In the morning, I couldn't wait to slip into Lissa's mind.

She was pacing nervously around her apartment in Canada, too agitated to rest. She had already analyzed all the evidence we had found, and the only conclusion she had reached was that the hideout where Jill had been taken held no valuable clues. The documents collected by the guardians were completely useless.

The guardians were at a dead end. They hadn't found the prince at any of his properties, nor with any of his relatives. According to Hans, they had checked every Moroi family that shared a common ancestor with the prince from ten generations ago. Sara had not spoken a single word to the guardians since her interrogation, nor had any of Prince Drozdov's guards.

Lissa had spent most of the time we were kidnapped trying to find out who Claudia was—the name Sara had mentioned before. She hadn't contacted the Alchemists, unaware that they had more information than we did. Mental note to fix yet another thing once we returned.

In the meantime, Lissa had decided to demand her return to the Royal Court. She felt like a fugitive, a coward who had run away and abandoned her duties and her people. She had never liked this plan, but was convinced by Hans during the attack. Now that the prince had yet to resurface, Lissa was insisting on going home.

From her memories, I understood she wasn't far from achieving that goal. Hans was starting to waver, though he still saw the potential dangers of her return. In my opinion, there were far too many unknowns for Lissa to leave her safehouse. If it were up to me, she wouldn't budge until I personally tied up Drozdov and disarmed all his men.

Returning to my own mind, I couldn't stop thinking about the bites. My fingers brushed the spots on my neck where the Strigoi had sunk their fangs into me, and my pulse quickened at the thought of the blissful state I could have been in. My treacherous mind even conjured up a plan where I could go upstairs and ask Adrian… But with all the willpower I could muster, I forced those thoughts away and focused on getting dressed instead.

The common area was quiet when I came out of our bedroom. The only ones I found were Dimitri and Eddie, hunched over a laptop in the kitchen.

"Hey," I greeted with a smile.

They both looked up quickly. I walked over and kissed Dimitri's freshly shaved cheek in greeting. He turned his head, and our lips met in a brief kiss.

"Hey," he replied smoothly, squeezing my hand on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him from behind and leaned in to look at their laptop.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Reading updates in the guardian database. There's new information since the last time we checked," Eddie explained. Dimitri slid the laptop toward me, but I stayed where I was, reading over his shoulder.

"I already went through it—I'll make breakfast," he said, standing up and giving me his spot. But I was too engrossed in the guardians' reports to pay attention. Eddie joined Dimitri, and I heard them laugh at something he said, but I didn't tear my gaze away from the screen, absorbing every bit of new information.

After interrogating thirty surviving guards from Jill's place of captivity, we had learned a few things. For example, their so-called leader, Mayer, had once been a guardian in our own ranks. Years ago, he had been assigned to protect Prince Drozdov's daughter, Lara, and after her death, he had gone on to serve the old prince. His loyalty to his charge bordered on obsession—despite threats, bribes, and promises, he hadn't revealed a single detail about his employer. The only words Hans had managed to extract from him were threats aimed at my superior.

Mark, the only guard who had been kind to me in the surveillance room, refused to say anything without a lawyer present. Most of the other guards responded the same way.

Only two testimonies offered anything new. The first came from Jacob Felinns, a relatively fresh graduate—maybe two years older than me. He had caved under Hans's threats and the promise of immunity in exchange for betraying his crew. Frightened for his future, Jacob started talking. He had been recruited by Prince Drozdov through an older colleague who pitched the job as better paying, more flexible, and less dangerous than being a guardian. Around that time, one of Jacob's friends had died in service, making him question whether all the sacrifices he was making for this career were really worth it. Exhausted from monotonous shifts and sleepless nights, he accepted the offer to serve the prince.

Due to his age, Jacob wasn't given many serious responsibilities, but there were a few strict rules he had to follow.

First, absolute discretion. If he so much as whispered a word to anyone about the prince's secret army, the prince wouldn't take it lightly. "You saw what he did to the Moroi princess. What was some no-name guardian to him?"

Second, no questions. His job was to stand guard and follow orders—not to wonder what the prince was doing with his damned time.

Third, never enter the office on the second floor.

As it later turned out, the office contained all the documents related to spirit magic—including the ones Lissa suspected had been destroyed before they could fall into the hands of the guardians. Jacob had no idea where the prince was now. He had no clue what the old Moroi wanted from Jill.

