So, I kind of took the trope of "They have to share a hotel room" and expanded on it. This story has been in my google docs for a while and I had the need to finish it. It was going to just be a one-shot but has ended up as 2 chapters.
Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think :D
The Hunt
Love fades. Mine has.
It was harsh and straight to the point. A point that I had been trying so very hard to ignore each time I spoke to Dimitri leading up to the church. Maybe if I hadn't been so determined to ignore every red flag and warning I wouldn't have had my heart broken in between the pews of an old church surrounded by others that no doubt heard everything.
I had never had a public breakup before, and yet here I was, running away with my head down as I tried to conceal the tears running down my cheeks.
I couldn't understand how a man that had once declared his love to me, wanting to put me above everything else, now couldn't bear to be around me.
I knew that he was being torn apart by the guilt of what happened when Strigoi. Knowing that some part of him had been lost by those acts committed during those few months he spent soulless. I just didn't realise that the part that was lost was the part that loved me.
After everything I did to bring Dimitri back, I still lost him in the end.
I locked myself away in my room, refusing to answer any of the calls and texts I received, eventually turning off my phone so that I could just sit in silence. The tears had dried up, leaving my eyes red and dull. I sat curled up on my bed as the sun rose in the distance, the only way I knew hours had passed since the church.
Finally, my hunger won out and I had to venture out of my room. Washing my face and throwing on a hoodie that was much too hot for this time of year, it was all I could do to hide how broken I was.
It was late enough that the mess hall was mostly empty, only a few gathered around the tables. The food selection wasn't great, but it was better than what the academy ever served. I filled a plate, my appetite was lacking but I needed to eat something, grabbing some drinks to rehydrate as well.
I had only made it a few bites before another person joined me at the table. In hopes of not being noticed, I had chosen a table in the far back corner. Seemed I couldn't hide from everyone.
Of all the people I expected to come to find me, Mikhail was not at the top of that list. He studied me for a moment before speaking. "I tried calling you."
I shrugged, looking down at the food that I was pushing around with my fork. "I didn't feel like talking." I didn't feel like doing anything except crawling back into my bed and begging that the past few months have all been a horrible nightmare.
"I've been reassigned."
That gained my attention, I side-eyed him, not quite facing him. "What's your new job?" I felt a pang of sadness, running into Mikhail was one of the few things I enjoyed about my work in the archives.
"They are going through with what you suggested," He gave me a pointed look, when I didn't respond he continued, "Hans is putting together a team to track down the Strigoi in America using the intel Belikov gave us."
I was filled with conflicting feelings of joy and grief at the mention of Dimitri. Grateful that he would be able to use the information he knows to do some good, but just thinking of him caused a painful ache in my chest that made me want to scream.
"That's great," I replied, unable to fake any excitement for Mikhail.
Mikhail pursed his lips, nodding. "We leave in two weeks. They are getting all the information together and then we will plan the first steps. There will be a team of twenty of us."
It wasn't a big number, though I assumed it would be made up of elite guardians. The best of the best. Dimitri would be a part of it.
I frowned down at my food again.
At least if he went with them I wouldn't have to see him around Court for a while. It will be just like before, waking up each day without him.
"I have a spot free, and I want you to join us."
My head snapped to look at him, eyes wide. "Why would you want me?" Sure, I had some skills, but I wasn't an elite guardian. I was barely even a guardian.
"Rose, you made your first kills before you even became a guardian, with more Molnija marks than most guardians here. I heard about how well you lead the rescue team. You're good and I want you there."
A sense of pride swelled in me at his words, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't join them. I shook my head, "I can't."
"Why not?"
I bite the inside of my cheek, "I just can't be around Dimitri, okay. It's too hard…" My lip started to quiver despite how hard I tried to keep it still.
"Belikov won't be going."
Mikhail pulled my full attention back to him again. "Why?"
"He hasn't been cleared by the Council yet, and they don't want him out of Court walls yet."
Again, I was conflicted. Dimitri didn't deserve the scrutiny, how anyone could still be doubting his restoration made no sense to me. But that meant that he would remain at Court, where I would run the risk of running into him everywhere.
