The ownership of all characters related to and involving the novels of The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines Series remain the sole property of Richelle Mead, the Penguin Group and any affiliates.

No copyrights have been infringed on maliciously.

A/n: Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. Your loyalty means the world to me. Thanks also to everyone for the info on the whole grade /moon patterns system.

A Conflict of the Soul

Chapter Nine

"I know that you think you're…ugh, making sense…, ugh, but you really…ugh, aren't."

Holding a perfect back-bridge position for five seconds, Rose lowered herself slowly to the exercise mat and pulled her knees to her chest to stretch out the burning, cramping muscles of her abdomen. Rocking back and forth for a few seconds, she rolled to her left and began lateral v-sits.

"Keep them nice and tight, Rose. The movements need to be smooth and controlled for maximum effect. Make the muscles in your abdominal and hip region do the work for you. Good. That's very good. Now, what doesn't make any sense to you?"

"This Russian nonsense."

Snickering around her, the other seniors in the gym continued to mirror the same core-strengthening exercises whilst laughing at her irritation. They, like me, found it amusing that after so many months of pestering me to teach her the language, she was now complaining about it.

When I had agreed this morning to teach her Russian as part of my penance, Rose had happily agreed without giving the intricacies of the language much thought. Starting our first lesson on the way back to campus, she had demanded to be taught all the code-words we used in emergency situations. Grasping them quickly, the look of disgust scrunching up her features had made me pause before she had begun to vent about the failures of guardian protocol for neglecting to teach the seniors their code-words.

She had made the argument that all the seniors should be taught them now, instead of closer to graduation; pointing out that if they had, there might not have been as much chaos when the campus has been attacked.

Agreeing with her, I had discussed it with Alberta, and she had hadn't raised any objections to the idea; also, it was a good enough excuse to use without anyone raising any eyebrows as to why I was teaching her. Deciding that the afternoon gym session was as good a place to start as any, it was also the first time that day that all the seniors would be in the same place.

Crouching beside her now, I made as though this was a lesson for all of them, rather than just her. "Russian is a necessary language that all of you have to learn, Rose. All of our code words are in Russian…like the ones used during the attack. Normally you would be taught this after trials, but given what's happened, Guardian Petrov felt that now was as good a time as any."

Catching the sardonic gleam in her eyes, I straightened away and walked amongst the others. "Just remember that when I began learning English, it sounded just as foreign to my ears as Russian does to yours. You'll all learn the differences."

"How long did it take you to learn, Guardian Belikov?"

Walking to Eddie to answer his question, his jaw was clenched tightly with the strain of holding a perfect plank position for the better part of a minute. "Not long, but I had a head start. My mother kept many books in our home that were in English, so it was something that I was already familiar with. Don't let it worry you, Eddie," I encouraged when I saw his dubious expression. "From what I've heard already, you'll pick it up very quickly. You have a good ear for the nuances."

"Thank you, Guardian Belikov." He huffed, lowering himself to the mat.

"Kiss ass."

Grinning at Rose's taunt, he winked at her before rolling into v-sits. Talking amongst themselves for a few seconds, the friendly banter between the seniors didn't last for long as they got back to training. It was hard to rationalise that only five days ago we had survived the caves, but for the seniors, it was once again all business.

There seemed to be a renewed purpose to their training today. They were all pushing themselves harder, farther, faster, which was a good thing because they were about to be told that starting tomorrow morning, their training would be stepped up to the next level…a level that was usually only taught just before trials, which were still months away.

Wanting to make sure that he was involved in the training before he returned to Court at the end of the week, it had been Konrad that had made the suggestion over breakfast this morning. Fully expecting resistance from the others over the seniors being taught more advanced combat techniques; techniques that enabled lethal force and essentially weaponised the seniors in hand-to-hand combat that relied on weaponless combat, there had been none at all. There wasn't a guardian on campus that would argue that the seniors hadn't earned the right.

