I hated places like this. The slow, methodical moves of the top percent of our race. The calculated steps of a one, two, three steps that never averaged above mind-numbing boring. The mix of the floral smell with body odor from fat old men that had too little hair and too stretched wallets. Why I even let Lissa drag me to these things anymore was beyond my mental ability to reason out. There was, however, the slight enjoyment of seeing those fat bastards adorn the arms of women that they had to pay. All the money in the world couldn't make up for lack of personality, I guess. And there was a critical level of lack of personality. The cream walls were plastered over in ripples of gold. The same French-style chandeliers hung exactly 6 feet apart from one another. The bland assortment of bread and cheeses that the men would gorge themselves on and the women would ignore to tighten that corset just a little bit tighter. And my goodness did they pull these torture devices tight. Lissa's wardrobe team had me gripping the posts of her bed for dear life as they sucked the breath out of my lungs to cut off a few inches. Lissa fit in perfectly though, not that I would have thought otherwise. Her graceful presence seemed to glide over each person she came into contact with. The olive green of her sleek gown moved more like water than silk. It was a bold choice, while everyone else was covered in lace and velvet, Lissa did not attempt to stick to the tradition of the ball. She even went as far as forgoing sleeves. Her dress was still long, floor length, and then some with a small train that trailed behind her. But the short bishop sleeves of her gown draped over her arms and made them look even longer. Her pale blonde hair was free of any pins or holds, and the simplicity of it helped to draw attention to her latest piece of jewelry.

Her crown.

She had won by a landslide. Tatiana having named her; her successor had helped with that. This was her coronation ball. With her 20th birthday marked the official period when she could rule as the new monarch. We had been through a lot in the past 2 years. And while her studying at Lehigh was cut short, she was happy to fulfill a role that her brother Andre wasn't able to. Being her guardian was everything that I had hoped it would be. Behind the safety of the wards, there was that edge taken off, but now that she was queen I would have to always be on guard. Strigoi weren't the only threats to Lissa's safety now.

And I couldn't have been prouder of her. Granted, I would have preferred to have been in my uniform, standing along the walls with the rest of my ranks. But tonight, was her night, and I did as she asked. The long blood-red gown was a testimony of my love for her. She wanted me there as a friend, not her guardian. And while I put up the fight that I was still her friend even when on duty, she would hear none of it.

"I'm so glad that you could make it!" Lissa was working the room.

"Your parents would have been so proud." There it was. The first one of the night. We knew that there would be lots of those comments thrown around. And while I tried to mentally prepare Lissa for them, the first words still cut deep. What followed was salt in the wound.

"I mean, who would've thought that you were even capable? Proud? I think shocked would be a better word." Some thin royal Moroi woman threw her head back and gave an airy laugh. Lissa pulled a tight smile on her face, batted her lashes, and gave her best Rose Hathaway comment.

"They probably would be shocked! I mean who would think that Vasalisa Dragomir was even on the queen's radar? You would think that it would have been someone older, with more experience. Maybe Tatiana thought the rest of you just as incompetent." She took a sip of her glass and turned on her heel.

That girl. I sent through the bond.

"What a bitch, right? Stop standing by the wall and come talk with me." She whispered as she pulled another glass off of a waiter's tray that was passing by. Slowly, and reluctantly I made my way over to where she was standing and took the glass from her outstretched hand.

"I'll never forgive you for this." I downed the drink in one big gulp. It wasn't that I hated being here with Lissa, but being so exposed to these people was the uncomfortable part. I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't like the way I looked. My smokey eyes, my long curly brown hair, and even this tight-fitting dress did something that made my confidence soar.

"Little Dhampir…" Adrian walked up to me with a neat glass of scotch in his hand. The ring with his family crest paired nicely with his tailcoat tux. His hair was perfectly messy, a process that took longer than fixing my hair, I'm sure.

"Adrian, and to think I was just starting to have a good time." He came up and kissed me on both of my cheeks and gave me a devilish smile.

"Don't be mean, Rose." Adrian's sly smile stayed on his lips. I sighed and a nearby waiter replaced my empty glass with a fresh one.

