The next morning, I woke up encased in warmth. I felt safe. I nearly moaned, just from the feeling of contentment that was running through me.

I didn't stop to wonder why I was in somebody's arms, or what time it was. I just reveled in it all, knowing somehow that it was Dimitri who held me. This was the happiest I'd felt in a long time.

I let myself float around in my own mind, imagining sunlight peeking in through curtains. I was in a different bed, a different city, in a home. I was happy and free and unburdened by taboos society had foolishly set.

I finally awoke, still in Dimitri's arms. He was still asleep.

I studied him. He was so beautiful. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, unworried and carefree. He was smiling a little. He had the barest hint of stubble gracing his jaw, and I wondered how scratchy it was. His eyelashes were so long, nearly reaching his cheekbones.

I glanced at the clock, to see the red numbers glaring back at me. Six-thirty pm. The time that I usually met Dimitri at the gym.

The sun was still shining, though not as brightly as it normally was as I woke up.

I debated waking Dimitri up, but he beat me to it.

He began to stir, groaning. I closed my eyes, feigning sleep.

I heard his sharp intake of breath. He hadn't expected to wake up next to me. He muttered something in Russian, and I wished that I had progressed enough to understand him when he did that. He let go of me, and I instantly felt the loss.

"Rose," he said. His accent tickled my heart. It was thicker than normal, and I wondered if he was particularly hung over or just sleepy.

"Rose," he shook me lightly.

I finally made myself open my eyes. "You need to get back to your room," he said. I nodded and got up. He gaped at me as I walked to the bathroom to pee.

As I sat on the toilet, I wondered why he had stared at me. Was he upset with me? Was he angry? What if he never wanted to speak to me again and asked to be reassigned to someone else? Or maybe… he just liked what he saw, a voice nagged. Oh, how I wanted that voice to be right.

I flushed and washed my hands before exiting the bathroom to what could possibly be my doom.

"Why did you stay the night last night?" he finally asked.

"I fell asleep," I said.

"In my shirt?" he asked pointedly. I looked down. I had forgotten that I'd come over in that princess dress.

"Okay, so I hated that dress, Dimitri," I put my hands on my hips. "And I was tired, so I decided, since you had fallen asleep, I might as well not risk another trek across campus. You were right about money not being able cover up all my crimes. And so, I just went to sleep."

"Next to me," he noted.

"Next to you," I agreed. I looked at him, trying to figure out whether he was feeling any better. I didn't want to bring it up. I didn't want to make him hurt anymore than he was last night.

"I'll walk you to your dorm," he said. "Do you want any breakfast before we leave? I don't think we'll be able to make training, now."

"What do you have?" I asked.

"I have bliny."

I didn't know what bliny was, but after eating that kurnik the weekend before, I was willing to try anything that he cooked. "Well, sure," I accepted. "Does your head hurt at all?" I asked. "I could get you some ibuprofen or something; I have some in my purse."

"Why do you have ibuprofen in your purse?" he asked, a little suspiciously.

"In case someone has cramps," I shrugged. "You don't understand how much cramps suck, Comrade. Anyways, you didn't answer my question. Do you need some ibuprofen?"

He shook his head. "I wasn't drunk last night," he informed me. "Just a little…"

"Tipsy?" I supplied.

"Buzzed?" he asked, trying the word out. I tried not to laugh at his facial expression, which was just too cute.

"If you're okay, then get to making that bliny," I demanded.

He saluted mockingly and began to make breakfast.

I wished that every morning could be like this. Just us, being ourselves.

I knew that Dimitri was different on the inside than the person he showed everyone else. He was much more caring and friendly, and so affected by so many things. He was intense, sure, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing. I just wished he could always be that way, instead of an outwardly stoic guardian.

I wondered if he resented Moroi. I felt that if I were in his place, I would have.

"Hey," I suddenly remembered. "The queen's coming tonight, isn't she?"

He nodded, while I grimaced. I wasn't the queen's biggest fan, to be honest. She was in the same boat as Kirova, pompous and grating. I had met her a few times when she had visited the Dragomirs, though she had never acknowledged my presence.

