I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! I've bumped up postings to twice a week, Sundays and Wednesdays, I'm almost completely done writing this fic and I'm really excited to share it with you! Thanks so much for the reviews, they always make my day! Enjoy!

Lissa has been drinking. A lot. It seems non stop to be honest. That being said, it numbs the bond, which she knows. But even with the second hand drunkenness I still get snippets of information from her every now and then.

Avery is specialized in Air. Lissa kissed Aaron and Jailbait told Christian. Christian broke up with Lissa. Avery is now what she considers her best friend. Lissa hardly if ever thinks about me… her bond mate. Avery and her are glued to the hip damn near 24/7 and Lissa gets a thrill from it.

I watch from a distance as Lissa destroys her own life while Avery holds her hand. I'd tried on several different occasions to talk to her… all of which ended up with me dismissed and thoroughly chastised. The one time I'd managed to actually get in her head I'd been shoved out with such a force it had felt like I'd been slapped.

That doesn't stop me from running to her when a wave of guilt and anger come crashing over me from her side of the bond. I'd just finished applying some concealer to my ever paling complexion when her emotions all but knock the wind out of me.

I'm half way to her side of campus when a hand grabs my arm with enough force to drag me back. I look up to see Simon, Avery's guardian.

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice is gruff as he regards me.

"I need to get to Lissa, something is wrong, now if you would let me go," I jerk my arm from his grasp and go t walk away but he grabs me again.

"Go back to your dorm." His voice… it sounds almost identical to mine under darkness, but that's impossible, Avery is an air user.

"Look, I'm not in the mood, Guardian Simon, let me get to my friend." When I try to pull away again he pushes me back, making me stumble.

Our eyes meet in a glaring contest and the next thing I know he's lunging at me. I defend myself to the best of my ability. I go on the defensive for a bit before I see my opportunity when he winds up for a kick. I grab his ankle and twist making him fall.

I hear coming footsteps and immediately stop any move I would have made to finish the fight and he takes advantage of that; he springs up and lands a punch with the force of a small truck into my stomach and I feel like my insides have been not only set on fire but are being poked with knives.

I hit the ground on my side and almost immediately curl up in an attempt to cover my stomach. I can't breathe, I can barely open my mouth. Don't scream. Don't cry. LET IT PASS. I chant this in my mind over and over hoping that somehow I would believe it.

"What the hell is going on here?" A shrill voice shatters my concentration and my head lulls back as I try to see who's here with blurry eyes. Get up. I need to get up.

"She attacked me and I had to subdue her." Suddenly I'm being hauled up, my arms behind me in a painful hold. I suck in a sharp breath when he applies pressure to my arm. Everything is suddenly clear and all I can see are jade green eyes. Dragomir eyes.

Lissa is standing in front of me, her breath reeks of alcohol but something in her snaps in that moments and she lashes out.

"You're really just as bad as they say you are, aren't you?" Suddenly she once again reminds me of all of those high nosed royals looking down their nose at their enslaved dhampir. It clicks in me then… no matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to get her back. "Nothing but a mindless beast. You can't even do your job right. If this academy was real life you would have gotten your charge, ME, killed! You try to steal Christian away from me and when that doesn't work you stop talking to him! AND NOW, you try to attack my friend's guardian? What is the matter with you?" She yells in my face.

I tried to take Christian? What the hell is going on?

"Listen, Lissa.."

"Princess to you." I would suddenly rather have Simon punch me again. Anything but those words. It takes everything in me not to let myself flinch back as if she had actually hit me. I do the only thing I can do in this moment, I get mad. My guardian mask slams firmly into place.

"Well, Princess, if that is really your opinion of me, then there is nothing I can do. You've known me for 13 years…" Once again I'm interrupted.

"13 years and yet you couldn't be more of a stranger, get over yourself Rosemarie." She rolls her eyes and I feel my eye brows raise. "Why don't you just leave and join the blood whore community like you should have when we returned. Just leave and don't come back." I can't help the cold laugh that escapes me, what's with them and telling me I'm a blood whore? I mock bow to the best of my ability with Simon still clutching my arm.

"As you wish, Princess Dragomir. I'm sure your parents would be proud." I don't spare a moment to watch her face as I jerk out of Simon's grip and I leave, going in the direction of my sanctuary.

It doesn't take me long to get there and to find a comfortable spot. I lean back into a tree and cradle my stomach that still aches. I close my eyes and breathe deeply as I try to calm the raging emotions that bring tears to my eyes.

You're weak. You don't deserve to have anyone don't you see that? The thoughts whisper darkly. I don't have the energy to fight so I just let my mind go to the dark places I'd never let them go before.

I don't know how long I'm trapped in my mind but all I know is that I'm brought out by a tentative lick on my cheek. I blink in surprise and see the same wolf from the other day. I don't hesitate to pet him this time.

"You know, if we're going to keep running into each other this way I might as well tell you that my name is Rose." I remark softly. His head tilts and I chuckle. "Of course you'll never have to use it but I'd like to name you." I scratch between in his ears and I hear the soft rumbling groan in his throat. "How about Jericho?" I ask and something clicks. "Yeah, I'm going to call you Jericho."

Jericho ends up curling up with his head on my stomach as I pet him. He curls himself around me, pretty much turning himself into a giant pillow with his tail covering my legs. It's there in the woods with an almost larger than life wolf named Jericho that I fall asleep next to the waterfall with tear streaks fresh on my cheeks.