Rose POV

Our undercover mission had many advantages. The first plus was certainly how quickly we got to various information and how much we could do without revealing our identities. Additionally, blending in as gang members and dancers allowed us to prevent more crime within the communities we infiltrated. Although I wouldn't admit it to anyone, seeing Dimitri in that sexy gang leader role was a treat for me. I also took great pleasure in dancing on stage, though I never expected to.

Unfortunately, there were also disadvantages - first, our roles often compromised our safety. Second, we were often involved in very dangerous situations. Third, we were separated - I couldn't be caught with Dimitri and the other guardians, or our false identities could be questioned. Because of this, I sometimes didn't see my boyfriend for a week or two before he called a meeting. That evening, however, I tasted one of those less pleasant downsides of my role as a dancer - unwanted admirers.

I'd already experienced being chased, accosted, and even threatened. When I didn't have witnesses, I dealt with the attackers on my own. After all, they were usually drunk humans who posed little threat to a trained guardian like me. I could usually handle them, but only if I knew no one saw me in action. After all, a petite dancer shouldn't be able to knock down three men at once.

Just that evening I was unlucky. Coming out after a long shift, sticky from sweat and exhausted from exertion, I noticed a suspicious type not far from the dancers' exit. He was smoking a cigarette, and upon closer inspection, I recognized him as a member of a rival gang that had been eyeing me with a creepy gaze for some time. I tensed up, ready for a fight, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bodyguards from the club. They were so far away that I couldn't catch eye contact with them, but they would undoubtedly see if I started a fight.

I realized that I had to assume the role of a helpless dancer. My heart started pounding in my chest, as fear crept all over me. If I couldn't defend myself... I was left at the mercy of the guy. I could only hope the bodyguards would interfere.

Of course, the guy accosted me, and when I tried to evade him he grabbed my arm so hard that he no doubt bruised me. He pressed me against the wall, and I hit my head so hard I saw stars for a second.

"Hel…" I wanted to cry out, but his hand instantly landed on my face. My head flew back and my cheek began to burn.

"Shut up, you stupid cunt," he growled, pressing himself tighter to me. I certainly wasn't going to listen to him.

"Help!" I shouted as loud as I could. My tormentor raised his hand and struck me in the face with all his strength, and I fell on the dirty asphalt. My ears were ringing and I felt blood in my mouth, but fortunately, the bodyguards had already intervened and subdued my attacker. I tried to stop the blood leaking from my mouth as they ground him down and dragged him away from me.

One of the bodyguards approached me and made a quick assessment of my condition. He stated that probably nothing was broken, although my face would need a few more days to recover. He offered to bandage me up inside or take me to the hospital, but I insisted that he order a cab to my apartment. I didn't want to go to a human hospital, and I doubted that he knew more about first aid than I did.

In the cab, I hesitated about whether to call Dimitri. My hand trembled over my phone, wanting to give in to the temptation to call him. I knew that without delay he would come and take care of me. But there was another important issue that kept me from dialing his number. Dimitri was already behaving very protectively toward me, which annoyed me when he stopped treating me like other guardians. I didn't want to give him any more reasons to worry and overthink. I regretfully put the phone down and didn't call him.

The sun had already risen when I reached my cheap apartment. At least it was good enough that no Strigoi could attack me anymore. Small blessings.

However, any sense of relief vanished when I opened the door to my apartment and heard movement in the kitchen. My heart stopped in my chest at the thought that I would still have to deal with the burglar after tonight's incident. But at least now I had no witnesses. I took the gun out of my hand and walked slowly into the apartment, focusing all my attention on the gun in my hand rather than the shrill rhythm of my heart and soft knees.

But then I saw the familiar duster hung neatly on a hanger, with well-known shoes placed underneath.

"Dimitri?" I asked, a wave of relief washing over me at the sight of my boyfriend in the apartment, causing me to forget all the reasons I hesitated to call him.

"Hey! I'm sorry for coming without notice, but it's been so long since I've seen you, and I thought you'd maybe like to have a breakf…" his words trailed off as he leaned out of the kitchen and caught sight of my face. The happy smile on his face vanished, replaced by a look of surprise and concern. He tossed aside the kitchen cloth he was holding and hurriedly approached me without taking his eyes off me.

He embraced the healthy half of my face firmly as his eyes closely traced each injury. From the wound above my eyebrow to the bruise on my cheek, colored by the mark from the first slap, to the cut lip. As he analyzed the injuries on my face, fury appeared in his eyes.

"Who did this to you?" He asked quietly, but the threat contained in those five words sounded more dire than if he had shouted them. His voice was filled with power and fury that made me shiver, even though they were not directed at me.