"How long do we have to stay before we can go to the actual party you're throwing?" The music swelled around us as the violin player desperately tried to stand out.

"Great, Rose. You ruined the surprise. Now you aren't invited."

"Yeah, okay. Then the party will be no fun and you'll ruin your name as the best host." I darted back.

"You two stop and be nice." Lissa shook her head as she spotted Christian making his way through the crowd and to her side. I was happy that she and Christian had made it this far. Granted that I wasn't always the biggest supporter of them. I had kept them apart for a short time. But out of all of the other choices she had, Christian was the right one. The one to keep the darkness away when I wasn't there. He was good for her, and she was good for him.

"Don't you look beautiful?" Christian grabbed Lissa's hand and kissed the top. Lissa blushed from the small gesture of affection and smiled back at him.

"You clean up pretty good yourself." He wrapped his arm around her, and she snuggled into his side. While he wouldn't become king himself, Christian would gain the title of King Consort. A title I'm sure he was fond of.

"Gag." I rolled my eyes.

"Let's go get drunk!" I looped my arm into Adrian.

"That's the best thing I've heard all night." Adrian threw back the rest of his scotch and pulled me onto the dance floor.

Since I was forbidden to be on duty tonight and support Lissa as a friend, I thought that I was entitled to a little bit of fun. And right now, getting black-out drunk with Adrian sounded like the best thing in the world. He spun me around until I was facing him, and his arms slipped easily around my waist. It was easy with Adrian. This flirtatious relationship we had. Who would have thought a fight with Mason at the ski lodge my senior year would have jump-started our friendship?

Mason was another storyline altogether. He was one of my best friends. But his feelings went deeper than friendship, and after many failed attempts, I finally stopped trying to force something that wasn't there. That something wasn't present with Adrian either. and a small part of me began to wonder if it was just missing from me and if it wasn't the fault of my partners, but rather something wrong with me. Adrian checked all the boxes, he was tall, a trait that was handed to him from his Moroi bloodline, handsome, rich beyond imagination, funny, and an all-around great guy. A few too many times we had gotten physical, always either being stopped or interrupted before anything could become euphoric. He was a good kisser, and he knew how to handle my body, but the drive that made me want to have more than a casual hookup with him wasn't there. And that wasn't fair to him.

"Have you heard the news?" Adrian whispered in my ear as he pulled me closer to himself.

"Is it scandalous?" I shot back. Adrian gossiped like an old woman in a church, but his sources were almost entirely truthful.

"Sadly, no, this is boring."

"Then why bother telling me?"

"Will you stop being difficult and allow me to vent out all of this information that is overflowing from my brain?"

"Overflowing may be a bit of a stretch."

"Oh, now don't be grumpy." Adrian smiled down at me and winked.

"A certain Russian Lord is supposed to make an appearance tonight." I moved one of his hands up that was starting to drift dangerously low.

"You're no fun in public." He commented.

"So what? There are at least a dozen Lords from Europe and Asia here tonight." I took a glance around the room and noted the familiar faces and names of at least a dozen Lords and their ladies or mistresses that were here tonight.

"This Lord happens to be a Zeklos." The tone of his voice told me that there was something else that he wasn't telling me.

"Another one? You better watch out, Ivashkov. They're quickly becoming the second-biggest royal family. And who wants to settle for second?"

"This Zeklos Lord has apparently been raising heads in Russia at Saint. Basil's Academy." There it was, that slight hint of something scandalous.

"Details. Now." Adrian pulled us off the dance floor, grabbed two full glasses from a table, and handed me one. He lazily sat back in one of the velvet seats and patted the one next to him. I rolled my eyes, gathered my dress with my free hand, and sat down.

"Go ahead, indulge me." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs as he looked at me.

"Spirit is quickly becoming one of the most unrare, rare elements." He picked at something on this side of his shoe and continued

"This Lord Zeklos thinks that he is a spirit user also. I don't know any of the details yet, but I plan on having a long conversation with him. He wants to institute it into the curriculum at all academies."

"Why would he want that?" I was genuinely interested in this conversation.

