I twirled the stake in the palm of my hand absently, staring at the gleam from the light on the stake. After getting back to my college house, I had a habit of taking it out at night and just feeling the weight in my hands. Dimitri had said to visualize it as an extension of my hand, not an addition.
I enjoyed the weight in my hand. In a strange way, it made me feel like he was here.
"What is that?" Sydney asked quietly, but the way she asked it made it sound like a demand, not curiosity.
"Nothing," I said quietly as I tucked it back into my pocket. "What's wrong?"
Sydney slumped onto the couch beside me with a sigh. "I'm regretting going home," she said quietly.
"That bad, huh?"
"It was such a mistake," Sydney admitted, "I would have been better off not going at all. Did your Thanksgiving go okay?"
I was about to say that it was fine so I didn't rub it in her face, but Ellison squeezed between us and rested his ankles on the coffee table with a sigh.
"She got laid, she had a great Thanksgiving," he chuckled.
My eyes started to bug out of my head and I looked at him. "Ellison!"
"Was it good?" Sydney asked and I scoffed.
"How did our conversation get to this?" I asked.
"Who was it?"
"Oh my God," I groaned and covered my face with my hands.
"It was Dimitri, the hottie from the sketches," Ellison but in. I sighed and shook my head.
"Would you like to tell her about my sex life?" I asked him. Ellison smirked at me and laughed, shoulders shaking and couch shaking a little as well.
Sydney had a grin on her face as Ellison and I bickered.
"I did not get laid, just some really good making out and maybe some touching. And yes, it was Dimitri."
"He was your ex, right?" Sydney asked.
"Not anymore," I murmured, "We're giving things another go. I was angry with him and did some shitty things, but deep down he did what he did because he had my best interest at heart. He didn't want me to miss out on the possibilities."
Sydney smiled. "I'm glad that you're giving things another chance. You deserve to be happy," she encouraged softly.
I smiled at her and popped my feet up too, slipping the stake back into the box when Ellison was looking at his phone.
"I feel exhausted," I muttered.
"I'm surprised since you had a warm body you were wrapped around for the last week," Ellison grunted.
"How would you know that?"
"Because I saw him sneak out a few times in the morning before your parents get up. It was adorable that you would trail after him like a puppy. 'One more,'" he said before mocking me, making kissing noises.
I smacked him and got up. "I'm going to be because I have to work tomorrow. Good night," I chuckled and headed to my room. The two called good night after me and I got ready for bed, climbing into bed and grabbing my phone.
I listened to it ring a few times before Dimitri picked up on the other side.
"Hi," he said softly and I could hear the grin in his voice.
"Hi. I just wanted to hear your voice," I whispered. I could hear Dimitri shifting around and the sound of him laying down on his couch.
"I will never complain about that," he said. I smiled to myself and got comfortable, divulging my day and asking him about his.
It was only four weeks since I had been home and I was more homesick than ever. I couldn't wait to be home. I was excited about our traditions at Christmas, but I was also happy that I would be home for a handful of weeks.
A handful of weeks with the people I loved. I was just hoping that the hospital Lissa was at would allow me to bring her gift to her. It wasn't anything crazy, just a pair of pyjamas I knew she would be in love with and some books.
With exams being completed now, I was excited to see what the next semester had in store for me. I adjusted my hat over my hair and rubbed my hands together. The snow was starting to fall heavily, and the temperature had dropped. It was definitely Christmas time.
"How are you getting home this weekend? You're not going to try driving are you?" Sydney asked as we walked. It was the rare night of the week when the three of us all finished classes at the same time and could walk home together.
"I don't know. If the roads get too bad, I might ask Dimitri to come up and drive me, or I'll take the train as far as I can."
Sydney nodded and linked her arm through mine, huddling into my side. I let her lean into me. She was so skinny and frail that a stiff breeze would blow her over. I didn't feel the cold like I used and if I could shield the wind from her, I would.
"Are you going to see Ellen," I asked Ellison, an invitation already on my lips.
"Yes, she is making apple dumplings for me," he said with a smile, "I'm really looking forward to seeing her."
I smiled at him and bumped his shoulder. "I'm glad. I was going to say if you weren't you were welcome to come back with me."
