Hello my lovely readers, sorry for the long delay! thank you so much for sticking with me and i will promise that i will try to update more, i have just only gone back to school after having 2 weeks off to 'catch up my school work'. i have been neglecting all of my stories recently and i will promise to update more because i have the assistance of my lovely friend (who want only her enicials displayed) S.J.R... we are starting to write yet another story and my bin is full of scrap paper trying to write more for you guys:D thank you once again for sticking with me through this! my heart goes out to the peole in Japan, New Zealand, flood devastated North Queensland and anyother disaster zones. if you guy have any chance it would be amazing if you could donate anything to these people as they need all the help they can get!
love you guys!
Shannen xox
Colaborated with S.J.R (even though i wrote this chapter all by myself MWAHAHAHAA!)
Disclaimer: The wonderful, amazing, spectacular Richelle mead owns all the characters and i just own the quirkyness of my plot...
Dimitri POV
His long, charming fingers wound around Rose's wrist and I clenched my hand into a fist under the table. Ever since we first got here, Jackson has been flirting shamelessly with Rose and Rose has been flirting back. Did last night mean nothing to her? Sure, I falsely mistook Adrian for her boyfriend, but that doesn't mean I don't care strongly for her. He touched her, he touched my Rose. This was getting to be too much so when he made completely unfunny jibes at Guardian Hathaway when she left the room, I slapped him over the back of the head. Jackson and I used to be best friends, almost like brothers, but he was flirting with my Rose and being rude behind her mother's back, that was not on. My anger sky rocketed when they were staring at each other and Jackson had his hand around her wrist.
"Jackson. I need to talk to you in the hallway." I stormed out of the room, not sparing a second look at Rose otherwise I would lose all my anger at Jackson and lose my nerve. I angrily paced along the hallway until Jackson appeared, closing the door behind him.
"What's up, Dimitri?" he asked, casually strolling over to me, hands shoved deep in his jean pockets.
"Don't 'what's up' me! You know exactly what you were doing back there!" I whispered harshly and pointed at the dining room.
"So what? She is your student, not your girlfriend or your possession." He replied, leaning towards me.
"No, she isn't, but I am her mentor! I am here to protect her! Especially from creeps like you!"
"Oh my fucking god! She isn't a child, Dimitri! You are her mentor! Not her boyfriend! She can flirt with and potentially date whoever she wants! It has nothing to do with you!" he yelled in a hushed whisper.
"It has everything to do with me! Keep your hands off of Rose!" I yelled this time. My hands were in fists at my side. I wanted so badly to punch this guy, who was once my best friend. I wanted to mess up his pretty face. The door flew open and slammed against the wall. Rose stood in the doorway, face bright red with anger and she stormed out of the lodge.
"This is your fault!" I yelled at Jackson and followed Rose outside.
Rose POV
I can't believe them! They were arguing over me! I normally would have been flattered if I wasn't so angry. But they were being so fucking childish! This was the man who continually gave me those stupid life lessons like, 'keep calm Rose, anger will get you no where.' This is coming from the guy who was standing toe to toe with his best friend, about to smash his face in. I don't doubt that Jackson would have put up a good fight but my godly god would have kicked his arse. I followed them and looked through the gap in the door, only to see them in each others faces, hissing about me. I had to intervene otherwise someone would have ended up with a broken nose. I heard Dimitri yell-which happened to be the exact same words I had yelled at Adrian only a day ago- 'this is all your fault'. His heavy footfalls sounded as he ran after me. My heart quickened and I ran faster. I knew I had no hope because his legs were longer. A firm hand grasped my upper arm.
"What?" I yelled, spinning around to yell at Dimitri. He looked taken aback by my furious expression. His eyes were soft and loving and part of me knew I was overreacting but I couldn't help it, I was just so furious. I wonder what my aura looked like now.
"Rose, I-"
"No, Dimitri! I don't want to hear it!" I yelled yanking my arm from his grip. I could see the shock and hurt all over his face. I wanted to reach out and let him know that everything was okay, but he was being childish so I would return the favour. Another angry retort was about to escape my mouth when Dimitri's lips crashed into mine. He angrily fisted my hair in his and held my face to his. My back slammed against a tall oak and my legs wound around his waist, using the tree as leverage. My hands clutched desperately at the back of his shirt and he pulled away from me.
"What the fuck is your problem?" I screamed, pushing him away roughly, my anger overtaking the earlier passion.
