Super long chapter here. I thought about splitting it to ensure you got a faster update next time, but that would have been kind of lazy of me. So take these 8000 words as a bit of compensation for the wait.

I'm still up for some discussion if anybody wants to talk Ruby Circle :)

2nd of June- Days until wedding- 19

DPOV

"Well isn't this sweet."

The words sounded like they were on the other side of a dream, but the snicker that accompanied them fractured the barrier between sleep and consciousness. My eyes opened immediately and I reached out a hand towards my stake, all whilst trying not to jostle Rose too much. If there wasn't a threat, it wasn't worth waking her up. If we were in danger, then I trusted that she'd be up and ready to fight in an instant.

But as my mind caught up with my body's instantaneous reaction, I realised that there was no danger to our health. Our job security may have been an entirely different matter.

Hans stood at the foot of my bedroll, arms crossed and a flinty expression etched onto his face. He was staring disapprovingly at Rose and I, which was understandable considering how closely we were intertwined.

Surrounded by a group of Strigoi looking at us like we were breakfast, I would spring into action without a moment's delay. But caught in a compromising position by my colleagues, my initial reaction was to close my eyes and pretend to still be asleep.

"Good morning, Guardian Croft," I said instead. My voice sounded distorted from lack of use during the night, and I regretted speaking. I'd been caught off guard, and I didn't like it at all.

The person who had laughed before did it again, and this time Rose stirred. Stretching out against me like a contented cat, her eyes flickered open to meet Hans' gaze without showing much concern.

"Morning boss," she greeted lazily. "Sleep well?"

Hans' eyes narrowed. "Not as well as some people, apparently."

"We've learned to take what we can get." Rose sat up then, letting me up as well. She attempted to raise an eyebrow at the three Guardians still gawking at us. "You lot need to start paying more attention to what's going on at Court. This is nothing new."

I couldn't help but feel somewhat smug about how impressed Maxim looked. He'd been popular at school, always dating the prettiest girls, even a couple from my year. Rose beat all of them hands down.

Hans sighed in resignation- something he was doing a lot of lately. "Just don't let the entire camp see you, alright? If my team are the subject of idle gossip around here, then I'd prefer it to concern your skills rather than your personal lives. This is a training exercise, not a social gathering."

"Understood, sir," I nodded. Rose gave a noncomittal hum before standing up, taking a blanket with her.

"You're just pissed because you didn't wake up when I walked straight past you last night," Rose shot back at Hans, needing to have the last word. "Guess my ninja skills are better than your awareness."

"Just get outside and eat your oatmeal. We've got a long day ahead."

Rose brightened at the prospect of food, even if it was just oatmeal, and left the tent. Hans turned to me, a wry smile on his face. It was disconcerting, seeing as I was still sitting down in bed. I wasn't used to people looking down on me, but getting up might look as though I was trying to assert my dominance. Technically, I was in the wrong here, and should maintain a show of submissiveness in front of my boss. I had no doubt there would be times I'd have to defy orders in the future, but I could at least show respect when nobody was in danger.

As though he knew what I was thinking, Hans' lips twisted into a full-out smirk. "I can't say I'm surprised by this. Are there any rules she will stick to?"

"Not really." Unless personal morals could be counted as rules, in which case, it was unlikely she'd break those.

Hans reached down and patted my shoulder. "Rather you than me, kid."

It was a mild form of punishment, I realised, this slight humiliation. I took it wordlessly as I watched Hans saunter off, whistling as he went.

I got up, and Maxim approached. Most of the other Guardians had gone outside, probably to tease Rose since they realised they'd get more of a reaction out of her than me.

"You forgot to mention this when you were catching me up on your life yesterday," Maxim said in Russian. Okay, so maybe not everyone was against mocking me. To Maxim, I was probably still just his little brother's friend.

I shrugged. "Guardian Croft wants us to keep our relationship under wraps whilst we're here. He doesn't want to be fielding questions about professional conduct from his superiors. At Court, he's used to being the one in charge, so he's the one who usually gets to do the complaining."

"Makes sense, I guess, but I don't really see why it matters if you're dating or not."

This was the problem Rose and I faced every day. Either people accused us of a lack of dedication to our charges, or didn't understand the dilemma we still faced. Maxim clearly fell into that second category.

I didn't really want to get into explaining the ethical issues of our relationship, so I kept it simple.

"We don't share a charge anymore, but there's still a belief that because of our involvement , Rose and I are less dedicated to protecting our charges. It's not true, of course, but it still makes Moroi angry and some Dhampirs uncomfortable because they worry we'd put each other's lives before those of our charges." Once again, the image of Rose with blood blossoming from a bullet wound in her chest flashed in my mind. That was almost a year ago now, but I doubted the memory would ever fade. "They don't seem to realise that we're more than aware that a situation like that could become reality. They're find it hard to accept that we just have to trust each other to stay alive and focus on protecting the Moroi."

