Hey everyone! How are you all?! I am SO sorry I haven't updated for a month! Life has been crazy busy but here we are now... Another instalment in the summer before Soph's senior year, continuing where we left off. Enjoy ~

The Ball

Third Person P.O.V.

Summer before the start of Senior Year - 17 years old

Queen Vasilisa Dragomir was hosting the Annual Summer Ball at the Palace. Many people were invited amongst royal and non-royal Moroi and even some dhampirs - as guests, not guardians.

The whole crew was invited of course, Aunt Lissa could not have her close friends and relations not attend the Ball. The usual suspects—Rose, Dimitri, Eddie, Declan, Janine—insisted on working the Ball and not attending as guests. They claimed they wouldn't enjoy the event as much as guests if they were always worrying over their charges anyway.

Every guest was dressed in their most formal evening wear and bedazzled in jewellery, perfume and expensive shoes. It was all glitz and glam.

Sophia went with a simple classic black dress. It was satin-silky, with one-shoulder, a crossover slit on the leg, cinched at the waist and a little ruched around the hips. The material draped over her body beautifully and contoured her curves. It was like second skin. She wore a pair of strappy black heels to match. Her hair was styled into long waves and her makeup was done, courtesy of Nadya Belikova. Who, on the other hand, wore a wine red dress that had a high leg slit on one side. It had thin straps and a gathered bust line. The bodice accentuated her chest in a modest way and the dress had a small train. She wore sparkly silver heels with matching jewellery. Like her sister, Nadya styled her own hair and did her own makeup. She didn't trust anyone else to do her face.

Sacha, tall as ever for a twelve-year-old looked handsome and dashing in his all-black suit, matching his eldest sister—black trousers, jacket, shirt, tie, belt and shoes.

As the night of the Ball proceeded, Sophia grew more and more dejected. It was a depressing thought, to be approached by multiple guys only because of the name you carry; only because of who you're related to. Sophia didn't have much care for the guys coming up to her, she wasn't interested in dating anyone but it eventually started to bother her. Was all anyone cared about was getting in good with the Queen and royals or 'dhampir legends' as some refer to her family as? Sophia was fed up with the superficialness.

As another guy finally left Sophia alone, she slumped into her chair and sighed. She rested her chin in one hand with her elbow propped up on the table. She was sitting alone at a round table, her cousins and siblings had abandoned her to either enjoy the Ball or hide amongst the shadows, far away from any excitement.

A heavy figure moved out of the corner of her eye and sat down next to her. A breath of his perfume washed over her instantly and Sophia jerked her gaze to the person who took the empty seat next to her. Startled, she raised her eyebrows.

"Are you okay?" His voice sounded a little husky, almost like he hadn't spoken in a while. Sophia gave him a once over and judging from his black trousers, white shirt and black jacket, he was on duty for the event. She knew then, that he obviously hadn't spoken in a while, hence the added huskiness to his voice.

His aqua blue eyes stared at her intensely. He must've seen the countless guys talk to her throughout the night and could only guess her obvious mood. He wanted the truth.

Sophia exhaled. "I'm fine."

He raised one eyebrow, forcing Sophia to correct herself. "I will be fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

Sophia leaned back in her chair and remained silent for a minute.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

Across the room, where the Queen sat with her trusty guardians posted nearby, Anastasia, Aliya and Nadya approached the group. Adrian, Sydney, and their daughter Grace added to the ensemble, chatting with Lissa and Christian. Several members of the group were having seperate conversations that instantly broke when one voice cut louder than the others.

"The hell is your sister doing talking to Damon Petrov?" snapped Declan with clear-cut menace in his voice. The question was directed to none other than Nadya. She, Anastasia and Aliya jerked their heads to where Sophia and Damon sat. Rose, Dimitri, Christian, Lissa, Sydney and Adrian also drew their attention to the conversation although Rose and Dimitri had to be more sly as they were on duty.

It was Nadya who spoke first. "Is that Damon Petrov?"

Declan snorted. "Of course, who else do you think it is?"

