The dangerous look in Ozera's icy blue eyes warned Adrian he'd said something… inappropriate. Hells bells, he'd done it again.

"Take it back. Now!"

"I might, if I knew exactly what it was I'd said that was so offensive."

A large flame appeared in Christian's hand as he scowled. "You inferred Rose was fucking her mentor."

Uh oh.

"Sorry man. Spirit is getting to me today—I need a drink."

Thankfully, that seemed to mollify him. After one more piercing glare, he stalked off towards the Moroi dorms. Adrian waited until he was out of sight, then turned around, returning to the clinic. If the fact he was the only other spirit user on campus didn't get him through the door, he'd pull rank.

After all, he was Adrian Ivashkov—the queen's favorite great-nephew. The rules didn't apply to him, and everyone damn well knew it.

He knew how to work the system in his favor. Within minutes he was at Lissa's bedside, watching as she read Ozera's note, a small smile playing across her face.

"Good news?" He asked sarcastically. If Lissa was concerned about Rose's condition, she was doing a damn fine job of hiding it. He felt a slow, steady burn as he watched the blonde princess, wondering how anyone could be so self-centered.

"I can't believe they wouldn't let Christian in. They wouldn't even let Eddie in, and I'm his Moroi for field training. How did you manage to get past the front door?" She ignored his question, carefully refolding the note and tucking it away in her pocket.

A sound of disgust escaped him before he could contain it. Lissa raised a pale eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know Lissa. Could it be that someone's missing from this little get together?" He struggled to keep his tone civil. "The fact your upset over Ozera's banishment is quite touching, but shouldn't you be more concerned about someone else right now?"

She chewed on her lip, confusion evident on her pretty face. He ran his hands through his hair, mentally counting to one hundred. Screaming at her wouldn't help the situation. She seemed absolutely clueless as to what—or whom—he was referring to.

"Rose. I take you haven't noticed she isn't here kicking the door down to reach your side?"

"I thought they had taken her… She was out of control. I…" Her eyes widened, a blush racing across her pale cheeks. "Oh my God. I'm a horrible friend. How is she?"

"I wouldn't know. Belikov carted her off to calm her down."

"She just snapped. One minute she was fine and the next—"

Adrian leaned forward, his emerald eyes like lasers. "She didn't snap and you know it. Quit trying to kid yourself, cousin! You fucking lost control of spirit and went off the deep end. She saved your mind, risking her own in the goddamned process."

Lissa's eyes pooled with tears. "I… Adrian, I don't remem—"

He laughed, cutting her off. "What a conveniently selective memory you have, Vasilisa. Your best friend pulled the darkness from you, going insane in the process, and you don't remember anything other than the fact she flipped out."

"It's not like that! I remember Jesse and the others doing horrible things to me. I remember Rose talking to me, telling me…" She broke off, staring past him. "Telling me to give it to her. You're right."

Dr. Olendzki chose that moment to reappear, effectively ending their discussion. After a thorough re-check of Lissa's vitals, the doctor declared she was free to return to her dorm. Castille trailed after them in silence—he seemed to be a bit pissed that Adrian had been allowed entry into Lissa's room while he'd been ordered to remain outside in the corridor. Rolling his eyes at the sour expression on the young dhampir's face, Adrian let his mind wander, trying to determine the best way to resume their aborted conversation. Half way across the quad he decided to just dive right in—there was no point in tiptoeing around the issue.

"I know you probably have plans with lover boy, but if you could spare an hour or so, I need to look over your notes on spirit."

Lissa shot a him a quizzical glance. "Why don't you use your own?"

"Can't find them." He grinned at her, raising an eyebrow at the incredulous expression on her face. "Sorry, last time I was reviewing them I had a few drinks and… misplaced them."

"Fine, but I do have to meet Christian—he'll be worried about what happened."

Adrian bit his tongue, on the verge of making an ugly comment about her priorities. Hell, he was worried too—about Rose. "Thanks."

She caught the sarcasm. Damn, he thought he'd hidden it rather well. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Anything that covers dealing with spirits darkness. It would be nice if someone other than Belikov had the ability to help Rose out when she needed it."

Her eyes flicked over at him and she stopped in her tracks, staring at him. She stared at the air around him, her eyes widening as her lips twitched. She bit down on them, but couldn't hide a smile. He narrowed his eyes, irritated by her obvious amusement.

"Mind telling me what's so fucking funny about Rose losing her mind?"

His comment sobered her immediately. "Sorry—it's just… your jealous."

"No. I'm not."

"I can see it in your aura Adrian. You're jealous. For Gods sakes, Guardian Belikov is her mentor."

He struggled not to blurt out everything he knew about the relationship between Rose and her cradle robber, knowing his little dhampir would never forgive him if he let the truth slip. Unfortunately, something in his aura peaked Lissa's curiosity.

"What does the blue gray mean? It's so dark it's almost black." She tilted her head, an appraising expression on her face. "Rose… No, that makes it pink. Guardian Belikov…" Her flicked to his, narrowing. "It's hatred, isn't it? You hate him. Why?"

"I don't hate him, I just don't particularly care for the man, cousin."

"Lie."

He ran his hands through his hair, nervous. He was usually the one with the inside knowledge about what others were feeling—he didn't enjoy being on the flip side. Fuck. How was he going to avoid this? If she lucked out and stumbled upon the right question… That would blow Rose's little romance right out of the water. Not that Lissa would mind per say—but she'd probably be pissed beyond words that Rose had failed to confide in her. Smirking, he simply shook his head, refusing to answer as he pulled on spirit, attempting to cloak his aura from her sight.

It didn't work. Worse, she could sense what he'd been trying to do, and it peaked her curiosity even more.

"What are you trying to hide Adrian?" She crossed her arms, glaring daggers at him. "There's something going on, and I want to know what it is. Now."

"Nothing Liss. I just really think we should—"

Lissa interrupted him, smiling a deviously sweet smile. "Is it about Rose?"

He stared at the bridge of her nose, right between her eyes, concentrating on anything but the question she'd asked. "No."

"Lie." She smirked, her expression looking eerily similar to the one he usual wore. " Is it about Rose and Guardian Belikov?"

Fuck.

"Lissa, I told you—" he broke off, his eyes glazing over as he was pulled into the blackness inside his head. A familiarly accented voice was calling out, a phrase he'd heard in his dreams.

"Tell them buria."

"Buria. Buria. Buria. Buria. Buria."

The word kept echoing in his head like a broken record. He snapped back into consciousness staring into Lissa's concerned eyes. Grabbing her elbow, he rushed her towards her dorm, ignoring the sounds of protest she and Castille were making. He didn't understand why the Russian word made every hair on his body stand at attention—but he did know he'd heard Belikov say it in his visions, just as clearly as he'd heard the man's voice running through his mind a moment before. The bad thing that had been lingering in the air was about to hit, and Adrian wanted them inside, with four strong walls protecting them when the buria rolled in.