– DIMITRI –

I made my way back to the dress shop nearly three hours later, hoping that the girls were done with their shopping and alterations. Lissa tended to go overboard every time there was a clothing store involved, and I relished the opportunity to bow this one out. While it wasn't a life threatening hobby for the Princess, I could tell that Rose was surprised at how devoted Lissa could be to her craft. The look she had given me right before I had left made it clear that she would have rather gone with me. I wouldn't have minded one bit.

I wasn't surprised that Lissa had asked Rose to be her bridesmaid. I had heard her lament more than once over the past few months that Rose wouldn't be there at her wedding and that it could never be complete because of that fact. Nobody could really fault her for that thought, especially since we all agreed with her. It wasn't just the wedding that was incomplete, it was our lives. Rose had a significant impact on every one of our lives – some more than others – but her absence was felt amongst us all.

No, I wasn't surprised that Lissa had asked Rose to be her bridesmaid, but I was a little surprised that she had agreed so readily. Perhaps I shouldn't have been though. Rose had always been selfless; putting others' needs, comforts, and desires behind her own. This fact was especially true when it came to Vasilisa. She would do nearly anything for her friend and bond mate, no matter the distress it caused her.

When I entered the shop, Mia was just stepping off the center platform in her pink dress. I had to wonder how Rose was handling that. Sure, Rose would have gone to the ends of the earth for Lissa, but she could have very well drawn the line at wearing a pink dress.

"Oh! Dimitri! I was just about to text you. We're just finishing up and we can head home." Lissa seemed just as energetic as when I had left, but Rose seemed a little worn down behind her. She sat on a bench apart from everyone else, her eyes on her phone and her fingers working quickly over the screen.

I went and sat beside her. "How are you doing?"

Rose jumped slightly, slipping her phone back into her pocket and turning her focus on me. "I'm fine. I never knew that something like this could be so tiring though. I've done day long rehearsal sessions that required less energy."

"I know what you mean" I confided quietly. "I can run a marathon easier than I can endure a shopping trip under Lissa. Who were you texting?" I wasn't trying to be rude or nosy, but her new life was still so unknown to me that I was constantly curious as to how she had lived in the two years that she had been missing.

"Marie. She's on break at work and wanted to check in on me. I was telling her about the upcoming wedding and how I'm actually taking part in it. She's demanding proof."

I loved the lighthearted tone in her voice when she spoke of her friend. It was so similar to how she had once spoken about Lissa, about Mason even. I knew that even though they hadn't known each other long, Marie was engrained in Rose's life and probably always would be. I was grateful that she had found a friend and confidant, but small part of me was worried whether or not those bonds could survive the difficulty of hiding such a large part of this world from Marie. I had been clear that she couldn't talk about the Moroi world, and why, and she agreed saying that she doubted anyone would believe her anyway, but there were reasons why most in our world didn't have close relationships with those outside it. I could only hope that she would be the exception to the rule.

After a few more minutes, our group was ready to return home. Mia joined out little party, claiming that she had a few more hours before her shift at the restaurant she worked at. Lissa assured us that Christian already had lunch preparations underway and it was hard to miss the sudden spring in Rose's step at Lissa's promise.

We were walking through one of the larger courtyards that separated the main business area of Court from our area of residential housing. At midday, it was fairly busy. It was prime time for much of the working population to be on their lunch breaks, and those who weren't on the clock today were hustling out and about with their own errands.

I could see some people focusing on us, and it wasn't entirely unusual. Vasilisa tended to garner some notice wherever she went. People were eager to point out the last Dragomir. Had Christian and Adrian been with us, I could practically guarantee more hidden looks. Or could I? After a moment or two, I began to see that it wasn't Lissa that they were staring at, but Rose.

Rose's disappearance had made news in the Moroi culture, especially since it surrounded the events of Mason's death and the Strigoi attacks. As horrid as everything had been, the search for Rose and the others who had disappeared from the lodge had led to discovering a network of Strigoi with plans to enact more attacks, including one that had been planned for St. Vladimir's Academy less than three months later. We had been able to capture many of those who had been leading the group and successfully derailed their plans.

