This was worse than any nightmare he could imagine. He sent out a probe, testing Belikov's thoughts. Grimacing, he forced himself to concentrate on breaking free. He couldn't bear this—couldn't watch it, goddamn it!

Only Adrian Ivashkov could be this unlucky. He only prayed that Belikov was a controlled as everyone claimed. Being trapped in his Russian rival's head and forced to witness the asshole being intimate with the woman they both loved would drive him off the deep end.

Unfortunately, Belikov's conscience seemed to be at its breaking point—his morals were on the verge of deserting him. The other man was, at the moment, wrestling with his high-minded virtue, attempting to conquer his rising desire to claim Rose. He wanted to join them together, body and soul, making them one in a completely physical way. The look on Rose's face as she stared up at him wasn't helping the situation.

Her brown eyes were filled with heat as her tongue snaked out, sliding across her lips, making them glisten in the dim firelight. She slid her arms up, wrapping them around Dimitri's neck, and their lips met. Steadily, the intensity of their kissing increased, moving from something sweet to something hungry and powerful.

Rose clung to him, one arm around his neck while the other hand gripped his back so hard that her nails dug in, indenting the skin, leaving tiny half-moon imprints when she moved them. Belikov laid her back down on the bed, his hands wrapping around her waist. A moment later one large hand slid down the back of her thigh, pulling it up so that it nearly wrapped around him.

Adrian was in agony. This was sheer, unmitigated torture. What the fuck had he ever done to deserve this? All he wanted to do was be with her. To help her. He wanted to rip his brain out and tear it to shreds for trapping him in this hell.

Belikov and Rose broke apart, the Russian's words filling him with a brief flare of hope.

"We can't…" he told her.

"I know," she agreed.

Then his mouth was on hers again, their bodies wrapping together as he tried to pull her coat off, then his shirt, then her shirt. …

He forced his thoughts to anything other than what was going on in that fire lit room. He threw up a wall surrounding himself, trying to block out all vision. He pulled on spirit, wanting to black out, anything to get him away from this. Because Belikov's emotions were riding him so strongly that he could feel every caress—he could taste every kiss. He heard Rose's soft cry and felt every nuance as Belikov broke through the remaining barrier, taking her as his own, stealing her from Adrian in one powerful thrust of his hips. He realized a moment later, exactly how great his loss was. Rose, for all her bawdy talk and flirtatious ways, had been pure, untouched by any man. Until now.

That knowledge filled him with rage, and the rage was what did it. He broke free of the binds that had trapped him, ripping himself out of the space inside his head, slamming back into his body. He was surprised to find himself on his knees in the forest, sobbing, being rocked in a warm, motherly embrace.

"Shhhh. It's all right Adrian. I'm here. You're fine."

"Rose… she…" His voice broke, full of tears.

Alberta held him at arms length, her face full of worry. "What about Rose? Is she…" She stopped, seeming to struggle, searching to find the right words. "Is she still… not right?"

Adrian laughed, and it sounded maniacal. "Oh, Rose is fine. Abso-fucking-lutely fantastic. You could say she's positively euphoric. Rapturous, even." He wiped at his cheeks, unable to look at her. "You sure were right about Belikov. He knew exactly what to do to help her. He has techniques I never would have thought of. I've heard of fucking someone senseless, but never—"

"WHAT?"

"You heard me." He fell back, staring up into the treetops. "Guardian Belikov just took Rose's virginity, and in the process he saved her mind."

"She's only seventeen!" Alberta whispered, horrified.

"She's legal in the state of Montana, Allie."

"Maybe you're wrong. You said your visions are wrong sometimes." She was grasping at straws, not wanting to face the truth. Adrian felt bad for telling her in such a harsh manner. She'd honestly thought Belikov would wait until Rose was an adult. Funny, he'd thought the same thing.

"It wasn't a vision. I was in his head, while it was happening. I couldn't get out." He shuddered . "I felt… It was horrible."

