HOW INSULTING, BROTHER. SHE COULD ONLY BE BUT SEVENTY.

[ season 1 — episode 1 ]

Three girls stood side by side, elbowing each other to try and get a good look at themselves in the tall mirror before them. It didn't matter that there was another huge mirror mounted on the wall behind them.

"Move over, Mish. You've been staring at yourself for an hour," Rose Hathaway said in a joking tone while elbowing her in the side.

"Well, it is such a pretty reflection," Mischa responded, grinning at her friend.

"Someone sucked up all the confidence in the womb," Lissa chimed in, laughing at her sister's typical behavior.

The world the three girls lived in was anything but normal. Each of them was a vampire, though not the same. Rose was a Dhampir. Her kind were the ones responsible for protecting the Moroi — trained since they were children to be protective bodyguards to fight off Strigoi, the soulless, bloodthirsty vampires that craved Moroi blood more than anything.

Lucky for Vasilisa and Mischa, they were Moroi, but not just any. The fraternal twin sisters were the youngest daughters of the great Dragomir family — one of the twelve royal families within the Dominion that ruled over all the vampires.

Being a royal family was the only way they'd managed to score an invite to the party they were getting ready for. The Queen was turning two hundred years old, and it was her last birthday before she stepped down and a new ruler was selected. Though it was scandalous to bring a Dhampir as a guest, Rose was practically a member of the Dragomir family and would be in attendance too.

Rose looked absolutely stunning in a bright red gown that showed off her short but curvy figure. Lissa went for a subtler-colored blue dress, though she couldn't help but wear a red choker necklace made of the same material to coordinate with her best friend. Honestly, at times, it was hard to believe those two weren't the twins with how close they were despite their differences.

Mischa, who was only a handful of minutes older than Lissa, opted for a fancier gown that she'd bought specifically for the party. She was a princess, after all. Why not dress out in a flowing pink gown with embroidered flowers made of real gold thread? Her long, black hair was in an intricate braid, and a golden tiara sat perfectly on top.

"I really do look gorgeous," Mischa said, holding out her arms to look at the shimmering lotion that was on them.

Rose snorted while peering at herself in the mirror. "I look like a fucking macaroon."

"What does that even mean?" Mischa asked, letting out an airy laugh.

Lissa lifted the silver tiara off her head and placed it on Rose's, making them all smile. "And now, you look like a princess."

As they continued getting ready, they ended up breaking out a bottle of champagne. Alcohol restrictions were pretty much ignored when it came to royal Moroi or off-duty Guardians. Andre, the older brother of the twins, was the one to frequently supply drinks to them.

"Ugh," Rose grumbled while carefully taking the tiara off and handing it back to Lissa once it was time to go. "How do you even wear this thing? I just lost a hundred strands."

Lissa smiled and looked in the mirror, fixing her crown. "Heavy is the head — thin is the hair," she joked. Then she smiled softly at her best friend. "Rose, if anyone looks like a macaroon, it's me. You look beautiful."

"We all look beautiful," Mischa said, putting an arm around both of them. Then she grinned mischievously at Rose. "Head to toe."

Rose smirked while lifting a foot. Once the skirt of her dress fell back, they saw the black combat boots that she always wore. If one thing was for certain, Rose Hathaway was always ready for a fight. Then she held up her champagne glass to clink with the sisters'. "Let's party."

☾

The Queen's birthday was certainly the celebration of the century. Anyone who was anyone was there, dressed to the nines and posing for the countless flashing cameras of the paparazzi. There was a red carpet rolled out, which Lissa and Mischa forced Rose to strike many a pose on before being whisked away into the castle for the party.

When passing the Dhampir security, both Lissa and Mischa had to flash their golden eyes to signify they were royal Moroi, and would have access to more areas during the party. Once inside, they saw the castle was decorated with extravagant and shimmering decorations. People were twirling around the dance floor while downing glasses of champagne spiked with blood.

