Sorry for the delay, I really lost my mojo. A combo of being exhausted and getting some bad news that ended up not being bad news, but it really threw me off for a while until I got the all clear. Just a causal cyst in my baby's brain that is gonna go away soon. Fun times. But like I said, it's all good now.

I also started doing the reverse prompt one-shots, and it really helped me get back into the swing of things, so yay!

So, fingers crossed that the next chapter will not take anywhere near as long to get finished.

Hope you enjoy this one!

Rose POV

Dimitri's lips were addictive. Kissing Jesse had always given me a rush, but now I blamed it more on the alcohol or weed we had at the time—it couldn't compete with the feeling of kissing Dimitri. Maybe it was because it wasn't just for the thrill of it; our relationship wasn't based on just killing time and breaking the rules.

Dimitri was gentle, threading his fingers through my hair, as his thumb stroked my cheek. It was loving. He didn't rush me or push for more, happy just to make out. I would have gladly gone for more.

The cold from the snow was barely noticed, my fingers could be frozen, but all I felt was the warmth from Dimitri. I took the chance offered to me and moved my hands up his back, feeling the soft material of his shirt shift. He was solid muscle, I had seen it the rare times he stripped his shirt after a long run. All the feelings I had been desperately trying to bury rushed to the surface, and with them, a lot of thoughts of what we could do next.

Those thoughts came to a screeching halt when Dimitri broke the kiss to whisper against my lips, "I need to quit my job."

I pulled back as if burned. Mason didn't need to ruin the mood, Dimitri was great at doing it himself.

"What the fuck?" Dimitri appeared confused by my reaction, so I added, "You make out with me for a few minutes and suddenly you need to quit?" Jesse's comment about sleeping with me being a bet entered my mind and anger rose to the surface. "Was this just a goal you had to reach or something?"

"No," Dimitri assured me, hands on my shoulders so I couldn't storm off like I intended to. "It's nothing like that, Roza."

I'd admit, I melted a little when he said my name like that. I relaxed a little, willing to listen to his explanation.

"I need to quit because I can't be having these kinds of feelings for you while working as your bodyguard."

"What kind of feelings are you having?" I asked, sucking in a breath as I waited. Dimitri smirked.

"The kind that makes me want to kiss you again," he confessed with a soft expression on his face, "The kind I shouldn't be having for the woman I'm working for."

"Technically, you work for my father," I pointed out. "You can still protect me and kiss me again. You're good at multitasking." I punctuated my words by rising on my toes to catch his lips again, pulling him closer with a tug on his collar. Dimitri didn't fight me, lips meeting mine with a soft chuckle that hummed against my lips.

It became heated quickly, his tongue slipped into my mouth and I moaned in response. His hands caressed my sides, finding purchase on my back before encouraging me to take a step back, then another until my back was against the tree and I was caged in by his arms. It was a lot more passionate, and a part of me wondered if we should have slowed down, but the dam had broken and all of the repressed attraction and need was rushing out.

My hands slipped under his shirt; no point acting shy now. Dimitri jolted in surprise but didn't pull away, instead pressed closer once my fingers warmed a little. His skin was smooth, with a trail of short hair leading up to his belly button. Bad thoughts returned to my mind along with my imagination wondering what it would feel like to have him on top of me, shirtless, and on a bed.

Private, I needed to get us somewhere private immediately.

Again, he broke the kiss. Dimitri pressed his forehead to mine as he breathed deeply. "I can't pretend that you need any of the restrictions your parents insist on, your father would fire me within days. And your mother…" I felt his brow crease against mine followed by a shake of his head, "I wish I could get you out there."

"I've survived a year of it. What's another?" All thoughts of getting that private room left—replaced by the knowledge that when we returned to the city, everything would go back to how it was. "Harder to encourage therapy when you know it does nothing for me, huh?"

"Rose, I was struggling long before this."

"You said you didn't want to quit yesterday—you promised you wouldn't leave me," I commented in a small voice. It wasn't that I believed he would abandon me, not with the way his knuckles stroked my cheek. The look in his eyes wasn't hard to decipher now. But that small voice of doubt would always be in the back of my mind, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised, "but I also don't want you ever to think the only reason I'm there is because it's my job. I'm by your side because I care about you."