"You have classes today, too" he reminded me.

"I hate Mondays," I groaned.

"Mondays hate you too," he joked.

I giggled, glad to see him making jokes. That meant he was in a particularly good mood.

We talked lightly over breakfast before he finally remembered that I wasn't wearing any pants.

"Um, Comrade, I don't think any of your pants will fit me," I told him. "You're like a foot taller than me."

"I think I've got some sweats that you could wear," he said. He placed his plate in the sink, rinsing it out and letting water sit over it. He walked over to his wardrobe and knelt down.

"Aha!" he said triumphantly. "They have elastic in both the waist and the ankles, so you won't tread on them, at least."

"Doesn't mean I won't be sagging," I pointed out. "I've got enough swag to pull it off though, yo!" I made some sort of hand gesture that I had seen on TV once. Dimitri just rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"Now put them on and we can leave," he said. He turned around, gathering the pink princess dress in his arms.

I quickly put the sweats on, wondering why he bothered to turn away when I'd spent about an hour without them on.

"I need to go to the feeders," I announced to him.

"But you already ate breakfast?" he asked, confused.

"I'm a growing girl, Comrade," I told him, grinning. "I always go to the feeders and eat breakfast. I mean, I guess I could go at lunch…"

He shook his head. "I guess I'll just have to wait for you to get done, so I can escort you to class if you're late."

"Thanks," I smiled at him, nearly losing all my control.

"Well, come on," he said. "We should still try to avoid being late."

Poor Dimitri. I knew how much it bothered him if things weren't on schedule.

He was still holding my dress, and I let him. "We'll take a different staircase," he told me. "People don't use it very often."

It was almost as if he was inviting me to come back, but I knew that was not the case. He just didn't want people to get the wrong idea. If it was found out that I had spent the night, he could be fired. I didn't think he could be arrested, though, since we hadn't actually, well, done it.

I certainly didn't want him fired.

"Rose," he began.

"What?" I span to look at him.

"You shouldn't have come to see me last night."

I bit my lip. "Look, I really did just want to say hi. I hadn't planned on staying the whole night."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you come to say hi in the first place? I'm just your guardian."

"You're my friend, Dimitri. Not only that, but you're willing to risk your life for mine. I know that it's your duty and all that, but I still appreciate it."

"I'm your friend?" he asked.

"Well, I had hoped so," I said, raising my own eyebrows. "I mean, usually friends hang out every day and help each other. And you are always helping me."

He had a fiery look in his eyes again, similar to how it had looked when I had asked him to train me.

"I'm your friend, too, right?" I asked.

He looked contemplative, before answering, "Yes, I would think so."

"Good," I said. I nearly grabbed his hand- friends could hold hands, right?- but decided not to.

"Though, I really wish you hadn't seen me like that," he muttered.

I didn't know if he had meant to be heard or not, but I finally did grab his hand. I gave it a light squeeze before letting it go once again.

We arrived at my dorm building. "Do you want me to wait outside?" he asked.

I shook my head. "You can come on up. I'll just change in the bathroom."

He nodded and followed me. I smiled at the Moroi who seemed to be on duty. He waved at me confusedly, probably wondering where I had been. Unfortunately for him, fortunately for me, students were allowed to be out in the mornings, once it was about five.

I didn't think he realized I wasn't supposed to leave my dorm, though. These people really hadn't been trained to deal with Rose Hathaway.

My room was up on the third floor, of course. I think they had tried to avoid me escaping through the window as I had in my younger days.

I pulled a key out of my purse and unlocked the door. I beckoned Dimitri to follow me in. Before he did, he glanced around the hallway to make sure no one was looking.

"Your room is kind of messy," he observed.

"Yeah, well we all can't be as neat as you, Comrade," I replied.

He chuckled a little, the sound warming my heart. I looked through my wardrobe, while he sat the dress on my bed. "Yeah, that's a good place for it. I need to remember to give it back to Natalie."

"You borrowed it from someone?" he asked, surprised.