Catching his eye at the other end of the gym, he glanced at the clock over the door as it counted down the minutes to 6pm and nodded before murmuring to the seniors he had been instructing. He had thought it would be a good idea to talk to them before the end of the session about what they could expect for tomorrow morning's session.

"Okay, everyone. That's enough for today. Guardian Medvedev and I have something important to talk to you about." Meeting curious eyes as the seniors rolled to sitting positions, stretched aching muscles and reached out for a towel or water bottle, Rose was one of them.

I hadn't spoken to her about the new regime during our shift together today because there was no time to fully show her the rigors of it whilst on boundary patrol, but I hoped that during our run in the early hours of tomorrow morning, I would be able to give her a more depth instruction. It was better that she knew what to expect, though I had no fear that she wouldn't be able to master it.

Watching her now as those at the back of the gym joined those in the front, she was stretched out over her extended left leg whilst Eddie dumped a towel over her head, rested back on the palms of his hands and waited for the reaction. Never one to disappoint, Rose completed her stretched, calmly lifted the towel off her head before quickly whipping it into a damp rope and lashing out with it. Catching it with a laugh, Eddie pulled at it whilst Rose yanked the opposite way and a playful game of tug-o-war broke out.

"All right, all right. Everyone, pay attention, please." Konrad called out without any real heat, shaking his head at their antics. "This morning, Guardian Petrov granted Guardian Belikov and I, permission to begin training you all in advanced tactical manoeuvres not normally taught until trials."

"What kind of training, Guardian Medvedev?" Dean asked with a sigh, running a towel over the damp nape of his neck.

"Weaponless."

Murmuring amongst themselves, the students had been tired a moment ago, but were now re-energized with curiosity. Pulling his stake from its sheath, Kon twirled it nimbly between his fingers until it spun in an arcing silver blur. "You've all been taught that your stake is your most valuable weapon against the Strigoi, and that's not wrong, but there is always a chance that your stake will not be on hand to use when protecting a Moroi, or defending yourself. What this training will do is teach you to kill…without it."

"So starting tomorrow morning, the stakes will be left one side and you will be pitted against not only each other, but the guardians. Now, you might be thinking that this is like the field experience that was abandoned due to the attack…it isn't. Not in any way. What you faced before was child's play in comparison to what you'll be facing come tomorrow. You have a question, Ryan?"

"We were given dummy stakes for the field experience to make our kills, Guardian Medvedev," he emphasised the word with air quotes. "How are we meant to do the same in this case without actually harming each other?"

"You'll be taught to subdue each other first," I replied. "To gain the upper hand. Then you'll be taught how best to eliminate your opponent…on special dummies."

"Dummies? We've been using training dummies since we were kids. What kind of dummies are these?"

"Very realistic ones, Eddie. Life-sized ones. Like nothing you've ever trained with before. They're made of a special latex that simulates skin, flesh and organ as well as artificial cartilage that acts like bone and sinew. Once you've perfected your techniques, you'll move on to each other, with supervision, and then the guardians."

At that, the gleam of curiosity in the novice's eyes turned to eagerness. None of the seniors had passed up any opportunities to exact revenge against the guardians during the field experience, and would have been disappointed by it being cut short. This was another opportunity that would be too good to pass up by any of them…and Rose was no exception.

Watching me over the rim of her water bottle as she drank, her hand slowly stretched upwards and I had to suppress a grin as I responded to it.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Before the field experience started, Guardian Petrov told us not to hold back against our opponents. That the only thing that mattered in a life and death situation was winning, no matter what we had to do to achieve it. Does the same thing apply here?"

Low chuckles sounded around her as the others followed her thought pattern. Rose in particular had enjoyed going up against the instructors that for so long had doubted her abilities, and when pitted against me, had proven them all wrong, but being pitted against me now was going to be more than just revenge.

She was probably going to enjoy that more than she should have because I had been stupid enough to give her reason to.

