We reached the Southgate mall in Missoula and Lissa was practically frothing from her mouth. Lissa had shopped in places like New York, Paris and Milan growing up, but she hadn't had the opportunity to shop like this since her parents died. We went on the run shortly after their passing and at that time we had a finite amount of money to spend.

Lissa had gotten access to her accounts again and she wanted to make a dent at the mall. My father gave me what I considered to be a large amount of money in the guise of an inheritance from Lissa's parents over two years ago and he tops up my account with regular monthly payments.

I was used to having nothing, or only what Lissa and her family bought me. My father has provided me with an extensive wardrobe of nice clothes, but they weren't practical for a life as a guardian. I just wanted to get some basics and maybe some sexy underwear to tease Dimitri.

The condition of my permission for this expedition was for this to be a training exercise. Which meant that I had to focus on the task at hand and not distract myself with shopping. Lissa kept trying to get me to try things on, but I declined. We weren't in Portland anymore, I had to take guarding seriously.

Lissa and Natalie had enough bags to fill the car, while I had one bag full of basic tee shirts and jeans. Baba got Tad to carry the bag so I could focus on my duties, he was clearly not impressed by baba's request. I think that was why baba persisted with requesting him to carry out such mundane tasks, because Tad always gave him a good reaction.

I could feel Dimitri's eyes on me as we moved through the store, maintaining eye contact with him and Lissa was mentally draining. I never realised how lax I had been guarding Lissa while we were on the run. The cognitive load of being a guardian was understated, you always had to be ready and prepared to respond.

Lissa held up a short black dress in my face. "Rose, this would be perfect for the dance!"

It was a strapless, silky black dress that came just above my knees. It was sleek and sexy, very much my style. "I can't try it on , I have to stay on guard."

"You can have a break, they gave you half an hour."

I shook my head, not wanting the other guardians to think that I was slacking off.

"Well I'll just buy it for you then." I accepted her offer, I often found it was easier to go with the path of least resistance when it involved Lissa and shopping.

We stopped for Lunch at the Mexican bar and grill. Ben and Tad took the bags to the car while we ate as a group.

"Where to next girls?" Baba asked.

Lissa and Natalie looked at each other and said, "Victoria's secret," in unison and then giggled. I snuck a glance at Dimitri, he remained impassive but I could see his eyes darken.

"Rose, what about you?"

"Mary's mountain cookies." I said honestly. I just really wanted a cookie rather than continue shopping, but I was happy to be away from school.

"Ahh little girl don't worry, you will get your cookies." I flashed a smile at my father.

Baba and Victor had spent the day together, but they seemed uncomfortable with each other. My father was notorious and not a royal, they ran in different circles. Victor was very wealthy and connected, I didn't think that he would ever owe my father anything. He would have been the next king if it weren't for his illness. The only thing that they had in common was being earth users.

Baba had maintained polite conversation with Victor throughout the day to make us happy. well, he was making Lissa happy. Maybe he wanted a moroi daughter instead of me, but I was the only child that he had.

I noticed Dimitri watching me closely, he looked concerned. He briefly walked alongside me as we were leaving the restaurant. "Are you alright, Roza?"

"I'm fine, but I think I would rather be training. Being on guard takes the fun out of shopping."

"I know, but it's not always like this." He said as he faded into the background of the mall. It was quite impressive to see him blend in and not look like a creep stalking teenage girls.

I took my half hour break at Victoria's secret. Buying online never guaranteed comfortable underwear and I expected that this would drive Dimitri crazy. Victor sent Spiridon away, to be "Far, Far away guard," which made me feel a lot more comfortable.

I walked around selecting different items ranging from everyday underwear, athletic bras to more sexy items. Baba and Victor sat down on the couches in the store, deliberately avoiding looking at our underwear selections.

For my own amusement, I picked up a few extreme items like a crotchless teddy composed almost entirely of straps. I walked past Dimitri and his eyes practically bulged out of his head. He abruptly turned towards Lissa and asked if he could return anything for her or take something to the cash register.

It was 2pm when we were being ushered by Stan Alto to get back to the bus. Baba stepped forward, "We will go once we stop off at the cookie store."

