Thank you, once again, for all your thoughtful words. I love and appreciate every single one of your reviews and I'm really happy to know you're all enjoying things so far. I can't respond to guest reviewers, but I appreciate yours just as much, so thank you :)

Once again, Dimitri is still a little OOC but it will get better in the next few chapters.

"Why the hell can't I see her?! I've been holed up in here for days like some helpless prisoner! You think you have the right to keep me away from my child?" Dimitri yelled at the guard by our door. He was allowed to stay in a suite now, but he was practically under house arrest. I was the only person allowed in his presence until things settled. It had been a few days, and his thirst was getting better, but his emotions were still spiralling which was why he was reacting so angrily towards the guardian at our door.

"Guardian Belikov, you don't have legal custody and it's too dangerous right now. I'm just taking orders from our captain. Until you're under control, there's nothing else I can do to help you."

Dimitri snapped again, charging towards the poor guardian. "I am under control! If you don't stop talking, I will rip your—"

"Dimitri!" I ran in front of him in a split second, blocking his path and slapping a hand over his chest. I whipped my head around to the guard in a panicked frenzy. "Just go. I'm fine here."

He nodded and closed the door, and I sagged in relief. I wrapped my hand around Dimitri's clenched fist and he loosened his grip. "Sit down," I ordered.

Dimitri complied and back up until he was sitting on the mattress. I tilted his head up until he was looking at me and I sighed. The biggest issue since his awakening was his emotions. It was hard for him to control his anger even though I knew he didn't mean to react harshly. It was like dealing with a pregnant woman with raging hormones.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down in shame.

"Dimitri, look at me." When he didn't look up right away, I spoke in a firmer tone. "Look. At. Me."

I was never the one to tell him what to do, but I had to for his sake. I had to be the one in charge for once. "I understand your mind is all over the place, but you can't lash out at people. You need to remember that you are in control of yourself—not the other way around."

Dimitri was nodding as I spoke. "I know. I was out of line."

"Yeah, you were," I scolded, "but it's not your fault. You're still adjusting."

"It doesn't matter," he said hastily, standing up and pacing in front of me. "He didn't deserve that and neither did you. You shouldn't have to deal with my mood swings."

"I'm trying to help you, Dimitri. I want to. I don't care if you get angry or difficult. I promised to stay by your side with this and I intend on keeping that promise."

"I know," he said, coming up in front of me and hugging my head against his chest. "I'm sorry. I just wish my head wasn't spinning so much."

I was trying to think of a quicker solution that would help diffuse his emotional torment. I pulled away, playing with the bracelet on my wrist that Lissa and Adrian had charmed. This helped me a good amount with the side effects and I wondered if they could make another one. I felt conflicted because I didn't want to risk it on their part, so I took it off.

"What are you doing?" Dimitri asked.

"Giving this to you," I stated, grabbing his hand and sliding the bracelet around his wrist.

"Wait, you don't have to do that. You'll be affected too."

"I'm fine. Just keep it for now. We'll figure something else out, but while you're still adjusting, I want you to keep it on. I promise you I'm fine."

Dimitri sighed, turning the diamonds over his wrist. It looked so feminine and out-of-place on him, but it would do for now and he was able to cover it up with his sleeve. He looked up at me and cupped my cheeks. "If you feel anything unusual and you need it again, tell me and I'll give it back to you."

"I will," I assured him. "I hate to leave you here, but I need to see Nev again."

"Oh. Right," Dimitri said dryly. He wasn't upset that I was leaving him alone since I spent a lot of time with him, but he was bummed out at the fact that he was forced to be kept away from her. He wanted family bonding time and he couldn't have that right now.

"She misses you a lot," I told him, trying to offer some comfort. "Every time I see her, she begs for me to let her see you. She always asks if you're okay. You'll see her soon; you just have to wait a little longer. It's just going to suck for the time being."

"It's probably for the best anyways," he admitted.

"Better safe than sorry." I smiled sympathetically, going up on my toes to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "I'll be back soon, Comrade. Hang in there."

"Rose!" Lissa threw her arms around me when I arrived at Nevaeh's room. She was in here with Adrian and it looked like they had been keeping her company. Lissa usually spent most of her time consoling Christian. I had half-expected him to ask Lissa to heal his aunt, but he was conflicted with the whole thing and he hadn't asked for anything so far. Healing a wound so severe would also affect Lissa, so I could only hope that Christian would understand and accept Tasha's fate. I hadn't spoken to him yet.

"Come in. We got muffins from one of the cafes," she said enthusiastically, pulling me inside.

"Oh, thank goodness." I slumped down on the couch, taking a carrot muffin from a box near Nevaeh's little table.

"How's Dimitri?" Adrian asked.

"Still getting used to things. He's having trouble controlling his emotions, so I gave him my charmed bracelet."