"Are you asking if it's all right to actually try and kill your instructors, Rose?"

"Yes."

Laughing at the dry flippancy of her answer, the other seniors had no idea that with me, she might actually mean that literally.

"No, Rose," Kon replied, fighting a grin. "You can't. Although from what I've heard you did to the Strigoi involved in the attack, I'm sorry I'm not going to be able to see you go up against them."

Frowning, Rose looked briefly between us. "You're involved too, aren't you?"

"Yes, but only until Saturday. I've been recalled to Court and will fly out on Sunday."

Clearly disappointed by this, the seniors muttered to each other. Kon had only been here a short time, but he had made a lasting impression on the students here with his personable nature and his willingness to always listen to what they had to say instead of dismissing it.

"But that's still a few days off...won't we be ready by then?"

"No, Meredith. This kind of training is very advanced and very technical. Your general knowledge of anatomy isn't going to help you here. You have to be taught all over again. This kind of training could honestly take weeks." Glancing at the clock, the hands indicated it was just after 6pm. "Right. Gym is over for today. Time to hit the showers and then off to dinner."

Getting to their feet and collecting their mats to stow, the students were in no particular hurry as they headed to the storeroom. With the day schedule and curfew still in place, they were all beginning to feel a little caged in with a routine they were still unfamiliar with. There had been talk earlier about the schedule reverting to normal within a day to two, but nothing had been decided yet.

Watching as the others left the storeroom, Rose still hadn't by the time I had collected the last of the floor mats. Wanting time alone with her, I had to get rid of Kon first. Feeling his gaze on me, I turned to him as he looped a towel around his neck.

"Hathaway is a little bloodthirsty, isn't she?"

"That's an understatement."

"They're all very impressed with her."

"They should be," I confirmed, trying hard to keep the pride from showing. "She took me out during the field experience."

"You didn't let her?"

"No, I did not."

"Well, damn. I really am going to regret not seeing that."

"You're concern for my safety is touching, Kon."

Grinning widely, he sauntered out of the gym, calling over his shoulder. "See you at dinner."

Pushing through the swinging doors as soon as I was certain Kon would be more than halfway back to guardian housing, I found Rose stacking the mats on the racking attached to the back wall. Listening carefully for anymore around, all I could hear was the rush of water from the showers adjacent to us as I closed in on her.

Since our return to campus this morning, we had been kept apart for most of it by a busy schedule. Apart from boundary patrol earlier, there hadn't been much opportunity for us to spend any real, quality time together. Knowing that I was taking a huge risk as I curled my arms around her waist and pulled her back against my body, the consequences of being caught didn't seem that dire any more.

Everything between us still felt too raw...too fragile. I needed this, as reassurance against the underlying fear that she would never fully forgive or trust me again. Burying my nose against the messy topknot, I inhaled the faint mixture of sweat and citrus deeply before murmuring. "So…should I be worried that I have a target on my back?"

"You're a guardian; you always have a target on your back."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Oh, you mean should you be worried that if we go up against each other, I'm going to take it personally? Then the answer is yes, you should be worried."

"Is this punishment? I thought you said you didn't want penance from me."

"I changed my mind."

Turning her around, I kept my arms around her, smiling at the playful glint in her eyes, but also a little worried about the spark of retribution I could see there. "Thank you for the warning."

"Well, seem as how I've kicked your ass once before, the odds aren't in your favour, comrade. I thought it only fair."

"This is going to be a little bit different, Rose."

"Different, how?"

"I'll show you tomorrow morning. During our run."

"No," she howled before looking at the door worriedly and lowering her voice. "I don't want to run tomorrow morning."

"Why not? You ran this morning."

"This morning I had a dick for a boyfriend. Running was necessary to stop from punching someone."

"Tomorrow is just as necessary, but for different reasons."

"Fine," she grumbled. "Where are we meeting?"

"We're not. I will fetch you from housing or I'll end up in the same situation as this morning."

