Can't believe I hit the 100 mark with reviews. Honestly, love you all! Each review makes me so happy :D
Who's ready for some cute moments :3
Part 16
Tasha was quick, already encouraging Dimitri into the seat beside her. This ruined Lissa's plan of making him and I sit together.
"Rose, why don't you sit at the head of the table?" Lissa offered. It was the best of both worlds being beside Lissa and Dimitri. The fact that it would make Dimitri turn away from Tasha to face me just made it that much better.
Christian had dished out the food, not lying about providing giant servings for Dimitri and me. He really had learnt that dhampirs could eat a lot. The wonderment of food hadn't left Dimitri as his eyes took in the plate before him. It had a couple of cuts of roast turkey that honestly smelt amazing, with vegetables and mashed potatoes on the side.
I pushed the gravy boat towards him, "Go on. You know you want to, comrade."
Not needing to be told twice, Dimitri doused his food with the gravy, and I was quick to follow suit. Tasha was eyeing me, reaching for the bottle of wine.
"Here, Dimka. A good wine always makes the meal better." Tasha practically purred at him, filling up his glass.
I felt Lissa glance back forth between us like she was watching a tennis match. Slowly the pieces were falling into place. Then her eyes widened. "Oh!" Her exclamation drew the attention of the table. "Oh. This just looks so good, Christian." She quickly covered.
I rolled my eyes at her. Christian was watching her with a dubious look; he would have felt her realisation through their bond, though not known what it was about. I tried to pull the scrutiny off her, "Yeah, Christian. Who knew you were good at more than just starting fires?"
He sneered at me; I shot him a wink before shovelling food in my mouth. I wasn't lying. This food looks good and tastes fantastic.
"Damn, Rose. Can you not eat like an animal at the table?" Christian muttered.
My breath hitched, my face falling before becoming guarded. I knew that Christian was only poking fun at me; he didn't know his comment felt like a punch. Luckily, no one noticed my falter, all digging into their meals.
Everyone except for Dimitri.
I felt his eyes on me, but I refused to look. Under the table, I felt his foot press against mine. It wasn't much, though I knew what he was doing, trying to comfort me without drawing attention from the others that I didn't want. I shot him a grateful look.
The rest of dinner passed with the occasional comment on the food or about someone's day. When Tasha asked me how my shift was, I tried to not glare at her; they all knew that I spent my day doing paperwork as part of my punishment. She wasn't asking just because she was curious.
I don't remember Tasha being so hostile to me before, but that might be because she thought she stood a chance with Dimitri until it was revealed we were soulmates. Now I'm just the girl that took the man she loved. If I knew that there were any feelings returned from Dimitri to her, I would feel bad, but he had already turned her down in the past. Tasha was just determined to hold on to something that she couldn't have.
I jolted in surprise, my phone vibrating in my back pocket. While still stuffing my face with food, I pulled it out to read the text.
Eddie: Hans just gave me a job guarding Jill. Goodbye filing!
I sent back a quick reply.
I'm jealous. That's great! :Rose
Smirking, I put my phone away. Maybe Hans didn't hate me after all.
"What?" Lissa asked, noticing my reaction.
I glanced around the table, having gained everyone's attention, "Hans has assigned Eddie to be Jill's guardian. He's excited to be leaving the desk job."
"That's great," Lissa forced a smile, trying to conceal her jealousy. She wanted me to be her guardian but was still waiting for that decision.
I tried to lift her spirits, "Who knows, maybe I'll be next to get released." I didn't mention to them that I had been the one to suggest that Eddie be given this job. As much as I would have loved having an actual guardian job, I was glad that I could help Eddie.
The table lulled into silence before Lissa excitedly told us about the summer markets opening in a week that the Court does each year. "They are meant to have stuff from all over, and there's going to be fireworks and other stuff." She kept glancing at Christian, being very obvious that she wanted him to take her. Christian chuckled, taking the hint.
I could feel Dimitri preparing himself to speak before he opened his mouth. "I have heard it can be fun." He cleared his throat, looking at me intently. Lissa was on the edge of her seat as much as I was, anticipating his next words.
"Oh, Dimka, I love the summer markets. We have to go together. There's this great little food truck I have to take you to. They make the best baklava!" Tasha threw a hand around his shoulders; I could see her fingers brushing against the ends of his hair.
