Thank you very much for all your reviews, favorites and follows! :)
!: There will be a Viktoria POV in this chapter for the readers who wanted one. It's near the end so if you don't want to read it, you can skip it. There isn't any important information in it, only fluff ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.
CHAPTER 9
RPOV
When I woke up the next morning, Dimitri was still asleep next to me. His arms were wrapped around me, a small smile playing on his lips. He looked so peaceful and at ease. A strand of hair lay on his cheek and, carefully, I tucked it behind his ear.
It was strange that, since my ordeal with Nathan, I cringed away from every guy's touch – even if it was a harmless gesture like putting a hand on my shoulder. But with Dimitri it was different. I didn't cringe whenever he touched me. Not at all. His arms were wrapped around me right now and I felt like I was in the safest place in the world. I felt like no harm could come to me as long as I was here with Dimitri.
Sighing, I glanced away as I thought about last night. I was embarrassed about what had happened. I didn't know how I was going to face Lissa on Monday and explain why I had run off. I shouldn't have run, but I knew I couldn't have stayed either – not with Nathan there. Still, I felt like I should have done something. Something to show Nathan that he could not scare me, but all I showed him was how afraid I really was of him.
And then what happened here with Dimitri last night. The nightmare, the screaming and the crying. It was so embarrassing. I didn't want to know what he was thinking of me right now. He probably thought I was a weak and dependent girl that couldn't take care of herself. I didn't want him to think I was weak. I didn't want to be weak.
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Dimitri stir beside me. He opened his eyes slowly and when he saw me lying next to him and realized that his arm was draped over my waist, his eyes widening slightly. He quickly pulled his arm away and sat up, scooting away from me a little.
"Morning," I mumbled, offering him a smile.
Dimitri cleared his throat. "Good morning."
I sat up, too, and looked at Dimitri. I gasped when I saw a bruise on his cheek. How could I not have noticed it before?
"Oh my God," I said, realizing I was the one who'd given him the bruise when he'd been trying to wake me up last night. "Dimitri, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you."
Dimitri touched his cheek carefully and winced a little. "It's okay, Rose," he murmured, looking at me. "It was an accident."
"But-"
"Rose," he cut me off, "it's fine. Really."
"I'm really sorry," I mumbled, looking down at my lap. "And not just about hitting you. About everything. I shouldn't have called you and dragged you into this mess – again. I-"
"Stop. Stop right there," he interrupted me again. "Rose, I told you before. You can call me every hour of the day. It doesn't matter what the reason is. I'll be there whenever you need me."
"But I don't want to be a liability," I said sadly. "You have your own life."
"Rose, you're not a liability," Dimitri responded firmly. "I care about you and I want you to be safe. I'm glad you called me last night. Staying in the same house where Nathan is... It's not a good idea. Even if there are other people around. You did the right thing in leaving."
I nodded. "Okay."
His features softened when he spoke next, "I worry about you, Roza. I don't want anything bad happening to you. So you have to promise me you'll call me right away if you see Nathan again – or if there's something else." I looked at him. "Promise me, Roza."
"I promise," I whispered.
"Good."
He smiled warmly and I felt that strange fluttering sensation again I'd felt a few times before whenever he smiled at me like that. I returned his smile and then, before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and hugged him. I felt his arms wrap around me immediately.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," I said in a muffled voice as I buried my face in his neck. The words came out before I could stop them. But I meant it. I meant what I'd said. I didn't know what I'd do without him. I've never needed someone as much as I needed him in my life right now – not even Lissa. "I don't think I would be able to get through this if you weren't here."
"It's going to be fine, Roza," he murmured. "It'll get better – you will get better – and then you won't need me anymore. You'll be able to fight back on your own."
"I hope so," I sighed. "Because I don't want to be weak."
"You're not weak," Dimitri said, pulling back from the hug so he could look at me. His eyes pierced mine as he continued, "You're hurting and you're frightened, but that's normal after what you've been through. But you want to change that. You don't want to stay in that pit of despair. You want to get out of it. That's what makes you strong."
I laughed humorlessly. "I don't feel very strong, to be honest."
"You will be and I'm going to help you."
I let out another sigh. "You know, you don't have to do all this for me."
The corner of his mouth turned up a little. "I know." I looked down and he lifted my chin with his fingers. "But I want to," he added softly.
