Chapter Three:
It starts with a burning in my head then slowly almost torturously manifest throughout my body. I hear a whisper. So faint that I barely could catch what it was saying, but then as I become more aware of my body the sound got louder and louder until it seemed as if it was someone screaming directly into my ear.
"They are coming."
I wake up with a start. I look down and check my body. Why does it hurt so much? I could see the angry red marks rapidly receding as I check to see if there is any actual physical damage. I check my surroundings, registering that I am in my bed back at my dorm. Everything must have been a dream, I think, and I start to go back to sleep. Then I felt a warm presence right next to me, and I look to see what could be there, and I see the man from my dream. As soon as I lock eye contact with him, a warmth comes over me, not like the burning from the dream but a different kind. A kind that went straight to the place in between my thighs. I am stuck in two different areas in my mind. All I could see was him. His brown eyes are melting into my soul; a comfort folds over my body; it's almost like everything is right in the world. The gold in his eyes flickers just a little, like the embers in a fireplace at home. His eyes bring this comfort over me that has never been there before, it's almost like I have found a place to belong, almost like he is home. The same comfort my mom was able to bring, but instead, it also came with a sense of safety and security that no one else has ever been able to provide for me before. I shake my head, trying to shake those feelings that he has brought over me. The second reaction I have is to grab my dagger and throw it at him before he can do anything to me. I focus on my body, trying to figure out where the pain is. Literally, anything would be better than thinking about what I just felt looking into his beautiful golden-brown eyes. The second feeling wins out and I go for my dagger, and I throw it at him. Instead of the dagger hitting him, it stops two inches in front of his face and falls to the ground with a loud thud.
In a panicked state now, I think what my next move should be. I knew I couldn't run away from my past; most of all, I knew I couldn't run away from this fight. I knew I wasn't going to win, but I sure as hell was not going to make it easy for him to kill me.
This strange man did not even flinch. I mean to be fair he seems like the man that gets a lot of daggers thrown at him. I glance at him quickly as I think about what my chances of getting to the window are. It would only take me two seconds to get to the window another second to wrench it open. I am confident I would be able to make it, I would just need to distract him for a few seconds. He sits there and slowly put his hands up.
"Where is Lissa?" I spit out at him across the bed. I am trying to buy myself time before I make my move.
"Safe." He said in a husky voice. Well, that's not helpful. If I can't make him talk, then I won't be able to distract him. I try not to think about how his deep voice immediately makes my nipples perk up.
"A man of so many words." I tell him sarcastically, my only defense at this point. He rolled his eyes. Smirking just a tiny bit. I pushed myself as far away from him as possible. I told myself it was because he was dangerous, but I have a feeling it was because this mysterious man is so enticing.
"What you did was very dangerous. You are lucky she has a place to go to that will function as her safe house for the time being."
"Lucky? You shouldn't have attacked us; I wouldn't have done anything if you hadn't tried to come at us." I was trying to make it seem like I knew what I did so he wouldn't attack me again.
"I did not attack you; I was coming to get you before you did something that you would regret, or worse, get yourself killed."
I shift my weight uncomfortable that he was right about the fact that I could have easily hurt Lissa or someone else. I look down at my hands and notice that I am only wearing a t-shirt and panties. I blushed how did I get like this? I make sure the blanket is securely around me.
"What happened to my clothes?" I looked at him accusingly trying to change the topic.
"You burned them pretty badly in the blast, took me forever to find that." Pointing at what I was wearing, I didn't even know I still owned this shirt it was from long ago; it was a Queen shirt that I stole from a store, "you live in such a garbage sty. Don't you ever do laundry?"
"Thanks. It's not like I was expecting guest." I state sarcastically, I was planning on doing laundry yesterday and I curse myself for not doing it. As he looks around at my messy room, that's when I decided to make a move to the window. Hopefully, I will be able to pick some pants up before I must jump out the window. I make it about halfway across to the room and all of a sudden I felt extremely dizzy, adrenaline coursing through my veins I try to put one foot in front of the other but instead I have to throw my hands out as I try to catch myself. Fuck this gives him the perfect opportunity to kill me. I won't even be able to put up a fight. Before I can hit the hard ground, his strong arms catch me from behind, and he puts me back in bed. And just like they appeared, his arms were gone, but the warmth of them still lingered.
I look around the room; I look for anything that could help me, cursing myself for thinking that everything would be okay for once in my life. Surprised that the dagger hasn't reappeared next to me yet, I look to see how I could grab it. He moves faster than a human could comprehend. But I saw it; I was ready, ready for the blow that would surely deliver a bruise. I flinch remembering the days before. But instead of a hit, he said something.
"You are looking for this, aren't you?" Raising my dagger. "It's chosen you; it will never leave you; part of your soul is in this weapon; it is now a part of you." He looks at the knife like it's the best thing in the world, holding the tip of it to the light, making the gold reflect onto the walls. It has an inscription etched into the handle of the knife, written in Greek, I think.
"Κρατώ ένα κομμάτι της ψυχής του. Translates to I keep a piece of thy's soul. Only the greatest warrior has one of these weapons."
"You speak Greek?" I look at him quizzically, wondering where this man could possibly come from where he could understand Greek.
"Something like that." He states while smiling slightly.
Almost enviously he hands me back my weapon. I am about to grab it when he takes it back.
"Only if you will talk to me. And more importantly, stop trying to run away." What a childish move! Just give me back my dagger.
I grumpily look at him. I look between the two, and I nod my head. One reason is he is the only one to see it for what it is, a dagger, most people see it as whatever is convenient for them to see. For two, he was able to hold it. It usually turned into a shape that people didn't pay attention to or didn't care when I was in sticky situations when someone went to grab it always automatically come back to a safe place near me.
