The rest of the day went like the beginning. I was impressed with the members of this program. They all had reason to give up, to hide and pretend that they were like the rest of the world, but they didn't.

Sheila and Martin were great hosts, and the more I saw of Michael, the more I liked him. He was a witty kid and reminded me of my sister Karolina. I was genuinely impressed with everyone here.

We still had a bit of time before we returned to Court, so hopefully, I'd have a chance to speak to Rose. I clammed up downstairs.

Despite seeing the stakes outside, Guardian Croft wanted us to at least monitor outside. It was a habit, but unnecessary. But it gave me time to be alone. Rose had said she was happy that I had regained the respect of other Guardians, but that wasn't the truth. They were on their best behaviour. There were a few Guardians that would throw comments, or give me dirty looks, but there weren't many. And if I was in Guardian Croft's presence, they tend to keep it to themselves.

I folded my arms as I watched the water lap against the shore. It was mesmerizing and comforting. Maybe that was why Sheila picked this place to be the centre for their program.

But I went from feeling calm to on edge in an instant. I couldn't hear anything, but the hair on my body stood up. I whirled around and found eyes shining in the dark towards me. They were blue with an undertone of green. It was almost unsettling, but familiar at the same time.

"You must have been in your head if I snuck up on you. Rose told me I wouldn't be able to," Gabriel said as he stepped out of the shadows, coming closer to me. As he got closer, his eyes dimmed.

"I'll admit, I was distracted. I didn't hear you coming. I just felt you," I explained and Gabriel nodded with a hum, crossing his arms over his chest. We stood side by side for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"You need to run," he said quietly.

"Pardon me?"

"Tilda said something that put Rose on edge earlier. Tilda can see the abilities in us, she is like your Dragomir Princess. And she saw it in you too. Rose didn't think that you'd believe her if she told you, so I said I would."

I cocked my head at him. "You're telling me because of your mateship?" I asked and noticed the undertone of bitterness in my voice.

Gabriel smirked at me and laughed. Not in a mocking way, but in a carefree way.

"My mateship with Rose is not romantic, Dimitri. It's platonic," he explained, "Rose is everything to me and I've only known her for a short amount of time. But you can have a soulmate and not have them be tied to you sexually or romantically."

I furrowed my brows. It wasn't any of my business but my curiosity got the best of me.

"But you had said during your heat-"

"She helps me keep a clear mind so that I can fight the haze. I just had one a few months ago and we stayed in the boathouse. Rose was there just to give me something to focus on. Because if your mate isn't a romantic bond, your focus is to make sure they're safe. Do I think that Rose is an amazing person and gorgeous? Of course! Any man could tell you that she is gorgeous, but at the same time, she reminds me of my mother. The way that she takes care of me and vice versa. Rose is still in love with you, even if she doesn't want to admit it to herself," Gabriel explained and tilted his head up to the moon, closing his eyes.

I nodded to myself and let my body relax, slipping my hands into my pockets.

"Does the moon affect your phasing?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I can feel the pull when it's a full moon. And we're stronger, but I'm not controlled by it. And well, we can see better," he explained.

"And that glowing eye thing?" I asked, making him bark out a laugh.

"Night vision. I can make my 'wolf eyes' appear while I'm still human. It's kind of cool. And I can still smell everything. Speaking of smelling, Rose was smelling your duster earlier. I laughed at her," he said with a grin.

I cleared my throat and looked back out at the water.

"One thing that Rose isn't fond of is that she can't lie to me. She can try, but I can smell when she's lying. She loves you. You hurt her, and she told you what she thought you wanted to hear downstairs. But the anxiety of seeing you over the last week was almost unbearable. If you want to try and mend things with her, do it. Because she misses you," Gabriel said before departing the beach, climbing the stairs silently.

"Wait. You said Tilda saw something in me. What was it?" I asked at a normal level.

Gabriel stopped on the stairs. "You're full of Spirit. It's almost like it's altered your genetic makeup like our abilities do to us. You should speak with her," he said before going into the house.