Given that the Queen wouldn't dare card any of her royals at such an event, there was no problem when Rose and Mischa went to get drinks and bring them back to Lissa. They couldn't quite begin partying until the Dragomir family officially greeted the Queen.

"So, word on the street is that Asher Ivashkov totally asked you out," Rose said with a sly smirk.

"That happened like five hours ago," Mischa said with a groan. "How'd you find out?"

"Lis may have let it slip while you were in the bathroom getting dressed," she admitted sheepishly. "She also let it slip that you turned him down so hard he cried."

"He did not cry," she said, rolling her eyes playfully. "As if I'd ever date him."

"What's wrong with him? He's hot, he's an Ivashkov—"

"He also has the same personality of Ted from that How I Met Your Mother human show. No thanks," she said, scoffing.

Rose nodded in agreement as they moved up in the drink line. "Gotcha there. I figure most of the Ivashkovs are annoying though."

"Rose," Mischa hissed quietly, though she was amused. "The Queen is an Ivashkov." Rose simply curled her lips around her teeth to hide a grin. "And the only one I've ever gotten along with was his older brother, Adrian. But he's kind of a basket case. Most everyone in the Dominion can't stand him — I see where they're coming from most days though."

"Watch you two get married after talking about him like that," Rose joked.

"As if," she simply replied before ordering drinks.

It was a well-known fact that Mischa Dragomir didn't date. A few rumors flew around that she was a prude. Other rumors spread about how she was constantly jumping from one secret partner to another, simply hiding it from the media. But Mischa just wasn't interested in dating or fooling around, especially with so many people trying to just get in good with her family. After all, her brother was going to be the next King — probably.

Besides, she wasn't going to let pretentious, annoying, self-centered Asher Ivashkov be her first kiss, as embarrassing as it was to go her whole life without one. She figured Rose and Lissa were getting enough experience in that department for her.

Once Rose had the champagne for herself and Lissa, and Mischa had her own, the two made their way back to the youngest Dragomir. As they moved through the crowd, they spotted a wall of Dhampirs lined up and watching the room, checking for danger. There were many familiar faces, though most were more familiar to Rose, as they were the same Dhampirs that taught all of her classes.

Most Moroi ignored the existence of Dhampirs, thinking they were above the lesser species. But the Dragomir children were never raised in such a way. They needed the Dhampirs to survive, so at the very least, they could treat them as equals — even as friends.

That was what Mischa considered the tall, red-haired man that she made eye contact with and shared a smile. Mikhail Tanner had been assigned as a guard for Mischa and Lissa just after he graduated a few years ago. Since they lived year-round at the academy, he was brought in as a teacher but left any time they did. Once Rose graduated, she'd most definitely become Lissa's Guardian, and Mikhail would be left to follow after Mischa, assuming she wasn't assigned someone else after leaving school. But that was rare and would only happen if some odd shift in power happened, which would never happen.

As Mischa and Rose walked past the wall of guards, Rose caught Mikhail's eye and stopped to subtly raise her boot from under her dress. He quickly tapped his combat boot against hers, a greeting they'd been doing since he came in as the youngest Dhampir teacher.

"Rose," Alberta spoke up before Rose could walk off. She was the Captain of the Guardians at St. Vladimir's Academy. Rose simply raised an eyebrow. "Behave."

"Always, Alberta," Rose said with a smile, knowing that was a lie. She then spun on her heel and went off to find Lissa.

"Thank you for protecting us tonight," Mischa told the two guards. She always made a habit to thank the Guardians, especially at fun events they couldn't take part in.

"Of course, Princess," Alberta said, nodding respectfully. "Have a fun time."

"Oh, I'm sure I will with Rose at our sides," she said, grinning now. "Have a safe night."

Wishing for a Dhampir to have a good night and a safe night were two very different things, unfortunately.

