Blood Promise DPOV

Chapter 4

Chapter Four- Spirit

LPOV

"Nothing's happening." I groaned, slumping back into the sofa.

"Give it time, we've only just started- you won't get it straight away." Adrian said soothingly, a rare thing for him to do.

"You've already learnt how to heal small cuts and bruises but I can't even manage to get a glimpse of his dreams." Adrian and I were practicing spirit and over the past two weeks he'd managed to heal a dying plant, which was a big step in the right direction. Whenever he took a step forward, it was as if I was taking two steps back. I'd tried so many times to get a fix on Dimitri's dreams in the past hour that it was amazing I hadn't gotten a small glimpse yet.

"Have you ever thought maybe he's not asleep and that's why you're not getting a fix on him?" Adrian raised an eyebrow questioningly. I sighed; feeling annoyed by what he suggested was the problem.

"Why didn't you say that half an hour ago? I wouldn't have wasted so much time then." I frowned.

"Maybe I enjoy your company, cousin." He smiled slyly and I snorted.

"That's definitely not the case and you know it. You just want me around so I can teach you how to heal limbs and stuff. Am I right?" he shrugged.

"Well, that to." He admitted. "But I also like spending time with you. I mean, now that Rose is gone..." I flinched and he looked at me sadly. "You're the only one I have left. It's like I can imagine everything's still the same as before when I'm around you. When I'm alone...she's all I think about." His face was pained and his expression serious as he revealed his inner thoughts and feelings.

"I think about her to- all the time actually. And it kills me to think about that night, because it was entirely my fault. I was the one who had wanted to get away from here. I had caved under the pressure the Queen put on me. I was fragile and Rose had paid the price for my weakness." Tears sprang in my eyes and I gritted my teeth to hold them back. Adrian looked at me intensely, concern radiated out from him.

"That's not true. It was Rose's idea to leave court; you can't blame yourself for her decision." He spoke softly.

"I still played a part. She died because of me. I will never forgive myself for what I did to her or… Dimitri." Adrian's expression immediately changed from concern to anger. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

"It wasn't your fault-it was his. Belikov could have saved her- he never should've left you two alone in the car park. He's the one to blame, not you." He said, eyes blazing with resentment. I stared at him, shocked.

"How can you say that? Dimitri did everything he could; it wasn't like he knew the strigoi were going to attack! You say it was his fault because you're just jealous Rose liked him more!" I growled. His eyes narrowed down to slits and his hands balled into fists.

"It was more than liked, cousin. She loved him; I was the one she "Liked". Who knows what she saw in him. Maybe it was his looks or his muscles-they were big. I'll never know what it was but what I do know is he could never have given her what I could. She would have been happier with me and I think he knew it to." I had never seen Adrian talk so passionately about someone. It saddened me to see how he truly felt about her.

I got up and walked over to sit next to him. Resting a hand on his shoulder I stared straight into his eyes. "I know she cared about you to, you meant a lot to her- even though she loved someone else. Do you really think it would have worked between you? Rose would have been with me all the time, out fighting strigoi, far away from here. You would hardly get to see each other and, um, no offence… but you're a guy who needs attention 24/7." He looked like he was about to protest but I cut him off. "I can see you know I'm right. Rose couldn't have given you what you wanted from her. You have to believe that. You have to move on." I said firmly.

"It's not that simple, I've already tried- believe me. I've been to parties and hooked up with heaps of girls but none of them compare to Rose, you know? She's unique and someone I would have done anything to protect." He spoke calmly but I could tell he was fighting desperately to keep himself contained. Adrian didn't like to show weakness or let anybody in. Rose had been the only one he showed his true self to and that decision had cost him. He was now unable to let her go and knowing she had turned strigoi meant she was still out there… somewhere. She wasn't dead exactly but she was dead to us. Adrian had a hard time dealing with that; so did I.

Rose had been my best friend and the closest thing I had to family. She was neither of them now. She was my enemy; a threat. At least that was how I was supposed to see it. She had dedicated her life to protecting me, her willpower and determination at the academy proved it- even though she was now one of the un-dead I didn't think she would really hurt me; if we ever saw each other again, that is.

I wanted desperately to find out how she was and how she'd changed from the Rose I'd known and loved. One phone call from her, that's all it would take for me to be able to move on. A phone call was impossible since I didn't know where in the world she was or what her number would be. Dimitri was my only hope in getting in contact with her. He had left the academy in order to hunt her down and kill her. She was his lover and by killing her he would be able to move on properly. He hadn't called once since he'd left. He only said he was headed to Russia because that's where Rose would be since they had talked about Dimitri's hometown in most of their training sessions. He had a strong feeling she was there. So he did the only thing he could. He told the headmistress and the other guardians that he was taking leave until graduation, in order to see his family- before he was required to guard me out in the real world.

Only Adrian, Christian, Mia, Eddie and I knew what he was really up to in Russia. Dimitri had promised me he would return after he managed to kill Rose. The thought of Rose's death saddened me but I knew what he was doing was the right thing to do. Rose shouldn't live in this world being a monster, it just wasn't right. Rose was good- not evil. I knew why Dimitri was determined to kill Rose- I had figured it out just last month. Way back when Victor Dashkov wasn't behind bars and a week before he had kidnapped me, he had taken us on a shopping trip. Rose and Dimitri had said to each other they'd rather die than live in this world as a strigoi- who murdered and drank from the innocent- showing no mercy.

So Dimitri felt like it was his duty to make her wish come true and by killing her; it would be fulfilled. Rose deserved her wish to be granted but most of all she deserved to be free. The reason I wanted to learn how to "walk dreams" so badly was because if I learnt that then I could "Walk" Dimitri's dreams and find out about Rose. If he's found her yet, how she is and how she's changed. The more I practised the easier it would get. I could follow Dimitri's travels and support him for the rest of the way. But what if…what if he'd already found her? What if Rose was already dead; truly dead this time? Would all my effort on learning how to walk dreams have gone to waist? I hoped that wasn't the case. Whatever it was I needed to hurry. The more time I spent sitting here doing nothing the closer Dimitri gets to finding Rose and killing her.

Focusing back on Adrian I tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on," I said, standing up. "We've got work to do."