"Rosemarie Aiyla Hathaway! Where the hell have you been?!" Shit. I rolled over making sure to keep my eyes clamped tight, and silently praying she'd think I was too far gone and leave. Fortunately for me, Lissa never gave up that easily.
"Don't try that with me, Rose. You have a lot of explaining to do." She snapped ripping the covers off of me. The hairs on my body stood on edge at chills now running through my body at the loss of warmth and comfort. That, paired with my own growing agitation, was enough to get me upright. I groaned giving her a quick side eye and started looking for my clothes to redress. I loved Lissa, but her timing couldn't be more impeccable.
"I go without you for God knows how long, worrying if you'd even come back, and I have to hear from Mason that you touched down hours ago?! What is that about?" She stood there, in all her pissed glory, with her delicate hands on her hips, face flushed, bright green eyes narrowed, and her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. It was actually pretty cute, despite the fact that her anger was solely focused on me. Lissa wasn't often angry, but when she was I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frightening at times. Yeah I, the great and badass Guardian Hathaway, was sometimes frightened of my slim and delicate bestfriend. Though, now she looked more like a deprived toddler than an angry force to be reckoned with. I smiled pulling her in for a bear hug. She fought a little at first, but instinctively relaxed in my arms seconds later.
"I'm sorry, Liss. I just really wanted to get some rest before jumping back into everything. You know, pretend I was still free just for a little bit." Hurt flashed in her eyes at my use of the word "free" and my mind was immediately flooded with emotion from her.
Is that really how she feels? Am I trapping her here? Of course I am, guardians are people too and they deserve the same freedom in life we do. I can't believe I've been so selfish... What kind of best friend am I?
That last one brought a pain to my heart. It was hard to tell if I was being overwhelmed with my guilt or hers. In times like this when Lissa was experiencing such strong emotions they often corrupted my own, and it became hard to distinguish my conscious from hers. I was just lucky this wasn't one of her many scarring sexual escapades with Christian. The thought alone made me cringe. Over the years I'd learned to pull myself out of her mind at will, but never without seeing something I definitely didn't want to. Like Sparks's pasty ass for one. But, not that I could complain. If the bond was my burden for being pulled back from the world of the dead then so be it. Plus it came it handy when guarding her, so it was a blessing and a curse.
"Lissa, stop. You know I didn't mean it like that. I just meant it was nice having some time away from work. We don't all get a magic cheat to lessen the load." I teased nudging her. Her guilt was instantly washed away and she smiled. A calming blissfulness settled over both of us. She pinched my arm.
"It's not as easy as you think. Now come on, I invited everyone to lunch to welcome you back. They're waiting." I held back a sigh. Of course I missed my friends, but what would it take for a girl to get just a few moments of peace and quiet?
We were all still on duty, of course, so leaving academy grounds wasn't an option. Even for the great Princess Vasilisa Dragomir. But, the closer we got to the table I was growing happy to see all my favorite assholes.
"Hey, Rosie, glad to see you back in one piece. Those strigoi must be getting slower." Christian snarked with a smirk, but I could see in his eyes he was truly happy to see me.
"Careful, Chrissy, one of these days I might just throw you out there. We'll see how long your little fireballs save you." I retorted giving him the sweetest smile I could muster. He paled under the mischievous glint in my eyes. Lissa broke up our banter with a smack to Christian's arm.
"No one's throwing anyone out anywhere. Christian, she just got back. I'm sure you can play nice until she's at least settled back in." He gave her a sheepish grin, but nodded planting a quick kiss on the forehead. I imitated a whip cracking sound causing everyone to burst into laughter. He glared at me sticking his tongue out. A gesture I maturely returned.
"We all know you could take him, Rose. And probably everyone else at this table. But for now here, I'm sure you need it." I looked up from my seat to see the hazel eyes of one of my best friends with a plate of food. I couldn't help the grin that spread to my ears. As if on cue my stomach growled, loudly. What would I do without him?
"Castille, I suggest you drop the food and back away slowly. If you don't make direct eye contact, maybe she won't attack." Christian chimed in again. With a quick glare from me, he quickly clamped his mouth shut.
"You're the best, Eddie." He gave me a small smile and took the seat next to me. Mason was making his way to our table just then and feigned pain placing his hand over his chest.
