I opened my eyes slowly and sighed quietly. My body still felt off, but I didn't feel sick like I did last night. I felt the heavy weight of an arm around my waist and I shuffled back into the heat of the chest behind me. While I didn't feel the cold like I used to, my room was always colder than the rest of the house.
"You're so warm," I mumbled.
"It's cold in here," Dimitri commented quietly, brushing my hair behind my ear. I hummed and I rolled over, pressing my face into his chest. I missed the smell of him over the last few weeks, and I wasn't too proud to admit that I found comfort in it.
"Like you really feel the cold," I grumbled against his shirt. Dimitri rubbed his hand over my back and smiled at me when I sat up, stretching my arms over my head.
"You're adorable in the morning," Dimitri breathed. I snorted and ran my hand through my hair, loosening some of the curls.
"Liar," I grumbled, standing up and creeping to the window, squinting as I moved the blinds to look outside. The roads didn't look as terrible as I thought they would, but I wasn't sure I'd be up for driving. I didn't like driving in the rain now, and I wouldn't be caught dead driving after a snowstorm.
"You can read my thoughts, you know that I'm not," Dimitri said, projecting a thought to me. I could see myself standing at the window dressed in boxers and a large t-shirt. I blinked and was looking out the window again.
I looked at him and smiled. "I take it you changed my clothes last night?"
Dimitri raised his brow at me. "Did you think I was going to let you go to bed in clothes that smelled like puke?"
I shook my head. "No. You're too sweet to let me do that," I said as I walked back, climbing over him and sitting in his lap. I rested my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his smell with a happy sigh. Dimitri's hands rested on my back as he kissed my hair.
"What are the chances I could talk you into driving me back today? Then back here after Christmas?" I asked into his neck.
Dimitri kissed my head again and breathed in deeply, pressing his face into my hair. "It will cost you."
I groaned. "What?"
"A kiss. That's all I ask."
I grinned and lifted my head up, pressing my lips firmly against his. Dimitri cupped my neck and prolonged our kiss, sucking on my lip. I giggled when he nipped at my lip and snarled playfully, pressing a kiss to the spot below my ear.
I squealed and laughed, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck. Dimitri laughed into my hair, pressing another kiss to my skin and pulled back. Dimitri winked at me and looked at the door. I furrowed my brows before I heard footsteps. They were light and even, a slight scuff on one foot. Ellison.
He knocked on the door and I called out, grinning at Dimitri. Ellison opened the door slowly and peeked his head in, giving a smile to the two of us.
"Hey. I was gonna make food before I left. Do you want any?"
"Are you making that egg concoction?"
Ellison grinned and nodded. I nodded energetically and he laughed, ducking out of the room. I looked at Dimitri again and stood up, walking to my small closet and pulled out some clothes.
"I wash your coat but it is still wet, dress warmly," Dimitri pipped up as he stood up too. I looked behind me and nodded, smirking as I watched him pull clothes out of the duffle bag that he brought in with him last night. Dimitri stripped his shirt off and folded it, smirking at me.
"See something you like?" Dimitri asked. I chuckled and dropped the shirt I was putting on, walking to my desk. I picked up my sketchbook and flipped it a few paged before gently tossing it to him.
"I see plenty," I chirped, leaning over to pick up a bra and put it on. Dimitri winked at me and looked at the page, a smirk growing on his face. He flipped through a few pages, making a noise in the back of his throat.
"Roza, you have an eye for detail. These are extraordinary," Dimitri praised, looking up at me. I smiled at him and pulled my sweater over my head.
"Thank you," I said, "I had a hot muse."
Dimitri chuckled and set the sketchbook on the bed and continued getting dressed. I pulled on thick socks and stuffed my feet into my boots and tied my hair up. Dimitri finished dressing and kissed my cheek before picking up his bag.
"Is your bag packed?" Dimitri asked. I nodded and pointed to my duffle on the chair.
"Yeah. I just have a few more things but they can go in my book bag," I said as I packed a few things in the bag, closing my sketchbook. Dimitri nodded and grabbed both bags, heading out into the hall. I gathered my things and unplugged my phone, finding a new message from Mia.
Meet for coffee soon?
I typed back a quick confirmation and headed out to the hall, finding everyone congregated there. Except there was a new person there.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I spat, dropping my bag and stomping forwards. Ellison had his body angled between Dimitri and him, but Dimitri's arm shot out to block me.
