The phrase "cuddle sandwich" is my new favourite.

I found myself back at this little tourist trap, waiting for the store to be cleared out. She recognized me the moment I walked into the store, and she kept her eye on me until it was just the two of us.

"What is it you need, dear?"

"I think the crystals are becoming weak. I can feel them when I'm sleeping. Almost like a tickle in my mind," I explained as I came to the counter. The woman tsked and fluttered around the store, picking things up and setting them into pouches.

"How has it been while you're awake?"

"Manageable. But the feeling when I'm asleep is dark. Like I can feel something trying to make a connection."

"Like a Spirit Dream?"

"A what?" I stuttered.

"A dream where travellers can contact you in your sleep. My grandmother was a traveller, she used to visit my dreams," she explained as she came back to the counter.

"Is there a way to prevent only some travellers?" I asked. I knew that it was a cryptic question to an already cryptic conversation.

The woman shrugged. "Subconsciously you know which travellers are friendly and which ones aren't. They shouldn't disrupt that," she said as she totalled up the amount. I handed her my card and sighed, slipping on the new bracelet she had placed in the pouches.

"Thank you. I don't think I've gotten your name," I said when she handed me back my card.

"Marina," she said softly, "And I know you've probably heard this, but be careful."

I smiled at her as I set my crystal pouches into different parts of my bag.

"Rose, and yes I've heard that. Thank you," I said before stepping out of the store, putting my sunglasses on my head as I walked down the street.

"She's nice," Mason mused as he fell in step beside me. I smirked to myself and put one of my earbuds into my ears.

"She is," I said, smirking to myself. I had learned early that if people thought you were talking on the phone, they didn't look at you funny. They just noticed the earpiece and went back to ignore the world around them.

"What's all the fancy crystals for? They don't work against me or Savannah-Mae or Ivan."

"It's used for bad energies. Not good energies. There is a difference. But you're starting to become a pain in my ass, so maybe you are bad energy," I teased, glancing towards him as if I was checking to walk across the street.

"Any updates on your side?"

"Not really. But I'm seeing a lot of faces affiliated with Court, but we already anticipated that," Mason said, tossing his red hair out of his face. I frowned but held the door open for someone exciting the ice cream parlour and then stepped in. There were a few people in line ahead of me and I crossed my arms over my chest as I read the menu.

A little girl was standing in front of me, holding her mother's hand as she looked at me. She was adorable, but I could tell she could see Mason standing next to me.

"Mom, he looks like Chuck!" the girl squealed.

"Who sweetheart?" the mother asked.

"Him!" she exclaimed, pointing at Mason. The mother looked but all she saw with me. She kneeled down and looked slightly embarrassed as she tucked her daughter's hair behind her ear.

"Hunny, that's a girl. And she doesn't have red hair," she said softly.

"NO! The boy beside her!" the girl exclaimed. The mother told her that there was nobody there softly and the little girl pouted. Mason opened his mouth but I threw him a look as I lifted my sunglasses.

I smiled and winked at her, lifting my finger to my mouth in a shushing motion. Mason rolled his eyes and crept down, smiling at the little girl.

"I like your braids. But Mommy probably can't see me anymore," Mason said gently, "But it's ok."

The little girl looked confused but smiled after a minute, turning back to the front when it was her turn to order.

"Don't tease the children because they can see you," I whispered.

"But she's so cute!" Mason said with a throw of his hands. I rolled my eyes again and stepped up to the counter after they finished the order. I ordered a dozen milkshakes and stepped to the side, waiting for them to work up the order.

The little girl watched us as she waited for her ice cream and Mason made faces at her while I repeatedly whispered at him to stop. She waved at us as she left and I smiled at her, giving her a small wave. I glanced around me to see how close people were to me before I spoke to Mason.

"Has anyone been able to get inside the wards at Court?"

"No. The warding is much stronger than at your place. Plus all the Moroi magic acts like a barrier too. But we're trying," Mason said with a shrug of his shoulders, "Did I tell you I went and saw my mom?"

"No? How did that go?"

