Roza made me download a running app last week. My phone was pretty utilitarian. I used it to call, text, or check my email, but I didn't have any games or social media stuff on it. Rose had tried to get me to download Snapchat once, but I didn't see the appeal over the run-of-the-mill texting. She mentioned something about those snaps, specifically the photos and videos, being deleted after they're viewed, but that seemed counterintuitive to me. What use is something like that?

She laughed and called me 'adorably clueless' but never brought it up again.

She won me over on the RunKeeper app when she said we could use it to share our runs with each other. Once I convinced her to get back into training a few weeks ago, she had thrown herself into it full force. Not only did it make me feel a little better about her safety knowing that she was keeping up the skills to defend herself if needed, but I was also happy to hear some of her old fire coming back to her. I knew she had felt lost for a while after she moved, as anyone would. But now that she was feeling more comfortable with her surroundings and getting back into the old habits that used to bring her joy, I could see her finding herself again. I often woke to a notification with a blue line running through the neighborhoods of my youth. Sometimes she'd wait a bit later in the day and then find one of the more scenic paths through the hills and woods. Those were often accompanied by photos that made me miss home almost as much as I missed her.

Her long winding loops also made my small circles around the track look miserable in comparison, so I started looking around campus for new areas to run. Sometimes I joined Eddie on the dedicated track, but after running with Rose for so long and gradually becoming in sync with each other's pace and strides, it felt strange and disjointed to run with a new partner.

I probably should spend more time getting used to it, though. I hadn't discussed it with Rose yet, but after my personal recommendation, Lissa requested Eddie as her second guard and my partner. It hadn't been approved yet, but I had no doubt that it would be soon. We'd know for sure shortly after graduation, just over a week away.

I think there were mixed feelings for all three of us. It felt somewhat like a betrayal to Rose, at least on my end, but I knew Eddie was struggling when it came to fitting into a role that he felt wasn't intended for him.

He called himself an imposter.

"It doesn't matter how good I am. I'll never quite compare."

Of course, I tried to reassure him that he was more than capable of the position and that I would never have recommended him if I didn't trust him or his skills. I also tried to bolster him a little and reminded him that our partnership would gradually become more familiar and natural in time.

With the vast majority of guardian pairs, that was the truth. You were strangers often thrust together as coworkers, and it took time for trust and synchronicity to form. Truthfully, Eddie and I were already a step ahead of the game since I considered him a friend. That would make things easier in the long run.

What didn't make things easier was knowing in my heart that he was right. I loved Rose. Completely. But even beyond that, there was a natural connection that would have made our professional partnership extraordinary.

If someone somehow managed to sever that emotional connection between us, we'd still have had the ability to read the other with one simple look. We still would have been able to fight alongside the other, even in close quarters, because we were aware and in tune with the other. And while regulations and traditions would have placed me as the primary guard responsible for our charge, we would have been able to stand on equal footing because of the respect and trust we shared.

Our partnership would have been rare yet remarkable. But life didn't work out that way.

Selfishly, I was almost grateful that it didn't. I never wanted Rose expelled or denied the chance to serve as Lissa's guardian. Everything she had done since childhood had been in service to her best friend. Seeing that unjustly ripped away from her was horrible.

But she was safer now, and I wouldn't lie and pretend that there wasn't some relief in that fact. Lissa would always be a high-ranking target, and Rose would have taken a bullet for her without hesitation. I knew that in my bones. As a mentor, I should have been proud of that dedication, but as a lover, the thought of her dying in the line of duty made my soul cry out in pain. I wasn't sure I could have survived her death. It would have destroyed me.

It was hypocritical, I know, but it was easier for me to put my own life on the line and guard Lissa now that I didn't have to worry about Rose as well. Right after the incident with Victor's charm, I had confided in Rose that I wasn't sure I could put Lissa's life over her own. Back then, her sudden presence in my life made me question my loyalties and duty to my Moroi charge. There was no question now. If it came down to it, I would choose Rose. Every time.