"I was in the neighbourhood, thought I'd come by and say hello," Nathan drawled with his hands in his pocket.
"I have a very pissed-off FBI agent on speed dial," I snarked, "I suggest you fuck off before I make what Adrian did to you look like a slap on the wrist!"
I tried to move around Dimitri's arm but he stopped me, hand gripping onto the front of my sweater. Nathan smirked at me and flipped through the loose papers I let on the table to dry.
"Such a vulgar mouth," He tsked, "You'd think your Ekon would have fixed that by now."
I squinted my brows at him and felt rage roll through me, not sure if it was completely my own or mixed with Dimitri's. Nathan tapped his finger on the painting I had there and looked back up at me.
"But then again, maybe he likes a wild whore," Nathan snickered. Dimitri growled deep in his throat when something smashed against the back of Nathan's head. It was a hard enough hit that it knocked him out and he crumpled to the floor.
I looked up from his limp body and found Sydney standing behind him, holding a shattered object.
"And my brother said that this cross was nothing but a paperweight," Sydney scoffed, dropping the rest of it to the flood with a thud. I laughed and cringed when I could taste copper in the air. I looked at Dimitri and he gritted his teeth.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, resting my hand on his forearm.
Dimitri gave me a sharp nod of his head. "I'm fine. I just don't like how he speaks about you," Dimitri said, resting his hand on mine for a brief moment. Dimitri walked around the table and stood over Nathan, tilting his head.
"And what do we do with him?" he asked. I raised my brows and sighed.
"I can have my parents take care of him. He's a member of the Gathering. I recognized his face from our board," Sydney said. I looked at Dimitri.
"Is this something that the Guardians would deal with too?"
"Guardians? You know them personally?"
"One of them is my father," I said dryly, "I'm really intertwined in this."
Ellison rubbed his hand over his face. "I am so not awake enough for this," Ellison groaned. I frowned at him and gestured for him to sit on the couch.
"It's been a lot, I'm sorry," I said quietly. Ellison nodded and sighed.
"Is this why you have so much angst for your paintings?"
I laughed. "Yeah. I've had a lot to be angry about over the last six months."
Ellison nodded. "Yeah. Apparently," he said, "Why did Dimitri get so angry when he saw Nathan?"
I licked my lips. "Remember when I told you when I was drunk at Halloween? About the party I was at? It was him."
Ellison took a deep breath. "I wish I hit him with the cast iron."
I grinned. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get your chance," I said with a chuckle. I figured Ellison wasn't going to be up to cooking so I pulled some things out to make breakfast while Dimitri spoke on the phone. Whether it was someone from the home hub, my parents, or the Alchemist.
I yawned as I watched the eggs cook, not bothering with the bacon. Eggs would do for now. We didn't have much else for food. We prepared for all of us to be away for a few weeks. I plated the eggs and gestured at them while looking at Dimitri, but he shook his head while he spoke.
I set the plates down in front of Sydney and Ellison while I perched on the edge of the couch. Ellison picked at his eggs.
"If you want, I could ask Dimitri to compel you. He could make you think it was all a weird dream," I offered. Ellison paused mid bite.
"He can do that?"
I nodded. "When I was having really back dreams, I would ask him to compel me so that I wouldn't have nightmares."
Ellison looked like he considered it. "It's just a lot to take in," he admitted.
"There's nothing wrong with admitting that. It is a lot to take in, and you went through something pretty scary last night. Most people don't see Strigoi and live," I explained. Ellison nodded and finished his eggs, getting up and walking toward his room.
I finished my food and walked towards Dimitri, crossing my arms loosely over my chest as he finished his call. Dimitri sighed and pressed his lips into a tight smile.
"Spiridon will be by to get him. After that, they have him brought to our hub," Dimitri explained. I nodded and rested my hand on his bicep, squeezing it gently.
"Can I ask you a small favour?" I whispered. Dimitri nodded.
"I don't think Ellison is going to be able to process this easily," I said quietly. Dimitri nodded.
"I know. He's on edge. I'll talk to him," he said kissing my temple and stepping around me, heading towards Ellison's room. He knocked on the door and I heard Ellison tell him to come in. I sighed and picked up the dishes, loading them into the dishwasher and started it. I cleaned up my paintings and waited for Dimitri to come out, but there was a knock on the door instead.
