Am I Richelle Mead? No. Do I own Vampire Academy? No. Bummer.
Enjoy this chapter.
Rose POV
I woke up, still wearing my clothes from last night. My hands are killing me, still bloody and banged up from my impromptu punching bag session last night. Looking at the clock, I quickly get up and run to the shower to wash away the blood and grime. I bandage myself up and quickly get dressed. I know Adrian is in no shape to get himself up and ready for work, with the way he was drinking last night. Remembering what happened, I'm still pissed at his behavior, but I don't want him to get in trouble at work because of it. I get to his aparment and let myself in. First thing I do is go to the kitchen and whip up the hangover cocktail that helps him feel better. When I get to his room, I can still smell the tequilla he drowned himself in last night. Disgusting.
I walk over and look at him sleeping, like I always do. This wouldn't be happening right now if Dimitri hadn't of kissed me. Damn him. Why did he have to attack me like that? Why couldn't I resist him sooner before Adrian saw us? Why couldn't Adrian stop feeling sorry for himself and listen to my explaination. Ugh, men suck. I sit down on the edge of his bed and take a few deep breaths to calm myself down before waking the grouch.
I hear Adrian groan behind me. I bet his head is hurting pretty bad. Serves him right. I contemplate not giving him the cocktail and making him suffer, but decide against being the bitch and put the glass on his nightstand. I don't like seeing him hurt, usually. "Drink that. It'll help with your headache. You have an hour to get ready for work. I got your dry cleaning yesterday, it's in the closet and there's chinese food in your fridge if you want that for lunch." He just lies there looking at me. I don't move away but watch him, wondering if he's going to start yelling at me again or fall back to sleep. "Can you get up by yourself, or do you need help?" I don't want to leave unless he's up and moving.
"No, I got it." he says as he swings his legs over the side of the bed and sits up. He drinks the cocktail in one big gulp and then stands up and walks to the bathroom, not even acknowleging my existance. He doesn't even give me a 'thank you' or 'good morning'. Bastard. Well, two can play at that game.
I leave and take myself down to the little caffeteria for guardians so I can eat something. I didn't eat dinner last night and my stomach is growling loudly. I grab a yogurt and a banana and sit down at an empty table. As I sit here eating my breakfast, I wonder if life would be easier if I just told him that I loved him too, you know, when he's awake and can hear me. We probably wouldn't be fighting so much. I let myself fantasize about what it would be like to be able to love Adrian freely. Like holding his hand in public without the glares and whispers, or being his date for all the royal dinners and balls that happen during the year. Even getting married and having a family. I smile at the thought of Adrian playing peek-a-boo with a little girl with my hair and his beatiful green eyes. I'm so wrapped up in my own little heaven in my head that I don't even hear someone sit down next to me. "You look happy this morning." I hear a voice bring me back to reality. I look over and see Guardian Conner looking at me with a smile on his face.
"Oh hey, I was just thinking." I tell him sheepishly. I can never tell anyone how I really feel about Adrian.
"Thinking about me again, huh?" he teases.
"Absolutely. I was just wondering what it would be like to rip all your clothes off and take you right here on the table in front of everyone." I lie to him wearing my man eating smile. I must sound convincing because his face pales and went all serious.
"Really?" he sounds hopefull.
"No. Not really." I confess. He scowls at me and gives me a little kick under the table. "Owe. That's harsh." I say while rubbing my leg.
"Well, you deserve it getting my hopes up like that." he says smiling so I know he's not really mad. "What are your plans today?" he asks making conversation.
"Um, I'm having lunch with a friend later and I have a late shift tonight at the front gates." I tell him while I peel my banana.
"Not training today then?" I shrug my shoulders.
"I guess I could fit it in. Did you want to spar with me?" I ask perking up. I always welcome the chance to fight with another guardian.
"Sure. I've always wondered what it would be like to kick your ass." he says with a smile.
"I've seen the way you look at my ass, and I don't think kicking it is what you were thinking of." I tease him. He immediately goes a deep shade of red. I can't help laugh at his reaction. This is just what I needed to cheer me up this morning, a good flirt session. I lean over the table so I can whisper to him. "If you beat me this afternoon, I'll let you show me exactly what you do think about when you look at my ass." He's a pretty good guardian, but I'm not worried about him beating me at all. I hear him swallow and look away. Maybe I went too far, he obviously can't handle me. I stand up from the table to leave. "You want to meet in the gym, say 2o'clock?" I ask. He looks me up and down, probably wondering if sparing with me is worth it. He finally nods his head in agreement. I smile and walk away, looking back to him over my shoulder. "See you later Conner."
A few hours later, I get ready to have lunch with my friend, the Queen. I know, crazy right? But I've gotten to know her over the past couple years, and she not so bad. She gets bored being around 'yes' people all day, so she welcomes my directness. Nobody outside a few guardians know about our lunches, not even Adrian. Of course, he's usually the main topic of conversation. I'm escorted into her private parlor and take a seat, waiting for Tatiana to come in. She walks in with a huge smile on her face. "Rose, good to see you again." she says happily as she nods her head to me.