So while we had all the potential to become a guardian partnership to rival all others, I know I also would have failed miserably in the end.

Not having to choose between my job and my soulmate was a blessing, but knowing that it cost Rose her dream was heart-wrenching.

My phone pinged with a text, this time a photo from one of the bluffs overlooking Baia and the river.

(Roza) Wish you were here.

I smiled. Soon I would be. That was another thing I hadn't yet shared with Rose. I wanted it to be a surprise. After graduation, Lissa was going to spend some time at Court and become familiar with the political role that was her birthright. She didn't need two personal guards when the miniature city was so fully protected with wards and Court guardians. I would show Eddie the ropes for two weeks, and then I would be taking some of my long overdue vacation time. Nearly an entire month. No pressure from the Academy, our jobs, or society and their shunning of guardian relationships. Just me, Rose, and my family.

I could hardly wait.

The anticipation of my trip a few weeks from now made today a bit more bearable.

The giant structure that had been built for the final trials—a two-day event that essentially served as the final exam for all senior novices—loomed over me. It was massive, filling the entire field of the pitch with various obstacles meant to simulate situations a guardian might need to overcome to protect their charge. Each student had one ultimate goal; get their assigned charge from the top of a five-story structure to the safe zone on the other side of the course as quickly and efficiently as possible. There were several ways that a student could take to accomplish this, but how they did it didn't matter as long as the ultimate goal was met. If your charge was taken and "killed,"…that was it. You were done.

Just like in the field, this was pass/fail. If you passed, you would be given a score that would go a long way toward securing your future as a guardian. The higher your score was, the more valuable your contract would be and the better your chances of being placed with a high-ranking family.

I had no doubt that Eddie would do well. He had surpassed Dean Barnes on the novice leaderboard two weeks ago, and while there was only a slim margin between them, it was enough to cause a stir of anticipation to see who would ultimately come out on top.

Dean had drawn one of the early testing positions and had completed his trial yesterday. His final tally of 9.36 laid claim to the number one spot, shouting his victory in bright red numbers above the enthusiastic crowd who had gathered to watch the spectacle as if it was a football game. It was more than just an acceptable score. It was an admirable one. Most scores hovered between the 8.5 to 9.0 range. The next highest was Meredith Beckham, who had finished her trial about two hours ago with an incredibly respectable 9.27.

Two of the twenty-eight novices in the graduating class had already failed. They would still graduate but hadn't qualified for their promised mark. They would be regulated to clerical work or some sort of job outside the guardian field. It was always hard to witness their defeat, but it was also a blessing in disguise. A novice who couldn't handle the pressure of the trial was hardly fit to serve and protect in the field where the stakes truly mattered most. They were liable to freeze or falter, signing their own death warrant and more than likely condemning their charge to the same fate. Even of those who passed today, I knew there were a few who would die in the field within the next five years. It was the unfortunate nature of our job.

My traitorous mind slipped to imagining what Rose's score would have been. Would she have surpassed my own score of 9.91? Her own mother's equally impressive score? A quiet sense of pride whispered in my mind saying yes, she would have. A perfect 10 was practically impossible, but if anyone could have done it, it would have been her.

Another roar went up among the crowd, marking the completion of another student's test. It would take a little time to reset the course, but my focus was drawn back to the scoreboard. 8.84 flashed. Not quite enough to make the top ten, but decent nonetheless.

Eddie was up next.

I stepped away from the arena and back towards the tented barracks where the students were kept prior to their run. Only Eddie and Blake, another student who I wasn't very familiar with, remained. They weren't allowed to see the course before attempting it themselves, and I knew their anxiety was probably running high. The only thing worse than being first when it came to this challenge was being last.

While Blake paced near the back wall to soothe his nerves, Eddie sat on one of the benches, chin resting on his fists and elbows braced against his knees. Eyes closed, he could almost be mistaken for praying. I'm sure it wouldn't have been the first prayer uttered in this tent, nor the last, considering how fervently Blake was fidgeting with the cross around his neck. However, I knew Eddie was just lost in the meditation I had encouraged earlier.

