There was a buzzing against my leg, each time sending chills up my side. I didn't intend to fall asleep clutching Alberta; I also hadn't expected to have such a breakdown. I winced at the memory of telling her to fuck off… I would hear about that in the coming days.

After living the past two years without my family, the thought of losing them hit harder than I expected. If my mother had been in the same shape as Alberta, I would have fallen apart.

Fuck. I needed to talk to Janine.

My pocket buzzed again, and I realised it was my phone. I had rushed from Dimitri's apartment after Olena gave me the news, throwing on the baggy sweatpants Dimitri gave me and shoving my phone into the side pocket.

Carefully, I detangled myself, trying not to wake Alberta. Sonya said she healed her, but she explained after I finished crying my eyes out that she wasn't back to full health. Healed enough not to die—I was grateful either way. Without Sonya helping, I doubted Alberta would have woken up.

I pulled out my phone, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I tried to focus on the text. There were a bunch of messages; one was from Dimitri, a couple from Lissa, but the bulk was from Riley. I wanted to kick myself.

I cursed under my breath and climbed off the bed, wincing at each squeak from the bedsprings.

"Where are you going?" a tired voice asked. I glanced back at Alberta—one eye open and with a laser focus on me.

"I just have to take care of something," I explained, reaching for the thin blanket covering her and pulling it up. "You should sleep more."

Alberta huffed, though settled against her pillow again. "You're going to cause trouble," she assumed, tone almost amused.

"No, I'm not," I defended, but she just scoffed.

"Try not to give Dimitri any more heart attacks."

"Go back to sleep," I retorted. I waited until her breaths even out again before I slipped out of the med bay. No one was in the hallway; it was still so early for them that I wasn't surprised.

My phone buzzed again, Riley's photo on the screen—a close-up of her face and a serious expression—telling me to answer her call. I answered with a grin, "Where are you?"

"Outside. Looking at a really big fence. There better be a good reason I'm looking at a really big fence."

I chuckled, "Yes. Just wait a couple of minutes. I have to find someone first." Alberta must have a sixth sense for these things, somehow guessing that I was in fact about to cause some trouble—break a rule. But only a little one.

"Who the fuck do you have to find?"

"The guy with the keycard."

–

I gripped the key card in my hands, quickly walking through the halls and glancing around for anyone that might have seen me. It was barely six in the morning; the perfect in-between time. Those on patrols would have returned and likely be sleeping, and others would only just be waking up. It was the perfect window of time to sneak someone in.

Adrian had taken longer to wake, and even longer to convince to hand over his key card. I had to promise him a favour in the future, something that I was already suspicious of, but I had what I needed.

No one explicitly said I wasn't allowed visitors at the compound, but it wasn't hard to guess that they didn't want humans hanging around the vampire's lair. They wanted to keep the truth of dhampirs and Moroi secret from the world, but Riley already knew.

I wasn't sure how well that argument would fair, so I decided to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.

No one was outside, the daylight kept the Strigoi away and so the security was relaxed. I still set up a silent prayer when I slid the card through the slot and released a small cheer when the gate opened without issue. I opened it enough to stick my head through, looking from one side to the other before I noticed her.

"Riley!" I shouted, drawing her attention. She stood in the shade of the building, dark glasses covering her eyes and a large coffee in hand. With a tilt of her head, her eyes met mine over her glasses.

"This is the place you've been living in?" she asked, eyes moving back to the towering building behind me. "It's weird."

I rolled my eyes, waving her forward, "Yeah, I know. Get in here already!" Once she was within reach, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the gate, closing it behind her. "Stay close to me; we might have to run."

Riley pulled a face. "This feels like I shouldn't be here. Are you going to get in trouble?"

"Only if we get caught," I replied, "so let's not fuck this up."

She yelped in surprise when I tugged on her wrist, stumbling after me as I guided her back inside. No one was around for the first hallway, but I could hear people moving around further in. I was originally going to use an elevator but decided against it.

When I sent her a text begging her to come to visit me, I hadn't planned the specifics of where we would even go. I knew that if I left the compound I would never hear the end of it, especially after the night we just had. So, that left me finding somewhere within the building.

I quickly decided the roof was the best choice. No one would bother us up there.

"Why exactly aren't I allowed here?" Riley whispered over my shoulder, appearing relaxed as she sipped on her coffee. I peered at her, noticing her glasses had been pushed up into her hair. There were shadows under her eyes.

"Did you come here straight after work?"

She shrugged, "You said it was important. I brought supplies." I then realised she had a large bag hanging off one shoulder.

"Really? Like what?"

"Alcohol. Chocolate. Pregnancy tests."

I nodded along with the first two and then choked on my spit for the last one. "Why the fuck would I need that?" I hissed.

