The next morning, I really didn't want to go to practice. I wanted to stay curled up in my bed forever, never having to face him again after what happened last night. When I finally forced myself out of bed, and got ready, I was already ten minutes late. When I went downstairs, Dimitri was coming inside.

"Coming to pull me out of bed?" I asked him. He wouldn't meet my gaze.

"No, I was coming in from a morning run. You can go back to bed, we're not practicing today." He said, his voice monotone, no inflection at all. I gave him a look.

"What do you mean no practice today? It's Wednesday." I said.

"I know what day it is." He said, snarkily.

"What's with you this morning?" I asked him. Stupid question. And I honestly don't know what willed me to ask it. Regardless, he didn't answer, he just gave me one of those looks like I knew exactly what his problem was, and it was true, I did.

"We won't be practicing for the next few days." He finally said after a few moments of silence.

"I'm sorry, what?" I exclaimed. "You can't be serious. Tell me you're kidding."

"You're hurt, Rose. You don't need to be practicing." He said.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me. Because I have a few bruises, you're not going to let me train? I've only got a little over a month left, Dimitri."

"I know how long you have left, Rose." He barked. I knew he was counting down, not in the he was ready to get rid of me way, but in the I-don't-want-you-to-go way.

"This is fuckin' ridiculous." I screamed at him.

"You should have thought about that ahead of time." He said.

"Don't take out whatever anger you have towards me on my training. That's like taking it out on Lissa. I'm sorry that you're pissed at me for doing the right thing, Dimitri. I really am. You're right. I want it just as bad as you do, if not more… but there isn't anything I can do about it. This is what's right. This is the way it's supposed to be. You're handling it like a child. You tell me to grow up, but I think it's you who needs to learn their age and what comes with that." I snarled at him. I took a few deep breaths, allowing myself to calm down before I spoke again, softer this time. "I love you… and I know you love me… but that doesn't change anything."

"You're giving up because you're scared to try." He said.

"I'm giving up because there's nothing else-." I cut myself off, not wanting to do this with him in the open. I finally gave up. "I'm done arguing with you." I turned and walked out of the front door, towards the woods. I knew it'd only be a few seconds, before he followed.

"Where are you going?" He demanded.

"I don't know but I know I need to get the hell away from you." I snarled over my shoulder.

"Yeah, that's right Rose. Keep running from your problems like it's going to solve something." He chastised behind me.

"Leave me the hell alone." I growled.

"No, I don't think I will. You've got to learn to stop running from your problems."

"I can't run from my fuckin' problems because they follow me." I snapped, throwing a dirty look behind me as I ventured further and further into the forest. It was then I realized it was night time, and I was unarmed. If I'd really come out here alone, I could have easily died. Regardless, I ignored that little detail and kept walking.

"That's right. I'm going to follow you, because you need to learn that you can't keep running away from things you don't want to face. You ran from the academy, you run from me, you'll always be running if you don't learn now." I stopped and turned, swinging hard. I caught him right in the jaw.

"Don't you dare bring up me running from the academy. You know why I ran. It was necessary." I snapped. He stood up, holding his jaw, and wiping the blood that had leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"You think a lot of the things that you do are necessary, when they aren't."

"I'm so fuckin' done with you, Dimitri Belikov. Why the fuck did I think for a second that I actually wanted to be with you? I wouldn't be able to put up with your shit on a daily basis." I snapped as I continued walking.

"You just don't know what to do now that you've met your match huh? You just can't except that fact that we were made for each other. Why don't you understand that rules were meant to be broken? You said yourself that there was a time when you were fierce, a rebel. Now all of the sudden you want to follow the rules because you're afraid."

