, I didn't see myself wearing it again, "My boobs practically fell out of it. I'm going to be a guardian, Liss. I need to dress the part."

"But what about if we go to the bars at Court, it would be a great shirt to pick up boys."

I gave her a look, "I highly doubt we will ever be doing that."

She sighed, "Yeah, I guess not."

I laughed, returning to my closet, "This is what happens when you get a boyfriend in high school. Now you get none of the fun things." I joked, realising I was in the same position, but I knew no man at Court would ever be as attractive as Dimitri, nor could they make me as happy.

"So speaking of boys…." Lissa trailed off. I felt a familiar pull at the bond; there was something on her mind that she had been thinking about for a while.

"What about them?"

"Dimitri was pretty upset, you know, after."

I paused, a slight panic rising. I responded, keeping my voice even, "Well yeah, I'm like his star pupil."

"Are you sure it isn't more than that?"

I stepped away from my closet, eyeing her, "What do you mean?"

She kept her mind guarded from me so I couldn't discover what she was implying, "You tell me."

I couldn't tell if she was suspecting something between Dimitri and me or if she just knew. "You know something."

I studied her, not being able to use the bond I had to read her expression. I stared her down until she looked away, a blush covering her cheeks. She knows .

"Oh my god, you do know," My jaw dropped, "You know -"

"That you and Dimitri are together? Yeah." She finally admitted. Lowering her walls, I could feel the confirmation through the bond.

I crossed to sit on the bed next to her, having to ease myself down, "I swear I was going to tell you, but with everything that happened."

Lissa placed her hand on my shoulder, "Rose, it's fine. I just feel bad for not figuring it out sooner."

"So you aren't mad?"

She shook her head, "At first, I was a little hurt, but I get why you didn't say anything. I can't say I'm surprised you would be dating a teacher." I glared at her making her laugh.

"What is that suppose to mean!"

"Always the rule-breaker."

We both broke until a fit of giggles, which I quickly regretted grabbing my ribs, "Ow, don't make me laugh,"

I still couldn't believe that Lissa knew about us and never let on. Or maybe she had. I remembered the times I had felt her trying to hide something from me. Was she just waiting for me to tell her?

"When did you figure it out?" I asked.

Her smile faltered, "I had my suspicions, but that night Dimitri came back… When I healed him," I tried not to flinch. The night Dimitri escaped me. "He didn't say anything, but I could tell. And then everything since then." She finished. Lissa's hand covered mine, "I'm glad you have him to help you these last couple of weeks."

I huffed a laugh, running my hand through my hair, "Alberta said that too."

Her eyes widened in shock, "Guardian Petrov knows?"

Nodding my head, "She told us last night, after walking in on us kissing," I felt myself flush at the memory.

"Oh, wow."

"Yep," I turned back to look at her, "I'm starting to feel like everyone is guessing it."

"Who else knows?" She asked.

I could feel a bit of hurt through the bond; she was upset, thinking I had told others before telling her, "I never told anyone. They all figured it out like you did." I explained, "Adrian figured it out because of my aura, and then my dad guessed it like five minutes after meeting me."

The hurt eased, being replaced with curiosity, "How long have you two been together?"

"We fought it at first," I smiled at the memory, "well, more he fought it, and I made it harder for him. I tried to move on from him with Mason, but it wasn't even close to how I felt for Dimitri." I felt a familiar ache in my chest, thinking of Mason. "It wasn't until the night of the attack we gave in to our feelings for each other."

Lissa nodded in understanding, squeezing my hand. Trying to lighten the mood, she asked, "Have you, you know?" She gave me a look as she blushed.

"Wow, Liss," I grinned, "You would think after all the times you and Sparky have done it, you could say the word."

"Shut up," She lightly slapped me, looking even more embarrassed, "Well, have you?"

The cabin flashed in my mind, making me giddy, "Once," I told her with a smile, "Just before the attack. But not since."

I could feel her happiness flow through the bond, both at me having someone and that I was sharing it with her. We almost didn't have the chance to have this moment, sharing stories about our relationships. If she had never restored me, this never would have happened.

The moment was interrupted by Lissa's phone buzzing. With an apologetic look, she unlocked the screen, her eyes lighting up. She snapped her eyes up to me, "Don't suppose you feel like breaking some more rules tonight?"

I gave her a wary look, "Depends on what they are."

"One of the guys in Christian's dorm got a bunch of alcohol from his uncle and is throwing a party. Eddie and Christian are going."

