Vampire Academy belongs to the brilliant Richelle Mead. And I own the plot and idea.

pjwalterman's review to chapter 7: So everyone except for Dimitri knows they are true mates, will he figure it out before something bad happens?

My answer: Technically, Dimitri and Rose both don't know they're true mates, so it's a journey for both of them to find out. As for the question (will he figure it out before something bad happens?) We'll have to get to that part... Later. So stick with me, people, please, until the end of this story! Enjoy this chapter!

Italic = past situations (flashbacks), mental conversations.

Ch.8 RPOV

"How'd you find this place?" He asked.

I snuck a glance at him. He'd laid down next to me a few moments ago, his back on the grass, looking up to the sky. His dark brown eyes closed, hair spread around his face. My fingers just itched to touch the hair that I longed to know if it was as soft as it looked.

To be honest, when I set out from the palace I'd never expected to encounter a clearing, meadow, whatever you call it. I'd simply planned on taking Angel for a short ride into the forest and back. What I hadn't expected was for her to suddenly pick up pace and nose her way past two trees - into this clearing.

And what a clearing it was. Tall trees circled a perfectly round patch of grass, and I could say that that patch of grass was big - very big. And by very big, it meant that three Dimitris - three six feet seven Russian giants - could lie down comfortably in a straight line.

Angel hadn't wanted to keep on going, I could sense that. I'd taken off the saddle, and she'd pranced around eating grass while I'd enjoyed the silence.

A moment of peace was not going to be had easily, it seemed. I thought over Dimitri's question, choosing how to answer.

"Angel led the way. I simply wanted a ride. I knew she would take me home, so there's not a problem in giving her a break."

"Fascinating," he murmured.

I chose to ignore that. The sun was shining, and the trees blocked just enough to make sure I didn't get sunburned. It was a wonderful day, the wind was blowing, and yet he had to disturb the peace with his chatter!

Granted, his voice was in my head, but honestly? He might as well have been shouting in my ear, so loud was his voice.

The bond between Roza and her horse - what was the name again? - is something I'd never seen before, he mused. Maybe I can ask her how... Then again, she doesn't seem to like me talking much...

Damn right I didn't, at this moment. Any other day, any other time, I would be receptive. Not right now, when I was busy enjoying the warm sunshine, the perfect, perfect, weather.

"You know," he started, his damn Russian accent thick and clouding my rational thinking.

I almost slammed my fist into the ground.

"Your brother and Christian said something about me being able to impregnate you."

"Sounds like something Christian would say," I muttered under my breath.

I think he chose to ignore me, since there was no way he couldn't have heard me.

"I asked them why, and they said that you were my true mate," he said. He didn't look like he was looking for an answer, so I ignored him. No matter how much I just wanted to say one of my smartass comments, I kept my mouth shut. Who knew where he was going?

His eyes opened, then looked at me. I wondered what he saw. A spoiled royal girl ignoring what he was saying, or a little girl who was enjoying the rapidly approaching summer weather.

"I was wondering... If you think they're joking," he went on hesitantly, then looked at me nervously. Like I'd abruptly disappear on him.

"They do like to joke," I grimaced. "But about something like this? No." I shook my head. "Eddie would never do that to me. So he's probably saying the truth... Or he's wrong because he read the signs wrong."

He arched an eyebrow at that. Man, I wish I could raise one eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Why is he wrong? Because when Eddie is loyal to a cause, he'll give up everything to make it happen. And he believes in true mates."

He shook his head. That brown hair dancing around his handsome, handsome face. "No, I meant why he wouldn't lie to you about us being true mates." Though, he added in his mind, that piece of information is intriguing...

I shrugged. "Eddie loves me. He knows I don't want to married. At least, to a royal who only wants something from me. He may think I'm hardheaded and stubborn at times, but he knows when to push and where to leave it alone - and when we're talking about my impending marriage" - to you, I left unspoken - "he won't joke... until he gets me out or unless he knows I'm happy."

He blinked. Information overload, it seemed. When his mouth opened, I held up a finger. "Don't ask me to explain my relationship with my brother. It's complicated. Really, really complicated. And if you know me, you'll realize that when I say complicated, you don't want to know."

He smiled. "It seems I underestimated you, Rose Hathaway."

DPOV

The ride back to the palace was quiet. At least, our mouths were quiet. Inside, my mind was churning. If someone had asked me a week ago if I would ever find Rosemarie Hathaway-Mazur intriguing, my immediate answer would be maybe. After meeting her, though, my answer became a strict yes.

Most females I met outside of my family fell to my feet with the disbelief I visited or acknowledged them. They did their best to make me happy, and I was pretty sure that when I was gone, they drooled over my good looks.