"You too, Tatiana. You seem unusually happy this afternoon. Did you have a nooner with Ambrose?" I tease her. She blushes and glares at me. Yeah, I think I just hit the nail on the head.
"Oh Rose." she says, but didn't deny it. I just chuckle at her embarrassment. She motions for me to sit at the table that is set up for lunch. As we sit, she starts the conversation. "So how did Adrian's date go last Saturday?" She's the one that set it up, so she naturally curious as to how it went. I just shrug my shoulders.
"The date was fine, but he's not interested. Who's next on your list?" I ask. She sighs heavily, dissappointed that her fix up didn't work.
"Well, there is someone I would like him to meet, but I'm beginning to loose hope he'll ever get married. At least he has you taking care of him."
"Yep. I'll always be there for him, whether he likes it or not." I tell her bitterly, thinking about our latest blow up. She looks at me curious at to what happened now.
"What did he do now?" she asks.
"He got mad at me and decided to go binging again. You know Dimitri came here with Tasha?" I ask her knowing that she knew. She is the queen after all. She nods for me to continue. "Well, I told Adrian that I'm not in love with Dimitri anymore, which is true, but he saw Dimitri kiss me in the gym yesterday and now he's pissed at me." She looks a little shocked.
"Did you tell Dimtri how you feel? Maybe he thought he still has a chance with you." I"ve already told her all about me and Dimitri and how he left me to be with Tasha. She also knows that it was Adrian who stood by me and helped me pick up the pieces of my broken heart. When she saw us together, right before graduation, she knew how I felt about Adrian, before I even did, and made sure that I was assigned to be his guardian. No one else would be as dedicated to his safety than me.
"Yeah, after a few minutes, I was able to get my head cleared and pushed him away. I told him I was over him and he needs to do the same. Tasha's pregnant, did you know?" Apparently she didn't know with the look of surprise on her face. She is so enjoying this. She's such a gossip whore.
"That must be hard to see them like that." She decides to change the subject. "So how is your training going? I heard this new guy is pretty tough." We talk for the next ten minutes about my trainings and such. Our lunch is brought to us and we start eating. Toward the end of lunch, I ask the same question I always ask.
"Have we been able to locate Stephan yet?" Stephan is a very old Strigoi that has been hunting the Ivashkov family for centuries. He is fixated on Adrian and wants to turn him. I think it's because he looks almost identical to Stephan's son that was accidently killed by Adrian's great great great grandfather. This is the reason Tatiana has me training so hard, so I can kill Stephan before he gets to Adrian. Adrian has no clue about this, and never will. This is the main reason I can never be romantically involved with him. I can't let myself get distracted when his enemies are waiting in the wings for me to let my guard down just once. Not gonna happen.
"All we know is that he is somewhere in the US, at least as of last week. He's pretty good at keeping himself hidden." I nod at that. It seems like we've found him a dozen times, only to be one step behind. She has a worried look on her face thinking about Stephan actually harming her favorite nephew.
"You know I will never let anything happen to Adrian." I reassure her. She smiles weakly and nods.
"Considering he could be waiting just outside these walls, I would like you to step up your training. I'll have your guardian shifts cut in half so you can spend more time in the gym learning this new technique." I nod at her and she takes a deep breath and changes the subject again.
"As I said earlier, there is a young woman I would like Adrian to meet, Emily Conta. Actually, she is going to be on the same committee as Adrian. She couldn't make it until next week. She will arrive Friday and I would like Adrian to show her around the Court. This is her first visit. I would prefer if he didn't leave the safety of the wards so I thought that showing her around would be best." I hate the idea of Adrian dating other women. Tatiana sees the frown on my face. "You know, all I want is for Adrian to be happy. That's why I push him to find someone nice he can marry." What about me? Aren't I nice? Well, in general? I don't know why, but something inside me snapped.
"Cut the bull shit, T" I yell at her. A couple of the guardians tense up, but don't move from their post. She looks at me confused. "That isn't the whole reason you push these women on him and you know it." She looks at me shocked.
"You doubt my sincerety that I want Adrian to be happy?" she asks incredulously.
"No, you want him to be happy in a way that doesn't reflect badly on the family name, or you. You know I could make him happier than anyone else, but you don't want the scandal." She narrows her eyes at me, pissed off at my outburst. I don't really know where all this is coming from. I know we can't be together, but I don't appreciate the way she rubs it in my face.
"You need to concentrate on keeping him alive, not happy." she snaps. She reaches over and takes my hand in hers, her face softening. "Rose, I like you, and I think you're good for Adrian. He's matured and straightened up so much since you entered his life. But you can't do both. You can't keep him safe from Stephan and be his wife at the same time. One duty will suffer and he could pay the price with his life. Neither of us wants that." she tells me. I know she's right, no matter how much I hate it. Then an idea pops into my head.
"You're right about that. So, I'll tell you what. After I kill Stephan, his greatest threat, I'm going to tell Adrian exactly how I feel about him. I'll let him decide if he wants me to be his guardian or his wife. I won't have to do both." She thinks it over and smiles.