It wasn't the best reason to join what could likely turn into a suicide mission, but it was exactly what I needed right now. "I'm in."
Two weeks ago I had agreed to Mikhail to join the group hunting Strigois. The next day I had broken up with Adrian. I hadn't told him I was leaving, I hadn't told anyone, even going so far as to ask Mikhail to keep it quiet. My friends deserved to hear it from me first, but each time I went to tell them, I couldn't get the words out.
Instead, I ended up avoiding them.
It wasn't too hard with Eddie, seeing he was still mad at me. Lissa was busy with both Christain and Dimitri. I hadn't told her exactly what happened between Dimitri and me, but she was able to figure it out.
Today they would all be at Lissa's, she wanted to try to make some happy memories and encourage everyone to become friendly again. She had even gone as far as to invite Meredith and Mia to the party.
It was as good of a time as any to tell everyone.
I was packed and ready as I approached the front door of her townhouse, everything I needed shoved into the duffle slung over my shoulder. I used my spare key to let myself in, the sound of chatter and dishes being served as I entered. It took me a while to work up the courage to show up, arriving an hour later than everyone else.
I gently placed my duffle by the front door, subconsciously rubbing my bare arms as my anxiety grew. I was dressed in a black shirt and jeans, my stake in my holster around my hips and a spare tucked into the leg of my boots. Mikhail had said we were going to hit the ground running and so I was prepared for that.
Everyone was in the kitchen surrounding the table, part of me considering turning around and leaving. They were having fun, I didn't need to ruin it. I would be gone before they even realised I had.
It would be much easier.
My chance to run dissolved when Dimitri's eyes lifted to mine, as if they were drawn to me. Our interactions were non-existent lately, and with the fact I didn't know when I was going to see him again, I took a moment to take him in. Not that I really needed to, already I could close my eyes and picture everything exactly as it was. Down to the amber highlights to his eyes when the sun would hit them.
He looked better than he had at the church, with fewer shadows under his eyes. Even his skin appeared healthier. I could see the guilt still weighing heavy in his eyes, shoulders slumped in his chair as if it was pulling him down. No longer standing tall.
His eyes took me in, trailing down my body and then back up to my eyes, I noticed them narrowing in on my stake. Dimitri's eyebrow raised in question.
Lissa was the next to notice, following Dimitri's gaze to me. Her eyes lit up as she stood from her chair waving to the one across the table, drawing the attention of the others. "Rose, you're late," She scolded me playfully, "We saved you a seat and some food."
When I didn't move, her face dropped. I took in a shaky breath, "Sorry, Liss. I can't stay."
All the conversation had stopped now, eyes on me.
Lissa tilted her head, "Why? I thought you didn't have a shift today."
This was it. "Actually, I'm leaving Court for a while."
Since entering, I had been holding up my mental walls to keep the bond blocked, knowing it would be harder to leave if I was feeling Lissa's reaction, but at my words, her emotions became too strong to block completely.
"What?" Was all she asked, though her mind was full of questions.
I couldn't look directly at her, instead, focusing on the others in the room. Lissa sat at the head of the table with Christian, Eddie and Dimitri on one side, Mia and Meredith on the other, Adrian taking up the other end. They all watched and waited for my explanation.
"Mikhail asked me to join the team that is hunting down the Strigoi based on the information Dimitri gave them."
Lissa dropped back into her seat as Adrain stood from his. "You can't be serious?" He demanded.
Both Eddie and Dimitri's faces became grim, though there was something else in Dimitri's but I couldn't decipher what.
"Rose, that's…" Eddie started, seeming at a loss for words, "You could die."
I shrugged, already aware of the risks, "We could take out a lot of Strigoi. Save a lot of people." It was true, the risk was worth the chance to save someone. Stop others from suffering what Dimitri had to.
"How long?" Lissa's small voice drew my eyes back to her, tears glistening in her eyes. "How long have you known you were leaving?"
The guilt was already eating away at me, knowing that I was about to hurt her more with my words. "For two weeks."
"Two weeks!" She cried, standing from the table again and stalking closer to me, "Why didn't you say something?"