I chewed on my lip. A party could be fun, "I don't think Dimitri would be too thrilled about that."

"Just say you are staying with me. It can be a make-up party for missing your eighteenth."

I could feel my resolve breaking, encouraged by the excitement from Lissa. While I shouldn't keep this from Dimitri, one little party wouldn't hurt. I let out a dramatic sigh, "Fine, but I can't drink, okay."

Lissa pouted but accepted my condition. "Okay, we should head over soon. Christian said he would meet us there."

I stood from the bed, going to my closet to find something to wear. Feeling excitement build in me, sneaking out for a party reminded me of old times.

Lissa had messaged Dimitri, saying that I would be watching movies with her, which wasn't a total lie seeing we were going to head back to her room once the party died down. He never replied, so I assumed he was still in his meeting with Alberta.

As promised, Christian and Eddie met us at the dorms. I was surprised to see Adrian and Sara with them. The two seemed to be getting along, which worked well for me because then I wouldn't have to put up with Adrian's flirting.

"She lives," Eddie greeted me, "You look terrible."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was teasing. I crossed my arms, "You are just jealous that I got to kill some Strigoi."

"Next time, you can stay in the van, and I'll be the badass." He told me. I could tell he was relieved I was okay and could joke about my near-death experience. The last thing I wanted was Eddie feeling guilty.

The party itself wasn't too crowded, only a handful of dhampir attending, which was common with Moroi hosted parties. I wasn't too interested in mingling with the others in the room, especially when I caught sight of both Jesse and Anastasia. I grimaced, strongly considered leaving.

"Don't pay them any attention. This is a celebration, remember." Lissa looped her arm around mine, directing me to a set of couches on the other side of the room. The Moroi common rooms were larger and more extravagant than the ones in the dhampir dorms. I was thankful for the many available seats. My painkiller was wearing off, leaving me tensing my jaw against the onset of pain.

"So, kind-of birthday girl," Adrian draped an arm over the back of the couch, seeming very much in his element, "what would you like to drink?"

I gently lowered myself to the couch, shifting until I found a comfortable spot, "Water."

He gasped at me, "You do not drink water when celebrating. I'll get you something." With that, he lept up and disappeared into the throng of people.

I sighed, shaking my head. Eddie had split off from us to talk to Jill and some other dhampirs. He asked if I wanted to join, but I turned him down. I really should have stayed in my room, sleeping preferably.

Lissa and Christian cuddled on the love seat across from me in their own little world, which left Sara sitting at the other end of my couch. We hadn't had much of a chance to talk, usually distracted by my other friends or depressed when she had been around.

"Bet you are pretty happy you skipped the shopping trip," I attempted conversation, accidentally startling her. She flushed before nodding.

"Y-yeah," She replied, not quite looking me in the eye, "It must have been s-scary."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I've gotten used to it." I tried to sound nonchalant.

Sara suddenly turned away, "S-sorry I didn't mean to b-bring up," She shook her head, "You and S-strigoi, I mean you and w-well -"

I cut off her nervous rambles, waving my hand, "Don't worry, everyone talks about it these days."

Silence settled between us, only the sound of the party going on around us.

"W-what was it like?"

I was surprised by her question, barely hearing it over the noise. I wasn't sure what to tell her, especially considering what she thinks I went through and what actually happened was very different. "I don't really remember. Their bite disorientates you." I told her, my hand subconsciously coming up to my neck where Nathan had bitten me. The endorphins of their bite were so much more powerful compared to Moroi bites.

Needing to change the topic, I asked, "So you aren't drinking either?"

"N-no. Parties were more my brother's t-thing."

Great, I changed the conversation from Strigois back to more Strigois. I remembered Lissa telling me Sara's brother died in the attack, "I'm sorry about your brother."

She shot up to her feet, "I-I am going to g-get a drink."

I watched after her in shock by her sudden departure. She rushed past Adrian, who gave me a questioning look.

"What was that about?" He asked, passing me a drink.

I frowned, "I'm great at scaring her off, it seems," I turned my attention to the drink in my hand; based on the smell, it was definitely alcoholic. "I said water."

"And I said not when celebrating," He tapped the corner of his cup against mine before throwing it back. Seeing me unmoving, he nudged me gently, "Come on, Rose. One drink won't hurt you."

I stared at the liquid. Maybe a little alcohol could help, as Abe had said, take the edge off. With that in mind, I downed my cup.