I couldn't help but smile at that. "You're like the nicest guy I've ever met," I told him. And the hottest, I thought. "Even though it was under the worst circumstances ever, I'm glad I met you."
This time, his smile was full-on. "So am I."
I stared at him, wondering how the hell this guy was still single. He was just so amazing. Any woman would be lucky to have him. A weird thought entered my mind just then. For a moment, I wondered how it would feel like to kiss him. What the hell am I thinking? I started blushing furiously at the thought and quickly looked away before he'd notice.
"You hungry?" Dimitri asked as he got up. I nodded. "Come on, I'll make you breakfast."
Ten minutes later, we sat in silence, eating our scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. I looked around the apartment as I ate my breakfast. The place was small but cozy. I liked it.
"So, um, Dimitri," I said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence. He looked up at me, a questioning look on his face. "There's something you probably should know," I continued, hesitant. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell him, but I felt like I owed him the truth – all of it, not just a part. "But promise me you won't freak out."
He looked at me warily. "That doesn't sound good," he said.
"Promise me you won't freak out," I repeated, locking eyes with him. "Promise."
"Fine," he said. "I promise."
I eyed him for a few more moments, wondering if he meant it. He looked sincere enough so I decided to tell him.
"Remember when you asked me why I didn't want to go to the police?" I started.
He nodded, a wary look crossing his face.
I looked down at my plate, biting my lip. "Well… At first I didn't want to go because I was feeling so ashamed and I didn't want anyone to find out about it. I still don't want anyone to find out about it," I added quickly. "But there's another reason…"
"Okay," he said after a pause. "You want to tell me what that reason is?"
I nodded, biting my lip again. Taking a deep breath, I blurted out, "Nathan's father is the Chief of police."
Dimitri stared at me for several moments, stunned, before saying, "What?"
"Nathan said that if I'd go to the police, it wouldn't make a difference. In fact, I would only get in trouble because I'd be accusing the Chief's son. They would never believe me."
Dimitri scowled. "That's ridiculous!"
"There's no evidence that he was the one who tried to rape me," I argued.
"I saw him!" Dimitri said angrily. "I can identify him."
"Honestly, I believe Nathan when he says it won't do any good. He will want his revenge if he'd ever find out that I went to the police. And nothing actually happened. So what could they charge him with anyway?"
Dimitri stared at me, incredulous. "Are you serious, Rose? They could charge him for attempted rape!"
I put my face in my hands. "You promised you wouldn't freak out, Dimitri," I mumbled.
"I'm not freaking out! I just don't understand why you-"
"I already told you so many times," I said, starting to get annoyed. "I don't want my family and friends to find out and I don't want to get in more trouble with Nathan either. He scares me, Dimitri. I just want him to leave me alone. As soon as I've finished our practices and I can defend myself against him, he might leave me alone."
"And then he'll look for a new victim," Dimitri said.
I looked up at him and sighed. "There's not enough proof. For starters, they didn't find any of his DNA on me. It's my word against his. And yes, I know," I added when Dimitri opened his mouth to protest, "You can ID him, but they might think you're lying for me. Do you honestly think the Chief is going to charge his own son when there's practically no proof it was him? Jesse and Ralf will protect him, too."
"Who are Jesse and Ralf?" Dimitri asked.
"Jesse's his younger brother and Ralf is his idiot friend. They're both in my year."
Dimitri looked deep in thought. "There were two guys guarding that bedroom I found you in. Maybe it was them. Jesse and Ralf."
My eyes widened in shock. Seriously? They'd just stood there while Nathan attempted to rape me? I'd always had a feeling that Jesse and Ralf knew what had happened between Nathan and me since Jesse was carrying out messages for me from Nathan. But that they'd been there and let it all happen… That was just unbelievable. On the other hand, I shouldn't be so surprised.
"Yeah, they'll definitely protect him then," I muttered.
"Well, if we don't have enough proof we'll find more," Dimitri said determinedly.
I looked at him carefully. I realized then that he said 'we'. It made me smile a little. Once again, he was offering to help me.
"How are we going to do that?" I asked.
"There must be other victims," Dimitri mused. "He has definitely done this before. The drugs, people guarding the door so no one gets in… They didn't find his DNA so he was probably wearing gloves… If he was wearing them, I didn't notice. He knows exactly what to do to not get caught."
