DIMITRI POV

"She will be as beautiful and sharp as a Rose."

Rosemarie.

Rose.

It's her. I already knew, but now there is no denying it, not even to myself. My grandmother's words hadn't just been pretty poetry, she had told me her name without me knowing.

Rosemarie . . . Hathaway-Mazur.

As we all watch her remove her skin tight jacket to further show the most delectable body I've ever seen, the name is not lost on me or pretty much anyone in this room.

"Holy shit," Spiridon hisses, "Mazur? There's only one Mazur that could be right?"

I nod, not taking my eyes off of her.

"I had no clue Zmey had a kid. Damn, why does she have to be so hot?"

"Watch your fucking mouth." I growl out low, moving away from his infuriating lusting over my woman and standing further off to the side to have a better view of her. I'll worry about the fact that my soulmate is Zmeys, a mobster with a wild, ruthless streak, daughter and she's a student, after her match because my brain can only handle so much at a time.

I'm unfamiliar with her opponent but it's not hard to see he's much bigger and stronger.

She says something I can't quite catch but his reply was loud and clear.

"Not a chance in hell. This is bullshit, I even have to fight a bitch."

My fists clench. Hard. If I had long nails I would have drawn blood and any semblance of a Guardian mask I was holding on to is wiped away.

Even if that wasn't the woman I'm destined to fall in love with, disrespect like that boils my fucking blood.

Ibriham Mazur's voice rings clear a few feet away from me.

"Your kid is about to pay for that remark right now, and you'll fucking pay for it later, Ivan!" He calls out to who I'm assuming is Igors father sitting a few rows up on the bleachers.

A small part of me is shocked to see his father is dhampir. Moroi women keeping Dhampir children from their flings is extremely rare. Ivan says something I can't quite make out.

"I don't want to fucking hear it," Mazur roars pointing a stern finger, "maybe you should have raised him with some goddamn manners towards ladies."

Oh, yeah, Ivan will pay dearly for his son's grievous error in judgment.

I focus back on Rose . . . Roza, and a sense of . . . not calm, but . . . something akin to faith fills me. I've watched her this entire time. Watched as she analyzed every movement, every technique. She may be young but the knowledge behind her deep soulful brown eyes is clear as day.

"Begin!" Galina calls out and it's over before it could even have a chance to begin. In one of the most graceful maneuvers I've ever witnessed her body is flying through the air, one knee bent as the other pushes off of the ground with as much force as she can generate and her knee smashes into his chin with a sound that can only be described as shiver inducing in it's grotesque beauty.

Blood splatters all over her making her look like, as cheesy as it sounds, like a princess of death. She holds a light defensive pose for a second but it's obvious right away he's not getting up, his jaw is broken for sure and I wouldn't be surprised if he bit his tongue clean off by the amount of blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

After only a moment Galina announces Rose as the winner and we all cheer, myself included, but I only allow myself to clap.

After her peers congratulate her, making me uncomfortably jealous at how easy they're able to touch her, the redhead male in particular holding onto her much longer than he needed to, she settles in, her breathing hard.

That's when she sees me and I watch as shock, lust and understanding filters through her eyes.

Like usual, Yeva was right. She's been made aware of me, too. I can see as she evaluates me and by the sped up rise and fall of her chest I know she's not disappointed in what she sees.

The very male part of me wants to walk over, throw her over my shoulder and take her somewhere where no one would be able to hear us, but I control the instinct.

A million thoughts pass through her eyes as we stare at one another but they all end with panic and she breaks eye contact first. I can only assume she, like me, realized the problem we have lying ahead.

I'm older than her and a Promised Guardian, established in my life and my career. She's a novice only in the very beginning of it all.

Yeva warned me to not fight the connection. To not waste time because nothing lasts forever.

But she forgot to tell me a very important detail.

ROSE POV

I try not to but I can't help but steal glances at him. Even from this distance I can see why Rhonda was basically drooling when she was sensing his energy. There's enough testosterone to fill the Grand Canyon in this room but no one could hold a candle to the masculine energy he exudes just standing there in his duster.

After not too long everyone from St. Vlads fights, luckily not with each other and everyone wins. Eddie almost gave us a heart attack though, he was the only one to win after being knocked out once. Mason's match took forever because he faced a girl and was holding back too much, but after I yelled at him to treat her like an equal he was able to pull it off even though it made him feel terrible to hurt a girl.

A part of me could appreciate him not wanting to be ungentlemanly but this isn't the time to lose because you're squeamish.

Mikhails match was almost as impressive as mine, but he projected way too much of his skill set he relies on most, his speed.

When all the matches were finished and the losers were all escorted from the gym, Galina returned to the middle, a pool of blood still left over from the last fight.

