When Lissa returned she assured him that no one except Guardians Belikov and Petrov were aware of his involvement, and that both agreed to keep the part he played quiet. He felt immediate relief, knowing he was more than able to deal with them. Lissa smiled at him, apologetically, advising him that she had to pack. It appeared that the students would be returning to Saint Vlad's in three hours' time. Adrian blanched at the news, realizing that meant he wouldn't be able to see Rose again.

Wandering back to his room, he discovered where his vodka had been hidden. It was the last place he would have looked, Belikov was excellent at finding obscure hiding places. Had it not been for the face two maids were passed out in the doorway to the janitorial closet, he would have passed right on by. Stepping over their prone bodies and glaring at the four empty bottles, he grabbed the cardboard carton off the shelf, stumbling slightly under its weight.

Sinking down on the sofa in his suite, he cracked open a new bottle, feeling heartbroken. He couldn't believe that after all he had done, he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to his little dhampire. After a few pulls on the bottle, he set it aside, digging in his pocket for his cell phone. Flipping through his contacts, he selected a number that—to the best of his knowledge—only a select handful of people had access to. Somewhere between drink number one and five he had come up with a plan. A brilliant, beautiful plan that would enable him to be near Rose. All it required was—

"Hello Auntie dearest. Guess who?"

The queen had been absolutely thrilled with his idea. She had actually praised him for being an 'insightful, clever boy'. Her words had warmed his heart, filling him with pride. All too often he felt like an out-and-out loser, due to his father's constant criticism. Of course, he'd only relayed part of his plan to Tatiana. He conveniently failed to mention the fact Rosemarie Hathaway was his sole reason for coming up with the notion in the first place.

He packed his things quickly then sat down with his bottle to wait for the front desk to call, alerting him that his fax had arrived. Ten minutes later he was hurrying through the lobby to collect his prize, arranging for his luggage to be added to the bags heading to the airstrip.

He was lounging on the couch, waiting to depart when Natasha Ozera appeared, suitcase in hand. Adrian waited for her to finish checking out, then strolled up beside her, grabbing her arm.

"Leaving so soon, Lady Ozera? Shouldn't you be waiting for Guardian Belikov?" His voice held barely contained mirth.

"He declined my offer, Ivashkov, but I'm sure you knew that." She glared at him for a moment, then a sly smile crept across her face. "At least, he declined, this time. Once I have a chance to… chat with him, I think he'll see the error of his ways and change his mind."

Adrian drug her towards the sofa, shoving her down and holding her in place by snaking his arm around her shoulder. "Hmmm. Now I wonder what that chat might entail. Compulsion, perhaps?"

"What goes on between Dimka and I is none of your fucking business," she hissed.

He rolled his eyes. "You're absolutely right, of course. However, in the interest of protecting my sweet little Rosebud, I feel obliged to intervene. Leave it alone, Tasha. If you use compulsion on him, I'll turn you in to the council."

She glared at him for a moment before responding. "If you want the little blood whore so bad why are you interfering?"

He sat contemplating his thoughts before answering. "If I ever hear you call her that again, you'll regret it. She doesn't deserve it, she's always taken up for you—it's not her fault Belikov loves her. The other night on the roof, Rose told him to take your offer, because she wanted him to be happy. She thought that being with you would give him what he needed. Even though it broke her heart to say the words, she forced herself to do what was right because she loved him. I'm trying to follow the example she set for me."

Tasha made a sound of disgust, letting her anger get in the way of her brain. "Then you're a fool. All I have to do is tell Dimka I'm going to reveal their little secret, and he'll do whatever I ask." As soon as she spoke, she realized her mistake. Dismay turned her aura a dark greyish purple.

"Ah— you're going to blackmail him. You know, darling, it's never a smart move to alert the enemy as to what you're planning. They'll use it against you every time." He gave her a winning smile before continuing. "I would suggest you rethink your plan. It would be in your best interest to leave Rose and Belikov alone and to keep your fucking mouth shut."

"Is that a threat?" Her voice was filled with amusement. "You don't scare me in the slightest."

"You tried to frame the Queens favorite great-nephew with the disappearance of an underage dhampire girl. Five students were being held against their will by a group of Strigoi while you were playing childish pranks, leading the Guardians on a wild goose chase. If I were you, I might want to rethink my position on exactly how scary an Ivashkov can be."

She stared at him, and her aura displayed the tiniest amount of fear. He smiled slyly, deciding to scare her just a little bit more.

"Aunt Tatiana was pretty pissed when she heard what had happened, especially considering every Guardian in the lodge could back up my story. She was talking about having you hauled in front of the council. Lucky for you I sweet-talked her into ignoring the situation." He pulled out his phone, flipping it open. "Of course, if you want to act like a stupid, ungrateful bitch, I can always call her back and tell her I've changed my mind."

Tasha's shoulders slumped, her aura filling with defeat. He'd beaten her at her own game, and she damn well knew it.

"Fine."

He leaned closer, his lips almost touching her ear. "If you try to play games using Rose again, I swear I'll shove your fucking game board down your throat and laugh while you choke on it. Capisce?"

She nodded, attempting to pull away. Too bad he wasn't through with her yet. For just a moment, he dropped the shields that he always kept in place, crumbling the brick walls that kept his sanity intact. He pulled her back to his side, staring her straight in the eye. He used no compulsion; he just let her see the horror of the madness that lurked within him.

"The same goes for Belikov. Stay away from him. If you bother or threaten either one of them again—"

"I understand. Ok? I get it." He released her, and she lurched to her feet. Her aura was pulsing with terror now. Derangement had that effect on most people.

"Oh, Natasha?" she turned, not meeting his eye. "He was never seriously considering your offer. He's been in love with his Roza since the moment he saw her."

"Did he… Did he tell you that?" He heard the tears in her voice and did the only thing he could. He made his words a silver stake, driving them straight into her heart. He had to, for Rose's sake. Natasha Ozera was a vengeful woman, and if she thought there were the slightest chance that Belikov might change his mind, she would never back down. She would destroy Rose's reputation. He wouldn't put it past Tasha to physically try to harm her. Adrian looked her straight in the eye and lied as expertly as any of the politician at Court.

"I overheard him discussing it on the phone. He didn't realize I was fluent in Russian. I think he was talking to an old friend, asking for advice."

She nodded, her bright blue eyes darting up to meet his. "Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry for what I said about Rose. I… understand now."

He watched her walk away, mentally reconstructing the walls within his head. Who would have ever thought that his lunacy would actually come in handy?