"We haven't been shopping since you guys brought us back… plus, do you think I'd buy something that pink?"

He laughed, continuing to look around.

I looked through my wardrobe once more, attempting to find something cute.

I finally found a dress that Lissa and I had bought last spring. It was cute, but it definitely wouldn't get me into trouble. Exactly what I liked now. When we had bought it, I had complained that it was too conservative.

I might as well wear it before it got too cold to do so. It was already cold, really. I had walked through campus without any shoes on, since all I had worn last night were heels. It was now November 1st, All Saints Day, and today it was unusually warm for a Montana fall.

I grabbed a cute pair of lacy red underwear and headed for the bathroom. "Don't come bursting in if something falls," I warned, shaking my finger at him. "I'm kind of clumsy."

He smirked, "Okay. So, you're saying, if I hear a giant clunk, I should let you die?"

I shook my head. "I'm not that clumsy," I defended. "I just might accidentally knock over a shampoo bottle or something."

I walked into the bathroom, hanging my clothes on the toilet. I began to run the water, then stripped.

It was an uneventful shower, to say the least. As much as I didn't want to wash Dimitri's scent off of me, it felt good to feel the water beating against my skin and scalp.

I got out, blow-drying and brushing my hair. I applied a light layer of makeup, mainly just lip gloss and the smallest amount of mascara.

I pulled on a bandeau, my underwear, and then the dress. I looked good.

I walked out of the bathroom, wondering what shoes I could wear.

"Is that what you'll be wearing when the queen visits tonight?" Dimitri asked, eyeing my outfit.

I nodded. "Normally, I would wear something a little more formal, but it's either this or a lame sweater."

He shook his head, a smile jerking at the corner of his lips.

"What shoes do you think I should wear?" I asked.

He just shrugged as if to say, Why would you ask me about clothes?

I shrugged back at him, finally deciding on a pair of flats.

I grabbed my backpack, throwing it over my shoulder.

"Did you do your homework last night?" he asked.

"Yep," I answered. "I even finished it before I went to Lissa's."

"I'm proud of you, Rose," he looked down at me, smiling softly.

I wanted to fly away right there. Or maybe burst into flames. Either would have been an appropriate response to the look he was giving me.

Instead, I motioned that it was time for us to leave. I checked my alarm clock as I glanced back. It was 7:45 pm. I had fifteen minutes to get to the feeders, feed, and get to class. I hoped I could do it. The feeders would probably be packed this close to class.

Dimitri and I walked side-by-side until I got to the feeders. "I'll wait outside," he told me.

I nodded at him, knowing that it would probably make him uncomfortable to watch me feed.

When I walked in, I discovered that I was right. The feeders were absolutely swamped. I contemplated simply waiting until lunch. I wasn't a fan of waiting until my next meal, but clearly the feeders would need a break from all the bites.

I sighed, yearning for some blood. I could deal. I had gone a week without blood before. I could go a few hours without getting it, though it had been a little more than twenty-four hours since then.

I walked out of the feeders. "Surely you can't have fed that quickly," Dimitri commented.

"Oh, I didn't," I responded. "They were swamped. There was no way I'd get in in time to go to class."

"I'm sorry," he told me.

"I don't know why you'd be sorry," I said. "It's not like it's your fault. I'll just wait until lunch."

He nodded. "Your friends should still be at breakfast, right?" he asked.

I nodded. They would be departing in ten minutes, but at this time they were still in the commons.

I looked up at Dimitri, smiling giddily.

"Thanks for everything, Dimitri," I said.

"It's no problem, Rose," he replied. "I'll see you after school!"

"The gym?" I asked.

He nodded. I waved goodbye and walked into the commons, looking for Lissa.

I finally found her at her normal table. I walked towards her, and I felt her annoyance through the bond. Ouch. It was directed at me.

"Hey, Liss," I said lightly.

"Rose, where did you disappear to last night?"

She whisper-shouted her question, looking around to make sure no one outside our table heard.

I debated on what to tell her. Finally, I said, "I went to say hi to Dimitri."

"You never came back!" she was nearly yelling.