Mischa caught up to Rose and her sister fairly quickly, arriving just as Lissa was taking her first sip of champagne. "Once the family greets the Queen, we can have some fun," Lissa told her. Then someone rudely barreled past them, bumping into Lissa. It made her drop her glass, but Rose's impressive enhanced reflexes allowed her to catch it easily. "Nice."

"Excuse you," Rose muttered for the man while rolling her eyes at his rudeness.

"I hope you're ready for a lifetime of catching glasses for my dear sister," Mischa teased.

"It's much better than the alternative," she reminded her. "Now, you two go. Find the family and greet Her Majesty so that I can truly start getting wasted."

That was all the approval Lissa and Mischa needed to slip away and find their parents, Eric and Rhea. Their brother Andre was there as well, standing tall and proud, as any future king should. As a family, the five of them approached the throne that the Queen was sitting on. An attendant leaned down to speak with her.

"The Dragomirs, Your Majesty," he said as if an introduction was necessary while the family bowed.

The Queen actually scoffed. "Clarence would introduce his father to his mother," she said, earning a smile from the children. "How are my delightful Dragomirs?"

"Happy birthday, my fair lady. You don't look a day over eighty," Andre said with a charming smirk on his face.

Mischa had to actually bite her tongue to keep from snickering. Everyone, the Queen included, thought she looked as old as dirt. "How insulting, Brother," she said, grinning while nudging Andre's arm. "She could only be but seventy."

The Queen let out a little laugh. "Andre, Mischa, my dears, you are cheeky rascals — and dreadful liars."

Then, they were joined by Mia Karp — one of the adopted daughters of Victor Dashkov and also Andre's fiancé. It wasn't exactly a love match, but so few royal marriages were. She bowed respectfully to the Queen. "Happy birthday from me as well, Your Majesty."

It must have stung, Mischa thought, as the Queen blatantly ignored Mia's presence and focused on Lissa. "Princess Vasilisa, angel to your brother Andre's devil."

"What does that make my sister?" Lissa asked, giggling as she did.

"Call her a fallen angel," Andre said, wrapping an arm around Mischa's shoulder. "I've brought her over to my side. She made it terribly easy with how boring our other sister must get at times."

Lissa rolled her eyes in amusement. "He is shameless, Your Majesty. How should he be punished?"

"Being King of the Dominion will be punishment enough," the Queen said. Then she noticed how Andre's eyes wandered to the side. He was already getting distracted by some beautiful woman despite the fiancé at his side. "Oh, surely, he'll find something to cheer him once he's king."

"Now, Your Majesty," Victor Dashkov said while approaching them, "you know there'll have to be an actual election."

"Ah, a mere formality," she said, waving a wrinkled hand. "Who would deny me my pick of successor? If I say Andre will be king, then so it shall be."

Shortly after the Dragomirs finished speaking with the Queen, an insanely large cake was brought out. It was almost comical given the fact that Moroi required hardly any human food to survive. It must have been a fire hazard as two hundred candles went up in flames, though there were plenty of fire users present to put it out if anything started to burn that wasn't meant to.

That was another thing that made Moroi so special. Each one had magic inside of them — one of the four elements. Earth, air, water, and fire. Eventually, one element called to a Moroi more than the others and they would specialize in it, learning to harness the magic. Though they never did anything more than party tricks with the magic, unfortunately. Most Moroi declared a magic privately on their own, but for more high-profile royals, a ceremony was held.

Andre's was held when he was only nine years old, but they'd known his element was fire since the moment he was walking. Lissa and Mischa, however, hadn't had a ceremony yet — they didn't have to until they graduated, and for that, Mischa was thankful. It wasn't that she had trouble controlling her magic, something that Lissa struggled with, unfortunately. But one element did not call out more than the other for her. It seemed just as easy to call on a breeze as it was to light a candle.

As Lissa, Rose, and Mischa watched the cake being cut, waiting for their slices, Rose glanced to the side. Mia was there, alone and with a pout on her face. "Looks like Mia lost her prince," the Dhampir muttered, feeling a little smug. She couldn't stand Mia.

