I spent hours tossing and turning in bed, practically begging for sleep to finally take me down, before letting out a huff of frustration and giving up. I was exhausted but my brain would just not shut off.

Ever since the plane ride home from Court about a week prior when I was attacked by all of those ghostly faces, I'd had a hard time getting to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I could see them, although I knew those times they weren't actually there. They were haunting me with their pale, ghastly faces - deep eyes taunting me to join them in the land of the dead - and it was absolutely terrifying. I hadn't slept properly in days and I was on the verge of sobbing from frustration.

It wasn't something I wanted to think about any longer and since I knew that I wasn't going to get any sleep that night, I slid out of bed and changed into my workout clothes. With a glance at my alarm clock, I saw that it was only three in the morning and decided just to head out to mine and Dimitri's morning practice super early.

Seeing as it was deep in the Moroi night, I was going to have to sneak out of my dorm room. That wasn't going to be much of a problem, I'd done it before, but there was always the possibility that I would slip up and be caught.

I decided I had to take my chances, though, so I opened my bedroom window and began my descent. I figured going out the window was safer than trying to sneak down the stairs, and I was right. I made it to the ground with no problems and once I'd scanned around to make sure there were no guardians, I ran off to the gym.

I made it there with no interruptions but just as I stepped inside the building, I froze when I heard a familiar voice call out my name.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked, giving me a confused look from where he was stretching in the middle of the gym.

"I-I... I didn't think anyone would be in here," I stammered out. Inside I was berating myself for getting caught, I was sure Dimitri would tell me to go back to my room, but on the outside all I could do was stare.

Dimitri was dressed in track pants and a black tank top - his usual workout gear - and with his hair tied back behind his neck, he looked gorgeous as always. I could spend hours watching him work out, perhaps he would let me just sit and watch.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I missed the next thing Dimitri said to me until he called my name again.

"Why are you here, Rose?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep and figured I'd come and workout before our practice," I said.

"It's three in the morning."

"Yes, I know."

"So I'm guessing you had to sneak out to be here?"

He had his favourite expression for me, a mix of amusement and exasperation, on his face and I felt a little embarrassed. If it were one of my friends, I'd have been proud that I managed to sneak out but I hated Dimitri knowing I'd broken the rules. I didn't think he'd turn me in to anyone, he never had before, but he would still lecture me about it.

"Look, I'm sorry I broke the rules, but I'm tired of not sleeping and I just wanted to get some frustration out," I said, running one of my hands through my hair. Dimitri's face softened a little and he walked over to me, forcing me to lift my head so I could look up at him.

"Is it the ghosts?" he asked, voice low. There was no one else around us but I was glad he was staying quiet just in case.

"Yes."

He sighed, my words seemingly paining him to hear. "I think you need to go back to Dr. Olendzki and tell her."

"There's nothing she can do, Dimitri. There's nothing any doctor can do. I'm sure this has something to do with the bond."

"Are you actually seeing them, like with the headaches?"

I shook my head. "No, it's just the memory. I know they're not real but they're still haunting me."

Dimitri frowned and I noticed his hand begin to reach out to me, perhaps to comfort me, but he stopped himself before he did. I wished he'd stop doing that.

"I'm sorry that's happening to you, Roza, I wish I knew how I could help," he whispered.

I felt the same. Any little bit of comfort he could give me would honestly help. What I truly wanted was for him to take me back to my room, climb into bed with me and hold me until I fell asleep. I didn't think it would make the ghost faces go away but it would definitely keep me calm and perhaps that would help a little.

"Just... Please don't make me go back," I begged. "I'm so sick of not being able to sleep and being in my room is just frustrating me."

"Rose, it's past curfew, you can't be out here." It was obvious he didn't want to say it but as a guardian he had to.

"Please, Dimitri. If someone finds me, I'll tell them that I, I don't know, knocked you out and forced my way in. You won't get in trouble."

Dimitri seemed to find that funny as a grin broke out on his face and he let out a deep chuckle.

"You think they'd believe that?"

I scoffed. "I don't see why they wouldn't. We all know I'm much stronger than you at this point."