I had to remind myself that punching a Moroi is frowned upon and will just get me in more trouble than it was worth. But, at that moment, there was nothing else I wanted to do more than to punch Tasha right in her stupid smile and then do the same to Dimitri.
Dimitri's trepidation and unease from both Tasha's suggestion and the daggers that I was glaring at him was the only thing holding me back.
Tasha noticed my expression as well, tilting her head to the side in mock consideration, "You wouldn't mind, would you, Rose?"
The smile I gave her was chilling; my tone was dripping with fake cheer, "No, I'm sure Dimitri would love that."
I crossed my arms, putting on my mask so that they couldn't see how much my heart was breaking. I know this was all jealousy, but I couldn't help how much it hurt seeing Tasha all over Dimitri and him not doing anything about it. It was my own damn fault. I turned Dimitri down when I had the chance, and now we were nothing. We weren't even dating yet.
We were just two people that fate played a cruel joke on by tying us together.
Soulmates were such a joke.
"Actually, Tasha, I want to ask Rose to go with me."
My eyes flicked to Dimitri's; though he was speaking to Tasha, his eyes were on mine. The look in them was determined and filled with love. I know that if I touched the bond between us, I would feel the same intensity of his emotions as I did at the gym, if not stronger.
His hand moved closer to me, palm facing up and fingers spread towards me, an offering. His expression softened, becoming almost pleading, "That is if you would like to, Roza?"
Tasha watched us with barely concealed shock and anger; even she couldn't misunderstand this.
I focused back on Dimitri, eyes still on mine, waiting patiently for me to decide. A smile slowly crept over my face, placing my hand in his, "I would like that." Even with my mental walls up, his exhilaration broke through. I felt excitement building in me.
Dimitri was going to take me on a date!
"You got Eddie the assignment, didn't you."
I looked up at Dimitri in shock, the dish in my hands slipping and splashing in the water. I had offered to do the dishes as thanks for the meal, sending the three of them to the lounge room. Tasha had been quiet since Dimitri made his intention for me obvious, having excused herself to rest not long after.
I had been smiling since, imagining what our first real date would be like, becoming so lost in my thoughts I didn't notice Dimitri until he spoke.
I picked up the dish again, scrubbing at it, "No, I didn't." He eyed me, and I crumbled, "Fine, yes. I may have suggested to Hans that Jill needed a guardian and that Eddie would be perfect for the job."
"You didn't want to do it?" Dimitri asked. He was leaning in close to keep our conversation from being overheard by the others in the lounge room, but it just made me more aware of his presence. His aftershave. On anyone else, I wouldn't have thought twice about the scent, but on him, it was just so… Dimitri.
"No," I explained, "Eddie deserved this break, he's already been punished enough because of me."
Dimitri's mood fell, becoming remorseful. He hadn't been told all the details, but he knows why we're being punished with desk work, that we had left Court to find a way to save him. He shifted his weight, leaning closer to me again. "Thank you, for what you did for me."
I could feel his gratitude, though it was dulled by guilt and regret. I reached for his hand, where it rested on the counter. "I would do it all again. Everything I did was to bring you back, and I don't regret any of it." I held his eyes so he could see I was telling the truth.
The corners of his lips quirked up in a ghost of a smile. He turned, grabbing the dish towel and taking the clean plate from my hand, helping me finish what was left. We didn't talk much, but it was comfortable between us. Our fingers occasionally touched when I would pass him the next dish, his elbow brushing against me as he dried them.
After the dishes were done, we bade goodnight to Lissa and Christian, leaving them to have some time alone and walked back to the dorms.
It was late enough that the sun was rising, the golden rays warming the skin of my face. I stopped to soak it up a little. Being back on Moroi time meant less sunshine; I had missed it. Hearing Dimitri chuckle, I cracked open an eye to look at him.
"What?"
He simply shook his head, also angling his face to be in the sun, taking a deep breath as a sense of peace washed over him. "I'm glad to see that some things haven't changed."
Dimitri looked gorgeous in the sun, the way it made the brown of his hair shine, making it appear more golden. I didn't need to feel through the bond as to why he enjoyed this so much. Strigoi can't be in the sunlight; being able to stand in its rays and be unaffected was a way to continually prove to himself that he wasn't one of them anymore.
He walked me to my door, waiting for me to open my door first before unlocking his own. The smile he gave me was near blinding, whispering, "Goodnight, Roza." as I disappeared into my room.