Everything surrounding Rose's disappearance had put her face in the news more than once, and it wasn't entirely strange that some would recognize her. Glancing at her, I could see that she also noticed the stares but was actively trying to ignore the attention being given to her. Her eyes were firmly on the ground before her, and she never even saw the small cluster of girls heading her way.

The leader of the trio, a vaguely familiar dark haired young Moroi woman who I couldn't quite place, bumped against Rose's shoulder. I could hear a small apology from Rose, but I had no doubt that it wasn't an accident. Her next words confirmed it.

"Blood whore."

My eyes widened in surprise. I had no idea why this girl was seemingly offended by Rose's mere presence, but I was frozen by this stranger's insult.

Rose wasn't quite as immobilized. "Excuse me?"

The rest of our group stared at the drama unfolding right in front of our eyes in a breathless silence. The vulgar woman shifted her weight so that her hand was on her hip and eyed Rose as if she was nothing more than a pile of dirt that dared to be in her path.

"Can't see where you're going and you can't hear?"

Lissa's voice broke through in an indignant shriek. "Camille!"

I suddenly remembered where I had seen this young woman before. She had been an old classmate of Rose's, and one who had been a large part of spreading the blood whore rumors that had circulated shortly after I had started training Rose. Mia had been the one to start the rumors, long ago when she had been a little more than an immature and insecure teenager, but it had been Camille's influence that had really allowed those rumors to take hold among the student population.

Rose had been strong then, and she looked like she would stand strong now. She bit her lip, probably holding back a slew of insults that were at the tip of her tongue. Instead of yelling, she brushed her hair behind her ear and spoke in a disturbingly calm voice. "No, I heard you just fine. I was just giving you a chance to rethink what you said."

Camille gave a little huff.

"Come on Rose, ignore her. Let's just go." Mia tried to encourage Rose to step back, but I could see that Camille wasn't going to let Rose walk away so easily.

"Yeah, run away little blood whore, just like last time."

I could see Rose tense, moments away from turning and around and lashing out at her abuser, so I quickly placed my hand on her shoulder. I didn't grip her hard, but I was close enough to grab her if needed.

"Rose. Let it go. You can't..."

When Rose didn't immediately relax, I started pulling her away before she could make a scene. Lissa followed right behind us, rushing to keep pace as we made our way back to her place.

"What the hell, Dimitri!" Rose started yelling at me as soon as I heard the door shut behind us. "She called me a blood whore or whatever twice and you just want me to take the high road?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, you have to." I felt sick saying it, but she had to know. I wasn't sure memory loss would be a decent enough defense to excuse harming a Royal. "Camille Conta is not only Moroi, she is a royal Moroi. Physically attacking her will do nothing but get you in trouble. You could even be jailed for endangering her."

~ ROSE ~

"You're kidding me..." I couldn't believe that these people – my supposed friends from another life – were being forced to take her side, not because she was right, but because she was Moroi. She was a 'higher race and class' than me.

"I'm afraid not, Rose." Lissa's soft voice betrayed how upset she was about the situation, even though she was of the same position as that Conta girl. As a so-called Princess, she was probably even better off.

"It's a sick system" agreed Christian, coming in from the kitchen and piecing together the issue based on my rant, "but right now...that's how things are. It's racism and elitism at its worst."

"It wasn't always like this" insisted Lissa again, as if that would lessen the sting of my verbal attack. "I'm told that at one point, a long time ago, our races were considered equal. Symbiotic if you will. We had different roles in society, but both were respected. Dhampirs were active in the government and held all the same rights and privileges as the Moroi. There was still a Royal class, but politics wasn't limited to those who held a certain last name."

"Wait, you are saying that I can't even vote? What do you mean 'same rights and privileges'?"

