Rose is astonished at the lengths to which Mia will go in order to damage Rose and Lissa’s social standing. Mason is proud to have uncovered this story for Rose. They have a good time with other guardian students, though Rose is occasionally distracted by the growing tension and distance between her and Lissa. One day, when Rose sees Mia confronting Lissa, she steps in and punches Mia before the girl can reveal that she knows about Lissa’s self-harm. In her dorm, Rose seeks Lissa mentally and is pleased to find that Lissa is calmed by Christian’s presence. Rose begins to retreat to her own mind, but when Christian is physically attacked and hurt, Lissa’s panic captures Rose’s attention. Rose panics as she sees through Lissa’s eyes that several dhampirs have attacked and bound Lissa.

When Rose returns to her own mind, she cannot recall the details of what she just saw, though she knows it has something to do with Lissa. Instinct drives her to seek Dimitri. She goes to his room and declares that something is amiss with Lissa, but inexplicably feels herself compelled to succumb to her attraction to him. She tries to kiss him, and although he puts her off, he admits that he finds her beautiful.