When I woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of an alarm clock, although… it wasn't my alarm clock. My alarm clock was this ridiculous beeping and screeching sound, but the alarm clock I was hearing now was the radio, playing some ridiculously loud rock song. I opened my eyes and realized that I'd fallen asleep with Landon. He groaned and shifted slightly, obviously realizing that I was holding him down. He opened his eyes and chuckled.

"Well hello there." He said. I smiled as I looked up at him. I couldn't deny it, hearing his voice thick with sleep, was probably one of the most sexiest things I'd ever heard, beside… well, nevermind.

"Morning."

"I didn't even realize I feel asleep." He told me. I sat up, and ran a hand through my hair.

"Me either." I groaned and stretched. "I've got to go. Dimitri's going to be pissed." It was then I realized how awkward today was really going to be. I rolled out of his bed, as he sat up.

"I'm sorry that I'm probably going to get you into trouble." I shrugged.

"It's not a big deal. Thank you for last night, Landon." He smiled.

"It was a pleasure, I assure you." He said. I sighed, and walked out, heading upstairs to my room. I quickly changed and threw my hair up in a pony tail, before heading towards the back door. I hesitated for a second, before walking out, not sure what I was walking into. When I opened the door, I found Dimitri sitting on the sidewalk, with the mat already out and ready. He looked up, his guardian mask on, and in full swing.

"You're late."

"I know, I'm sorry… I didn't hear my alarm go off." I said, simply. He just nodded once, and stood up.

"We're doing something different today…I don't know if you've heard-." He started. I completely zoned out, focused on how horrible his hands looked. They were wrapped and bandaged, but even through that I could see the extent of the injuries. I walked forward, not even really sure what I was doing, and grabbed his hand.

"What did you do?" I asked, completely ignoring and disregarding everything he'd just said.

"It's nothing." He said, trying to pull away from me. I tightened my grip, not letting him pull from my grip.

"Don't tell me it's nothing. It's definitely something. How did you do this?" I demanded.

"Rose…. Let it go." He said, harshly, pulling his hands away from me. I stared at him for a second, as his mask wavered, before I frowned and looked away.

"You're an idiot." I muttered.

"What was that?" He asked. I shook my head. "Anyway, like I was saying, we're going to be pairing you up with other novices, and having you put what you know to the test."

"Okay." I muttered, not in a good mood now. Guardian Young came through the door first, followed by Landon. I smiled, wondering how he'd managed to talk them into it. Regardless, I didn't care. He grinned at me.

"Hey Hathaway… long time no see." He teased. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Ready to get your ass whooped again?"

"We'll see about that." He said. "I've gotten better. Guardian Young isn't the worst mentor in the world."

"Watch it, Landon." Guardian Young muttered. I laughed. Dimitri didn't seem to be in such high spirits anymore, just as I figured he wouldn't be.

"Whenever you guys are ready." Dimitri said, voice hard. I turned and looked at him for a moment, before turning back to Landon. This was going to be fun, and I wasn't going to let my feelings, or Dimitri's pissy mood ruin this. I stepped onto the mat, and smiled. Landon did the same.

"I'm about to make a girl cry." He said, crouching down.

"In your dreams."

"No, in my dreams I make you cry for different reasons." He said, winking at me. My mouth fell open, causing him to laugh. I crouched down.

"That's it." I murmured, before lunging at him. He dodged me, but I caught him before he could turn and stage an attack on me, throwing most of my weight at him. He managed to stay on his feet. I threw a few punches and kicks, landing a few on him. He blocked a lot of them though. He landed a good kick to my thigh, which hurt pretty bad. It almost caused me to hit the ground, but not quite. He didn't kick me that hard. To be quite honest, I think he was holding back on me a little, as if he didn't want to hurt me. I finally faked a move to the right, and kicked his legs out from under him. I twisted back around, and launched myself on top of him, holding him down. I fought with his hand, trying to force them away, but he was quick. He had speed more than strength, so I had to give it my all. I hit him one time, and forced his hand away, and laid them over his heart. I placed my face a few centimeters from his, and smirked.

