After a lot of thought, I've decided this will be the last chapter I'm posting.

I'm sorry.

Rose POV

The front slammed shut, followed by boots scuffed on the mat. "Sorry," a female voice called out.

I jumped in my seat, the hot drink spilling on my lap. When I turned back to the window, the crow was gone. "Fuck," I hissed, quickly rising from the couch only to fumble on my bad ankle and almost drop my mug.

"Careful," Dimitri's voice cautioned beside me, his hands catching my elbow and waist to prevent me from falling forward. He stabilised me and took the mug from my hand, "What's wrong?"

The unease must have shown on my face; I turned to him and wondered if I should mention the crow. I could be wrong. Maybe it wasn't a sign of death. I looked back at the window, searching for the crow, praying for once that it really was all in my head.

"Rose?"

"I–" My eyes met his, and I bit my tongue. I couldn't tell him I saw a crow without knowing if I was right, not if the implication was someone was going to die. His family… I couldn't give him those fears. "It's nothing," I replied, schooling my features.

Dimitri's eyebrows drew together. "You looked scared," he gently pointed out, his hand caressing my side. I knew he was trying to offer comfort and encourage me to tell the truth.

"I just spilled my drink," I answered, waving my hand down at my pants. "I was surprised by–"

"Hey, Dimka."

We both turned to the new voice; a girl around my age stood at the entrance to the living room. Her hair and eyes instantly revealed that she was part of the Belikov family; the bag hanging off her shoulder was dropped to the floor with a thump as a large smile spread over her face.

Dimitri released me and stepped towards his sister; she met him with open arms. "It's good to see you, Vika," he greeted warmly, holding her tightly.

I stood awkwardly in the room, switching between staring out the window with dread and watching the happy family moment. The difference was like whiplash.

"You must be Rose."

I jumped again at Viktora suddenly in front of me, I barely had a second to respond before I was pulled into a hug. Dimitri's family was more fond of hugs compared to my own, and it left me feeling awkward as I tried to return it. "Yep," I replied, pulled back after a moment.

Viktoria gave me a bright smile, unexpectedly excited to meet me. "Is it true you got hit by a car?"

"Vika," Dimitri warned.

I blinked at her, stunned. "Twice, technically," I shrugged.

Her eyes lit up. "That's cool. Do you have any scars?"

"You don't have to answer that," Dimitri pulled his sister to the side, standing between us like a shield. It made me laugh.

"Not really," I told her with another shrug, then touched the back of my head. "They did drill holes in my skull to relieve pressure after my first accident."

Viktoria inched closer. "Were you awake when they did that?"

Dimitri put his hand out, holding her back with a palm on her shoulder. "Stop," he sighed and nudged her towards the kitchen. "Go."

"Why are you such a buzzkill, Dimitri? It wouldn't kill you to relax!"

Another tap against the glass made me freeze. As the siblings continued to bicker, I twisted and met inky black eyes. The crow looked back at me as if trying to warn me; telling me it was real. I couldn't lie to myself that it was in my head, not when the wind blew outside but the black feathers weren't affected by it.

"Just ignore her, Roza," Dimitri pulled me back to the living, his hand squeezing my shoulder. His smile was so easygoing and full of warmth.

How could I tell him death was after someone in the house?

The breeze had picked up as the sun set, bringing a bitter chill that burned my cheeks when the wind hit. I pulled my coat closer to my body and rubbed my gloved hands together. "Mason?" I whispered.

"What?"

"Can you see it?" I ventured further onto the porch, avoiding the window so no one inside saw me.

After dinner, I lied to Dimitri about feeling tired to get away from the family and search out the crow. Just one wasn't great, but meant I still had time to figure something out. Once more showed, it would mean death was closer. I knew what to look out for, and knew I could prevent death—I just had to do so again. Dimitri's family didn't deserve anything bad to happen to them.

Mason stopped beside me, scanning the backyard. "I don't see any."

"Why the hell are they here?" I grumbled, staring at the window sill the crow had perched on.

"Maybe for Yeva," Mason offered, "She's pretty old."

