"What?"
"I survived the whole day guarding Lissa, and you guys said I did a good job. Then, I get back here and meet my downfall in the form of a bench." Ugh. "Do you know how embarrassing it is? And all those guys saw, too."
"It wasn't your fault," he said. "No one knew the bench was rotted. It looked fine."
"Still. I should have just stuck to the sidewalk like a normal person. The other novices are going to give me shit when I get back."
His lips held back a smile. "Maybe presents will cheer you up."
I sat up straighter. "Presents?"
The smile escaped, and he handed me a small box with a piece of paper.
"This is from Prince Victor."
Surprised that Victor would have given me anything, I read the note. It was just a few lines, hastily scrawled in pen.
Rose -
I'm very happy to see you didn't suffer any serious injuries from your fall. Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life, and Vasilisa is lucky to have you.
"That's nice of him," I said, opening the box. Then I saw what was inside. "Whoa. Very nice."
It was the rose necklace, the one Lissa had wanted to get me but couldn't afford. I held it up, looping its chain over my hand so the glittering, diamond-covered rose hung free.
"This is pretty extreme for a get-well present," I noted, recalling the price.
"He actually bought it in honor of you doing so well on your first day as an official guardian. He saw you and Lissa looking at it."
"Wow." It was all I could say. "I don't think I did that good of a job."
"I do."
Grinning, I placed the necklace back in the box and set it on a nearby table. "You did say 'presents,' right? Like more than one?"
He laughed outright, and the sound wrapped around me like a caress. God, I loved the sound of his laugh. "This is from me."
He handed me a small, plain bag. Puzzled and excited, I opened it up. Lip gloss, the kind I liked. I'd complained to him a number of times how I was running out, but I'd never thought he was paying attention.
"How'd you manage to buy this? I saw you the whole time at the mall."
"Guardian secrets."
"What's this for? For my first day?"
"No," he said simply. "Because I thought it would make you happy."
Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you."
Judging from his stiff posture, I'd clearly caught him by surprise. And yeah...I'd actually caught myself by surprise, too. But he relaxed a few moments later, and when he reached around and rested his hands on my lower back, I thought I was going to die.
"I'm glad you're better," he said. His mouth sounded like it was almost in my hair, just above my ear. "When I saw you fall..."
"You thought, 'Wow, she's a loser.' "
"That's not what I thought."
He pulled back slightly, so he could see me better, but we didn't say anything. His eyes were so dark and deep that I wanted to dive right in. Staring at them made me feel warm all over, like they had flames inside. Slowly, carefully, those long fingers of his reached out and traced the edge of my cheekbone, moving up the side of my face. At the first touch of his skin on mine, I shivered. He wound a lock of my hair around one finger, just like he had in the gym.
Swallowing, I dragged my eyes up from his lips. I'd been contemplating what it'd be like to kiss him. The thought both excited and scared me, which was stupid. I'd kissed a lot of guys and never thought much about it. No reason another one - even an older one - should be that big of a deal. Yet the thought of him closing the distance and bringing his lips to mine made the world start spinning.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and I hastily leaned back. Dr. Olendzki stuck her head in. "I thought I heard you talking. How do you feel?"
She walked over and made me lie back down. Touching and bending my ankle, she assessed it for damage and finally shook her head when finished.
"You're lucky. With all the noise you made coming in here, I thought your foot had been amputated. Must have just been shock." She stepped back. "I'd feel better if you sat out from your normal trainings tomorrow, but otherwise, you're good to go."
I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't remember my hysteria - and was actually kind of embarrassed that I'd thrown such a fit - but I had been right about the problems this would have caused me if I'd broken or sprained it. I couldn't afford to lose any time here; I needed to take my trials and graduate in the spring.
Dr. Olendzki gave me the okay to go and then left the room. Dimitri walked over to another chair and brought me my shoes and coat. Looking at him, I felt a warm flush sweep me as I recalled what had happened before the doctor had entered.
He watched as I slipped one of the shoes on. "You have a guardian angel."
"I don't believe in angels," I told him. "I believe in what I can do for myself."