"Congratulations to all of our winners. We will take a short rest, while myself and four other Guardians tally up points to determine your Ranks. You will be given a paper with the names and a short summary of the Guardians available to be selected to be your Mentor for the rest of the Trials. The Guardian you select will be permanent, and will train you as they see fit. They will be lined up in the order they appear on the sheet. Choose wisely."

Guardian Minkoff walks outside with four others as we're given the paper and the Guardians line up parallel to us on the other side of the gym.

He stands 12th in line and I ignore all the other names.

I have no idea how this is going to play out, what I want to do yet about this whole . . . my other half, thing. But I do know one thing. Rhonda was clear. Nothing lasts forever and I know I would regret it if I didn't try to figure out what it is that we could be . . . and what better way to do that than to have an excuse to constantly be around each other for the next 3 months.

Guardian Dimitri Belikov. Age 24. Graduated top of his class at St. Basils. Head Guardian to King Ivan Zelkos. 7 individual Strigoi Kills and one battle.

I smile. True love or not . . . with that kind of track record, that's who I would want to be my mentor anyways.

"Damn, they're all so good," Mason whispers, "Who do you want, Rose?"

"It's between a few," I lie, but survey the paper to have a back up pick just in case. I refuse to look at anyone, not Mason or my dad or him. Ranks will decide the order we pick and I don't want to be seen looking disappointed if he gets snatched up, because, yeah, there's some heavy hitters on this list, but none compare to him.

After about ten minutes the Guardians come back.

"Starting with our first Rank Novice." Galina looks at the paper in her hand, "Rosemarie Hathaway-Mazur with a perfect score of 100 points."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and look to Dimitri, my eyes questioning. In the background I also hear my very boisterous father cheering but I ignore him.

I have no idea how or why Dimitri is feeling the connection I am, but I can see it. He wants me just as bad.

"Who have you chosen, Novice Hathaway-Mazur?"

Our silent conversation only lasts a second, but to me it felt like an hour when he answers my question with the smallest of nods that you had to be looking for to see.

"Guardian Dimitri Belikov." I answer into the mic.

I hope my answer came out sounding cool and normal, 'cause that is for sure not how I feel.

"Excellent choice," Minkoff says, surprising me. She's been so matter of fact, the insert of opinion was refreshing. "You may go stand by him."

I school my features, sling my hoodie back on, zipping it up just below my breasts and do as I'm told but on the inside I'm a complete mess.

I so-o-o did not want his first impression of me to be me smelling like sweat and blood.

The closer I get the more and more his extreme height and muscular build comes into focus and I have to bite back a moan at the idea of someone so large on top of me, inside of me . . .

Okay enough of that you should be over the teenage hormones part of life.

I reach him, my neck craning to look up and see just how handsome he is. He has an old scar running down his left eyebrow that makes him look even more badass, strong cheekbones, gorgeous light brown eyes and full lips with a hint of stubble on his cheeks and chin.

God motherfucking dammit I would have never stood a chance. He has Rose Hathaway written all over him.

And he's looking at me the exact same way.

I'm not sure how long we stare at each other but he recovers first by extending his hand my way.

"Dimitri. It's a pleasure to meet you." He introduces himself in the sexiest, deepest Russian accented voice I've ever heard.

I place my small hand in his much, much larger one and can only manage to get out my name. "Rose." I breathe.

Trying my hardest not to make the sexual tension between us too obvious I let go of his hand, his fingers caressing my palm and stand beside him, as everyone else picks their mentors.

Mikhail ranked 3rd, Meredith 12th, Mason 19th, and Eddie 25th, dead last.

Damn, losing one of his rounds really did him in, they'll be after his blood for sure.

"This will conclude our First ever Guardian Specialist Trial." Minkoff says, "If you have any family present please make your goodbyes for now as visiting hours are over. Your mentor will then show you where you'll be staying for the remainder of your visit."

I didn't have to move an inch as my father was already bounding my way, his Guardian Pavel, who I hadn't noticed until now, trailing behind him.

"Kiz, you were magnificent!" I'm scooped up into his arms and twirled around, making me laugh despite myself, and hug my father.

Many fear him, and for good reason, but I was lucky to be born his daughter. He's wearing his usual mobster/pirate get up with a few gold chains peeking through his mostly unbuttoned burgundy silk shirt and a silk emerald green scarf hanging loose around his neck.

"Thanks, Baba." I whisper, trying to not cry at his praise, clutching him tightly before letting go and embracing Pavel.

"Excellent, excellent job, Rose." Pavel says bending down to give me a more subdued hug.

"Belikov! It's been too long, I was happy when my Rose chose you."

My Dad and Dimitri shake hands as if they've been old friends all of their lives.

"You two know each other?" I ask as nonchalantly as I can.

Baba throws an arm around my shoulder. "Oh, yes, we're acquainted," He points a finger at the much larger man that I want to jump the bones of, "I expect you to take care of my little girl, she has a very bright future ahead of her."