Riley just slipped more from her cup. "Because I'm assuming you and your cowboy are doing it like bunnies," she replied in a matter-of-a-fact tone, then added, "I would be if I had a guy like him between my thighs. I would never let him leave."

Rather than respond, I retook her wrist and ran to the stairwell. I couldn't hear anyone in it and hoped it stayed that way. "Come on," I encouraged, "and I'm not pregnant."

"Ahh, you never know. We can take the tests together. A real bonding experience."

–

Riley was puffing by the time we reached the roof, a glare trained on my back. "I never agreed to exercise."

"I never agree to pregnancy tests."

"That's the fun thing about unplanned pregnancies. It's the surprise part," she huffed, leaning against the side to catch her breath. "You know, kind of like how I was surprised to get invited to your secret vampire hideout—wow, that's a good view."

I sighed, dropping to the ground with my back against the wall. The couple of hours I slept next to Alberta was not enough, after running up the stairs I was exhausted again. The back of my head still had a dull throb, and I gingerly touched the back of my hair.

I pulled up my knees, leaning my elbows on them. "That's not why I asked you to come here," I told her. She could tell I was being serious, sitting on the ground beside me. "I'll more likely need the alcohol," I joked but it lacked any real humour.

"Okay," she replied, already pulling out the bottle of rum and then focusing on me. "What happened? Did you find out something about your parents?"

It was then I realised I never said anything to her about my parents returning or about the prophecy. "Shit," I cursed and picked up the bottle, "we really will need this."

–

It took an hour to explain everything. An hour of Riley sitting there with her mouth opened in surprise and eyes wide in disbelief. We never opened the bottle, though I continued to eye it. It would be nice to take some of the edge off, but I kept stopping myself from giving in.

"So, yeah," I finished lamely, eyes on Dimitri's shirt I wore rather than Riley. "It was a hell of a night," I sighed, filling the silence while I waited for her to process it all.

"It said you are going to die?" Riley finally asked; her voice two notes higher than usual. "Like die die? Like dead?"

"So very dead," I answered bitterly.

"What the actual fuck!" Her shout startled me. "Why are you even still here? Get the hell out of Dodge! Run! Fucking do anything to get away from this shit!" Riley's hands clamped on my shoulders, her nails digging in as she yelled. "Why are you still here!"

My hands covered hers, "I thought about it, but anywhere I go, they'll find me." I considered it so many times. Taking a car and just leaving the city with Riley or Dimitri—or both—but I knew it wouldn't work. "I think this place is the safest place for me."

Riley wasn't convinced. "What makes you think that?" she questioned.

Before I could reply, the door to the stairs flew open, and an agitated Dimitri stalked out onto the roof. I couldn't help but laugh, which drew curious looks from them both. "That's why, Riley," I replied with a nod toward Dimitri.

I climbed to my feet and closed the distance between us, winding my arms around Dimitri's waist and pressing myself up against him. He didn't move at first, but then his arms settled around my shoulders. I felt him sigh. "Alberta mentioned you were up to something."

"I knew you would find me," I teased, tilting my head back to look at him, "I didn't think it would take this long."

His fingers brushed my hair from my face, careful to avoid my wounds. "I slept longer than I intended." His brow creased, "You look like you need more sleep."

I heard the sound of a bottle lid cracking, looking over my shoulder as Riley poured rum into her empty coffee cup. She shrugged at the look I sent her, "I'm still processing. You two look great for being in a car accident last night, by the way."

"So, this is the trouble?" Dimitri remarked, "If others hear about this—How did you get her past the gate?"

I pursed my lips, "I won't tell you my secrets."

"It was Adrian."

"It was Adrian."

Dimitri rolled his eyes, looking skyward and then back at Riley, "I'm sorry, but you can't stay here, there are rules," he eyed me, then continued, "If anyone finds you here, it's likely they'll want to wipe your memory."

"Oh fuck," Riley scoffed, drinking more rum, "you guys don't mess around."

I grimaced. "Dammit. Do you think you could sneak her out?" I didn't want her to leave so soon, but I also didn't want her to forget everything. Being able to confide in Riley was something I needed—someone that could look at the craziness of this world and agree that it was fucked up. I needed someone to be scared with.

Dimitri looked down at me, I could tell he was thinking. "I can," he finally replied; a soft smile playing on his lips, "but I can wait half an hour if you would like. Give you some more time."

I gripped the back of his neck and pulled him to kiss him. "Please. Thank you!"

His smile grew, one of his rare full ones aimed at me. "You're welcome." He returned the kiss and kissed my forehead before stepping back, "I'll be back in thirty minutes. I'll make sure no one comes up here looking for you."

I watched him disappear back through the door, closing it behind him; then skipped back over to Riley. I sat beside her with a stupidly happy grin on my face, stilling at the look she gave me. "What?"

