Ch. 10
RPOV
Songs: Ride this Out by Imaginary Cities
The realization of what I had gotten myself into last night was enough to clear away any of the haze brought on by the whiskey, sobering me up faster than falling into a frozen pond. Which is why I was surprised by the sickening feeling overcoming me the next day. It must have been some kind of emotional hangover rather than physical. I guess that's what I deserved for acting like a complete idiot—not to mention desperate hussy.
I had sent one of the castle Guardians over to camp to let Belikov know he could sleep in as I would not be at one-on-one training this morning. I could get by a few hours under the pretense that something else came up, but I wouldn't be able to hide from him, or my responsibilities, forever. After talking to Victor about the almost Viking attack, which had been only mildly unpleasant thanks to my quick action with the extra guards, I stopped by Lissa's room and had her pull my hair up in tight braids and wore some of my more up-to-date training gear. I wanted to look as professional as possible and leave little room for Belikov to scrutinize. Although, judging by his past behavior I highly doubted anything short of a bludgeon to the head would keep him from relishing in his conquest.
"'I grew up learning that a lady should want for nothing,'" I muttered under my breath in my best attempt at a Rus accent. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for a line like that."
A nauseous feeling rolled over me and my palms started to sweat as I made my way to camp, imagining the whispers and taunting that would await me. Stupid, stupid, stupid Rose.
I looked up from the dirt I had been kicking along the way and decided I wasn't going to let this little incident bring me down. If they were going to mock me for it, then so be it. I'd take it with my head held high...or with my fists against their smug faces. I strolled over to one of the sparring rings where a select group I had instructed Eddie and Mason to gather was waiting. I decided to test the new moves we'd been practicing on a few of the troop members to start off with, then allow them to perfect and teach the skills they'd learned to the other recruits during their own training times.
I stopped at the center of the ring with my hands on my hips and a defiant look in place, ready to take on whatever they dealt out. "Hey, Rose," Eddie greeted. I looked over the men scattered about, gauging their reactions to my entrance but so far no one seemed all that concerned with me. A couple gave me a friendly nod and others just continued their casual conversations as they waited for training to begin. "What's with the look," Eddie asked as he walked up beside me. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were about to go on a murderous rampage. Did Natalie sneak into the cupboards and steal your stash of sweets again?"
"No," I curtly replied, still inspecting for any hints of ridicule in the men.
"Hmm too bad. You should probably lay off them anyways. Wouldn't want to get too fat for your armor," he teased as he nudged my side.
"Oh, sod off Eddie." I huffed, letting my hostile demeanor slip away...for now.
My friend let out a small chuckle, all too pleased with his little joke, before giving my shoulders a shake. "Well, we're all ready for you. The men are curious to see what you've got planned for us."
"Uh, huh," I replied distractedly as my eyes roamed for one particular Dhampir. "Where's Belikov?"
"Here, Marshall." All the blood from my face completely drained and flew to heat my chest like a blazing campfire as that accent called out behind me. I swallowed, trying to keep my eyes from bulging out of my head, and remained still as I tried to sum up the courage to turn around.
Stop being a fucking coward Hathaway! He's just a man.
A big, dumb, arrogant man…
with soft eyes…
and chiseled arms...and, FUCK!
"Rose?" My eyes snapped up from the ground to see Eddie standing there looking at me curiously.
"Hmm? What," I stammered, my flustered state becoming more apparent.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to—"
"It's fine," my voice came out louder than I had intended, cutting off whatever Belikov was about to say and earning an eyebrow lift from him and Eddie.
Pull yourself together, dammit!
I took a sharp inhale to calm my nerves. "Don't worry about it," I said as I turned slightly towards Dimitri. "Let's get started." He gave me a quick nod and jogged over to join the ranks.
I didn't know what to make of the situation. He stood at attention with his hands behind his back wearing an expression that said he was ready for business. Not even a cheeky wink, or a cocksure smirk to hint that he was thinking about what had happened between us the previous night.