Her eyes widened as she processed his words, comprehending what he meant. The look on her face told him she understood and sensed the things he'd left unsaid. "Oh Adrian. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine—"

"No you can't. He took something precious—something that can never be replaced." Standing, he offered her a hand up. "Come on. I don't want to be here when they make an appearance. If I have to watch them glowing at each other, I'll puke."

They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. He was trying his damnedest not to think about how Rose had looked… How she'd sounded as Belikov penetrated her. Trying to ignore the way she'd clung to the other man, thrusting herself against him as she…

"If Janine finds out, she'll tear him apart." Alberta mumbled.

"Yeah? Well she's gonna have to get in line." He pulled out a cigarette, wishing he had something a hell of a lot stronger. Like morphine—maybe that could take away the pain of having his heart ripped in two.

Deep inside, he knew that it wouldn't help a bit. Nothing could take away the anguish of his broken heart. Nothing at all.

Lissa had been taken to the clinic. Christian was pacing outside, an anxious expression on his face. When he saw Adrian approaching, his face darkened.

"You used compulsion on me again you son of a—"

"Not now, Lord Ozera!" Alberta stepped between them, her normally expressionless face angry. Once again, she appeared to be in mother bear mode, only this time, Adrian was the cub she was protecting. "Settle your differences later. Lord Ivashkov has had… a bad experience."

Christian's eyes widened, shocked by the woman's loss of control. He stared between the two of them, his expression slipping to one of worry. "What happened? Where's Rose?"

"We're not sure what happened. I need to speak with the princess. The sooner I do that, the sooner we'll have answers." She looked over at Adrian, her eyes filled with concern. "Will you be all right?"

He nodded, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "Yeah. Thanks Allie. You're a good friend."

Giving him a sad smile, she pulled away, brushing past Christian on her way to the door. The boy reached out, stopping her.

"They won't let me see her. Will you... Will you give this to her?" Holding out a small slip of folded paper, he seemed to hold his breath, waiting for her to take it.

"Certainly, Lord Ozera. You should both return to your rooms. As soon as I know something, I'll notify you."

Adrian watched her enter the clinic, admiring the way she straightened, becoming a model guardian. There was no sign of the woman who'd comforted him in the forest, and he was glad of that fact. Right now, she needed to be strong. In spite of what happened between Rose and Belikov, they both had bigger problems to deal with. The feeling of impending doom was still with him, taunting him. Something wicked was still lurking on the edges of his subconscious, and it would be making itself known soon. He just hoped that whatever it was, Belikov was still with Rose when it appeared, protecting her.

"What happened?"

He glanced at Ozera, wondering how much he should say. "Something happened to Lissa—before you ask, I don't know what. Whatever it was, she pulled on so much spirit I could see her aura from where we were, hovering over the trees. I think she was using… compulsion. Tons of it. She couldn't control the spirit, and it took her over."

Christian paled. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"The madness took her mind. Rose drained it away, through the bond, and it made her go insane." He lit another cigarette. "Mind you, this is all just a hypothesis. Until I talk more to Lissa, I can't say for sure. From the little she told me though, I think I'm right. Whatever Jesse Zeklos did to Lissa, it made Rose want to kill him. She almost did in fact."

"Where's Rose?" Ozera's voice had a frantic sound to it, one that Adrian had never thought the boy would use where Rose was concerned. He was worried about her.

"Belikov rode in like a knight in shining armor, riding on a white fucking horse to save the day." He stared up at the sky, lost in his mind as the images swarmed him. He heard the haunting, manic lilt in his voice, and felt a momentary twinge of worry. What would he say? What would he disclose? Did it even matter now? "He carried her away and drove the darkness out of her."

Christian stared at him, confusion furrowing his brow. "Spit it out Adrian. I don't want any fucking riddles. I thought you couldn't get rid of spirit induced madness—you always use that as an excuse for your drinking. Is Rose ok? How did he—"

"Rose is fine," he said, cutting him off. "As for how Belikov did it… well, that's easy. He used his dick."