What Gabriel had said lingered in my head. I couldn't shake what he had said as we got situated for the night. There were plenty of rooms for us to stay in, and there was the boathouse.

I had gathered my bag and was ready to set up my spot in the boathouse, but Martin pulled me aside.

"We've made up a spot for you in the main house," he said almost sadly as he took my bag.

"I have no issues being in the boathouse," I said politely but he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's best that you stay in the house. What I've seen…It's just better," he explained and led me upstairs. I was confused by his words but followed in his wake. He led me up to where I had seen Rose's room earlier and stopped when I saw her making up her bed.

She smiled softly at me as she turned down the bed and smoothed her hands over the duvet. The room was so much of Rose, but not her style at the same time. I would have never picked her to be the person to have such a light room, but maybe her style had changed. The walls were almost a light lilac colour, and the duvet set was floral, something I never suspected for her. But maybe she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"You can sleep in here tonight. There are a few books on the shelf that you can help yourself to if you can't sleep," she said as she tucked her hair behind her ears. I caught a glimpse of something on her wrist and furrowed my brows, but focussed on what she said.

"Where are you going to sleep?" I asked.

"Gabriel is going to sleep on the couch in his room and I'll take his bed. It's better," she explained. Martin had walked away after leading me here, and I stepped into her room.

"Why?"

"Why what?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why am I staying up here?" I asked.

She bit her lip and frowned. "Martin is a seer. Someone who sees the future before it happens. He saw something and we all collectively decided that you should stay in here with Croft," she said, "It wasn't a good vision."

I nodded and set my bag on the foot bench. "Like what?"

She bit her lip again and seemed almost uneasy to say it out loud.

"Someone destroys all your belongings. That's why she hasn't given your duster back to you," Gabriel said from behind me. I turned to him and he frowned. I may not have been able to hide my expression from him, or maybe he could smell my mood change. I wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry, comrade," Rose whispered. I turned to her and forced a small smile.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I said. She almost flinched and her eyes moved to the ground, her head shaking a little bit before she sniffed and looked up at me again.

"Right. Well, um, I'll see you in the morning. I can trust you not to go through my underwear drawer?" she quipped, faking humour to cover up whatever she was feeling.

"I promise I will not go through your clothes," I drawled with a roll of my eyes.

She smiled at me and left the room, saying she was in the next room if I needed anything. I nodded and closed the door behind her, taking a moment to just breathe. I sat on the bed and sighed, running my hands over the duvet.

Once I was dressed for bed, I tried to sleep but it failed me. I got up quietly, remembering that Gabriel's hearing was stronger than ours and crept to the bookshelf. There were a variety of books on the shelf, but there was one in particular that struck my eye. It was the newest, and out of place to the rest. A western.

I pulled it off the shelf and opened the cover, smiling softly at the first page.

You found it, and now you get to keep it. Enjoy! - Rose.

I chuckled to myself and sat back on the bed, reading the first few chapters before my restlessness got the best of me. I slipped out of the room and crept to the basement, hoping that I would be able to walk out my agitation. We never got a chance to meet Tilda this morning, but I was surprised to find her awake at this hour.

She looked up from the couch, a glass of wine in one hand and a book balance in her other.

"Hello, Dimitri. Couldn't sleep?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm still too used to running on nocturnal schedules," I said. She smiled and gestured for me to join her. I did and she set her book down, smiling softly at me.

"Gabriel spoke to you," she stated and I nodded my head.

"Yes. But I'm still curious about what he meant."

Tilda smiled and nodded. "Each person has a colour that correlates to a specific ability. When I look at you, I see gold. That is usually the colour that is attributed to healing. We had a member just leave recently that could heal any ailment, but could also inflict the same. With you, it's as if your body never dissolved the Spirit magic. When I look at Rose, I see a glimpse of gold, being the shadow-kiss bond lingering in her, but I see black too."

"The darkness," I whispered.

"Yes, she mentioned that once before. What is it?"

"It's a side-effect of the Spirit bond. When the Princess uses her magic, the negative side effects flow into her. If there is too much, it makes Rose on edge, aggressive, even violent," I explained, "There was one instance where she almost killed someone."