His face lifted to mine as my shadow crossed over him.

"Is it time?" A bit of apprehension still laced his words, but it was overshadowed by his determination.

I nodded, offering him a hand and pulling him upright. "Soon."

He gave me a somewhat timid smile. "I guess you aren't going to give me any clues about what's out there, are you?"

"It would be a disservice to you if I did." I smiled as he huffed out a breath, knowing that I was right even if he didn't like it. Rose would have done the same…plus rolled her eyes and quipped back some sarcastic comment just for good measure.

This was about Eddie, though. Not Rose. I needed to remember that and concentrate on him. "You have to do this on your own, but I have faith in you. You can do this. Just stay calm, stay focused, and rely on your training. There is a reason why you are at the top of your class. Trust in yourself, and the rest will fall into place."

"You are the reason I'm number one. I wouldn't be there without you."

I appreciated his compliment, but it was unwarranted. "I just guided you the last little way, Eddie. You did the important part on your own. I want you to remember that when you're out there. You have the drive and skill to succeed, so use it. You got this."

There was still a bit of uncertainty around him, and I struggled with how to give him that last little bit of confidence and support.

Had it been Rose, it would have been easy. I would have shuffled her away from prying eyes and pulled her close in an embrace. I would have whispered in her ear how much I love her. I would have reminded her of how brave she was. How smart. How insanely talented. I would have told her how proud I was of how far she had come. If I felt particularly bold, I might have even kissed her despite the risk of others nearby. She would have bitten her lip and suggested a private reward if she succeeded. I would have teased her, only agreeing if she made the top spot, even though I knew without a doubt that she would. I would have watched the determination set in, eager to test my promise. I would have kept it.

I wished she was here. I wished it was her in front of me now, so much so that my chest ached to see her and hear her voice. It was hardly fair to Eddie, but it was the truth.

However, life couldn't be lived on 'what ifs' and wishes. Reality always won in the end, and looking at the capable future guardian in front of me, I accepted it.

"I believe in you, Eddie," I said, clasping him on the shoulder as his name was announced over the speakers before slightly pushing him towards the barrack entrance. Alberta waited for him, ready to take him to his assigned starting position. "Now go out there and show them why."

Despite everything I had told him earlier, I still had to tamp down my own anxiety as I watched Eddie run the course.

Yuri was posing as his charge. While I couldn't see inside the building they were attempting to escape, several cameras had been placed throughout the rooms and hallways, allowing me and the crowd to follow along as he encouraged Yuri to keep moving. Yuri faked the fear many Moroi would feel when confronted with Strigoi, slowing Eddie much more than he would if he and Eddie were partners rather than charge and guardian. Still, Eddie remained calm and professional, listening and peeking around corners to check for threats before moving ahead.

Suddenly, the pair weren't alone. Eddie had done well to check each open hallway as he made his way to the ground floor but had only pressed an ear to each door they passed along the way. If there had been no audible sign of an enemy, he moved forward. In practice, it was a good plan. Opening and closing doors repeatedly to clear each room would cause more harm than good, announcing their presence to any threat lingering nearby. I would have done the same, especially when time was of the essence.

Still, such a cursory check left room for error. While the crowd was only privy to the one camera feed playing on the giant video display that currently showed Eddie and his progress, as his mentor, I had been given access to the full bank of live footage. One floor up, a door creaked open and Emil stepped into the empty hall. Dressed in black, he represented a Strigoi attacker who was now stalking his prey below him. Worse, I could see a group of three more 'Strigoi' making their way up the stairs, effectively blocking Eddie and his charge from their escape route.

Eddie would be forced into direct confrontation.

Eddie stopped suddenly at the end of the hall and pressed both him and Yuri against the wall as the sound of the 'Strigoi' below must have reached him. Within half a second, he was pushing Yuri back the way they had come. Emil was already waiting, though. The moment they rounded the corner, Emil reached for Eddie's faux charge but only grasped air as Eddie pulled Yuri back to safety. Now met with enemies on both sides, they were stuck.