"What time?"

"6am?"

"Too early, but if I argue, you'll make it earlier."

"Would I do that to you?'

"Yes!"

Laughing softly at the conviction of her answer, I was about to tease her again, but saw her frown a little as she thought of something. "How is Alberta? She seemed…a little distracted when she was talking to us about the Alchemists this morning."

Told this morning after breakfast that the Alchemists would return later in the week to be officially introduced to the seniors, none of them could have failed to see the strain she was under. I had already told Rose what had happened during the inquest, but it wouldn't have taken long for the rest of the academy to find out.

"After everything that's happened, she's finding it a little difficult to resettle into any kind of familiar daily routine. We've all taken it upon ourselves to lessen the burdens that she carries, but there was only so much we could do."

"Is there anything we can do? The seniors, I mean."

"You are already, Roza. Helping with the patrols, stepping up to the kind of responsibilities that none of you should have to shoulder yet. It's been a great help to all of us." Kissing her forehead, I cuddled her closer, reluctant to let her go even as I heard the noise level rise and the showers run dry. We wouldn't be alone for much longer.

"I have to shower before the hot water is used up, comrade."

"I know."

Pulling away from my hold, she didn't get very far. Grinning up at me, her lips curled mockingly. "You do know that if we're caught, it's your ass that's going to be deported back the Motherland, right?"

"Would you miss me if I am?" Bending over her, I nuzzled against her ear as the arc of sexual heat flaring between us was hot enough to feel like I had a fever boiling through my blood. I could feel it was the same for her in the way she arched against me, the change in her breathing as it became faster and more shallow, the flush working its way up her neck…she was as helpless to it as I was.

"Parts of you."

"Which parts?"

Curling her fingers into the thin fabric of my sweatshirt, Rose whispered something against the hot skin of my neck, but the words were too low for even my ears to make out. About to ask what she had said, she opened her mouth and licked delicately at the base of my throat, where the pulse beat violently against the skin before she bit me.

It was a light bite. Not even hard enough to leave a mark, but the carnality of it made me shudder and twitch beneath her touch. Crushing her against my chest, my fingers trembled as I cupped her face as gently as I could…as gently as my need allowed, and tilted her face upwards to kiss her. Gentle at first, the restraint didn't last long as Rose curved herself around me and hooked her arms around my neck.

Groaning tightly, the feel of her sent an electric jolt to the soft flesh of my cock. Instantly erect, the ache of desire erased all other thoughts. Bending over Rose, my hands slide down the outer curves of her thighs before cupping her buttocks and lifting her off her feet. Nestling my rigid flesh against the hot notch of her thighs, my hips rocked; searching for the perfect friction.

Moaning, Rose dugs her nails into the skin at the back of my neck, clinging tightly, but as I began to move us backwards, she let go of me and I was forced to catch her sagging weight. Loud laughter broke through my haze as the seniors left the showers. Rose had heard it, whilst I hadn't, but I had felt her withdrawal a split second before and ignored it.

Gently kissing my lower lip, Rose resettled on her feet and pulled away, watching me wryly as the sound of the seniors filled the gym, but I knew she was using it as an excuse. I could feel her caution. She was wary…of me.

Forcing myself to let her go when all I wanted was to hold her tighter, I nodded once and stepped away from her; uncomfortably aroused and filled with a kind of dread that could only barely be controlled. "I'll see you in the morning. Enjoy dinner."

"You too."

"Try and eat something healthy."

"Only if you'll eat something unhealthy." Winking at me as she left, I tried to rid myself of the disappointment I could feel, but it was easier said than done as I left the gym for housing and the showers there – a very cold shower. I knew it would take time; she had told me as much, but knowing something in advance didn't always make it easier to accept.

Dinner passed in a blur. The conversation hadn't changed much over the past few days, and meals now was almost automatic, which was good, because I didn't really taste any of what I was eating. Staying as long as I was obligated to, I excused myself and headed for my room; looking for the solace of solitude. Quiet and dark when I reached it, there was a kind of comfort in the silence.