"Oh, so I could watch you and Dimitri make eyes at each other?" Ellison snickered. I rolled my eyes and shrugged.
"Hey, my parents liked you and Dimitri thought you were great," I said, "Besides, my house is always open." I looked at Sydney pointedly.
"Always. My parents aren't strangers to guests," I said softly, "So if you ever want somewhere to go, we have a great guest room."
Sydney smiled at me softly and nodded, acknowledging the unspoken invitation. I sighed and looked up at the moon, marvelling at how big it looked. It might have been my heightened eyesight, or simply because it was a full moon, but it looked too big for the night sky.
"What did you get Dimitri for Christmas?"
"I got him a new pair of cufflinks. He prefers them to shirts with regular buttons. I also found a first-edition book he was looking for at a thrift market," I said.
"That's sweet, and kind of old-fashioned," Ellison said.
I chuckled. "Dimitri kind of is old fashioned."
Sydney said something low under her breath, too low for me to catch. I asked her about it, and she looked at me like she was a deer in headlights before making a comment about how she wasn't surprised considering his profession.
I shrugged it off when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I stopped, my eyes moving around the darkness.
"What's wrong?" Sydney asked quietly.
"I don't know," I said quietly, taking my arm out of her grip and slipping my hand into my pocket, wrapping my hand around the stake in my pocket. I shifted so that I was a step ahead of the others, my shoes crunching against the snow.
The stillness was eerie and the snow falling made the air silent. I took a breath and searched for the cause of my unease, but I quickly found it.
Red eyes were staring back at me in the darkness, like fresh blood. I swallowed and pulled out the stake, holding it as Dimitri showed me. I had prayed that I didn't need it, but it was a good thing Dimitri insisted on me having it.
"We found a snack or two," the Strigoi said, another joining him. The other was tall and blonde, eyes icy blue with red rings around the pupils.
"A Dhampir? We haven't had one of those in years," the woman said, stalking towards us like we were prey. But that was exactly what we were. We were prey.
"And she thinks she knows what to do with that," the man laughed, the sound almost metallic in the air.
Ellison started to step forward but I put my arm out, stopping him. He was no match for Strigoi. None of us were.
"Take Syd and run," I whispered as my phone pinged, a noise I had heard often. Dimitri had installed an app that was almost impossible to find on my phone. It was designed by the Guardians to alert others when a Strigoi attack had occurred, allowing mates to get to the closest hub. I pulled my phone out and extended it behind me.
"Take it, and show them at the door, they'll let you in," I said as the Strigoi started to advance us. My heart was roaring in my chest, knowing that most likely wasn't going to make it out of this alive. But if I could get those two out safely, I would willingly give my life for that.
I sent out a thought to Dimitri, whispering my love for him. I wasn't sure if he would be able to hear it this far away, but I had to believe that he could.
Sydney was starting to protest but the woman leapt forward, hand stretched out in a claw for me. I jumped back in time for her to miss my neck, but she made her mark on my cheek. I could hear Ellison starting to drag Sydney away, but the moment of distraction was my downfall.
The woman latched onto me, gripping my hair in her hand as she yanked my head to the side. I managed to scream before the endorphins took over, the high coming over my body. My body recognized it and I moaned as my ability to fight her off diminished.
As the woman pulled away someone pulled her attention away and I was able to bring the stake up weakly and slashed at her throat. Her blood was almost black as it sprayed over me, and her scream was like nails on a chalkboard.
She snarled at me and lunged for me as I stumbled back on my feet, clumsily trying to get control. She made a move for me but she stopped, a sick noise coming from her throat as the red drained from her eyes. She fell to the ground in a heap and I looked up in a daze, a man standing over me.
"Are you alright," he asked as he bent down to pull me to my feet. I groaned and my head lulled a bit.
"I don't feel good," I moaned, "I feel like I'm going to puke."
The man nodded and lifted me up, carrying me in his arms. I groaned as the movement made the nausea worse and I closed my eyes, gripping my stake tightly still. I tucked it up into my sleeve as the man walked, weaving through an alleyway before coming to a door.
He banged on the door with his foot and it opened, light flooding us as he stepped in. I knew where we were without opening my eyes. We were at a hub. I hadn't been to any since I moved to New York, but I knew where the closest one was to our place.
