" Dimitri moved closer to me, his eyes sparkling with a secret. " It gets better:you're Lissa's guardian." " What?" I almost pulled away. " That's impossible. They'd never..." " They did. She'll have others, so they probably figured it was okay to let you hang around if someone else could keep you in line," he teased." You're not..." A lump formed in my stomach, a reminder of a problem that has plagued so long ago. " You're not one of her guardian too, are you?" It had constantly been a concern, that conflict of interest. I wanted him near me. Always. But how could he watch Lissa and put her safely first if we were worried about each other? The past was returning to torment us." No. I have a different assignment." " Oh." For some reason, that made me a little sad too, even though I knew it was the smarter choice." I'm Christian's guardian." This time I did sit up, doctor's orders or no. Stitches tugged in my chest, but I ignored the sharp discomfort. " But that's...that's practically the same thing! "