Thank you so much for all your responses! I'm so happy with all the positive feedback I've gotten!

Dimitri is pretty OOC in this chapter. It's not really in a bad way, but some things might seem out of the ordinary. Enjoy :)

My first reaction when Dimitri asked me if I was his angel was to cry and laugh at the same time. My emotions were all over the place and his were too. The fact that we now shared a sire bond meant we could feel each other's emotions to an extent.

"How do you feel?" I asked him, running my thumb over his cheek. He didn't respond right away and instead looked around the room, blinking constantly. I sensed some internal shock in his mind and figured it was his enhanced vision.

"Strange," he mumbled, his eyes landing on the blood bags on the tray. He started to move out of his stiff position and I put a hand on his back to help him sit up. He wasn't injured any more, but little thing he used to do would feel different now. Eddie stepped closer, watching Dimitri with caution.

"Not too close," I told him. It was best if Dimitri was away from people as much as possible before he fed. If anyone was going to be close to him, it could only be me.

"Eddie? I thought..."

"He flew in while we were unconscious," I said.

"We?" Dimitri asked. "What happened?"

"Tasha shot you in the chest," I said, wincing at the memory. "And—uhh—I killed 26 strigoi."

"What?" Dimitri was beaming even with a dizzy head. "A guardian in disguise..."

I sighed, smiling softly. Dimitri was right. I might as well have been a guardian even though it would never be official. It was weird to think about when I had a guardian of my own.

"What happened to Tasha?" Dimitri went on.

"I paralyzed her," I confessed. "I was so angry. Your heart stopped, Dimitri. You were dead for hours. But you're okay now."

Dimitri looked so confused. He pressed a hand to his forehead and shut his eyes. I touched his arm, letting myself feel him and discovered he had a horrible headache. "I don't understand."

"Remember how I made you drink my blood yesterday morning to heal your back?" I asked him. He nodded slowly, still looking confused.

"You died with my blood in your system."

Dimitri lifted his head, gazing up at me with so much vulnerability that it made my heart ache. I wanted to protect him from everyone and everything. "Am I strigoi?" he asked, putting his fingers in his mouth to feel for the fangs that hadn't come out yet.

"Half," I clarified. "You're still half-human."

"So...so we're sired?"

"Yes."

"That's why I feel so close to you?"

"Yes."

"Do I have to feed?"

"Yes."

"What if I lose control? What if I hurt someone? What if...what if I hurt you? Or Nev?"

I paused. Dimitri was asking a lot of questions and I understood why, but he was getting more and more anxious. It was very unlike him, but I had to remind myself that his emotions weren't stable right now. The transition did very strange things to the body and mind.

"Dimitri, you will be fine. Hey, listen," I said, tilting his face towards mine when he started to look away. "I've been through this. I know exactly what it's like. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

"I don't know how to deal with this," he said, strain evident in his voice.

"I understand. Believe me, I do. I went through this on my own, but you don't have to. I'm right here, Dimitri. I'm here, and I won't leave you alone in this."

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly. I nodded, bringing his hand up to my mouth to kiss his fingers.

"I can feel you," he said, placing his hand between my breasts. He was trying to feel my heart. "I don't know how, but I can. I can feel your pain. Everything you went through—it really left a mark on you."

I smiled sadly. Now, there'd be no way to hide anything when it came down to my emotions. While my bond with him wasn't the same as Lissa's, he could still feel things, just like I could feel him.

"I can hear things too. It's like everything has been magnified. I can hear your pulse. I can hear yours too," Dimitri said, cocking his head towards Eddie. "I can hear...blood...rushing through your veins."

His eyes darkened and I knew he needed to feed. If he suppressed his urges, he could lose control. I picked up one of the blood bags and opened the tube, placing it in Dimitri's hands. A part of him didn't want to, but I knew he was thirsty.

"You have to," I pressed. "Your body needs it. If you give yourself what you need, it'll help with your thirst. Trust me."

Dimitri brought the tube up to his mouth, taking a very tentative sip as if he was testing the temperature of hot soup. The second he swallowed, his thirst spiked and he started taking large sips, draining the bag in a matter of seconds.

"Is this normal?" Eddie asked worriedly.

"In the beginning, yes," I answered, handing Dimitri another bag. He drained that one almost as fast, but after the third one, he finally slowed down and exhaled.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. "I feel good and bad at the same time. Drinking this stuff isn't exactly normal for me."