My mind wasn't as silent as my surroundings as I undressed, but I did find that I was tired and for the first night in what felt like a very long time, I might actually be able to sleep. Shrugging out of my shirt, my fingers had just begun to unbuckle my belt when the phone beside my bed pealed shrilly with the lobby indicator light flashing bright green in the semi-darkness.

"Yes?"

"Good evening, Guardian Belikov. I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's an external call being transferred to you from administration – long distance. Would you like to take it here, or should I transfer it to your room?"

Long distance? Instantly curious, I was also more than a little worried. There were very few people I knew who would contact me long distance, so it was more than likely not an acquaintance, but my family…and that is what worried me. They hadn't known where I was assigned, so to find me meant having to go to Moroi to track me down, Moroi I didn't want them associating with because if they did you a simple favour, they expected far more in return.

They were ruthless, unscrupulous and dangerous…and the worst of them was Ibrahim Mazur.

Based primarily in Europe and of Turkish origin, very little was known about him, except by reputation. A non-royal, this made very little difference to the power and influence he yielded. If he did you a favour, it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart; you would be indebted to him for the rest of your life. My family knew that…knew his reputation, so to resort to that meant they had to be desperate and something was very, very wrong.

Momentarily pushing aside my worries over Rose, my answer was automatic. "My room, please. Thank you."

Waiting for the call to be transferred, all I could hope for was that I wrong, that I was over-reacting, but I knew that I was hoping for too much. What was wrong? Was there a problem my mother? Grandmother? One of my sisters? Nephew? I knew that Karolina had been pregnant last year, and that by now she should have had her second child…maybe there was a problem with the baby?

Hearing the connection finally pick up, my fingers gripped the portable so tightly I could feel the plastic begin to crack beneath the pressure.

"Hello?"

Faint crackling travelled along the line before the familiar voice of my mother could be heard.

"Dimka?"

"Mamochka."

Relief at hearing the sound of her voice – even over a line that wasn't clear and carried a faint transatlantic delay – warred strongly with the memories of home it evoked. I didn't often give into the melancholy of homesickness, but even with the worry about my family, that was exactly what hearing Olena Belikova's voice had done.

"Oh, Dimka. Finally." Slipping automatically into her native Russian, my mother was clearly too agitated to remember her English, which was excellent. "We have been trying to find you for days. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mamochka, really." Answering in Russian, there didn't seem any point in trying to speak to her in English. "How is everyone at home? Yeva, Karolina, Sonja, Viktoria, Paul…the baby?"

"They're all good, Dimka. I'm sorry; I should have said that first. I didn't mean to worry you."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the reassurance that my family was safe and healthy made my legs feel a little weak. Closing my eyes, I scrubbed a hand tiredly over my face. "Good. That's good to hear, Mamochka." Remembering the other underlying concern, I asked. "How did you find me?"

Silent for so long I thought that we had lost the connection, I had to prompt a reply. "Mamochka? Are you there? Did you hear me?"

"Yes, Dimka. I'm here and I did hear you. I just know you're not going to like my answer."

Exhaling warily, she was right; I wouldn't like the answer if it was who I thought it was. "Please tell me that you didn't use Ibrahim Mazur to find me?"

"What choice did I have, Dimka? He was the only one who could find you, the only one who had the resources to find you. We didn't know where you had been assigned, and Yeva was panicking. Tell me what you would have done in my position?"

Hearing that my mother's agitation was no longer with searching for her missing son, but for that son's lack of understanding for her fear, I felt ashamed for making her feel guilty and tried to make amends. "It's okay. I understand. You had no choice and that was my fault. I should have told you where I was once I arrived in Montana. I'm sorry."

Consoled a little by my apology, Olena sighed and I could almost see her shake her head in exasperation. It would be the same look that I got as a child for eating all the Borodinsky bread before my sister's had been able to have a single slice. "Why was Yeva panicking, Mamochka?"