"Do my ears deceive me? You wound me, Hathaway." He whined with big, sad, blue eyes. I chuckled. My mouth was too full to respond, so I settled for chucking a piece of bread at him. Which he easily caught and took a bite out of.
"Mmm, thanks Rose. All is forgiven. But, do feel free to find some other way to make it up to me." He winked throwing his arm around me. I rolled my eyes, playfully elbowing him in the ribs.
"You couldn't even begin to know how to handle this, Ashford." He caught me by surprise tugging my chin gently so we were face to face. His eyes darkened with what could only be described as lust. A dangerous look was held in them. I could've sworn my breathing halted.
"Try me." It was no mystery that Mason had been pining after me since we met as novices. We always had this playfully inappropriate banter, but I never truly saw him as much more than a close friend. A brother even. Especially back when we were still enrolled. Not including the one drunken incident I've made him swear never to speak of. But there were those rare times I saw him for the man he really was. Now included. When he wasn't being his normal goofy-self, he could be pretty provocative.
Mason was definitely attractive with his striking red hair that seemed to follow no styling instruction, bright blue eyes, charming freckles, and like most guardians he was very well figured. He wasn't the bulkiest, but that didn't stop girls both students and guardians alike to often drool over him in practices. He could really have nearly any girl he wanted, and with the way my heart was frantically beating now I saw why. I couldn't tell you how long I was frozen there, captive under his sultry gaze. Couple more moments later and I might've actually started to have a more...lower bodily response. An obnoxious throat clear brought both of us back to reality. Heat started to creep into my cheeks and he simply smirked cockily. Asshole.
I don't know why they don't just bone already. She's so stubborn.
A thought that certainly wasn't mine invaded my mind and I narrowed my eyes at Lissa. If I wasn't so annoyed I might've actually laughed at her use of the word "bone". She shrugged as if it was a simple fact and gave me a knowing look. I don't know why she was so adamant on the two of us getting together. Lately she was starting to act like a concerned mother fearing her 30 year old daughter would never marry or live a "fulfilled" life. And I'm not even that old. Even though I've told her I don't know how many times we're strictly friends, she just won't believe it. Like she knows something I don't. She may specialize in a rare element, but I'm pretty sure clairvoyance isn't on her list of abilities.
"Wow, never seen you speechless, Rose. Someone check outside, make sure the world hasn't gone up in flames." I was too busy composing myself to give Christian the satisfaction of pushing my buttons. I scored closer to Eddie putting some well needed distance between Mason and I. He shot me a look, but I ignored it.
For the next couple minutes we chatted about what I'd missed these last couple weeks, how everyone was doing, and what the outside was like. Lissa had a more particular interest in what the malls were like. Sitting with them really made me realize how much I'd missed this. I didn't have much in my life outside of work, so these guys were it. Everyone seated around that table were all I had. They're my family. Well, with the exception of Christian. Without them, I would've probably lost my mind to boredom a long time ago. Among other things...
Our reunion was cut short when everyone at the table suddenly quieted, eyes focused on someone behind me.
"Princess. Everyone. Welcome back, Guardian Hathaway, sorry to interrupt your reunion." I smiled, immediately launching myself at the familiar voice behind me. Alberta Petrov was someone I practically owed my life to, besides Lissa of course. She was the only one that looked out for me here after my mother ditched me. Whenever I was screwing up or falling behind, she got me back in line. She was the captain of the guardians here at the Academy, so I had a great deal of respect for her. As did everyone else who knew what was good for them. Although, sometimes I worried about her. She'd been at the Academy ever since I was little. No doubt she was the same badass guardian everyone loved and feared, but you couldn't ignore she was getting up there in age. Her once sandy hair was now more grey than sand, and her skin didn't hold that same youthful glow as it once did. No matter how much she smiled, she always looked so worn and tired. But, it never kept her from doing her job. I applauded her for that. Had it been my decision, she would've been guarding some rich moroi living on some tropical island years ago. But she's probably die before she allowed that.
"It's no reunion without you, Alberta. I'd say it's good to be back, but we both know that's a bit of a stretch. I hope you're here to tell me to take a well deserved vacation." I suggested hopefully, while batting my eyelashes for good measure. She shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Hate to do this, Rose, but you know the drill. We still have schedules to keep, and you have classes to oversee." I groaned rubbing my eyes. So much for catching up on sleep. Anyone else and I would've told them exactly where they could go shove their schedules, but I knew had it been up to her she would've let me rest. This was that old bitch's doing. More than likely punishment for undercutting her authority earlier.