I stared into her eyes, begging her to understand, "I'm sorry, Liss. I just didn't know how to tell you. With everything that happened," My eyes flicked away from her to find deep brown eyes focused on me. I squeezed my eyes closed. "I just need to get away," I whispered the last part so only she would hear me.
It gave Lissa pause, her anger and hurt easing as understanding took its place. Her hands gripped mine, "But Rose, you could die. I can't lose you."
I pulled her into a tight hug, "You won't lose me." I promised. "It won't be for long, and I can call you and let you know I'm safe." I knew I was making promises that I may not be able to keep, but I needed to calm the fear growing in Lissa. "I'll be okay."
As much as she wanted to fight me on this decision, Lissa had learnt from when I left for Russia; when I had a plan there was no chance of talking me out of it. "You better," She warned me in a wobbly voice, trying her best to pull herself together again. "When do you leave?"
I frowned, "I have to be outside headquarters in twenty minutes." I watched her break a little more. Lissa threw herself back into my arms, wrapping hers around me.
I rubbed her back, trying to soothe the small sobs escaping. Looking around the room, everyone else also had sorrowful expressions.
"Guys, I'm going to be fine. Stop looking like I'm going to die," I tried to lighten the mood. Eddie tried for a smile but it fell flat. I purposely kept my eyes from Dimitri. While he may not love me anymore, I still loved him deeply. I couldn't bear to look at him and see nothing.
After a couple of minutes, I drew away from Lissa, Christian stepping up to take her. It was awkward and depressing, but I said my goodbyes to the others. Dimitri remained quiet throughout.
When I couldn't put it off any longer, I picked up my duffle bag and left Lissa's.
I was halfway to Headquarters when I heard my name being called, spinning on my heel to see Dimitri approaching me, with his long legs he closed the distance between us quickly.
"What's up?" I tried to come off as unaffected by his presence, but Dimitri could still read me so well, my nervousness would be obvious.
His eyes were trying to catch mine, but I refused to look past his shoulders. "This mission will be dangerous. The groups—the Strigoi I told them about—they're bad. Worse than I was." His voice became strained, cracking as his calm exterior fell away to reveal panic and concern. "Rose, you don't have to go."
I shouldn't be so surprised that Dimitri still cared. Even if it wasn't to the same extent it once was, Dimitri did care about me a little. But he also pushed me away, saying what he did by choice, knowing it would hurt me.
Steeling myself, I lifted my eyes to his, "I appreciate your concern Guardian Belikov, but I am going." Dimitri jerked back a little at my words, the corners of his eyes pinching. My voice softened, adding "You trained me well, I'll be fine."
We stood in silence, gazing at one another. Finally, he nodded, "Be careful."
I forced a smile, "Take care of Lissa for me." With those last words, I left Dimitri behind.
The time apart will be good for us. It was time for me to move on, as much as I wish I didn't have to. Dimitri had and I couldn't be that girl that refused to let go.
Mikhail's skills as a guardian were definitely being wasted in the archives, the way he was able to lead the group and plan our attacks was inspiring. I know a big reason for why he joined the mission was in hopes of finding Sonya, and maybe even capturing her until she too could be restored.
I couldn't help but think that each Strigoi we killed could be returned to their previous life, but I also knew the toll it took on Lissa just to restore Dimitri. Spirit users would be driven crazy from the darkness if they were restoring multiple Strigoi.
The best we could do is put them to rest so they were no longer soulless killers.
We took the information that Dimitri provided, combining it with the intel that guardian's had previously built. We started at the smaller locations close to Court first and then worked our way out. At my suggestion, Mikhail brought five Moroi that had fire magic to accompany the twenty guardians. It wasn't a hard request to sell considering I had proved they were useful during the attack on the academy.
Without the Moroi to back us up, I doubted most of us would have survived this long.
They weren't lying when this was being called a suicide mission. Though we always attacked during the day, taking on that many Strigoi was taxing and mistakes were easy to make. I did my best to help warn others when we were close to a nest, using one of the rare upsides of being shadow-kissed. Some of the guardians knew about the bond, seeing me use it to find Lissa when Dimitri had taken her. Others joked that I was a Strigoi bloodhound and could just sniff them out.