Stan glared at my father but I looked up at Baba with surprise. Being a Dhampir, I never feel like I am important. It knew it was a small thing, but it made me feel special that he was prioritising what I wanted, despite potentially making us late. He put his arm around me and Lissa, walking us to the cookie place.

Ten minutes later, Pavel and Tad were carrying ten boxes of cookies for me, hopefully it would last me the week. The vendor was very excited and offered to deliver more to the school gates any time I wanted. I kept her card for future purchases.

Everyone was more subdued on the way back. I fell asleep very quickly with my head resting on Dimitri's shoulder. When we returned to St Vlad's, I was covered by his duster and surrounded by his scent. He gently woke me up when we arrived back at the school.

I found a second wind once I got out of the bus. I started jumping from one wooden bench to another. Baba had Tad bundle my purchases and then excused himself to guest accommodations as soon as we stopped to prepare for his next business trip.

Spiridon called out, "Hey, you are still on duty. No having fun."

I looked over my shoulder while I was leaping to give him a cocky grin. As my foot touched the bench, it buckled like it was paper and I fell. My body had gone in one direction and my ankle the other. I had landed on a very awkward angle on my ankle, severe pain shot up my leg and I passed out.

My head felt foggy as I woke, staring at the sterile white walls in the infirmary. I didn't dare move my leg, fearing that I would be in unimaginable pain.

"You're awake. You made an awful racket when you came in, I thought you were dying." One of the nurses said.

"Is it broken?" I was too afraid to look.

"Turns out it was a sprain. You have some visitors waiting to see you."

I looked down at my foot, tentatively wiggling my toes followed by flexing and extending my ankle. I was completely pain free. Lissa!

I couldn't believe how stupid she was, healing me in front of witnesses. My father popped his head in the door. "Kiz? How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks to Lissa." I emphasised the last part, just in case others were within earshot.

Abe frowned. "Lissa is currently with the feeders, she was very distraught and wouldn't leave your side when you first came in."

"I'll bet." I said flatly.

"Baba, I'm worried about Lissa. Whoever this is, they keep dropping dead or dying animals in front of her, but what if it isn't to scare her. Maybe she is feeling like someone is watching her because they want to see a demonstration of her powers. And now, she has done just that."

"I was thinking the same thing. Don't trust anyone, always scrutinise your allies for odd behaviour, they are in the best position to stab you in the back. I have contingencies in place for both you girls to keep you safe."

I could relax a little bit knowing that the great Zmey was looking out for us. Could I trust Dimitri?

Alpha's seem to have a lot of rules, some spoken and others unspoken. I read earlier that it was considered rude to out a mated pair by other alpha's and the biggest sin would be to lie about someone being your true mate. Mates were sacred and fiercely protected by all alphas, which is why the moroi gave exceptions for mated guardians.

"Kiz, I want to talk to you about this Rinaldi kid."

"What's up?"

Abe looked at me with a serious look. "Maybe you should lay off her."

I was flabbergasted and gave my father a piercing stare. "You know what she did, she tried to tarnish my name and reputation and you want me to make peace?"

"In my line of work, you always have to stay ahead of your enemies. You have to get a read of people and what they are capable of. Sometimes it is smarter to make peace with our adversaries. The thing that I have learnt; the ones that will come back to bite you are the ones who have been wronged the most."

I crossed my arms. "Who hurt her?"

"Someone who isn't around anymore."

I paused, looking at Baba. "Was it Andre?"

"Yes, he took a vulnerable girl and humiliated her. I don't think she found out until after he died."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, Andre had always been good to me. He had treated me like another little sister, protected me when other royals said things about me. However, he did go through a lot of girls. Maybe he did act like a typical royal moroi guy to other girls. "He did?"

Baba nodded. "I know that you think I am in a questionable line of work, but I have a strict value system. I use my influence to help vulnerable people and only screw over those who deserve it. I cannot stand abuse of power." Abe looked very serious, I had never seen him look so resolute in his opinion.

"So.. You think I should get down to the heart of the matter with her rather than trying to destroy her?"

"Exactly. That girl is too much like you, she won't stop when you show force. Seninle gurur duyuyorum kızım. I brought you a few presents, for doing so well on your assignment today."

He handed me a couple of presents. The first was a small box, it was a diamond pendant necklace. I had never owned something so expensive before.

