For a brief moment their eyes locked, and he was thrilled to see her eyes… soften. He thought, in that moment, that she'd glimpsed the hidden truth in his words. That she finally realized what he felt. To him, she was so much more than just another conquest. From the first moment he saw her, something had sparked to life deep within the depths of his being. A desire to be a better man. Then, just as quickly as the moment of connection had begun, it vanished. She looked away from him, and he knew he'd been mistaken. It had been nothing—she'd felt… nothing.

Her tongue snaked out, wetting her lips, and she looked nervous. That in itself was worrying—what could make the indestructible Rose Hathaway nervous?

"So, um … there's something you guys should know," she said.

They all watched her, waiting. Everyone in the room, even the Castile kid, realized something big was up.

"What's wrong?" asked Lissa.

"Well, it turns out that Victor Dashkov was never found guilty of what he did to us. He's just been locked up. But they're finally going to have an official trial—in another week or so."

Adrian's eyes flicked to Lissa. Her mouth dropped open, and her aura filled with fear. Understandable, since the man had kidnapped and tortured her in an attempt to bend her to his will. Her hands fisted so tightly the knuckles turned white. Her boyfriend reached over, laying his hand atop hers in an attempt to calm her, but she didn't seem to notice or even receive comfort from the gesture.

"But… but…" Lissa took a deep, gulping breath. "How could he not be guilty already? Everyone knows…. They all saw…."

"It's the law. They supposedly have to give him a fighting chance." Rose looked absolutely miserable to be the bearer of this news.

Her eyes widened. "So…wait… are you saying there's a chance they might not find him guilty?"

Christian slammed his fist against the table. "This is bullshit."

His reaction garnered attention from a few people. Not something they really needed, considering what they were discussing. Especially since Rose had already had a… breakdown, just a short while before. Having grown up at court, he recognized something they had overlooked. He felt the need to point out the obvious to them. "This is politics," said Adrian. "People in power never have to play by the same rules."

"But he nearly killed Rose and Christian!" cried Lissa. "And he kidnapped me! How can there be any question?" Her aura was all over the place. Fright. Fear. Sorrow. Anger. Outrage. Confusion. Helplessness. Then the flickering, changing emotions slowed, before being replaced with calm.

His eyes shot back to Rose's aura, and he noticed a steady, rapidly increasing rage filling her. Well, that was interesting. Had Rose somehow eased Lissa's panic through the bond? "It's a formality, I'm sure. When all the evidence is in, there probably isn't going to be much of a debate." He offered.

"That's the thing," Rose said bitterly. "They're not going to have all the evidence. We aren't allowed to go."

"What?" exclaimed Christian. "Then who's testifying?"

"The other guardians who were there. We apparently can't be trusted to keep the whole thing quiet. The queen doesn't want the world to know that one of her precious royals might have done something wrong."

She was partially right. That was the way his Aunt would normally view the situation. But more than that, she wouldn't want to expose Lissa to the horror of reliving the attack. His darling Aunt was good at keeping her feelings under wraps, but no one could hide their aura. Tatiana had strong feelings about the Dragomir princess, he'd just never been able to figure out why.

"But we're the reason he's on trial." Lissa's voice had a pleading tone to it, as if she were begging Rose to fix the situation.

Christian stood up, his eyes flicking around as if he were expecting someone to jump out and attack them from behind a bookshelf. "I'm going to go take care of this right now."

Really? What exactly was an Ozera going to do? He was barely tolerated, considered a disgrace because of the choices his parents had made. Not to mention the fact his aunt was a sociopath—in Adrian's opinion. "Sure. I bet going in there and kicking down the door will change their minds. Take Rose with you, and you guys'll make a really good impression."

"Yeah?" asked Christian, glaring at the older man, "You have a better idea?"

Lissa's bit her lower lip, looking as if she might panic again. "If Victor was free, would he come after us again?"

Um, duh? Adrian thought to himself. The man had probably spent the entire time he was incarcerated plotting and planning. He'd find a way to get to Lissa, even if they kept her guarded under lock and key 24/7.

"If he gets loose again, he won't stay that way for long," Rose stated, her voice full of fire and determination. "I'll make sure of it."

"Careful there," He felt his lips quirk upwards in a smirk, and fought to keep his expression steady. "Even you couldn't get away with a royal assassination."

Rose shot him a glare that would have made lesser men tremble, and looked on the verge of telling him to go fuck himself. Luckily, Eddie's voice caught her attention.

"Rose."

Something about the way he said her name warned her. In an instant, her head shot up and she shot to her feet, positioning herself in the background, like a proper guardian. Adrian took advantage of the break in conversation to study the Castile boy. He'd been hanging around Rose a lot lately, and he wondered if there were yet another suitor, competing for his little dhampire. Studying the kid, he felt himself relax. He had no romantic feelings towards her in the slightest. It was more… familial, as if she were a sister. Probably due to what they'd gone through in Spokane.

The conversation was apparently over, for now. Rose stayed in Guardian mode throughout the rest of the evening. He tried to catch her eye several times, but she refused to look his way. It was so damned frustrating. Never before had he felt this… awkward. This unsure. With other girls, the words and actions to win them had all come naturally. Not this time—Rose was certainly a challenge.

A bell sounded, followed by a recorded announcement, warning the students that curfew was approaching. Adrian fought the urge to roll his eyes. Seriously? Did anyone really pay attention to something as ridiculous as a curfew?

When Lissa and Christian began to gather their things, he bit his lip to contain his amusement. Alright then, that answered his question. Apparently, these two actually planned on obeying the night time prohibition on outside activities.

How in the hell had he gotten caught up with this group?

Didn't they ever feel the urge to break the chains of authority and have a little fun? He was longing to cut lose, to be in a group of people having a good time—he needed a party. Making the expected pleasant goodbyes, he headed for his room. If the others were going to play by the rules, he'd be in for another night of boredom. Damn it. Maybe he'd see if Alberta felt like having a drink, at least she seemed to enjoy his company.