The royal women I met - either for one reason or another - examined me with hawk-like eyes, trying to see if I was worthy of their daughter... or if I was worthy to marry them.

Rose Hathaway-Mazur was none of those things. She actually didn't seem to care about my feelings - only if she had her freedom when she married. I wish I could tell her she didn't have to worry, that she would always be free in this world... but I would be lying. Even if she married me, I would give her freedom - but a royal was never truly free. We were always followed closely by the press, who would have a field day when they caught even a hint of scandal or gossip, or by our guardians, who got panic attacks if we got away from them for even a second.

For a moment, I imagined another life, an ordinary life, where we both could live by ourselves, going to work everyday, experiencing how everyone else lived...

My sense of duty prevented me from imagining more, but I wanted that life. Badly. A life where I was free to do what I wanted - as long as it was legal and was inside my rights to do so, of course. A life where I could fall in love with whomever I wanted, a life where I could marry without worrying about social pressure.

A life I would never have.

Next to me, Rose Hathaway softly murmured, "We don't always get what we want, especially us royals."

How did she know what I was thinking? I didn't say all that aloud,, did I? Gods, that would be so embarrassing.

She pointed to her head. And in that second I understood.

She'd heard me, heard my thoughts. But I thought I had shields up, all the time. Has she somehow found a way past my defenses?

"I don't want to hear you," she muttered. "But no matter how much I try to block you out, you still scream in my head."

Her dark eyes looking at me, fathomless and a dark, dark abyss of unreadable emotions; her waist-length black-brown hair so smooth and shiny, making me want to wrap my hands in it... Damn it! Did she put me under a spell?

"I've got to go," she said, casting anxious glances at the building nearing us.

"Why?" I asked. I liked... Being with her, in general. It gave me a sense of contentedness that I rarely got. Also... There was just something about her, something that drew me to her.

"You forget, that unlike some of us, we don't own this palace and have free rein to go anywhere we want. Technically, I snuck out. No one knows I went out for a ride, except for Mark and the stable boys... and you." She grimaced at me. "Can I trust you?"

Of course she could. I'd take her secrets to the grave. It wasn't just because of the way my mama had raised me. I'd made a silent promise to protect this beautiful girl with my life the moment I'd realized she might be my future bride. I had a feeling that when I promised her that I'd kind of regret it... but now, it felt good - heavenly, in fact - to give her my life.

I nodded yes to her question, fearing what would come out of my mouth instead. She smiled, and turned back into the forest.

What was she doing? I thought she was going back to the palace - so why was she going back into the woods? "Do you trust me, Dimitri?" she asked, Angel stopping at the perimeter of the tree line.

"Of course," I answered automatically. After all, she'd helped me shift back... right? I ignored the part of me that was screaming, I trust her with my life... because I feel like doing so! I needed to remind myself that that kind of thinking would get me killed in battle, would land me in more debts than I could pay back, would get me into tons, tons and tons of trouble. But... Roza, my instincts called. Go to Roza.

I squashed my instincts down, but not before I admired her. Her long dark hair, curled into the slope between her ass and waist, catching the light as it swung around. Her feminine curves torturing every man who saw them.

And to think she might be mine one day...

I don't know what I did to deserve this chance, Roza, but I'm going to make the most of it.

Her smile lit up her face, and Angel trotted impatiently in a circle. Roza leaned down and petted her neck. "Yes, but we have to wait for the boys to get moving," she whispered, then glared at me. Urging me to 'get moving', like she so eloquently put it.

No problem. I swung a leg over Nightmare, and he caught up to the girls in no time. "Happy now?" I asked Angel, who snorted. Roza raised her eyebrows, shrugged, and Angel trotted into the forest.

I shook my head. "Girls, huh?" Nightmare nuzzled me, and then he followed after the girls.

We met them where they had paused by a huge, probably a hundred -year tree. "What are we doing here?" I asked. The shadow was... Exceptional.

"I needed a shadow," she said.

"To do what?"

"Magic."

I frowned at her for a moment. "Why do you need a shadow then?"

"Stand back and observe," she huffed.

I stepped back, got out of the shadow, but Nightmare didn't seem to want to. He seemed very comfortable rubbing his nose against his mate.

Rose glanced up and rolled her eyes. "I meant that in the figuratively speaking." I had the thought that there was an unspoken, "get your ass back into the shadow."

I was tempted to roll my eyes like Rose had just done when I heard her mutter, "Damn right there is."

She turned back, but not before she yelled, "Now step back in!"

I barely had time to do so before white magic enveloped me.

