Oh MY GOSH! thank you thank you guys for another rain of reviews! I was so shocked when I opened my mail! THANK YOU THANKYOU! But i'm so sorry that I couldn't reply to you and PM you personally for my gratitude cause I only have time to uplad the chapter and thank you all here. so sorry again for the late UD, but I'll make it up tp you...again..LOL

NOTE: I hate this chapter, really..so please feel free to hate this also cause you probably would. Not by best I suppose but it's a necessary chapter..I'm gonna get a little water works here and I'm not a fan of those really water works stuff so it was kinda hard making this...this was the best I could do under circumstances...anyways...another round of shoutout and thanks everyone!

I was so touched by your reviews and you took the time to comment and write lengthy remarks which made my day! Hell it made my week and month...sooooo THANK YOU (free hugs!)

DimitriRoseAngel really really thank you for taking your time reading this story! really appreciate it :)) shoshona79 thanks for reading and the good suggestion..still the plot remains a mystery to all:) even me! thank you again Jasmine-Dec31 thanks for reading!..yeah, i really like adrian than dimka.. Halloween265 THANKS =D AmericanHoney21 i'll try reall hard to keep writing!and thank you for the review! encouraging! Alicia -Alvampkeys I love making cliffies! thank you for reviewing and reading! means so much! JazXoXo THANK YOU thank you! thank you! and of course i'll UD as soon as possible! ixdookiie thank you for the RandR!so much! sunayna4sho Thank you for the Rand R...i promise, i'll try to UD as much as soon as I can! missa27 me too! LOL..thanks for the RandR! soooo muchJoyBriel lol..i wish i could be there and help adrian too! thanks for the RandR!

SassYNoles Thank you for taking your time reading and giving reviews! And of course, you guys deserve the shout-out...LOL

bonkerzrulez YOUR REVIEW really made me smile! OMG...like it made my week! and i'm so sorry that i couldn't provide you a decent reply..but i promise to UD as much as I could...and my posting scheds not really consistent so I couldn't really say when my brains gonna function properly..LOL..THANK YOU again for taking the time of reading and reviewing this!

Seriously guys..i could never get tired of reading your reviews!

Don't believe me? ASK MY CLASSMATES how much I can't stop gushing about my wonderful readers and reviewers!

THANKS AND LOVE,

AudenPaige0.o

Chapter 14

No, No, no no…This could not be happening.

I quickly pushed off Dimitri and ran after Adrian. I ran to catch up with him, he was walking awfully fast.

"Adrian! Adrian, please. Wait! Listen!" I kept on shouting after him. I ran and ran, people were staring after me. I knew how awful I looked, tear streaked face, hyperventilating, running desperately after someone who acts as if he doesn't hear me.

When he reached his door in the guest housing, I was on the last step in the stairs. He banged the door hard when he closed it. I quickly knocked on his door hard.

"Please Adrian! Please, let me explain." I shouted at his door all the while banging it down.

"I swear, if you don't open up, I'm gonna break it down." I continued on.

"Then break it down! To hell I care." I heard him shout from the other side. I stopped banging for a moment, I heard shuffling and some things banging from the inside.

"Adrian, please!" I shouted one last time. I thought back to the lessons we learned in operations. We had to kick down doors when we had to raid houses full of Strigoi. I braced myself, and put all my force into one foot and then kicked hard in the side of the door, a few inches from the doorknob.

I got it open without breaking it off its hinges. I then saw Adrian furiously packing now. All the stuff in his closet and the drawers were laid out in his bed while he carelessly stuffed all his things in his expensive designer travel bags.

I quickly went over to him and grabbed the things he was about to put in the bag and threw it in the bed. I took his face roughly and made him look me in the eyes.

"Stop, or so help me I will pack you myself and throw you in the lake." I growled at him.

His face was impassive and as solid as a rock. I couldn't really tell if he was listening or not. But I continued on rambling.

"You think I would give up on you easily? Adrian, you should have known better than that. "My voice was gentle now, and I definitely wasn't letting go of his face, but it remained emotionless.

"But I don't Rose. I don't . You keep on worrying about me and these bunch of imaginary hot girls and my infidelity, when how could I even be sure of yours? Tell me!" He growled back in my face.

"You keep on making me make promises, worrying that I'm the one who'll leave you. How could I even guarantee that you'll not leave me?" He said harshly. He then broke away from my grip and walked away. He ran his hands through his messy hair and faced the window by his bed.

Tears were still running down my face. I have been so unfair to both men in my life. I have been selfish, too selfish. I glanced around me, this mess, I created this mess.

I saw an armful of shopping bags by the bedroom door, all of it had picture of roses in it. Adrian must have bought me loads of things while he was away. I kneeled down by the bed and hugged my knees to my chest and whimpered.

"I'm so sorry Adrian. I never expected this to be so dramatic, sappy…and ugh…complicated." I whispered, if he ever was listening, I was sure that he would be able to hear me clearly. I went on-

"I have never been fair to you. But please, please believe me in this. You make me feel things, unimaginable things no one could. You might think, others might think, hell, everyone thinks that your money and status are what keeps me pinned to you, but you should know that I would love you, no matter who you are, no matter how much money you have in your pocket. " I took a deep shaky breath and continued on my rambling.

"What happened back then was just a compromise, the last one, I am happy where we are now…where we were. I won't give those moments up for any other man. You have to understand that what's between Dimitri is something important and unbreakable: but it is nothing compared to what we have! Adrian, look, I love you okay?". I continued with my rambling.

"Ugh...I sometimes wish that we'd be both human, so that there would no boundary between you and me, none of this protocol, Royal, shit stuff. I'm so sorry Adrian, for not being enough for you. Please." I said. My eyes were closed, I rested them on my knees, I was still hugging my legs tightly.