"I mean she didn't see me, but I like to think that she felt me. She seemed to sleep easier that night."

I shifted on my feet. "I could call her if you want. Let her know that you came by," I offered and Mason nodded his head with a tight smile.

"Thanks," he said, bumping his shoulder against mine. It was strange to feel a ghost touch me. It was cold and didn't feel like physical contact, but like a touch that wasn't really there. I had tried to explain it once, and the closest I could come up with was phantom limb pain. It made sense to Tilly at least. Once the milkshakes were done I took the box they set them in and left, barely missing the kid that came zooming by on a skateboard.

"That was a close one," I chuckled but looked up. I thought I saw someone watching me across the street, but in a blink, they were gone.

I tossed and turned in my bed. I knew that I was awake, but not quite asleep either. I could feel something brushing my mind. It was a similar sensation as when Lissa used to speak to me. As I started to lull into sleep, the most intense Spirit Dream hit me. I felt out of sorts as I adjusted to the dream, but was surprised at who was holding the dream.

"Lissa?"

"I know you hate these, but it was safer than a telephone conversation," she started but she seemed to freeze, almost like she was panicked.

"They're going after everyone," she said before the dream was cut off just as abruptly as it started. I sat up and swallowed thickly, trying to regain my composure. I rolled over and knocked almost everything off the nightstand before finding my phone.

I bit my nail as I waited for the phone to pick up on the other side.

"Roza? What's wrong?"

"Something happened to Lissa! I need you to go check on her," I said panicked, "She dream-walked me and was panicked. She said that she couldn't call me and then the dream ended abruptly."

"I can head over to her place and check on her," Dimitri offered but I heard a shifting of weight at the end of my bed. I looked up and felt my heart plummet in my chest.

"She's dead," I whispered. She looked as forlorn as I felt, her hair falling around her shoulders, just brushing against the buttons of her button-up shirt.

"What?"

"She's standing in my bedroom," I whispered, "I'll talk to you in a bit."

He whispered he'd call me back and apologized before the call ended.

"Lissa…"

"I tried to warn you, but it was too late," she said, crossing her arms over her chest with a solum look.

"Do you need me to help you process this?"

Lissa let out a troubled breath and shook her head.

"No. I uh, I just want to see my parents," she said with a shaky nod of her head, "It doesn't feel real yet."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Even though I hadn't been able to really feel the bond over the last year, I could feel that it was gone now.

"I know. But I can feel it," I whispered, "It won't take long to find your family. They'll know already. There's some kind of alarm that goes off on the other side when someone you care about has died."

I looked Lissa over, trying to figure out how she would have died. I didn't see anything immediately, but as she moved I saw it. There was an injection mark on the side of her neck. Where were her Guardians?

She looked over my shoulder and a nostalgic smile came to her lips before she disappeared from view. I sighed and laid back in bed, rubbing my hand over my forehead. I picked up my phone again and called Dimitri back.

"Hi."

"That was a lot faster than I anticipated," I whispered.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked and I bit my lip.

"I don't know. I mean, I can feel that she's gone. But it hasn't really set in for me that she's gone."

"I'm sorry, Roza. I know that the last year wasn't good for the two of you, but I know what she meant to you," Dimitri said softly and I nodded to myself, feeling some sadness creep through me.

"I don't…I don't know how to do this again."

"I know. I'll be back down tomorrow. I know it's not perfect, but I'll be home soon," he whispered through the phone. I nodded and sniffed. The feeling came in like a tidal wave. I wasn't sure if it was any leftover darkness that lingered inside of Lissa when she died, but it all came rushing into me. I knew that Dimitri was on shift so I let him go. I laid in bed and let the tears roll down my face, trying to stay silent so I didn't wake everyone else.

I wasn't sure how long I laid there. I felt like it could been a few minutes, but it honestly could have been hours. Lissa and I may not have ended on good terms when I left Court, but having that small interaction made me feel like things were looking up.

And now she was dead. Because she was trying to help us.