"Of course they do," Maxim scoffed. "I spoke to a Moroi Lord the other day, and he was surprised that they come first was something that had to be taught at school. He assumed Dhampirs were born with an insatiable need to protect Moroi, and was unable to comprehend that a Dhampir dying in battle was considered a sacrifice. He thought it was an honour that all Dhampirs dreamed of one day being able to fulfil."

That was extreme even for a Royal, but sadly not uncommon, despite the changes that had occurred under Lissa's short rule. It would take time for people's opinions to change. "The Queen is doing everything she can to improve Dhampirs' lives," I said. Defending Lissa physically may not be my job anymore, but over time I'd come to care for her deeply, and supporting her verbally was second nature now. She'd wielded the stake that had restored me, and for that I would owe her for eternity.

But honestly, anyone with half a brain and a conscience should have been able to see her rule as a great opportunity for everyone under it.

Maxim nodded. "I know. She's young, but she's already done great things. As has Guardian Hathaway. She's caused almost as much of a stir as Queen Vasilisa- my own niece wants to become a Guardian after hearing about Rose Hathaway."

"She does tend to have that effect on people," I agreed with a smile. I thought back to how surprised Rose had been to learn that she was seen as a role model, and her concern that she wasn't good enough to have earned that privilege.

We started to walk towards the tent opening, and when he looked back up, a knowing glint had grown in Maxim's eyes. "Is it serious? You and Rose?"

"I love her," I said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. To me, it was. Up ahead, Hans was deep in conversation, so I took a chance and broke one more rule for today. "She loves me. We're getting married in two weeks."

Maxim took it in his stride and held out a hand. "Congratulations to you both."

I shook it warmly. "Thanks."

Hans looked up then, effectively ending our conversation.

Once we each had a bowl of oatmeal and a metal mug full of black coffee , Maxim and I went to join Rose, Eddie, and Tamara. Rose pressed her shoulder against mine when I sat down, the only greeting that the setting would allow. Everyone on our team might know about us by now, but Guardians were leaving their tents all around us. Privacy was not a luxury easily found here.

"Hey," Rose whispered. "Judging by the number of people doing the Walk of Shame back to their tents, we shouldn't have too much competition today. If they've been outside all night making up for lost time, then they must be exhausted!"

"That will compromise the effectiveness of today's tests to act as a learning opportunity," I said with a frown. "Everyone should be on top form to ensure that their best skills can be shared and learnt."

"Spoken like a real instructor there, Comrade," she said whilst wearing an expression that may have been better suited to watching puppies frolic in the snow. "Mentoring me must have made you realise a love for teaching."

I tried not to choke on a spoonful of oatmeal. "Roza, I think I can honestly say that it had the opposite effect."

The others laughed, making Rose pout and glare at me. "Well, you weren't perfect either. If I didn't love you, I'd hate you for making me wake up so early every day."

"Great logic there," Eddie said dryly.

"Don't judge me. It's too early in the morning for even me to think of good comebacks." She put her empty bowl on the floor. "If I don't wake up soon, I'll end up falling asleep on the mats during the next test."

Wordlessly, I passed her my coffee cup. Tamara frowned as she watched her take a sip.

"Didn't you just say you don't drink coffee?"

"I don't," Rose said, before raising the mug to her lips again. "I refuse on principal, since it's such a cliché that all other Guardian are addicted to it."

"But..." Tamara gestured to the beverage in Rose's hands, uncomprehending.

"Oh right, this doesn't count because it's not mine. Sort of like how calories in food you've stolen from someone else don't exist."

"When have you ever worried about calories?" Eddie scoffed.

"All the time," Rose deadpanned. "I worry that donut manufacturers are going to succumb to health the freaks' demand and cut the amount of sugar and fat in their recipes, leaving the love of my life nothing more than a hollow, soulless replica of what it used to be."

I cleared my throat, and Eddie looked pointedly at me. Rose frowned, replaying her words in her head. Her eyes widened in realisation, before her expression turned sheepish.

"Um, again. Obviously, that wouldn't be quite as devastating as last time that happened... With the actual... I mean, I love donuts, but..." her hands flailed awkwardly for a moment before she let them drop, hanging her head. "Oh, whatever. There's a reason why I shouldn't be awake this early. Stupid Hans."

I rubbed her back gently to tell her know I didn't mind. "If that does happen, then you'll have to learn how to use the donut maker whilst waiting for a reply to the angry letter you send the offending company."