"I'm amazed she let him out of her sight long enough to lose him," Lissa said quietly with an amused smirk. Then she looked around and couldn't spot their brother anywhere, not even at the side of another girl. "Where is Andre?"

"Getting laid," Mischa said under her breath, not wanting anyone to hear. She'd seen him wander off with the girl he'd been eying earlier, but Mischa had no clue who the beautiful woman was — Andre didn't, either. "God knows with who, though."

"He probably doesn't know who either," Rose joked. "Alright, do we have to have some of that dry-ass-looking cake?"

"Absolutely not," Lissa said, shaking her head.

Rose grinned and held out a hand to each sister. "To the dance floor, My Ladies?"

"To the dance floor."

The remainder of the night seemed to fly by. Mischa never left the sides of her sister and Rose as they danced the night away. The night could have passed in indistinguishable flashes of twirling and giggling at jokes if not for the oddest of occurrences.

An weird feeling washed over Mischa while dancing with Sonya Karp, Mia's sister. Her magic hummed unfamiliarly, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. On instinct, her head whipped around and she looked at the wall of Guardians. Mikhail and three other Guardians were missing. Though Alberta rarely gave anything away, Mischa had learned enough from Rose's training to see how her jaw was tightened and she looked ready to pounce, as if danger was near.

Something was happening.

That was the thing about Moroi and Dhampir, though. It's not as if they'd stop the event or tell them if someone — a Strigoi — broke through the wards. Dhampir were meant to be invisible to the Dominion, and so none of them would know Mikhail and the others were okay until they returned alive.

A distraction came when someone released rose petals from the balconies above. Lissa pulled her sister into her arms and they danced together while all the couples paired up. Andre pulled Rose to dance too, finally parting from all the obsessive girls that'd been following him all night. Mischa felt some kind of relief in her magic during the dance, though she couldn't pinpoint a reason. But she did let out an unnoticed sigh of relief when she saw Mikhail and the other Guardians return to their posts, not looking any more thrown than earlier when she'd walked past.

☾

"There was an attack tonight," Mischa said in the limousine, her voice low. She was riding back from the party with her family and Rose, finished partying for the night.

"What?" Rose asked her, leaning forward with interest. "No fucking way."

"Language, Rosemarie," Rhea scolded like a mother. She was as good as Rose's mother.

Mischa nodded to her friend. "Mikhail and a few others left to take care of it. Don't think it took very long. I asked right before we left — none of the Guardians were killed."

"Thank heavens," Eric said, managing a smile. "We'll have to get Mikhail a spectacular present for his birthday coming up. I'm sure you've thought of something, Mish."

"Of course, I have," she said, beaming. "Do you think we could make it to a mall in a few weekends?"

"Oh, I'm coming too," Andre interjected before their parents could answer. He was also in the middle of opening another bottle of champagne. "I love how cute human girls look shopping."

"Barf," Lissa said, giggling. "You know, I'm pretty sure Andre danced with every single girl at that party. Poor Mia."

"'Poor Mia' will get the only thing she really wants once we marry," he said flatly. It earned wide-eyed looks from all of them, unable to believe he'd make such a dig. "Royal status."

Each of them couldn't help but laugh no matter how mean it was. As the girls continued to make jokes with him over the girl, Eric began passing out the champagne flutes while praising his eldest. "My son — the next King of the Dominion."

"I hate to admit it, but you will make a great king," Rose told him, smiling.

"If I can get the factions to remember we're not enemies, it'll go a long way towards peace in the Dominion," he said, already hopeful for the future. "You know, Rose, I get my pick of Guardian once I'm king."

Lissa scoffed playfully as Rose shook her head. "Sorry, once I graduate, Lissa and I will be too busy exploring the world."

"Yeah, and everyone knows I want Rose to be my Guardian. I'm not budging on that," Lissa said, giving him a pointed look. "Just like Mish isn't budging on keeping Mikhail."