"I checked up on you through the bond," I whispered. "You seemed like you were having fun to me."

"I thought you'd take us along when you went to see him," she said, considerably quieter.

I couldn't let her know that I had wanted private time with Dimitri, even though we hadn't done anything untoward.

"I just went back to my room once I'd stopped by," I told her. It wasn't exactly a lie. "I was tired."

She nodded, biting her lip. "I did have fun, though."

"I knew you were having fun," I said. "That's why I didn't come back and make you leave."

She nodded again.

"I'll walk you to class," I told her. "Then I'll head to class myself."

We had ten minutes, I could get us to both places on time.

TRSTRSTRS

After school, I met Dimitri at the gym. I was wearing a pair of yoga pants, my running shoes, and a loose-fitting tank top.

I noticed how Dimitri's eyes followed my body as I moved through the gym. I wondered if maybe he felt the same way I did, but dismissed the idea. He wouldn't ever like a Moroi. Especially not one who was as different from him as me. Though, I had to admit we seemed to fit well together.

I smiled at him, and he actually smiled back.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"We'll do sixteen laps and then we'll spar."

I couldn't wait to spar him some more, despite how badly I had lost when we first began. Despite the fact that I was still frequently losing badly to him.

When we finally got to sparring, he told me we wouldn't be doing the normal boundaries exercise, but just regular sparring. He said that even faces weren't out of bounds.

I didn't want to hit him in the face. I was pretty sure, though, that I wasn't strong enough to cause any bruising, anyway.

He showed me a few moves that I had seen novices use.

Finally, he looked at the clock. "You had better go get ready," he said. "Plus, you smell like sweat," he joked.

I nearly clocked him. Instead, I just laughed. "You do, too, Comrade."

"I didn't work up a sweat," he insisted.

He was right, of course. He hadn't had to work very hard at all.

"Okay," I said. "Will you be there?"

"Yes," he answered. "I'll be on guardian duty, though. So don't try to distract me." He grinned. "I am not one of the royal guards in England. Don't try to make laugh."

I just smiled, watching him as he walked away.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to me.

I ran at his back, jumping on it. Before I could even make contact, he spun around. He pulled down somehow, and then he was on top of me, straddling me. I could feel his chest against mine. I heard his heart once again, and I didn't think I'd ever tire of hearing it.

My own heart was beating pretty quickly. Actually, if I was older and human, I could have sworn that I was having a heart attack. I knew, however, that really, it was just my body's way of reacting to his body.

I looked up into his eyes, nearly melting.

"So, you got any more moves to show me?" I asked.

Then I realized that I had effectively ruined the mood. Humph.

He stood, holding out a hand to help me up.

"How'd you know what was coming?" I wondered.

"Well, the battle cry sort of gave you away," he chuckled.

"Would it have worked if I'd been more quiet?"

He thought for a moment. "Probably not. Now come on, you don't want to be late, do you?"

"Oh no, never for Her Majesty, Queen Tatiana," I muttered sarcastically.

Mostly, I was just excited because I didn't actually have to sneak out to hang out with people, for once.

"See you later, Dimka," I called out saucily as I left.

TRSTRSTRS

I arrived in the commons just in time for everyone to stop talking. I wasn't allowed to sit near Lissa, since she was with the royals, but I was only a few rows back.

It was close enough to keep an eye on her.

I saw Dimitri standing at attention by the wall, just as he had said he would.

I grinned at him and made a silly face, even though he had said not to do it. I knew he had to fight himself not to roll his eyes at me, and that made the moment even better. Even so, his guardian mask stayed tight on his face.

Finally, the royal procession came through. A few random royals who had gotten in good with the Queen came first. Next came Victor Dashkov, Priscilla Voda, and Prince Ivashkov.

I rolled my eyes as we were forced to stand when Queen Tatiana entered the room. She nodded to a few novices, stopped to say a few words to some non-royals, and then finally stopped to talk to Lissa completely.

"Princess Vasilisa Dragomir," she began. "We had heard that you had come back. We are most pleased to have the Dragomirs back." I didn't understand the "royal we" thing, and really, it irritated me too.