"It's a strange sight," Eddie admitted behind us, and I had to agree with him. I never thought I'd see Dimitri like this, but it was something we both had to get used to.

"If you're here, what about everyone else?" Dimitri asked. "Unless you only flew in alone?"

"Lissa and Christian are here," Eddie said. I frowned when he mentioned Christian's name. I had no idea how I was going to explain breaking Tasha's back. Would he hate me forever? How were we supposed to go on being friends?

"Nevaeh's here too. She's sleeping right now."

I shot my head up at the same time as Dimitri. We had been away from her for almost two weeks and we had missed her dearly. "Can we see her?" I asked.

"You can, but the guards here might not let Dimitri see anyone until his thirst is under control."

"It is under control," Dimitri snapped. "You think I'm going to feed on a little girl?"

"Not by choice. You just woke up and you could lose control. And hey, it's not my decision. I'm just taking orders," Eddie defended, putting his hands up.

"But I want to see her. I have every right. I'm not sick in the head! I would never hurt a child!" Dimitri was getting angry now. It was also unlike him to have mood swings, let alone show his anger so easily, but his mind was spiralling. His body needed time to adjust.

"Hey." I placed my hands around Dimitri's face, soothing him through our little bond. His face showed instant relief and he sagged against my touch. "Don't worry. You'll get to see her soon. You just need a little bit of time. Just calm down. It's okay."

"Right," he said, sounding softer this time. He gave Eddie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be angry, but I feel like my emotions are everywhere. I still have no idea how to deal with this."

"Hey, man, I get it. If you flip out on me any time soon, I won't take it personally." Eddie uncrossed his arms and headed for the door. "I need to guard Nevaeh's room. Will you two be okay here?"

I nodded. "Everything's under control."

"Alright, well, call me if anything happens," he said, checking his watch again as he walked out. I looked back at Dimitri again and gave him a sad smile, considering my next words.

"Dimitri?"

"Hmm?" he mumbled, looking at me with an unusually strong admiration that he couldn't quite control. His guardian mask was non-existent now. Not that I was complaining.

"I know you never asked for this," I said. "Being turned, I mean."

Dimitri blinked, shaking his head. "You're right. I didn't ask for it, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful. You gave me another chance to live and I love you for that."

"What if I hadn't though?" I wondered. "What if you were never injured? What if I never gave you my blood? You would have..." I couldn't continue, because it was too unbearable for me to think about. When I thought I had truly lost him, I was losing my mind.

"I'm here, Roza. I'm okay."

"But you wouldn't be here if your back wasn't injured in the first place. Losing you felt so unbearably painful that I considered shutting off my humanity. I really thought you were dead." A tear escaped my eye and my lip quivered. Dimitri sighed sympathetically and moved to sit right beside me.

"Never, ever do that, Roza. I would never want that for you," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"I know, but I felt like I couldn't cope. You're my everything and the thought of you being gone hurt too much."

"Oh, baby, no." Dimitri hugged me tighter, soothing me through the bond like I had done with him earlier. "I'm not going anywhere."

After another hour, I had coaxed Dimitri into relaxation until he was in a sleepy state. With his body getting used to everything, he needed as much sleep as possible. I stayed with him, comforting him with soft cuddles, whispers, and soothing feelings through our bond. The guards outside promised to watch him while I was gone. I'd be able to sense if something was wrong with him, but I didn't want him to be alone.

I was stuck between wanting to apologize to my parents for the way I acted earlier, and being mad at them for drugging and restraining me. I knew they didn't intend to scare or hurt me, but I wished they had thought things through. I would never let someone do that to my child if they were hurting.

I remembered Nevaeh was here, so I headed to her room and knocked on the door. I smiled when I heard her voice behind the door, and it swung open, revealing her tiny figure with her hand stretched out to reach the doorknob. Eddie was running to the door as he had been trying to catch up with her, but he relaxed when he saw me.

"Mommy!" Nevaeh screamed, throwing her arms around my legs. After not seeing her for so long, I was beyond happy to be with her again. I grabbed her hand and walked inside, hoisting her into my arms.

"I missed you so much," she cried.

"Oh, I missed you too! I'm so happy to see you! Did you just fly in?"

"Yep! Just yesterday. Uncle Eddie said the queen wants to meet me."

"Is that so?" I asked, glancing at Eddie from the corner of my eye.

"Her Majesty requested to meet her tomorrow. I think you should go with her," Eddie told me.