"What we want and what we must do can be two very different things," Andre told his sisters, knowing they still had some growing up to do.

"Maybe, Your Almost Majesty, but not tonight," Lissa said. Then she raised her glass. "A toast — to having everything I want. A know-it-all big brother." At that, Andre hissed and bared his fangs, only for Lissa to do the same before grinning and continuing. "The most supportive parents either one of us could ever hope for."

Mischa cleared her throat. "Don't forget me."

Lissa grinned and leaned her head on Mischa's shoulder. "A not at all self-absorbed twin sister who would do anything for me." Mischa smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead. "And Rose, my best friend for life—"

It was a sudden car crash. One that none of them felt coming. Mischa could hear metal bending, glass breaking, an engine exploding, and screaming. All of them were screaming as she lost consciousness, glass digging in her face and bleeding out on the asphalt that she was thrown to. When Mischa would wake up again, half of them would be dead.

☾

THREE MONTHS LATER

Things had changed after the deaths of Eric, Rhea, and Andre Dragomir. It was inevitable when over half a royal family was wiped out so suddenly, especially when there were now only two left in the entire line aside from a cousin or two.

The entire Dominion mourned the loss of the family, especially for Andre, who was meant to be king. He was loved more than he was hated, an impressive feat in the court, and to replace him would be nearly impossible.

Of course, he and his parents could never be replaced for Lissa and Mischa. Every day, they woke up and had to remember once again that their parents were dead, that their brother was dead. But somehow — despite all the reports that said it should've been otherwise — both twins survived the crash along with Rose.

Mischa was easily in the worst shape of the three. Rose and Lissa somehow only had a few surface wounds while Mischa was in the hospital for quite some time recovering. And when she was released, she didn't go off to stay at the Dashkov house with her sister.

While Lissa couldn't stand to be at school while mourning, Mischa couldn't stand to be away. It was the only home she had left, and she didn't want to leave. Lissa wasn't thrilled with the decision to separate, but they knew they needed different things. And what Mischa needed was a stable routine, especially now that her world had turned on its axis.

But now, the three months apart were coming to an end as Lissa finally returned to St. Vladimir's Academy with Victor escorting her. Both Mischa and Rose were waiting on top of one of the towers, waiting for their arrival. While Rose was free to welcome the morning sun in her regular training clothes, Mischa was tucked under a wide umbrella to keep the direct sunlight off of her. She also wore a short, sleeveless, blue sundress with a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath it just in case a few rays snuck past the umbrella and hit her arms.

"Aren't you missing class right now?" Mischa asked Rose, raising an eyebrow. While Moroi went inside for dinner and bed as the sun came up, the Dhampirs had a few classes that went into the morning — well, technically night, for their kind.

"It'll be fine," Rose said, shrugging it off. "Like I'm not gonna welcome Liss home."

"Not sure if she wants me to welcome her home," she said under her breath. She knew her sister was still upset about having to mourn alone.

Rose gently nudged Mischa's arm. "Hey, you had to do what was necessary to take care of yourself," she reminded her. Yes, Rose would be Lissa's Guardian but she'd always protect both twins. "Liss'll forgive you — if she hasn't already."

"Wanna bet?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're the rich one," she said, shrugging with a small smile. Then her eyes spotted a vehicle approaching from a distance. "Look."

The black town car was pulling down the insanely long road that led away from civilization and toward St. Vladimir's Academy, which was smack dab in the middle of a forest in Spain — how luxurious, right? It was the best place to house one of the largest academies for young vampires and the castle in which the Queen resided in. The land was breathtaking unless you were one of the ones that grew up there and found it normal.

Mischa knew her sister was in that car, along with their godfather, Victor.

"Ready?" Mischa asked Rose with a grin. The Novice had finished stuffing her welcome home present for Lissa in her jacket pocket — a hand-carved, wooden unicorn for her.

Rose simply scoffed. "I'm the one with experience jumping off rooftops. Are you ready?"