"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" I pushed away form the tree and ran towards my cabin. My legs pumped harder underneath me as I bound up the stairs and threw open the door. The door slammed closed behind me and the light in the corner had me on immediate alert.
"Hathaway." Courtney sneered at my obvious discomfort.
"Bitch," I replied and threw myself into the spare bed opposite hers. I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. I decided to check on Lissa in attempt to dull my anger. I doubted it would work, to my surprise she was with Adrian. Christian, Eddie and Mason were there too but they weren't paying any attention, probably due to the fact that they were playing Halo on Adrian's Xbox. Mason wads sitting on the couch, giving loud advice which sounded more like demands.
"Go right! No my right! Why did you go right? I said left!" Lissa rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Adrian and of course they were discussing their favourite subject… Me.
'So, any news from Rose?" she asked.
"Yep."
"And?" she said questioningly.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes."
"She yelled at me."
"Why?
"How should I know? She's almost as crazy as me! All she said was 'it's all your fault'." He said trying to mimic my voice. He failed miserably.
"I'm really worried about her.' Lissa said, although I couldn't see her face I could tell she was frowning. I scowled.
"Same." Adrian sighed. Christian, hearing them, paused the game, ignoring the roars of protest from both Mason and Eddie. He looked over the back of the couch and touched Lissa's hand.
"Guys, this is Rose you're talking about. She'll be fine." Adrian only rolled his eyes. I was getting sick of this conversation. Apparently, so was Adrian. He stood and said he was going to bed now.
"Already? You're such a big sook." Christian said raising his eyebrows at Adrian. "Don't you have a reputation to uphold?" Lissa walked over and lightly whacked Christian on the arm, while Adrian smirked.
"I never said I was going to sleep." Adrian said, still smirking. "You children have fun with your little game though." Christian glared at Adrian while he laughed and walked out. I pulled out of Lissa's head, feeling only slightly less angry, but pissed off because they were discussing me. The lights were off and Courtney was snoring, loudly might I add. Great! I was tired and eventually drifted off to sleep. I fell straight into a spirit dream. Adrian had put me into a pair of rolled up jeans and a black tank top. The water washed gently up my calves and splashed the bottom of my pants.
"Are you okay little Dhamphir?" Adrian asked putting a soft hand on my bare shoulder. I turned around and burst into tears.
"No. Adrian, I think I'm going insane." I said looking up into his green eyes. He looked pained by my distressed expression. His arms gently pulled me to his chest and I sobbed.
"You aren't going insane, Rose. There is just a lot going on and Lissa's darkness is getting to you. I will tell her to stop using her magic or at least lower her usage because if she knew how much it was hurting you, she would stop instantly." He mumbled rubbing soothing circles on my back. He stepped away slightly so he could see my face and wiped my tears away with his thumb. I tried to smile at him but failed. He laughed and hugged me again. This time I returned his hug and laughed with him.
"Thank you Adrian." I said and kicked some water at him. I laughed and ran away up the beach.
"See you soon little Dhamphir." Adrian said and waved. Before I could say good bye he was gone. The spirit dream faded into black and I woke up a little later. The front door slammed against the wall and a torch shone in my eyes.
"Come on! Get up ladies!" a male voice said as he tore of the covers. The freezing air blew in from the door and I rolled out of bed, onto the floor.
"Ow" I groaned and rubbed my knees. I got up off the floor and the man with the torch left, turning the light on as he went. Stumbling over to my bag, I tore out a pair of black shorts and a red exercise bra. I threw on a jumper over the top and pulled on my sneakers. I left my hair out and it hung beneath my shoulders. I jogged down to the lodge, passing other weary eyed Dhamphirs on my way. Many called out to me and said good morning, I waved in response and kept jogging. When I got to the lodge it was full with mentors and instructors.
"Come on in and have a seat, Rose." Jackson said cheerily, not show any sign that last nights' incident had affected him. Dimitri stood in the far corner, looking at the ground and as soon as my name was mentioned he looked up. I smiled weakly at everyone except him and sat in an arm chair on the other side of the room. He looked like he was going to move towards me but other male Dhamphirs my age got to me first. The room filled quickly and the talk and laughter got louder. It appeared to me, from when I was talking to the other Dhamphirs that no one else knew what was going on either. A few guardians walked around the room and handed out plastic stakes with red lights on the end. I tested the weight before I threaded it through the belt loop in my shorts. A female Guardian rose her voice over the loud chatter and told us that there were many surprises in store for us today. A small door on the left opened and about 20 Moroi, all around the same age as us, walked through the door. A couple of older Moroi followed the younger ones and that's when I saw him. Adrian. We must have spotted each other at the same time because his confusion mirrored mine. He strode across the room, grinning widely.