"If you kill Stephan and any other followers of his who might want Adrian dead, then I won't play match maker anymore and I won't stand in your way if you both want to pursue a relationship. It won't be easy, though. There are still many people in our community who will condem you both for your choice, but I won't be one of them." she promises. The fact that there is now a way that we could possibly be together has given me new hope. I still can't let Adrian know about the danger that is waiting for him out there, but I will do what I can to eliminate that threat. I give Tatiana a big hug before I leave, with the biggest smile on my face.
About an hour later, I walk into the gym, feeling lighter than air. Just knowing that there might be a way to be with Adrian makes me feel invincible. I see Guardian Conner working on the practice dummies with a stake. He's really good. His form reminds me a lot of Dimitri. Speaking of Dimitri, I see him on the other side, covered in sweat as he is walking away from the weight room. He hasn't noticed me enter and I don't have any intention of letting him know I'm here. I'm still pissed at the trouble he caused me with Adrian. I walk over to Conner and put my bag down with a thud. He spins around and sees me standing with my hands on my hips and smile on my face.
"Hey Conner, you ready for me?" I ask seductively just to rile him up. He smiles back at me and walks right up to me, leaving only inches between us. I don't back away, but stand my ground.
"The real question is, are you ready for me, Hathaway?" he asks in the same tone I used. My heart rate picks up a bit at this new level of flirting we seem to have going on. I raise myself up on my tippy toes and lean in close, putting my hands on his chest for balance as I whisper to him.
"Bring it on." I turn and walk away toward a matt, swaying my hips a little more than usual hoping to get him flustered. I look back over my shoulder and see him watching me walk away. It worked. I laugh at the look on his face when he sees that I caught him looking. This is going to be fun.
As we both get into our positions on the mat, I notice a crowd gathering around us. Two guardians sparing is not unusual, so I don't really understand why the sudden interest. Well, if they want a show, I'll do my best to satisfy. We begin to circle each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. I decide to go ahead and strike first and hit him hard to the chest. He looks a bit stunned at my speed, but he recovers quick with a punch of his own. I'm able to block it easily and counter with a kick to his gut. We continue going back and forth, me getting more landed punches than him. I glance over to the side and see Dimitri watching me intently. No matter what's happened between us, he was my mentor and taught me a lot. The feeling of wanting to make him proud of me overcame me. I decided to end the match and used one of my favorite moves he taught me and brought Conner down by kicking his legs out from under him. I pin him down and place my fist over his heart, like I would stake a Strigoi. "I win." I say, breathing heavy as I smile at Conner laying under me. "I guess this means we won't be living out one of your Rose fantasies." I say with false disappointment low enough only he can hear me.
"Don't worry, Hathaway. We are." he says as he bucks his hips up, causing me to fall forward to where our lips make contact. He begins to kiss me, but I pull away quickly. I'm not making that mistake again. I can't get mad at him though, since I have been flirting pretty furiously with him, so I play it off.
"That's cheating, Conner." I say as I get off him. I extend my hand to him to help him off the floor. He takes it and stands up in front of me. "If you want to kiss me again, you have to earn it." I walk over to the side of the mat to where I left my bag and grab a water bottle and start to drink it down. He walks over to his bag, which is right next to mine and does the same, all the while never taking his eyes off me.
"I look forward to the rematch then. I almost had you a couple times." he smiles. I don't have the heart to tell him I was letting him feel like he was winning. Men's egos are fragile things. I see Dimitri out of the corner of my eye, glaring at Conner. I thank him for the match and walk over to talk to Dimitri.
"What did you think comrade? Are you proud of your student?" I want to keep this as friendly as possible. He gives me a small smile as he answers.
"Yes Rose. Your technique has improved immensely since I last trained you. I liked that last move, very effective."
"Yeah, I thought you'd like that considering you used it on me enough to knock me on my ass when we sparred way back when." I like that I can now look back on my training days with Dimitri without feeling a pain in my heart.
"Yes, I remember." he laughs, probably thinking about me always ending up on my butt. I grab my bag and start to walk over to the weight room to continue my training. If I have any hope of killing Stephan, I need to get much stronger.
"I'll talk to you later, Dimitri. Tell Tasha I said hello." Just as I am walking by him, he grabs my wrist to stop me. I look over to him and raise my eyebrows, waiting for him to say something.
"Tasha is having a little dinner party at our place on Saturday. Lissa and Christian will be back and she would like you and Adrian to come too." Mentioning Adrian and I being in the same room together causes my heart to ache. I don't know if he's still mad at me and would put up with an evening with Dimitri. I don't want to tell Dimitri about our last fight, so I just nod.
"I'd love to come, but I don't know about Adrian. I'll ask him and get back to you." He nods in response and releases his hold on my arm.
"Have a good evening Roza." he says as he leaves. I can tell he's really trying to control himself around me and not get too personal, which I appreciate. The sooner we can get to that place where we are both happy just being friends, the better. Right now, I need to focus on Adrian and getting rid of the threat on his life. Stepping up my training like the Queen wants is going to be hell, but I'll do anything to keep Adrian safe.
Since I received so many fabulous reviews for the last chapter, I decided to update sooner than planned. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review this chapter too.