The second guardian Hans managed to get information from had been in service for many years. Thirty-year-old Roger Hendrickson had only joined Prince Drozdov's army three weeks ago. He admitted it was because of his partner's pregnancy—Hendrickson hadn't saved a penny during all his years of service, and with a newborn on the way, he needed cash fast. Because of the baby, he agreed to testify in exchange for immunity. Like Jacob, he didn't know any details about the prince's whereabouts or his plans for Jill—his only purpose was to serve as cannon fodder if the prince's place was attacked.

The scent of freshly cooked bacon pulled me away from my laptop. Dimitri, with a barely-there smile, slid a whole stack of bacon and bread in front of me.

"Wow, I get to sleep in as much as I want and wake up to a mountain of food? If I'd known that, I would've risked my life way more often."

"Don't even think about it," he said in a mock-threatening tone. Eddie sat down next to me as Dimitri went back to frying more bacon.

"What do you think?" Eddie asked, pulling his plate closer and piling on some food.

"The prince hired a bunch of people right before the operation, but they weren't loyal employees. It was more of a rushed, mass recruitment. Too bad they don't have interviews with people who worked for him longer. I wonder if that Mayer guy knew what was going on with Jill."

"Once we're back at Court, I bet they'll let you get your hands on him and use whatever means necessary," Eddie grinned.

That fantasy was never going to happen—we wouldn't be back at Court until the prince was caught, and by then, Mayer would be as relevant to me as last year's snow.

"Can't wait. I have plenty of ideas, but I don't want to waste them all on him. The best ones are reserved for the prince."

Dimitri sat at the table but only raised an eyebrow at my comment. Eddie shook his head, a grim expression on his face.

"Even if we catch him, everything that's happened will have terrible consequences."

"When this goes public, no one will come out of it unscathed," I agreed. "Guardians who are exhausted from service will start seeing new options. Moroi will realize how little it takes to get guardians to abandon their positions and work for them instead."

"I know it looks bad, but most of those 'guardians' weren't actually our guardians. They were just human mercenaries and thugs," Dimitri pointed out.

"Really?" I couldn't believe it. Dimitri calmly showed me everything on the laptop, and I tried to recall the men from the manor where they had kept Jill. "That's a little better, but it also shows how easy it is for wealthy Moroi to buy their way out of trouble. And a few dhampirs were involved too."

"I think most guardians will be disgusted by this whole thing," Eddie said. I wasn't so sure, but I hoped he was right.

We kept discussing it for a while until everyone else joined us. Dimitri went to catch some sleep after his shift, while Eddie sat with me on the couch, and we went through all the information again—without much success. Sydney checked her more advanced database but didn't find anything new, apart from the recorded data on the poor people caught up in the prince's insane conspiracy.

This time, everyone wanted to go through the available data and join in on my speculations about Prince Drozdov's intentions. We all settled in the living room, throwing around theories. Sydney and Eddie suspected it had to do with stripping Lissa of her crown—or at least blackmailing her. Adrian and I believed it was connected to spirit magic. The only question was whether Prince Drozdov had also orchestrated the summer accident or if the two events were unrelated.

Eventually, everyone gave up. Dimitri and Angeline went outside for a defensive training session—Dimitri praised her for using the same maneuvers he'd taught her when one of the Strigoi's men tried to chase us near their house. Eddie and Jill started playing cards, while Sydney was glued to her laptop. Adrian and I moved to the kitchen, raiding the snack supplies left for us.

Once we were sure no one could hear us, Adrian started venting about his dysfunctional relationship with Sydney. He admitted that I was the only one he felt comfortable discussing this disaster with—especially since, no matter what he did, Dimitri and I had been even dumber in the past. Hard to argue with that.

"Are you fucking dumb? You pretended you couldn't drive stick just to impress her?"

"Not impress her—spend more time with her."

"And how did that work out for you, you mastermind?"

Adrian flipped me off in response.

"I'm not taking any criticism from you."

"You should," I said, nodding. "Thank God I intervened. Next, you would've started pretending you couldn't read or write."

"Maybe you should worry about your own relationship. I don't know if you've noticed, but cradle robber has been spending a lot of time training another underage dhampir."

"You're an asshole," I said, shaking my head and tapping my forehead with my fingers. "And a dumb one. What made you think that throwing yourself into nerve-wracking, dangerous situations was a good way to start a romantic relationship?"