A smile pulled at my lips, and I couldn't hold it back. "Well, when you put it that way." I tilted my head so our eyes met again and our lips almost brushed, "Don't quit yet, otherwise I'll have a new bodyguard by the time we get back home, and I want some time alone with you first."

His lips stretched into a smile. "I suppose I can do that."

"What are your plans today?" Olena asked, glancing at me over her shoulder as she kneaded some dough. She had caught us when Dimitri led me back inside; part of me hoped he would take me to my room so we could pick up where we left off, and be warm rather than shivering from the cold while pressed against a tree.

Dimitri's eyes flicked to mine from across the table, Paul seated beside him as they looked over a book he had laid out. I saw the spark in his eyes before he spoke, "I might take Rose on a drive around town." Alone. The word was left unspoken, but I understood. I wanted to say yes.

Making out with Dimitri distracted me more than I realised, I managed to forget about my issue until Viktoria came downstairs and sat at the table. "Did you want to come with us, Viktoria?" I asked, swallowing back my disappointment at ruining Dimitri's plan.

The question caught her off guard, but a smile quickly appeared on her tired face. "Sure. We can go shopping."

Dimitri pulled a face. "I was thinking a…walk."

"I thought Rose's foot was injured?" she shot back, "You want to take her on a walk?"

Dimitri flushed when his sister laughed, his lips pressed in an almost adorable pout. I reached out with my good foot under the table, tapping his foot; his eyes moved to mine and his expression shifted to a soft smile. I had to look away, staring at his lips for too long made me think of kissing him again; making out with Dimitri in his mother's kitchen felt rude.

"Shopping," Dimitri relented with a sigh, "I guess that's what we're doing."

"It'll be fun, comrade," I offered with a smirk and another tap of my foot against his, "Maybe we can find you a cowboy hat."

I had seen some weird things since I could see the dead, but never had I had a crow follow me through a shopping centre. Or I guess, it wasn't following me, it was following Viktoria. At least it was only one. I still had time. Occasionally, I would glance around us, dread making my blood ice every time I found that damn bird still there. If it didn't draw the attention of everyone around us, I would run at it to try to scare it off.

The shops were packed with Christmas shoppers, with only a week left. For a small town, there were a lot of people, to the point that Dimitri thought it necessary to hold my hand as we moved through the crowd. It wasn't needed, but I wasn't complaining.

If Viktoria noticed, she didn't mention it; walking ahead of us and deciding which store to go into next. She made fun of Dimitri for offering to take me on a walk but was happy to drag us to multiple stores. By the fourth, I gave up and sat on a bench outside the store. Dimitri hovered inside the store with his sister, trying to convince her to be quick with her selection.

After spending hours with Viktoria, I still had no idea what to do. The crow continued to follow her, just the one hopping along in silence. I stared at it, standing between me and the store.

I wish it could tell me when it would happen.

Ghosts couldn't interact with crows, only see them where they gathered. Death was just as much of a mystery to the dead as it was to the living. No one knew who was next, and no one knew when death would spread its wings.

"Rose?"

I tilted my head up; Dimitri towered over me with a concerned expression. I quickly forced a smile, "What's up?"

"You tell me." His expression didn't change, eyes moving around us as he took the spot beside me, "You've been distracted all day."

"Tired, I guess."

He shook his head. "No, it's more than that." My heart skipped a beat when his hand covered mine, brushing over my knuckles before threading his fingers through mine. "You can tell me, Roza."

My eyes were on our hands, a habit that had quickly become so natural to do. In the past, I wouldn't allow myself to imagine what it would be like to hold his hand, let alone kiss him. It always felt like an impossible crush that would go nowhere, and Dimitri was just a guy my father hired who would never believe me.

So much had changed.

"What if…" I started then trailed off, the words stuck on my tongue—caught on fear. "What if you don't like what I have to say?" I forced out.

Dimitri shifted closer, lifting our hands to rest on his knee. I wouldn't look at him, but I could feel his gaze. "You can tell me anything."

I hoped that was true.

"I saw death." His body tensed, but I kept going, "Last night, I saw a crow outside the house, and it's still here."

"What does that mean?" he questioned, his voice quiet and controlled.