"What're you doin' here Lil' Dhamphir?" he asked pulling me into a tight hug. I looked over his shoulder and saw Dimitri scowling at Adrian's back. Great, another reason for him to be jealous. I wasn't going to let his childishness interfere with my happy moment. I needed a happy face and anyone would do, even if it was Adrian. The female instructor marched across the room at the sight of our embrace.
"You aren't supposed to be talking to the Moroi, Ms Hathaway." She said eyeing Adrian's arm around my waist. I had no clue how she knew my name; it was kind of creepy actually. Adrian leant over, still keeping his arm around my waist, and whispered something into her ear. Her hard, guardian mask softened and turned motherly.
"Alright, Lord Ivashkov, you have two minutes." She gave me a sorrowful smile. As she left, I smiled at Adrian.
"What did you say to her?"
"Does it matter? Now I have time to talk to you." He chuckled.
"Thanks for last night Ivashkov." I smiled squeezing his arm gently. Unfortunately, we had an unwanted listener; or two.
"Last night?" Jackson stated, puzzled.
"What about last night?" Dimitri asked, as he walked into our once private conversation.
"How could you have seen or even talked to her last night? Cell phones don't even work out here and you weren't even here yet." Jackson scratched his head, trying to piece together the puzzle that is Adrian.
"Anyway, I'm gonna go and sit down." I stood on my tip-toes, kissed Adrian on the cheek and squeezed his upper arm gently. The look of extreme jealousy on both Dimitri's and Jackson's faces was hilarious and Adrian just looked confused. Adrian followed me quickly and plonked himself down on the couch next to me, slinging his arm over my shoulder.
"What's going on?" he whispered into my ear. I looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"Adrian, are you sober?" astonishment clear in my voice.
"Yes little Dhamphir, is that so hard to believe?"
"Ah… Yeah it is actually."
"I'm insulted.' He said, but he was grinning so I knew he wasn't serious. I leant my head on his shoulder and laughed. I could see Courtney looking at Adrian from the other side of the room. She fluffed her hair out, straightened her clothes and strode across the room, making sure everything bounced as she walked.
"Hey Hathaway," she said, fakely, "Who's this?" she flashed her perfect teeth and pushed her chest out. Slut. I smiled sweetly and clasped Adrian's hand.
"This is Adrian Ivashkov. My fiancé." I squeezed his hand. Courtney's jaw hit the ground and we burst out laughing. She huffed angrily and stormed off.
"Maybe I was wrong about the crazy thing, Rose." I stopped laughing instantly and looked at him, shocked.
"You're definitely getting meaner." Adrian stated appreciatively. I smacked him on the arm and started laughing. I had no idea what me being mean had to do with insanity but I just let it go. I surveyed the room and saw the looks of jealousy hadn't disappeared from either Dimitri or Jackson's faces. Instead it had increased. My mother stood to the left of our small congregation and her eyes zoned in on mine and Adrian's intertwined hands. I went to pull away from him but he held on defiantly. I rolled my eyes and turned to talk to another Dhamphir sitting nearby. Mum turned to talk to another Guardian, still keeping her hawk-like sight glued on me. She then walked over to stand behind a small podium up the front.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention this way please." She waved her small arms to get everyone's attention. Adrian thought he was funny and traced his forefinger up and down the back of my neck making me shiver. Dimitri, Jackson and my mother all scowled and continued what they were doing.
"I bet you are all wondering what is going on." She continued. A murmur of agreement ran through the crowd.
"Well basically, you've all been 'volunteered' by someone, may that be a parent, a guardian from your school or a teacher, to participate in an extra training exercise. What's going to happen is you're all going to go out into the woods that surround the lodge, with your mentors. Moroi, you will also go out into the woods to play the 'victim'. There will be guardians dressed as Strigoi. They will be wearing all black and will have a red 's' on their chest and back. Novice Dhamphirs, your job will be to 'rescue' the Moroi form the Strigoi and get them to a selected point. If you 'die' you fail. If your assigned Moroi 'dies' you fail. Kill the 'Strigoi', protect the Moroi and get them to the point alive, you get the point. Yes, we are aware that you have done similar exercises like this in the past but this is a whole new ball game. Now go and find your mentors and check the board to see the where you will need to get the Moroi to. While you are there also check which Moroi you are assigned to protect. GO!" she finished clapping her hands together. For such a small woman, she had such a loud voice. I raced Adrian to the board and saw his name next to mine. I high-fived him and did a happy dance.