He threw his head back at that and his next laugh reverberated loudly through the empty gym. It made me smile despite the heaviness of our conversation and my heart fluttered in my chest at how handsome he looked all carefree.

"Oh, Roza, what am I going to do with you..."

He shook his head at me, smile now more fond than amused, and I felt the sudden need to reach out to trace his lips. Luckily I managed to hold myself back and dropped my gaze back to the gym.

"Are you going to let me in or do I actually have to try and knock you out?" I asked, flicking my eyes back up to his.

"You're lucky I'm technically on guard in this area," he sighed. I grinned at his show of defeat and walked around him to enter further into the gym. I made my way over to grab one of the mats and laid it out on the ground to stretch and start my workout.

Dimitri and I worked mostly in silence for about an hour, me sticking to the cardio machines while he lifted weights, before he called out to me.

"We might as well just practice now so we can end earlier and get ready for the day," he said.

That last part caught my attention so I nodded and hopped off the elliptical to head over to him.

"We'll just spar a bit as you've already done the cardio."

"Okay, good, I need the practice for my next surprise attack."

I hadn't had a surprise 'Strigoi' attack by the guardians since my freeze-up with Stan, and I was pretty sure they were refusing to do so for me now that I was only on half-time. I kept asking Dimitri if he knew when I was going to get another one but either he didn't know or couldn't tell me because he would never answer. I was itching to get back at it and our practices were the only sort of relief I got.

"Come on then, do your worst," Dimitri said, ready for my first attack.

"Oh, you bet I will."

We tried to fight a few times, managing to get some good hits in, but after I tripped over a mat for the fifth time, Dimitri made me stop. He bent down to fold the mats back up and push them to the side then got back into position a few feet away from me.

After circling each other a couple of times, Dimitri waiting for me to attack and me waiting for the right time, I went for it.

I rushed towards him with my first strike, not deterred when he blocked it as usual. He threw a hand out to strike me back but I managed to duck and spin around so I was behind him. He turned to face me and reached out to grab me but I kicked at his legs to try and knock him down. Unfortunately my foot got caught on the ground which tripped me up, giving him the opportunity to finally grab me and pull me down.

He got into position over me, attempting to pin my arms down so he could reach for my neck as a Strigoi would. There was no way I was going to let that happen, of course. Not on my watch.

I brought one of my knees up and jammed it into his stomach, grinning triumphantly when he let go of me with a groan. I took the opportunity to try and flip him onto his back but misjudged how long it would take for him to recuperate. He managed to grab my arms again and the surprise from his speedy recovery caused me to freeze just long enough for him to win. The second his head moved down towards my neck, I stopped struggling and squeezed my eyes shut with a grunt.

"I win," Dimitri said smugly. Now physically and mentally tired, the teasing note in his voice pissed me off and I opened my eyes to snap something probably not so friendly at him. Luckily for both of us, the second my eyes met his, any words on my lips melted away in exchange for stunned silence. It took a second to sink in what position we were in; him on top of me, pinning me down with our faces centimetres apart, but one it did, I could see lust take over his eyes.

My lips suddenly felt very dry under his gaze so I flicked my tongue out to wet them, delighted when his eyes followed the movement hungrily. I could see the struggle behind them and knew full well how much he wanted to kiss me but was fighting the urge because of the risks.

And, oh god, did I want him to kiss me. I tugged my arms out from underneath his hands and wrapped them around his neck, tugging the hair tie out of his hair so it fell around his face. It was brushing against my cheeks and it tickled just a little, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. I ran my fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp a little, and his eyes closed to give into the pleasure just a little.

"Roza..." he warned when he opened his eyes again.

"Kiss me," I whispered.

"I can't." Even though I want to, were his unspoken words.

"Just one. We're alone."

He kept his face neutral but I could see his resolve beginning to crack. His eyes flicked down to my lips again when I tugged the bottom one between my teeth and barely heard his whispered "fuck it" before slamming his lips onto mine.