"Well, it worked for you," he shot back sarcastically. That was it—I couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Jill peeked into the kitchen, smiling when she saw us. I realized that she must have known about our reconciliation through Adrian's head. "What are you guys talking about? I want to hear!"

"Rose is being cruel to me. You don't want to hear this, Jailbait."

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, I really do!" Jill squealed and practically flew over to sit next to us. She gave me a pleading look. "I promise I won't tell anyone, and I won't laugh."

"You could just check Adrian's head and find out for yourself," I teased, flashing her a grin. When she realized what we had been talking about, she'd also understand why we weren't eager to repeat it—just in case Sydney wandered into the kitchen. Our only advantage was that she had the worst hearing out of all of us.

At my comment, though, both of them grimaced. Jill shook her head.

"I don't do that. First, because of Adrian's privacy. Second, once I'm pulled in… it's really hard for me to get out of his head."

I nodded in understanding. I remembered all too well how difficult the first two years of my bond with Lissa had been.

"I get it. With time, it'll become easier. You won't get… sucked into Adrian's head anymore."

"I don't know, maybe Lissa was just a little more stable," Adrian muttered, looking at Jill with sympathy. I wasn't so sure about that. When Lissa and I had been bonded, she had just lost her entire family.

"Well, the timing of your bond wasn't exactly ideal either… But it's not unfixable. Learning to control it takes work, but it's worth it."

"How did you do it?" Jill asked, genuine curiosity in her eyes.

"A lot of self-control. At first, meditation helped me—especially when it came to shifting into Lissa's head."

"Right, because privacy didn't mean as much to you." Adrian shot me a pointed look. "But maybe don't teach Jailbait?"

"The thing is, if you learn to control shifting in one direction, you'll have more power over the bond as a whole," I explained to Jill. "Then you'll be able to decide when to return to yourself and even stop yourself from getting pulled in altogether. Toward the end of our bond, I could move freely between myself and Lissa."

"Toward the end?" Adrian asked skeptically. "Didn't it come back? You know, when we started this whole crazy escape?"

I let out a deep sigh. A sense of unease curled inside me at the mere thought of Lissa's last episode.

"It's… different."

I told Adrian about the night before our kidnapping, about Lissa's breakdown, and the fact that I hadn't been able to take any of her negative emotions from her. Adrian studied my aura, then nodded in agreement.

"After you got shot, you were already different. There's a dark outline around your aura—it's clear you've been shadow kissed—but your aura itself isn't dark. It's different from Jill's too," he observed, glancing at our younger friend. "Jill's aura looks like yours before the shooting. Yours is darker around the edges but much lighter in the center."

"That makes sense," I admitted. "I haven't lost my abilities—I can still sense Strigoi, see ghosts, and feel my bond with Lissa. But I can't take on the side effects of spirit anymore. It's like that emotional transfer between me and Lissa was severed."

Adrian continued examining my aura and nodded.

"Maybe we could figure out how to do the same for Jill."

"Adrian, but that's a good thing—I can hel—" she started, but he cut her off sharply.

"Jill, you have no idea what it's like to live with the side effects of spirit. I know you want to help me, but there's a much bigger chance that it will ruin your life than that it will help me."

"I think Jill might understand more than you give her credit for," I interjected, remembering how she had witnessed my unfortunate murder of Victor Dashkov.

"Thank you, Rose," Jill said, giving Adrian an exasperated look. He stared at me in disbelief, but I only met her gaze instead.

"Which makes it all the more ridiculous that you wouldn't want to stop this, Jill," I emphasized, watching as hurt flashed in her eyes. "You saw how it ended for me."

We locked eyes, both remembering that terrible parking lot where Victor Dashkov had lost his life.

"Lissa kept spiraling deeper into depression until she started self-harming. Sonya turned into a Strigoi to escape the side effects." I added.

"I lose my mind, lose myself when spirit overloads," Adrian added, looking at Jill with rare seriousness. "So I don't understand why you think you'd handle it any better."

Jill stared at us, speechless, but after a moment, she gathered herself enough to shoot us both a furious glare.

"I think it's a little late to avoid this. And it wasn't my decision. So now that we're in it, maybe we should focus on figuring out the best way forward instead of trying to scare me with a power that, trust me, already terrifies me."

She didn't yell, but her sharp tone made both of us flinch. And suddenly, I felt guilty.

Of course, she was right.