"I've been practicing." As she spoke, a string breeze swept past them, only Rose knowing that she was responsible for it.

Rose nodded, and then together, the two jumped from the rooftop. Rose had no trouble landing hard on her feet, unaffected by the fall that would've injured most others. As for Mischa, she descended much slower as the air slowed her down. Wind whipped around her, and she looked almost graceful as she was slowly lowered to the ground by the magic she controlled.

After landing, both girls took off, and Rose showed off by doing a flip when it came time to climb over a short wall and get on the grass. Even if Mischa could do something like that, she couldn't attempt it with the sun out and an umbrella in hand. They ran the rest of the way — Rose was much faster than Mischa but did hold back a bit so they could stay together. Just as the car pulled through the school gates, the girls made it over the last hill.

Victor and Lissa got out of the car, both dressed in black and with large umbrellas over their heads. Rose picked up the pace and ran toward them with a smile. "Lissa!"

However, a man suddenly came in front of Rose, putting a hand on her shoulder and stopping her in place. Mischa slowed down and hung back, seeing how Rose glared at the man that was obviously a new Guardian. "Stop," he ordered in a deep voice.

Rose frowned and grabbed his wrist to get him to let her go. That was clearly the wrong move, as the Guardian took her arm and easily maneuvered her and flipped her over on her back, keeping her pinned down. Though Mischa noticed he kept a hand behind Rose's head, keeping it from smacking against the concrete, so he couldn't have been that horrible. Mischa actually bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a smile — no one ever got the drop on Rose.

"It's alright," Victor said, coming closer. "Rose won't harm Lissa."

"She has something," Dimitri told him before narrowing his eyes at Rose. "Show me."

Rose rolled her eyes while turning her head and calling out to Lissa. She also reached into her pocket for the gift.  "It's a super dangerous welcome home gift." With that, Dimitri relented and gave her a hand to help her up.

"I love it," Lissa said, smiling softly. "I mean, I'm not twelve, but—"

"Shut up. It's fucking adorable," Rose interrupted while rushing over to Lissa. She hugged her tightly, picking her feet off the ground and spinning as she did.

"Sorry, I didn't think to bring anything," Mischa spoke up, walking over to them when Rose set Lissa on her feet. However, she quickly looked at the grass before reaching the pavement and held out her hand. They all watched as she grew a single white daisy and plucked it from the ground.

"Mischa, you specialized?" Victor asked at the display of earth magic. "Without the ceremony for Dragomirs?"

"Oh, no, just a little trick I learned," Mischa said, shaking her head. Then she looked back at her sister and smiled softly, holding out the flower. "Welcome home, Sis."

"Thanks," she said quietly, taking the flower. Then Lissa took in a deep breath and threw her arms around her sister, their umbrellas clashing as they did so. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she murmured, squishing her face in Lissa's shoulder. "It's been dreadful without you."

"Hey!" Rose whined, letting out a laugh. Suddenly, a gust of wind sent her flying back, and she'd have fallen if not for her quick reflexes. "Low blow. I could report you for using magic on a fellow student."

"And I could report you for last Thursday when you and Mason—"

"Nevermind," she said quickly, cutting a giggling Mischa off. "Alright, my bestie is back. There's so much we have to catch you up to speed on since you've been gone."

"Perhaps that first place you should go is the Feeders," Victor suggested. "I believe all the other Moroi will be getting dinner, and they need to know she's back at school."

"I could eat," Lissa said, even if she was nervous about seeing her classmates.

"We'll take you," Mischa said, nodding to Rose next to her. "I told them to save Alice for you. Know she's your favorite."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "I'll see you later, Victor. Thank you."

"Of course. And I'm here if you need anything," he told her. Before the girls could walk off, he stopped one of them. "Mischa, a moment?"

"I'll catch up," she told her sister and friend. Then she moved back to stand in front of Victor and hugged him around the waist. "It's good to see you. Thank you for watching over Liss."