"Oh my God! Rose!"
The man set me down in a chair and tapped my cheek with his hand. "I need you to stay awake," he said gruffly.
I blinked at him dizzily and frowned. I tried to calm the rolling in my stomach but couldn't, leaning forward and puking on his shoes. He made a noise of disgust and moved away as I moved my hands up to hold my hair back. I heaved again and cried, the pain of vomiting was overwhelming.
Someone moved in front of me and was trying to clean up my mess while someone else handed me a wet paper towel. The man who brought me in picked up the stake that I dropped in my lap and he held it up to my eye level.
"Where did you get this?" he demanded. I licked my lips and tried to breathe through the queasiness.
"Where did you get this?!"
"Rose?"
I looked to my right and found a surprisingly welcome surprise.
"Stan?" I slurred. He gapped at me as he held the phone to his ear.
"Yeah. I'd let him know that she's here, I'll call you back," Stan said before hanging up, pocketing his phone as he crouched in front of me. Stan took the stake from the man's hand and looked at it, surprise coming over his face.
"This is Dimitri's, isn't it?" he asked.
I nodded. "Why do I feel so sick?"
Stan shook his head. "I don't know. How about you lay down on the couch," Stan offered, helping me stand up. I grimaced when my vision swam. Stan helped me take my puke and blood covered coat off and he helped me onto the couch. Sydney can over and sat by my feet instantly, worry written all over her face.
"Are you okay?" she whispered. I started to nod my head before regretting it.
"Yeah," I whispered. I could hear Stan speaking quietly and I closed my eyes.
"How exactly does she have that?" the man from before snapped.
"Enough," Stan snapped, "She's not in any condition to be interrogated right now. She didn't steal it if that's your concern."
"And you know her?" another, softer voice chimed in. A woman.
Stan was silent for a moment. "She was my student, and my mate was very fond of her," Stan stated.
As I lay on the couch I went in and out of consciousness. At one point I woke long enough to ask Ellison if he was okay. He looked a little shaken, but said we couldn't leave yet because it wasn't 'clear'. Ellison didn't understand what that meant, but I did.
I blinked again and found myself wide awake now, my mouth dry. I pushed myself up and looked at Sydney who was curled up against Ellison asleep.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"I don't know, a few hours. They took our phones," Ellison said quietly.
I stood up and tested my weight, my stomach still feeling off. I looked around and chuckled to myself. This hub looked similar to the hub back home. I noticed my stake on the counter and went for it, picking it up.
"You can't have that," the man from before snarled. I looked at him and he advanced quickly. An Ekon.
I stepped out of the way but he gripped my shoulder, pushing me up against the wall.
"I am only going to ask this one more time. Where did you steal the stake from?!" he snarled in my face. His voice startled Sydney and Ellison, both of them standing up.
I let out a deep breath as I caught movement just behind him and a smirk crossed my face.
"You fucked up," I croaked when Dimitri's hand wrapped into the back of the man's shirt, ripping him away from me. The instinct of seeing his mate in danger had taken over, and Dimitri held nothing back. The force he used to pull him away from me made the man lose his footing, crashing into the coffee table by Sydney and Ellison.
Dimitri and the man grappled as more people flooded the room, Stan rushing forward to put himself between them.
"Stop!" Stan bellowed, "Dimitri. Go check on Rose. Spiridon, knock it off. I already told you she didn't steal it!"
Dimitri's body was rigid and taut as he glared down at the man, Spiridon. I opened the bond and pulled some of Dimitri's anger out, letting it uncloud him. Dimitri's eyes drilled into Spiridon's before he turned and came to me, cradling me gently in his hands.
"Oh Roza," he said softly, the tinge of red leaving his eyes. I reached up and shushed him, caressing his cheek.
"It's okay," I whispered, "I'm okay."
Dimitri's eyes travelled to my neck and a look of anguished took over, moving my hair away from my neck.
"No," he whispered.
"I'm fine," I whispered despite feeling like I was going to puke again.
Dimitri tsked and kissed my hair, cradling me to his chest. "Did you get sick?"
I nodded. "I puked on Spiridon's shoes," I muttered. Dimitri scoffed a laugh and pulled back, directing me back to the couch. I sat beside Ellison and Sydney while Dimitri dotted around me, taking a wet cloth from a woman who offered it to him.
