"Don't. Whencan we call to make sure everyone's okay? We've been gone for a little over three hours now. Something must've happened," I reminded him as we walked towards the front door.

It was a beautiful house. Painted an ocean blue. The neighborhood was very spread out and neat. Everyone had nicely gardened lawns and casual decorations. Appearances must be everything around here. He pulled out a key and unlocked the top and bottom locks before opening it. I went first, then him. The lights automatically came on, as if they sensed our presence. The inside of the house was even cozier. Nothing fancy, done in simple, dark tone colors. There was a couch, two armchairs, and a flat screen mounted on the wall in the living room, along with a coffee table. From where I was standing, the kitchen had everything a chef could dream of. It was bigger than the living room, which was necessary of course, considering my appetite.

"I'll take you to get some clothes tomorrow. You can sleep in a shirt of mine tonight. There's a bedroom down here and two upstairs. Choose whichever one you like. Do you want some dinner?" he asked me and I nodded before he handed me a phone. "You use this phone and only this phone to call your family. My clothes are upstairs in the bedroom at the end of the hall."

I started to walk out but before I did, I turned back,

"Dimitri?" He looked at me. "I'm sorry."

I didn't know exactly what I was apologizing for but if I was going to be alone with him, I didn't want it to be awkward.

"Don't apologize," he shook his head. "The way I spoke to you...it was out of line and I'm sorry. I really am."

I gave him a small smile before going upstairs. For 15 minutes, I talked on the phone with Ali. She told me everyone was okay and the hybrids were chasing after whoever was sending me those messages and then made all my windows explode. Honestly, I wished none of this ever happened. Everything was fine before they told me the truth and I hated being kept in the dark but...now the people I loved were fighting for their lives. I hated that. Knowing that they-and myself-would always have to look over their shoulders. All because my dad was obsessed with my mother. Did he not know the meaning of "rejected?"

After taking a shower, I put on one of his shirts and it came down to my knees before I went back downstairs, smelling something so good, my mouth was drooling.

"So, what'd ya make?" I stood in the entrance of the kitchen, leaning against the wall.

He looked at me his eyes widened slightly as he took in my appearance. His eyes roamed over me painfully slowly with something in his eyes I couldn't define. Maybe...lust? Then he cleared his throat and shook his head, bringing himself back to reality.

"I didn't know what you wanted so I made chicken alfredo," he answered.

"Perfect," I bit my lip, tilting my head to the side.

Our eyes stayed locked for a while. He was so gorgeous. His shoulder-length hair falling down to his shoulders and those chocolate brown eyes I could just stare into forever. I broke the staring contest first by accepting the bowl from him and heading into the living room to eat while watching a sappy movie to distract myself from the fact that I just really wanted Dimitri to throw his morals aside and kiss me like there was no tomorrow. We stayed quiet, only speaking when necessary, until we finished eating and the movie was almost over. Somehow, we ended up close enough that my leg was touching his denim-clad one.

"You should get some rest," Dimitri turned his head to look at me when the credits began rolling.

I turned my head to face him and bit my lip. Something must have snapped in him because he said something in Russian, like a swearing word, before leaning over to capture my mouth with his. Sighing, I changed my position so my body was stretched out across the couch and he shifted to hover above me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling one hand in hs hair as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue along my bottom lip. I happily granted him entrance and our tongues engaged in a furious but intimate and sensual dance. He broke away first to trail licks and kisses down my neck and collar bone, all the while lifting my-his-shirt up so it was no longer covering my light blue panties. My fingers fumbled with his buttons as I worked to get his shirt on and our lips captured together again.

"Tell me to stop," he murmured against my lips but I shook my head.

"No."

And he didn't. When I discarded his shirt, I pulled away to get a good look at the masterpiece God created. I wasn't all that religious but Dimitri was too perfect to not be created my something otherworldly. He had a lean but very toned body with a solid 8-pack and natural tanned skin that would make other people who had to resort to tanning booths jealous. I gripped his biceps, reveling in the feel of being in his arms. Feeling safe. Somewhere in the middle of our makeout session, the shirt I was wearing had come off and Dimitri was moving closer and closer to my very firm and generous chest but when I reached for his belt, he pulled back. God, no. Not this again.

"Roza..." he buried his face in my shoulder.

"I knew you would do this," the hurt made my heart constrict and I moved away from him, looking for the shirt he threw across the living room.

He stopped me by pulling me into his lap and brushing my hair away from my face,

"No. No. I'm not going to do that again. For some reason...I can't stay away from you and I don't want to stay away anymore. But I'm not going to have sex with you on a couch while I'm supposed to be keeping you safe and hidden until this has blown over."

Okay...that made me feel a little better so I nodded. He cupped the back of my neck and brought my lips down to his for a brief, intimate kiss.

"Sleep with me?" I whispered, not wanting to be alone tonight.

He nodded and held me in his arms while he stood up, carrying me upstairs to his bedroom. He tucked me into bed and kissed me on the forehead,

"I'm gonna grab a shower."

By the time he came back, I was drifting off so he slid in behind me. I shifted so that I could rest my head on his very, very well-toned chest. I jerked awake when there was a loud crash. Dimitri was out of bed in a second, pulling on a shirt and his shoes.

"Dimitri?" I asked, groggily.

"Shh," he poked his head outside of the bedroom door before closing it, softly, and turning it back to me. "Throw on something. Quickly. We'll have to go out the window."

I pulled on sweatpants, sneakers and a hoodie. Footsteps were approaching the door and Dimitri opened the window, gesturing me over. I slipped out and managed to get my foot onto a branch before climbing down. Dimitri just jumped out of the window. He opened the car door for me and squeezed my hand,

"Listen to me. Put your seatbelt on, put on your hood, and no matter what, do not turn your head. Some Hunters have sight you couldn't dream of having and if they see you, we're done," I nodded as soon as the last word was out of his mouth. And this was when I knew what I had to do.

I had to Change.

Short chapter, I know but it's something, right? I hoped you guys like it even though I didn't but I'm never completely satisfied. Please review.

Rose xoxo