"Because he thinks that the Moroi should fight with you guys. The guy is brave, dumb, but brave. I'll gladly cower behind you, Rose. I'll even have a good view while I do it."

"You're kidding." I was speechless. For once, Adrian had rendered me speechless. The idea wasn't foreign to me. Christian and I had actually fought together once when an attack occurred at the academy. It was a good idea. And I was all for others putting their lives in their own hands. It was one of the ideas that Tasha and I had talked about in-depth during her visits. The idea of Moroi sitting inside, biting their nails, and waiting for us to save them was old and outdated. One that Lissa would probably have the burden of dealing with most of her reign. I didn't see it passing, and I didn't see the Moroi wanting to. There were a chosen few that thought it was a good idea, but the majority of Moroi were set in the ways and traditions that kept most of us trapped.

"And better yet, he has all these old scrolls and books written by Saint Vladimir himself. He's got a meeting set up with Lissa."

"Wait." I grabbed his glass from his hand and sat it down. I needed him sober if he was going to start talking about things that threatened Lissa's safety.

"When was this arranged?" My blood began to flush to my face, and I could feel myself getting hot.

"A few days ago, I think. Those accents are very hard to decipher." Adrian leaned back in his seat and scanned the room.

"Jealous, Rose? I wouldn't have pictured you as the clingy type."

"Shut up." I stood up and quickly made my way to the crowd of people that were congratulating Lissa. Elbowing my way through the crowd, I finally came up to her backside.

"I need to talk to you," I whispered as she shook hands and smiled at someone in a plum-purple dress.

"I'm kind of busy here, Rose. What is it?" She said through her smile.

"Thank you!" She returned whatever compliment that was paid to her and tilted her head to the side.

"When were you going to tell me that you have a meeting with a Russian Zeklos Lord? That has to be cleared. It takes days to arrange housing, meetings, security..."

"I told my team and they're taking care of it." She shook someone else's hand and smiled down as they bowed.

"I am a part of your team, why the hell didn't I know anything about this?" I grabbed her arm and turned her towards me.

"Lissa. What's going on?" My tone was serious. She knew I wasn't playing around. Through the bond, I felt her nervousness.

"Rose. Not here. You can't just grab me and take me off to go talk like a child that's in trouble. I'm the queen now." Her tone was hushed.

"I'll talk to you later. But not here." She jerked her arm back, smoothed over her dress, and walked back to the line of people waiting for her.

"You've got to be kidding me." I scoffed and watched as she went right back to shaking hands and smiling as if nothing was wrong. I needed to talk to Hans. And now. Turning on my heel, I made my way out of the ballroom and down the hall to one of the rooms I knew was filled with security cameras. Hans was likely to be around and based on the time, there was going to be a change in the guard. At an event like this Hans would have to be there to oversee it. My heels clacked on the tile floor as I rushed down the hall and busted through the door at a speed that would have impressed Lissa I had obtained in these damn stilettos.

"What the fuck, Hans?" All heads shot up and looked at me. Just like I expected, Hans was there signing off as two guardians were switching shifts.

"Hello, Rose. Nice to see you too." He handed the clipboard to one of the guardians and stepped over to look at the monitors.

"You knew about it didn't you?" I let my hands fall to my sides as disbelief entered my body.

"Of course, I did." Was all he offered.

"Why wasn't I informed? I'm Lissa's guardian. I know her schedule inside and out for months at a time. Why wasn't I told about this?"

"Because you will not be a part of these meetings. Therefore, you do not need to be informed. You'll be changing shifts with Cole, he'll take the day shift, you'll take nights."

"And why the fuck would I do that?" I laughed at the idea. It was ridiculous. Cole was a good guardian. He knew his stuff and had my full trust. But I wasn't going to be replaced by him. Or anyone.

"Because that is an order, Hathaway."

"Do I make myself clear?" He turned to look at me for a brief second before returning to the monitors.

"Crystal," I mumbled as I slammed the door as hard as I could just to get my point across. I hated the double standard that was evident among the guardian ranks. I could be the greatest guardian that walked the face of the earth but because I was young and a woman I automatically got looked over. A conversation with Hans just after my graduation flooded my mind.