"No. At this time, dhampirs have little to no say in how our government is run. Even the Guardian Council is under the jurisdiction of the governing Moroi and only acts under their approval."

I was grateful that they weren't pulling any punches about how messed up the situation was, but their bluntness wasn't doing anything to endear me to this world.

"Is there anything else I should know that might get me jailed?"

Adrian, who must have been waiting for us to arrive for lunch, spoke up, "That's the only one that I think you need to worry about to avoid jail time, but other general rules to follow include addressing royals by their title: Lord, Lady, Prince, Princess, and the like."

"But not us" Christian interrupted. "Please. I might lose it if you call me Lord Ozera."

"Guardians are also typically addressed by their title unless you know them personally" Dimitri added.

"This is so messed up." Adrian, Christian, and Lissa all offered their agreement, but Dimitri only gave a barely perceptible nod, as if he were worried about openly agreeing, even in private. Their submission to the way Moroi ran things must have been deeper than I could ever imagine.

"Christian? Why don't you get lunch set up?" I knew Lissa was just trying to get my mind off of things, but he agreed regardless.

When the Moroi whittled out of the room, I turned to face Dimitri, suddenly alone with him. "That woman. She called me a blood whore. What does that even mean?"

He averted his eyes. The term didn't sound pleasant but if stoic and unshakeable Dimitri couldn't hear the term without reacting, it must have been worse than I had thought. After a moment or two, he finally spoke.

"It's a derogatory term for a dhampir, typically a dhampir woman, who allows a Moroi to feed from her during intercourse. It's a taboo in our society, but it still happens enough to be used as an insult against others."

"I thought you said that Moroi only drank from feeders..." The thought made my heart race, and remembering the odd longing from the feeder center, I wasn't entirely sure it raced in fear.

"Yes. For the most part that is right. But in some relationships, it happens. As far as I hear, it tends to be consensual. There seems to be an extra..." he searched for the right term, "endorphin rush for both parties while aroused."

"Oh." I couldn't ignore how uncomfortable he seemed to be in telling me this, and that made me more nervous than anything he actually said. "Did I ever...?"

I left the question hanging in the air because I was worried that I already knew the answer. The way that Dimitri avoided looking at me only seemed to confirm it. I really wanted to cover my ears like a toddler but I forced myself to stand tall.

"No, not in the traditional sense of the word. There were rumors at the Academy, but that's all they were. Petty lies from other students. You have let a Moroi drink from you before though."

I reared back instinctively and he immediately put his hands out to reassure me.

"It was voluntary. Remember when we said that you and Lissa were on the run for several years? You were trying to stay hidden and you couldn't exactly visit a feeder. You fed Lissa several times a week to keep her alive. It was unorthodox, but honestly, it was admirable."

He looked distant for a moment before his lips turned up so slightly that I barely noticed, except that he suddenly looked somehow more warm, open, and inviting. "That was actually my first impression of you."

"What?" I couldn't imagine that he would be reminiscent about something that was apparently so taboo in this world.

"We had been searching for you two for months. I was leading the team on this particular mission and we had a random lead that you were in Portland. We had staked out the building for a few hours when the light in the room you and Lissa shared turned on. It actually took me by surprise because it was the middle of the night, and all of our information said you were on a human schedule to blend in with those around you. I could see you from the window. You were comforting her about something. Then, before we had the chance to retrieve you both, you offered your neck to her."

I wrinkled my nose, still uncertain about the thought of giving my blood to another, but he pressed forward.

"Every guardian monitoring you two was in shock, including myself. I think several of them simply turned away, but I couldn't. I just watched as you allowed yourself to be weakened so that she could be strengthened. I had never seen or heard of a guardian doing something like this as a means of protection, and even then, I knew that it made you different."

Dimitri looked...almost proud. Even though it was still off-putting, I was beginning to see what he had seen that night and for once, it didn't seem that awful. In fact, if faced with the same choice today, I might even do it all again.