I didn't realize I was making noise either until there was a soft knock on my door. I sniffled and rolled to see who was there, finding Martin squinting at me despite the lights being off.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," I mumbled, wiping my nose with the side of my hand.

"That's not the problem. What's got you so upset?" he asked as he crept into the room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and I shook my head.

"They murdered Lissa. One of the probably the most known and prominent Royals. The last of her line. And they killed her," I stated, blubbering at the end. Martin tsked and pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back softly as he let me cry.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, resting his head against the top of mine.

"If they can kill her, nobody is safe," I cried, gripping his arm tightly. That was what scared me the most. I knew that in the back of my mind I thought that they couldn't hurt me, but they could. If they were willing to go to the lengths they did with Lissa, nobody was safe. Everyone was fair game at this point. It didn't matter if you were Royal, Non-Royal, Dhampir, or Human.

Nobody was safe.

I don't know why I thought this was a good idea, but I couldn't not go.

It was her funeral for God's sake!

I took extra precautions though. While Dimitri couldn't be with me at the funeral because he was working the funeral, Gabriel was going with me. It may have been a risk to have him come, but I didn't want to do this alone.

Abe promised that I wouldn't be without protection while I was there, and he and Mom were attending the funeral with me. I half expected to sit at the back, but Christian asked us to sit with him near the front. Mia was there too, Eddie by her side. Her eyes were red and puffy, and I knew that I didn't look a whole lot better.

The story was that Lissa had died of an unknown aneurysm, but I knew differently.

The service was just about to start when someone scooted into our aisle, settling himself between me and Christian.

"Hope I'm not too late," Adrian drawled as he sat down. I half expected him to stink of booze, but I didn't smell any of it.

"No," I whispered and shifted uncomfortably on the wooden pew. There were a lot of people here, a lot of tears being shed. There were some that I was surprised to see with tears in their eyes, but it was for pretense. Some of those people may have been in on it.

The ceremony seemed to take forever, and I couldn't bring myself to look towards her open casket. It was unnerving for me to see her so still.

"Can you tell who's faking it?" I whispered to Adrian. He frowned and furrowed his brows.

"What?"

"Can you tell if anyone is faking their sadness?" I whispered again.

Adrian sighed and glanced around the room, not making a show that he was looking at other people, but still looking. He turned back to the front and cleared his throat, not exactly nodding his head but it was enough.

"Where is Tasha?" I whispered to Adrian.

"I figured she would have been here with Christian. But I haven't seen her anywhere," Adrian said.

"She said she couldn't make it because of work commitment," Christian said quietly, still looking at his laced hands in his lap. I frowned and leaned back against the pew with a quiet sigh. I glanced up at Gabriel and reached for his hand, squeezing it softly.

He looked uncomfortable and I knew that his instincts were fighting with him here. As the service came to an end, I noticed how many people noticed me there. I could see some of the Royals sizing me up, but also sizing Gabriel up. Dimitri left his position and moved in as backup security from Christian, flanking us as we left the church.

Adrian had promised me that once the theatrics of the funeral were over, he would let me know who seemed suspicious at the funeral. But until then, I had too much time to kill. Gabriel and I walked around Court, Guardians that were hired by my father tailing us without making it obvious.

As we passed one of the businesses, I stepped in and pulled a letter out of my bag. I had been meaning to mail it, but hadn't had a chance to stop at the post office. At least here, the mail would get to the members quickly. I licked the seal on the envelope and set it down. I picked up the pen again and wrote the address on the front.

Arlene Ashford.

I set the pen down and handed it to the clerk to post. She nodded at me and stamped it before adding it to the outgoing mail. I left the building and bumped into Gabriel outside.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just looking forward to being out of here. There's something about their magic that makes my teeth hurt," he said uncomfortably.

"I know. We'll be out of here soon," I said softly, noticing a few familiar faces approaching us, "I would like to introduce you to some people if that's okay?"

"Of course," Gabriel said with a soft smile.

I sighed and turned to greet my friends, accepting Mia's hug.