Rose straightened up, giving me a signature 'are you crazy' look. "Do you want me to burn the palace down?"

"We'll have Christian and Mia on hand for damage control."

Eddie and Maxim had lost interest in the conversation by this point, but Tamara was watching us wistfully. She looked away after meeting my eye briefly, and I followed her gaze to where Hans was just standing up.

"Alright, you lot," he called. "Time to get moving. I want you back here and ready to leave for the arena in half an hour." His eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on Rose, who took a moment to wave back before springing into action.

RPOV

I felt dread build in my gut as I stared out across the field that was being used for this morning's activities. Crazy, death defying obstacle courses were no problem for me. This, however, looked nowhere near as fun or easy.

Judging by the plethora of coloured cones, weights, and gym mats, this was going to be some good old-fashioned circuit training.

The Council guy that had addressed us yesterday appeared again, looking a little worse for wear as he stood up on the bench press apparatus. The multilingual conversation stuttered and failed as he cleared his throat.

"Good morning, Guardians. We have a very busy day today, so we need everyone to be particularly attentive and conscientious in helping our activities to run smoothly. The next stage of the Tournament involves a review of your general fitness as well as your technique. Due to the high temperatures expected to be reached today, please don't overexert yourselves. Remember- this is ultimately all about simulating your ability to fight Strigoi and protect the Moroi. Pacing yourself is vital if you want to get your Moroi home safe- passing out right after the immediate threat has been neutralised is not desirable."

For someone who wanted to move things along quickly, he was sure waffling on.

"In that same respect, you will need to remember that this afternoon's section is worth as much as this first part. It's your responsibility to budget your energy responsibly to progress to the final stage- hand to hand combat... but more on that later. You were given a printed number when you arrived this morning, which corresponds to a number on a piece of equipment. Please make your way there now, and we will begin as soon as possible. Stay hydrated, and stay focussed. I'll be talking to you over the loudspeaker until 11am when we will take a break before the next sector."

Dimitri's number was different to mine- I'd already checked- but he was only three ahead of me.

"Good luck, Comrade," I told him. "But not so much that you beat me by too much."

Dimitri leaned in closer, keeping his voice low. "You're obviously at a disadvantage when it comes to strength, but your size and body composition is also your greatest weapon here. You've got less weight to carry around, and you're younger and fitter than a lot of the veteran Guardians here. Use that endurance to your best advantage."

I nodded. "Got it. Try not to wear yourself out, grandpa. If all else fails, at least you've got your killer abs," I added with a wink.

He gave me a small mock salute before heading off to the pyramid run, and I checked the number on my ticket again. 22- that was close by, at least.

The corresponding number had been taped to the side of a long wooden bench where three people were already waiting. Two of the younger men, maybe around thirty, were animatedly discussing something in a foreign language and gesturing to their biceps. An older Guardian closer to my mom's age was reading a laminated sheet and frowning to himself.

The young guys gave me a cursory once-over when they noticed my arrival before going back to their conversation, but the older man actually acknowledged my appearance.

"Good morning," he greeted in a deep, accented voice. I checked the emblem on his chest- it was the one for the Moroccan-governed North African block. There weren't that many Moroi that chose to live in such warm conditions, but those that did were generally survivors of Strigoi attacks that had sought the safety of intense sunlight. There were still some fearless Strigoi that followed them there, hiding in the shadows until the night provided them with cover. Guardians working against those lone, insane Strigoi had to be extra vigilant, and by the look of the scars on this Guardian's arm and neck, he'd run into something dangerous.

Of course, it wasn't necessarily a Strigoi. Big game might avoid humans, but animals weren't fond of Dhampirs, and they really didn't like us invading their territory.

I dragged my eyes away from the scars and offered the man a smile. I didn't need to repeat the faux pas I'd committed when meeting Tasha for the first time.

"Morning," I replied. "What have you found there?"

"The list of tests that we'll be completing. Here." He passed it to me, and I as I read down the page, my mood went in the same direction.

Balance- Standing Stork.
Coordination- Throw ball against wall for 2 mins
General Fitnes- Pull-ups, press ups, squat thrusts, squat jumps, sit ups, plank
Flexibility- Static test
Reaction Time- Ruler Test
Core Strength- Core muscle strength & stability test, on mats
Elastic Strength- Standing long jump, vertical jump
General Strength- Chin ups, Tricep dips, Leg press, Wall squat, Curl up, Grip strength, Bench press max
Speed & Power- 600 yard shuttle run, 30 yards to cone.

Overall score will be calculated through an algorithm combining time taken/max reps in a table, points between 1 & 5 for each test.

