Of course, he followed her. How could he not? He had a burning desire to know anything and everything about her. Since the first time he'd seen her, she had been the… well, the spark that gave his life meaning. Once he had her, he knew everything would fall into place. She inspired him, filling him with the desire to make something of himself.

They were walking towards two guardians now, a hallway forming around them; it became more realistic with every step they took. She began to speak in hushed tones to the men, he was still too far back to hear what she said clearly, but he caught the words 'Lissa' and 'torture'.

One of the men nodded and she moved through the doorway, causing Adrian to increase his pace, jogging towards her. She stood just inside, staring into… another jail cell? He moved around her, gasping as he saw the prisoner. Victor Dashkov. What the—

"Why Rose, what a nice surprise. Your ingenuity never fails to impress me. I didn't think they'd allow me any visitors." Victor smiled at her, amused.

She crossed her arms, a fierce expression twisting her beautiful features. "I want you to break the spell. Finish it off."

"What do you mean?"

"The spell you did on me and Dimitri."

Ah. Now it made sense. Her subconscious had linked the two meetings with Dashkov together. Interesting.

"That spell is done. It burned itself out." Victor arched an eyebrow at her, watching her carefully.

She shook her head. "No. I keep thinking about him. I keep wanting to…"

His smile widened—her ignorance appeared to amuse him. "My dear, that was already there, long before I set that up."

"It wasn't like this. Not this bad."

"Maybe not consciously. But everything else…the attraction—physical and mental—was already in you. And in him. It wouldn't have worked otherwise. The spell didn't really add anything new—it just removed inhibitions and strengthened the feelings you already had for each other."

"You're lying. He said he didn't feel that way about me."

Obviously this memory was something that happened after the… incident in his room. Damn Belikov. Why was he constantly hurting her? Couldn't he just be truthful for a change?

"He's lying. I tell you, the spell wouldn't have worked otherwise, and honestly, he should have known better. He had no right to let himself feel that way. You can be forgiven for a schoolgirl's crush. But him? He should have demonstrated more control in hiding his feelings. Natalie saw it and told me. After just a few observations of my own, it was obvious to me too. It gave me the perfect chance to distract you both. I keyed the necklace's charm for each of you, and you two did the rest."

"You're a sick bastard, doing that to me and him. And to Lissa." Her face was flushed with anger.

"I have no regrets about what I did with her," he declared, leaning against the wall. "I'd do it again if I could. Believe what you want, I love my people. What I wanted to do was in their best interest. Now? Hard to say. They have no leader, no real leader. There's no one worthy, really." He cocked his head toward me, considering. "Vasilisa actually might have been such a one—if she could ever have found it within herself to believe in something and overcome the influence of spirit. It's ironic, really. Spirit can shape someone into a leader and also crush her ability to remain one. The fear, depression, and uncertainty take over, and keep her true strength buried deep within her. Still, she has the blood of the Dragomirs, which is no small thing. And of course, she has you, her shadow-kissed guardian. Who knows? She may surprise us yet."

"'Shadow-kissed'?" She repeated, making it a question.

"You've been kissed by shadows. You've crossed into Death, into the other side, and returned. Do you think something like that doesn't leave a mark on the soul? You have a greater sense of life and the world—far greater than even I have—even if you don't realize it. You should have stayed dead. Vasilisa brushed Death to bring you back and bound you to her forever. You were actually in its embrace, and some part of you will always remember that, always fight to cling to life and experience all it has. That's why you're so reckless in the things you do. You don't hold back your feelings, your passion, your anger. It makes you remarkable. It makes you dangerous."

She stared at him, her face shocked. She looked… speechless. Adrian watched unease flowing around her as she processed what she'd heard.

"It's what created your bond, too. Her feelings always press out of her, onto others. Most people can't pick up on them unless she's actually directing her thoughts toward them with compulsion. You, however, have a mind sensitive to extrasensory forces—hers in particular." He sighed. "Yes, this ridiculous Academy has no idea what they have in either you or her. If not for the fact that I needed to kill you, I would have made you part of my royal guard when you were older."

"You never would've had a royal guard. Don't you think people would have been weirded out by you suddenly recovering like that? Even if no one found out about Lissa, Tatiana never would have made you king." She stepped closer to the bars, and he had to fight the urge to pull her back. It wouldn't work, of course. It would alert her to his presence, shifting this into a typical spirit dream.

"You may be right, but it doesn't matter. There are other ways of taking power. Sometimes it's necessary to go outside the established channels. Do you think Kenneth is the only Moroi who follows me? The greatest and most powerful revolutions often start very quietly, hidden in the shadows." He eyed her. "Remember that."