"Welcome to the ranks." Hans smiled down at me as he gave me a light hug and a pat on the back. We all had just arrived at court, and by we, I meant Lissa, Christian, Mason, Eddie, and myself. I had placed top of my class at the academy. I knew Lissa had requested me as her guardian. But just a request wasn't enough. I needed to be the best.

"Thanks, Hans." I smiled back at him. I was to report to guardian headquarters to receive my assignment. My official assignment. It wasn't how I thought the process would go, I thought it would be a bit more exciting than signing paperwork and receiving a folder on your Moroi. I held my breath as I opened the folder up. Praying to whatever God or Saints would listen to a creature like me.

I quickly opened up the manilla folder and gave a breath of relief. There in bold black ink read, "Vasilisa Sabina Rhea Dragomir". I didn't realize that I was shaking until I saw the folder start to move. I shut it, stuck it under my arm, and gave a small nod to Hans.

"You're good, Hathaway. Really good. I saw your scores and marks on the field test and your trials. But this isn't fake attacks and staged strigoi coos. This is the real world. And it will either make or break you. You have to be better than good. You have to be better than great. Lissa has been mentioned by the queen herself as her successor. And if that does happen then you will always have a team and partners around you. But nothing is guaranteed." Hans crossed his arms and took a step closer.

"When you're out here, you have to also be on guard. Especially with the charge that you have." There was a hint of doubt in his voice.

"What? Do you think I won't be able to keep her safe? I've already killed before. I have Zvezda…" I snorted back.

"I have no question about your dedication. And what you did with Christian was unacceptable. He should have never been involved or put into harm's way. You failed him that night, despite whatever anyone else tells you. You'll need real-world experience before I'm able to give my full opinion."

"Are you joking? Countless lives were saved because of what we did." I gritted my teeth together and tried to control the urge to punch him.

"Countless lives may have been saved, but one was put into danger." His face was stone. There was no emotion in his words. He said it as if it was a matter of fact.

"A Moroi life isn't more valuable than a dhampir."

"Yes, yes, it is."

I couldn't go back to the ballroom after that. I couldn't stand there in that crowd of people. I needed air. I took several turns until I found my way into one of the many courtyards that the palace had. It was mid-June and even on the nocturnal schedule it was still warm and comfortable outside. The smell of flowers was almost overpowering as I walked along the path that was carefully landscaped.

I found a stone bench that was placed between two tall flowering trees and sat down. It was still dark outside, but I could see the light hint of the sun starting to overtake the light of the moon. The stars were still out, creating a perfect blanket across the sky. I traced my fingers across familiar star constellations and enjoyed the warmth and the silence of the night.

I hated having my abilities doubted. A hand absentmindedly found its way to the back of my neck and started to trace my promise mark. I felt tears start to form in my eyes. I didn't understand why it upset me so much. I wasn't trigger-happy to come face-to-face with a Strigoi, but I was eager to have the doubt that surrounded my name cleared. Just like Hans had pointed over two years ago, I was good, but not the best.

Lissa deserved the best.

Did she doubt my abilities as well? I searched my mind hand out in reach for her. It wasn't often that I would look into her thoughts like this. But I needed to know without the trouble of finding her and having the conversation. There were a lot of emotions going on with her tonight. She was excited, embarrassed at all of the attention, and worried about the job that she now had. And guilty that she hadn't told me about the upcoming events involving Lord Zeklos. I latched onto that feeling and probed her thoughts. She didn't think that I would embarrass her, she didn't think that I couldn't keep her safe. Just the opposite. She was worried that I wouldn't let her close to him. I apparently wasn't the only one she hadn't told this news to. Because images of Christian flooded her mind with just as much guilt.

She had kept it from both of us. Afraid that we wouldn't approve of her mission. And she couldn't have people questioning her this early in her rule.

That I understood.

"Way to make me feel like an ass, Lissa," I said out loud.

"I know we haven't met yet, but my name isn't Lissa." A lightly Russian-accented voice commented back to me. I shook my head to try to shake myself out of Lissa's mind and was immediately met by pools of warm chocolate staring back at me.