The next day, he forced himself to get up early. For once, he was actually looking forward to something. Meeting up with Lissa and practicing using spirit might take his mind off his rapidly growing depression. He knew what was causing the dark emotions, but there was nothing to be done about it. Until Rose was in his arms—and damn it, eventually she would be—he'd have to learn to live with it.

He met up with Lissa and her ever present posse in an empty classroom, greeting everyone pleasantly, with the exception of Rose—who he tried to ignore. The tiny intimacies he's witnessed between his little dhampir and Belikov the night before were still playing through his mind, and to be honest, it hurt. Somehow, those innocent touches tormented him more than the full on lip locks or make out sessions he'd witnessed in their dreams. He knew the reason behind his strange feelings—full on passion could be experienced by anyone, you didn't have to care about the person in the slightest to get physical with them. However, the gentle, caring caresses—the stolen moments holding hands—they indicated something that went so much deeper than just sexual desire.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he felt a momentary twinge of guilt. She had a slightly hurt, puzzled expression on her face. He felt the overwhelming desire to look her way and smile, erasing his snub, but he couldn't do it. Right now, he could barely stand to look at her, even just these discrete, stolen glances killed him.

To make matters even more confusing, he realized this was partially his fault. He'd seen their auras, back at the lodge, and noted the emotions that raged between them. He had witnessed their dreams, and heard the whispered words of love they shared. But he'd chosen to ignore the evidence, believing—convincing himself—it was nothing more than a passing infatuation between an older man and a young, impressionable girl. It was getting harder and harder for him to believe the fantasy he'd constructed—the more he saw, the deeper into depression he sank.

Why did he have to fall in love with her? If on that first day—when he noticed the love and devotion in their auras—he'd turned away, accepting the inevitable and forcing Rose from his thoughts, would he still have been infatuated with her? Still wanted her? He thought so—this was somehow fated, in his opinion, and he'd see it through to the bitter end.

He stared off into space as Rose gave an abbreviated version of what she'd experienced the day before. Even the sound of her voice made his heart ache. He'd never let himself fall for a girl like this, and by God, he swore he never would again. Loving someone sucked. And loving someone who didn't love you back was excruciatingly painful.

"You think you saw ghosts?" Christian exclaimed, giving her a mocking look. "Seriously?"

"Look," Rose snapped, "I told you what was going on, but I don't want to elaborate on it. It's getting worked out, so just let it drop."

"Rose…" Lissa bit her lip, looking as if she were unsure how to continue.

Rose shook her head, a pained expression on her face. "No, Liss. Please. You guys can think whatever you want about me or make up your own theories, but we're not going to talk about it. Not now. Just leave me alone about it."

Her eyes shot to each one of friends in turn. After a moment, her face softened as she realized, perhaps, exactly how harsh her tone had been.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm just not in the mood."

Bet she'd be in the mood if it was Belikov wanting to talk about it, he thought to himself, heaving a deep sigh. She looked over at him, eyes narrowed, as if she could read his thoughts. He looked away, refusing to meet her eyes—her gorgeous brown eyes that had been gazing so lovingly at the damn pedophillic Russian last night.

As he and Lissa began to focus on the task at hand, Christian pulled two desks together and stretched out across them, tossing an arm over his eyes.

"Wake me when it gets interesting," he said.

Eddie and Rose took up positions that allowed them to watch the door and windows while also staying near their charges. Of course, she had somehow managed to position herself so that no matter where he looked, she was in his line of fucking vision. Be bit the inside of his cheek, pointedly turning his back on her.

"You really saw Mason?" Eddie whispered. "Sorry…you said you didn't want to talk about it…"

"I think it was him," Rose murmured back. "I don't know. Everyone thinks I imagined it."

It took every ounce of self-control he had not to turn around and scream 'I believe you, damn it! Not Belikov, ME—Adrian Ivashkov.' She wouldn't care. Not one damned bit.

"How did he look? Was he upset?" Eddie asked.

"He looked … sad. Really sad."

"If it was really him … I mean, I don't know. I've always wondered if he was upset that we didn't save him."