I still couldn't find the courage to look him in the eye. Most people I warned of death didn't stay around long, my fear twisting my stomach in knots waiting for Dimitri to leave as well. "It means that someone is going to die soon."

He was silent, but he didn't leave.

"Who?" he asked—a single word laced with so much fear and distress.

My eyes slowly moved to his, clinging to the hope that he wasn't going anywhere. Our eyes met, and our fingers squeezed. There was no anger or reproach in the way he looked at me; he wasn't putting space between us—he stayed. So I told him the truth, "Viktoria."

Dimitri's lips parted like the air was forced from his lungs, leaving him deflated. I could see the questions in his eyes; his expression shifting from one to the next, but unable to voice them.

He never let go of my hand.

Finally, he could manage one question. "When?"

Before I could reply, his sister walked up to us; a new bag in hand and a cheeky smile on her face. "I'm starving. Do you want food or are you two just going to sit there and stare at each other all day?"

It was such a shift from our conversation that Dimitri fumbled over his words at first. He would look at Viktoria and then at me as if waiting for me to deny it.

"Let's get some food," I replied for him, brushing his hand with my thumb.

"Yeah," he nodded after a moment, "let's go."

Maybe telling Dimitri while we were with Viktoria was a bad idea; his poker face was grim and he hadn't said more than a handful of words. The look he kept giving his sister gave anyway that something was on his mind, and Viktoria noticed.

"He's being weird," she commented when Dimitri stepped away to use the bathroom. I watched him walk away, rubbing his neck with his hand; he definitely believed me, but part of me wished he didn't.

I was used to being around death, Dimitri wasn't.

"I think he's just tired," I lied.

"Good. Maybe he'll be asleep when Roland picks me up tonight."

The party. I searched around us, and sure enough, a crow sat on the table beside ours. It tilted its head and stared back at me. "I don't think you should go out tonight," I tried, "Maybe just stay home. I'm sure Dimitri would like to spend time with you."

Viktoria snorted, shaking her head with a smile; completely unaware of what was after her. "You guys are here for a while. He has plenty of time to hang out with me," she replied with a shrug, "Besides, wouldn't you two like the alone time?"

I almost choked on my spit. "What?"

Her smile grew, becoming a smirk as she leaned in. "I saw you two making out this morning. How long has that been a thing?"

"I…" I felt my cheeks heat. "Just since… today."

"Huh." Viktoria reached for Dimitri's tray, stealing his fries. "I figured you guys were already together considering he brought you home."

"Stop stealing my food," Dimitri grumbled, dropping into his seat with a sigh. I hadn't noticed his return, but was glad for it; I had no idea what to say to Viktoria. It wasn't a surprise that she assumed, after all, what guy brought a random girl home for the holidays?

I peered at Dimitri. Did he intend to make a move while here?

Wings flapped beside me—another crow stood on the table. The two of them stared at me, well aware I could see them. I hated that death recognised me. The only benefit of the crows following us was that they kept ghosts away. It was so quiet without the dead whispering in my ears.

"Is there a ghost?" Viktoria whispered next to my ear, her excitement obvious.

I concealed my frown, catching Dimitri's eyes before looking away. He knew what I stared at. "No," I replied, staring at my half-eaten food instead of the crows.

Viktoria either didn't notice or didn't care she was the only one carrying the conversation. I tried to join in occasionally, but Dimitri just stared ahead, completely lost in his thoughts. By the time we were leaving, he caught my arm and pulled me back while his sister continued ahead.

"How do I stop it?" he asked desperately.

"I don't know," I mumbled, irritated that I still hadn't figured it out. "I think it might have something to do with the party tonight."

"Party?"

"Yeah. She invited me to it and another crow showed up. Maybe that's where it happens." I was grasping at straws, but what else did I have to go off?

Dimitri stared down at me, looking to me for the answers and I had nothing to give. "You stopped it before," he pleaded, "Can't you do it again?"

"That was by chance. I've never actively tried to stop death. I…" I didn't know if I could. The truth felt like lead, compressing my lungs. I knew it was the truth, but refused to believe it. "I will figure something out, Dimitri," I gripped his hand, squeezing it, "I promise."

No matter what I had to do, I would prevent death from taking Viktoria.