Well, Hans did give me an upgrade on the work front. I was no longer downstairs filing paperwork. No, now I was upstairs inputting data into the computer system.
I never thought I would miss being downstairs, at least there, I could run into Mikhail, but I didn't know anyone here. Not anyone I wanted to talk to, anyway.
It was mind-numbingly boring.
Time moved both slowly and quickly. Whenever I closed my eyes, I would just see numbers and words dancing behind my eyes. I leant back in my chair, rubbing my forehead with a groan.
"Long day?"
My eyes snapped open, spinning to see Dimitri behind me. He was dressed in jeans and a dark button-up shirt, the top two buttons undone. Pulling my eyes away from the tantalising skin of his chest, I gazed up at him confused, "How did you get in here, comrade?"
He lowered himself into the wooden chair beside my desk, placing a paper bag in front of me, "Soulmate perk, I suppose. They just let me in to see you." He tilted his head towards the bag which I opened. "I thought you might be hungry."
A moan worked its way out of my mouth at the sight of the pastries in the bag.
"Keep bringing these, and you can visit whenever," I closed my eyes in bliss as I took my first bite. It was already past lunchtime, and I hadn't even noticed. "I'm seriously going to die if I have to do another day of data entry. It's so boring. I feel like I'm wasting away being stuck in this chair all day," I commented.
"We could go to the gym after your shift if you would like. Spar again."
I glanced at him, watching him tap his fingers on his thigh, nervous energy coming from him again. "Exercise would be great. Before I become useless."
Dimitri watched me eat for a couple of moments, glancing around the small cubical I was in. There weren't a lot of people here, having left for their lunch break. "So this is where you work." I could tell he dreaded the idea of being stuck behind a desk; he did not envy me.
"Yep," I gestured to my desk, "These are my pencils. This one is my favourite," I pointed to the remains of the pencil I broke in half earlier. "And this is my computer. I'm calling it Jesse because I really want to punch it." That got me a smile from him.
"How much longer do you have left?"
I pulled a face, "Until my brain is leaking from my ears, which will be in about three hours."
"I am meeting Lissa and Sonya, but I can meet you at the gym after you're done."
There was still a slight hesitancy in his voice. I guess I wasn't the only one waiting for the other shoe to drop. I gave him a reassuring nod, "Sounds like a plan."
After Dimitri left, I couldn't help but think of the weird turn of events; it hadn't even been a full two weeks since I discovered he was my soulmate, and we had already gone through so many ups and downs. I was still wary that he could hurt me again, but I was trying to keep my faith in him.
Last night had gone a long way to proving he was serious. I was kind of sad that I would have to wait a week for our date, but at least it gave me time to prepare. Tomorrow was my day off, and Lissa had already claimed it for our shopping day with Jill. And now Eddie, with him being her guardian.
The prospect of seeing Dimitri tonight and working out together gave me a burst of energy to power through the rest of my shift. I could have squealed in happiness when the last minute ticked by, out of my chair and gone before the others around me had even moved.
Reaching my room, I went straight to my drawer of workout gear to choose something for tonight. I was willing to admit now that I wanted to dress up a little for Dimitri; if anything, it's just to get a reaction from him. I always enjoyed revealing a new sports bra at one of our training sessions and seeing his eyes darken.
I picked out a red sports bra that gave a little lift and great cleavage, along with a pair of leggings that I knew hugged nicely—throwing an oversized shirt over the top so I could unveil it in front of Dimitri. I grabbed my bag and opened my door to leave.
Only to find a very pissed off Janine Hathaway standing in the hallway.
Without a word, she marched past me and into my room. I raised my eyebrows at her, watching her. Perplexed and irritated, I greeted her sarcastically, "Hi, mom. Please, come on in."
She turned on me, a disapproving look set on her face, "What the hell were you thinking, Rosemarie?"
I pushed the door closed, knowing this was about to get loud, and I didn't need the sound travelling more than it would through the thin walls. "Going to have to be more specific. I've done a lot of things."
"You think this is a joke?"
"See me laughing?" I deadpanned.
The flush that covered her skin nearly matched her hair, "Insulting the Queen! I always knew you lacked control, but really? The Queen!"
I crossed my arms, becoming defensive, "She was being a bitch passing that law. I was just calling it as it is."