"Great," I muttered. "I'm so glad that all that professional bodybuilding is finally going to be put to good use."

The Guardian smiled sympathetically. "Even if you fail everything, you can't drop below 4 points of the leaders for each activity. If there's any part of the Tournament to let yourself slip, it's now. From what I saw yesterday, you can afford to drop a few places on the leader board, Guardian Hathaway."

I looked back to the two Guardians who were still flexing their muscles like teens on steroids, then to the obviously retired Guardian who was holding the stopwatch and waiting impatiently for us to begin.

"I guess we'll see," I said. Judging by how my phone battery had magically died in the night and dropped Dimitri and I in it this morning, I had a feeling that luck wasn't on my side.

VAVAVA

When the final bell went, I did my best not to stagger over to the refreshment table at the far corner of the field. I hadn't felt like this since I started training Dimitri after being on the run for two years- completely and utterly exhausted. In physically demanding situations since then, I'd been able to rely on adrenaline boosting my ability to keep going. But today, after yesterday's short but tiring assault course, today's activities designed for men naturally a lot bigger and stronger than me, and the sweltering sun, I wanted nothing more than to collapse. I daydreamed about floating on a lilo in a cool ocean as I soaked up the sun's rays. I usually didn't have a problem with the heat, but exercising like this was just gross.

"You look like you need this," a Guardian behind the food table said as I reached the front of the queue. He passed me a large isotonic sports drink and a couple of shiny-wrapped bars of what looked like chocolate.

I sat down on a patch of scorched grass and took a large swig from the bottle. It tasted like raspberries mixed with toxic vodka. I gulped down some more.

"I thought you were taking it easy," a honey-like voice said from above.

I rolled my eyes as Dimitri gracefully crossed his legs and sat beside me.

"That was the plan," I sighed. "But you know me. I like to maintain a lead throughout. I don't have the patience to hang back and then use a burst of speed at the end. I'd rather use it as I go then dig deep at the end and hope for some miraculous rally of hidden strength."

Dimitri smiled affectionately as he popped the cap on his own bottle. "If anyone has hidden strength, it's you. Find where all that food goes, and you'll have an inexhaustible supply."

"Hey, you eat as much as I do."

"I also weigh almost twice as much as you do."

"That isn't going to win you this argument, fatty." Though in all fairness, the ferocity with which I ripped into my energy bar probably wasn't all that helpful either.

Once the queue for food had died down somewhat, the Guardian organiser called for quiet once more to explain to us the final stage of the tournament.

"For the purpose of this last test, you have all been seeded into parallel groups based on various parameters: your performance in the last two challenges, the number of monlija marks you have, and your sponsor's own recommendation. As there are approximately 100 of you remaining, each Guardian will fight 10 five-minute matches. Nine will be against those ten places away from you in the rankings, and one match will be against your equivalent rank in the opposite seed. The order of fights is selected randomly. Each match will last until one participant has been 'staked', or your five minutes is up. Two points will be awarded for a win, or one to each combatant if the match ends in a draw."

I wasn't entirely clear on how these 'seeds' had been worked out, but I trusted that it would be fairest way possible. Guardians were nothing if not practical like that, and these guys had probably paid attention in maths lessons.

"You will now each be handed a practice stake and digital wrist tag that will display the correct arena to go to for each of your matches. Good luck."

We slowly filtered through the adjacent field, collecting stakes and armbands as we went. White paint had been used to create small boxes of grass where each fight would take place, which I thought was actually a bit pathetic. Even for our final Trial as Novices we'd had to spar on more interesting surfaces, and in the real world we definitely wouldn't often have the luxury of fighting on neatly mown grass. I guess they thought they'd tested our agility enough yesterday.

My bracelet showed I was on pitch E2, so I hurried over there to find a blonde Guardian already waiting. He grinned when he saw me; the first person to underestimate me since I'd arrived at this Tournament. I'd see that smirk wiped off his face.

As we waited for the signal to begin, the blonde guy started doing a set of warm up stretches that, as far as I could tell, had no other purpose than to intimidate me. We'd been working out non-stop for the last two hours- what muscles hadn't already been warmed up? It wasn't like we'd been sat still for long enough for anything to seize up, either.

Before I had time to contemplate his scare tactics any further, a bell rang and my bracelet buzzed.

I shot forwards before Blondie even had time to move out of his stretching position. He hadn't expected me to be so offensive so fast. Probably he'd thought he'd get to make the first move.

With admirable speed, he threw his arms up in a decent block. My elbow glanced off his arm as he kicked out a foot to trip me up. I skipped over it, replying with a roundhouse kick before he could regain his balance.