A strange shuffling sound carried down the hallway, followed by a thump, drawing Adrian's eye to the door. The Guardians were gone. Rose spun towards the door, craning her neck, her entire body filled with sudden tension. Adrian took a step towards her, wondering what was—

Victor stood up. "Finally."

Adrian froze in horror as a young Moroi—no, strike that, former Moroi—round the corner. He could tell what she was the moment she came into view, and his brain was screaming at him to grab Rose and shift the scene to a beautiful beach somewhere far, far away. Why wasn't Rose panicking? He took another step towards her, then forced himself back against the wall. Just a memory. Just a dream vision. He repeated the words over and over, hoping they'd calm his racing heart. Rose was still alive—she'd hugged him this afternoon. She had made it through this situation in one piece.

"Hey," Rose said, a sad smile on her face. "I didn't think they'd let you in."

The Strigoi walked right up to Rose and threw her across the room. She landed in a heap next to Adrian, the dream vision blurring around them—she must have been fighting for consciousness.

"What?…" She clasp a hand on her forehead, struggling to get up.

The Strigoi unlocked Victor's cell with a set of keys—she must have taken them from the Guardians. He briefly wondered if they were still among the living. He saw Rose staggering to her feet and almost screamed in frustration as she approached the monster.

"What are you doing?"

The Strigoi glanced up at Rose. He watched as she realized exactly what the hell she was looking at. A look of complete terror shot across her face, but only for an instant. She ducked her head, slightly crouching as she dodged the first blow, backing away as the… creature stalked towards her.

Without warning, the female leaped forward, grabbing Rose and slamming her head into the wall. Adrian's hands balled into fists as he watched them fight, terrified as his little dhampir struggled to free herself.

"My dear," Victor said, "try not to kill her if you don't have to. We might be able to use her later."

The Strigoi paused the attack, giving Rose a few seconds to back up, but those awful eyes remained locked on her the entire time. "I'll try not to. Get out of here now. I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"I can't believe you!" Rose screamed at Dashkov. "You got your own daughter to turn Strigoi?"

"A last resort. A necessary sacrifice made for the greater good. Natalie understands." He left.

"Do you? Do you understand? God, Natalie. You…you turned. Just because he told you to?" Rose's voice trembled, betraying her fear.

"My father's a great man," she replied. "He's going to save the Moroi from the Strigoi."

"Are you insane?" Rose had been backing away, but now, she hit the wall a few feet to Adrian's left. "You are a Strigoi."

The monster shrugged. "I had to do it to get him out of here before the others came. One Strigoi to save all of the Moroi. It's worth it, worth giving up the sun and the magic."

"But you'll want to kill Moroi! You won't be able to help it."

"He'll help me stay in control. If not, then they'll have to kill me." She reached out and latched onto Rose, pulling her closer.

"You are insane. You can't love him that much. You can't really—"

She hurled her into the wall again, Rose crumpling on the floor like a broken doll. Good God, where were the guardians? Shouldn't someone have realized Rose was missing by now? The vision started to fade again, this time, slowly but steadily turning dark. He stared at Rose, horrified. Her aura was… fading. Fuck! She was dying! He tried to slow his breathing, but it wasn't happening, he was hyperventilating. A memory, just a memory… The room was fading away—no! He had to see how this ended! A noise drew his attention—

He sighed, relieved for the first time in his life to see Belikov running towards them. In that moment, he did something without consciously thinking about it. He had no idea what he was doing; he hadn't even known it was possible. His power reached towards the tall man's aura, and the vision… froze for a moment. Everything flickered. Adrian glanced around and saw… two different dreamscapes, one superimposed over the other. What the fuck?

Belikov stood there, blinking, a confused look on his face as he stared at Rose lying on the ground, then at the Strigoi looming over her. Adrian narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on the strange overlay to the setting he'd been in moments before. The… gym. Shit. Somehow, in his panic, he'd managed to enter the Russian's dream while still maintaining Rose's, pulling the two together. Damn. This was a new development. Extremely fucked up, but interesting, nonetheless.

He stared at the gym, concentrating, trying to slowly erasing its existence. Once that was done, he turned to Belikov, wondering exactly how in the hell he was supposed to fix this. He concentrated on the dream vision he'd been sharing with Rose, forcing it into the other man's mind. And just like that, it worked. The sweat pants and muscle shirt melted into jeans and a T-shirt, covered by that ridiculous long coat. Belikov just stood there.