Most of the guardians were easy to get along with, some were still prejudiced towards Dimitri and Lissa's ability to restore him. I avoided them as much as I could.
In a group of twenty, there was only one other female, we shared a room at each hotel or safe house we stayed at. She was, unfortunately, one of the ones against Dimitri, and apparently didn't like me much.
The glare she would give me at times reminded me of my mother. She was a good guardian, I'll give her that much, but she was a bitch.
"Hathaway, you're with Miles, Sutherland, Sidorov, and Passlow. Take the back. I want you to stop any that may slip by us." Mikhail ordered, gesturing on the blueprints we managed to find of the building.
According to the information we had, there were at least ten Strigoi. The main group with Moroi will go through the front while we cover the back. It wasn't the most glamorous of jobs but it was better than being the ones that sit outside with the vans.
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes, Angela Passlow, the other female, was assigned with us. She was in her thirties with a straight cropped bob which she liked to slick back like she was from The Matrix.
Miles elbowed me once Mikhail had moved on. "Looks like we have the dragon," He whispers, making me bite my tongue to not laugh. I elbowed him back sharply in the ribs.
Gordon Miles was a couple of years older than me, his humour reminded me of Mason. It was nice having someone to joke with but it would make me think of what it was like when I would hang out with Mason and Eddie. That would then make me think about Lissa, and then Dimitri.
I tried my best to keep them all off my mind, only checking in on Lissa when I had downtime. I had called a couple of times over the past month, I didn't ask too much about how he was doing, though Lissa would slip a bit of information into the conversation.
I was grateful that she didn't make it obvious that she knew I wanted to know. I hated how much I still cared for him despite the pain he caused me but I could never bring myself to hate him.
Dimitri was not the kind of person to be unnecessarily cruel, what he did to me, there had to be a reason that I just wasn't getting. That doesn't mean I had to like it though.
Mikhail had finished the debriefing, leaving us with fifteen minutes to get ready and be in the vans. I slipped back into my room, sharing it with Passlow again. She was already in the bathroom, no doubt adding more hair gel to the layers she already had. Her hair was practically a helmet by this point.
I grabbed my stake from the table beside my bed, it was the same one I had tried to kill Dimitri with. Since I got it back, I have made sure each heart I stabbed with it always hit the mark.
Zipping up my jacket and sending a quick text to Lissa to let her know I was about to go. I realised that it was easier to keep her in the loop, that way she knew to block her side of the bond so I was suddenly pulled into her head. On one of the missions, I was pulled into her head when she was being especially intimate with Christian. Fortunately, the last threat had been taken care of but that wasn't something I wanted to happen again.
Miles had saved me a seat in the van, sitting in the back making jokes with another guardian, Parker. He had bright blue eyes that would give Christian a run for his money.
"The Strigoi sensor is here," Parker joked.
"If you actually used your eyes to look for Strigoi rather than look at my ass, you might be able to see them before they attacked too," I teased back, earning a wolfish grin.
I was willing to joke around with the guys, but I had made it very clear from the start that I wanted nothing physical with any of them. My heart wasn't over Dimitri and I didn't want to make things strained because I was locking lips with one of them.
We had no idea how much longer we would be going, most of us expected to be dead by now, yet we had only lost two guardians.
Once the last person was in the van and the doors closed, the mood shifted, everyone becoming serious as they prepared themselves for the fight. While we had more numbers than them, Strigoi were still stronger than us and could easily kill us. The moment we let ourselves become too cocky is the moment we start dying.
It was a shitshow. I don't understand how it went wrong so quickly.
One minute we were standing guard, ready to take down the Strigoi I felt coming closer, and then the next the floor above us was crumbling down. I was further back in the group, the ruble covered half of my body. It felt like my chest was being crushed, a beam pinning me.
I was groaning from the impact, hearing Miles calling my name. He was standing by the door when it all fell down, managing to make it out unscathed. His hands slipped under the beam, straining to lift it. Pushing through the pain, I dragged myself out. My thigh was bleeding, adrenaline stopping me from feeling it.
"What the fuck happened?" I demanded, blinking the dust from my eyes to see what was left of the backside of the building.
