Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

Previously on Saving Me...

"Hey! What are you doing!"

"Taking anything out of the bathroom than can be harmful to yourself or me." He said, rummaging and slamming drawers. "Headache, pain, and fever medicines and cough/cold/or flu symptom products. All the creams for itchy skin reactions as well as products for all the usual stomach or bowel problems. This too…" He held it up.

"Now how the hell am I going to injure anyone with a pair of tweezers?"

He smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "You'd be surprised."

"I'd like to put them in your eye right about now." I muttered under my breath.

"Exactly. You can cause injury. That's why the tweezers are gone." He stood up, taking the armful of shit with him. "Also, starting tomorrow, we're using plastic silverware."

"At least leave the shaver,"

"Absolutely not."

"What am I supposed to do then? Get all hairy?" I asked. "Sorry Dimitri, that may be cool from whatever country you're from. But in America, bushy women just ain't sexy."

His lips twisted into a full out grin. "I will buy you waxing strips tomorrow." He walked down the hallway, away from me.

"And you think I can't do some damage with those?" I called out. "Sleep with one eye open tomorrow, Comrade, because you might wake up the next day with only one brow."

"Goodnight, Rose."

I cursed, then went to my bedroom and slammed the door shut like a five year old. "Night."

"Hey! My shavers are back. And so are all my other things!" I ran out of the bathroom and found Dimitri sitting on the couch, reading a battered western novel. Some God he was.

He didn't say anything.

"Hello!" I knocked on his skull. "Anybody home? Why did you give me back my belongings?"

"You deserve them."

"Aren't you afraid that I might, I don't know, go all suicidy?"

"No. I'm not." His tone was bored as he flipped the page. "Last night I was worried. But I believe you're in a healthy mind state as of right now."

Grabbing an old birthday card from a nearby table, I brought it up and pressed it to my skin. "Uh-oh. Look, Comrade! I'm slitting my wrists—"

Dimitri snatched the thing out of my grasp—

"Shit! Ouch! You gave me a paper cut."

"What you said wasn't funny."

"Well, your face is. So I believe it evens things out." I said bitterly, licking at the thin slit of blood on my palm. Giving him one last glare, I headed for the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"I got you something." he said as I chugged OJ straight from the carton. "While you were asleep. I went out. Adrian watched over you."

I swallowed and wiped the juice on my mouth. "What'd you get me?" I asked curiously.

"Stay here." Dimitri disappeared. A moment later, he came back in the kitchen and set a glass tank on the counter. Inside, there was water, brown pebbles, big rocks, plants, and…"Oh, my God! Is that a turtle?"

To my utter surprise, he smiled widely, flashing perfect, straight, gleaming white teeth. "Yes. You told me you liked them."

"Do you buy all of your clients a present?" I blurted with a good dose of attitude. Of course, leave it to me to ruin the moment. "What I meant to say was thank you. So, yeah, thanks." Unthinkingly, I ran over and wrapped my arms around his body.

Dimitri stiffened, obviously surprised by my hug. And, sure, I'd kind of shocked myself, too. Physical contact wasn't on my list of things to do for fun. Actually, the mere thought of touching anyone made me want to take a nuclear hot shower and scrub my skin raw.

But with Dimitri…it was different. Being close to him, having his tremendous, muscular body against mine was really great. I was warm. Protected. Safe.

He was my breath of fresh air.

"You're welcome." When I felt him relax and slide his hands around to the small of my back, I closed my eyes and was cannon-launched up to the clouds.

Abruptly, that blanket of bliss and contentment was shattered as he pulled back. "I've got to go."

My lids snapped open. "What?" Alarm settled in and my throat tightened—the first signs of an oncoming panic attack. "Oh, God…I can't…I can't breathe." I gasped, clutching my throat.