"Except that he did get caught this time," I said, looking at Dimitri.
He nodded. "Yes. He'll probably keep a low profile for now until he's sure you'll keep quiet."
"I don't know. He wasn't really keeping a low profile last night. He's just waiting until he finally gets me alone," I muttered.
"He won't get to be alone with you ever again," Dimitri said fiercely. "I'll make sure of that."
As his gaze pierced mine, I started to feel all warm inside. Clearing my throat, I looked away and said, "What about the other victims? How are we going to find them – if there are any?"
Dimitri sighed. "That's the one thing I don't know."
The look of determination faded from his eyes, then, so I quickly said, "We'll figure it out."
He nodded, though he looked unsure. "Yeah, we'll figure it out."
It was quiet for a while.
"Are you sure, though?"
Dimitri frowned. "What do you mean?"
I chewed on my bottom lip. "You said we. Does that mean you're going to help me?"
He almost looked offended. "Of course I'm going to help you."
It brought a tiny smile to my face. "It's just because you're already helping me with so much…"
"I'm helping you, Roza. Whether you like it or not," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Oh, I definitely like it, I thought involuntarily.
"And you promise you won't go to the police? At least, not until we find more proof?" I asked him.
He was a little more reluctant this time, but then said, "I promise. I'll only go to the police if you want me to."
"Thank you," I said. I'd been saying that a lot to him lately, but it still felt like I hadn't said it enough.
"I'm going to take a shower now if you don't mind," Dimitri said, getting up. "I've got to open the gym in less than a half hour."
"Oh, I'll leave then," I said, getting up too.
"Nah, you can stay here if you want," Dimitri said, knowing that if I'd go home now I'd be alone again. "Make yourself at home."
I smiled. "Thanks."
I finished my breakfast while Dimitri went to take a shower. Afterwards, I started doing the dishes. I thought that was the least I could do after everything Dimitri had done for me. Twenty minutes later, Dimitri returned from the bathroom.
"I've put some fresh towels out in the bathroom if you want to take a shower," he said. An amused expression crossed his face when he saw what I was doing. "You're doing my dishes?"
I shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah. Figured that was the least I could do."
He smiled. "Thanks, Roza, but you didn't have to do that. You're a guest here."
"It's no problem," I said, shrugging again.
"I've got to go downstairs now," Dimitri said, making his way to the door. "I'll see you later."
After doing the dishes, I went back to Dimitri's bedroom to retrieve my bag. I took it with me to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. It was so relaxing; I hadn't realized how much I needed that until I'd stepped inside the shower.
Once I'd gotten ready, I didn't really know what to do. I knew one thing, though, and that was that I didn't want to go home. Not yet. That's when I noticed the bookcase against the far wall in the living room. A devilish grin spread across my face. Maybe I could snoop around a little bit. After all, Dimitri had said to make myself at home.
I walked over to the bookcase and looked at the covers, carefully pulling them out one by one – I knew how attached Dimitri was to his books so I made sure not to drop any of them. Some of the books were written in Russian. From the covers, I could make out they were all westerns, though. Next, I took a look at his movie collection, which consisted of more westerns. Why was I even surprised?
There were a couple of framed pictures on the wall. Most of them were of his family and there was one of him and Ivan too. There were none of his father, though, but considering his past I could understand why he didn't want any pictures of his father lingering around in his apartment.
When it was almost lunch time, I made my way downstairs. Walking through the narrow hallway, I opened the door that led to the gym's lobby. As soon as I stepped into the lobby, Tasha was by my side, her eyes wide in shock.
"You're not supposed to go in there!" she said scowling. "That's a private room. What were you doing there?"
I was a little taken aback by her tone. "Umm…"
"Tasha, it's fine," Dimitri said, stroding over to us.
"I'm so sorry, Dimka!" she said quickly, looking desperate. "I didn't know she went up to your apartment. I didn't see. I'm so sorry. Please don't be mad."
"Relax, Tasha. It's fine," he said. "I let Rose in. She's been in my apartment all morning. It's fine."
Tasha looked incredulous. "What? Why did you let her inside your apartment?"
"That's not really of your concern, is it?" Dimitri said, raising an eyebrow.