Miles took off his jacket, stripped off his shirt and wrapped it around the cut on my leg. "They knocked down a beam or something."
I could remember seeing one smile before kicking something. I didn't have time to figure out what he was doing before I heard the cracking of wood. "Oh god!" My eyes widened, head snapping back to the debris. "The others…" The guardians we were with, Sutherland, Sidorov, and Passlow. "Miles, the others. We have to get help, we have to get them–"
His hands clamped down on my shoulders, eyes hard, "Rose, they aren't—It's too late."
His words took a moment to comprehend, shaking my head. "No… We have to—We have to do something!"
"We have to get you to a hospital. This cut is bad." He pressed the button on his headset, "Tanner, pull the van around back, Hathway needs medical attention."
Everything faded to background noise, I stared where everyone had been standing just minutes ago. How could they be dead?
Three guardians were gone in a matter of seconds. I knew the Strigoi were coming but it didn't help. I should have warned them sooner, been more aware.
And now they were dead.
The hospital staff were determined for me to stay overnight but we had to keep moving, not wanting to deal with the human's questions about how I got my injuries. Two broken ribs, needing twenty stitches on my leg, and bruises and scratches everywhere.
A Moroi compelled the nurse to let me leave and destroy my record while Miles and Mikhail helped me limp out of the hospital.
My injuries left me benched for a week. We had moved to the next town, the others doing recon while I sat in my hotel room drowning my guilt with daytime television. I had the room to myself, a glaring reminder that guardians died and somehow I managed to survive half a building falling on me.
I was finally up and walking again when Mikhail knocked at my door, a nervous look on his face. I leant against the doorframe, pulling a face, "Fuck. What is it now?" I was already pissed off being stuck inside for a week.
He sighed, "Court sent a new guardian to replace…" A shadow covered his face, feeling as guilty for the loss of life as I was. "They will be rooming with you."
I raised my eyebrows, "Why me?"
"There aren't any other rooms available, and no one else wants to room with him because–"
Dread flowed through me. "Him?"
Mikhail didn't need to answer as the man himself came around the corner, duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.
The world is playing a terrible joke on me. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Based on the look on Mikhail's face he wasn't. I am being made to share a hotel room with Dimitri Belikov for the next however long we were here.
Dimitri shifted his weight, not looking too comfortable with the arrangement either. "Rose," He greeted me with an impassive expression.
I rolled my eyes. This is how it was going to be all the time, him hiding his emotions from me, acting like the unfeeling guardian he pretends to be. If my ribs weren't still being a bitch I would punch Mikhail right now. Instead, I gritted my teeth and pushed the door to open fully. "Make yourself at home."
I shuffled back to the bed, lying back down and picking up the remote. The show that was on was in Spanish, I had no idea what they were saying but pretended to be engrossed in it as Dimitri entered.
Mikhail glanced between us, then nodded, "I'll leave you to it. The briefing will be in an hour."
That caught my attention. "A briefing?"
"Not for you. Once you get the stitches out, then we can talk about you going back out there," His tone was firm. I frowned.
"You know, just because I'm injured doesn't mean I can't help plan the attack."
He shot me a look. "Bed rest means staying in bed and resting." With that, he closed the door, leaving me grumbling to myself.
Thankfully, I had an appointment tomorrow with a Moroi doctor that wouldn't ask questions.
"Stitches?"
I glanced up at Dimitri, a glimmer of something in his eyes as they searched my body for injuries. Most of the bruises and scratches had healed and faded so that they weren't noticeable except for the one on the left side of my chest where my broken ribs were.
I shrugged, turning back to the television. "I got trapped under the building too." I didn't bother explaining more, I knew Lissa heard about it because of the frantic phone call I received. The painkillers I was on blocked the bond from getting through to me, so I wasn't ready for her to be panicking.
I frowned to myself, Lissa never mentioned that Dimitri was coming here. Granted I had kept my last call and texts short, but I didn't even feel anything from the bond. I turned back to Dimitri.
"Does Lissa know you're here?"
He nodded, "It was last minute. I only found out last night." He kept his eyes on his bag as he unpacked the minimal.