"Are you sure you don't want the tests?"

–

Half an hour later, and half a bottle of the rum, Dimitri returned to the roof with a sad smile. I threw my arms around Riley and held her close.

Riley drew back enough to hold my eyes, appearing serious despite the flush from the alcohol on her face. "No dying. Don't you dare put your life at risk. Okay?"

The corner of my lips lifted in an attempt at a smile. I couldn't promise her anything. So, I lied, "Okay. No dying."

It seemed to be believable enough; Riley nodded with a smile and staggered her way to her feet. "You can keep the bag. You might need the backups," she winked, giving me a not-so-subtle gesture about sex. I rolled my eyes, waving from my spot.

It would be easier for Dimitri to sneak her if I wasn't trailing behind; so I stayed on the roof and looked over the edge. Riley waved up at me once she was outside the gate, shooting finger guns at Dimitri and getting in a car that was parked out front; Dimitri must have called her a ride.

Riley was a much-needed distraction, but now she was gone, I was left with all the thoughts in my head. I had so many questions.

We finally had someone that actually knew what Victor was planning. Sonya could piece all the information my parents found together—it wouldn't be guessing anymore, but actual answers. It filled me with excitement and fear. I knew I wasn't going to like all of the answers.

But other than my connection with Victor, I had questions about my mother. She was a Strigoi.

After the accident, it was forced to the back of my mind and didn't return to me until I mentioned my parents to Riley.

I wondered if that was why I was so special.

I dragged my hand down my face, picking up the bottle of rum and sipping from it. Riley brought plenty of snacks, all my favourites, and I was picking at them when Dimitri returned to the roof. I expected him to say I was needed downstairs, but instead, he walked over and joined me.

He blew out a breath and relaxed against the wall, eyes closed and enjoying the sun for a moment.

"Thanks for not busting me," I smiled, tapping his leg with the bottle and offering it when he peered at me.

Dimitri took the bottle and scoffed, "I should be busting you for drinking underage." Despite his words, he lifted the bottle to his lips. He hummed, "Not bad stuff."

I took the bottle back and grinned at the label, "I got drunk off this on my last birthday. I was so drunk they wouldn't let me into the clubs even though I had a fake ID."

The corner of his lips twitched. "I saw."

"You saw? Were you already following me by then?"

Dimitri nodded. "I ran into you just before you got the apartment. Abe gave me money to get the landlord to look the other way because of your age. The night of your birthday I killed two Strigoi that were following you; it's why I kept a closer eye on you."

"You realise it's weird, right? Following me around for months," I laughed, leaning over to rest my shoulder against his arm. "My stalker in shining armour."

"I was busy almost every night fighting Strigoi that got too close to your apartment."

"Why do you think it took them so long to find me again?" I asked, tipping my head back to look at him.

He angled his head to meet my eyes. "I don't know. Something must have changed. As soon as you turned eighteen, they just started showing up all the time; and there were more each week. We were considering putting a ward around your apartment, but I decided it was easier to just bring you here."

I wondered what changed.

"Your parents are looking for you," Dimitri told me, "but I told them you were sleeping still."

I shot him a sly look, "And where am I sleeping?"

A smoulder grew on his face, a hand lifting to brush a curl behind my ear. "My bed. They can wait a couple of hours if you want to sleep some more."

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth, unable to hold back the happy look on my face. I had to admit, it was nice to not have to hide my relationship with Dimitri. I lifted the bottle to my lips, swallowing a mouthful before putting the cap back on. "I think I should definitely sleep off the alcohol before I talk to them."

"I agree." Dimitri climbed to his feet and offered me a hand back to mine. I gathered all of the things Riley brought and balanced the bag strap on my shoulder. "You know, Riley made me promise to look after you."

"Yeah? And what did you say?"

His eyes gleamed with affection as he gazed down at me. "I promised her that I would lay my life down for yours. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, Roza."

My cheeks heated, feeling my heartbeat speed up. "That's quite the dedication, comrade."

"I mean it," he declared, "I love you, more than I can put into words. If anything happened to you, I wouldn't be able to survive it."

I reached for him, framing his face with my hands, and threading my fingers through his hair. "Nothing is going to happen to me," I promised, praying to anything that would listen that it wasn't another lie.

Dimitri turned his face to kiss my palm. "I will make sure of it."

"Okay," I relented, leaning closer to him until our bodies were pressed up together. "You make sure nothing happens to me, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you. We are in this together, Dimitri."

"Of course, Roza."

Riley is such a good friend.

I was really stuck on the plot for this one, and then a couple of days, I had a great idea while napping and so I'm back to try to get this story finished. Still no set day that I'll be updating, but just know I do plan to finish it :)

I hope you enjoyed!