I was whipped right back up into Dimitri's arms. "Roza, stay here with me. Focus on my voice. My touch. My scent." Something wonderful and soft was stroking my hair as I squeezed my eyes shut and did as he said, inhaling that wonderful, crisp aftershave. It was intoxicating and had my mouth watering. "You're not there. You're here. With me. The only thing that can hurt you is yourself. Stop. Fight it."

A huge wave of tranquility spilled over my body, like sea water that reaches the shore, covering and soaking into the sand. I sagged, relived. When I opened my eyes, my vision had gone from blurry to clear.

That was the first ever panic attack I'd had control over. The only one I'd been able to stop.

And it was all because of Dimitri.

The petting of my hair, I realized, was from his fingers running through my locks. He was calming and soothing me…something that was not part of his job description.

"Thank you." I croaked, my voice raw.

Dimitri pulled back just enough to look at me. There was something sharp and dangerous in his eyes that I couldn't explain.

"Will you stop looking at me like that?" I stepped out of his arms, immediately feeling the loss and warmth. "What just happened is embarrassing enough as it is."

"I embarrass you?"

"When you look at me like that? Yeah. Yeah, you do."

"You have nothing to be ashamed about Roz-Rose." he said. "These attacks that are happening to you now…it's understandable for what has happened to you in the past."

"Aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

"What happened to me when I was kidnapped. What triggers these episodes I have." I said gruffly.

Dimitri shrugged. "You'll tell me when you're ready."

"Will I." Not a question, but a statement.

"Yes, you will." his deep voice became dark. "Everyone has a breaking point, Rose."

The laughter that escaped my mouth held no humor, was slightly evil. "I've been broken for a long time, Comrade."

"No, you haven't. But you will reach your breaking point when you just can't take shit anymore. The only question that remains is: When?"

I just stared at him in complete shock, fear twisting my insides until they hurt.

God, I so hoped he was wrong.

"Fuck me sideways!" Adrian yelled.

"I think I'll pass on that one." I said.

He ran out of my parents' kitchen a moment later, balancing a fresh out-of-the-oven pie dish in his bare hands.

"You're supposed to use the mittens, idiot."

"Rose!" Janine scolded.

"What?" I asked innocently as Adrian yelped and dropped the scolding hot pan on the table. "He can curse, but I can't?"

Abe laughed and Janine smacked his arm.

"Sorry, my lady." My father grabbed her pale hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. It made me smile seeing her blush.

This was defiantly an improvement in their relationship. I was so used to seeing them argue everyday. But now, after having filed for divorce, they seemed to appreciate each other more. It was true, you really didn't know what you had until it was gone.

When Adrian sat down next to me, I rolled my eyes and said, "I miss that Russian. He wasn't half as annoying as you are."

Dimitri hadn't told me anything about what he was doing or where he was going, just that he had to leave. And when he'd walked out of my apartment seven hours and forty-one minutes ago—not that I was counting—I felt an immediate yearning and wanted him to come back.

That longing had only grown stronger the longer we'd been apart.

Adrian smirked as he sliced into the dessert and scooped a piece of apple pie onto his plate. "Thank you very much. I take that as a compliment. Means I'm on your brain if you think I'm annoying. You are aware of me."

"Oh, I'm very aware of you."

Adrian took a bite of pie. "I need your help—"

"Can't help you with your personality or your looks, sorry."

"Thank God for that. I quite like myself the way I am. Especially my handsome face and stunning body. But what I was going to ask you for was the passing of the whip cream. I want to draw a little smiley face on my pie."

"Are you gay?" Abe asked from across the table.

My mothers' eyes widened. "Ibrahim—"

"I'm just curious," he held up his palms and looked straight at the bodyguard beside me. "Being gay is not a bad thing. I just want to know."

"I can assure you, Mr. Mazur, that I dig the females and the females only." Adrian chuckled. "I have Certified Hetero tattooed on my back if you'd like to see as proof."

"Thank you for telling me that. I appreciate it. And no, don't pull off your shirt, I believe you." My father said.

I snorted and took a sip of strawberry wine. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I immediately stood up and exclaimed, "Grey's Anatomy is having a marathon tonight. And yeah, I love that show. Don't look at me like that."