He slashed his stake across Emil's face, who thankfully pulled back in time not to actually be struck. It wasn't unusual for students to be so immersed in their test that they accidentally hurt those playing their aggressor. If mock attacks against the students during their two-week field experience were dangerous, pretending to attack them during the trials could be dire. I was grateful that I wasn't among those selected to help out. I still had the scar on my arm from last year.

The strike was still enough to throw Emil off his mark and allow Eddie to reevaluate his options.

"Use the balcony," I whispered under my breath.

As if he could hear my voice, Eddie directed Yuri to the door leading outside to the third-floor balcony. The moment Yuri was safely outside, Eddie engaged Emil, throwing several strong hits before swinging him around and landing a solid kick that was enough to leave him flying into the three other mock strigoi advancing on him from the other direction. As they tumbled together and scrambled to right themselves again, Eddie slipped out on the balcony with Yuri, who was cowering near one corner. Without hesitation, Eddie snagged a metal-shafted shovel from a small garden area and threaded it through the handle to bar the door. It wouldn't keep the others away for long, even less so if it was actual Strigoi rather than guardians pretending, but it would do for a moment.

Two options were laid out from that point: the fire escape or a more rickety rope bridge that led to a nearby hill. While a rope bridge leading off the third-floor balcony of a building was hardly logical in the real world, it was the better option in this situation. If they took the much more realistic fire escape, there was a chance that the others would reach the bottom before they did.

Eddie seemed to realize this too. He got up on the bridge first, testing its durability as the door of the building began to rattle violently. Confident that the bridge would hold them, He pulled Yuri up and coaxed him ahead, keeping him close enough to catch him if one of the weak floorboards broke. Yuri hesitated, looking down and appearing to argue with Eddie about the situation until the door burst past its barrier and Eddie started pressing him forward with more urgency.

About halfway across the bridge, Eddie was forced to confront his attackers again. Now that they were out in the open, I could just barely hear him shout, "Go! Go! Go!" to Yuri as he prepared for combat again.

Daniel, who had been one of the 'Strigoi' coming up the stairs earlier, was the first to meet Eddie. With such a tight space, even tighter than the small hallway, it was clear that this fight was going to be more of a challenge. He had to stay ahead of Daniel. If for some reason, Daniel was able to get Eddie caught between himself and the others, then it would be all over. I fisted my hands at my side, fighting back the urge to jump into the fray as I would if we were already partners. His odds alone were low, but I tried to have faith that he would somehow make it through.

"Вы можете сделать это. Сфокусируйтесь."

Suddenly, a body flew off the bridge.

Several of us near the field took a step forward, ready to check on whoever had fallen. There were crash pads underneath, but it was still nearly a twenty-foot drop from the bridge's center. It would hurt either way, but a wrong landing could injure or put a guardian entirely out of commission. A really bad fall could even kill.

Thankfully, from my vantage point, I could already see whoever had fallen was moving. They were understandably winded, and the medic team was rushing to help them, but it looked like they would be okay.

More importantly, at least to me, was that it wasn't Eddie. In fact, he hadn't paused at all, wisely using that moment of distraction to incapacitate another guardian on the bridge and cause a roadblock to the last two before turning and making a break for it. It might have seemed cruel to ignore the possible injury of the one who fell, but in an actual attack, he couldn't hesitate. It was the correct course of action.

He didn't stop there, however. As he crossed the end of the bridge past where it was tied to a short wooden rod, I saw him grasp for his utility belt. With a few quick slashes, his knife cut the rope, collapsing the rest of the bridge. Thankfully, the others had noticed early enough to grasp on and avoid injury, but it marked the end of their chase. Within another 45 seconds, Eddie and Yuri were in the safe zone.

Yuri took a moment to shake Eddie's hand and congratulate him before running back onto the field to help the others who were currently licking their wounds. He nodded to me as he passed.