"Fine. I'll be there in a second." With a quick pat on my shoulder, she nodded politely to everyone else and went on her way.
I was not looking forward to this.
"Sorry, guys. Guess we'll have to catch up later." I reluctantly hugged Lissa, Eddie, and Mason goodbye. And willingly smacked Christian in the back of the head. I was gone before he could retaliate.
Thankfully I only had two classes to go to, and then I had training with Dimitri. At the mention of his name my mind instantly recalled the image of his bright, brilliant smile when he thanked me earlier. Just thinking about it brought one to my lips as well. I couldn't say why, but I was looking forward to seeing him. After seeing how devoted and determined he was, I was even more determined to get him where he needed to be come the exams. Actually, I wanted him to be better than that. And I was going to make sure he would be. Another part of me was also just curious about how his first day back was going. I was pretty sure he was getting his ass handed to him, but something told me that'd hardly be enough to bring him down. It couldn't be if he had any hopes of improving. I was about to find out just how true my words were as I stepped into his class. Just in time to see him slammed flat on his back.
Well...that hurt. When they say "advanced", they mean advanced. Though, I doubted there was much I wouldn't see as such after missing training for two years. My partner, who earlier introduced himself as Wes, offered a hand to help me up. I gave him a small smile as thanks.
"Not so cocky now, huh Belikov? Maybe you should've stayed out there, the strigoi would've saved you some embarrassment." A voice I didn't bother to identity shouted from the opposite end of the gym. Snickers followed close behind it. I had to deal with this nearly all class period. Apparently there were a lot of guys in our class that resented me because of my high ranking and more impressive progress before I left. Now, they reveled in my shortcomings. Of course I hadn't let it get to me, but it was really starting to get annoying. I might not have had the most polished technique, but I definitely still had the better stature and muscle out of majority of them. I may not have trained too much in my absence, but I always made sure to work out and stay fit.
"I suggest you stick to focusing on your own training, Mr. Daniels. Because I guarantee if I were to pin you against a strigoi now, you wouldn't last 10 seconds. This is not a game, nor is it a competition. This is a matter of life and death. All of you still have much, much more to learn before you're ready to call yourselves guardians. And ayone who thinks they don't, is more than welcome to spar with me. If that's alright with Mr. Birch here." The room grew deadly silent under the stern and solemn power behind Rose's voice. And it wasn't just powerful, it was passionate. She meant every word. The novice leading today's session she had addressed simply stood frozen. It was hard to tell whether he was frightened or star struck, but his eyes were saucers when she turned to face him. He pulled himself together long enough to nod at her request. She smirked pulling her hair into a high ponytail, stepping towards the center of the room. I wasn't sure if this happened regularly, but from the amused looks on the other guardians faces lining the room I figured it was safe to assume it wasn't. Shocked and scared whispers hummed throughout the room.
"Well?" She paused giving the room a last once over. No one dared to even look her in the eyes, let alone make any moves to accept her challenge.
"I didn't think so. You guys want to be guardians some day? Then start acting like it! And might I remind you, that someone here might in fact be the very person to save your ass out there one day. So, how bout showing each other a little more respect?" I suppressed a chuckle. Even in a professional situation like this, she still didn't feel the need to filter her language. Everyone nodded, quietly mumbling their concessions. It was starting to feel a lot like back home. This reminded me of when Mama would often scold my sisters for fighting or arguing. Of course, I'd also be in trouble by association for "allowing" it to happen. Still don't understand how that makes any logical sense. Must be a parent thing.
"Good. Back to work." I didn't know what it was, but I couldn't seem to look away from her. I understood now why whenever she stood amongst a group, or entered a room, people instantly ceased everything. Rose was one of those people who commanded attention and respect wherever she went. When she talked you listened, and whatever she said do,you did. Though, I was sure that also had something to do with the fact that she'd gladly give whoever was stupid enough to not treat her with the respect she deserved a demonstration on exactly why they should.
On her way back to the wall at the front of the room she stole a glance at me. If I didn't know any better, I could've sworn there was concern and protectiveness in her dark eyes. As if she had took charge to defend me.