"Dimitri?" I heard. "Dimitri?" Soft fingers touched my face.

"He's alive," a man's voice sounded from my right.

"I'm not concerned if he's alive," the first voice snapped. "I want to know if anything's broken, if he's alright."

"Of course, your Highness."

My eyes opened, adjusted to the sunlight before they focused on two faces.

Roza, dear, sweet Roza, was leaning over me, her worried face hovering just over mine. Her lips not even ten inches from my lips, and all I could think was how little effort it would take to kiss her from this position we were in.

The sound of a throat clearing freed me from the daze I was in. Roza moved away, and I sat up. "What? Where -"

"Your Majesty!" Mark's worried face popped up in my peripheral vision. "Are you alright? Do you feel pain?"

"Mark..." I winced as I sat up. "I'm fine. A little sore, maybe, but..." The blurriness in my eyes faded a bit, and I recognized the natural-wood color of one of the Russian dhampir royalty stable walls. Taking a deep breath, I looked around.

I was sitting in a shadow, which conveniently kept the setting sun from shining directly into my eyes. A few yards in front of me, the Russian Moroi royalty stables loomed. The shadow there, so dark that it seemed like it was night. A flash of light, and the darkness was broken. A light in the darkness.

The light receded, and Roza appeared, a frown marring her features. She was carrying an assortment of items. They looked heavy. I would've helped her carry them... if I wasn't feeling as painful as I did right now.

"Mark, do you remember what I asked you?" Roza strode over, handed Mark some items.

He inclined his head. "Of course, your Highness." He held up one of the items Roza had handed him - a tanned, bleached white saddle, I now recognized - and , "I'm to adjust this to the mare's size, Highness."

"Correct, Mark. And remember... don't tell anyone you saw us here."

He genuinely smiled. "Highness." He bowed, then disappeared into a side door into the dhampir stables.

"I like him," Roza said thoughtfully.

"He's taken."

She blanched. "Not that way, no. I like him in the general way a person likes one another. I like him like a friend. I do not have any romantic interest in him. Nor anyone else. God, that would be difficult to explain to my father."

The look of comical shock on her face, combined with the disbelief in her words, made me laugh. It quickly turned into a cough when I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

Her eyes met mine, and I heard her mutter, "Shit." She sat down in front of me. "Tell me, where does it hurt?"

I pointed to my chest. It seemed like one of my ribs had cracked.

She mumbled, "Liss is better at this than I am... but unless I want to her and everyone to know I went shadow-traveling, which will lead to a shouting match, some broken furniture, and a fuming family afterwards, I'll have to do this myself." A small grimace. "Nah, I think I'll do it myself." She looked up at me, then asked, "Is it okay if I touch you?"

More than okay, actually. Of course, to say that would sound weird. Very, very weird. So I simply nodded. Because who knew what would come out of my mouth? What I was currently thinking of? You're beautiful. You're breathtakingly sexy in those jeans and crop top. I wish I could just bend you over a rock and fuck you hard until we both come. No, best not to think of that. It didn't help that the position she was in - her hands pressed against my chest, her eyes scrunched shut, concentrating on making something happen - made me think of something else with the same position. Something fun... but would end up with me being thrown in jail by Zmey because I deflowered his daughter.

I was snapped out of my wandering thoughts by the most itchy sensation in my chest. Like a worm writhing against my ribs, my lungs. It itched so much I wanted to crawl out of my own body.

Thankfully, it was over after a few more torturous moments. It ended with an exhalation of breath from Roza. The setting sun cast shadows where we currently were, making seeing stuff hard, but even I saw Roza's paler-than-normal skin color.

I stood up, picked her up. She didn't fight me, despite me seeing in her eyes some apprehension. Her skin was cold to the touch - and she was limp.

Without anything, I started to walk back to the palace. I glanced down, seeing her fighting her closing eyelids. Her ponytail coming loose in some parts, I tucked the strands behind her ears. Repositioning her in my arms, I smoothed her hair back. "Sleep now, Roza. You're safe."

So... I'm back. Late update. But anyways... this chapter is up and kicking right now, right? I had a bit of a writer's block... (make it a lot) but a chapter is a chapter, right?

Thank you for everyone who favourited, followed, and reviewed this story (and also those you favourited and followed me)! Your support and encouragement means a lot!

Is anyone else excited about the new TV adaption of Vampire Academy? I know I am! I mean, yes, the old adaption was okay - it had it's moments, but overall it wasn't too memorable. However... Zoey Deutch and Danila Kozlovsky are much better looking in my opinion...

Review or PM me if you want a specific scene! Also, if you have the time to spare... vote in my poll please! It's on my profile page!