"Thank you Baba."

"I thought it would go nicely with your dress for the dance. You will be the most beautiful girl there, you need something that stands out like you do."

I brushed a tear from my eye. I hadn't met my father until I was fifteen. I grew up thinking that he didn't love me, but he had stayed away for my protection. I knew that he was trying to make up for lost time, but I appreciated his displays of love.

The next was a larger box, and quite heavy when I picked it up. I opened it to see two perfectly polished silver stakes, both with an intricate Turkish pattern along the side. I picked one up, the stake had 'Mazur' on the side and the other had 'Hathaway' on the other. The hilt had roses etched into them.

I was speechless and looked up at Baba. I had tears in my eyes, I was overcome with emotion from his gift. The first gift was a display of his wealth, but the second showed that my father knew me. "Baba, I love it.

Abe kissed me on the forehead. "I'll see you in a week, I have to leave on business. Just keep them hidden so they don't get confiscated."

Dimitri arrived shortly after my father left. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I thought I had broken my leg, but it is okay." I said as I used my leg to stroke his thigh to make my point.

He smiled. "The bench rotted, it took us some time to free your leg. I worried that this would set you back weeks in training, but the x-ray was normal. Are you sure that it isn't sprained? I don't want you hiding injuries from me."

I assured him that I was perfectly fine, but I let him move my ankle around in different directions and gently probe my ankle for pain. I knew that it was because Lissa had healed me, but I hadn't told Dimitri about Lissa's powers.

"You have an amazing body." Dimitri said. I blushed in response and he quickly added, "For healing."

"I believe it's amazing in more than terms of healing." I winked at him. He gave out a loud growl.

"I have a small present for you." He pulled a package out of his duster and handed it to me.

"I love presents." I said as I dug into the bag. It was my lip gloss, I had moaned about running out. I was touched that he had remembered my silly little rambling about lip gloss. "Thank you, my alpha."

His finger traced the jewellery box with his finger. "It's nothing special."

"But it was so thoughtful, I'm touched." He laced his fingers with mine briefly, cautious of the lack of privacy in the infirmary. "So, what's the chance of me getting out of here?"

Dimitri brought in Dr Olendski to review me, she moved my leg in multiple directions, watching me closely for any signs of pain. "Nothing Doc, I'm fine.. So can I go?"

"Alright Rose, but I want you to rest tomorrow morning, no training." She looked at Dimitri, knowing that he would have to enforce this.

It was early in the Moroi day when we left the clinic, not many people were out and about. I checked through the bond, Lissa was in her bed sleeping. When we got to my dorm I told Dimitri that I had something for him. I stepped over the shopping bags that Tad must have dumped at my door in protest and retrieved the jumper from the couch.

I held the jumper out to him. "Because I keep taking your hoodies, I have a few more, but I want them all to have my scent."

He took the jumper from me and sniffed it. I stepped closer to him as he turned the jumper upside down. Dimitri gave out a deep growl and raised his eyebrow at me.

"Rozzzza."

I gave him a coy smile as I ran my hands along his chest and asked, "What's wrong?"

He inhaled the jumper deeply while I started working my hand under his shirt. He pulled me tightly to him and I could feel evidence of his excitement. His hands firmly gripped my butt and I felt myself being lifted. "My naughty little Roza."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips onto mine. My tongue slipped into his mouth, gently massaging his tongue. I could feel my pulse quicken with his touch and tingles shoot down my body when his lips touched mine. I broke off the kiss to wink at him, "I have three more hoodies that I still need to wear and a lot of lingerie to try on for you."

He walked me over to my bed and practically threw me on the bed. His large body covering me, I felt his bulge practically give me a cavity search and he pressed closer.

"Wait! Give me two minutes." I said as I jumped off the bed and ran to the front door to grab my shopping bags. I ran into my bathroom and threw on some new lingerie and a robe.

I told him to close his eyes as I grabbed a pair of black satin pumps and pulled my hair out of its ponytail.

"Alpha."

Dimitri looked up to see me standing there with a hint of my new red lace triangle teddy, covered by a black satin robe that went to mid thigh.