I immediately let out a shaky moan into his mouth and he hummed lightly as his hands grabbed my legs to wrap them around his waist. I tangled my own in his hair, gripping extra tight when he rolled his hips into mine. I could feel his erection brush against me and the thin layers we were both wearing made it feel amazing.

He slid one of his hands up from my waist and my breath caught in my throat when it brushed against my stomach before coming to rest on my breast. I whined as he palmed it through my sports bra and flicked my nipples - which were already straining hard through the fabric from the kiss alone.

He pulled his tongue away from where it had been flicking against mine and trailed his lips down to my neck. He spent a bit of time one on side, licking, sucking, nibbling, before switching to do the same on the other side. I was letting out little groans and whimpers of his name and I could feel him harden in his track pants every time I did.

"God, Roza, you're so sexy," he whispered.

He brought his lips back up to mine and I used his sudden distracted-ness to flip us over and straddle his hips. His hands automatically moved to grip my hips again and mine ended up planted beside his head. My crotch was now directly lined above his and every time I shifted, I could feel his hardness brush against me. It was maddening.

I pressed down a little too hard with one rock against him and he let out a deep cry into my lips. His noise only spurred me on more and I began to move my hips harder, deliberately digging in. He thanked me for the friction by reaching around and grabbing my ass through my leggings, squeezing my cheeks. Just as I pulled away to mark him up as he did me, I suddenly heard someone call his name.

Fuck.

"Belikov? Are you in here?" Alberta asked, sounding super close to the gym.

Dimitri let out a familiar swear word in Russian before shuffling out from underneath off me and backing away. "Go hide, Rose!"

I scrambled to fix my clothes then ran to hide in the weight room, heart pounding in my chest with adrenaline. I made sure I was fully hidden but stayed close enough to the doorway so I could hear what Chase was saying.

"Oh, there you are," she said, obviously now inside.

"Hi, Guardian Petrov. Sorry, I was working out," Dimitri said. I peeked around the corner just a little and saw him getting off the floor and brushing his pants.

"That's no problem. I was just wondering if you'd seen Rose, Vasilisa is looking for her."

My heart stuttered out of rhythm, throat tightening in fear, but luckily Dimitri didn't seem to be taken by surprise.

"Is she not in her room?" he asked.

"There was no answer when I knocked."

"Perhaps she's still asleep."

"Well, then I'll wait with you until her training starts."

I checked my watch and my eyes widened when I saw it was almost five in the morning. Had we really been sparring for an hour?

"Oh, I didn't even notice it was that time."

Alberta was silent for a few seconds and when I dared to peek again, she was regarding Dimitri wearily.

"Are you hiding something from me?" she asked.

"No, ma'am."

"Good, because you know they just installed security cameras in here, right? I can very easily go and check."

Oh shit. Oh my god. Security cameras?! I didn't even see them. Does that mean someone was watching us? Shit, if they saw us, we were going to be in so much trouble. Dimitri was going to be fired and I was going to be expelled. This was going to ruin his career. I couldn't see Dimitri's face but if he wasn't freaking out now I didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Dimitri, tell me the truth," Alberta said, suddenly sounding a lot more comforting.

"Fine. She's here."

He looked around to where I was hiding and waved for me to come out. I sheepishly did so, walking to stand just behind him, cheeks bright red in embarrassment.

"Hello, Guardian Petrov," I said, trying to make myself sound more confident than I felt.

"How long have you been here, Rose?" she asked.

"Not long."

"How long is not long?"

"...Since three. I forced Dimitri to let me in and we just worked out in silence before starting our practice early."

"Okay, so why did you hide when I came?"

"Because I sneaked out."

"That's it?"

"Why else?"

I looked up at Dimitri but his face wasn't giving anything away as usual. Did Alberta know something she shouldn't?

I quickly shook that thought away, it was too stupid to entertain. Sure Alberta liked me and probably Dimitri too but there was no way she'd let something like that go.

"Hey, uh, are there actually security cameras in here?" I asked. I hoped it sounded like I was just asking but I knew I probably sounded as paranoid as I was.

"Yes, they installed them about a week ago," Alberta replied.