She flushed bright red. "I guess not," she said reluctantly. "I'm sorry."
Quickly, she scurried off, glancing over her shoulder a few times with a suspicious look on her face. I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting any more smiles from her from now on.
"You okay? Tasha can be a little…" He gave a little shrug and glanced at Tasha, who stood behind the front desk, a frown on her face. "You know what I mean, right?"
I nodded, hiding a smile. "I'm fine, comrade. She was just doing her job." Changing the subject, I asked, "Do you mind if I hang out here for a bit? I don't feel like going home yet."
Dimitri smiled. "Sure. You can stay here as long as you want."
"You sure?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't want to bother you."
His smile widened. "You could never bother me, Roza." Giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze, he said, "I've got to take care of some things, but if you need anything, I'll be in my office. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, comrade," I said happily.
He winked at me before retreating to his office. Smiling, I let out a dreamy sigh as I watched him leave and then turned around. My smile dropped when I saw Tasha glaring at me from behind the front desk. I quickly made my way to the bar, where Ivan was serving customers, and made sure to stay out of Tasha's way for the rest of the day.
VPOV
"God, this is such bullshit!" I groaned, pushing my books out of the way. "Math sucks big time!"
"Vika, don't swear like that!" Mama chastised, bustling around in the kitchen.
"Sorry," I muttered. "But these stupid equations are giving me a headache."
"Why don't you ask for help?" Mama said, walking over to me. "I bet Ivan could help you out. I remember he was great in math."
"Really?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't known that.
"Yes. You should call him," Mama said. "I'm sure he'd love to help."
"I don't know," I said hesitantly. "I don't want to bother him."
She sighed, exasperated. "Just give him a call, Vika. It doesn't hurt to ask."
"Okay," I agreed at last.
I retrieved my phone from my pocket and dialed Ivan's number. He picked up on the first ring and my heart lifted when I heard his voice.
"Hello?"
"Hi Ivan," I said nervously. "It's Viktoria."
"Oh hey, Vika!" I was probably imagining it, but he sounded like he was happy to hear me. "What's up? Everything okay?"
"Um, yeah," I answered. "I was wondering… Can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure," he said. "Ask away."
"Can you help me out with my math?" I asked, feeling stupid. "I suck at it and Mama told me you're really good at it. Can you please help me?"
"It's been a while since I've had to do math, but I guess I could try and help you," he responded. "When do you want me to come over?"
"Um, now?" I asked, biting my lip. "If you're not busy, of course," I added quickly.
"No, now is fine. My shift just ended," he said. "Be there in ten minutes."
I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Ivan."
"No problem."
He disconnected. Ten minutes later, he was at the door.
"Thank you for coming," I said, letting him inside. "And I'm sorry for ruining your day. I wouldn't have bothered you if I had another option."
"It's fine, Vika," Ivan said smiling. "And you could never ruin my day," he added, winking, as he passed me.
I blushed furiously and followed Ivan to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Olena."
"Morning, Ivan," Mama responded with a smile. "Thank you for helping Vika out."
"Well, I hope I can help," Ivan said. "It's been a few years…"
"Vika, why don't you and Ivan go upstairs?" Mama said, looking at me. "You'll only get distracted here with me bustling around and your grandmother will be here soon, too."
I nodded, blushing again at the thought of having Ivan in my room. "Okay," I said, glancing at Ivan out of the corner of my eye.
We went up to my room and I pulled up another chair to my desk. I avoided looking at Ivan the whole time. I'd wished for Ivan to be in my room a thousand times, but now that he was actually here, I was too shy to say something.
"Okay, tell me what your problem is with math," Ivan said, flashing me a grin. "I'll try and help you as best as I can."
"These equations," I said, pushing my notebook towards him. "I don't understand them."
"Alright, let's take a look," Ivan said, studying the equations. His face brightened after a few minutes and he said, "Okay, I think I can help you out."
He started explaining and I listened carefully. I never thought of Ivan as a math nerd, but apparently he was. He needed to explain several times more, but he didn't mind. He was very patient, which I was grateful for.
"There you go, the left side equals the right side of the equation! You've found your answer!" Ivan said grinning proudly when I finished one of the equations.
"Only because you are helping me," I said, smiling reluctantly.
"Nah, you can do it," he said. "You just need to focus." He leaned forward and tapped his finger against my temple. "It's not that hard."