Dimitri looked transfixed as I stepped towards him, slowly undoing the knot that held my robe in place. His gaze was so heated, so predatory that I fumbled on the knot. His long, slender fingers reached out and undid my knot, letting the robe fall by my sides.

The teddy had very thin straps and it showed my breasts to perfection. It tapered to a V and then flared out to go around my hips. All of Dimitri's extra training had paid off, my waist was slim and my limbs were toned.

Dimitri's eyes took all of me in and his hands wrapped around me, gently pulling me closer. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I will thank the heavens every day for making us mates."

"You can thank them when you reach your climax." I say as I drop the satin robe to the floor, revealing my body in nothing but a few scraps of lace and straps. I move to take off my heels, but he stops me.

"See something you like, Alpha?" I push him onto his back and straddle his legs.

"Everything Roza and keep the shoes on." His hands grabbed me by the hips, tracing the lingerie around my derrière. I spread my legs a little wider and he moved his hands towards my centre.

I moan loudly as his hand makes contact with my moist pearl and he looks at me with shock. "Crotchless?"

I give him my best man eating smile and I rub my hand against his stiff member, "Almost big enough to fit your hard cock."

I want him inside me so badly, the desire for him has been building for the past two months. He slips two fingers into my moist channel, curling his fingers against my walls. I feel myself flood in response to his touch.

He pulls his hand up to lick his fingers slowly one by one while fixing me with a heated gaze. "I want to eat your pussy."

My core starts cramping with the anticipation of his lips on me. "Okay, "

I start to move to get on my back but he grabs my hips and moves them up this body until knees are beside his head and I'm sitting on his upper chest. He slides off the straps of my teddy off my shoulders so that my breasts are unrestrained.

He gestures for me to move my dripping core forward onto his face. He sniffs and licks my inner thighs, growling with pleasure. He kisses my sensitive bud and then places his lips over my channel, sucking out my juices. holy shit!

Immediately I feel my arousal build as pleasure starts to course from my centre. I grab the headboard to steady myself as his tongue starts to swirl around my clit.

"Ohhhh Dimitri." I moan. I grip the headboard tighter as he moves his hands up to my breasts. He squeezes them as he penetrates my channel with his tongue and I thrust my hips forward in pleasure. I let out a guttural moan, despite trying to remind myself that I need to keep the sound down.

I have never felt so powerful, like a goddess with the biggest, strongest alpha at my mercy between my legs. His tongue thrusts in and out of my pussy while I buck my hips from his ministrations below. His hands move down to massage my arse and I start to rock my centre against the stubble on his face. Each of my movements was more pleasurable than the last and my limbs started to shake with the effort.

He reaches up and tweaks both of my nipples and that is all it takes for me to fall off the edge. A powerful orgasm rips through me, and he continues to milk my pleasure by grabbing my hips and gliding my folds against his face. He latches onto my clit, sucking and twirling his tongue until another wave of pleasure shoots through me. It's so intense that it is almost painful.

He laps up my juices as I feel myself squirt moisture onto his face. I feel my legs go weak and his strong hands lift me off him. He picks me up and moves me down to cuddle me to his chest.

"I love you, Dimitri" I say as I lay there panting. He strokes his fingers through my hair while I gather my breath. I feel so light, like I am practically floating, but eventually the feelings of pleasure subside and my hunger for his seed returns. I slip my hand in his pants, feeling for his large member. I grasp his member tightly and move my thumb over his moist tip. Dimitri gives out a loud moan as my hand starts pumping his cock.

All of our passion is lost as I feel the familiar sensation of being pulled into Lissa's head. I felt pain in my arms, Lissa seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness. She was surrounded by a pool of her blood.

"Lissa!" I cried out.

Dimitri jumped out of my bed, pulling his shirt back on and zipping up his pants while I started throwing on pants and a top. "Where is she?"

"In her dorm."

We both ran out of the room, Dimitri took the lead, he used his fingerprint to take a secret door that I didn't know existed. We ran through a passageway that exited close to the moroi dorms.

Translation seninle gurur duyuyorum kızım = I am proud of you my daughter.

AN: Next chapter things are kicking up a notch. I have a few chapters drafted, so you can expect them to follow weekly for a while. Chapter 15 will be the end of part 1. As always please review, favourite and follow, I'm always happy to hear what you think or where this story is headed.