My fatigue from earlier was fading with ever beat of my heart. The sugar had helped, but it was the adrenaline that was really burning new life into my muscles. Fighting with someone who wasn't a friend made it easier to pretend they were a foe- so long as I didn't actually kill this guy, that would work to my advantage. We were trained to be impassionate and logical when we sparred, but that never really flew with me. I relied on the speed of my reflexes to compensate for the strength and weight I lacked as a girl, and let the fire burn away fear and other distractions. Friend, stranger, or foe, it didn't matter who I was fighting at this point. The only difference between those battles was the presence of a killing blow. As long as the eyes ahead of me weren't ringed with red, my stake wouldn't meet its true mark.

Seeing me slip slightly to the side, my opponent crouched to football-tackle me to the ground. Not the best strategy against a Strigoi, but a teenage Dhampir? He'd have me pinned in a second if I let him take me down.

I dropped to the ground, rolling away as Blondie stumbled to regain his own balance. Pivoting on one foot as I stood up, I used his own tactic against him and jumped on his back. His instant reaction was to roll to try and crush me, but I rolled with him. His chest was covered in a strong block, but his stomach was vulnerable. A sharp stab with my elbow winded him and loosened his arms enough for me to touch the stake to his ribs. He went limp instantly, conceding the fight.

I helped Blondie to stand, and he tapped my bracelet twice to register my score.

By my third victory, I was beginning to notice a pattern emerge.

These Guardians were internationally renowned for their prowess in fighting Strigoi. There was no doubt that they were excellent at this- the precision in their attacks showed great skill that could only come from years of honing skills in battle.

The problem was that now, they weren't fighting like they were in a battle. I had been aware through all of my training that I'd be up against those stronger, bigger, and faster than me. I'd learned to fight effectively against that type of opponent, and that skill meant that when fighting people of my own race, it was easy.

These other Guardians, who had most likely not fought anyone but their own partner and Strigoi for several years, didn't have that perspective. They drew too thick a line between fighting Strigoi and sparring with a Dhampir opponent. They were treating this like a training exercise, not life and death. As a result, they were focussing too much on precision and flawless presentation of moves and not focussing enough on stabbing me with their wooden stakes. There was teaching, and then there was plain showing off. It also didn't help that I was smaller than them- they were used to being the highly trained, more agile one. Suddenly their usual role had been reversed, they didn't have a clue how to change that.

I realised this only as I stepped into their shoes. My current opponent was only an inch or so taller than I was, and could hardly have weighed much more than me. We were on the same level for almost everything, and every blow was met by a parry of the same style. This was the longest fight yet- we only had a minute left until it became an automatic tie. I remained on the offense, searching for a way through.

Finally, I thought I saw one. The guy I fought was tiring, taking a step back after every few blows when he misjudged the strength of my punches and didn't block accordingly. He was getting close to the edge of the box- step outside that, and you're out.

Some of the Guardians not currently sparring were laughing to themselves as they watched, and I glared at them. Not only were they being assholes- they were putting me off my game. With 30 seconds left, they wanted to be leaving shortly if they didn't want to face me after the match. I had a break after this, and wouldn't hesitate to spend it bashing their heads together.

We were so close to the edge now- another two steps, and I'd have won. My opponent moved one leg back, but then seemed to slip as I had earlier. He crashed down, his hip taking the weight as he fell with his arms outstretched. I turned to pounce on him, wondering why he hadn't tried to save himself.

Pain exploded in the back of my knee. I let out a yelp as I fell, the other Guardian rolling out of the way. Unlike him, I put my hands out to stop my face from getting smashed in. With my palms flat on the grass, I realised his strategy.

I'd lost my stake when I fell, but he'd still been holding his. By getting low, he'd been able to ram the blunt end into the back of my knee. He'd jumped up as I fell.

Looking triumphant as he stood above me, the Guardian moved in for the kill. But it wouldn't be that easy. I was pissed off, and that made me more dangerous than ever.

Anywhere above the shoulders was off-limits, but I was able to use my good leg to kick him in the solar plexus as he crouched to stake me. Because he was light, the move worked where it wouldn't have if I was fighting, say, Dimitri.

He rolled a few feet from me, this time losing his stake. We both scrambled for it, but before either of us could lay a hand on the wood, the buzzer sounded. It was a draw.

After tapping each other's bracelets once- registering someone else's points for them removed the chances of cheating- we shook hands.

"That was a clever strategy," I panted. "I've never seen that before. But doesn't your hip hurt?"

The Guardian shook his head before speaking with an accent I placed as one from the Nordic block. Scandinavian, maybe? "Not much. It would have if I had fallen onto concrete, but even then, it isn't too bad. Because you know what's coming, you can roll with the impact."

