Rose POV

"I warn you, Your Highness, this is our last offer," Moroi, with whom Lissa was holding a meeting announced in a loud voice. I moved closer to her, behind her back. Threats like this immediately raise our vigilance.

I looked at the other guardians. Dimitri, who was standing with Christian, also put his hand on his gun and watched Lissa's guest intently. The rest of the royal guardians also moved toward the queen. Moroi noticed all this and sent us a furious look. He knew that if he made one reckless move, he would be immediately put down.

Quickly scanning the grounds, I cursed Lissa's decision to hold audiences in the Palace Gardens during summer. It was a lot less hot in here than in her Palace Room, but her safety was compromised in the terrain. The open area was much more difficult to control and secure.

Lissa seemed least moved by her guest's threat. She calmly arranged the papers on the table.

"Lord Drozdov, this conversation is over. I do not intend to restore the age law, regardless of your offers."

"You're making a big mistake, Your Highness," spat Moroi.

"Watch your words, Lord Drozdov," I replied and received a murderous look from him. I couldn't even pretend to care.

Drozdov bowed messily and left, trembling from agitation. We all breathed a sigh of relief when he was behind the door leading to the Palace entrance. Even Lissa seemed to relax as she requested a chilled soda from a nearby servant.

"Well, he seemed like a real ray of sunshine" I commented once I was certain he couldn't hear me. Liss sent me a meaningful look and rolled her eyes. Dimitri moved closer to me and put his hand on my lower back, taking advantage of the fact that we stayed in an intimate circle.

"He seemed unusually ... agitated," Dimitri added. Christian furrowed his brow in concern and looked toward the door.

"If he tried something, he would quickly regret it," he replied dramatically. But even I felt the temperature around us rise thanks to his power.

Lissy's soda came, and I reached for it before it hit the queen's table. The servant sent me a disgusted look, but I smiled.

"Security check," I said cheerfully, seeing that Lissa was smiling slightly. We weren't concerned about court etiquette, especially when we were in our inner circle.

I took a sip of the refreshing, cold drink, but as soon as the liquid was in my throat, I felt a sharp, stabbing sting. I choked, spitting the contents of the can out of my mouth.

"Rose?" Dimitri became concerned. The feeling of pain turned into a real burning sensation, and I started coughing, feeling that something was stuck in my throat. My hands went to my throat and clutched it where I felt the pain.

"Rose, what's going on?" Lissa also stood up and threw Dimitri a frightened look. He quickly turned me around to face him as I struggled to catch my breath. My throat was blocked, and I couldn't take a breath. The inside of my throat was burning, and at the same time, I knew that I had a blocked trachea.

"She's choking!" Dimitri shouted. Fear crept into his eyes at the sight of my desperate attempts to draw breath. He turned me around, putting his arms around me and squeezing my upper stomach tightly, trying to do the Heimlich maneuver. Tears streamed into my eyes as I shook my head letting him know that this was not where the problem lay. He immediately let me go, however, leaving his hands on my arms.

The lack of oxygen supply was making me anxious as well. I continued to struggle for breath as my throat constricted painfully. My hands clenched tightly on Dimitri's duster. My heart began to flutter in my chest and I felt a buzzing in my ears as I tried to cough and pant to take a breath.

"Call the doctor!" Lissa cried.

"Call for a medical vehicle!" shouted Dimitri, embracing me and beginning to lead me with a quick step to the door. I let him lead me, not seeing anything through my teary eyes. I thought of nothing else but to catch at least some oxygen in my lungs. I could feel my throat swelling up inside, closing off my airway, and there was nothing I could do about it.

In the blink of an eye, I found myself being ushered into a vehicle and then whisked into the emergency room in a blur of activity. My head spun as doctors placed me on a stretcher, fitting a mask over my face and administering gas. I felt Dimitri's hand release mine from its iron grip and the last thing I saw was the bright fluorescent lights of the lamps before I lost consciousness.

When I woke up I drew a rapid breath, remembering what had happened. Dimitri abruptly sat up, his eyes never leaving me, assessing my condition.

"Rose, what's going on?"

I shook my head, feeling the tension in my chest ease as I could finally breathe freely. I caught his hand extended toward me and focused on my body. I still felt irritation and pain in my throat, although it was much less than before. I also knew that my airway was not completely relaxed, but I could breathe freely.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. How could I have underestimated this activity before?

"Everything…" I wanted to calm Dimitri down, but I started coughing in mid-sentence. He quickly reached to the table next to where he had prepared water for me. I drank greedily, feeling it soothe my throat. "Thanks. Everything is fine now."

"Dimitri's hand gently caressed my hair, starting from the crown of my head and settling on my shoulders. With his other hand, he put his palm around my face, and I snuggled into it, feeling safe.

"I'm glad you're feeling better. You scared us earlier."

"I scared myself. I don't know what happened... suddenly I felt a strong sting, and then my throat closed up."

To my surprise, Dimitri nodded his head, as if he expected it. He stroked my cheek gently with his thumb, looking at me carefully, with concern and relief.

"The doctors quickly realized what had happened. There was a bee in the can. It stung you in the throat, causing your airway to block."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Did I almost kill myself in front of my friends and co-workers because I drank a soda with a bee in it? After working for years to prove that I was a deadly, lethal guardian, I nearly lost my life to a stupid insect?

"Are you telling me, that I wasn't killed by a gunshot to the heart, but I almost killed myself because I didn't check my drink for a bee?"

I could have sworn that Dimitri's lips twitched in an attempt to stop a smile, but to hide it he leaned over and kissed my forehead.

"Well, almost. But it wasn't your fault. We investigated everything that happened while you were recovering. Do you remember the Moroi that Lissa argued with just before this happened?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. Dimitri continued to stroke my hair as if he couldn't take his hands off me. It didn't bother me in any way.

"So he has the power of air. We were right to think he was unusually angered. He planned the assassination attempt on Lissa. He trapped the bee in a bubble of air, which he then directed into Lissa's can. He intended to kill her this way, right under "our noses.

I froze completely. Lissa was so close to taking this can. Would Lissa have survived that long without air? Then the other thing occurred to me.

"This is the stupidest murder plan I've ever heard of," I stated and caught, feeling that my throat was still strained. Dimitri handed me water and stroked my back as I drank it.

"It's hard to disagree," he admitted softly. I felt his lips on my temple. "But I'm so glad this idea was so stupid and didn't work."

I leaned in to kiss him. For a moment I let myself enjoy the firm feeling of his lips pushing against mine with intensity. My hand found his face and I drew him even closer to me, as if I wanted to melt into him.

Finally, he placed a gentle kiss on my lips, the tip of my nose and forehead. He embraced me tenderly and held me to him, and I melted into his arms.

"One thing is certain," he said in a whisper, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yes?:

"Once again you have proven that you are an indispensable guardian. One that is able to protect the queen even from the danger hidden in the can of soda."

I laughed softly, letting him hold me, feeling he might just need this as much as I did.