"Can Daddy come too?" Nevaeh asked. "I want to see him."

"Oh, honey," I said sympathetically, frowning at Nevaeh's pout. "Daddy needs some time alone, but I promise you'll see him soon."

"Is he okay? I miss him."

If Nevaeh knew what was wrong, she wouldn't have questioned anything. I wished I could tell her, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't let her feel anxious about a situation she couldn't control. Dimitri was a big provider of strength and encouragement in her life and I didn't want to worry her.

"He's fine. He's just a little tired right now and he needs to rest." Well, at least I wasn't flat out lying to her.

"Can I help him?" she asked. "Maybe he just needs a big hug."

Goodness, she was so sweet. She had the most loving, caring, and protective child I'd ever met. A hug from her would certainly make Dimitri happy, but the guards here weren't going to let him near her until his body adjusted and his impulses were under control. I understood why it was risky, but I still felt sad that they had to be away from each other.

"You can hug him as soon as you see him again. You just need to wait a little longer, okay?"

Nevaeh sighed, her lips tugging into a frown. She nodded and hugged my neck again. "At least you're here now. Can we watch a movie together?"

"Sure, we can," I said warmly, kissing her cheek. I let her run to the wooden TV stand in front of her small bed where she sorted through the stack of kids' movies.

"You should take a break," I said to Eddie. "I think she'll be fine at court."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. You've done so much already and I can't thank you enough for that. You deserve some quality time with yourself."

"Thanks. And, trust me, I don't mind guarding her," he said, watching Nevaeh decide between two different movies. "She's fun to be around, but if I watch one more cartoon, I'm going to lose it."

I chuckled, pushing him to the side. "Go relax, Dummy."

I regretted agreeing to watch Dora episodes. I could only imagine how Eddie felt having to watch this stuff every night. The only good thing that came out of it was that I got so tired that I ended up taking a nap on Nevaeh's bed while she played with her toys. It wasn't until she tugged on my hair that I realized my phone was ringing, and after having a brief chat with one of the guardians at Dimitri's hospital room, I left to go check on him. He had just woken up from his short sleep and I knew he needed me again.

"You're looking better," I remarked as I walked into his room. The healthy colour of his skin had come back even though he was still a shade lighter than before, and his eyes had gone back to their natural shade of brown. While his appearance was going back to normal, the look on his face showed stress. I could feel his emotions too, and they weren't anything remotely peaceful.

"What's wrong?" I asked affectionately, moving to his side.

"I had a nightmare," he said. My heart clenched for him at how upset he sounded and I pulled him into a tight hug. I wondered if his sleep would have been better if I had stayed with him. His need for emotional support was going to be a lot stronger with the transition. My nightmares were horrid when I first turned.

"Tell me about it," I offered, stroking his hair and holding his head against my chest.

"I was hurting everyone," he said, his voice breaking. "I tore people's throats out—even people I love. I would never do that to anyone, but I felt like I couldn't control myself. I was a monster."

"You know it's not real," I reminded him. "That's not who you are, Dimitri. I know it's scary, but this is a very unfortunate part of the transition. You might experience some really unusual dreams for the next few weeks, but you have to keep telling yourself it isn't real."

"What if it is?" he asked. "What if I lose control? I don't want to hurt anyone, but I'm afraid I might even if it's by accident. I feel like..."

Dimitri pulled away and I had a strong urge to hold him again, but I resisted. I had to give him space when he needed it. I remembered the first time I had met Nevaeh, she kept trying to come closer when I told her to stay away in fear that I would lose control. After that experience, I knew I couldn't push him too much.

"When I'm close to anyone, all I can think about is the blood rushing through their body. I hear their pulse and I just get so thirsty. I don't want or intend to hurt anyone, but at the same time, I want to sink my teeth into their neck and drink."

I nodded to show him I understood. "That's normal. I know exactly what you're feeling. It makes you feel helpless."

"Exactly!" Dimitri agreed. His sudden outburst surprised me a little, but he relaxed a second later when he saw me flinch. "Sorry."

"It's alright," I told him with a smile. "This is all normal."

He nodded and looked down, grabbing my hand. "You went through all of this alone."

"Yeah, I did. It wasn't easy. This kind of thing was so rare and I was so scared. I had no one to talk to. I had no one to guide me through all the changes and I had no idea what was going on most of the time. Plus, I was kidnapped and locked in a dark room while I dealt with everything, so that didn't help."

