Hey everyone, I'm back! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter 4:

Rose's POV:

Christian really isn't good at lying. He is probably worse at lying than he is at using compulsion; and we all know how 'skilled' he is at that. I wonder what he is trying to hide. Is something wrong with Dimitri? Why won't Dimitri answer any of my calls? If something bad has happened to Dimitri and I find out that Sparky knew about it…. He will have to sleep with one eye open.

I can sense Lissa's eyes watching me as I pace back and forth around our dorm room. She sighs heavily.

"Rose. Calm down. I'm sure Dimitri is fine," she says. I roll my eyes at her.

"You know, saying that for the hundredth time isn't helping. It didn't help the first time, it didn't help the second time, or the third, or the 50th. I know that something is wrong. I can feel it."

I can sense her scepticism through the bond.

"Liss, come on! You know I have good gut instincts."

"Yes, I know you do. But if something is seriously wrong then Christian would've told us. Besides, what can you do if something is wrong? We can't leave Lehigh now. We need to finish our assessments first." Her voice was calm and commanding, reminding me of how she became Queen in the first place. I sigh with despair and frustration. Damn Lissa and her voice of reason.

Sensing my frustration, Lissa goes to my closet and throws a dress at me. I can feel determination and a little excitement through the bond. I eye the dress warily.

"Liss… What are we doing?"

She prances over to her closet and picks out a dress for herself. She turns to me with a brilliant smile.

"We are going to a party," she declares. I groan and flop back onto the bed. She bounces over to me. "Come on, Rose! It'll be fun, and it will help to get your mind off of Dimitri." I gave her a withering look. When is my mind not on Dimitri? Her look turns pleading.

"Please, Rose, please!" she begs.

I groan dramatically, so she knows I'm not happy with the idea, but I agree to go anyway. Lissa starts jumping around excitedly. Well, at least she's happy. That's all that matters. They come first, right?

I stand up and grab my make up bag to get ready for a 'fun' night.

Christian's POV:

Okay, I'm really starting to worry now. Dimitri wasn't at his apartment. I've checked all the gyms. I even asked a lot of guardians walking around. Just as I'm about to give up for the day, I run into the Head of the Guardians, Guardian Croft. He should know something.

"Hello Guardian Croft," I greet him, extending my hand.

He nods his head in respect, shakes my hand and says, "Hello Lord Ozera. What can I do for you?"

I still find it weird when people call me Lord Ozera. I brush past my discomfort and get straight to the point.

"I'm looking for Guardian Belikov," I say. "Have you seen him anywhere?"

He thinks for a moment before responding, "The last I heard, he was in hos – Oh God." He cuts himself off and looks past my shoulder. "What is Lord Ivashkov doing now?" he exclaims, looking exasperated. Sure enough, I turn around and see the famous Lord Adrian Ivashkov making a sense outside a bar.

"Come on, man!" he slurs. "It was his fault!" he continues to argue with the security man. Dear Lord, why is that whenever Adrian appears he is drunk and causing a scene? He has been in and out of Court for months, no one really ever sees him; and then when we do, he is pulling crap like this. Guardian Croft and I approach the intoxicated man.

"Lord Ivashkov," Guardian Croft says, "What seems to be the problem?" He is speaking calmly, but I can see as clear as day how tired the guardian is by Adrian antics. Aren't we all?

"Well," Adrian huffs, "This guy in there is causing a scene and I intervene to try and stop chaos. Then all of the sudden I'm the one being kicked out." He shakes his head in annoyance. "It figures. I always get the blame when there's drunken idiots involved."

"Maybe because you are one," I mutter under my breath. Thankfully no one seems to hear me; although Adrian must've heard me say something because his attention is suddenly on me.

"Oh hey, it's Fire boy!" he says with a lazy grin. "How have you been, man?"

I roll my eyes. He mood swings are intense. Must be the sprit magic getting to him.

"I've been good," I answer platonically, "How about I walk you back to your place and make sure you're okay?" It's best that I deal with him, instead of some stoic guardian who is more than likely going to be pissed off with whatever crap Adrian throws at them.

"Hey! That's a great idea," he says. "Besides," he puts his arm over my shoulders and whispers, "the good stuff's at home." I roll my eyes and start walking. Well, I try to walk while supporting half of Adrian's weight.

"Have a good evening, gentlemen," Adrian calls to the guardians. But they are already caught up in their own conversation.

We eventually make it back to his apartment. I manage to help Adrian onto his couch. I sit down on the armchair next to him. I soon as I sit down I realise Guardian Croft never got around to telling me where Dimitri is. I groan in frustration. Adrian has the worst timing.

"What's wrong with you, Ozera? I mean, I know I'm not as skinny as you, but surely you could handle half my weight." I ignore the jab I decide to tell him my problem.

"I can't find Dimitri," before I can continue, Adrian cuts me off with a scoff.

"I'm sure the cradle robber can handle himself."

"That's not what I mean," I try to explain, but he cuts me off again.

