Jill, who'd had a pretty major crush on Adrian despite his treating her like a kid sister, squeaked then covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry," she whispered. I felt for the poor girl. Adrian looked like he'd just killed her.

"Pregnant?" Lissa asked, her eyebrows just barely peeking out from her bangs. He nodded slowly. Christian was too ambushed he wasn't even smiling at Adrian's discomfort.

Dimitri glanced my way, and my jaw would've hit the floor if I hadn't gained my guardian composure back. "Pregnant," I whispered. Adrian snapped.

"Yes, okay. I think we've got the point." He slumped down into the couch and Sarah sat delicately next to, doing something to her finger. I arched an eyebrow but dismissed it. She was obviously stressing out. So maybe twisting her finger was her thing. A weird thing, but still.

There was little conversation after that, and we all just sat there. More than once I glanced over to see how Jill was taking this news. She just sat there staring at the floor, barely keeping it together. Adrian staring at her probably wasn't helping matters, either. A few times he tried getting her to talk, but she answered him like he was here to see her sister, the Queen.

Eventually we all dispersed to get ready for dinner that would now be Adrian's homecoming party. Jill didn't say anything until we were all safely behind the locked door of Lissa's room.

"I can't believe him!" Jill shouted, flopping down on her bed, face-first.

"Well, it isn't all that unexpected," Lissa disagreed. "I mean, eventually he was going to-"

"No, he wouldn't' have!" she disagreed, her voice muffled by a pillow.

"I hate to say it, Jill, but Lissa's right. It was bound to catch up with him sometime."

I placed my hand on her shoulder as she trembled. "I know how you feel, kid, I do."
"How?" she sniffed, coming out of the pillow.

I swallowed, and waved for Lissa to go ahead and get ready: no sense in ALL of us being late, especially the Queen. When she left, I climbed on Jill's bed and sat Indian style; she copied me.

"Well," I began,"when I was still at St. Vladamir's, we went to a ski lodge. There had been a massive Strigoi attack-"

"I remember that," she recalled. "It was awful."

"Yeah, well, it's where I met Adrian. Anyway, Dimitri and I, well, we'd broken up-I guess- and he was hanging out with Tasha Ozera. I'd hated her then just for talking about him. Anyway, right before we'd left the lodge, my mom told me that Tasha had asked Dimitri to be her guardian. I was upset about that because he was leaving but also because my mom had more or less hinted at the fact that Dimitri would probably marry her and have kids." I laughed. "I still can't believe that I was so insecure about him."

"Yeah, but, Rose. It's not the same. Adrian is having a kid with this girl. Besides, Adrian doesn't love me like that. I'm just like a little sister to him."

I smiled a small smile. "You're kind of like that for all of us." She tried a smile and almost reached it, but then Lissa came out and it was her turn to get ready.

"Thanks for talking, Rose."

"Sorry I didn't help."

"You did a little." I nodded and she left.

"What did you say to her?" Lissa asked, putting on her makeup.

"I told her about Dimitri and Tasha."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was more or less the same thing to me."

"I still cannot believe that you didn't tell me about any of that."

"How many times are you going to say that?" I joked.

"As many times as it takes for me to believe it."

Dinner started off quietly, but a few other royals who finally showed up-"fashionably late" they usually said- and struck up a conversation with Adrian and even Sarah. How were they? What brought them back? How long had they known each other? As the night grew later and the champagne was poured more and more often, the questions grew even more personal. Adrian, now when will you marry this pretty girl? Or are you waiting for Guardian Hathaway to get bored of the former Strigoi man? I'm not kidding, someone actually said that!

"Unbelievable," I whispered to Dimitri, who was snickering at my expression.

"At least he's denying it," he whispered back as Adrian shook his head vigorously.

I smiled and shrugged.

Everyone loosened up as the clock slowly made its way to the number twelve. With a second to spare, Lissa stood and dismissed the party with a welcome-home toast for Adrian, who couldn't have been more grateful for the ending of what could've gotten very, very messy Inquisition.

"It's good to have you home, Lord Ivashkov," Lissa ended formally.

"It's good to be back, Queen Vasilisa," he said back. I was a little shocked that he said as formally as Lissa had then it hit me. I glanced at him making sure it was just me. Nope. Adrian's hair, that used to be styled in a devil-may-care look, was combed down and laying straight on his head. Not one hair was out of place. I almost did a double-take. How could I have missed that earlier?

"Rose?" Jill shook my arm.

"Hmm?" I said coming out of my thoughts.

"Little too much to drink, little dhampir?" Adrian teased, his arm around Sarah.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, just a little out of it."

"She's just so overwhelmed by my homecoming," he concluded. I laughed.

"Yes, that has to be it! Thank you so much for solving the puzzle, Lord Ivashkov."

"Happy to be of service."

Adrian and Sarah got caught by a few royals, and Lissa and Christian were talking deeply about something so Dimitri, Jill, and me headed back to our rooms. After we dropped Jill off at her room, Dimitri stopped.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. really, I'm just...out of it," I repeated.

He looked at me with eyes that said that my answer didn't satisfy.

I sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just weirded out by Adrian being back. And I know I'm weirded out by Sarah." I groaned, walking again. He followed me.

"Why are you weirded out by Sarah?" he asked.

"If this is some weird way to ask me if I'm jealous, I'm not."

"I'm not-" I silenced him with a glare. "I'm just asking," he tried again.

"There's no need to worry, Comrade," I reassured him.

"I'm not worried." I just rolled my eyes. I unlocked our bedroom door and he caught me around the waist while kicking the door shut.

"Hey!" i laughed trying to make way across the room. He mouth found my neck.

"Is this your way of making sure that you shouldn't be worried?" I teased.

He chuckled. "I should always be worried when it comes to you, Roza."

"Well, okay, but can you let go? I've got to get out of these heels. They're killing me and-" I didn't get a chance to finish because the tall Russian pushed me back on the bed and started unstrapping my stilettos.

"Would it kill you to give a girl a warning?" I laughed.

He didn't answer; he just kissed me. Hard, and i hated to push him back.

He gave me a what-the-heck-are-you-doing? look which ignored. I just got out of the dress and found a pair of i-need-these-for-serious-snoozing pajamas and climbed in bed. Dimitri sighed and crawled next to me.

"Not even a goodnight kiss, Roza?" he murmured in his deep, rumbling, seriously sexy voice.

I laughed at his bewildered look on his face when i kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Comrade," I sighed.