He returned to the Academy that evening, already suffering from major Rose withdrawal. To make matters worse, when he tracked down his so called 'friends', no one had even noticed he'd been gone. He moped all the way to his suite, irritated that not even Lissa had cared enough to check up on him. Maybe it was time to throw in the towel. He was acting as foolishly as Rose. They were both pining over people who didn't seem to care. Sure, Belikov's aura reflected that he loved her—so did his dreams, for that matter—but it must be some screwed up, twisted kind of love, the way he treated her. If Rose loved him the way she did the Russian—well he sure as hell would never push her away. He'd move heaven and earth to make her happy—if she were his girlfriend.
He spent the next couple of days trying his damnedest to show no interest in Rose. That meant no flirting, no suggestive looks, and no dream walking. It was killing him, but he was determined to play hard to get. When he saw her, he was polite, but not overly friendly. He treated her almost as if she were a complete stranger.
He cursed, pouring himself a drink. Rose. Always, no matter what he was doing or thinking, his mind went back to her. Watching T.V.? Something would amuse him and he'd wonder if Rose would find it funny. Walking the grounds? He'd see a dark haired girl in the distance and wonder if it was her. It was getting ridiculous.
He downed the drink in a single gulp, then set off to find the object of his obsession.
He found them in one of the dorm lounges, and froze in the doorway as he took in the absurdity of the situation. Lissa and Christian were sprawled out on one of the couches watching a movie, while Rose and Eddie stood guard. This was wrong on so many levels. He felt ashamed for all the times he'd taken the Guardians for granted. Their lives really were hellish. They were treated like automatons. The Moroi didn't care about their feelings, or their wishes. The only thing that mattered to the 'ruling class' was that the dhampirs would die for them. They were little more than cannon fodder.
If he were honest, what bothered him even more was the fact that Rose was destined to spend the rest of her life like this—standing against a wall for hours on end, ignored and overlooked, while Lissa lived the good life. Where was the justice in that? Rose deserved to have some enjoyment in life too. Lissa didn't even stop to consider what her so-called best friend was giving up in order to protect her. Just the thought of what Rose faced made him feel sick.
Rose noticed him standing in the doorway, so he forced himself into action. He slipped into the darkened room, winking at her as he slid into the armchair that was closest to her. He could tell she was itching to ask him something, so he pointedly ignored her, feigning an intense interest in the movie.
"Are you sober?" She asked when the movie ended.
"Sober enough. What have you guys been up to?" He was proud of himself. He was getting better at this casual indifference act.
Rose shot him a questioning look, raising her eyebrows. He hoped that meant all his work wasn't in vain. She seemed bothered by the fact he was almost ignoring her—beyond one or two quick glances, he had barely even looked at her.
They filled him in on what had happened, recapping some encounter they'd had with Stan—he still thought of the man as Dick—and the girls made a big fuss over how brave Eddie had been.
"Nice work," said Adrian. "Looks like you got a battle scar too." He pointed to the side of Eddie's face where three swollen, painful looking red marks red stood out against his tanned skin.
Eddie lightly touched his cheek. "I can barely feel it."
Lissa leaned forward and studied him. "You got that protecting me."
"I got that trying to pass my field experience," he teased. "Don't worry about it."
The brightening of Lissa's aura caught his attention. It was as if a bright, white light encompassed her normal glow, pulsing with the beat of her heart. She reached out and touched Eddie's face, and the marks vanished.
"Son of a bitch," breathed Adrian. "You weren't kidding about that." He peered at Eddie's cheek. "Not a goddamned trace of it." Holy hell, that was the coolest thing ever. It was a miracle.
Lissa had stood up and now sank back to the couch. She leaned her head back against it and closed her eyes. "I did it. I can still do it."
"Of course you can," said Adrian dismissively. "Now you have to show me how to do it."
She opened her eyes. "It's not that easy."
"Oh, I see," he said in an exaggerated tone. "You grill me like crazy about how to see auras and walk in dreams, but now you won't reveal your trade secrets." Seriously? After all the patience he'd shown her, walking her through the steps, trying to help her—now she was pulling this shit?
"It's not a 'won't,'" she argued. "It's a 'can't.'"
"Well, cousin, try." Maybe he could learn by feeling her power flowing through him. He raked his nails across his hand, drawing blood.
"Jesus Christ!" Rose shrieked. "Are you insane?"
He shot her a look, irritated at her choice of words. Once again, spouting off whatever came into her head, not caring who she hurt. His eyes were still on her when Lissa reached out took his hand, healing the broken skin. He was still watching Rose, so he witnessed the change in her firsthand. As Lissa's power had rushed through him, the dark cloud around rose had swollen double—no triple, and her expression turned… glum. It troubled him. Something about the timing—
Lissa's voice broke into his thoughts, and he answered her questions, temporarily forgetting about Rose and her strange darkness. They began comparing the way the spirit had felt on each end, the giver's and the receiver's. getting lost in an intense debate.
Christian stood up, looking bored. "Come on, Rose. If I wanted to listen to this, I'd be back in class. I'm hungry."
Lissa glanced up. "Dinner's not for another hour and a half."
"Feeder," he said. "I haven't had mine today." He planted a kiss on Lissa's cheek and then left, with Rose trailing along beside him. Adrian felt a twinge of sadness after she left, but shrugged it off. Something sixth sense told him he needed to master the power of healing—the feeling was so strong, he didn't dare ignore it.
He was preparing to leave when Lissa's aura warned him something was up. Happy to nervous—it switched in an instant.
"You like her, don't you?" She stared at him, as if his answer were of the utmost importance.
He smirked at her. "I like a lot of people, I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."
"You know who—Rose. I could faintly see your aura when you watched her."
He sighed, rolling his neck to relieve the sudden tension he felt there. "It doesn't matter."
Lissa grabbed his hand. Of course it does. She just needs time. She's still upset about—"
"Look Cousin, I appreciate your concern." He cut her off, not wanting to hear excuses. Her words filled him with a bleak sense of despair—all the hope he'd felt earlier when Rose seemed upset by his actions dissolved, unable to stand the weight of his depression. Lissa could think Rose was still mourning Ashford, but he knew the truth. As things stood, there was a much bigger obstacle between he and Rose than her dead friend. It was 6'7, weighing in at around 200 pounds and spoke with a Russian accent. "However, I am, despite popular opinion, a realist. Rose is not interested in me. I'm not her type."
"Yes you are! That's just it, if Rose wasn't still upset, you'd be just her type." Lissa squeezed his hand. "Just give it time. OK? Promise me you won't give up."
He rolled his eyes, agreeing, just to end the conversation. If Lissa only knew what he did, she'd be mortified about their little chat. Had he been in a truly snarky mood, he would have pointed out the hilarious fact that when it came right down to it, at twenty-one, he was entirely too young for Rose—three of four years, at least.
"She has to do community service tomorrow—after church. She has to help Father Andrew. If you were to show up and offer to help her…" She trailed off, a sly little smile on her pretty face.
"You might just have something there, Cousin." He smiled. Assisting Rose with her punishment might just impress her.