"Moroi, if you please, go and hide in the close vicinity. Dhamphirs, go and meet up with your mentors, they have the map of where you need to get to… Alive! If you die, radio in and we'll come and get you. Remember, don't hold back, and just pretend that it's real." She handed us all a radio and left, no doubt to go and change. Her red curls bounced as she left. I walked slowly over to where Dimitri stood in silence.
"So… I guess we're partners' comrade," affection flashed in his eyes and he opened the map. I smiled to myself. NO! I refuse to forgive him for being a childish idiot. Oh well, I'll end up forgiving him anyway… as always. We browsed the map quickly and I went to get changed. I changed my red exercise bra to a black fitting tank top and put on my training belt. It had loops for the stake and a couple of spares in which I could put the radio. I sprinted to the lodge and reached Dimitri, completely breathless. Everyone was with their mentors, discussing their attack plan. Dimitri and I decided to try the near and far strategy, once we actually found Adrian. Knowing him he will be standing in plain sight, pretending to be a tree. We set off quickly and scouted the area. The tension between Dimitri and I was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Shortly into the task I heard my name called from up high. I looked into the tree and saw two long legs hanging down. Shaking my head, I pointed up at Adrian. Dimitri shook his head in what looked like disgust but I knew it was something deeper than that. Adrian swung out of the tree and landed next to me.
"Hey little dhamphir." He said, slinging his arm around my shoulders. I rolled my eyes when he kissed the crown of my head. We began to walk in the direction of the place we were meeting everyone.
"Little Dhamphir?"
"Yes Adrian?"
"Why is there someone behind that tree?" my eyes snapped in the direction he was looking and pushed Adrian behind me. I yanked my stake out and prepared myself for the oncoming attack. A rather tall male jumped out from behind the tree and headed straight for me. His large fist struck my jaw and knocked me to the ground leaving Adrian unprotected. I tangle my legs with the 'strigoi's' and pulled him to the ground. My arm snaked through the tangled limbs and hit the 's' on his chest. The light on the bottom of the stake lit up and startled me.
"incoming." I heard Adrian say before I heard Dimitri move into action. Shortly after I saw Dimitri's light up. I smiled at my dead 'Strigoi' and went to stand in front of Adrian.
"Well done guys, keep on your toes. Almost had you." My once dead Strigoi stated and sprinted into the woods. I sighed and started walking again. Adrian skipped up to me and threaded his arm through mine.
"we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz!" he sung as he skipped.
"Adrian, I thought you said you were sober?"
"do you seriously think that I didn't bring any alcohol with me?"
"but you promised." I pleaded.
"when did I promise anything?" he asked me laughing. He knocked my legs out from underneath me and picked me up. his strength surprised me and a small squeak of surprise told him so.
"I am iron man babe!" he roared as he skipped. I heard Dimitri groan behind us and I flushed. Adrian winked at me and I knew this was all part of his plan. As usual, Adrian knew exactly what was going on, even without me telling him. He plonked me back on my feet and pointed to a tree just in front of us. I looked at Dimitri and he nodded. We were obviously thinking the same thing. Adrian and I kept walking and we were underneath the tree Adrian had pointed to. A male dropped out of the tree landing on my shoulders as I pushed Adrian out of the way. I was on the ground and I smiled at the strigoi that was on my chest. I pointed behind him and he turned to see Dimitri with stake poised over his chest. The 'strigoi' rolled backwards, knocking Dimitri's legs out from under him. instantly I recognised who he was. It was Jackson. Adrian was sitting on a nearby rock with his legs crossed.
"Woo! Now I know why you Dhamphirs like fighting each other so much! this is fun!" he clapped his hands like a child at the zoo and I sprinted over to help Dimitri. Dimitri and Jackson were stuck in an awkward embrace. The next thing I knew, I saw Dimitri's stake go flying into the woods somewhere and Jackson had him pinned on the ground. I leaped onto his back and swiftly stabbed him in the chest.