Glancing around the room, I realised I had taken over most of the room, being too lazy to pick up after myself. That and it hurt to bend. I stood up and started to gather my discarded clothing. "Who is guarding her?"
"Guardian Andrews. He's good, I trust him."
That made me feel better, if Dimitri says they're good, then they must be. I had a handful of clothes, bending down to get my top off the floor, moving too quickly. A sharp hiss of pain escaped through my clenched teeth.
"Are you okay?" Dimitri was beside me, hand on my arm to help me stand. I yanked it out of his grip.
"I'm fine." Our time apart definitely didn't make me less angry with him.
His face hardened, stepping back from me. "Sorry. I was just trying to help."
I clenched my jaw, "Yeah, well I don't need or want it. Just stay on your side and I'll stay on mine."
"Really?" He asked with a raised brow, "That's your plan. Act like I don't exist?"
"Why not? You did that to me." I shot back. Turning and dumping my clothes on my bag, I would have to go through it later.
"Rose, I–"
I shot him a look over my shoulder, walking to the door to slip my shoes on. "No. I don't want to hear your excuses or reasons right now. You don't get to trap me in a room and make me feel guilty for being angry." Dimitri watched me speechless as I picked up my stake and slipped it into the pocket of my jacket, and stormed out of the room.
There was still time before sunset, I could walk around the block a little until I calmed down. Dimitri just showing up and being put in the same room as me was not something I was prepared for. The whole situation threw me off.
I regretted letting my anger take control, despite what I told him, I did want to hear it. I wanted to understand why he did what he did.
Was it because of me? Was it just because he had been restored?
I realised now I should have given him a little more space, but he didn't give me a second to truly take in the fact he was alive again. I never even got to touch his hand just to feel if it was warm again rather than the cold hand I could still remember.
The last time he embraced me was as Strigoi. I just needed a minute to confirm for myself he was alive, to feel the life in him again. Instead, he chose to break me.
I had become lost in my thoughts, walking around the block a couple of times. My leg was starting to ache as I noticed the sun was getting low. I swore to myself, knowing it wasn't safe to be out by myself this close to sunset.
I felt more in control of my emotions now, turning around to head back to the hotel. I had made it five steps when I felt the nausea, retrieving my stake as a strong hand yanked me back into the shadows of an alleyway.
I cursed as my back hit the brick wall, the impact agitating my ribs. My eyes locked on the red-ringed eyes before me. The Strigoi was a woman, tall and thin, a face made for modelling. She must have been Moroi before turning.
"With the way you're walking, I'm going to guess you're the weak link," She purred, licking her lips.
I wanted to laugh at her logic. She wasn't the smartest, hopefully, dumb enough to not know how to fight properly. It was clear she was already underestimating me, and I needed to use that to my advantage.
I pulled up my shoulders, trying to look as if I was cowering from her. "I don't know anything," I told her, letting my voice waver. It wasn't a lie, Mikhail wasn't telling me much. All I knew about the target here was what Miles was telling me.
It was a large number of Strigoi, two locations, one being a tattoo parlour. Mikhail seems extra set on making sure this one went to plan.
The Strigoi stalked closer, looking like a cat that got the cream. "Well even if you don't know anything, you will make a great snack."
She lashed forward, I dodged her hand, swinging to the side and bringing my knee up to her stomach. She growled, eyes flashing before coming at me again. I punched at her, just barely grazing her cheek. Her hand wrapped around my wrist and the other gripped the front of my shirt, lifting and throwing me over her shoulder.
My body slammed down on the lid of a dumpster, groaning at the pain. Not having a second to breathe, she was coming towards me again. I swung my leg up to kick her in the face, watching her stagger back a couple of steps as I slid off the dumpster lid.
This time I advanced on her.
Her hand shot out blindly, nails scratching my cheek, she left her chest unprotected. I raised my stake and slid it into her heart, pushing down on it to make sure it went all the way through to the heart.
The Strigoi gasped in surprise, becoming a gurgling sound before her dead body crumbled to the ground. I fell with her, feeling my knees scrap on the ground through my thin leggings.
This was not my day.