What the hell? How did he get this rolling again? He fought back the urge to yell action, opting instead to sent out a flare of spirit. Suddenly Belikov charged the Strigoi. Adrian sank down near Rose, watching her aura. She was fading fast. Too fast. He didn't spare a thought to the fight going on in the room, he didn't care. He just wanted to see Rose fixed. He couldn't leave, knowing she was hurt, even if it was just a memory. He just… couldn't.

He jumped, started when Belikov leaned over Rose, slipping his arms under her body. He stood in one smooth movement, cradling her against his body. Adrian ran beside him, thankful that smoking didn't affect his athletic ability in dreams.

"Hey, Comrade," Her voice was thin… weak. "You were right about Strigoi."

"Open your eyes. Don't go to sleep on me. Not yet." He stared down at her, his eyes wide and panic stricken. His voice was almost unrecognizable, the accent thick, his words filled with anguish.

"Was he right?" She asked.

"Who?"

"Victor…he said it couldn't have worked. The necklace." Her head dropped back, her eyes closed.

He jiggled his arms, trying to keep her awake. "What do you mean?"

"The said you had to want me…to care about me…for it to work." She grabbed at his shirt, her fingers slipping off as her head began to nod again. "Did you? Did you want me?"

"Yes, Roza. I did want you. I still do. I wish…we could be together." His voice was husky and full of pain. Adrian's eyes flicked to his aura, but he'd exerted too much… the colors were blurred, the emotions unreadable.

"Then why did you lie to me?"

Belikov opened the door with his elbow, yelling for help at the top of his lungs. Adrian leaned against the wall, feeling strangely dizzy.

"Why did you lie?" she asked again, her voice weaker than before.

He looked down at her, his face full of pain. Adrian could hear others approaching—the Russian was running out of time.

"Because we can't be together."

She was fucking dying in his arms, and still he played games. Adrian swore he'd figure out how he'd melded and created this new dream, and he'd make another—one that sent Belikov straight into the pits of hell. He'd torment the man every night for the rest of him life with it.

"Because of the age thing, right? "Her voice a broken whisper so soft it was almost nonexistent. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gazed up at him. "Because you're my mentor?"

His fingertip gently wiped away her tears. "That's part of it," he said. "But also…well, you and I will both be Lissa's guardians someday. I need to protect her at all costs. If a pack of Strigoi come, I need to throw my body between them and her."

"I know that. Of course that's what you have to do." Her head nodded backwards again, her mouth dropping slightly open.

"No. If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you."

A team of medical personnel surrounded them, pulling Rose away, sliding her onto a gurney and wheeling her into the depths of the building. He trailed Belikov as the man slammed out the door, watching every move he made. When the Russian ran for the trees, Adrian was on his heels, only a few steps behind. Once hidden by the thick trees, Belikov stopped, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes, his massive body shaking as he bent over, his breath coming in gasps. Adrian concentrated, straining to see something, anything of the other man's aura. He could tell he was struggling, trying to—

Belikov made a strange noise that stopped Adrian in his tracks. He was… crying. Deep, painful, sobs—dreadful, gut wrenching cries of frustration and hurt. He dropped to his knees, throwing his head back, staring up into the treetops. His raspy, tear filled voice echoed through the small clearing as he screamed something out in Russian, venting his emotions to the dark forest.

"Too late—It's too late!" His voice dropped to almost a whisper as he continued. "I love her. God help me, I love my Roza."

Adrian stood watching, his emotions conflicted. This was his fault. Belikov was experiencing this anguish because he'd forced him to relive the memory. He sighed, watching the man beat his fists against the ground. He had to fix it. Just as he couldn't leave Rose almost dying on the floor, he couldn't leave this man—much as he hated him—in torment. Tomorrow, he'd detest the man again. Tomorrow he'd resume his pursuit of Rosebud. But tonight… tonight he'd cast their differences aside, and leave the man with a happy dream. He'd turn his agony into ecstasy, if only for one night.

He sent out a burst of spirit, tweaking the dream, changing the forest into a plain, unadorned dorm room. He removed the coat and shoes, then replaced the T-shirt and jeans with a pair of comfortable pajama bottoms. One more flare of power, and there was a frantic pounding at the door. He watched Belikov's expression instantly change from one of desolate agony to one of happy anticipation. When he opened the door to let Rose—in that fabulous little black dress—enter, Adrian stepped back, out of the dream.

Returning to himself, he stood, fighting the dizziness that slammed into him. Too much—he'd pulled on too much spirit. Walking to the bar that sat against the far wall, he grabbed a bottle of vodka, draining half of it before he collapsed to the ground, into the welcoming arms of oblivion.