I couldn't feel any movement from Adrian, which means he won't come to me any time now. But at least he hasn't left yet.

"Adrian, the moment you asked me to stay with you, and you said that by that you will never ever let me go, I'm not gonna let you go easily also." I looked up then, only to find him kneeling in front of me.

Our eyes met for a moment, then we hugged and kissed like there was no tomorrow. I was crying while he was murmuring stuff by my ear, all the while, both of us never letting go.

"I love you, alright? No other man." I said to him solemnly when I pulled back to look at him right in the eye.

He pulled me to him and hugged me tighter while kissing my hair. "I know, I know. I love you more." He murmured.

Never let go we said.

That was the first night I slept with Adrian. And no, I don't regret any of it. It was pure bliss.

"Oohh…Rosie is smiling all by herself." My best friend commented while sitting beside me in a bench. I was actually daydreaming while staring at the stars above. Gawd, all these things are making me such a wimp.

"Hmm? You said something Liss?" I teased and turned to her with my most innocent smile.

"Oh I know that smile anywhere! Rose, when and where did this happen?" She said giddily. I remembered when she and Christian first dated, also the gross scene I was accidentally pulled into while they were uhmm, having fun in the attic, my best friend wore this goofy smile on her face for almost a month- scratch that, up to now.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Princess." I replied innocently at her. She huffed up and nudged my elbow.

"Come on Rose, spill. It's only fair, you get to see my intimate moments with Chris." She whined.

"Well it's not like I volunteered for those either. , thanks for the flashbacks by the way." I told her.

"Hmmpff.." She pouted for a moment, then like a light bulb lit in hear head, "I'm gonna go ask Adrian then." She said, with one of the most evilest smirk in her face, she's been hanging out with Christian far too long.

Before she could get up I pulled her down, "Liss, there's nothing to ask!" I insisted to her.

I was partly afraid that though I love the guy, he'd gladly volunteer information and details…My boyfriend could be so clueless and a goof sometimes…most of the time.

"Well you have to tell me if you don't want me bugging Adrian, Rose." She said to me with yet another pout. Well with him, you won't have to bug to know actually.

"We are…uhmm…" I sighed. "I love him Liss…and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way too. And that's all I'm gonna say." I said with finality in my voice.

She squeaked and hugged me.

"Wow, so the great Rose Hathaway finally said the "3 most damned words"- your words, not mine." She said to me, we both laughed.

Until Christian came and sat beside Lissa.

"Hey…" Lissa said then she gave him a chaste kiss, when she was about to pull away, he pulled her back and practically made out with her right in front of me, "Missed you." He murmured in her lips.

"Uck, guys, do you have to do that while there's people around?" Eddie said sitting beside me. Lissa pulled away laughing and hit Christian playfully.

"Yeah, I didn't need to see you Fireboy sucking my best friends face. I could tolerate your presence for only a while you now." I said to both of them, with disgust in my voice.

"No one asked you to watch people." Christian bit back at us, and then he pulled Lissa again for another make out moment in which Lissa hit her boyfriend again, this time harder.

"Oh no, don't join me in your childish antics and banters." She said, disentangling herself from his embrace.

"You wanna see me and Rose get it on instead?" Adrian said, while he arrived and joined our group.

I stood up and kissed him hard, to which I heard multiply groans from my friends. I pulled away and beamed at Adrian.

"Hey boyfriend I love so much." I said to him gently.

"Hey girlfriend whom I love and adore so much more." He replied while he continued on radiantly beaming at me.

Someone miles away would've probably heard the groans from my friends.

I was back in my room preparing to sleep early. It was 2am when I heard emergency alarm bells all over school ringing.

I quickly dressed into my combat outfit and my stake and tuned into Lissa's mind. She was in the attic with Christian, they were , thankfully, only talking and staring at each other with millions of lit miniature candles around them when they heard the bells, then they quickly gathered up, good they know the drill.

I went down to our main common room and saw student dhampirs like me gathering by the door with a guardian.

I quickly saw and stood beside a pale and tensed Eddie. "What's going on?" I tersely asked, not sure if I want to hear his answer.

He solemnly nodded to the serious looking guardian who started speaking in a grave tone.

"There has been a Strigoi attack in this school, the school's headquarters just received this report not a minute ago from the gates. Apparently an army of an estimated 200 or more Strigois are coming. The school already sent our first batch of guardians to control the situation, but hundreds or more turned up at the academy woods." He took a deep breath.

"We really didn't want to do this, but we had no other choice, so the seniors and the juniors of the dhampirs in this school are gonna have to join us, but only in the sideline of the battle. You are only instructed to assist the guardians, help the morois escape and keep yourself and the others alive or not changed. Please bear with us, raise your arms if your not willing to help, you won't receive any punishment."

No one dared to speak or raise their hands. Back when we were young and naïve, not quite aware of the serious threat of strigois, we would have cheered and marched right into battle, but now, I looked around my class and a few other older dhampirs, same grave, determined and pale faces.

From the pit of my stomach I realized something: Where was Adrian? We parted a few hours ago, he was going to practice with Lissa for a few minutes on their Spirit elements, but last time I checked with Lissa, she was cozying up with Christian which means that they have parted.

I tuned back into Lissa's mind, Christian was holding into Lissa's hand for dear life. They were desperately darting back to the guardian's headquarters where everyone was to report for safety, guardians where around them assisting and they were not far from the building and there was no threat yet to be sensed.

Thank God. But Where was Adrian?

In just a matter of seconds, I am now dying for the guardian in front of us to give us the signal that we could scatter and fight so that I could find and protect the man I love.