Trying to not agitate my ribs too much more, I carefully pushed her body into the shadows of the dumpster, throwing some bags over her for good measure. I would need to get someone to call this into the Alchemist to clean up.
I walked as quickly as I could back to the hotel, my anger returning, not at Dimitri this time, but at whoever had led Strigoi back to us.
I made it to the conference room that we were using for the briefing meetings. The hotel was owned by Moroi, letting us book out the rooms in the small bed and breakfast. Fifteen rooms and we were using them all.
The upsides of it being Moroi owned was that they kept wards in place, and they didn't ask questions when I limped through the main lobby.
They were all gathered, I managed to hear the tail end of what Mikhail was saying to Dimitri.
"...thought she would come with you."
Dimitri rubbed the back of his neck, "She went for a walk, I haven't seen her since."
Miles was sitting near them, leaning back in his chair so he was rocking on the back legs. "She probably got sidetracked by food."
I walked up behind him and slapped the back of his head, "I take offence to that."
Dimitri spun around, eyes wide, "Rose!"
"What happened to you?" Mikhail asked, looking equally as shocked. I hadn't had a chance to look at myself, I could feel there was blood on my cheek but couldn't tell how much. My arm was wrapped around my side to support my ribs.
"I got jumped by a Strigoi in the alley at the end of the block. I hid the body the best I could, but someone needs to call the Alchemist." I explained, longing to sit down, but knew once I did, I wasn't going to want to stand again for a while.
Mikhail's jaw set, calling out names to do a sweep of the surrounding area and handle the Strigoi. His eyes landed on me, "Belikov, take Hathaway to her room and get her cleaned up."
While I was grateful to go to my room, I wasn't too happy that Dimitri was accompanying me. I opened my mouth to argue but shut it at the look both men gave me. There was no arguing out of this one.
Dimitri followed closely behind me up to the room, pointing to the bed as he continued to the bathroom. I sighed, lowering myself gingerly to the bed edge, picking up the bottle of painkillers from my bedside table and fishing out two pills.
I doubted I broke or fractured anything, just angered my injuries.
With a wet cloth in hand, Dimitri stood before me, pressing the warmed material against my face. I flinched but let him work. When he pulled back the white cloth was stained red.
"I don't think they are deep enough for stitches," He commented, returning to the bathroom to rinse the cloth.
"Thank god, because I don't need more of those."
Dimitri returned, wiping more of the blood from my face and then my neck. His eyes were focused, hands moving carefully, not touching me more than he had to. "You shouldn't have been out so late."
I rolled my eyes, "Save it. I already know, I don't need you lecturing me."
His lips pressed into a thin line, not saying anything else as he worked.
"What were you going to say?"
His eyes flicked to mine, then to my cheek. "When?"
I followed him with my eyes as he crossed to his bag, retrieving a small first aid kit, placing it on the bed and pulling out a tube of antiseptic.
"Before I left earlier. What were you going to say?"
"I thought you didn't want to hear any of it."
I sighed, "Fine. Don't tell me." I dropped my eyes.
His hands stilled, pulling back to lean on the wall, shoulders shagging. "I was going to say I was sorry for how I acted towards you after I was restored. For what I said to you." His eyes became distant, "You didn't deserve that."
"No, I didn't," I replied. If Dimitri had said this to me in the two weeks before I left Court, I would have been jumping for joy. Now, it eased some of the hurt, just not enough for me to truly forgive him. "I appreciate the apology."
I played with the bedspread under me, picking at a loose thread. "I'm sorry, too. I should have given you more space." I could feel tears starting to build, willing them away, "I was just overwhelmed at having you back, and I forgot that you were being overwhelmed by everything."
We sat in silence, both unsure where to go from here. My painkillers were kicking in, I forgot how strong they were, my eyelids started to droop.
"Here," Dimitri placed a bandage on my face, covering the cuts. "You should sleep." His expression had softened, helping me to get situated under the blankets after I had kicked off my shoes and shrugged off my jacket.
I yawned as I snuggled under the blanket, eyes already closed. "Thanks, comrade."
Despite our little understanding and apologising, Dimitri and I were still being standoffish with one another. Mikhail decided it was best for us to lay low for a little and gain more intel. If the Strigoi knew we were here then we were risking walking into a trap.