"Shut up," I snapped, spinning to glare at him, but found Viktoria standing in the spot he had been.

She tilted her head at me, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I didn't say anything."

I cursed under my breath, grasping for an excuse but failing. "I was talking to myself."

Her eyebrow raised, just like Dimitri's would. "I assumed you were talking to a ghost."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

Viktoria shrugged and shuffled across the porch to the swinging chair; the wood creaked under her. She patted the spot beside her. "Babushka mentioned it. So, can you actually see the dead?"

"Your family is really weird," I replied, past feeling surprised by how quickly this family accepted things that mine never would. "Do you believe in ghosts?" I asked as I lowered myself into the space beside her. The cushion was soft; Viktoria shifted the blanket from her shoulders and draped it over us both.

"Hard not to," she laughed.

"Dimitri didn't at first."

She scoffed. "My brother is an idiot most of the time."

I laughed as well. "He has his moments. Calling me delusional wasn't his best, but he came around." Now he believed me and so did his family. The day was a roller coaster of emotions.

"So, were you?"

I met Viktoria's curious eyes, seeing nothing but intrigue in them. "Yeah," I answered honestly, "I was talking to my friend, Mason."

Excitement lit up her eyes, and her mouth pulled into a grin. "That's so cool. Is it a good party trick?"

"Haven't been invited to many parties to test it out," I replied sarcastically. I couldn't think of an easier way to be alienated from a group of people than to show off my ability to talk to the dead.

"Then you should come to the party my boyfriend is having tomorrow night. My friends would love it."

"I–" My mouth clamped shut as the flutter of wings sounded beside me. Slowly, I shifted my eyes to the armrest of the chair and found another crow. It stared at me again. "I don't think a party would be a good idea."

"You've been around Dimitri too long," she snorted, nudging me with her elbow. "You should come, it'll be fun."

Another flap of wings. I snapped my head to the side; beside Viktoria was another crow. I could connect the dots, dread settling like lead in my stomach.

"It's freezing." Viktoria stood from the chair, leaving the blanket on my lap as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Think about it."

I sat silently, eyeing the crows. As soon as Viktoria was back in the house, the crows flew away.

Fuck.

Death was after Viktoria.

I hadn't slept much that night, tossing and turning as I tried to think of how to prevent Viktoria's death. While I had stopped death once before, it wasn't something I actively tried to achieve. Last time had almost cost my own life—what would be the price for Viktoria's?

I was no closer to a solution once the morning light shined through my window, and even further from knowing how to tell Dimitri. The day before was filled with so many highs, revealing that his sister was going to die felt like a great way to ruin it all.

I would be back to being accused of bringing death with me.

Olena called it a gift, but it was only a curse.

I stood in the backyard again, my boots kicking at the new layer of snow. Each sound made me still, searching for the black wings of the crow, but I never found one.

When Mason died, I didn't know what to look for. Other than moments before he died, I couldn't remember if crows had gathered slowly leading up to the event. I never spent a lot of time around others afterwards to know if it was normal or not. All I knew was once more than three crows were gathered, death was close.

"What do I do?" I asked for the fifth time that morning.

"I don't know," Mason sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding my eyes.

"There has to be something," Ivan encouraged, his eyes pinched in the corners. He knew how much Viktoria meant to Dimitri, losing another person close to him would send Dimitri spiralling.

The weight of preventing death and everything that would follow threatened to pull me down. So much was hanging on the hope that I had any chance of stopping it. If I couldn't…

I groaned, raking my hand through my hair and kicking out at the trunk of a tree; a dusting of snow fell from the branches and coated my hair and shoulders. I stumbled back from it, glaring at the tree as if it wasn't my own fault. It was always my fault.

The back door opened, and heavy steps casually walked across the porch to the snow-covered ground. I didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"You're up early," Dimitri commented. His tone was still so cheerful; he was happy and I hated it. I didn't want to ruin everything again.

"So are you," I replied, eyes unmoving from the tree. It was easier to blame it for all my problems. Stupid tree.

