Building the Tension | ✔ | 18+

Chapter 29 - Revealing the Unknown

Author's Notes:

Just a heads-up: there are some slightly vulgar sexual references in the letter from Adrian (bold italic font).

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As I woke that morning, my nervous excitement got the best of me, so much that I let out a giddy squeal. It was so unlike me to be this girly, but I couldn't help it. After the day was over, I would have completed the field experience. Other than the incident during the first week when I saw Mason, my field experience record was nearly flawless - including, although quite unintentional, inflicting broken bones to a school guardian who was a Blood Master Level seven. That had to bode well for my final assignment by the guardian council.

"What's got the ants in your pants today?" mumbled Christian as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled over to pull the blanket over his head.

"I'm just excited," I said, "Today's my last day of field experience."

"So eager to be rid of me?" he asked, pulling back the blanket to look at me.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Sparky, do you really think I won't see you around? Considering Lissa's thoughts are in my head twenty-four seven?"

Christian got surprisingly smug as he said, "Well, I suppose I am a pretty memorable lover ..."

"Euw," I said, "No! Yuck! Visions of your white pasty ass will leave me emotionally scarred for the rest of my life. But you should know: Liss loves you. You two are meant to be. As long as you're with her and she's with me, you're a part of my life."

Christian sat up and smiled genuinely. "Rose, I've never had a sister, but if I did, I would be happy if she were just like you. So, what gives, then? Why are you so happy to be done with field experience?"

"Well," I said, "Other than that first week with Stan, I've sort of crushed this. I'm sure to get placed with Lissa now."

"And ...?" asked Christian, "I mean, I kind of sense that isn't the only thing, considering you've pretty much always thought you were a shoe-in for that."

I wasn't sure if I could tell Christian about Dimitri. I felt like he knew a little bit. Did I know some of his own secrets? Thanks to the bond, I knew more about him than I ever wanted to - more than I ever should know. Would I keep his secrets? Even if I didn't respect him, I would for Lissa's sake, but he was becoming a friend, too; one I could trust with my life. I would keep his secrets until the day I died.

But did I trust him to keep mine?

"I'm not really sure that's something I'm ready to talk about yet, Christian," I told him.

Christian eyed me shrewdly. "It's Belikov, isn't it?" he asked.

I tried to play dumb. "Huh?"

"Don't act stupid with me Rose. I know something's going on. Even if I didn't wake up to hear you moaning the dude's name in your sleep - a couple of times over the past few weeks, by the way - I'd still know something was up. The way he was acting about the whole necklace thing was a little funny. Besides, it's not normal for a girl to go out for an early morning run with lip gloss on, her hair down, a black lace thong, and a matching push-up bra - or to come back from that run an hour later with no more lip gloss on and no bra."

I raised an eyebrow, all pretense evaporating at my surprise as I asked, "How did you know I was wearing a thong and a push-up bra?"

"I saw what you grabbed out of your bag before you left to get changed in the morning."