"She felt something a few days ago. Felt a danger to you, Dimka. A danger so strong that she would not rest until we had found you. Was she wrong to have panicked, Dimka? Was she wrong to have insisted in involving Zmey?"

Just hearing that name made me want to shout yes, but I knew that I couldn't…not after the attack. Known as a Predskazatel in Russian, her skills were very similar to Rhonda's and how she had made her living for many years. Seen as either a blessing or a curse, it was something she had always taken very seriously, and so my sister's and I had been raised not only to acknowledge the existence of the unexplainable, but to respect it too.

"No…no, she wasn't wrong, Mamochka," I calmed my mother. "The academy was attacked five days ago. We lost many, but rescued many as well. I'm bruised and battered, but not badly injured."

"How?"

"The wards were broken. I can't tell you more than that."

"But…" Cut off suddenly, there was a scuffling noise in the background whilst Olena argued with someone and my grandmother's grizzled voice was heard.

"Dimka?"

"Babushka."

Rattling off in Russian, there was no English from her either, though she knew the language as well as my mother. "Are you wearing it, Dimka?"

"Wearing what, Babushka?"

"The medallion, boy."

Glancing down at the silver Saint Michael's medallion, I frowned as my fingers automatically picked it up from where it lay against my chest. "Yes...is that how you felt there was danger? Through that?"

Made from platinum mined in the Ural Mountains, it had been in my family for three generations. My grandmother had it smelted and made into identical Saint Michael medallions when my mother had been born; she had worn one, and given the other to her newborn daughter. When I left Baia for Saint Basil's, my mother had given me hers and Yeva had kept the other.

Yeva had always claimed that the two were linked, as they had been split from a single piece of platinum, and that she could almost feel the other person who wore it. I hadn't entirely believed her, but after this, how could I question it now?

Silent for a few seconds, Yeva didn't answer my question, but said instead. "Listen carefully to me, boy. You need to give it away...freely, and of your own choosing."

"Babushka...it's been in the family for three generations. Why would I give it away?"

"For protection."

"From what? And to whom?"

"The one that you value the most. You must give it to the one you value the most to protect them."

Feeling the hair on my nape stand on end, the omen was so similar to what Rhonda had told me that it sent chills down my spine. "How?"

"I don't know, but if you give them the medallion, the bond will connect us."

"You'll be linked to Rose?" Snapping my mouth closed, I realised too late that I had already said too much.

"What is her name?"

It was pointless denying; Yeva's ears might be old, but they were still sharp. "Rose. Rosemarie Hathaway."

"She is not the Dragomir Princess."

"No, she isn't."

"But she means more to you than her...than your duty and the honour of your family?"

Again, there was no point in denying it. I knew my secret would be safe with her. "Yes, Babushka. She does."

"So be it. Give it to her. Do not question me. Do not disobey me."

"Tell me what you've seen...what you've felt. Babushka…Yeva!"

Listening to the dialling tone as the call was disconnected, I glared at the phone before slotting it back into the charging dock and cursed viciously beneath my breath. I didn't know what she had seen. I didn't know what she had felt, but I knew better than to argue with my grandmother. If she wanted me to give the medallion to Rose, then that was exactly what I would do.

With her birthday only a few days away, it would make for the perfect gift and wouldn't raise too many questions from her as to why I had given it to her. She knew that none of us had been allowed into town, so giving her a family heirloom as a gift was the perfect solution.

Flopping backwards onto the bed, I rubbed at my tired eyes, but knew that sleep was a long way off. The dread in the pit in my stomach was now no longer caused by my fear that Rose would never fully trust me again, but by a different kind of fear altogether. Was I going to lose her some other way? Was she in any real danger?

Staring up into the darkness, I had no way of knowing that. All I knew was that Rhonda's prediction had been circumvented, but would Yeva's be as easily avoided?