"The Dragomirs were once a powerful family. Dragomir means dragon, you know. They were valiant, fighting alongside their guardians, killing Strigoi. And your first name, it is just as powerful. Vasilisa has belonged to many great and powerful women throughout history. Vasilisa the Brave, Vasilisa the Beautiful. Yes, you are doubly named with power."

I felt a warm sense of pride and excitement come with Lissa.

"But," the Queen continued. "Clearly, names do not make a person, as you demonstrated when you ran away."

Now all Lissa felt was embarrassment, and I wanted to murder the Queen as she walked away.

I wondered how much time I would have to jump on her back before the guardians got to me. They would probably get to me before I even got to her. Sadly, I'd have to let her live.

We were forced to bow while the Queen stood at the front. I really didn't want to bow, but I really didn't want to be beheaded, either.

After the ceremony, which was really just an eating experience, I walked out quickly, looking for Lissa.

I found her and Natalie in one of the courtyards. I noticed Natalie was talking to her and hung back to hear what she was saying.

"She shouldn't have said that," Natalie insisted. "You must have had a good reason for running away."

Both Lissa and I were thinking that Natalie sucked at being sneaky.

"But my parents would be ashamed-" Lissa began.

"No they wouldn't. They would just be happy that you're happy. I mean, look at my Daddy. He doesn't care that I don't hang with that crowd."

I finally decided to butt in. "And that's why he should be king, not that bitch," I said.

Natalie looked up, shocked to find me here. I think she felt awkward being caught between the best friend dream team.

"Right, well, I'm going to go," Natalie said.

I concentrated on Lissa. She was beginning to get in an even darker place. "Liss, she was wrong," I told her.

"No, she wasn't," Lissa maintained. "Andre never would have run away!"

"You aren't Andre." I didn't know how many times I had told her this. So many times, I had lost track, for sure.

"Don't let this get you down," I told her. "Don't do anything you shouldn't." I worried about her cutting.

"It's going to happen again, isn't it?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Not if you don't let it," I said. "You haven't?…" I tried to look at her wrists without being obvious.

"No, I haven't wanted to… I like the coasting thing."

I knew she did. She hated the royal lifestyle. She hated the backstabbing and lies and espionage. I didn't blame her. She wasn't made for it.

I heard an annoying high-pitched giggle, and immediately knew it was Mia.

"You must be so excited the Queen talked to you," Mia giggled some more.

I nearly snapped. I jumped up from my kneeling position, immediately tense and ready to spring if she tried anything.

"You're standing too close."

Mia flinched a little, probably remembering about Dawn Yarrow. "And hey, at the least the Queen knew her name. That's more than I can say for you and your wanna-be royal act."

She flinched once again, and I could see my words had really pained her. Why did she want to be royal so bad?

"Well, at least my parents love me!" she grinned viciously. "I mean, no one knows who your dad is. And your mom, she's out there living a life, glad to be away from you."

I flashed my fangs at her, but before I could say anything, Dimitri arrived.

"There you are, Rose," he said. "I'm supposed to take you back to your dorm."

"Oh, okay, Guardian Belikov. We were just swapping family stories. Care to hear Mia's? It's fascinating."

He gave me a look, taking my arm and pulling me away. When we were out of earshot, he stopped and asked, "Were you about to start a fight?"

I gave him a skeptical look. "Of course not. I don't start fights where anyone can see them."

"Oh Rose," he sighed.

"Hey, Christian!" I called. Dimitri tugged on my arm gently, but I ignored it.

Christian turned around. "Are you going to see Lissa?" I asked.

He blushed a little, and I had all the answer I needed.

"She feels sorry for you, you know," I said. "She thinks you're a freak, but she's too nice to say anything."

"But you're not too nice?" he asked snidely.

"No, I'm honest. So leave me alone."

I began to follow Dimitri. I stopped to look for a moment, and saw that Christian was still frozen in his place, a dark look consuming his eyes.

He did need to leave her alone. He wouldn't be any good for her.