"Well, how did you cope?"

I shrugged. "It was hard, but I had hope. I just had to figure everything out on my own. I was in denial for a long time, but things got a little easier when I accepted my fate. When I came back to the academy, I was still dealing with the changes, but I at least had a support system at that point. I had my loved ones back in my life, including you."

"I wish I could have done more," Dimitri said sadly. "I wish I could have helped you more. All the emotional turmoil wasn't just from the trauma. It was this too. You were suffering so much."

"I was, and I don't want you to suffer the same way. I want to help you as much as possible. You're going to have nightmares, and you're going to deal with thirst. Things will sound louder, lights will be brighter, and you might get irritated easily, but these are all just part of the process. You're going to have growing pains, but I'll be here for you every step of the way."

Dimitri kissed the back of my hand and I could see tears start to pool in his eyes. It would have been very unusual to see him cry so suddenly, but I expected it now. He was most likely going to be like this for the next few weeks. On top of that, the bond we had didn't allow us to put up a guardian mask around each other. Our emotions were raw and bearing.

"I want to kiss you so badly," he said, "but I feel like I can't right now. I'm afraid something bad will happen and I won't be able to stop it."

I felt his pain and frustration—wanting to show affection and have some level of intimacy without losing control. I thought about it, trying to think of something that could help him handle his thirst. He still had three blood bags left, but those were never as good as drinking straight from someone's vein. I could get him to see a feeder...but that was risky. It was too early and humans were much more vulnerable than dhampir and moroi.

I wondered if I could let him feed a little bit off of me. Whether or not it was wrong was a bit of a grey area. I wouldn't let him take a lot—maybe only a few sips. A tiny bit every night might help him. He could learn how and when to pull away and not go overboard. My body was far stronger than a human's and I would be able to stop him if I had to.

"You have that look on your face," Dimitri observed nervously.

"What look?"

"That look that says you're up to no good."

I laughed. Even if we didn't have a bond, he would have been able to tell I was up to something. "I have an idea, but I don't think you're going to like it."

Dimitri stayed silent, so I went ahead and explained what I had in mind. "What if you fed on me? Just a little bit?"

"Through bags? Roza, you don't need to donate for me."

"No, Dimitri, not through bags. Straight from my body."

"You mean..." Dimitri's eyes widened when the realization hit him, and he eyed my neck. "I would, uh, drink straight from your vein?"

I nodded. "Just a few sips. I'm the one who turned you. It might help you."

Dimitri was tempted. I could see it in his eyes and I could feel it on him too, but he shook his head and turned away. "I can't take advantage of you like that. I could seriously hurt you."

"You won't," I assured him. "I'll be able to stop you if anything happens."

"But you were fed on several times in the past. I can't do that to you."

"And that was all against my will. Those people used me as a blood bag because they enjoyed seeing me get hurt. They wanted me to be weak and vulnerable for their own gratification. This is different. I'm offering it to help you. Remember when you let me drink your blood to help me heal when I got stabbed in the chest? Let me do the same for you. Nobody needs to know."

Dimitri's breathing picked up and he moved closer, brushing my hair back. "I want to. I still remember what it was like when you healed me. Imagine what it would be like now." He stared at my neck, tracing a vein with his fingers. I could see his eyes start to change and he leaned in a little closer until his fangs were touching my neck, gently grazing the skin. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the bite until he suddenly pulled away and covered his mouth.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Is it me?"

"No, of course not. I'm just..." He was struggling with his words. "Scared."

"Scared?" I repeated, rubbing his back to calm his growing anxiety.

Dimitri nodded, looking up at me with wide eyes. "I'm so scared of hurting you, Roza. I'm scared of the things I'm feeling. Everything about this transition hasn't fully sunken in yet and it all just feels very new and unnatural. I think I just need some more time to think. I still need to process everything."

"I understand," I cooed, kissing Dimitri's temple. He clung onto me in earnest, hiding his face in my chest and listening to my heartbeat. I had never seen him look so fragile and insecure. He was truly scared and he didn't trust himself. I didn't want to rush anything or be pushy, so while we both grew tired, I held him in my arms and whispered sweet things, sending him comforting feelings until he fell asleep.

What do you think so far? I know Dimitri was not himself here but it's part of the transition and it won't be like that forever. There will be quite a bit of Romitri bonding time in the next chapter, but the rest of the plot will still carry out. I hope you liked it!