Their whispered conversation was getting on his last nerve. Using spirit—well, mastering it—required concentration. How the fuck was he supposed to concentrate when they stood there whispering like a couple of preteen girls?

"There was nothing we could have done," Rose said, her voice soft. "But I wondered that too, because Father Andrew had mentioned that ghosts sometimes come back for revenge. But Mason didn't look that way. He just seemed like he wanted to tell me something."

He stared down at the plants they'd set out—God, they looked pathetic, all withered and brown, the leaves crumbling off and leaving a mess on the tabletop. Lissa touched one, and a few seconds later, the ugly little brown plant turned green and sprouted leaves.

He studied it, watching it's miraculous transformation then exhaled deeply. "Okay. Here goes nothing."

He brushed his fingers on the plant closest to him, being careful so as not to knock off any of its withered leaves. At first, disappointment shot through him, because nothing actually happened. Then, a few moments later, the plant shuddered a little. A hint of green started to grow in it and then it stopped.

"You did it," said Lissa, impressed.

"Hardly," he said, glaring at the plant. Just that little jolt of spirit had hit him hard. He'd overdone it again last night—cloaking himself the way he had drained him. To top that off, he was completely sober, needed a fucking smoke and the nearby presence of Rose was like a knife in his chest. A surge of irritability slammed into him. "Damn it."

"Are you kidding?" she asked. "It was great. You made a plant grow— with your mind. That's amazing."

"Not as good as you, though," he said, feeling a flood of inadequacy wash over him, merging with the irritation.

Rose—being Rose—couldn't help but mouth off. "Then stop bitching and try again."

Ohhhh. She so did not want to fuck with him today. Not with the mood he was in. If she pushed him too far, he might slip and say something about her precious cradle robber. Then all hell would break loose.

He glanced over at her with a smirk. "Hey, no advice, Ghost Girl. Guardians should be seen and not heard."

He pretended not to see her shoot the finger at him, acting as if he were totally absorbed in what Lissa was saying. From the corner of his eye he saw her aura flash with irritation. Poor Rosebud didn't like being ignored. Tough shit.

"She's right. Try it again," Lissa demanded.

"You do it one more time," he said. "I want to watch you…. I can kind of feel what you do to it."

He forced Rose out of his thoughts—an act which was, for him, extremely difficult—and focused on Lissa. His sixth sense was tingling again, warning him he had to learn this. Since this wasn't the first time he'd experienced the feeling, he knew that for whatever reason, it was important he become proficient in healing.

She performed her trick on another plant. He sensed the magic flare up as she pulled in spirit, but then it… faltered. Her aura flashed with fear and a tinge of the black madness that he was so familiar with. As he watched, the black slowly separated from her aura and began sliding away—shifting…

What the Fuck? The black threads of insanity undulated in the air, drifting across the table. Twisting and turning like a cloud of thick, oily smoke it reached out, fusing into the ever-present dark cloud that surrounded Rose, absorbed like water into a sponge.

No. Oh, God… No.

Rose glanced up, catching him as he stared at her. He tried to compose himself—to control his expression, but it wasn't working. He knew his face clearly showed the absolute shock and horror he felt. He'd been wrong. Wrong about the ghosts… Wrong about the—

"Okay." Lissa's happy voice tore his eyes away from poor Rose, breaking into his thoughts. "Try again."

As if he could concentrate on healing after what he'd just seen? Sighing, he moved to a new plant, but she gestured him back. "No, keep working on the one you started. Maybe you can only do it in small bursts."

Nodding, he turned his attention to his original plant. For a few minutes, all he did was stare, trying desperately to visualize his desired results. Thank God it was quiet—one word from Rose and his concentration would be shot. He felt beads of sweat trailing down his temples, but he forced himself to ignore them. Nothing mattered right now, except what he wanted to—no, what he would accomplish. Finally, at long last, the plant twitched again. It grew even greener, and tiny buds appeared on it. Narrowing his eyes and gritting his teeth he pulled in even more spirit, shoving it into the small plat. The buds burst. Leaves and tiny white flowers appeared.

Lissa cried out, whooping with joy.