"I'm doing this for you. God damn it. I don't know what part of that you don't get. I've screwed up so many people's lives, Dimitri. I've ruined lives, had people die because of me. I won't ruin yours too. You of all people don't deserve that. I know how hard you've worked to be where you are right now, and thinking of being the one to take that away from you makes me sick to my stomach. I love you enough to let you go so I won't be the one to take all this away." I said. My eyes had gone to the ground as I finally admitted out loud what I didn't want to admit to myself. That I was a life ruiner. That I took things from people unintentionally, and screwed up things they'd worked so hard for. When I looked up, he was right in front of me. I hadn't even heard him move.

"Rose…" I looked up and met his eyes.

"You're too good to lose something like all of this over a silly teenage girl that will be gone in a month. You're better than that."

"I don't want to be better than that. I want to be with you." He said.

"We can't just-." He pressed a finger to my lips and pushed me backwards, up against a tree, before pressing his lips to mine. He knotted his fingers into my hair, clutching it in his hands, as if he couldn't get enough of me. I didn't resist the kiss. If anything, I egged it on. Before I knew it, his hands were underneath my shirt, pulling it off and over my head. I wasn't sure about anything anymore, but all I knew was that this felt right. He started to pull his shirt off as well, as I helped him, throwing it onto the ground next to mine. He ran his hands down my body, his fingers leaving goosebumps as they traced my skin. I wasn't sure what willed me forward, but whatever it was, instinct I guess, I went with it. I ran my hands down his body to the button of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them. He pushed them down and stepped out of them, leaving him in his boxers. I couldn't believe this was happening. Here in the woods, about a mile and a half from the estate, we were about to have sex. I was about to have sex for the first time… and it was going to be in the woods. You'd think I would have stopped this, but I'd gone too far now. He pulled the draw string on my shorts, and pushed them off of me, leaving in my pink lace underwear and bra.

"God, you're so beautiful." He whispered, as he attacked my mouth again. Somehow or another, he lowered us to the ground, laying on our pile of clothes hidden by the trees and underbrush of the forest. He didn't waste time shedding the rest of our clothes. We both knew if this was going to happen, it was going to happen now, and there wasn't any other way around it. He situated himself above me, and met my eyes.

"Have you ever-." I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"No, I haven't." I murmured, as my nail's dug into the skin of his back. I needed him. I'd never felt anything like this before, but I knew that it was all because of him. He pressed himself against the inside of my thigh.

"Are you sure this is-." I smiled.

"I've gone too far now to back out." I told him, smiling up at him.

"If this isn't what you want." He said, not finishing the sentence. I reached up and pulled his head down to my lips to I could whisper in his ear.

"Make love to me, Dimitri." That was all it took. He slowly lowered himself down into me, causing me to whimper. My nails dug even deeper into his back; as he left me adjust to his size. He wasn't necessarily lacking in the manhood department, not that I ever thought he was. He started moving slowly, creating a slow but steady pace, causing me to sigh and cry out ever two or three minutes. I'd never felt anything like this in my life. I wasn't sure if it was the sex, or if it was the fact that I actually was in love with my mentor. I couldn't deny that he was everything I'd ever wanted and more. I think it was a mixture of both, but right now… In this moment with him, nothing could have been more perfect. Even though we were on the wet ground in the middle of the woods, I knew it wouldn't have been as amazing with anyone else, anywhere else. This was the way it was meant to be. It was in this moment I realized, that I couldn't ever leave him. I knew I had a month left here, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to separate with him after. What was I supposed to do when my time here ran out? When I had to go home to Lissa and face the destiny I'd chosen for myself? Could I leave this beautiful person that completed me so well behind? I think that was almost next to impossible. I closed my eyes and savored in the last few moments, until finally we were both crashing over a white wall of ecstasy together. His body fell to mine, not being able to tell where he ended and I began. It was the way I wanted it to be from now on. I felt him shiver inside me, and I almost lost myself again. He finally forced himself up off me, laying down beside me in the grass.

"I don't even-." I cut him off by rolling over on top of him and pressing my lips to his.

"Don't talk… don't ruin this for me." I whispered.