"Sorry Jackson." I whispered into his ear so that only he could hear. He fell over and 'died' dramatically, choking and spluttering. I laughed and saw Dimitri storm off to find his stake. I helped Jackson up and he hugged me tightly before running off in the opposite direction Dimitri went.
"Looks like I have some competition, my fiancé.' Adrian chuckled.
"Ha ha ha!' I laughed sarcastically.
"If I was Dimitri, I would be pretty jealous." I glared at Adrian.
"There's nothing going on with me and Dimitri." I growled. How did he know?
"Whatever you say." Only seconds later, Dimitri came into the clearing with his stake in his hand. The clouds above our heads turned grey and thunder rumbled through the stillness of the woods.
"let's get going." Dimitri murmured and stormed ahead. I guess I was the far guard now. I shrugged my shoulders and motioned for Adrian to go up with Dimitri. We walked through a couple more clearings and into a big patch of trees.
"Uh oh, ah Rose-" Adrian said shakily
"did you just call me Rose?"
"shut up and listen to me. there are 15 strigoi hiding in this area."
"DIMITRI!" I yelled and he screeched to a halt. I motioned the number 15 with my fingers and his eyes widened. He was at my side instantly and Adrian was between us. My eyes raked across the apparently empty space and caught a glimpse of something red. Four strigoi sprung at us from different angles. I took down three straight away and Adrian head butted the other one. This made me smile as he swayed on his feet. Dimitri was going around the back and I saw a little red light flash every now and then from within a clump of trees. He ran back to me and told me that he had taken down four. I sighed there were seven left. A dark figure sped at me and his fist made contact with my jaw. It was already sore from when I got hit before. What is with these people and hitting me in the jaw! I groaned and kneed him in the groin. Yes I know it was a low blow but I couldn't think of anything else. My opponent doubled over in pain and I staked him.
"Sorry bud." I patted him on the shoulder. A small petite stigoi came running at me from the darkness. I assumed it was a woman from her figure but, jeez, she could fight! My muscles burnt as we fought. Her black hair cover slipped and a red curl fell out.
"Mum?" I saw her smile before her foot made contact with my shoulder. I staggered, extremely shocked my mother would hit me and I caught sight of Adrian surrounded by strigoi. I cursed under my breath and raced over to the crowd. My stake went absolutely psycho and I stabbed all four, which left 3 for Dimitri who was standing a fair way away from Adrian. Small black dots appeared in front of my eyes and my legs turned to jelly. I saw the ground coming towards and a strong pair of hands caught me, preventing me from hitting the ground. Whoever caught me had a familiar smell but I wasn't sure who had me. I tried to move but I didn't have enough energy to lift my arms. A soft hand brushed my hair from my face and my mother's voice appeared in front of me.
"Why the hell weren't you helping her, Belikov?" she yelled over her shoulder. I wanted to tell her to shut up and stop worrying because I was fine but I couldn't vocalise it.
"Delacey, could you please take Rose to the camp site? Lord Ivashkov stay with me and I'll take you back." I saw Adrian nod and the whole world spun. I groaned and slumped my head against Jackson's shoulder and closed my eyes.
"See you later Little dhamphir." Adrian whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I smiled weakly at him and I just blacked out.
Jackson POV
Janine, or Guardian Hathaway like she is usually called, told us how we were going to execute the attack upon the students and mentors and we were to duplicate them in exactly the same way every time. There about fifteen of us about to attack these poor buggers and I honestly felt sorry for them. There was a young girl and a guy who was a bit older. I didn't recognise either of them because the girl was bleeding from her hairline slightly and both were covered in mud. Probably a poor attempt at camouflage. As we got closer, I realised that these people were Rose and Dimitri. Rose was kicking and stabbing everywhere. Janine ran in and started to fight Rose. This should be interesting, come one, come all! see mother versus daughter! Dimitri, the moron, was just standing a bit away from the Moroi looking like a complete douche. I felt like walking over there and saying 'dude! Get off of your lazy arse and help her!' but the next thing I saw, she had staked 4 with excellent precision and she was falling to the ground. I ran to her and caught her before she hit the ground. Janine ran over and brushed Rose's hair out of her face. Rose fit nicely into my arms and I looked at Dimitri. Janine was yelling at him and he just looked like a naughty child being chastised. Rose's head hit my shoulder and she looked like she was going to chuck. I was ordered to take her back to the camp site. Her head rolled back and was hanging over my arm. I balanced her weight on my knee and checked her pulse. Her tanned skin was clammy but her pulse was strong. I quickly got her back to the four wheel drive that we had nearby in case of emergency. As we drove, Rose groaned and a small trickle of blood streaked down her forehead. As soon as I pulled in, multiple guardians ran to help. I opened the tent and placed her gently on the fold-out bed. Her hair clung to her damp skin so I got a cool cloth and cleaned her exposed skin gently. I was so angry at Dimitri. He just stood there like a stale bottle of piss! What was his problem? I didn't know but I was going to find out.