I had had my stitches removed and been given the okay by the doctor, so I was allowed back in on the planning of the mission. But with us laying low, it meant Dimitri and I were stuck together in the hotel for the majority of the time.
I had expected things to get better between us, maybe even be able to move forward to something. Instead, we were both on short fuses and picking fights over everything the other was doing.
Dimitri had been complaining about me leaving my things around the room, dramatically gathering them and throwing them into my bag. And now I was glaring at him for being in the room after I had showered.
I had become used to rooming with a woman, neither of us being worried about changing in front of the other, so I never took clothes in with me. The other times I showered since Dimitri arrived, he had been out of the room. Now he was sitting on his bed reading a novel.
"I really preferred when I had the room to myself," I commented just loud enough for him to hear me as I crossed to my bag, just a towel wrapped around me. "Then I didn't have to worry about others seeing me naked."
I heard him turn a page, "I've already seen it."
I halted, turned to face him, "Excuse me?" I asked, setting my hands on my hips. "So, just because you've seen it, it doesn't affect you anymore? Is that what you're saying?" I don't know why this pissed me off, but it did.
Dimitri shrugged, not looking up from his book, "I don't care."
Doesn't care? He was really going to act like I had no effect on him. "Okay, then." Still facing him I proceeded to drop my towel to the ground, walking around from my bag and to the mini-fridge. I had pulled out a bottle of water when I heard a sharp inhale.
"R-Rose! What are you doing?" Dimitri sputtered, I looked over at him with an innocent expression, watching as his face became red, eyes dropping to the ground.
"As you said, you've seen it all before. What does it matter if you see it again?" I asked, stepping closer to him and sipping from the bottle. With a smirk I pulled my hair out, letting it fall around my shoulders.
"Please, put some clothes on!"
"I thought you didn't care?"
"Rose, just stop–"
"Hey, Rose?"
We both froze, watching as the door to our room opened. I caught sight of Miles' shocked eyes for a second before my view was blocked by 6ft 7 inches of Russian. Dimitri's body was pressed close to mine, covering every inch of me from view.
"What's going on here?" Miles asked, I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Fuck off, Miles!" I yelled around Dimitri, my hands coming up to cover myself, not that I needed to. My eyes briefly met Dimitri's, noticing the blush on his face, no doubt mine was just as noticeable.
"Guardian Miles, have you not heard of knocking! Get out before I make you!" Dimitri's voice was stern, every bit the terrifying guardian he could be. Especially when he was protecting me.
The door slammed, leaving us both alone again, neither stepping away. I could feel his breath, smell his aftershave, his warmth seeping through his clothes and to my skin making me shiver. I glanced up through my eyelashes to find his on mine, a look of awe in them making my breath catch.
I'm not sure who moved first. I rose on my toes as he bent down to me, our lips meeting.
His lips moved against mine, as passionate as they were that night in the cabin. It wasn't a possessive kiss like when he was Strigoi, this was loving and all-consuming. His hands moved to my thighs, easily picking me up to wrap my legs around his waist. I was very aware of the fact I was completely naked while he was fully dressed, but could care less when I felt him push his hips against mine.
With his long strides, we were across the room and down on the bed in seconds, his body covered mine as his hands dragged down my skin, making me moan into the kiss. As his lips moved across my jaw he kept whispering my name. Roza, Roza, Roza.
Heat was flooding my body, every nerve in my body was acutely aware of everywhere Dimitri was touching.
I threaded my fingers through his hair, angling his head so his lips were on mine again. I was so desperate for his touch, I wanted to feel everything with him again. "Dimitri, please."
His body froze, becoming rigid under my hands. My eyes snapped to his finding them wide, so full of emotions that I couldn't name them all. Then he pulled his mask up, pulling away from me like I had burnt him.
I sat up, trying to follow him, "What's wrong?"
He shook his head, "I can't. I'm sorry, Roza. I can't."
Dimitri grabbed his duster and then ran from the room.
I was left speechless.
As I sat there naked and alone on the bed I let the tears fall from my eyes realising my own stupidity.