It wasn't enough that her normal life had been turned upside down, that she had been kidnapped multiple times, that she was under constant pressure as a princess—now she also had to deal with a powerful, dangerous magic we were only beginning to understand.

"You're right, Jill. I'm sorry," I whispered, looking her straight in the eyes. "We don't want to scare you—ever. We're just incredibly on edge at the thought of you carrying even more of a burden. We only care about your safety—and Adrian's." I glanced at him too, but he was still lost in unpleasant thoughts. "Which is why maybe it's worth reconsidering antidepressants? They worked wonders for Lissa."

Adrian let out a sharp breath and leaned back in his chair—a better reaction than the last time I'd brought it up. Lissa hadn't liked the idea of medication either because it dulled her magic, but after everything I'd seen on this trip, I was determined to convince her when we reunited.

After finishing Angeline's lesson, Dimitri came to make himself a coffee, and we started discussing the next trip to the feeders. I believed we had eliminated the risks we encountered last time, but Dimitri wasn't convinced. Eddie joined us, and together we discussed how to handle a new trip to the feeders.

Dimitri took his time considering every option, far more cautiously than before. He was determined to ensure that Jill was never put in danger again. Even if I didn't always agree with him, I couldn't not notice how deadly serious he was about protecting her. Even when the risk seemed relatively small, he left nothing to chance. I always loved this protective, professional side of him.

Eventually, Dimitri made his decision, and we set off to meet the new feeders, about an hour and a half away. This time, Sydney stayed behind, unbothered by Dimitri's attempts to convince her to come with us. He glanced at me, silently asking for help in persuading her to come along, but I also believed she was much safer staying here.

When we arrived and parked, I could see his hesitation—who should go inside with the Moroi? He wanted us to be close to Jill and Adrian, to protect them directly, while leaving Eddie outside on watch as the trained guardian. But judging by the troubled glances he kept stealing in my direction, I realized he didn't want to drag me into the feeding room. The mere thought of it made my throat go dry, but I nodded, silently agreeing that this was the best arrangement.

We stood against the wall, watching as Adrian and Jill drank from the feeders. I did everything I could to hide the fact that, at that moment, I would have given anything to trade places with them. My eyes were glued to the spot where Jill's fangs pierced the feeder's smooth skin. Every cell in my body ached for that bliss, that unparalleled feeling of euphoria. My hands trembled from the sheer effort of staying still—hell, I was shaking all over.

Dimitri, ever vigilant, reached for my hand, steadying its tremor. His warm fingers squeezed mine in slow, soothing motions. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his, grounding myself in his presence. Digging my nails into the familiar fabric of his duster, I forced myself to focus on his closeness, rather than the intoxicating sensations the feeders must have been experiencing.

Leaving the feeder's place, our guard was at its highest. Guns ready, we kept checking our surroundings, forming a tight formation around Jill and Adrian. Fortunately, we encountered no one on the way back to the car and drove off without incident. As we merged onto the highway, Dimitri's hand found mine, squeezing it. I wasn't sure who was offering comfort to whom, but we both needed it.

When we returned home, we found Sydney at her computer, safe and sound. Dimitri and I exhaled in relief—we had visited the feeders and hadn't lost anyone in the process.

That night, Eddie and Angeline took watch, allowing us to sleep peacefully. With no small amount of satisfaction, I pointed out that we were going to bed after an entire day without facing any life-threatening situations. Dimitri jokingly suggested we mark the date, but I only nudged him playfully before curling up in his arms.

To my horror, the next morning brought unexpected news—Lissa had managed to fight her way back to Court. After discussing it with Eddie and Dimitri, we agreed that if no attack happened within the next twenty-four hours, Adrian would try to reach Hans in a dream and determine whether we should return as well.

So, the rest of the day was spent mapping out potential routes and preparing for whatever scenarios awaited us. I was nervous about Lissa's safety, but I couldn't deny how much I was looking forward to returning to Court. Jill would finally get proper protection, and I would stand at Lissa's side and make sense of all this chaos.

Everyone else seemed to share my feelings. Sydney and Jill were the most excited about returning to normal life. Angeline bombarded us with questions about Court, eager to see it for herself. Eddie and Dimitri also wanted to go back—not just for Jill's sake but to exchange our ragtag operation for real security. Only Adrian seemed less than thrilled, and I had a feeling I knew why.

Once we were back at Court, no one knew what fate awaited Sydney and their relationship.

