loving the one you protect

chapter 2

My body tenses for a moment then melts into his strong frame. I feel safe. I feel warm. I feel... cared for. Something in my chest flutters. Something I can't quite name. I can't feel these things. This is Adrian! Not the man you loved. No he left you for a better offer. You're weak. I tell myself. Weak. But for once I indulge. Inhaling the musky scent of Adrian's cologne. Heart still racing, yet my breathing has stilled. So have my sobs. Adrian never left me. I left him... to find my heart. I never found it. Until now. It beats. Inside my chest. Aching for his embrace. Aching for his love.

"Better" He asks so gently I almost miss it.

I nod. "I'm not glass you know!" I bite out. I wince, always on the defensive aren't I?

"No, you're not glass, you're Rose" He smirks.

I can't help but laugh at the cheesy joke. "Sorry about ruining your shirt." I say, upon inspecting the water damage I've caused the beautiful teal fabric. Damn it's a good colour for him too.

"No worries, I didn't like it that much anyway." He flashes me one of his famous Ivashkov grins and we set off to the school.

Lissa is waiting at the gates when Adrian finally pulls up. We spent the whole car ride singing at the top of our lungs to cheesy rock songs.

"Rose!" She cries.

"Hey Liss" I say jumping out of the car and jogging over to her.

We squeal and hug each other. I start to pull back but she just gabs on tighter. Damn. When did she get some strength? I cough slightly.

"Hey Liss, you can let me go now" I squeeze out. She makes a nose of protest and continues to smother the daylights out of me.

"Ribs" I wheeze. Oh Hell. I guess I was right about having broken them when taking down a few rogue strigoi.

"wah" Lissa says still clinging onto me as if I were life itself.

"Lissa let her go" Adrian cuts in forcefully.

She drops her arms shock on her face. My hands immediately fly to my ribcage to brace it in place. Breathing hurts like a bitch all of a sudden.

"Don't you talk to me in that tone Adrian Ivashkov" Lissa scowls, looking every bit the princess she is. "You will not tell me when and when I cannot hug my best friend" Her jade eyes flashing with anger.

Adrian's eyes go wide. I can't help the chuckle that escapes my lips. Lissa, my sweet Lissa yelling at Adrian over me, ha!

"oww" I moan, bracing my ribs once more. Laughing was so not a good idea.

"Rose, Rose what's wrong?" Lissa asks rushing to my side. Concern etched into her pale features.

"Damn." Adrian bites out glaring at me. "What the fuck did you do to break your ribs?!" How he managed to figure it out is beyond me. Really... I scowl matching his glare with one of my own.

"I'm fine I just need a moment."

"No" Lissa snaps. "Stay still"

"No Liss, I'll be fine, it's just a minor fracture. Probably mostly set by now anyway..."

Adrian growls his eyes glaring at the pavement. I scoff mentally: attitude much?

"Rose, just let me heal you please?" She begs me.

I nod in exhaustion. They really were hurting come to think of it. Stupid bones.

Lissa closed her eyes, her platinum blonde hair falling into her face as she concentrated. Her fingers rested delicately upon my broken ribs barely grazing the skin. The warmth of her magic soon radiated into me, easing the pain, filling me with the most delightful tingles. It was as if all of the world was right again. Too soon it was over.

We both let out a sigh. Lissa's posture slumped, darkness starting to set in. Remind me to absorb that later I tell myself.

"Thank you, it means a lot to me, you shouldn't have had to"

"Rose, I wasn't there when you needed me. This is the least I can do." She looks down at me, eyes filled with guilt.

She's right. She wasn't there when I needed her, when Dimitri broke my heart. She wasn't there at all. But that was then. This was now.

"It's okay Liss, see I'm home now, I'm fine now thanks to you and Adrian." I soothe.

"How did you break those ribs?" Adrian asks finally. His usual humour strangely absent.

"Ran into a few strigoi."

The looks they give me demand explanation. I guess I owe it to them. I launch into the tales of my trip as best I can, editing out any detail to do with Dimitri and Tasha. It's better that way.

Being back at the Academy feels like home and boy was I ever homesick. Adrian and Lissa have barely left my sides, insisting that I needed an escort everywhere. Even while they watched me scarf down my third piece of cheesecake.

"Did you eat at all in the past three months?" Adrian asks laughing. I glare. Liss just looks disgusted.

I close my eyes relishing the feeling of being with my friends, well more so family again.

"Paws off my cheesecake Ivashkov, unless you want your finger to become unattached from your hand!" I shout at his finger slowly retreating from MY cheesecake.

"Caught red-handed" Lissa laughs.

He gives me his best puppy dog eyes "but its raspberry... and someone stole the last one" he adds with a pointed look at me.

"Fine, here you can have the rest." I slide my plate across the plastic table to his waiting hands.

He looks so adorable, his eyes light up like those of a 5 year-old on Christmas morning.

"Adrian you're quite the lucky man! Last person that tried to steal Rose's food ended up with a black eye!"

"Shut up Liss!" I elbow her playfully in the ribs.

Adrian grins and devours the cheesecake.

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