"Of course, right after that, you happened to look out the window and catch me watching. Not my finest moment in my guardian career. Anyways, you took Lissa and ran. Had you not been fed from just a few moments before, you might have gotten away again but like I said, you had been weakened and Lissa had to practically carry you. I figured once you were face to face with a guardian, you would see that the battle was over and give up, but you surprised me again."

"What happened?" I eagerly asked. I was actually getting into the story, nearly forgetting that I was one of the main characters in my anticipation of what happened next. I could almost see myself trying to run alongside Lissa through the dark Portland streets and seeing Dimitri in my path. There was no doubt that he was strong and well trained. Even just a cursory glance could tell you that much. I must have been terrified.

"You attacked me."

"I what?!" Perhaps if I had known myself better, I could have seen that one coming. However, Dimitri seemed like an impossible opponent and when you were out matched and out of options, you run. It was one of those lessons that just felt so deeply ingrained, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. The only reason I had tried to take on Dimitri in the alleyway outside of work was because running hadn't been an option and I had no other choice but to try to fight him.

He grinned at my reaction, maybe please to see that I was no longer caught up in the incident earlier. "You completely disregarded my peaceful approach and went on the offensive."

"Please tell me I got at least one good hit in before you took me down." Let's face it, when push came to shove, Dimitri would probably always take me down eventually.

"Not a chance."

The cocky bastard had the gall to smirk at me! Well, two could play at that game. "Hey, I got in a few back in Vegas."

"Yeah, you did. But I was trying to talk to you, not apprehend you. Plus, I had been drinking."

"Uh-huh. Sure." I nodded my head dramatically at his excuses. "So your first impressions of me included doing something universally looked down on in the vampire community and then attacking you. Why did you offer to be my mentor again?"

"Pretty much those exact reasons, though I prefer to phrase them differently. My first impression of you included you putting your charge in front of your reputation and pride, and then putting your charge before your own physical safety in difficult odds. Both are very admirable traits and show a dedication that can't be taught. I just needed to help you a little bit with self-control and technique."

"I think you were a bit more successful with one than the other." I bumped his shoulder with my own, knocking him ever so slightly off balance for barely a moment.

"To be fair, your self-control might have been a lost cause from the beginning." Dimitri's tone was playful and teasing, so unlike anything I had ever seen from him before. I liked it. I liked the way eyes looked brighter when he smiled at me. I liked the way my soul felt lighter when I heard him laugh. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks: I didn't just like making Dimitri laugh...I liked him.

The clarity left me as stunned as he must have been the first time he saw me through that window. I knew I had found him attractive from the first moment I laid eyes on him. I could even recognize that I had been drawn to his calm stability as a source of strength and comfort as I went about this current madness. But somewhere down the line, it had become something...more.

As quickly as the elation had come, I felt a sinking feeling. There's no way that Dimitri felt the same way as I did. He had been a mentor for me, a teacher. He probably saw me as nothing more than a child, and a fairly incompetent weak one at that. He had seen me break down and freak out more than once since finding me and I couldn't imagine someone as strong and powerful as Dimitri would be content with a girl seven years younger than him and barely holding it together right now.

"Hey, are you okay?"

His playfulness from a moment before was gone, and instead he looked concerned. I was sad to see that smile go, but I knew that holding onto it wasn't healthy for me either. I couldn't get too attached to Dimitri, and I definitely didn't need to be thinking about how his slightly crooked grin made me feel.

"Yeah. I'm fine." When I forced a smile, I could see Dimitri relax a little. "Come on. Let's go see what Chef Christian has for us today."

Author's Notes

Ahhh, we got to hear about the "meet cute" between these two, and from Dimitri, no less. I like their semi-awkward flirting :) And poor Rose with her sudden realization, both about the crazy vampire world she's now living in and her growing feelings for Dimitri. What do you think Rose is going to do about the situation?

Don't forget to review, favorite and follow! Thanks for reading!