"I knew you could do it," I called out to Eddie, offering him a high-five and a pat on the back. He practically vibrated with the lingering adrenaline, hands shaking as I handed him a chilled bottle. I usually advocated for water over sports drinks, but Eddie had expended enough energy to require electrolytes in addition to hydration. "Drink this. How are you feeling?"

He downed half of the bottle in one long pull. "Tired. Revved up? Both, if that's possible."

I laughed, knowing the feeling well. A brush with death usually had that effect. While he hadn't actually been in mortal danger, the fact that he was reacting as if it had been life or death meant Eddie had taken the test seriously.

"How do you think I did?" Eddie's breathing began to even a little. He suddenly seemed to notice the commotion under the now-destroyed bridge. "Oh shit, are they okay? I really didn't mean to throw him over the side."

"They're fine," I assured him. Nobody had been carted off in a gurney, so it seemed like everyone would recover alright. Whoever had fallen would probably feel it for a few days, but something told me their pride would feel the brunt of the injury. "And you did amazing. If you didn't make the top spot, then you've given Dean a good run for his money. You should be proud of yourself either way. I'm impressed that you got over that challenge on the bridge. Many would have found themselves caught up in it and failed. You made it through perfectly."

A bit of pride flashed across his sweat-drenched face as I praised his success. I was about to say something else when a roar rose up from the crowd. Both our eyes flashed to the scoreboard.

9.37

"Yeah!" Eddie's fist flew up, punching the air as he shouted in victory. He had beaten Dean by 1/100 of a point, putting him in first. Before I could congratulate him again, I felt his arms come around me briefly before he pulled back with a look of surprise and uncertainty. Without hesitation, I reassured him with a quick muss of his hair and pulled him back, hugging him the same way Ivan had hugged me after I finished my own trial. The way I knew Mason or Rose would have embraced him.

"Good job, Eddie. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Laughter and enthusiasm still radiated from him as he looked around us, basking in the applause yet seeking something he wouldn't find: someone to celebrate this win with him. Lissa, Christian, and Adrian made up a small cheering section, but I knew they wouldn't understand just how momentous this really was for him. He needed a friend. A true one. One who understood him and the amount of work that had built up to this one moment.

I grabbed my phone, pulling up a familiar number. Rather than a voice call, I opted for a video one.

It connected immediately.

"How did he do?!" Rose's face filled the screen, a look of nervous anticipation coloring her features. The light around her was muted, but I could see wooden panels behind her. Between that, the color of her cheeks, and the breathlessness in her voice, I would bet anything that she was in the shed working with the old weight set I had left behind. I would also bet that she had been anxiously waiting for my call. "Did Eddie pass? What was his score?"

"Why don't you ask him?" I passed the phone to Eddie, and the moment he saw Rose's face, he started talking a mile a minute.

"I did it, Rose! I made it!"

I allowed them their celebration, stepping back to give them their privacy.

As proud as I was of Eddie—and I was proud of him and what he had accomplished—I hoped that Rose was doing alright. She seemed genuinely excited for her friend, but I had to imagine that today was just as hard on her as it had been on me. More so, even. The promise mark ceremony would be later today, and while I planned to be there to support my new partner, I knew I would need to check on Rose afterward.

A few more minutes passed before I heard Eddies final goodbye to Rose. His face faded a little as the call cut off, staring wistfully at the blank screen a second too long before his smile returned. A little dimmer but still bright.

"Thanks, Dimitri." He clutched the phone in his hand for a moment longer before handing it back to me. "I wish she was here."

"Me too," I admitted, trying to keep the bitter injustice of life from ruining his moment. "But she's proud of you and would want you to celebrate your win. Go get cleaned up and get ready for tonight, Guardian Castile. You earned it."

Author's Note

It's been too long since I've written a bit of action so I hope you enjoyed this inside look at Eddie's final trial. Next week, we'll get to see how Rose is holding up on such a difficult day. There might be a spicy treat in store too ;)

Question of the Week: What's your favorite season? I'm starting to get a bit tired of winter and while I can't wait for summer, fall is my favorite time of the year.

Thank you all again for your kindness, love, and support.