"Dead." I whispered, a seductive hint to my voice. He laid there, dazed for a second, as I stood up.

"What just happened?"

"Not only am I a novice… I'm a ninja." I told him. He growled as he sat up.

"Whatever." He muttered, smiling. I laughed as he stood.

"How was that?"I asked. Guardian Young nodded approvingly. Dimitri just stared.

"It was good. She's progressed a lot since we saw you on introduction day." He said. He turned to Dimitri. "You're going an awesome job, Belikov."

"Thank you." Dimitri said, nodding once. I smiled at him.

"Guardian Belikov is a good mentor. He's taught me a lot." I said. Dimitri caught my eye for a second, and I got a half-smile out of him. I looked back to Landon.

"You've gotten a lot better though. You're freakin' fast."

"I know. I use my speed to my advantage." He said. I heard the double-meaning behind that, and when he winked at me, I knew he was right. I rolled my eyes.

"Wanna go again?" I asked. He nodded.

"Let's do it." We stepped back onto the mat, and went another round. He now knew that his speed was his biggest ally, so he used it on me frequently. I had trouble catching him and blocking him when I didn't have time. I finally gave up on defense and went strictly offense. He may have been able to block most of my hits, but the ones he missed were hard and powerful, and wore him down quick. It wasn't long before he got tired of it, and took me to the mat. I wasn't about to go down this easy. I rolled our weight, putting me on top of him, but he quickly shifted, rolling us over again, until we ended up being on the track and off the mat. Before I could roll us again, he placed his hands over my chest. He sat there for a second, staring down into my eyes.

"I did it." I smirked up at him.

"Ass hole."

"I never thought I'd actually be able to take you down." He said. I laughed.

"Most people can't, do congratulations." I said, patting the side of his face. He jumped up, offering me his hand. I knew this was my chance. I took his hand, and forced my weight to the ground, throwing him to the mat, and climbing over him, and placing my hands over his heart. "Don't ever let your guard down." I teased.

"Damn it, Rose." He muttered. I laughed, and stood up. I looked at Guardian Young who was obviously enjoying watching us. Dimitri just looked like he didn't know whether to cry, or be happy that I was doing so well. We sat around outside, and I showed Landon some stuff that Dimitri had taught me, and Guardian Young helped me a little bit too. Dimitri talked to Landon a little bit, but I couldn't help but notice the sneer in his voice with just about everything he said. It was obvious to see that Dimitri didn't really care too much for Landon, probably because of the relationship Landon and I had built. He was one of my only friends here, and we were sort of close. I think Dimitri sensed that and it made him jealous, although it made me feel like shit to know he was jealous. I finally sat down on the sidewalk.

"We can call it a day." Guardian Young said. "You guys did awesome." He helped Dimitri with the mat, and carrying it inside, while Landon and I sat on the sidewalk.

"Today was fun. I'm glad they decided to do this."

"Me too. It's always fun kicking your ass." I said.

"You only kicked my ass once."

"Well, three times. Two today, and once before."

"You only beat me once…" I shook my head, causing him to narrow his eyes. "That shouldn't even count. You cheated."

"I thought it was fair. You lowered your guard. That was your fault, not mine." I told him. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He muttered. We got up, and headed back into the house. The moment we walked in, Adrian walked through the front door. He smiled at me.

"Little Dhampir… miss me?"

"Oh so much." I said, feigning excitement. He walked over and hugged me.

"I know, I know. I'm here now." He said. I pushed him and rolled my eyes. Landon laughed at our friendly banter. He turned to me.

"I'm going to get a shower. I'll see you later?" Landon asked. I nodded, before he disappeared.

"Oooh. What's going on with you two?" He asked.

"Nothing… why?"

"Your aura says different." He accused. I rolled my eyes.

"What does it say?" I asked

"Oh, you mean besides the fact that you're crazy?" He asked.

"Fuck you, Adrian." I said.

"Well, if you really want too… I'm not going to turn you down." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"And that's my que to leave." I said.