"Belikov! Where have you been? Hathaway has been here for ages!" I heard footsteps run towards the tent and the door flew open. His eyes widened with shock and he just stood there.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked, standing up. his eyes slid from Rose's unconscious form to me.
"You heard me! What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yelled, "you just stood there and let a student do all the work. I couldn't even take down fifteen of us without help as well as protect a Moroi!"
"I- I just froze…" he muttered and looked at the floor.
"Are you kidding me? You just 'froze'?" I chuckled. I clenched my hands into fists at my side. I swear, I was going to leap over this bed and punch some sense into the idiotic moron. A soft hand weakly clasped mine and I jumped. I looked down to see deep worry lines between Rose's eyebrows.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked sitting down again.
"Like shit that just got kicked around a football field." She laughed weakly. I smiled at her and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. I loved her hair, it was so damn beautiful. She looked around and saw Dimitri standing at the door. She appeared quite shocked, as if she thought he wouldn't be here. To be honest I was shocked that he was. I handed her a bag of cheetos.
"Oh my god! You are my saviour!" she exclaimed and tore open the foil packet. She sighed with pleasure as she popped the first one into her mouth.
"I think it's time you left Dimitri." I said glaring at him. He gave a half nod and left the tent. I turned back to Rose only to see her glaring at me.
"What?" I asked, smiling.
"What is going on with you two? When we got here, you two were best friends and now whenever you are near each other you act as if you want to tear each other's heads off." Her expression turned distressed again and I smoothed the lines between her eyebrows with my thumb. I left my hand on her cheek and sighed. I really wanted to tell her but I was afraid she would reject me.
"Well, it's kinda complicated."
"It's me isn't it." she said it as more of a statement than a question. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. I ran to her side and put my hand on her back.
"I'm fine." She said brushing me off and walking out of the tent. I stood there with my arms limply by my sides.
Rose POV
I walked around the campsite aimlessly. I just needed to get out of that tent. There wasn't anything wrong with me and I didn't need to babied. I could look after myself. A familiar scent of cloves hit me in the face and I turned to see Adrian around the corner smoking one of his clove cigarettes.
"They're gonna kill you one day, you know?" I crossed my arms and attempted to raise an eyebrow. Adrian's eyes snapped open and he dropped the cigarette.
"Rose!" he cried and wrapped his arms around me.
"Rose? Who is this Rose person? She sounds amazing, we must meet…" I said returning his hug. Adrian chuckled and squeezed me tighter.
"you don't have amnesia do you? Oh no! She has amnesia! My life is over!" he exclaimed dramatically.
"you're an idiot."
"I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered into my hair, turning all serious. I looked into his green eyes and a solitary tear escaped. A sad smile stretched his lips and I wiped away the tear, leaving my hand on his cheek. He sighed and leant into it. Adrian was my friend and I felt bad for putting him through this much stress.
"You tried to heal me, didn't you?" He opened his eyes slowly and grimaced.
"Why? I was fine."
"Ah news flash, you weren't fine… far from it. Nobody saw me do it so what is the problem?"
"Thank you." I smiled and kissed him gently. He froze under my hands and I chuckled.
"See you later Ivashkov." I turned and walked back around the corner. A pair of hands grabbed my hips and pulled me around the corner. Adrian slammed his lips to mine and pinned me against the wall. My hands travelled to his neck and our bodies molded into one. His desperate hands clutched the back of my shirt and pulled me closer, if it was possible.
"That was uncalled for Little Dhamphir." He growled in my ear. I chuckled and kissed him again. Why was I doing this? I love Dimitri. I think. My hands explored his hair and Adrian placed one hand against the wall next to my head.
"Are you sure this is what you want Little Dhamphir?" Adrian leant his forehead against mine and we were both gasping for air. i pushed his chest gently so I could get out from underneath him.