Maybe he'd had more to drink than I realized. He was there before me, he could've had another bottle to himself for all I knew. The thought that he may not have remembered brought on a settling feeling and gave me enough confidence to proceed with the task at hand.
I briefed the troops on the purpose of this exercise and how it would be advantageous for us to learn these techniques. I left out the part about Dimitri's familiarity with the Vikings since we hadn't discussed whether or not he wanted that to be public knowledge. His demeanor remained serious and he kept his gaze straight ahead, as I pointedly tried to avoid looking at him.
At one point I saw his eyes dart to Mason as my friend traced the tip of his hatchet, but Dimitri's focus quickly snapped up front again without any change in his expression. The interaction struck me as a little odd, but I didn't dwell on it since I had bigger problems right now. Like trying to figure out how I was going to fight him when I could barely even look at him. I just continued to hold onto the notion that he was too drunk to remember anything and eventually called him up front to start the demonstration.
The men took a few steps back to give us some space as Dimitri walked towards me. I looked down at my belt to unfasten it as I said, "Let's start with that cross combo and segue into the rollaway counter attacks."
"Whatever you say, boss," I detected a bit of irritation in his tone but didn't look up at him until his back was turned. I tossed my sheath off to the side as he took a few steps away and pointed my gaze directly in the middle of his chest while we positioned for attack.
"You ready?" I'm not sure why I felt the need to announce my strike. We had been fighting together for a while now and he was well aware of which maneuver I'd be starting with, but I waited for his answer nonetheless.
"Always." There was a husky note to his voice that made my heart leap, and I couldn't help but read into the loaded meaning behind that response.
Without another word, I shot my fist directly at his shoulder. He blocked before I made contact and we rapidly went through the movements of the combination until he was declared "dead". I removed my hands from their position on his back so fast one might suspect he was made of hot coals.
I took several large steps away from him as I turned to the troops, "Okay, questions?"
A couple of them asked for some clarifications and I tried to maintain concentration on my responses, all the while feeling Dimitri's stare burning a hole in the back of my head. "Alright, next we'll show you some offensive maneuvers against a tackle."
Strigoi were known for relying on their superior strength and that combined with Viking fighting skills was a deadly combination. Letting them get the upper hand was the quickest way to lose your life, so surprising them with an attack when they thought you were down could be the ultimate factor that would save you.
I moved back to my place in the ring, my eyes still looking anywhere but Dimitri's face. His chest made an obvious heaving movement before an aggravated sigh whooshed through the space between us.
"Let's go," I commanded while gesturing him forward with my fingertips. His right foot pressed forward signaling that his fist would soon follow. I ducked below it expecting him to go high, however, his next move caught me off guard. I was supposed to go for an easy sweep, but he reversed our roles and threw me off balance. I latched onto his arm to keep myself up and knocked his ankles out from under him before he could correct his stance. His arm hooked around me as he fell, sending me down with him. I toppled on top of him, awkwardly straddling his waist, but managed to sit up and launch my fists into his torso, announcing his defeat.
I pushed down with my knuckles to propel myself off his chest now that the fight was over, but before I could go anywhere his hands shot up to grip my wrists. "You know eventually you're going to have to look at me," he said lowly, his fingers tightening their hold. "Given our current position, it would be rude not to."
Although he wasn't wrong, that all too familiar presumptuous tone laced his words and a sinking feeling dropped to the pit of my stomach. My eyes darted up to his, hoping I had misinterpreted his ulterior meaning. But what I found only increased my uneasiness.
"That wasn't so hard, was it," he baited, a hint of that wolfish grin finally rearing its head.
Well, that answered that question. There was no way he had forgotten about our kiss—and then some.
If I let him see even a spec of embarrassment, I knew he would use it against me. So instead, I fired back with a taste of his own medicine. "Now that you mention it," I said as I looked down between his legs. "No. It wasn't really."