"And then you bring your father into it?" She asked incredulously. "I thought you had grown up a little, but now I see you are still acting like a spoiled brat!"
I narrowed my eyes, "Trust me, mom, I was never spoiled. Besides, none of that stuff matters anymore. It's been worked out."
Janine laughed humourless, "You really think the Queen is going to let that go just because you went on some… some trip? Do you just want to ruin your career? Is that it?"
I rubbed at my forehead, trying very hard to rein in my temper, even if my mother wasn't. I knew that she would be pissed, but I had hoped that we would have been able to talk like adults rather than… this.
"And then your soulmate."
I froze.
"Really? Your mentor? And now everyone knows about it. Don't you have any respect?"
My eyes narrowed, fury taking over, "Don't. That is none of your business. Don't fucking dare talk to me about my bond." Janine didn't understand, and I sure as hell wasn't going to stand there and let her lecture me about it. "You haven't been here. You don't get to come here and start screaming at me just because you're worried your reputation might be tarnished!"
I was clenching my fists so tight that my nails were digging painfully into my palms. The pain was grounding me. This rage I could feel growing was feeding the darkness that was already pressing against the surface. I had to get away before I did something I would regret.
Janine scowled at me, "Maybe I wouldn't have to worry if you weren't being such a -"
She cut herself off, lips pressed in a thin line. I didn't need her to have finished her sentence, already guessing where it was leading. I flinched back as if she had slapped me; granted, a physical blow wouldn't have hurt as much as that did.
"You think I'm a failure?" I demanded. All attempts at controlling my temper were gone.
Her eyes widened, her anger easing, "I didn't say that."
"Thanks, mom. Really. But I'm fucking done with this." I spat at her. I spun on my heel, throwing open my door and leaving.
Entering the gym, I didn't look for Dimitri, only pausing long enough to wrap my hands and remove my t-shirt before attacking the punching bag. I could feel myself on the edge of falling back into the madness, the darkness pulling at me to be released. I had to work it out of me the only way I knew how一punching something.
I could feel the sweat dripping down my body, my limbs were straining as I pushed it to keep
going, but it wasn't enough. I could still feel it.
A deep chuckle behind me made me halt, throwing out my hands to stop the bag from swinging, glancing over my shoulder to see two guardians standing behind me.
"What?" I grounded out. I wasn't in the mood, and my control was thin.
The man chuckled again. He was tall and unattractive, with an overgrown beard and a crooked nose from too many hits. "That Belikov is your soulmate, right?" He didn't wait for me to confirm, continuing with a twisted smirk, "Bet he's into some weird shit."
My fingers curled, nailings digging into the material of the punching bag. I forced myself to breathe. Stay calm, Rose. Just stay calm.
The guardian continued, unaware of what was building. "I bet he likes you to act like a defenceless girl. Gets him all hot and bothered." He stepped closer to me, thinking my silence was due to me being ashamed. I could smell his breath, feeling it hit the back of my neck, "Does he like to bite you?"
I was moving before he could react, my hand going around his wrist and twisting it behind him, shoving his face into the wall with enough force that he grunted from the impact. His friend moved towards me, but I warned him off, "Take one more step, and I'll break his arm." Pulling up slightly to make the bearded guardian yelp.
We had gained a bit of an audience, but my mind wasn't being rational right now. It only wanted to punish.
"You want to know about my soulmate. Was that what you were asking?" I asked, voice sounding calming than I was.
The man was panting; eyes pinched in pain. "Hey, I was just joking."
"No," I squeezed his wrist, "You want to know, right? Think it's okay to ask me what he's like?" There was a commotion behind me, but I stayed focused on him.
"Get off me, you crazy bitch!" He yelled at me. He tried struggling, but it was futile; he would only succeed in hurting himself.
I laughed. It was cold.
"Rose! What are you doing?"
My eyes flicked away from the man I had pinned to see Dimitri and Eddie watching me in shock. Dimitri took a step towards me; hands held up as one would to a scared animal. I clenched my jaw.
"Rose, let him go."
I looked away. "He thought it was his fucking right to ask what happens between us. And they say I'm an animal." I mused aloud. I could hear the hint of hysteria leaking into my voice.
"Roza," Dimitri's hand was on mine, working his fingers into my grip on the guardian's wrist. "This isn't you. Come back to me, Roza." He whispered to me.