"No Adrian, I'm not sure what I want, but as soon as I figure it out I will let you know." I ran my fingers through his hair once more and walked away. I can't believe I just did that. I need a drink. I ran over to the small clump of trees and there was a small creek running through them. I followed the stream down to a large lake. The water felt absolutely amazing and I just jumped in completely clothed. The cool water cooled my skin, still burning from Adrian's touch. I peeled off my wet shirt, shorts and shoes and threw them on the bank. Floating in the water I felt a pair of eyes on my. My eyes quickly glanced around to see Dimitri sitting on a rock with one of his Western books on his lap. I gasped and spun around.
"what are you doing here Dimitri?" I asked with my back to him.
"I could ask you the same thin Miss Hathaway."
"Oh don't get all formal on me, just because Jackson and my mother tore you a new arse." I said looking over my shoulder. His chocolate eyes melted my anger into a pool of regret. I knew exactly what I wanted now. I swam to the edge of the lake and stood next to Dimitri. He kept his eyes glued to the water until I touched his shoulder. His eyes slid slowly to mine, being careful not to look anywhere else. I pulled him to his feet and wrapped my arms around him. He didn't return my hug at all. Rejection, obvious on my face, I picked up my clothes and sprinted into the trees.
Dimitri POV
Guardian Hathaway spent 42 minutes exactly yelling at me and telling me that I was not fit to be her daughters mentor. All I wanted to do was go and see if Rose was okay. When she finally dismissed me, I ran all the way to the camp site and a swarm of people came up to me.
"Belikov! Where have you been? Hathaway has been here for ages!" an unfamiliar male guardian told me. I really didn't care about what he had to say. I had to get into the tent and see Roza. I ran to the tent and threw open the door. I was confronted be the scene of Rose unconscious and Jackson of all people, cleaning her up. Her forehead was bleeding and I couldn't help but feel it was my fault. I couldn't move. I had seen Rose knocked out before but this time it was my fault. The immense guilt weighed down on my shoulders.
"What is wrong with you?" Jackson spat at me. I felt like saying 'just shut the fuck up and get away from Rose!' but I didn't say things like that. He was helping her in a way she didn't need me to. Jackson looked like he was going to punch me but got scared when Rose held his hand. I think she did it to get his attention but I was still jealous. He calmed down immediately.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" he tucked a piece of her behind her ear and the jealousy inside me sky rocketed. I loved her hair, she always stressed that it would get in the way and kept wanting to cut it off. She scanned the room looking for something and saw me standing by the doorway. The immense shock on her face was kind of insulting. It was if she thought I wouldn't be there because we had an argument. Jackson pulled out a bag of chips from under the bed and she squealed.
"Oh my god! You are my saviour!"
"I think it's time you left Dimitri." Jackson said glaring at me. As far as I was concerned he could go to hell. I was here for Rose, not for him and if she wanted to me to leave then I would go. Rose didn't speak up and say no or anything so I decided it was best to follow what he said. I nodded and stormed out of the tent. I ran to my bag by the Guardian tent and pulled out my book. Maybe I could lose myself in my book for a little while. I came here as a kid and when I did I used to go to a lake that was hidden in the trees. I sat down on a rock and tried to concentrate on the words that were in front of me but all I could think of was Rose. She was probably sitting with Jackson, laughing and flirting like she had been doing for the past two days. Jackson would be loving it because he would think that he had won, but he had far from won. I was going to fight until the end for Rose. She was my Roza. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard footsteps coming through the trees. I steadied myself but I saw Rose run into the clearing. She jumped straight into the water and I was going to leave but then she took off her clothes. I found myself staring like a puppy at a ball. She floated on her back in the water, the water breaking in small waves on her skin. She jolted into an upright position and looked straight at me. My face flushed and she spun so her back was to me. Her wet hair splayed over her shoulders, revealing the bare skin of her back.
"What are you doing here Dimitri?" she asked still facing the opposite direction.
"I could ask you the same thing Miss Hathaway." I replied, trying to be polite.
"Oh don't get all formal on me, just because Jackson and my mother tore you a new arse." My hurt must have been obvious on my face because she got out of the lake and hugged me. Her wet body pressed against me and I realised she was only wearing underwear. I didn't know where to put my hands. She pulled away at me and had a look of strong rejection in her face. She picked up her clothes and ran into the nearest clump of trees. I ran after her and called out to her.
i hope you guys liked my super dooper long chapter? was it worth the wait? please please PLEASE review and tell me what you think... it make me happy and makes me want to write more. :D