I noticed Adrian slipping outside for a smoke and followed him.

"Are you ever going to quit that damn habit?" I asked.

He glanced over his shoulder at me, exhaling a stream of smoke.

"The last time I tried, it didn't end well."

"That's because you didn't do it for the right reasons. You can't quit for someone else—you have to do it for yourself."

"I am doing this for myself," he said with a faint smirk before taking another drag.

I rolled my eyes and stepped beside him, standing just far enough from the house. A shiver ran through me as the temperature continued to drop—I'd gone outside in just a hoodie.

"Typical," I muttered. "But that's a conversation for another time. What are you going to do about Sydney?"

"Nothing. What can I do?" His expression turned guarded, and he looked away from me.

"Tell her how you feel. You two could—"

"Not everyone gets some grand, daring love story, Rose," he cut in. "If we were together, they'd capture her and rewire her brain. End of story."

I bit my lip, resisting the urge to push too hard. But everything inside me rebelled against the idea of Adrian simply giving up just because there were obstacles in his way.

"You could run away."

"Oh, sure. Just drop everything and run away. Classic Hathaway solution." His voice dripped with sarcasm, and it was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Adrian, I'm serious. What's holding you back? Your career? College? Your father? And Sydney—she just loves dealing with Moroi as an Alchemist, right? You could go to Italy; she's always dreamed of that. And you… you could—"

"You, of all people, should understand that even if you don't want to do something, you still have a sense of duty," he cut in. "That's how Sydney feels about the Alchemists. And what about Jill? Should I just abandon her? Or take her with me and adopt her?"

The mention of Jill shut me up for a moment—just long enough for Adrian to really get going.

"Rose, I know you're trying to help. And I have a feeling part of it is because you want to make up for what happened between us, and part of it is just your uncontrollable urge to meddle in other people's lives. But let it go. Sydney and I will figure this out on our own."

I clenched my teeth to keep from snapping back with something I'd regret. Of all his traits, this was the one I liked least—his unwillingness to fight for what he wanted.

"But if you ever do come up with some crazy plan to be with her, you'll have my support, Adrian."

A flicker of a smile played on his lips, but it never fully formed. Still, he nodded, accepting my offer. With a deep sigh, I turned away and headed back inside.

Eddie, Angeline, and Jill were playing some kind of card game in the living room, while Sydney was working on her laptop. I went into the kitchen, where Dimitri was boiling water—probably for coffee.

"Got enough for tea?" I asked, rubbing my hands together to warm them up.

Dimitri turned to me with a small smile. "Of course." He took my frozen fingers in his and squeezed them gently, warming them up. "You're freezing."

"I know, but in my defense, I only meant to tell Adrian something quickly and come right back."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed against him, soaking in his warmth. He held me close, rubbing my arms to help me warm up.

"Do you think Adrian will want to stay at Court once we go back?" he asked.

I hesitated before nodding. "I think so. Because of Jill. But… we'll see."

Dimitri kissed the top of my head, then turned to prepare my tea and his coffee. It was almost time for our shift—we were taking the night watch tonight.

Sydney and Adrian were the first to head upstairs, and Angeline followed soon after. Dimitri and I stayed in the living room with Eddie and Jill, sipping our drinks and joining in on their card game. Apparently, it was some ridiculous variation of a game we used to play on campus. After a brief argument over the rules, we finally started playing.

To my irritation, Dimitri turned out to be annoyingly good at it—despite this being his first time playing. He chuckled at my expression as he won yet another round.

"Beginner's luck," he said with a smirk, then kissed me on the cheek before handing his cards to Eddie to shuffle. "I'm just going to check the cameras."

"I'll make more tea," I muttered, gathering our mugs.

"I'll take one too," Eddie called out, skillfully shuffling the deck.

I made a face at him. "Maybe you'd get one, if you didn't change the rules. We were playing a rigged version."

Eddie rolled his eyes with a grin. "You would've lost anyway. Just admit it."

I stuck my tongue out at him and followed Dimitri into the kitchen.

Dimitri logged into the security system while I set the water to boil and grabbed three mugs.

"You know, it's really not fair that you're good at everything," I huffed. "Seriously, there's not a single thing I'm better at than you…"

"Rose…"

"I don't want your pity, Comrade. I just need to beat you at somethi—"

"Rose," he interrupted, his voice suddenly sharp.

I turned to look at him, and my heart dropped at the expression on his face.

"They're coming."