I knocked his hands off of mine and pushed him further into the ground as I moved away from him. I heard a small chuckle from the ground and I groaned realizing I had probably only managed to incite more of his teasing rather than deter it.
I called two of the other men up front to try out the techniques, and hopefully get some space between me and Belikov, but it turned out I wouldn't be so lucky. I stood off to the side watching them spar intently and pointedly ignored the tall Dhampir approaching my side.
"Listen, this demonstration would probably be a lot more successful if we just cleared the air," he whispered over my shoulder. "Last night, I—"
"That topic is not up for discussion," I curtly cut him off before calling out some adjustments to the two men in the ring. I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step away from him as the Dhampir duo started again.
"But Rose," Dimitri's hand found its way to my shoulder and that familiar heat rushed up the back of my neck.
"No," I whipped around to look him directly in the face, shrugging his hand off in the process. "We are not talking about this now, or ever."
His eyes narrowed at me under my hardened stare. I held my gaze, refusing to back down, but couldn't help that rising warmth from spreading. I caught Dimitri's eyes flick to my quickly reddening cheeks and silently cursed my traitorous body. A knowing look smoothed out his brow as he said, "We'll see about that."
The practice continued on with Dimitri and me demonstrating short spurts of moves and then alternating volunteers to try them out on each other. It was starting to get late, signaling training was almost over, and I had successfully managed to keep my shit together. I asked for any last minute questions before we finished up and Baker, a newly appointed Dragomir Guardian, stepped forward. "Could you and Belikov go one full round and show us all the moves combined. It would be great if we could see them all in action during a real fight."
I glued my feet into the ground to stop myself from propelling towards that gobdaw and pummeling his stupid face. I had purposely avoided a longer sparring match with Belikov to keep our contact to a minimum. I was about to tell Baker it would have to wait until next time when Dimitri beat me to it. "Absolutely. I agree it would be beneficial to see all the moves in action. Don't you think so, Marshall?"
I was surrounded by eejits.
I looked over to Eddie, then Mason praying that there was someone here to give me an excuse out of it, but they were all wearing the same, stupid, excited grin as they waited for my response. Goddammit.
"Sure," I huffed under my breath, making my way to the ring. Some of the men cheered eagerly, but all I could focus on was Belikov's satisfied look. A million ways to wipe it from his face ran through my mind as he took position across from me.
"Ready," he called out in question, his self-assurance increasing by the second.
Without a response I launched for him, finally letting my frustration take hold. I swung and kicked harder than I normally would for a training match, but I wanted him to hurt. After a couple of my moves made contact—and by his various hisses and grunts, they obviously stung—he let out a low growl and slammed his full weight at me. I was no match for his reach and speed when he managed to combine them perfectly and he caught me in a gripping hold. With one arm wrapped around my chest and the other across my abdomen, he pressed my back up against his sculpted frame. I tried to wiggle out of his hold, but my arms were pinned to my sides.
Dimitri craned his head down so that it brushed against my ear. I thought he was going for the mock bite we used to signal a defeat by Strigoi, but instead, he discreetly whispered, "Don't get your trousers in a bunch. This was your idea, remember?"
"You're daft if you think even for a second that you have any effect on the state of my trousers," I bit out as I struggled against him. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest down my back, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. In a panic to get free from him, I shot my heel into his foot, his reaction giving me just enough room to break his hold. I hooked my leg around his to trip him up and tackled him to the ground before he could regain his balance. I hovered above him and lowered my voice to match his earlier volume, "So, I suggest you make this the last time you bring them up."
"Fair enough," Dimitri breathed out heavily, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Besides," he unexpectedly pulled me tighter against him rather than try to throw me off his torso and used our close proximity to flip us over. I scrambled to get away, but he snatched my arms and pinned me beneath him. "I'm more interested in what's underneath them."