I nodded. "Right. Well, it's really effective. I can see it being really useful in the future." Especially when fighting Dimitri. He thought he knew all my moves- now I had a new one.

"It's usually more effective than that. You have a very effective offense which made it difficult to take the risk of falling."

I grinned, and we shook hands again before parting ways. He had another match to fight whilst I had a short break.

Those asshole Guardians who had been laughing earlier were now clapping as I left the pitch. And not in a good way. It was a slow, sarcastic clap that should be reserved only for true idiots, like Christian on a bad day.

"Nice fight Hathaway," one of them sneered. "You really showed that skinny little ass a beating."

My initial reaction was to show him a beating, but getting into Hans' bad books again probably wasn't a good idea if I wanted to go wedding ring shopping tomorrow.

"It was a draw, dumbass. On this particular occasion we happened to be equally matched. That move was clever."

"Did the great Rose Hathaway just admit that someone did something better than her?"

Maybe my reputation wasn't quite as positive as I had hoped. From what he'd just said, this guy expected me to be an egotistical bitch. Granted, two years ago, he might have been right. I;d have to update him on my character development.

"Look," I said, resting my hands on my hips. "The whole point of this Tournament is to be a learning opportunity. If all I was going to do was teach others and not gain anything myself, I wouldn't have bothered getting out of bed for it."

The outspoken Guardian's jaw worked as though he was trying to think of a comeback to that, but after a few moments without success, he snarled and turned away. I recognised him then- he was one of the men that had been talking to Dimitri as I finished the assault course yesterday. He'd left in a mood then as well, and judging by his exceptionally sour expression, it was a wonder he had any friends at all.

Still somewhat pissed off by that encounter, I won my next few fights easily. My opponents didn't stand a chance as they all ended up getting 'staked' before the half-time whistle even blew.

My last opponent, however, would not be so easily vanquished. Despite this, it was with a lazy grin that I jogged over to the pitch where my final spar of the afternoon would take place.

"Hey Comrade!" I called as I approached the tall figure silhouetted against the stubborn light of the midsummer sun.

He turned around, a smile of his own flickering across his lips before he fought it back again. The hard lines of his Guardian mask were supposed to be intimidating, but I could see humour lurking behind the forcibly blank expression.

This fight, too, looked set to attract an audience. A few Guardians were heading towards out pitch and talking amongst themselves. I saw handshakes between people that were probably betting on the outcome of this fight.

The whistle blew, and for the first time today, I held back. Catching Dimitri off guard was about as likely as catching him listening to music was that was actually good.

Instead, I waited, counting each heartbeat and watching Dimitri's face for any sign of movement. One of had to move soon, that was obvious. This fight was timed, and we could both be disqualified if we didn't actually start sparring. The only question was which one of us would break first.

Dimitri's gaze flicked away from mine for a fraction of a second, and in the same heartbeat, we both charged forwards.

He threw the first punch and I blocked it, parrying with a low blow of my own. He danced back, and his arm glanced off the side of my head as I ducked down.

We continued to fight without either of us landing any real hits until I was able to grab his left hand in mine. I forced is back, straining his shoulder as I turned and placed my back against his chest. He tried to manoeuvre his stake to take advantage of my exposed ribs, but couldn't get the right angle due to my short height. I stamped on his foot and elbowed him just below the collar bone before spinning away again. I'd planned on kicking his legs out from under him, but he dived before I could get close enough. The force of his hands on my shoulders knocked me backwards, but I managed to raise a knee as I fell, momentarily stunning him as we hit the ground.

I rolled away from him before he could recover, hoping that I hadn't done any permanent damage that would ruin our honeymoon. Thankfully, it seemed I'd his inner thigh and not anything more important. Unfortunately, it meant that he was able to recover as quickly as me.

We met in the centre of the court again, and the dance continued. Our blocks and blows fell into a rhythm that seemed dictated by a beat that both of us knew but couldn't hear. I felt one with him as we moved in synch, and I thought again about how the lines between love and hate, fighting and sex were blurred sometimes. They all came from the animal side of us that nobody really understood; the side that we tried so hard to control. Whether it was in love or war, one slip could cost you everything.

The bell rang out to signal that our time was up, and we still instantly. Dimitri's fingers closed around my wrist for a second, and my fist that had been about to land a punch to his stomach became a caress. It was all the setting allowed, but it was enough to let the other know that we had been thinking along the same lines.

Dimitri's breaths were fast and deep, and a sheen of sweat covered his skin. During the fight, those rebellious strands of hair had worked their way free of their tie and rested against his cheek, practically begging me to reach and brush them back. I understood what Adrian had been going on about all that time ago at the ski lodge balcony. If any other guy had been standing in front of me all sweaty and dishevelled, I'd have told them where to go. How come when it was Dimitri, he had the power to drive me crazy?