Lissa looked down at my bare wrist. "What about you though?"

"Trust me, Liss, he needs it more than I do right now. He almost attacked a guardian today."

"What?!" Lissa exclaimed.

"That doesn't sound like Dimitri," Adrian said, grabbing a muffin. He spoke while chewing. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to make another charm. It wasn't that bad last time."

"A charm?" Nevaeh asked curiously. "Ooh! Do you have a magic wand?"

"Oh, yes, that's exactly what we have. When we perform spells, we twirl our wands and say abracadabra! We also wear black pointy hats with long robes and fly on brooms."

"You're hilarious." Lissa scowled at him. "Look, if Dimitri needs help, we can charm another bracelet. He deserves it after all he's done to protect you, and he's going to need it."

"Are you sure it won't affect you?" I asked. "I'm not sure if I'm up for another spirit backlash."

"We're sure," Adrian said. "It's not like we're bringing someone back from the dead. Plus, we can take this as an opportunity to teach Nevaeh."

I nearly choked on the food in my mouth. "Nuh-uh. No way. She is not using spirit magic!"

"Come on, Rose," Lissa said pleadingly, tugging on my arm. "You can't keep her in the dark forever. This is a learning opportunity! She'll only pitch in a tiny little bit if she wants to. It won't hurt."

"How do you know it won't? She doesn't have a bond-mate to take any side effects away. And she's still a baby."

"I'm not a baby, I'm a big girl," Nevaeh stated, crossing her arms and plastering an adorable pout that I couldn't ignore. "Please? Pretty please?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. This kid was so hard to say no to. I realized that could actually be a problem if I constantly gave in to whatever she wanted. "Fine. Let me go find something for him at court, and I'll bring it back here."

It took me a while to find something for Dimitri to wear around his wrist, but after doing some digging, I found a braided black leather bracelet. There were strings he would be able to pull if he wanted to adjust the tightness and it was easy to take off. It was simple, but it matched his duster to an extent and it looked like something he'd wear. As long as it was charmed and his symptoms were relieved, I'd be happy with anything and I knew he would be too.

I paid for the bracelet and left the store, nearly running into Abe on the way out. He didn't say anything at first, but I knew it wasn't a coincidence that we happened to be at the same store.

"Were you following me?" I asked.

"Not exactly. I just noticed you from a distance and I thought I'd stop by," he replied, eyeing the tiny black bag I was holding. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, just a little something for Dimitri. Lissa and Adrian are thinking of making another charm to help him with the side effects."

"And how's he doing with all of this?"

Although I had been mad at my parents for the past few days, Abe seemed genuinely concerned. He might have been the devil's advocate for allowing me to be drugged and restrained, but I couldn't be mad at him forever. It had been a tough situation for everyone.

"He's trying," I said. We started casually walking by some other stores, looking at the expensive clothing on the mannequins—clothing I would never wear.

"I'm sorry," Abe said out of the blue. It was weird to hear him apologize, but he sounded sincere. "The way we treated you when we took you back to court was...irresponsible."

"It's fine," I sighed. "I'd be tearing my hair out if I stayed mad any longer. Plus, I have other issues to deal with. I think I just want to be with Dimitri right now."

That was something else about our bond. There was a strange tug that made me want to be around Dimitri more than usual. I wasn't like this with Kira, but maybe that was because she was only a friend to me. I hadn't even known her that long. Dimitri, on the other hand, I was madly in love with. I'd always had a strong connection with him, but being sired enhanced everything. Being away from him for too long took an emotional toll on both of us.

"He needs you right now," Abe admitted. "Well, I think you need each other. When you thought Dimitri was dead...it was like a part of you died too. I'd never been so scared for you in my life."

I was surprised to hear him admitting that out loud. He was one of the most feared people in our society. I thought he wasn't scared of anything, but having a daughter he cared about proved that wrong.

Abe was also right about what he said. I had felt like I'd lost a part of myself when I had thought Dimitri was dead. I could only imagine how much worse things would be if I lost him now since we were bonded. The thought made me upset, and I shook my head, trying to forget the subject. Dimitri's body wasn't as susceptible now. We had been through hell and I couldn't spend every waking hour thinking something bad was going to happen. I was stronger than that.

"You won't lose me," I said seriously. "Dimitri and I will get through this. We always do."

Abe smiled, showing me more emotion than I'd ever seen on him before. He pulled me into a hug and squeezed his arms around me. "I know you will, Kiz. I'm very proud of you."

When I returned to Nevaeh's small suite, I started to grow irritable from not having my bracelet on. IT wasn't a lifesaver or anything, but it helped and I was used to having it on. Despite that, I offered to stay for a little longer while Adrian and Lissa helped Nevaeh learn more about spirit. I never found it that interesting to listen to, but I knew it was important to not keep Nevaeh completely isolated from this stuff.