Well, that was us done then. I dropped my head down to look at my feet and felt Dimitri's hand grab my arm from where it was hidden behind his back.

"Why don't you go back to your room and get ready for school, Rose," he suggested.

"Okay," I said. I took one last look at him, certain that it was going to be the last time I saw him, then walked back to my room with a heavy heart.

*Dimitri's POV*

Once Rose was gone, Alberta turned back to look at me and frowned.

"Alright, what are we going to see on that security tape?" she asked.

"Just kissing," I said dejectedly. Alberta already knew about me and Rose, that wasn't the issue, but I hated slipping up with her. She was understanding to a certain degree but full on making out with Rose on school property was something I didn't think would go down well.

"You are... So lucky that this camera stopped working last night and they haven't fixed it yet," she said. My head snapped, eyes wide in surprise, but when they met Alberta's disappointed ones, I dropped them back to my feet.

"I thought we talked about this, Dimitri. I don't care if you two love each other, I'm actually glad you both have someone to rely on, but as of right now, it's illegal. There's still a few months before Rose turns eighteen and graduates so you need to stop this until then at the very least."

"I know, I'm very sorry. I just got carried away."

"I understand that. That's why I'm not going to report you, or her for sneaking out. I like you both a lot and I'm not going to let you get fired, especially not now that Rose needs you more than ever. I can forgive you for losing focus this once, you are still very young as guardians go, but remember, you are the adult in this relationship. You need to be the voice of reason and stop things if they go too far, not start them."

"I understand, thank you, Guardian Petrov."

Alberta smiled a little then and her tough guardian stance faded.

"You're welcome," she said. "Now, go and get some rest, okay? You're on duty later."

I nodded and thanked her one more time before rushing out of the gym. That was way too close. I needed to make sure that never happened again.

*Rose's POV*

When I walked into the gym for our afternoon practice, I was scared to see what Dimitri was going to tell me.

"So, what's the verdict?" I asked, dropping my bag on the ground beside me. "Expelled? Fired? Jail? How long do you have?"

Dimitri smirked just a little and shook his head.

"None of that. We weren't reported because the camera in here isn't working and hasn't been fixed yet. We got lucky."

My stomach leapt in relief and I faked wiping sweat off my brow.

"Phew, thank god," I said. "Well, we'll just have to be more careful next time."

"No, Rose, there won't be a next time. As I said, we got lucky and it won't happen again. It cannot happen again."

"Oh, come on, Dimitri. It's us, of course it's going to happen again."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he screwed his eyes shut.

"Rose, we can't keep this having this conversation," he said. "You're a minor, I'm an adult. You're a student, I'm your mentor. We're both going to be Lissa's guardians in a few months. As much as I'd like to change that, it's just how it's going to go. I'm sorry, but unless something changes with our future assignments, nothing is going to happen between us."

I already knew everything he said, he'd said it to me hundreds of times in the months we'd known each other, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. I frowned and looked down towards my feet, scuffing my foot along the ground.

"Do you regret it?" I asked.

"What? The kiss?" I nodded. "No, I don't. The timing and setting were wrong but Rose, you need to understand that what you feel for me, I feel for you. It's just that I have to be the mature one and make sure we don't go too far."

"I know, I'll try and be more responsible."

I lifted my head to look at him and forced a grin on my face despite the ache in my chest.

"But, you have to stop being so irresistible and maybe I'll have a fighting chance."

He burst out laughing and of course, the sound made me smile for real.

"Go stretch, Rose. Maybe if you're good you can go early again."

I grinned, heart leaping just a little when his eyes softened fondly.

"Is the camera still broken?" I asked.

"Yes, they're fixing it tomorrow," he said.

"Good." I grabbed his face in my hands and stood up on my toes to pull him into a kiss. It only lasted a second and when I pulled away, Dimitri was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Okay, I'm good now."

I turned to look back over my shoulder as I walked further into the room and smirked seeing him staring after me.

"What am I going to do with you?" he mumbled.

I shrugged. "Deal with it, you love me."

He didn't answer but he didn't have to; I knew the answer. And I felt the same.