I had to look away before I did something that would get us in trouble with Hans.

We walked in silence away from the pitch, heading for the row of benches that had been brought out recently. Some people hadn't been handling the heat too well, so had been advised to sit down between sparring matches. Dimitri and I had finished for the day, so would wait here until we were properly dismissed.

"That was amazing," someone said as pressed Dimitri's wristband to log the tied result of our fight. "The way you two move... I'd hate to go up against the two of you fighting on the same team."

I looked up to see Tamara standing beside us, flushed a deep pink and breathing heavily. I wasn't sure if it was from exertion or prolonged exposure to this intense sunlight.

"I hope you didn't lose any money in a bet," I said. "I could have predicted the outcome of this before we even started sparring."

Tamara laughed, still looking a little awed. "Is this a common occurrence, then?"

"It's about 50/50," Dimitri told her. "And out of those times that one of us does beat the other, it's an even split as to who it is."

"Basically it depends on who's worked the longest shifts that week." I didn't mention that my wearing skimpier clothes also could tip the balance in my favour. After all, it hadn't made a difference today.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit..."

I jumped up again, trying desperately to make myself tall enough to see over the top of the shower wall and check if my clothes were indeed missing. I almost slipped on the wet floor before ascertaining that my towel was also gone.

I'd gotten undressed outside the cubicle to keep my clothes dry since I wouldn't need them again tomorrow, and had left them, along with my pyjamas, on the window ledge where they'd been perfectly fine last night. But now, I was standing in the steamy cubicle wearing nothing but the pair of clean panties that were the only item of clothing I'd brought in here with me. I jumped again, and this time something was dislodged from the window ledge.

A piece of tatty paper floated to the floor, and I snatched it up before the water could smudge the writing on it. There in black ink, slightly blurred, was written:

Bonus test: you will embark upon a scavenger hunt to find your clothes. If you can recover these, you'll never lose a Moroi.

Anger flared up inside me, hotter than the humid June night outside. I knew where my clothes were, alright. There was only one Dhampir at this Tournament crazy enough to steal my stuff.

I knocked on the shower door from the inside, seeing if there was anyone else in the bathroom.

"Hello?" I called. "Hello? Anyone there?"

There was no reply, so I figured it was safe to leave despite being barely dressed.

I stepped out of the cubicle, and was glad to see that my towel was on the floor under the ledge. It must have fallen when the rest of my clothes were pulled through the window. I pulled it tight around my body, securing it with the special knot Sydney had bragged about inventing to annoy Adrian. It really worked, too. There was no way this was coming off by accident, even if I decided to punch the clothes thief for his troubles.

Let me tell you, crossing a large campsite filled with virile men on a well-lit night whilst wearing only a small towel it no easy feat. It's also very difficult to look menacing when they wolf-whistle at you, and your feet are the most protected part of our body. Yes, my sneakers had been on the floor at the time of the theft, so at least my feet weren't getting muddy.

After giving the finger to the fifth guy I heard catcalling to me, I finally arrived back at our own campsite. Nobody was around the campfire, so that meant they were either inside the tent or still at the shower block themselves. I'd thought about looking for Dimitri there and stealing some of his clothes, but that would have meant walking into the men's bathroom. Guys don't have the same body modesty as women, so that was something I wouldn't be able to unsee.

I wrenched open the tent flap with as much vigour as I dared, considering I was still holding up my towel with one hand. The sound of the thin plastic snapping against itself drew the eyes of every Guardian inside, which, a moment later, looked as though they were going to fall out of their sockets. I glared back.

"Alright," I said in my most dangerous voice. "Bring my clothes over here right now, and everybody lives to see the award ceremony tomorrow."

A snicker emanated from the rear of the tent. "How would you kill us? Smother us with terry cloth?"

"I was thinking strangulation with a shoelace. That way I could tie it into a little bow at the end and the undertaker would have one less job to do." The faces closest to me paled, and I noticed that neither Eddie nor Dimitri were here. I also saw movement at the back of the tent; someone trying to slip out under the loose flaps. "Jake, don't be such a coward. Don't you want to stick around to see the fruits of your labours?"

He froze for a moment, then turned around. "I'd rather live to see tomorrow, like you said, Rose."

"Then give me my stuff back, and we'll forget this ever happened," I lied.

Jake smirked. "Maybe later. Everything's a little up in the air at the moment."

That jerk. Considering we were surrounded by 30-foot tall wooden structures that would be perfect to throw clothes up onto, the outlook wasn't great. Not even I could climb in a towel, especially not without flashing giving everyone below me a hell of a show.