"I don't know!" exclaimed Nadya. "I knew his name was Damon but didn't think if he was Petrov." Her tone grew slightly angry towards the end. Nadya's pissed off glare settled over her face as she looked back at her sister. She balled her hands into fists and started to march forward. There was no way her sister was going to involve herself with someone as slimy as him. A strong hand jerked her back.

"Don't," Aliya muttered in her ear. "Don't make a scene, you'll draw more attention to them."

Nadya almost didn't listen to Aliya. Biting down on her lip, she admitted to herself that her cousin was right. The last thing she wanted to do was cause drama in the middle of a ball. Besides, she could always yell at Sophia later.

Nadya appealed to Declan. "You're on duty, make him get away from her!"

"I can't," said Declan through gritted teeth. "I have orders to remain posted here, by your grandmother."

"I'll go then," said Aliya.

Just as Aliya stepped out of the group bubble, she stumbled to a halt in her steps. Everyone—even Rose and Dimitri—looked on in shock and horror. Declan was filled with angst and disgust as he watched what happened—something he couldn't do anything about for two more hours.

Back at the lonely round table, Damon had stood up, ready to return to his post but not before he pressed a kiss to the top of Sophia's head.

Sophia turned her head up to Damon's tall frame that loomed over her. "What was that for?"

"That was because you're my friend and I care about you," Damon answered. A glint of humour and cheekiness then sparkled in his eye. Before Sophia could question it, Damon pressed his lips against her cheek softly and delicately. "That was to protect you."

"Protect me?" repeated Sophia.

Damon nodded. His face hadn't moved away from hers, they were still oh so close. "There have been a million guys eyeing you tonight. If they think you have anything to do with me, they won't bother you."

Sophia's cheeks became warm. She suddenly remembered the second time she saw Damon—at that party a few weeks ago. Even then, the guy that was hitting on her cowered under one glare from Damon. She shrugged off her flushed state with a witty line. "And do I want to have anything to do with you?"

Damon let out a fully fledged laugh. "Ask me at the end of the night." He left Sophia and went back to his post up against the wall.

The little group positioned around the throne witnessed the entire interaction and couldn't quite believe their own eyes.

Declan was the first to speak. "Do not let that become a thing otherwise I can promise you your sister will get hurt. I don't want Sophia to be used by Damon Petrov."

"No fucking problem," Nadya huffed out. "We can use Dad against her. She always listens to him." Nadya met her Dad's eye and he gave a very, very slight nod of his head which meant he'll take care of it.

"They could be a striking couple, don't you think?" A smug new voice added. Everyone craned their heads to the newcomer. Amra was gazing between Sophia and Damon.

"What are you talking about? Do you know something?" demanded Rose.

Amra met her Rose's eyes and shook her head. "No."

Rose regarded her warily. "Are you sure?"

"I swear I don't know anything."

"Alright, well then, stop with the leering and cryptic comments," said Rose. Everyone chuckled and Amra flitted away, the smug smile still plastered over her face.

The end of the night drew to a close and as Sophia got ready to leave, she glanced around the room looking for Damon. When she found him, she stared until he met her eyes which didn't take very long.

She mouthed a "thank you" to him which he responded to with a tiny wink. The twinkling in his eye was almost like he was asking her question. Sophia knew, without knowing how, what the question was. Their words came back to her. 'Do I want to have anything to do with you?' 'Ask me at the end of the night.' She had a feeling he was thinking of the same conversation. She gave him a small nod and departed.

The rest of the night had been a breeze. No one approached Sophia, thanks to Damon's kiss which lingered on her cheek the rest of the evening. She ended up having a really good time. Sophia wasn't into Damon. Of course she thought he was good looking and a nice guy but she wasn't ready to date anyone, period. But if his presence was the result of her not being harassed, she wouldn't mind having Damon around more as an added bonus to their friendship. He even said they were friends himself! Her yes to his question was to say yes to being friends, not being involved romantically or sexually.

Sophia's P.O.V.

I hung my silky black dress up on a hanger and slid it into my wardrobe. A small smile fell across my lips as I thought back on the night. Was Damon's cheek kiss really to protect me? Or was he just being cheeky? Did he really care about me?