After waving and singing my goodnights to Abe and Janine, I booked it for my Red Honda. "Adrian! Leave the pie! Let's go or I'm leaving your ass here!"

He came out of the house a moment later, stuffing as much apple dessert into his mouth possible without choking.

For no special reason, I bended over, braced my palms against my knees, and roared with laughter until I couldn't breathe.

After a few moments, Adrian joined me.

"The area is secure," Adrian came out of the shadows. "You can go inside now."

"Is Dimitri here yet?" I asked as we headed in, then turned on the lights and locked the door.

Something flashed in his emerald-green eyes. "Nope. Not yet. Boss should be coming back pretty soon, though."

"Cool." I shrugged, pretending not to care.

After chopping up some carrots and lettuce, I walked over to the tank and slid off the top. "Hi, Raphael." I cooed, dropping the veggies in the water. "Nom. Nom. Nom. Eat up, Raph."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Hearing a soft and melodic chuckle, I looked over my shoulder and found Adrian standing across the room, arms crossed, eyes trained on me.

"Got a problem?"

"With his name? Yeah." He came forward and got to his knees, studying the turtle swimming inside. "I totally get this Mikey vibe from him. This isn't no Raphael turtle."

For some absurd reason, I blurted, "Dimitri got him for me."

His jaw clenched. "That's awesome. He isn't the type to do stuff like that…for anyone. So I guess that makes you special."

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to be nonchalant but not believing that he bought it for a single second. "Oh, what the hell. I'm just going to come out and say this. Does he have a girlfriend?"

"No." Adrian smirked at my boldness. "But he does have a wife."

My heart dropped into my stomach, and the next words that left my mouth came out in a rush of breath, like someone had sucker punched me, "A what?"

"Dimitri's married to his work. I'm going to be honest, Little lady, you've got some serious competition. He's very dedicated and loyal to his job."

I slid to the floor and dropped on my butt, sagging in relief. Not liking the way Adrian was staring at me and wanting to change the subject, I said, "Why isn't Raph eating anything?"

"The chunks of vegetables you put in there are too big. You have to remember that he doesn't have teeth, just a beak." Adrian reached in the tank and grabbed a chunk of lettuce, then tore it up into little pieces and held it right by the turtles mouth. Raphael ate greedily.

"Look!" I exclaimed excitedly. "He's doing it."

The smile that lifted Adrian's lips tightened something in my chest, and I realized in that moment, that he really was good looking. Bronze, messy-styled hair. Hypnotic, dark emerald eyes. Regal features. Unique, gorgeous teeth and smile.

I cleared my throat and looked down.

And that's when I noticed the red marks on his palms.

"Oh, my God. Look at your hands!" I cursed as I shot to my feet. Surprising myself, I grabbed his wrists and dragged him into the kitchen when he tried to protest.

"It's nothing. They'll heal."

"To hell with that. Next time make sure you use the oven mittens." I rolled up the sleeves of his black thermal, revealing strong, thick forearms. The burn marks were a brilliant red against his pale skin, slightly swelling his palms. "Jesus, they must hurt."

"Yeah, they sting, a lil'." Adrian said.

I filled up a huge bowl of cold water, then took all of the ice out of the fridge and dumped them in.

"Here." I submerged his hands. When he sighed and squeezed his eyes shut in relief, it was the best show of gratitude I had ever witnessed.

"Does it feel better?"

"Much. My hands don't feel like they're going to explode anymore. I hate burns…they're the worse kind of pain." His lids open, revealing wonder filled eyes. "I am in complete awe. No person has ever taken care of me the way you are now."

I blushed and waved my hand in dismissal. "It's nothing, really. All I did was get you some water."

"True. But still…" Adrian, for the first time probably in his entire life, was at loss for words. Eventually, he whispered, "Thank you."

"Keep your palms in that bowl. I'll be right back." I ducked into the bathroom, grabbed the bottle of Neosporin in the medicine cabinet, and went back to my bodyguard.