I opened it and sighed, squaring my shoulders back. "Spiridon," I said dryly.
"You're not going to puke on my shoes again, are you?" he asked. I hadn't noticed it but had a slights accent too. Spiridon came in and followed me to where I gestured to Nathan on the floor.
"Baby Alchemist knocked him out cold with a glass cross," I said with a snort. Spiridon crouched down and pressed his fingers to his pulse.
"Can't you hear it?" I asked, "I can."
"Yes, but hearing and feeling are different," he said, "How long?"
"Maybe twenty minutes? Give or take?"
Spiridon nodded and picked up Nathan's arm, tossing him onto his shoulder. I stepped back so he had room to walk back to the front door.
"Have a good Christmas, kid," he said. I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind him, finding Sydney cleaning up the glass. I crouched down and helped Sydney clean it up, peaking at her from behind my hair.
"What did you mean that you had 'seen' his picture?"
Sydney stopped for a moment and continues, her blonde hair slipping from her ponytail.
"Do you know what a broadsheet is?"
"Like the wanted posters in Dimitri's movies?"
Sydney chuckled. "Yes. We have those for members that are a part of The Gathering. Nathan's whole family is on our radar. It's also why I wasn't surprised when you told me," Sydney explained, "I already knew."
I nodded and dumped the glass into the garbage, rinsing my hand off to make sure I got all of the shards off my hands. I dried them carefully and turned to Sydney, finding her lingering by the table.
"Did you never bug me about the pain I was in because you knew it was because of the bond? Because there was the emotional and physical distance between me and Dimitri?"
Sydney nodded. "I knew you were a mate when we met. I don't know how we can tell the difference, but there is just something about mates that stand out. I realized it more when you would rub at your chest, or when your eyes would glaze over it you got glimpses of Dimitri's mind. And I figured out you were a Dhampir with how strong you were."
I rested back against the counter and crossed my legs and arms.
"Does it make you uncomfortable? I know that Alchemists think that we are 'creatures of the night' and 'abominations'," I asked. In one of the books Dimitri leant Mom and me, I read that Alchemists could be hostile towards us due to our bloodlines. They believed that we had direct bloodlines to evil and that they only kept the races secret so that human populations were polluted.
"No. You have always been kind to me and protective, and it's part of why I want out. I hate that mindset and I don't think Ekons and their mates are evil. Sure, it's weird sometimes, but I'm slowly getting over it."
Dimitri came out of Ellison's room and came back to the kitchen, nodding at the both of us.
"How is he?" Sydney pressed.
"He's okay. I used some mild compulsion. He thinks last night is a dream and that Nathan broke in," Dimitri explained as he came to stand beside me. Like magnets, I moved towards him, curling into the space in his arm as he wrapped it around me.
Sydney watched us with amusement.
"What?"
"It's interesting to observe," Sydney said, "I didn't get to see mates together a lot. My mother told me that they would usually move together, but I didn't understand that until now. You gravitate toward each other, and I can see you both relax with contact. Does it bring you both relief?"
I looked up at Dimitri and shrugged. "The best way to explain how it feels is like your mate is a switch. You could be angry or sad or hysterical and the moment they make physical contact with you, it's like the switch is turned off. You can still feel the emotions initially, but it tappers off and you relax. It brings peace. Even if Dimitri sends soothing thoughts to me when I'm stressed, I feel the stress lessen. Does that make sense?" I explained.
Sydney pursed her lips but nodded. "It's like turning the volume down?"
"Exactly," Dimitri said. I smiled and rested my head on Dimitri's shoulder, wrapping my arm around his waist.
I wasn't going to say I didn't miss the Hub. I missed the comforts that I had grown accustomed to before college. When we walked in I put my new coat in the closet and toed my boots off, slipping on a pair of slipper shoes.
I grinned at the Christmas tree that was in the corner by the back window, decorated with silver and colours. I walked to it and ran my finger over one of the branches, making one of the ornaments jingle. I looked over the other ornaments that hung on the tree and then to the decorations on the table, coming to a stop on a picture frame.
"I meant to ask but forgot; any word about Ms. Karp?"
Dimitri frowned. "She was turned," Dimitri said sadly, "We put her picture up to honour here. Mikhail hasn't been coping well."