"Yes, she did tell me about the incident with Jesse," Tilda mused, "But she said you were able to bring her back from it?"

I nodded. "It took time, but I did."

She nodded again and took a sip of her wine. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Would you like a glass? Or something else?" she offered.

My better judgment was lost. I should have kept a clear mind but I accepted a glass. She stood up and went into her office, and then came back out a few moments later with another glass.

I took it and smelled it before taking a sip.

"You mean a lot to her," she said after a moment, "Not simply because of the relationship you had with her, but you taught her a lot that she needed to learn."

"As a Guardian?"

"As a person," Tilda said thoughtfully, "You showed her what her value was. What she was worth to another person, and not to settle for less. She has nothing but high regard for you. I can see that you taught her more than just how to be a Guardian, but how to know what was enough."

"She taught me a lot too," I whispered, "She taught me what I wanted to live for."

She smiled. "You did too," she reminded me. I nodded and took another sip of my glass.

"Sheila mentioned someone named Derek this morning?"

Tilda nodded. "A poltergeist."

"Those are real?"

She smirked. "Everything is real, dear. But Derek has been a menace to her. Hopefully, she will be able to learn how to make him stay away permanently," she said with a sigh.

I nodded again, but the thought that had been playing in the back of my head kept speaking to me.

"What kind of abilities do you think I have?"

Tilda pursed her lips. "It's not so much an ability, but an alteration."

"And that is?"

"You're not exactly Dhampir, but you're not Moroi either," she said, "The obstacles that Dhampirs may face do not apply to you. That's why Rose said that you needed to run."

"I don't understand."

"You can create life," she said as she set her glass down, "If you think what they did to you when you were restored was invasive, just imagine what they would do if they knew that you could procreate with anyone."

I picked up my glass and took a longer drink. "That's…."

"A lot to take in," she supplied and I nodded my head.

After a while, I managed to fall asleep, but I wasn't alone when I woke up. I didn't want to move so I didn't startle her, but I was surprised she was in here.

Rose was curled on her side facing me, her hand tucked awkwardly under her cheek with her mouth open slightly. I started to slip out of bed, careful so I didn't jostle her. Once I was out of bed I slipped into the hall, almost slamming into Gabriel.

He raised a brow at me but with one glance into Rose's room, he understood.

"She must have slept walk last night and went back to her room out of habit. I'll check the cameras," Gabriel said with a smirk, "Gave you a surprise this morning."

I chuckled and followed him down the stairs, noting how early it was. The sun was just starting to come up over the horizon. When we were in the kitchen Gabriel grabbed a small device off the counter and held it, swiping over the screen before nodding.

"Yeah, just the usual sleepwalking," he said and set it back down, "Sleep okay?"

"When I got there. You?" I asked as I rubbed my hands over my face.

He shrugged. "Not really, I tossed a lot. I'll probably phase in the next day of two. I get restless the closer to the phase," he explained and rubbed the back of his neck.

I nodded. "Are you feeling okay?"

Gabriel shrugged again. "Feverish, on edge, my muscles feel like they're on fire. But it's okay, it's nothing like the phase though," he said and glanced out the window over the sink, "I was going to go for a run. Want to join me?"

I glanced at the time and then nodded.

"A run would be good," I explained, excusing myself to get dressed. Gabriel met me on the deck and I noticed a few other Guardians were lingering outside too.

"They're joining us?"

"If they want to," he said and started down the stairs. I followed after him and fell into pace with him. There wasn't much conversation as he ran down the beach, but he glanced his head over his shoulder a few times.

"That one guy is starting to piss me off."

"Which one?" I asked.

"The short blonde," he said and I nodded.

"Ah. Tyson," I supplied. He nodded and gritted his teeth.

"He needs to be careful about what he says about the women in this house. My hearing is far superior to the rest, and I can hear a lot," he said and I raised my brow, slowing my pace to a stop. Gabriel noticed and came to a stop too, swinging his arms back and forth.