After a whole hour passed, I felt even more antsy. I wanted to see Dimitri. He was frustrated by being forced to stay in a room all day. The reason I hated leaving him alone was that it reminded me of when I was locked in a dark room for a whole week during my transition. I had been isolated and alone and I nearly went insane. I was the only person in Dimitri's life who knew what that felt like and I didn't want him to experience the same things as me.

I said my goodnights to Adrian, Lissa and Nevaeh before quickly heading back to the suite I shared with Dimitri. We had both been a little irritated, but when I walked in and saw him laying on the bed while reading one of his western novels, I started to feel better.

"Hey you," he said lightheartedly, closing his book and putting it on the bedside table. He must have already known how I was feeling because he slipped my bracelet back on my wrist without me even asking. I buried my face into his chest and took a whiff of him, invading my nose with his scent.

"I swear, I'm addicted to you," I said jokingly. I started to question whether I was really joking.

"Me too, Milaya. How's Nev?"

"Oh, she's great! Adrian and Lissa are teaching her about spirit." I was hiding the fact that I had gotten him a bracelet and that they were working together to infuse magic on the item. Dimitri would find out eventually, but not right now.

"Good. She's healthy? Sleeping well?"

I smiled. Dimitri was such a dad to her. "Yes, Comrade, she's okay. Don't worry too much." I pushed back onto the bed so that he was sitting and climbed onto his lap.

"I thought about what you said a few days ago," he brought up. "About...feeding on you."

I pulled away for a moment and snuck a glance at him. "And? Do you want to try?"

"Well," he said, "I tried to push the thought away at first, but I can't let go of it. For the past few days, the urge to bite you has been nagging me. I don't mean it in a bad way. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't get the thought of feeding on you out of my head."

"You don't have to torture yourself, Dimitri. I'm offering you my blood if you need it." I moved even closer until our chests were touching, wrapping my legs around his waist. Dimitri weaved his hand into my hair and pulled it back, exposing my neck and giving himself better access. He hesitated again, looking up at me while feeling unsure of himself.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"I'm sure," I told him.

"What if I can't stop? What if I hurt you? What if—"

"Shh." I placed a finger over his lips, sending peaceful feelings to him. "Just calm down and keep telling yourself you're in control. I'm right here with you, Dimitri. You have nothing to be afraid of."

With my reassuring words, I gave Dimitri a soft, loving kiss on his lips, feeling his tense muscles soften beneath me. It was enough to help him relax and take some anxiety away, and he pulled his lips away to kiss a soft spot on my neck. His breath made me shiver and I grabbed his shoulder while he found my pulse point.

He waited at first, teasing and taunting my neck and making me shiver until his fangs finally pierced my skin. I hissed as his bite was painful at first, but once he started sucking, the pain was gone and replaced by a feeling of euphoria. I moaned softly and closed my eyes, tangling my fingers through Dimitri's hair as he pressed me up against him.

I could feel everything in him. His own state of euphoria, his thirst which quenched right away, and a load of happy, peaceful thoughts in his mind while he drank. Was my blood his holy grail here? Why was it working so well? Was it because I turned him? Or was it because we were so in love with each other that the emotions enhanced everything? I'd been high from a bite before, but this was something else entirely. There was an unquestionable connection between us that I'd never felt with anyone else. Nothing about it felt dirty or wrong or even sexual—although it did have a bit of an eerie sexiness to it. Right now, I just felt...happy. Dimitri felt the same way. It wasn't because of our high, but rather a clutter of our emotions coming together to strengthen our bond.

As much as I would have loved to keep going, Dimitri pulled away. He didn't even need me to help him. He managed to stop on his own and I was beyond proud of him for it.

"That was...wow," he breathed, wiping his lips. I was probably more spaced out than he was because when he saw my expression, he started to worry again. "Roza? Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Oh no, I think I might have taken too much—"

"No, no. You didn't. I'm all good," I said, cupping his face in my hands. "See? You stopped yourself and you didn't even need me. It takes a lot of strength to pull away. You should be proud of yourself."

"I am," he acknowledged, "but I don't think I would have been able to pull it off without you. So, thank you." He hugged me again, burying his face in my chest. "Thank you for giving me strength."

"Always. You know I love you, and if you need it again, I'll provide for you. I just think this should stay between us."

"Yes, Roza, just us," he agreed. "I love you."

I was too tired to speak, so I smiled even though he couldn't see me and kissed his head. I was still feeling so heavily attached to him and all I wanted right now was to have him close. Both of us were so needy for each other and the bond was only pulling us closer together. I could protect him from his nightmares while he protected me from mine.

"Want to cuddle?" I asked in a sleepy tone.

Dimitri smiled and kissed me again. "I'd love to."

Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you thought of this. I was nervous to write the last part but I hope it wasn't too much!