"This is Mia, Christian, Mikhail, Alberta, and Meredith," I said as I introduced Gabriel to them all. Dimitri was pulling up the rear, smiling at me as he got closer.

"It's nice to meet you all," Gabriel said and then shook Eddie's hand.

"Good to see you again."

"You too. How's sunny Cape May?"

"Good."

"And Michael? How's he doing?" Eddie asked.

I smirked. "He's doing much better," I said and bumped Gabriel's shoulder.

"Will you please stop pacing?" Gabriel asked from the bed, his ankles crossed as he watched me.

"No," I said bluntly and crossed my arms over my chest, "I hate being here."

"I know," Gabriel sympathized but I shook my head.

"Can't wait to be out of here in the morning. The only reason I have stayed this long is because Dimitri wants to see me when his shift is finished," I groaned and glanced out the window as I passed. Abe said that we could stay at his house with him while we were there. It was safer, and I felt better not being in guest housing. I couldn't trust many people here.

"What can I do to help? I can feel your anxiety."

I stopped and frowned. Sometimes I forgot that he could feel my anxiety if it was too strong. I sat on the edge of the bed and laid back, my arms flopping above my head next to his hips.

"I need to be in a cuddle sandwich."

"A what?" he snorted, tilting his head to look at me.

I heaved a sigh and rolled, climbing up the bed and laying on my side against him.

"I really just want to be held. Dimitri isn't done his shift for another three hours," I said. He nodded and wrapped his arm around me. I ended up dozing a bit and when I woke, I felt warm. Not just regular warm, but on both sides of me. I rolled and blinked, looking into familiar brown eyes.

"Hi," I whispered groggily.

"Roza," Dimitri whispered softly, kissing my forehead. I shifted and found that Gabriel was asleep next to me, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. I could hear the soft sound of his snores. He was exhausted.

"This must be strange," I whispered and laughed. Dimitri shrugged and squeezed my hip. I rolled towards him and rested my head on his chest.

"Gabe told me that you were struggling and that you just wanted to be held. He texted me when you fell asleep and said you wanted to be in a 'cuddle sandwich'. I figured the was a meaning behind the term."

"It's still kind of strange though, isn't it?"

"Not really," Dimitri said softly, "I've done a lot of research about mates."

"You have?"

"Yeah. The Alchemist that works for your father, Sydney? She got me some books. What you and I have is one thing, but what you and Gabe have is something different altogether. It's almost like twins. In most cases, twins feel safest together. Your souls are mirrored. There was a part of me that wondered if I could ever truly understand that, but I met someone who explained it to me as an outside."

"Who?"

"His name is Dominick. He's an Alpha as well. I explained the situation and he said that it's normal for you to want comfort from him. And after a lot of reading, I can fully accept that and understand it. I know that what you have is platonic, and if I didn't know Gabe like I do, I'd be a little 'wigged' out as you would put it."

"Good word choice," I teased. He grinned and I tilted my head up and he pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

"I know that to anyone else, they wouldn't understand, but he is a literal part of you. I accept that. And if that means the three of us squeezed onto a bed to make you feel better after dealing with emotional trauma, I can do that," he said gently.

I ran my hand over his chest and smiled up at him.

"I love you," I whispered. He smiled and kissed my forehead and then rested his against it.

"I love you. I always have and I always will."

I smiled and closed my eyes, cuddling closer to him when Gabriel's snore increased, his body twitching as he rolled over, his head resting against my back.

"This reminds me far too much of the twisted sisters," Dimitri chuckled.

I furrowed my brows. "What?"

"Lissa went to Lehigh for a semester before doing remote classes. I was allowed to be one of her Guardians during the night shift. When she couldn't sleep, she'd make me watch Grey's Anatomy with her," he explained and I nodded, but still had no idea what he was talking about.

But either way, I felt perfectly content being in the middle of this sandwich.

Let me tell you, I've been in the middle of a cuddle sandwich (my two best friends from high school when my grandma lost her battle to cancer) and it was honestly the most comforting feeling in the world.

Hope you guys are enjoying this so far! 3