"It's ironic, isn't it, how the big bad Russian get everything, while I get nothing." I try to dispute him, but he continues to ramble. "I mean, he's a coward. He is weak. He doesn't deserve all this praise and attention. He doesn't deserve her." At the mention of Rose, his face flushes with anger and his voice starts to rise. "After everything he did to her. After all the - he treated her like a blood whore… when he was Strigoi. Did you know that?" He looks at my face, and whatever expression I have gives him confirmation. "No, you didn't. Nobody did. Except me. I was the only person who knew. I was the only person there for her, and what does she do? She throws me away like trash as soon as the bastard accepted her back into his life. Life is unfair, but such is life."

Clearly he is still bitter about the break up with Rose. Mixing Spirit madness and alcohol into it makes a very unstable Ivashkov.

"Okay," I say, as calmly as possible, "You've got it rough, I get it. Maybe you should go to sleep and rest for a while." He seems to calm down at my suggestion.

"You're right. Sleep is a great idea," he says with a nod. He arranges the cushions and lies back. Within moments he is asleep. I sigh quietly and stand up. Heading towards to door, I hesitate. Should Adrian really be alone right now? I mean, sure, he is unconscious. But what about later when he wakes up all depressed again? I should stay with him. There's no use going back to my empty apartment anyway. The loneliness has been eating away at me since Lissa went to Lehigh. It's weird, I have been alone most of my life, and I managed just fine. Then Lissa came into my life and changed everything. I haven't had a good night sleep since she left. I've contemplated joining her at Lehigh multiple times, but I have duties here at Court. I'm teaching others how to use offensive magic so that, eventually, we will be able to join guardians and fight against Strigoi with them, side by side.

I lie down on the couch across from Adrian and close my eyes, hoping that I'll get some decent sleep for once.

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of Adrian groaning.

"Oh God," he moans. "How much did I drink last night?" he mumbles quietly.

"Probably too much, but that never stops you," I reply. He jumps up startled.

"Christian? What are you doing here?" he asks.

"Nice to see you too," I say with a smirk. He narrows his eyes at me, not appreciating my sarcasm.

"Cut the crap. What happened last night?" he demands.

My smirk intensifies as I decide to play with him for a bit. "Well, you gave quite a show last night at the bar." His brow furrows in confusion, but his next expression when I continue is absolutely priceless. "Your little strip tease on the bar caused quite a stir." His eyes practically pop out of their sockets and his jaw drops to floor. Man, I wish I had a camera right now.

"I – I did that?" he stutters.

"Yep," I reply, popping the 'p'.

"Oh God," he moans and places his head in his hands. "Wait," he looks down at himself then back at me. "Why am I fully clothed them?" My smirk falters for a second before coming back full force.

"Well, once you realised no one was going to pay you for your performance, you got angry and redressed yourself; all the while yelling at people, saying they would be lucky to see your naked body. Sadly, no one agreed."

He narrows his eyes. "How was I able to redress myself while drunk? And why wouldn't people want to see me naked? I'm glorious, if I do say so myself." I snort at his remark. "Did all that really happen?"

Deciding to give up, I sigh and say, "No, that didn't really happen. Well, I don't think it happened anyway. I wasn't in the bar. But I was outside to see you getting kicked out of the bar."

He swears under his breath. "I really need to lay off the alcohol. But then I don't know how else to handle the darkness. Damn, my life is a mess."

"Well, maybe you should go on those pills that Lissa takes –"

"No, absolutely not. I'm not cutting myself off from the magic. That will drive me insane, for real!" he exclaims. He sighs in frustration. "Why are you even here, Ozera? I don't need a babysitter."

I pause before saying, "I'm here because you and I both need the company. Not everything is about you." He looks confused for a moment before realisation crosses his face.

"You miss our lovely Queen, don't you?" he asks quietly.

I nod without saying a word. I hate showing my vulnerable side, but it's better that Adrian understands that I'm not here to just babysit him.

"And you feeling lonely, aren't you?" he continues.

"Yes," I manage to mumble.

"Well, don't you have the big bad Russian to keep you company?" he asks.

My confusion from yesterday rushes back to me. Where the hell is Dimitri?

Adrian raises an eyebrow. "He is your guardian, isn't he?"

My mind goes blank, but somehow I manage to say, "No, he isn't my guardian anymore."

Adrian face looks incredulous. "What do you mean he isn't your guardian anymore? Whose guardian is he?"

Again it feels like my mind is on autopilot as I say the next words.

"He is Tasha's guardian."

Ooh, Adrian is back! What is he doing at Court, and what role will he play in the drama that's unfolding? Rose knows something is up, but she doesn't know what, and she doesn't know how bad it is. Can Christian and Adrian figure it out and fix everything before Rose finds out? Or will it all blow up in Tasha's face? Stay tuned to find out more.

Thanks again to everyone supporting my story. And thanks for being patient with me uploading this chapter! Hope you are enjoying the story so far : ) please review : )