"You seem awfully happy." My mother appeared in my doorway with my father hovering behind her. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe. She was still in her guardian attire though she had shed the jacket. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

I bustled around my room, tidying up clothes I had strewn all over the place whilst getting ready earlier.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Wasn't too bad in the end."

She hummed in response and remained posted by the door. Neither of them said anything for a couple of moments. They wanted to say something, they were just working up to it. I'd bet my life it was regarding Damon.

"I thought we talked about you not getting involved with Damon," Mom said. Here we go.

I sighed. "We're not involved."

"Really? You let all your guy friends kiss your cheek like that?" she retorted.

"If it was to help me out so that other guys would leave me alone, then yes," I replied, snatching the book I was currently reading off my nightstand and moving to sit on my bed.

Mom narrowed her eyes in thought. She opened her mouth to say something else when the front door banged open. We exchanged odd looks and seconds later, Nadya pushed in between Mom and Dad and burst into my bedroom, red, hot and angry.

"What the hell, Sophia?!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide.

I looked at her blankly. "What?"

"How could you not tell me that Damon is Damon Petrov?" she spat.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Not you too."

She put her hands on her hips. "Yes, me too! You know, he sleeps around a lot, he doesn't care about anyone!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, he and those women can do what they want. I'm not sleeping with him nor am I going to."

"Good," she said firmly, "because he's a bad guy, Sophia. Now stay away from him." She enunciated each syllable loud and clear. I swear, she had a real teacher's voice sometimes.

I looked up at her in surprise. It wasn't often she showed her protectiveness of me like this. You'd think this type of situation would be the other way around considering I'm the older sibling.

"Wait, why do you think he's a bad guy?" I asked.

She cast me a wary look. "He's been in jail. You know that, right?"

Shock flooded me, but I didn't dare show it. Thankfully, a quick quip flitted to mind, "So have Mom and Dad."

Nadya rolled her eyes and Mom and Dad exchanged a funny look.

"Not funny, Mila," grumbled Dad.

"That hardly counts—they were wrongfully imprisoned! Damon wasn't!" exclaimed Nadya.

I looked to my parents. "Did you know about this?" They both nodded.

"I was working my way up to telling you," said Mom, giving Nadya a pointed look.

"What was he in jail for?" I asked.

"He got into a few bar fights; he was charged with assault. That's all we know," answered Dad.

"Yeah, it was also because he had a drinking problem," added Nadya. She jerked her head to Dad. "Dad knows all about that." Then, her face darkened and she balled her fists up. "You need to keep away from him. If he starts drinking and throwing punches again, you are not going to be on the receiving end of it!"

I held my hands up and shooed them away. "Okay, enough. Stop being so dramatic." I stood up. "You guys have made your case. Now, I need some sleep." I pushed them gently out the door.

"Milana, take this seriously!" Ooh. That wasn't good. Nadya only uses my Russian name when she's desperate to get my attention. "Damon is dangerous! You can't trust him. Please, stay away from him."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you, Nads," I said tiredly.

"You heard me but you're not going to listen to me, are you?" A flame of anger shone in her eyes. She gripped my forearm. "Are you?"

I stared at her. She was so intent on keeping me safe, all of them were. It was sweet of them but also a little annoying. I didn't like being told who I could and couldn't see or be friends with.

Instead of answering her question, I simply said, "Go to bed, Nadya."

I bid my parents goodnight too and shut my door.

You'd expect my parents to be the ones kicking and screaming about me talking to Damon but they were oddly calm. Perhaps they thought the best method of approaching this was gently so they could be sure I listened. Nadya made sure that plan went to hell. I appreciate everyone's concern but…if Damon was such a bad guy why was he always saving me from creepy men? And why did I always feel so safe and secure around him? Was it largely due to his huge form and physique? I don't know. But I knew I wasn't scared of him, even after learning about the drinking, the women and the jail time. I decided I needed to talk to him.

Well, there we have it! Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think! I love reading your generous reviews :)) See you in the next one!