"No… Rose, I was kidding. You asked me a question; I was going to answer it… Jeez. You feel something for that kid. Your aura was a light pink color, which usually means adoration of some sort." He said. I looked down, and back up at him.

"I don't really know." I said, honestly. He just smiled. "What color is it when I'm around you?"

"Red…which is completely and totally turned on and intoxicated by my presence." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm done talk to you, Ivashkov. I'm out of here."

"But Little Dhampir…." He called as I walked away. I shook my head as I headed upstairs and into my room. I got a quick shower, and laid down in my bed. I was thinking about what Adrian had said about Landon. Maybe I did feel something for him. After the whole thing with Dimitri, I wasn't sure what I felt anymore. I knew I had feelings for Dimitri too, but I knew there was nothing I could do with them. We were forbidden to be together, and it was just that simple. As much as we wished different, it just couldn't happen. Landon and I on the other hand weren't forbidden. He was cute, and funny, and sweet, and took care of me pretty well. Maybe if I couldn't have something with Dimitri, I could have something with Landon. I mean, Dimitri would want that for me, right? For me to be happy with someone, even if it wasn't him? I think… I mean… I'm sure I'd want the same for him if the situation were reversed. I sighed, hating how I didn't really know what to do. It wasn't long before there was a knock at my door.

"Come in." I called. The door opened, and Landon stepped in. I smiled at him. "Hey there."

"Hey… whatcha doing?" He asked.

"Just resting… I'm drained."

"Did I wear you out?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows at me. I threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up." I muttered. He laughed and walked over to my bed, and laid down beside me. I smiled. "What made you come up here?" I asked.

"Boredom, curiosity, and… I kinda wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" I asked. I had a feeling; I knew where this was going. When his faced flushed red, I knew I'd been right.

"I…. I like you, Rose." He said. I smiled down at him, and how naive he sounded. It was quite adorable. When I didn't say anything, he continued. "I mean… I really like you. You're cool, and drop dead gorgeous and I love spending time with you."

"Landon…" I said, softly.

"I understand if you don't feel the same. I mean I know you've got guys waiting in line for you back at your academy, and that Ivashkov guy seems pretty into you. I just wanted to let you know, because I was tired of hiding it." He said. I smiled.

"In line?" I asked. He nodded, and smirked. "You're close, but not quite."

"Regardless, I was tired of pretending that I didn't feel something for you."

"I like you too." I said suddenly.

"You do?" He asked, his face lighting up.

"I do..." I said, regardless of the fact that I didn't know what I was getting myself into.

"You mean it?" I nodded. He smiled, obviously not really knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out." I lied, smoothly.

"It's not a big deal." He said, letting his big green eyes rest on my face. He looked down for a second, and back up at me. "I… I want to kiss you." He said, sounding so young. He sat up, and leaned forward, touching my face gently. I waited on him, seeing if he was really going to do it. He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. They were soft and warm. They were welcoming, just like Dimitri's had been. Was it bad that I was comparing kissing Landon to Kissing Dimitri? It was definitely bad, right? I figured as much. Regardless, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, as I slowly opened myself up a little more and more, until we were both pressed up against each other. I pulled away and smiled down at him. His eyes remained closed, causing me to giggle slightly.

"You're an angel… aren't you?" He asked, finally opening his eyes. I smirked.

"Hmmm… I've never been compared to an angel before. Usually it's the devil… or… well, there are other things I've been compared too, but nothing we should speak of." I told him. He chuckled.

"You're something else, Rose."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." I said. He smiled and laid his head on my chest, cuddled up close to me. I thought it would have been awkward, but it wasn't. I actually enjoyed being in Landon's presence. We laid there for awhile, before my stomach growled, causing him to chuckle.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"A little."

"Come on, we'll get something to eat." He said, standing up, and pulling me up. We walked down to the kitchen, and I made us both a sandwich, and we sat down at the table to eat. There was a comfortable silence, that neither of us really wanted to break. I ended up breaking it when I told him I wanted to go outside. He followed, and we ended up walking the track, hand in hand. It wasn't long after that, that I was sucked into Lissa's head. Shit.