"You did it!" She hugged him, and a burst of pride filled him. He'd done it. More importantly, this meant that they could do it. He and Lissa could master new, untried abilities; they could pass the knowledge they learned between themselves, learning by example. Anything was possible now.

"I can't wait until I'm able to do something new," she said, sounding jealous.

Adrian tapped the black composition book that sat beside her. "Well, there are plenty of other tricks in the world of spirit. You've got to be able to learn at least one of them."

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"Remember that research I did on people who'd shown weird behaviors?" Lissa asked. "We made a list of all the different things that showed up."

Adrian's thoughts drifted to the contents of the notebook—rare abilities that had been demonstrated by Moroi that no one had ever seen. A few of the things—aura targeting, dream compulsion, remote viewing, reading thoughts—had immediately sparked his desire to learn more. Of course, those were the very things that Lissa had immediately decided were too dangerous or too… tempting. She feared they might get carried away and abuse their talents.

He shook his head, rejoining the conversation. "Along with healing, auras, and dream walking, we seem to also have some super compulsion going on." He omitted the skills that Lissa had forbidden—not that he actually planned to abide her verdict. When he'd read about those wicked little abilities, he'd felt the strangest… buzzing in his brain. He'd known instantly that they were all within his capabilities. His prime skills were dream and aura based, after all.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You already knew that."

"No, this is even more hard-core. It's not just telling people what to do. It's also making them see and feel things that aren't even there." He ached to test it out on her. Could he make her believe he was Belikov? The idea was so alluring—but he'd never actually give in to the desire. She'd tear him limb from limb if he tried it.

"What, like hallucinations?" She asked.

"Kind of," he replied, stretching. "There are stories of people using compulsion to make others live through their worst nightmares, thinking they're being attacked or whatever."

Rose shivered. "That's actually kind of scary."

"And awesome," said Adrian.

Lissa shot him a warning look and he tried to make his face look as innocent as possible. "I don't know. Regular compulsion is one thing, but that just seems wrong."

Christian yawned. "Now that victory has been achieved, can we call it a night with the magic?"

"Can you do it again?" asked Lissa eagerly. "Make it grow?"

Adrian shook his head. "Not right away. That took a lot out of me. I think I need a cigarette." He gestured in Christian's direction. "Go do something with your guy. He's been terribly patient through all of this."

Lissa walked over to Christian, her face alight with joy. "Let's go back to the dorm," she said, grabbing his hand.

Exiting the building, Eddie walked near guard with Lissa and Christian, which left his Rosebud as the far guard. Judging by the sour expression on her face, she wasn't too pleased with that turn of events. Well, she'd better deal with it. He'd hung back, just hoping for the chance to talk to her—and this time, it wasn't because he wanted to be near her. He needed to tell her what he'd witnessed.

She wrinkled her nose, looking incredibly adorable. Opening her mouth, she ruined the brief burst of pleasure he'd felt while enjoying her cute expression. "You know, you can always be our far-far guard and stay behind with that thing."

"Mm, I've had enough." He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, leaving it behind, ignoring the pointed stare she shot at the butt. "What do you think, little dhampir? I was pretty badass with that plant, wasn't I? Of course, it would have been more badass if I'd, I dunno, helped an amputee grow a limb back. Or maybe separated Siamese twins. But that'll come with more practice."

"If you want some advice—which I'm sure you don't—you guys should lay off on the magic. Christian still thinks you're moving in on Lissa."

"What?" he asked in mock astonishment. "Doesn't he know my heart belongs to you?"

"It does not. And no, he's still worried about it, despite what I've told him."

He smiled. "You know, I bet if we started making out right now, it would make him feel better."

"If you touch me," Rose said, her voice deceptively pleasantly, "I'll provide you with the opportunity to see if you can heal yourself. Then we'd see how badass you really are."

"I'd get Lissa to heal me," he said smugly. "It'd be easy for her. Although…" At least she'd offered him the perfect opportunity to brooch the subject that was foremost on his mind. "Something weird happened when she used her magic."

"Yeah," she said. "I know. Could you sense it too?"