I elbow him, "Stuff it, Old Man."

Dimitri just smiles while shaking hands with Pavel.

"I can assure you, Sir, I will do right by her. I was happy when she chose me as well, there was no one else that showed her amount of promise."

Baba nods, and his posture becomes less defensive.

"Good, good. How is your mother doing?"

Dimitri stiffens ever so slightly but answers, "She's very well, she's taken over as the head healer back home."

Baba smiles and I can tell it's genuine. "I'm glad to hear it, you tell her if she ever needs anything I'm a phone call away."

Dimitri bows his head slightly. "I will, thank you."

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to speak to my daughter in private for a moment, it was good seeing you again, son, my door is open for you and yours anytime."

They shake hands again and Baba leads me outside the gym, the air chilly, and we immediately get down to brass tax.

"What do you know so far, Kiz?" He interrogates me, switching to Turkish.

"I know that this competition is so not what they want us to believe it is. Queen Tatianna threatened me to not fuck up and make us look bad and Lissa's dad seems desperate for me to win. Like if I don't it's the end of the world. He said he fears a war is brewing."

He nods, stroking his goatee.

"Eric's voice on the council has become rocky over the last few years, he wants to make sure you will be one of Vasilissas Guardians without fail."

"What do you know? You've never wanted me to use your last name before, why now?"

"Too much is still unknown but I fear Eric is correct about war and I fear even more they'll be using dhampirs as a means to an end. I don't know how it correlates with these Trials yet but I find it highly suspicious that all three monarchs, who are currently at each other's throats, agreed on anything, but especially something like this. It felt prudent to show as much strength as possible. If you all are being singled out for a reason I want to make it loud and clear you are mine and I don't take kindly to anyone messing with you, even if our relationship hasn't always been explicitly public."

I nod, thankful for the show of support. My father is as old school Turkish gangster as it gets, he's made his money in not so pretty ways, but he has a strict code.

"How do you know Di- Guardian Belikov? Can he be trusted?"

Baba purses his lips, "I helped his family out a number of years ago with a little problem. I haven't seen him since he was about 15 but even then he was honorable. I worry about his connection to King Ivan but . . . there's been rumblings of . . . dissatisfaction in his Guardians. My guess is that's why he's here, to get away from that little fool."

I nod, not daring to ask more. I don't want to fall head over heels without knowing everything. Looking at all sides and the fact that my very distrusting and old school father spoke well of him is not a small thing.

I slowly grin, wanting to focus on something positive. "How badass did I look?"

He grins with me, the good humor returning to him in an instant, "I don't think I have ever cheered so loudly in my life. You looked like Bruce Lee incarnate putting that mother fucker in his place."

We both giggle, yes, my mobster Moroi father does in fact giggle, and hugs me one more time.

"You take care of yourself, Little Girl, I'll be in contact soon when I know more." As is our tradition when it's been a while since we've seen each other he takes off his scarf and drapes it over my neck and gives me a kiss on the cheek before calling Pavel over and heading out.

I stroke the soft silk and smile, turning back to the gym where we left Dimitri.

I found him talking to Guardian Minkoff and I stand back a little to not interrupt but he notices me immediately and beacons me over. Minkoff look over her shoulder and smirks at me, placing her hands on her hips.

"We'll as much as I hate having my students shown up, that was very impressive, Novice Hathaway-Mazur."

I thank her with a nod and small smile, and unable to help myself reply, "Well, I would apologize but that Igor guy was a tool."

Minkoff laughs heartily and Dimitri smothers a chuckle in his hand.

"Yeah, I can't disagree." I can tell it's the girl power in her that is allowing us both to speak so freely. She looks to be in her fifties which means she's dealt with the gauntlet of sexist bullshit.

"I'll let you two get settled in, both of you come to my office tomorrow and you'll receive your class schedule and supplies."

We both nod and bid farewell.

I look up at Dimitri.

How do I tell him about Rhonda? Should I? Would that be like . . . coercion? Oh, hey, listen, you're supposed to fall in love with me, so just go along with it okay?

"If you're okay with it, I'll show you where we'll be staying."

I begin to nod but then do a little bit of a double take, "Wait, where we'll be staying? Together?"

Dimitri steps closer to me, his eyes darkening ever so slightly, "Yes, it's one of the parts of the mentorship. As long as you're comfortable with it, we'll be sharing a cabin on the edge of campus so that we can train whenever we see fit away from the other novices. It's meant to make sure no one can spy and see our game plan for what's to come."

I swallow, clutching the silk scarf tightly.

Alone. In the woods, in a cabin, with him . . .

"Are you okay with this?" His eyes pleading with me.

"Oh, yeah, for sure," I say trying to be smooth and not show how epically turned on I am.

I've never believed in God before but now I am fully convinced she's a woman and she is real and also has a taste for overgrown Russian men.

AN: Please review!