With his touch on me, I could feel the bond; he was keeping himself calm, managing to soothe my fury a little as it flowed into me. "He was insulting you," I explained, my voice breaking.
Dimitri's other arm curled around my waist, "It's okay. Just let him go." His finger pried mine off the guardian's wrist, using his hold on my waist to drag me away, locking his arms around me to keep me close.
The guardian fell to the ground. Turning to glare at me as he scrambled to his feet, pointing at me, "Keep your fucking whore in check!"
Dimitri had already tensed his arms, prepared for me trying to fight his grip. Eddie took a step toward the guardian, warning him, "Shut up and get lost!"
While me attacking another guardian wasn't great, him insulting a soulmate was worse. The bond makes us protective, and he decided to play with fire. I needed to make him pay. When I tried to lunge again, Dimitri lifted me off the ground, carrying me away from the crowd and down the corridor to one of the private rooms as I struggled in his grasp.
Once in the room, he released me then stood in front of the door, ready to fight me if I tried to escape. It was like the cabin all over again.
I started pacing; my energy was still so pent up. I hadn't got it all out from the punching bag, and now it was amped up again because of that bastard. "He shouldn't have said it." I growled, "He doesn't get to talk about you like that!"
"It's okay, Roza."
"No!" I spun on him, "It isn't their business! Not his! Not my mother's! No one but us!"
Dimitri came towards me, reaching for me, but I tried to duck around him, aiming for the door. His arm looped around my waist and threw me back. "Rose, you need to calm down."
I was panting, my body feeling like it was vibrating. I found his eyes, pleading, "I can't."
Understanding crossed his eyes before he moved into a defensive stance, "Fight me, Roza. Let it out."
I backed up, "No, I can't -"
"Fight me."
He lunged for me, and that was all I needed to give in. I honestly couldn't remember much of the fight, I wasn't pulling my punches, and I knew Dimitri had to put everything into the fight. I was fighting erratic, playing dirty, and I wasn't just using my fists to hurt him.
"Look at you, acting like you fucking care about me," I kicked at his side; he managed to block me and push me back. I was able to gain my footing again, dodging his swipe at my legs. "Where was this two weeks ago when I was falling apart on Lissa's couch?"
His face would pinch in pain from my words but otherwise remained impassive, not responding to me. While he occasionally returned a hit, Dimitri kept dancing out of my grasp, making me work hard to hit him. He was trying to wear me out.
I went low, trying to get past his defences, "Was I just not good enough for you?" I attempted to uppercut him, but he managed to dodge the blow. I kept coming at him, "Is that why you rejected me? Am I too weak for you? Not worthy of being the soulmate of the great Dimitri Belikov!"
He faltered at my words, shock in his eyes. I went for his legs, managing to get a kick to his knee, knocking him off balance. I threw my weight onto him, bringing us both down to the ground, pinning him.
I sat on his torso, aiming a punch at his face, "I'm just a mistake. A failure!" I kept throwing punches as he tried to block them. He gripped my wrists, using his hold to flip us over. I struggled under his weight, but he used his weight to keep me down. "I'm just a murderer. An animal! You hate me! Everyone hates me!"
My vision was becoming blurry. I kept fighting against his hold; my movements became weak until I was just pushing against his chest, my fingers twisting the fabric of his shirt.
"Everyone… hates me!"
Dimitri shifted on top of me, no longer pinning me, instead wrapping his arms around me and holding me close.
"Everyone… everyone..." I was sobbing, my body deflating as all the fight left me, leaving only sorrow. It was raw and painful, but Dimitri held me through it.
"It's okay, Roza. It's okay." He soothed me. Rolling us until he was sitting up with me cradled in his lap. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you, Roza."
The tears were falling quicker, taking heaving breaths, "I-I don't want… to be alone. Pl-please." I tugged desperately at him, "Don't l-leave me." I pleaded him. Begging him to understand.
"I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much. I won't leave you again." Dimitri kept repeating to me over and over, rocking me gently as everything that I had been holding in一bottling up一came pouring out.
All the tape and glue I had used to hold myself together was falling apart, exposing each and every break. I could only pray that he would help me put myself back together.
So, this chapter became angsty when that was not the plan at all, but hey, I just rolled with it. Please let me know what you think :D
The next chapter is going to have some good caring Dimitri :)