Dimitri carefully cleaned my neck, whispering apologies when the cloth caught on the ripped skin. Once he was done that he started to clean off my face and chest, frowning to himself as he wiped the black blood off my skin. After that, he checked me over for cuts or scrapes. He was worried about the one on my cheek, but most of the blood on my face with just mine.
"How many were there?"
"Two," Spiridon said. Dimitri turned and glared at him before looking back at me
"Tell me what happened," Dimitri asked softly. I gave him the short recap, not going into complete detail.
"Why do I feel sick? It didn't feel like this with you?" I asked, my cheeks blushing.
"Because your body has my blood in it," Dimitri explained, "If I had bit you and then fed you my blood, the transformation would be completed. But without both at the same time, it's an uncompleted process. Your body recognized that something was wrong, that it wasn't your mate, and it was trying to purge the endorphins. Our bond was trying to protect you," Dimitri said as he stroked my cheek.
I nodded my head and sniffed, leaning forward and resting my forehead on his shoulder.
"Can I get you something to eat, darling? Your stomach must be all messed up," a woman asked. I looked up and found the lady who gave Dimitri the clothe.
"That would be great, thank you," I said quietly. She scurried into the kitchen and I rubbed my hand over my mouth.
"Why did you tell him that he fucked up? Also, what is the bond?" Ellison asked.
"Because Spiridon attacked Dimitri's mate, it put his instincts into overdrive to protect Rose," Sydney muttered. I looked at her and I raised my brows at her.
"What?"
Sydney gave a small shrug. "My parents are Alchemists," she said and I knew now. She knew what all of this was and that was why she wasn't completely phased.
"Mate? Is that why your parents were so chill about how you two acted? Because they knew?"
I nodded. "Yep. They were trying to force us to make up."
Dimitri grinned and took the plate from the woman as she came back.
"Thank you?" I asked, hoping that she would tell me her name as well.
"Iris," she offered and I couldn't help but love the slight twang in her accent.
"Your voice is pretty," I slurred. Iris smiled at me and handed me the plate. I ate what I could before I felt full and handed the plate back to her. She smiled at me and stroked my cheek affectionately. Dimitri helped lay me down, a sad smile on his face.
Dimitri stroked my hair as he knelt next to the couch, his eyes on my face. I could hear Iris speaking to Spiridon in sharp, hushed tones, the two of them bent toward each other. It seemed as though she was tearing a strip off of him.
"Can we go home?" I asked quietly.
Dimitri nodded and stroked his thumb over my forehead. "Let me make sure everything is still clear, but we can go home," Dimitri said softly. I nodded as he stood up, walking towards Iris and Spiridon. I watched the three of them talk when Stan stepped back into the room, my coat over his arm.
"I got most of it off, but it'll still need to be washed," Stan said as he set my coat on the coffee table. I sat up slowly and nodded, my mouth still tasting putrid.
"Thanks," I said as Dimitri came back. "Well?"
"We're good to go, just need to be vigil," Dimitri explained and picked up my coat. I slipped my arms into my sleeves. Iris came back and handed our cell phones back.
"You are welcome here anytime, love," she said, "Spiridon knows now that you are one of us, and that we always open our doors to our own."
I smiled at her tiredly and leaned on Dimitri while Sydney and Ellison got their things on as well. Dimitri picked up my bag and led us back out to the street where his car was parked. I climbed into the front and rested my head against the window.
Dimitri got into the driver's seat and turned the car on, pulling away from the curb.
"Are you two alright?" Dimitri asked as he looked up into the rearview mirror.
Ellison cleared his throat. "I haven't wrapped my head around it yet, but physically, I'm fine."
"Me too, it's not the first time I've seen one," Sydney pipped up quietly.
I blinked tiredly as we drove and I sat up when I realized that Dimitri knew where I was living.
"How do you know where we live?" I asked Dimitri. Dimitri looked at me and raised his brows.
"Do want the real answer?"
I sighed and shook my head. "No. I'm just going to pretend that my parents told you."
Dimitri patted my leg gently and pulled into my driveway, giving me a guilty smile. I let it go and got out of the car tiredly.
Let me know what you think! :)
