Rose POV

It had taken two days and every penny that I owned to get to Vegas, but I was finally there. I was standing outside the Breville Hotel, the sun beating down on me, as I tried to fight the urge to run away, to go home, to apologies to Lissa and tell her that I hadn't meant any of it. To tear the note up that I'd left for Dimitri so that he'd never see it. I couldn't though. For Eddie, I couldn't.
I hoped that one day they'd understand that I'd been trying to save them from my fate. That I'd been trying to protect them from Nathan and his evil ways. That I hadn't want to Liss to have to live through what I'd been through. It would be easier for them if they hated me and I'd certainly made sure that she and Christian would. Dimitri was a different story.
He'd be heartbroken that I'd left him, that I'd thrown his words right back at him, but he'd come looking for me because that's just who he was. He was a good man, better than I deserved. And he deserved better than me. He'd make sure that I was safe, regardless of anything that I said to him. He'd done it before, time and time again, as I had for him. This time though, I prayed to any deity that would listen to keep him away from me.
I was still standing on the pavement when the sun began to set, determined to go inside. Eventually. I was too scared though. I stood there, my bag on my shoulder as I stared at the door, remembering all of the things that I'd had to go through in that place and hoping that Nathan had been kinder to Eddie.
And then, the door opened.
Nathan stepped outside and gave me a broad grin. "I knew you'd come back to me, Rosie."
I swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat and didn't answer. I took a step back, my body trying to get away from him even as my mind screamed that I needed to stay, when a pair of hands grabbed my from behind, holding on to my arms. I looked over my shoulder and suddenly, it all made sense. The guardian that was holding me in place, the one that seemed to be everywhere. The one with a bun on top of his head. Gavin. It was Gavin that had been reporting back to Nathan. Gavin that had hit me over the head and taken me out of Court on the night of Liss and Christian's engagement.
A woman stepped out from behind Nathan, a smug smile on her face. It took me a minute to realise that the black hair and blue-grey eyes were familiar to me. I'd never met her in person, but I'd seen her through Lissa's eyes when I'd been in Russia. A spirit user that had gone insane, bonded two people to her and tried to bond Liss to her as well. She'd cracked under the pressure of her spirit and had been carted to Tarazov or somewhere equally awful but no less than what she deserved. Avery Lazar.
"We finally meet in person. I must say, you're not what I expected. Lissa made you out to be some kind of lethal weapon." She said, the scorn dripping from her words.
Nathan turned to her and scowled. "You will treat Rosie with the respect that my mate deserves."
Avery nodded but the smug gleam in her eyes never left as she looked me over. I knew what she was seeing because it's what I saw every day. She saw nothing. Nothing special. Nothing that made me stand out from a crowd. I'd lost so much weight since Nathan had taken me that I barely looked like me any more. My hair had lost its healthy glow and its bounce. My eyes no longer shone. I didn't even try to fight my way out of Gavin's hold, knowing that it was useless.
"I've missed you, Rosie." Nathan said. "I've been trying to reach you but it's like you haven't slept in weeks."
"I haven't." I said honestly. There was no point in lying to him about it. Being awake in a spirit dream is basically the same as being awake in the real world. The brain doesn't get a chance to rest. I'd spent months being awake in spirit dreams to avoid him and the nightmares and I was exhausted.
"Don't worry, Rosie. You're back now. I'll take care of you."
"Where's Eddie?" I asked.
"Don't worry, you're friend is fine."
"I'd like to see him, please."
"All in due time, Rosie. Avery, you know what to do." He said, stepping aside so that she could move forward.
She seemed to scanning the area, probably looking for auras, and then looked at me with a raised brow. Under normal circumstances, I'd have been pissed off that everyone else in the world seemed to be able to do that with their eyebrows, but I found that I just couldn't find the energy to care. The smug look was back. "She's alone."
"Good." He said.
"Apparently she's too stupid to bring back up." Avery said, earning herself a glare from Nathan.
He turned slightly, hitting her so hard across the face that she fell down. "If I have to tell you again to speak to my mate with respect, Avery, I won't bother keeping you around."
"Yes, sir." She mumbled, her hand clutching her cheek.
I wanted to feel sorry for her – I knew how much pain Nathan could inflict on a person – but I just couldn't. After everything that she'd done, to me and to Liss, I just couldn't feel sorry for her. She'd put Gavim, whom I assumed she was bonded to, in Court to deliver the notes and terrorise me. She'd hurt Liss and tried to kill her. She'd done so many terrible things that I actually smiled. Avery Lazar deserved everything that Nathan had to offer her. She deserved to the know pain that I felt. She deserved to suffer the way that Liss and I had.
He looked down at her with disdain. "Is it clearer outside of the dream?"
"Yes. It's in the aura." She said, her eyes narrowing towards me.
"Excellent." Nathan said, turning his red eyes on me and smiling. He held his hand out to me, waiting for me to take it. "Let's go and visit your friend, shall we?" He asked.
I nodded and placed my hand in his, fighting the shudder of repulsion that racked my body. This is for Eddie. I'm doing this for Eddie. I told myself as I let him lead me away from Avery and in to the building.
I was led down corridor after corridor and then finally, down a flight of stairs to a door that said 'BASEMENT'. Nathan opened the door and swept his hand out, signalling for me to go first as if he were some sort of gentleman. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light and then I saw him.
He was tied to a chair, secured tightly with cable ties at his wrists and ankles. He had something white tied around his face to act as a gag. He had a black eye and bruising all over his arms and neck, but otherwise he looked unharmed. I breathed a sigh of relief when his eyes met mine, wide and alert.
"Eddie." I said, trying to go to him, but Nathan tightened his grip on my hand and kept me in my place.
"Rosie, it's not ladylike to rush to another man in that way." Nathan said sweetly. "You must ask your mate's permission."
"Nathan, may I please go and check on him?" I asked. My voice sounded like it belonged to someone else, someone that I didn't know. It sounded dead, flat and monotone.
"No. But I will assure you that he will be released with no additional injuries." Nathan said, giving my hand a tight squeeze as if he were trying to reassuring me.
He looked over to Gavin and nodded once. He stepped forward with a knife and cut the ties tha held my friend in place. Eddie rubbed his wrists and then removed his gag, his eyes searching mine.
"Rose, why are you here? You shouldn't have-" He tried, only to be cut off by Nathan.
"Her name is Rosie, dhampir, and she came because she knows that I am her mate."
He looked at me again, his eyes full of sorrow. "What about Dimitri?"
I shrugged as if I didn't care. "I don't belong with Dimitri."
"But-"
"You should go." I said, praying that he'd leave and go back to Court where he'd be safe. "Please, Eddie.
"I'm not going to leave you."
"He isn't leaving, Rosie. He's going to be your personal guardian. He's going to watch over you in the days so that I can be with you in the nights. If he refuses my offer, then he will die."
"Nathan, please-" I tried but Eddie cut me off.
"Fine." Eddie said, stepping towards Nathan. "I'll be her guardian."
"Are you sure?" Nathan asked. "It would mean protecting the thing that you hate most."
"I... You're going to turn her?" Eddie asked quietly.
"When it's time, Rosie will be awakened to join me in eternal life. I will share the gift with you too, if you vow to protect my queen."
"Eddie, no." I said but he didn't hear me because he said, "I do" at the same time.
"I knew there was a reason to keep him around." Nathan said happily, squeezing my hand. "Isn't this better, Rosie? To have someone you know guarding you when I can't be by your side?"