His fingers brushed the top of my head, lightly pulling on stands as he rid it of the snow. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again. He had questioned me the night before, catching me as I stormed to my room to come up with a solution. I lied to his face. After promising not to push him away, I hadn't even made it one day.

Mason and Ivan both eyed me, neither could decide if it was better Dimitri knew. What could he do? Was it better for him to know his sister was on death's door? Or was it better not to have the knowledge someone you loved was about to die?

I kicked the tree again.

"Roza," Dimitri soothed, his hand caught mine and drew me back. "Talk to me. Please."

My body betrayed me and gave into his touch, letting him pull me back until there were only a few inches between us. I gave into the urge and pressed my forehead to his chest; he hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around my back. The embrace was warm and comforting.

I felt safe.

"I know something's wrong," he tried; the deep tones rumbling in his chest. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

No, I couldn't. As much as I wanted to, I didn't know how to tell him. Dimitri wouldn't be able to prevent death, he wouldn't be able to see when it was coming—but I could.

There would be a price to stop death, and I didn't want him to pay it.

So I lied. "Yesterday was just really overwhelming. I guess I'm a little messed up from it." I leaned more into his hold, memorising how it felt—how warm he was.

"Stop saying that. You aren't messed up," Dimitri argued. "I'm sorry for overwhelming you." His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer until our chests were pressed together. I slipped my arms under the fabric of his duster, clasping my hands behind his back.

"Don't apologise. You believe me—your whole family does," I replied, and tilted my head back to meet his eyes. "Don't say sorry for giving me something I've always wanted."

Dimitri's eyes held mine, the light made them shine, flecks of amber in deep pools of brown. Then my eyes travelled lower to his lips. It wasn't often I allowed myself to gaze at him like that, never wanting to risk the urge to give in.

I wanted to give in.

Emotion flickered in his eyes, an indecision of his own to give in. As much as I tried not to read into it, I had seen how he looked at me—knew it was how I looked at him.

I wanted to give in.

I licked my lips nervously, catching how his eyes followed the movement. It wouldn't take much, just rise on my toes a little and Dimitri would meet me halfway. I wondered if his lips were soft; they looked soft. I knew he would be gentle, probably moving slowly before deepening the kiss. Dimitri would take my breath away, I just knew he would.

I gave in.

I rose slightly on my toes, my fingers curled into the back of his shirt to keep myself steady. Dimitri didn't think twice, his head dipped down as his hand moved to the back of my head, his fingers threaded through my hair.

I already loved the kiss and our lips hadn't even touched yet.

His breath fanned my cheeks; puffs of smoke between us from the cold, but I only felt warmth. Our faces were so close I could count every freckle on his cheeks, and when our eyes met again, I became lost in them.

"Are you sure, Roza?" he questioned, lips hovering above mine. I swear I could feel them brush mine when he spoke.

I didn't need to think about it, smirking at him, "Just kiss me, comrade."

My eyes slid closed, and his grip on the back of my head became firm. The shock of his lips against mine made my heart skip a beat; they felt so cold but warmed up quickly. Our lips were just pressed together, tentative as we began to move.

I was kissing Dimitri, it was just as amazing as I thought it would be.

It would have kept kissing him, but then clumps of ice dropped onto our heads. Snow managed to slip under the collar of my jacket and down my shirt; I pulled back with a shriek, trying to get it out. Dimitri got the worst of it in his hair, shaking his head to get it off, a few curses muttered under his breath.

I stared up at the tree again. It really was the cause of my problems.

"Stop making out with your bodyguard, Hathaway," Mason snickered behind me. My rage grew.

I spun on my heel to glare him down. "You did that!"

Mason stood with his back against the tree trunk, arms crossed with a bored expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You little–"

"Hey," Dimitri called, tugging on my hand to spin me back around. His hands moved to my shoulders and held me steady. He smiled, "Just ignore him."

Dimitri kissed me again, and for that moment, I allowed myself to forget about ghosts and the crows I had seen. For a couple of minutes, I allowed myself to forget about everything and only focused on kissing him back.

Nah, April Fools lovely. I'm already working on the next chapter. We aren't even close to finished!