"You know I'd do anything for you two," he said, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Then he cleared his throat and took a step back. "Now, there's been a few... changes, now that, well, there are so few Dragomirs left."

"What kind of changes?" she asked nervously.

"Everyone knows that Lissa plans for Rose to be her Guardian after graduation," he began.

"Of course," she said, nodding. "And Mikhail is mine."

Victor's face twisted in an odd way, and Mischa couldn't identify the emotion. "For now," he said carefully.

Mischa raised an eyebrow, hating the idea of anyone but Mikhail being her Guardian. "For now?"

"Well, Mikhail is a fine Guardian, but many think his talents actually lie in teaching, as they've learned while he was here on campus with you. And as the last Dragomirs, you and Lissa are expected to have the best Guardians the Dominion has to offer," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Currently, Guardian Belikov is assigned to your sister for the time being." At that, Mischa looked over her shoulder at the man that took down Rose so easily. "Should Rose complete all her trials and graduate, she'll likely be assigned to Lissa. And Dimitri here will be expected to be reassigned to you. He'll begin keeping an eye on you as well now that your sister is back on campus."

Mischa's eyes widened as she whipped her head around and looked back at Victor. "But Mikhail's been my Guardian since I was eleven! He's one of my closest friends."

"I know," Victor said, sighing. "But this order comes from higher than me. You and your sister have become a much higher priority than you were, and Dimitri is one of the best Guardians to be found, second only to Janine Hathaway, I presume."

"Did Mikhail have any say in this?" she asked, doing her best not to cross her arms childishly.

"He's not thrilled but he knows it is his duty to go where he's told," he explained. "Now, given how high in regard you hold Guardians, I suspected you wanted a formal introduction to your new shadow. Are you gonna pout the whole time?"

"No," she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

Mischa turned toward Dimitri, and Victor put a hand on her back, leading her forward. As she got closer, Mischa took the time to actually study Dimitri. He was tall — intimidatingly so given that she was only two inches over five feet tall. He had brown hair that was cut short on the sides but longer on top, pushed back and out of his face. His features were sharp with an angular jawline covered in a bit of stubble.

Dimitri Belikov was handsome, Mischa couldn't help but think.

"Guardian Belikov, meet Princess Mischa Dragomir, Lissa's older sister," Victor told him.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Mischa spoke first, flashing a dazzling smile and holding out her hand to shake. "I do hope we don't cause you too much trouble."

"I must admit I've heard many a story," Dimitri told her, looking as if he wanted to smile but was refraining from it. Then he surprised Mischa — she didn't know why she was surprised, as it was a standard greeting for a royal. Dimitri took her outreached hand and instead of shaking it, he bowed his head and placed a respectful kiss to her knuckles.

Mischa swallowed thickly, hoping the umbrella over her head hid how her cheeks heated up. She didn't know why she was blushing. Not a week went by when someone didn't greet her with a kiss on the hand. Hell, Mikhail did it every other day just to mock her.

"I'm sure you need to get acquainted with the campus since you're new here, so I won't keep you. But I do hope we can become friends, though you have very big shoes to fill," she said, still not happy about potentially losing Mikhail. "I hope you don't find it too boring here."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll keep him on his toes," Victor said, rolling his eyes. "Off to the Feeders. But we're going to talk about those so-called 'little tricks' that you did with the earth and air."

"Don't know what tricks you're talking about," Mischa said innocently while walking backward and toward the cafeteria. Then to disprove her point, she summoned a big drop of water from the molecules in the hair and dropped it on Victor's bald head. He looked up quickly, wondering where that could've come from with the umbrella over his head.

Mischa may have been having fun now, but she knew as she went to catch up with her sister and Rose, it wouldn't be so fun once Victor found out the truth.

After the death of her parents and brother, Mischa specialized without an official ceremony. And she didn't just specialize in fire, as members of the Dragomir family usually did. No, she specialized in all of them.