"I don't think anything could really ruin this, Roza." He murmured, running his hand down my body, cupping one of my breasts in his hand. I giggled slightly. I always thought I'd feel uncomfortable around a guy completely naked, but I'd never felt more at home. I sighed and kissed him one last time before gathering my clothes and putting them back on. He watched me for a few minutes, before doing the same. Neither of us spoke, probably because there was nothing left to say. I loved him, he loved me. We had sex in the woods to prove that to each other, I mean… what else could we do? Elope? I shook my head at the thought.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I'm a little sore, but it's no worse than how I feel after a day of training." I admitted.

"I'm sorry if that wasn't something-."

"What did I tell you… don't ruin it for me. I wanted that, Dimitri. I needed you. Don't apologize for finally forcing me to see what I knew all along." I murmured. We walked back to the estate hand in hand, until of course we came into view from the windows, the we released each other and walked inside. Guardian Young was standing in the doorway.

"Where were you guys?" He asked.

"Combat training in the woods. I figured I should get Rose used to what it's like in strigoi territory." Dimitri said, without skipping a beat. I wondered if he'd thought of that on the way back here.

"Oh… I was kind of worried when you guys disappeared. I thought I heard yelling before you left too." He said.

"We had a disagreement. Everything's fine now." Dimitri said, smirking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going to get a shower. I'm tired. Training tends to wear me out." I tell them both. Dimitri gets the joke. Guardian Young obviously isn't in the loop. As I head for the stairs, Adrian's walking out of the hallway next to the staircase. He takes one look at me, and his eyes go wide. Oh no. I wondered what our aura's look like post-sex.

"Someone's in a good mood." He stated simply. He gave me a knowing look, and I knew that he knew exactly what was going on. I was royally fucked. I stood there, staring at Adrian, knowing I was at a crossroads. I just nodded once and walked around him, going upstairs. This was it. This is where it all went down. He'd say something to someone, and then they'd take me away, have Dimitri put in jail, and that'd be the end of it, nothing left to say or do. Automatically, I start packing my things, knowing it won't be long until they come for me. Maybe, just maybe I can leave before they find out. I can run again… but what will that prove? Nothing. If anything, that will just let them know I'm guilty. It wasn't long before there was a knock on my door. This was it. I slowly moved to the door to open it and find Adrian.

"Oh boy." I muttered, turning but leaving the door open.

"So, you wanna tell me why you both had auras of the same color? The color that usually means two people have just had sex?" He asked.

"Adrian, I don't know what to say to you." I admitted.

"So it really did happen?" I looked away from him. "You know how much trouble you could get into?" He asked.

"You know how much trouble we're already in cause you know? I should have known that you'd-." He cut me off.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." He said.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure it'll be great when they evict us all from here because-." I stopped, realizing what he'd just said. "I'm sorry…. What?"

"I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm a little jealous… I'll admit, but I wouldn't rat on you like that, little dhampir." He said.

"But I'm seventeen."

"And I'm twenty-one, and Landon was eighteen. Either way you went, it would have been illegal." He told me. I sighed.

"I was careless. I never even took you into consideration. I knew you'd be able to see something like that." I whispered.

"Rose, it's really not a big deal. I'm not going to tell anyone, anything. It isn't my business and if it's what you wanted… I'm not going to judge, even though I believe I'm a thoroughly better choice." I rolled my eyes.

"Get out of here, Ivashkov. I need a shower."

"Oh I bet you do." He muttered. I pushed him towards the door, before he disappeared. I showered, letting the hot water relax all the tense muscles in my body. It was like everything on my body ached, even places that shouldn't ever ache. When I got out, I got dressed and laid down in my bed, thinking of what had happened out there in the woods. I could still feel his hands on my body; still feel him pressed skin to skin with me under the soft glow of the half moon. It was one of the most beautiful moments I'd ever experienced, and I knew now… there was no going back. I was his… forever.