How in the hell can I focus when you're sitting so close next to me? I thought.
"It's not hard for you because you're a math geek," I said jokingly.
"I'm not. I'm just good at it," he said with a shrug, grinning again.
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."
"Hey, you should be a bit more respectful. I'm the only one who can help you out after all," he said, nudging me with his shoulder. I knew he was only teasing me, but it still made me blush.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I picked it up from the desk and read the text from my friend Meredith. You still coming to the party tonight?
"You going to a party?" Ivan asked.
I turned around in my seat and looked at him. "You read over my shoulder?!"
"Yeah, I did," he admitted. Then he frowned. "I thought your mother said you couldn't go out anymore until that bastard who tried to rape Rose is caught?"
"Umm yeah, but…"
Ivan gave me a stern look. "Were you planning on leaving in the middle of the night without your mother knowing?"
I looked away guiltily. "Maybe…"
"Vika, you can't do that," he chastised.
"It's just one party, Ivan," I said. "And I'll stay away from strangers. I won't-"
"You really shouldn't go," Ivan said frowning.
"Why not?"
"Because…you shouldn't," Ivan said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "If your mother finds out… And don't get me started on Dimitri. You know how worried your brother will be-"
"They don't need to know," I cut him off. "And they won't find out if you don't tell them."
"Viktoria, you can't go to that party," he said sighing. "It's not safe. Not with that guy still out there."
"But-"
"Viktoria, please," he said. To my surprise, he reached out for my hand and looked at me pleadingly. "I don't want you to go."
That statement surprised me even more and caused butterflies to explode in my stomach. Ivan didn't want me to go.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I don't want you to get hurt," he answered, squeezing my hand. "Can you imagine how your mother would feel if something happened to you? And Dimitri? And… How I would feel?"
I took a sharp intake of breath. "Would you really care if something happened to me?" I asked quietly.
"Of course," he said, almost outraged. "You're my…" He sighed, shaking his head. "You're my best friend's little sister. I don't want you to get hurt."
I looked down at my phone. Not the answer I'd hoped for, but it was better than nothing, right? "Fine," I said at last. "I'll tell her I won't come."
Ivan looked relieved at that. "Promise me?"
"I promise," I said, looking back up at him.
He smiled. "Good. I'm glad."
I huffed. "I was actually looking forward to it. I'm tired of sitting here all night in my room. I don't want to be cooped up inside the house the rest of my youth because of some creep-"
"It's for your own good," Ivan said. "And maybe if I was sure – I mean, if your brother's sure that your friends are trustworthy…"
"They are!" I said, offended.
"Maybe," Ivan acquiesced, "but will they be able to protect you if something happens? All they care about is getting drunk and have the time of their lives at these parties. What if you got hurt and they're too out of it to help you? Look what happened to Rose… Her friends were there, too, but none of them were there to help her. They don't even know what has happened."
"I guess you're right," I said reluctantly.
He squeezed my hand again. "How about I take you out sometime? We can go see a movie or whatever you want to do. That way you can get out of the house without there being a chance of you getting hurt. Because I'll be there to protect you." He flashed me another grin. "How does that sound?"
Oh my God, seeing a movie with Ivan? That sounds way better than a stupid party. It's almost like a date!
"Alright," I said, trying hard to sound normal and not too excited. "I guess I could go to the movies with you. Anything to get out of the house. Even if it means I have to hang out with you," I said, looking at him with a grin on my face.
"Hey!" Ivan said with mock offense. "If I were you I'd be careful about what you say or else I'm not taking you anywhere."
I laughed and his grin returned. He nudged my shoulder again and I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and hugging him.
"Thank you," I said softly.
I felt him hesitate, but then he wrapped his arms around me. "You're welcome, Vika," he murmured.
I smiled into his shoulder, happy to be in his arms. Even if it was only for a minute. After a while, Ivan cleared his throat and he pulled away.
"We should probably continue with your equations, don't you think?" he said, offering me a small smile.
I nodded, looking away so he wouldn't see the blush creeping up my cheeks. "Yeah, we should."
I couldn't keep the grin off of my face for the rest of the day.
Dimitri and Rose are getting closer and closer. Yay! Please let me know what you think of the chapter. I certainly hope you liked it! :)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend ;)
