"...With a small smile, he gently patted her back. 'You have no idea how glad I am to see you safe, Vasilisa.'"

I growled. "The hell he is." Lissa's eyes remained closed as I placed a protective hand in front of her. "That bastard deserves t-" I faltered. He didn't deserve to die, not exactly. I would have preferred him to live an agonising life in prison, yet I had given him the freedom of death less than a month ago. I killed him. I bit my lip.

"...'they have a bond.' Dimitri's low, accented voice broke the heavy tension, and we all turned toward him."

I turned to Dimitri, "how did you know?"
"Mark and Okasana. I knew how being bonded worked; I also knew your history with the car accident. When you were about to attack and Lissa calmed you as we were capturing you- her words didn't seem enough to stop you, and somehow I doubted you simply saw reason on your own. Simple things, but I knew what to look out for." I cracked a smile.
"Always so observant, Comerade."

"...Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now," said Kirova. "Her sanctioned guardian."
"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?"

Adrian laughed, looking up at Dimitri. "Cheap foreign labor, eh?"
I frowned, horrified by my previous comments. Dimitri simply chuckled. "We come as we are."

"...I looked for a familiar face. Most of them were guys. One caught my eye, and I could barely hold back my grin. "Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face...'"

Eddie flinched as Mason was mentioned. I bit my lip. Adrian paused, sympathy in his eyes. Nobody spoke but we all communicated our sorrow briefly before he dropped his gaze back down to the book.

"...'It's always a good time to think about you naked," added someone nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of mine."

Eddie's previously sad expression turned to one of embarrassment and slight humour at the memory as he eyed Dimitri, preparing to apologise. Dimitri didn't seem fazed, a light expression on his face, and I shook my head at Eddie, hoping he understood that I thought he shouldn't bring it up. Apparently he did, he closed his mouth and continued listening.

"...'They're making me take extra practice sessions,'
... 'You're putting in extra time with Belikov?'
'Yeah, so what?'
'So, that man is a god.'"

Dimitri smirked again, not commenting, I twisted in my seat to beam at him. "You are a god. You kick ass like one." He shook his head in exasperation to hide his embarrassment; I'd always loved it when he did that and couldn't help the thrill that shuddered through me.

"...I finally earned my lunch escape. As I stumbled across campus toward the commons, Dimitri fell into step beside me, not looking particularly godlike-unless you counted his godly good looks."

Adrian looked up from the book once again as Lissa punched me lightly in the shoulder. "So it started this far back? And you didn't even tell me?" I sighed.
"It didn't start here, I just noticed how sexy he is, that's all." I snuggled up to Dimitri once again. "I remember all of this, clearly." I told him.
"So do I," he responded, "you're hard to forget."
"Yet you always tried." I mumbled under my breath, he pulled me closer.
"Not forget, just... ignore." I shook my head.
"Can't ignore me now."
"Thank god I don't want to, then." Our eyes connected and my breath caught, I still couldn't get over those endless brown eyes. I felt as if I could just fall into them.
Suddenly we both remembered where we were. We pulled away from each other in embarrassment, looking around at our friends- all of whom had averted their eyes. "Keep going Adrian," I muttered, he nodded and continued.

"...'The school sent psi-hounds once.'
'Remarkable.'
'Not really. Avoiding them was pretty easy.'
Victor Laughed. 'I've hunted with them before. They aren't that easy to evade, not with their powers and intelligence.'"

"Wasn't the school who sent them," I grumbled, "Victor did."
"He was a good liar," Lissa noted painfully, "I believed every word." I shook my head, my expression offering her comfort.
"There was no way to know."