"What did he say?" I asked as I breathed deeply, setting my hands on my waist.

"Inappropriate comments about Rose and Emily. They're both beautiful women and deserve better than the vial and derogatory comments from him. And trying to say that he got into Rose's pants when you and I both know only one person was that lucky," he explained, raking his fingers through his hair.

"I'm not one to disturb the peace, but we were all told that you were pack-oriented. Call him out on it. It'll be great to watch," I said with a chuckle.

"I just might," he said with a grit of his teeth.

There was tension in the air and we all felt it. The tension seemed to center around Rose, but not coming from her. She would shake her head every once in a while and press her eyes shut, but she seemed like she was trying to ignore everything around her.

Guardian Croft had observed her for a while before he spoke.

"Is someone bothering you?"

"Ivan," she drawled and looked at me, "That's your fault, by the way."

"My fault?" I asked with a small laugh.

Rose made a face at me when the front door closed loudly. She turned her head and sighed tiredly. There was a blusterous laugh that carried down the hallway, accompanied by Michael's voice. Rose's shoulders relaxed and Gabriel pulled out another coffee mug when Michael came into the kitchen with an older man. Older as in closer to his fifties.

"Morning," the other man said.

"Morning, Jerry," Rose said tiredly.

"How have you been?" Jerry asked, thanking Gabriel quietly when he gave him a cup of coffee.

"Not great."

Jerry furrowed his brows and looked at Gabriel, making a walking gesture with his fingers. Gabriel and I both nodded.

"How about you and I go for a walk?" Jerry said gently. Rose nodded after a minute, picked up her coffee mug and followed Jerry out the back door. Gabriel frowned as he looked after them, Michael stirring his spoon into the bowl of cereal he got himself.

"Is it getting worse?" Michael asked quietly.

"She's okay," Gabriel reassured, a fondness in his voice as he spoke to Michael.

Emily came into the kitchen shortly after, smiling and wishing us good morning. I glanced towards Tyson and noticed how his eyes tracked her, narrowing mine at him. Gabriel noticed it and narrowed his eyes too, but didn't say anything, just drank his coffee.

Emily teased Michael about his sweater, but in a way that reminded me of my sisters. It was in a loving way, and it was easy to see how close everyone here had become. Bryce joined shortly after, not quite awake yet as he stumbled into the kitchen.

Martin called out to Michael that they needed to get going to school, and he sighed as he put the bowl in the sink.

"Why can't I stay here and do the fun stuff with you guys?"

"You'll get to this weekend," Emily said with a smile. Michael shifted on his feet before nodding and left for school. Emily smiled after him and went about getting herself some breakfast.

"He's got the hots for you," Tyson mused, making Emily roll her eyes.

"No, he doesn't," she said as she pulled the toast out of the toaster.

"He does."

"Not everyone thinks with their reproductive organs, Guardian Miller. Now, either you can keep your inappropriate comments to yourself, or when you're sleeping, I'll cut your balls off," she said as she bit into her toast, "Or, I could leave you alone with Gabriel when he wolfs out tonight, and you can be his chew toy."

Gabriel scoffed a laugh as he drank his coffee, winking at me as he walked out of the kitchen.

"And by the way, Martin knows a hell of a lot about all of you, and so does Rose. You all have skeletons in your closets that you don't want out. You should remember that before pissing people off. We may be 'freaks' to you, but in all reality, you can survive without the Moroi or your race would die out. I think you have more things to be concerned about than finding out if we know enough about Spirit," Emily snipped before walking out of the kitchen.

The rest of us in the kitchen fell silent. The only people that knew we were here about Spirit were the Guardians.

"That's creepy," Guardian Castile muttered, "I forgot that you can't see Astral Projectors."

"What do you mean?" Tyson asked.

"When they project, they're in a plane between life and death. She can see everything, but we can't see her," Guardian Castile explained, "Well no, that's not true. Rose can see her."

I pursed my lips and glanced out the back window, spotting Rose and Jerry walking along the beach. Knowing that Emily could get information so easily, I felt a little in over my head.