She glanced back. “What?”

I held her gaze and something warm and wonderful and powerful shot between us. “No,” I repeated. “I told her no. Tasha.”

“I…”she shut her mouth. Dumbfounded. “But…why? That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You could have had a baby. And she…she was, you know, into you…”

I smiled at her. “Yes, she was. Is. And that’s why I had to say no. I couldn’t return that…couldn’t give her what she wanted. Not when…” I stood, taking a few steps towards her. Recalling the night I had kissed Tasha, and thought of Rose. “Not when my heat is somewhere else.”

“But you seemed so into her. And you kept going on about how young I acted.”

“You act young because you are young. But you know things, Roza. Things people older than you don’t even know. That day…” I thought of the day up against the wall, right before we left for the ski trip. “You were right, about how I fight to stay in control. No one else has ever figured that out---and it scared me. You scare me.”

“Why don’t you want anyone to know?”

I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know. “Whether they know that fact or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that someone---that you---know me that well. When a person can see into your soul, it’s hard. It forces you to be open. Vulnerable. It’s much easier being with someone who’s just more of a casual friend.” Like Tasha.

“Like Tasha.” She echoed my thoughts.

“Tasha Ozera is an amazing women. She’s beautiful and she’s brave. But she doesn’t---“

“She doesn’t get you.” She finished.

I nodded. “I knew that. But I still wanted the relationship. I knew it would be easy and that she could take me away from you. I thought she could make me forget you.”

I knew she thought the same thing with Mason. “But she couldn’t.”

“Yes. And, so…that’s a problem.”

“Because It’s wrong for us to be together.”

“Yes.”

“Because of the age difference.”

“Yes.”

She paused, furrowing her brow before gazing back up at me. “But more importantly because we’re going to be Lissa’s guardians and need to focus on her---not each other.”

“Yes.”

She thought for a moment and then looked straight into my eyes. “Well. The way I see it, we aren’t Lissa’s guardian’s yet.”

I knew she was right. We still had time. And I planned on making up the time I had left her for Tasha. I pulled her into a kiss.

Time stopped as I reached out and cupped her face between my hands. I brought my mouth down and brushed it against her lips. It was barely a kiss at first but soon increased, becoming heady and deep. When I finally pulled away, it was to kiss her forehead. I left my lips there for several seconds as my arms held her close.

I wished the kiss could have gone on forever. Breaking the embrace I ran a few fingers through that hair that I had missed so much, and then let my hand fall down to her cheek. I stepped toward the door.

“I’ll see you later, Roza.”

“At our next practice? We are starting those up again, right? I mean, you still have things to teach me.”

Standing in the doorway I looked over at her and smiled. “Yes. Lots of things.”

I realized then, that I couldn’t leave her for another woman. She was the one, and if I wanted her I had to accept the fact that we were made for each other. I smiled more as I walked into the darkness.

Never again Rose, will I hurt you.

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yay! it's done! thanks for reading! I hope you liked this reeeeeallly long chapter! Please tell me how I did! and soon I will be uploading Shadow kiss! YYAYAYAYA I'm soo excited that it's finally done!!!! I want to thank all my fans i would name you off but theres just too many! thanks for making Dimitri come alive and helping me with the stories! Thanks for supporting me and my works you guys are amazing and I mean this when I say that I couldn't have done it without you guys! Thanks so much!!

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