"It doesn't matter, Dimitri," I said. "I would have defended myself, but I had witnesses and couldn't…"

"Who. Did. This. To. You." he repeated with even greater force, accentuating each word. Dimitri's serious expression confirmed he was not joking. The intensity in his eyes made me stop breathing, let alone find the strength to argue with him.

"One of them, from Michael's gang. He was interested in me for a while. Short, has a red beard but he's bald."

Dimitri nodded, knowing who I was speaking about. He ran his finger gently over my wounded cheek; when I winced, his expression softened immediately. Fury gave way to concern.

"What happened?"

I told him everything, including why I hadn't defended myself, and what happened when the bodyguards ran to me. He nodded, thinking intensely about everything, but led me to the couch. He set about gathering the necessary items for the first aid kit.

In the living room, I saw what he had prepared for me and I couldn't move. Pancakes with Nutella, whipped cream and strawberries were waiting for me on the countertop, and in a vase (which I didn't even know I had) stood beautiful, fresh carnations. My eyes watered at the thought that I was going to avoid him so as not to admit what had happened.

When he returned with the first aid kit, I hugged him tightly. He froze for a moment, surprised, but reciprocated the hug, kissing the top of my head.

"Thank you. It's a wonderful surprise, really," I murmured into the material of his sweatshirt.

"I had a hunch," he muttered, pushing me gently away from him to meet my gaze… "You weren't going to tell me about it, were you?"

I escaped with my eyes from his penetrating eyes.

"I didn't want you to patronize me even more. I already stand apart from the group when I play the role of a helpless dancer, and I don't want others to think I'm incapable of taking care of myself."

Dimitri gently shook his head, mussing my healthy cheek with his thumb.

"Rose, you have proven a thousand times that you are one of the most skilled and capable guardians out there. And our job here is to take care of each other. If any of the guardians were in such a vulnerable position they would get support," he found my eyes to make sure I understood. His gaze was so gentle and caring that I felt like melting into it. "And this will also happen in your case."

"Can we negotiate it later?" I asked and grimaced as I touched my wounded cheek. "For example, when my face is no longer burning?"

Dimitri immediately started all the necessary procedures. He told me to hold an ice pack, while he placed the straps to the cuts above my eyebrows. My sweatshirt slid a little when I shifted to have a better grip on the ice in my hands, and Dimitri's gaze went to my shoulder and he cursed ugly in Russian. I looked in that direction and saw the dark bruises from my attacker's fingers. Fury shone in his eyes.

"I'll kill him," he growled, but I shook my head.

"Oh, come on," I replied, putting on my sweatshirt.

With an effort, Dimitri tore his gaze away from my covered arm and returned to his activities. He couldn't find the cream we usually used to speed up the healing process, so he offered to go to the drugstore for it.

"I'll be back before you know it," he promised, handing me a plate with breakfast and kissing me on the forehead. I didn't want him to go, but on the other hand, I was feeling more and more pain on the right side of my face and would welcome any pharmacological help. I took a sip of painkillers and after eating the treats Dimitri had prepared, I took a little nap on the couch.

Dimitri really was back faster than I had time to wake up. I heard him washing his hands in the bathroom, and the sound of water woke me up. He smiled at me as I struggled to crawl out from under the blankets, still half-asleep.

"We have everything now" he announced gently, showing me a tube of ointment. He sat down next to me, and only when he began to unscrew the tube did I notice his injured knuckles.

"Dimitri!" I shouted indignantly, grabbing his hands to inspect the injuries Red scratches and purple bruises adorned his knuckles, and I was certain they hadn't been there before. He squeezed my hands.

"It's nothing, Roza, I promise. He'll be fine, too. After some time."

I slowly lifted my gaze from his wounded hands to his eyes, full of peace and affection. He must have read disbelief from my face, because he lightly, almost defensively, shrugged his shoulders.

"You shouldn't have," I said with a reprimand in my voice.

"If you don't agree to the backup, I have to do everything I can to guarantee your safety. And I'm not going to let anyone touch you," he uttered the last sentence with such dominance and power, so atypical for him that for a moment I couldn't find the words. I felt my breath quicken and my cheeks flush.

"I really should be more annoyed than turned on right now."

Dimitri relaxed a little and gave me one of his sincere, full smiles. He unscrewed the soothing ointment cream and began applying it to my injuries.

"Today, you need to focus on recovering. You'll have a few days off from the club after what happened."

"A few days off," I repeated, unable to hide my delight. I leaned forward, keeping my lips just an inch from his. I felt his warm breath on my skin, giving me pleasant shivers. "And I intend to spend them exclusively in bed."

Dimitri was very careful as he leaned in to kiss my wounded lips. But there was no doubt that he understood how I intended to spend these few days off.