I frowned and wrapped my arms around my stomach. "Poor man. I couldn't imagine what he's going through," I whispered. Dimitri nodded and brushed my hair behind my ear.
I do.
I sighed and caught his hand. "I know. But I'm right here."
Dimitri nodded and smiled at me weakly, pulling me towards him so he could kiss my forehead. I smiled and beamed up at him when he pulled back when someone came into the room. I looked around him and grinned, letting go of his hand and skipped towards them.
"Alberta!" I said excitedly. Alberta smiled at me and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me with a groan.
"I missed you," Alberta said fondly. I grinned and hugged her back tightly.
"I missed you. All my profs are cranky," I chirped. Alberta raised a brow at me when I pulled back, but she smiled at me nonetheless fondly.
"I'm sure they are," Stan interjected as he came into the room. I snorted a laugh.
"Glad to see you made it home in one piece. What were you doing in NYC?"
Stan clapped Dimitri on the shoulder as he came to stand with us, his hand going to Alberta's back.
"I was there to speak to Spiridon but he had gone out. Luckily he did," Stan said, "How are you feeling now?"
I nodded and shoved my hands into my pockets. "Fine. I don't think I want to experience my body rejecting venom ever again, but I'm fine. Thank you for letting Dimitri know that I was there. Also, what is up that Spiridon's ass? He's a prick."
"Spiridon has always been that way," Alberta sighed in irritation.
"Well at least he came and took that piece of trash out of my place the other day," I said dryly as I crossed my arms over my chest. Alberta raised her brows and gestured for me to walk with her. We all went to the couches and Dimitri sat down and pulled me down on his lap. I smiled and laughed quietly to myself as I wrapped my arm around his neck, leaning into him.
"What is this about Nathan being in your place?"
"He claimed that he was in the neighbourhood and wanted to say him, but I don't feel all that comfortable knowing that he knows where I live. Because if he does, so do they," I explained, "My surprise Alchemist roommate knocked him out with some glass cross."
Alberta frowned and reached up to run her hands through the back of Stan's hair, her brows knitted together. It must have been something that calmed her because it seemed like such a natural thing for her to do, and Stan reached over and rested his hand on her leg.
"I don't like that idea either," she said quietly.
I nodded and subconsciously ran my fingers over the back of Dimitri's neck. He was starting to get agitated again and I didn't want him to be. He was already stressed out about the situation, I didn't want him to get more stressed.
I could feel the tension in the room shift as our respective mates calmed down. Stan sent me a quirked smile. I smiled back and turned my head to kiss Dimitri's temple. Dimitri sighed and slackened, releasing some of the tension he was holding.
"Are you doing anything fun for Christmas?" I asked Alberta.
Alberta flicked her eyes to Dimitri and then back. "We are having our coven dinner on Christmas Eve."
I looked at Dimitri and he looked at me sheepishly. "Oh are you?"
"Yes. I was going to ask you, but it slipped my mind."
I scrunched my nose up at him and rapped my knuckles softly against his head. "How exactly did it slip this noggin?"
Dimitri rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Ha ha. Are you wanting to come?"
I raised my brows at mine. "Those of you who don't eat are holding a dinner."
Alberta laughed. "It's not exactly a dinner. It's more of a formal gathering of our coven and respective mates. We do a small gift exchange and such. We do have small hors d'oeuvre and such, mostly for our mates and habit."
I smiled and scrunched my nose at Dimitri again with a smile. "I'd love to. Does that mean I get to see you in a suit?"
Dimitri grinned but didn't indulge me with an answer.
"How formal is formal?"
"Formal. Not black tie, but some choose that style," Stan said. I nodded and mentally went over the clothes in my closet that might work, but I came up empty. It was moments like this that I wish my mother wasn't five feet tall.
"I'll figure something out," I said with a smile, "Give myself a reason to dress up and look nice."
Dimitri rolled his eyes at me and twirled the ends of my hair around his fingers. "You always look nice."
Stan chuckled. "What a suck up," he chuckled.
I smirked at Alberta and wagged my brows at her. He was a suck up sometimes, but I couldn't admit I didn't love it.
I am so excited to share the next chapter with you! I am currently finishing the last few chapters for Yours Eternally and I am getting so excited!
Let me know what you think! :)