"No. But I saw it." He frowned. "Rose … remember when you asked about being crazy and I said you weren't?"

"Yeah…"

"I think I might have been wrong. I think you are crazy."

She stumbled. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Well…you see, the thing is, when Lissa did the second plant… her aura dimmed a little."

"That would go along with what I felt. It was kind of like she … I don't know, grew mentally fragile for a moment, kind of like she used to. But it went away."

No shit. He nodded. "Yeah, that's the thing…the darkness in her aura went away and into yours. Like, I've noticed before that you guys have a big difference in auras, but this time, I saw it happening. It was like that spot of darkness jumped out of hers and into yours."

She shivered, and he fought against the overwhelming desire to wrap his arms around her. "What does it mean?"

"Well, this is why I think you're crazy. Lissa isn't having any side effects from the magic anymore, right? And you, well… you've been feeling kind of short-tempered lately and you're, like, seeing ghosts." He said the words casually, like seeing ghosts was just something that happened from time to time. Hell, maybe it was, he believed in them. Then again, everyone knew he was mad as a hatter. "I think whatever harmful thing there is in spirit that screws with the mind is leaking out of her and into you. It's making her stay stable, and you, well… as I said, you're seeing ghosts."

"No," She said in a strained voice, her face stunned. "That's not happening to me."

"What about your bond? You have that connection. Her thoughts and feelings creep into you … why not the madness too?" He tried to sound casual, not wanting her to sense how incredibly worried he was about her. He knew firsthand how it felt to slowly lose your grip on reality. To fall down the rabbit hole into an alternate world that ate away everything that you knew. He didn't want her to suffer the same things he had.

"Because it doesn't make any—" She broke off, her eyes widening. He stared at her intently, realizing she'd thought of something.

"Christian!"

The three figures walking in front of them stopped, turning back and watching them intently.

"Yeah?" Christian asked.

"I need to take a detour—or rather, we do since I can't go anywhere without you. We need to go to the church."

Church. Lissa had mentioned something… He tilted his head, searching his mind.

"What, you need to confess something?" Christian tried to make it a joke, but his voice betrayed his confusion.

"Don't ask questions. Please. It'll only take a few minutes."

Concern crossed Lissa's face. "Well, we can all go—"

He watched Rose's aura shoot out a burst of dismay. Hmmm… She didn't want Lissa along. Why?

"No, we'll be fast." She said. "Go to the dorm. We'll catch up. Please, Christian?"

Christian studied her, for a moment. "Okay, but if you try to get me to pray with you, I walk."

They left without another word, leaving Lissa to stare after them, hurt and confusion flickering around her like colorful fireflies.

Adrian walked closer to her, watching as Eddie scanned the area, all his attention focused on their surroundings. The kid was going to be an excellent guardian. Once Rose and Christian were out of earshot, he leaned closer to her. "Cousin, what was it you told me about Rose and the chapel? Not about the community service… There was something before that—" He broke off, hoping she'd fill the blank spots in his memory.

Lissa chewed at her bottom lip, her face thoughtful. "Um… I don't really remember—" She broke off, staring into the distance, lost in thought. "Wait—that's how we learned about spirit. She read about it, in some book Father Andrew gave her. Is that what you mean?"

"What was the book about?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Saint Vladimir and his bond-mate Anna."

He nodded, his face thoughtful. "I'll catch up with you later, Lissa. I just remembered something I was supposed to do."

"You too?"

"Sorry." He started to turn, then stopped, staring at the ground. "Lissa, would you do something for me?"

She studied him, searching, perhaps for a clue as to what he would request. It would shock her, when he asked, but he had to do it. After a moment, she smiled.

"Of course. As long as it's not something—"

He cut her off. "The next time Rose and I are talking…" God, this was embarrassing. "Would you try to see our auras? To see how they react to one another? To see if she…" He faltered, not sure how to continue.

She reached over, pulling him into a friendly embrace. "Sure, but I can't make any promises. You know I can't always see them—but I'll try."

He pulled away, knowing if anyone saw them, rumors would fly. "Thanks."

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed across the campus, towards the office of Guardian Alberta Petrov.