I was well aware of each and every point where his body pressed against mine and instantly recognized that burning look he wore. That combined with the hunger in his voice brought images from the night before into the forefront of my mind and my limbs began to melt under his hold. My ragged breathing was becoming impossible to disguise and I felt like my heart was about to leap out of my chest. With the precarious position I was in, I did the only thing I could think to do...I shot my knee directly into his groin.
Belikov let out a battered howl and folded over as I shoved him off me. He rolled to the ground as his body instinctively curled up and I quickly rose to my feet and dusted myself off. I looked over to the men who were now all staring at me dumbfoundedly and brusquely called out, "Dismissed," before marching away.
It was a dirty move, even I knew that, but its effectiveness outshined any reservations I might have had about it. I managed to get several yards away from the training station when suddenly two strong hands wrapped around my arms and pinned me up against a nearby wall. My breath caught in surprise at how he had managed to sneak up on me so stealthily, but I stubbornly chalked it up to my distracted state.
"I don't remember going over that move in training." Belikov leaned his face forward but kept his body a good distance away, no doubt weary of my less than tactful maneuvers.
"Well, I'd be happy to show it to you again," I tilted my head and batted my lashes at him sweetly.
"I'd much rather you show me some of those moves from last night again." His brazen comment simultaneously ignited my anger and shot every one of my nerves on end. In an attempt to align my thoughts I latched onto that animosity and tried to think about anything other than how good he smelled.
"Back off Belikov!" I pushed out as much ferocity in that statement as I could, but it somehow fell flat.
"Come on, Rose. I know you want me," he moved a little closer, daring to approach me despite my earlier threats. "It was as clear last night as it is in your eyes now." His grip loosened on me, but I didn't attempt to move away. I felt glued in place under his hooded gaze. I latched my fingers onto the wall to keep my shaky knees steady.
What the hell is wrong with me? My knees don't go weak. I'm Rose Fucking Hathaway, dammit!
His face inched towards mine, his jaw clenching with want, but I couldn't let him best me with his bewitching seduction. Not again. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order." Dimitri paused his movements, his brow scrunching in slight confusion. "You managed to catch me in a moment of weakness and have now gained the story you wanted to brag to your fellow companions."
He backed away, giving me room to finally breathe, as his hands came down to his side. "I wouldn't do that," he spoke seriously. "Is that really what you think of me?"
I inched to the side so that I was no longer in a position to be pinned by him. His disposition seemed genuine as I observed him, but I had seen so many sides of this man I couldn't be sure either way. He was most likely using it as a ploy to reel me back in and I refused to fall for it again.
"Look, just because I wanted you last night after a few drinks of whiskey doesn't mean I still do." After all the times he'd been dismissive of my authority, after all the times I'd seen him slack off and push aside his responsibilities, after all the times he'd flipped from one mood to the next. No. "Why would I," I solidified.
Dimitri's chest twitched as those three words leached out of my mouth, the force behind them physically pushing him away. I stared him down, waiting for some smartass response, or defensive comeback to fly out of his bruised ego, but instead of anger or pride...all I saw was hurt. It was only for an instant. I would've missed it if I blinked. But the strain building behind his eyes gave him away.
I'm not sure why I felt bad. After the embarrassment he had put me through and the cocky attitude he had been sporting, I should've been glad to have finally squashed his resolve. But that look sent a pang into my chest and the sudden urge to apologize crept up inside me. However, before I could say or do anything Dimitri threw that guarded veil up to shield anything else he might have been truly feeling and impassively replied, "I understand, Rose."
I moved off the wall to stop him, but my words caught in my throat as he turned around and stalked away, leaving me standing there feeling ashamed, confused, and somehow...empty.
A/N: Flustered Rose is one of my fav versions of her to write. Especially since it's rare for things to unnerve her in that way. Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
Btw I've stopped putting translations for Rose's colorful cursing and descriptions since I think most of the time it's relatively easy to tell what they mean, but if you're ever curious let me know and I'll be sure to send them to you.