Dont be stupid. She was just doing her job and getting everyone back in line. Why would she care about some childish harassment?
But I couldn't keep the thought from circulating in my mind as she smiled at me briefly and nodded before slipping back into Guardian exterior and her face went blank. The polite thing to do would've been to return the gesture, but I was too conflicted to think properly. Had she done it for me?
When she turned, I couldn't help but notice the six permanently inked symbols on the back of her neck. Molnija marks. Marks given to guardians to represent the kill of a strigoi. They looked a lot like a jagged x, or two lightning bolts crossing one another. A lot of novices saw them as marks of skill and strength. I saw them as painful memories. I'd seen a couple of them on Guardians back at school in Russia, and they always made it clear that they were nothing to boast about. They didn't just hand those out because killing strigoi was easy. Even though I wasn't sure how old Rose was, for her to have six already was no small feat. I now had an entirely new respect for her.
Wes followed my eyes to Rose's retreating figure.
"Yea, that Guardian Hathaway is something else. You know had it not been for her I would've been out of here a while ago." That piqued a sudden interest.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she's kind of the main mentor here. I was falling way behind in classes, sucked at training and I was pretty close to being kicked out. She came to me one day and said if I wanted to get better she could help, but it wasn't going to be easy. No one in their right mind would turn that down. So, she mentored me for a couple weeks and trust me it was beyond brutal, but next thing you know I'm top of my class. If anyone can beat a lost soul into shape, it's her. Nearly every novice here wants to be trained by her, but she chooses who she wants to take on. It's like being picked to learn from a God. Well, a God of war more like." Class was then called to an end. What Wes said was was really sticking with me. It was good to know that Rose did this for a living, and she was definitely more than qualified to mentor me. It was even better to know that she chose me. Rose didn't just pick anyone to teach. Only those she saw something in and deemed a enough worthy cause. I was lucky to be one of them.
You make her sound like a prophet.
Maybe not, but she was the only and best chance I had of becoming Ivan's guardian. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I could use someone else that had strong faith in me right about now. If I was brutally honest, after that class mine was starting to falter.
Class ended soon after and I could already tell I was going to have more bruises than I could count. Thankfully my next period was classroom oriented so it'd give my body a little break. I was too busy assessing the damage to notice a familiar pair of brown eyes approaching me.
"Pretty rough in there, huh?" Her tone was serious, but the smirk on her face said otherwise. The corners of my own lips twitched a little.
"Can't expect much else after being gone for two years." I kept my tone flat to hide my own doubt and disappointment. Her smile turned sad, as if she saw right through me. But, that couldn't be right. If it's one thing I'm always good at, it's hiding my emotions.
"Hey, don't worry about those guys in there. Half of them probably won't make it to even a quarter of where you were before you left. And I promise you after our training, you'll be even more badass than that." Her eyes had gone from a deep brown to a burning amber. The passion behind them was almost frightful. This was more than just a job for her, it was personal and she took it very close to heart. It stirred something within me. A completely new sense of determination. I wasn't just doing this for me, or even for Ivan. I was going to do it for her. But, there was something else growing the longer I stood there caught by her gaze...a tingling almost.
"Thank you, Guardian Hath—" She cut me off with a look, it was playful but there was a serious warning behind it as well, "Rose." She smiled. A big, brilliant smile. If I didn't know any better, I would've sworn she was glowing. I haven't known Rose very long, but it already felt like I was learning so much about her. She was selfless, fearless, passionate, determined, and probably one of the strongest women I've ever met. But, there was also this vulnerability about her. I could see behind her eyes that she was hiding something. Something probably only she knew about, and was choosing to bear on her own.
If anyone understands that it's me...we're a lot more alike than I thought.
"Well, I have other boring Guardian stuff to attend to. I'll be seeing you later, on time. Keep your head up, Dimitri." The second she left, I immediately cursed myself for feeling a loss at her absence. There was a certain comfort I was beginning to find in Rose. Ever since we'd been brought back, not only did she practically save my life, she was the only one who didn't look at me like a mistake. A disgrace. And I now knew my earlier assumption was wrong. She didn't stick up for me because she had to, or even because she pitied me. Rose truly did believe in me. Maybe even more so than I did currently. Suddenly, I was looking forward to our training today. And all the pain that was sure to come with it.