"Okay, we can talk." He hands me back my dagger, and I feel power come through my body. I also suddenly get very dizzy again.
"You should rest. You have used a lot of power in one night." He wearily states while he sees me swaying back and forth.
I get lost in those beautiful gold speckled brown eyes once more when I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.
"Why didn't it affect you?" I ask while sitting up, hell if he was going to tell me what to do, I put the knife between us, "Are you some kinds of god?"
"Something like that." He says with another sly smile.
"Why did you come for me? What is your plan? Are you going to try to abduct me too?" I ask as I try to steer away from the topic of my messy room, which reflects on the fact that I have a messy life.
"One question at a time." He states amusingly.
"Well, let's start with the most important question. Are you going to try to abduct me? We all know how that worked out the first time, and I prefer not to have a repeat." I think back at the bloody image of Mason and shudder.
"I am here to take you somewhere safe and train you. If I must abduct you, I will, but I prefer if you were willingly coming. When did anyone try to abduct you the first time?"
"Going somewhere random with a stranger. Totally on my list of things to do."
"Rose. Answer the question."
"I was young, okay. It Doesn't matter to you anyway. Stop asking me questions you are supposed to be my abductor."
He scoffs and picks up a picture on my nightstand.
"Who are these people?"
"That's my adoptive mom, Jane Hathaway. and my sister, who she also adopted Jill Hathaway." I find myself saying this before I =dfully think it through.
"Please don't hurt them." I follow up.
"Ah. Mastrano. I am not here to hurt you or anyone you love Rose. I can see that you miss them. I have a family too, they live in Russia." he states in his deep voice. And for some reason, I trust him wholeheartedly that he won't hurt my family because the way he says that he also has a family with such protectiveness, it is breathtaking.
"What do you mean Mastrano?"
"Don't worry about it. Get dressed. We have to go soon." He stares at me intently.
"If you want me to get dressed you are going to have to turn around Comrade. I promise not to make a run for it." He turns around reluctantly, and I go to my dresser. I put on a pair of skinny black jeans.
"So, what's the plan? I guess I have no choice to follow you so I would at least like to know what's going on." I ask as I go and grab my black bra. I take my t-shirt off and put my bra on. Knowing that I fill this bra out extremely well a part of me hoped that he would peak. I look back at my dresser looking for a shirt. Realizing that I had no shirts left in this dresser, I look around the room, and I see a clean black t-shirt by the door right in front of the mystery man. If I were Lissa, I would walk over and pick it up. Apart of me wants to walk in front of him and see what his reaction would be. But I know that's not who I am.
"Can you please pass me that black t-shirt in front of you?" He goes to grab it, and I walk to the edge of the bed. Distracted by the delicious curve of his back, I found my side colliding with the edge of the bed.
"Son of a bitch." I look down and notice the angry red mark on my side. "Fuck that's going to leave a bruise." I look up, and I see him staring at me. His eyes hold something that I can't quite place. The fire in his eyes seem so warm almost like it they are burning into my soul.
"I am sorry. I thought something happened." As he says this, he throws the shirt at me and promptly turns around. I flush in embarrassment. Why did he have to turn around? Did he see all my scars? What would he think? Why do I care what he thinks? I just met this man not even a day ago. What is wrong with me?
"We have to go now."
Almost precisely after he states this the door of my room bursts open. Then smoke seems to engulf every inch of the room. I look over at the strange man, and he has disappeared. Shit. I see red lasers everywhere. I try to go for the dagger, but it has also disappeared.
"Bastard," I mumble. Thinking fast, I grab the blanket and throw it up and over at whoever has burst through the door. Someone grabs me from behind. I flip whoever came up behind me over my shoulder, and in the same swift moment, I turn around and kick someone else in the face. Then three more come after me. I manage to punch one of them in the face, but it didn't stop the other two from coming to get me. The smoke begins to clear, and I see someone walking into the room. It is none other than Ellen Kirova. The women that tried to abduct me before and was the reason Mason was dead. Before the smoke could clear completely, I manage to shake the two that have me off and make it for the window.
Before I can get to the window, another one comes for me, and I somehow manage to duck around him. Before I can get to the window, Kirova yells, "Stop!" You move another inch, and I will kill everyone you love." I stop in my tracks.
That's when he comes out of nowhere he knocks Kirova down and yells "Go!" and before I could think I duck out of the window and onto the ground below, not even blinking an eye at the pain, I start running to where my car should be. I hear Kirova screaming.
"Get her! Get her!"
Next thing I know there is a car pulling up next to me, it's the stranger. How in the fuck did he get out of there so quickly? I didn't even see him leave the building.
"Get in," he states. I don't argue. They are already coming out of the building; I get in the car, and he speeds off. Next thing I know he's throwing something in my face, and I realize it's a small baggie of essentials. I didn't want to feel vulnerable around him anymore. I could take care of myself just fine.
"You know we haven't had a proper introduction; I am Rose," I state in the most sarcastic voice. I am trying to hide the fact that this man put me on the edge of my seat.
"I know who you are, Rosa." He states in a worried voice that is so very sexy at the same time.
"Well, I don't know who you are," I tell him, kind of embarrassed that this man has seen me close to naked and I don't even know he is. Trying not to think of it too much I focused on the outdoors; we were going faster than any car I have seen go. "Also, what's with the nickname?"
"I am Dimitri Belikov, son of the god of war. Your guardian." He states, and I notice that his eyes go to almost black while he says this.