"Whatcha' got there, pretty lady?"

"Ointment that's going to ease the pain and heal the burns. Now get that towel and dry off your hands."

After he did what I said, I unscrewed the cap of the bottle and squeezed some of the gel onto my fingertips. When my touch first made contact with his wounds, Adrian winced, but relaxed a moment later as I started rubbing circles into his skin.

"How does it feel?" I asked, trying to ignore the rising panic in my chest from being so close to another human being.

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore. That stuff is cooling it."

"Good. You're all finished." I grabbed a paper towel and wiped the Neosporin off—

I froze when Adrian put his mouth over mine.

He pulled back right away when he realized I was paralyzed on the spot. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Before I could give it another thought, I rose on my tip toes and kissed him. At first I didn't do much, just let Adrian work his mouth against mine. He was so gentle with me, not taking it to the next level by shoving his tongue down my throat; it was just lips meeting lips. And God, his lips were so soft, like the petal of a flower.

I was really enjoying and getting in to it until Adrian slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against his body.

Claustrophobia hit me like a train, making me want to claw far away from him and go bathe in bleach.

Tears sprang to my eyes, but I blinked them away and continued to kiss Adrian. I wasn't going to be weak and let go. I could handle this. I would handle this. It wasn't like I could go my whole life without touching someone.

"Do you mind getting your hands off my client?"

We both stopped at the sound of Dimitri's booming voice, then scrambled away from each other.

"Hey, boss. How you doing?" Adrian tried to play it cool. "You should really turn that frown upside down. It's not a good look on you."

Breathing heavily and gathering all the courage I possibly could, I turned around to face Dimitri.

And found his black eyes on my face.

You know those times you wished the earth could swallow you whole and make you disappear? I was having one of those moments right now.

Dimitri was wearing a black V neck, denim jeans, leather boots, and his signature brown duster. With his hair tied at the nape of his neck and the hard cut of his jaw and the shadows under his high cheekbones, he looked more like a killer than a protector. As we stared each other down, I idly wondered what he saw on me. Wide eyes. Tangled hair. Red, swollen lips. Heaving chest.

With an eerie calm, he crossed his arms and addressed Adrian, though he kept his burning stare on me. "Your off for the day, Ivashkov. Go home."

"Right. Okay. I'm glad to." There was shuffling noise as Adrian grabbed his coat and keys. "Thanks, Rose. For helping me with the burns. I appreciate it."

Something flashed in Dimitri's eyes.

The door slammed shut.

We were completely alone now.

Great. Just frickin' great.

"How was your day?" I went over and dumped the bowl of water to avoid looking at Dimitri. I knew he was tracking every one of my movements.

"Fine."

"What'd you do?"

"Got business taken care of."

"That's…good." I coughed. Talk about awkward. "Adrian and I—"

"I know exactly what you and Adrian did."

I spun around. "Fuck. You." I stomped right up to him and pointed my finger in his face. "You tell me I'm just a job to you. Then you come in here and act all jealous when you see Adrian and I kissing. Stop screwing my brain and go fuck yourself!"

His jaw clenched as he grabbed my wrist and put it at my side. "This has nothing to do with jealousy, Miss Hathaway. On the contrary, Adrian broke protocol when the two of you got involved." Dimitri said involved in the same fashion as Road kill. "Never mix business with pleasure. He crossed the line and I have every right to fire him. I should fire him."

I ripped my wrist out of his hold. God, did I feel stupid in that moment. Overreacting—it was my specialty. Of course Dimitri wasn't jealous. Why would he be? He was too hot for his own good and I was just…ruined.

"Don't fire him."

"Why are you protecting him?"

I shrugged. "He's a good guy. He helped feed the turtle."

A snicker escaped Dimitri's lips.

Trying my best to lighten the tense mood, I asked, "Did you eat today?"

"No," his face suddenly became tired and he seemed to age a good seven years. "No, I haven't. There was no time to stop today."