I did have other clothes with me, in my bag, but going over there and putting them on would mean admitting defeat. There was also the chance that he'd stolen that too. I'd have to think of something else.

Jake's bed was a few feet ahead of me, his own rucksack being used as an additional pillow. Without breaking eye contact with my new nemesis, I darted forward and grabbed the bag.

Dangling from the front was a little survival pack that Guardians were supplied with during raids and the likes. Inside were survival essentials- space blanket, glow stick, protein bar, water purification tablets, and a simple firestarting kit.

Before anyone realised what I was doing, I pulled the lighter from its little tin and clicked the top, pleased to see that the flame that ignited was on the largest setting. It was quite impressive. The Guardians didn't skimp on safety.

I brought the flame as close to the canvas bag as I could without making it catch fire.

"Dude!" Jake exclaimed, scrambling forwards.

"Go and get my clothes," I instructed, "or you'll be wearing Superman pyjamas to the award ceremony tomorrow."

"You're crazy!" he shouted, tripping over someone's bedroll.

"No, you're crazy for trying to piss me off. You kicked the hornets' nest."

"More like woke the dragon," someone whispered. I let it slide, mainly since I was threatening to burn something.

Jake slowed to a halt when he was a few metres from me. "Just put the lighter down, and I'll go get your clothes. Please don't burn my stuff."

"I don't know," I mused as I waved the flame back and forth. "You had your fun when you executed your great heist. I think it's only fair that I get to enjoy myself too."

For a man in his twenties, Jake sure looked a lot like a toddler who'd just wet himself. "Please, Rose!"

He was so pathetic, and so gullible. I wasn't actually going to burn his stuff- I wasn't a pyromaniac like Christian.

Unfortunately, Jake wasn't the only person who underestimated my character.

"Hathaway! What the hell are you doing?"

I turned around to see Hans standing in the doorway, eyes wide in panic. The firelight reflected in them, making the scene even more bizarre. I moved the lighter away from the bag a little, but didn't let the flame go out.

"Since everyone's so bored with the food and lack of proper entertainment here, I thought I could boost morale with some roast jerk chicken," I glanced back at Jake, "but there were objections, so I figured I'd just ruffle some feathers instead."

Hans' mouth opened to shout at me some more, then closed again as he frowned, eyes scanning my body.

"Why aren't you dressed?"

"That's a very good question. Jerk chicken, explain?"

Jake stepped forwards, but he too was at a loss for words when Dimitri entered the tent, flanked by Eddie.

"What's going on?" Dimitri asked in his no-bullshit voice.

I swear, Jake actually whimpered.

"You're pathetic," I informed him, before turning back to the newcomers. "Guardian Reyes thought it would be funny to steal my clothes and hide them. When I found out, I thought it would be funny to burn his stuff in return."

Hans suddenly looked very, very tired. "Reyes, go and get Hathaway's clothes. Hathaway, put the lighter down. And for the sake of my sanity, please stop acting like children!"

With that, Hans spun around left the tent, muttering obscenities under his breath. Keeping his head down, Jake followed as he tried to escape the weight of Dimitri's glare.

An awkward silence followed, with nobody really knowing what to say. There had been too much drama too fast, and then it had deflated into a huge anticlimax.

"Honestly," I said as I dropped Jake's bag onto the floor. He could put tidy it away. "The lengths some guys have to go to see a girl naked."

This apparently reminded Dimitri that I was standing there in just a towel whilst surrounded by other men. Shaking off the stupor, he pulled his shirt over his head and passed it to me. He didn't really need a shirt anyway, since it was so warm.

Once I was wearing it, the hem actually reached lower than the bottom of the towel had. I couldn't help it. I started to laugh.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but cracked a smile. "You are a liability," he said as he rested a hand on the small of my back and gently nudged me to start walking towards our own bedrolls. I'd left mine in my new spot. I doubted Hans would even notice after this.

"I didn't actually burn anything," I pointed out. "So I'm less of a liability than, say, Christian."

"He's my charge. I actually get paid to keep him out of danger."

"Exactly. You have to babysit Christian because it's your job. You keep me out of trouble because you love me."

"I try to keep you out of trouble," Dimitri noted dryly. "There's a low success rate."

"I'm still alive; so I'd say you're doing fine."

So I kept the time between updates to less than a month. That isn't great, I know, but I'm trying my best. I won't bore you with my life troubles. Thank you so much to everyone who is being understanding and is still reading my new chapters. Have a virtual donut and a hug from your favourite fictional character on me.

Review and Dimitri will let you drink from his coffee cup :)