I really wished he told me what "business" he'd done, but I didn't push it. Instead, I headed for the fridge. "I'll make you some food."

"Thank you, but I'd rather have the kitchen not burn down."

I rolled my eyes. "It's just leftovers from last night. I'm pretty sure I know how to use the microwave. Now go sit down and relax."

Surprisingly, he listened to me, kicking off his shoes and slipping off his duster.

Five minutes later, I brought out a plate of heated up steak, red potatoes, and asparagus. As I set up the dinner tray in front of where he was sitting on the couch, I felt his eyes on me and liked it. "Eat. I'm going to get you something to drink."

I waited until he picked up the fork and knife and started cutting into the meat before returning back to the kitchen.

A moment later, I handed him a glass of ice water with a lemon wedge at the top. "Drink."

"You know what?" Dimitri smiled. "I kind of like you ordering me around."

"Then let me do it more often." I muttered, dropping into the comfy recliner and snatching up the remote. "From now on, you eat at every meal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No exceptions. You need to be strong."

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you. Not the other way around."

"I don't need a babysitter," I flicked through the channels. "You're only here to watch my back. Got it? I can take care of myself otherwise."

"I have no doubt about that."

I grinned. "Thanks."

About halfway through a Rambo movie, Dimitri said in a hoarse voice, "I want to teach you how to fight."

I stared at him, mouth agape. "Really?"

"Yes. Would you like that?"

"Hell yeah!" My body rocket launched off the piece of furniture it was sitting on. "When do we start? Are you going to be my mentor? When are we going to start?"

Dimitri's chuckle was rich and sincere. "A little eager there?"

"When do we start?"

"Tomorrow, if you want to."

I bobbed my head up and down like an idiot. "Yeah, tomorrow sounds great. But, um, I just have one question."

He nodded.

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's mandatory training for me as part of my job. I just figured I'd bring you along with me. To make you stronger." Dimitri answered. "Combat is good for the body, as well as the mind."

"Are you sure it's not because you want to see me all hot and sweaty?"

His dark brows came down.

"Kidding, Comrade. Relax." I yawned.

"You should get some rest. You'll need it."

"I can't wait." A grin twisted my mouth. "So, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"I'll be waiting."

"Night, Dimitri."

"Goodnight, Rose."

The nightmare was different.

Unlike all the other dreams I'd had, I wasn't able to kick or scream or wake up. I was paralyzed in my subconscious, having to relieve those awful days and nights over and over again without being able to escape.

The whip came at my back again, slicing through my skin with ease. I gritted my teeth against the searing burn. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream.

The man came around to face me. He was wearing black jeans and his abdomen was naked. His mask was a change from the usual lime-green and purple one. This one was blood-red and white, with chunks of diamonds glued around the edges.

There was something different about him tonight, and it had nothing to do with his change in costume. Something was off about him, I could feel it. He was more twisted. More evil.

That fact scared the hell out of me. When the kidnapper was in a bad mood, it wasn't a pretty night for me.

"Tell me you love me!" He said in that bone-chilling, distorted voice. "Tell me I'm the one you want! Say it!"

"Fuck. You." I spat in his face.

The sinister look in his eyes made me recoil. The man stepped forward, slid his hands up my neck, capturing my jaw in his palms. "You never learn, do you?" He pushed his mask halfway up his face, and before I could get a good look, he bared his teeth and shot to my neck, biting my flesh.

The pain stole my breath away.

My last thought before I blacked out was: God, somebody please help me.

But nobody ever did. The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. I'd lost hope of my parents finding me or the police still searching for me. The case had gone cold, I knew it. The kidnapper was clever and cunning in his ways, they'd never catch him, and no one would ever save me. I could only hope to die soon and quickly, that way this hell would be over.

The only person who came for me was my kidnapper, and all he did was torment me.

I was alone. No one there to rescue me. So I accepted the hurt and dealt with it, because it was all I had.