A/N: There is a little fluff and a little smut in this chapter for you all! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
In the weeks leading up to American Christmas, Dimitri and I would slip out during the daytime to explore. A little bit of colour returned to our skin and we were able to chalk it up that it was because of the people we were feeding on, and the rest of the team took to it – except Ivan.
Ivan has kept his mouth shut and in private we have discussed what this could mean for the Strigoi, to be able to feel and go out into the sun light. When Dimitri showed Ivan that the sun would not burn the two of us, he was speechless. Eddie started to clue into something being off, and we sat him down and told him a few days ago.
He didn't believe any of it until I pinned him down and drank from him. After that he sat on the couch with a dazed and confused expression for hours, mumbling about me not telling him earlier.
"So, you can really walk in the sunlight," Eddie says quietly, rubbing his hands over his face. I chuckle and sit down next to him on the couch.
"Yes, but it took us months to get here. Could you hear any of my thoughts or see my memories when I fed on you?" I ask, tucking my feet up under me and crossing my arms over my chest.
"Sort of, it was foggy," Eddie says with a frown.
I extend my arm to him, and he looks at it like it was going to bite him.
"You want me to feed from you?" he asks. I nod with a smile and push it closer to his mouth. Taking my wrist in his hands, he brings it up to his lips and bites down and I sigh, leaning my head against the couch as the small haze passes through me.
Releasing my wrist from his lips he leans back and sigh contently before letting a laugh slip between his lips.
"I just saw way more of you and Belikov than I ever wished too, but you look great," he chuckles, and I whip the pillow at him in jest.
"Shut up!" I squeal. "I didn't think you would see that!"
"Hey! I always knew you were hot, but Dimitri is a really lucky guy!" Eddie laughs and dodges another pillow I aim at his head.
The two of us sit there and laugh like idiots when Dimitri and Ivan walk back into the living room.
"What are you two chuckle-heads laughing about?" Ivan asks as he sits next to me on the couch.
"I saw a lot of Rose's side-boob," Eddie laughs through his tears and Dimitri makes a noise in the back of his throat.
"He saw it through the feeding process," I explain, standing and putting a hand on his chest. He smirks and pulls me closer to him, running his hands over my back possessively.
"It better have just been through the bond. You're mine," he whispers huskily. I wink at him and kiss his jaw.
Turning back to look at Eddie and Ivan, I roll my eyes in jest at Dimitri, making the two of them chuckle.
"I thought we were going out tonight," Ivan says walking towards the front door, and we all follow after him.
The four of us have become frequent flyers at a club twenty minutes from our house, and when we want to get away from the others, we hightail it over here and hang out until closing time. It is also a perfect hunting ground.
"Come dance with me, cowboy!" I giggle pulling Dimitri from his seat. He shakes his head and the other two laugh at my antics, but Dimitri follows, nonetheless.
Wrapping his arms around me and dancing with me in the middle of the floor and let my mind wander to the past.
Rushing to the exit and bursting through it, I sprint towards the gym knowing that Dimitri is going to be waiting for me as usual.
I stop in front of the door to the gym and catch my breath, smoothing my hair back and readjusting my back over my shoulder and push the door open and step inside.
"I'm sorry! I know I'm late, bu-" I start to explain and stop when I see Dimitri is not in his usual spot on the mat with his battered novel. I close the door and step further into the gym, setting my bag down on the bench and moving towards the open storage room.
I step inside and give it a sweeping glance and sigh. Crap. Where is he? I move to exit at the exact moment the hair on the back of my neck raises and I spin around in time to see a dark figure advance at me, tackling me back into the shelving unit behind us. I scramble to fight back when a familiar smell crosses my senses and I relax in his grip.
"If I were Strigoi, you would be dead," Dimitri says seriously and I huff, still pinned by his body against the unit.
"If you were Strigoi, you wouldn't be here. The sun is still up, and the gym has windows to let the light in," I say in a snarky tone, wincing when I hear the harshness in my voice. I need to get a handle on these nightmares, they are preventing me from sleeping and it is making me irritable.
Dimitri stares down at me with a guarded face and I let my eyes drop to his chest, chewing on my lip. "I'm sorry. That was rude," I whisper.
Dimitri lets go of my hands that are pinned beside my head and cups my cheeks gently, tilting my head up so I have to look at him. He caresses my cheeks and ghosts his thumbs over the darkening bag under my eyes tender gesture.
"You haven't been sleeping," he says softly, and I nod, not wanting to speak again. He sighs and pulls me into a hug, resting his chin on the top of my head as I burry my face into his chest, clutching him tightly under his duster. He rubs my back in large circles, whispering to me softly. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes, turning my face to rest my cheek on his chest and sighing contently.
We stand there in the dark closet for a few minutes before Dimitri starts to pull away, and I let a small whimper pass my lips as I dig my fingers into the fabric of his shirt.
"Please don't. Not yet, I just need another minute," I say and Dimitri pulls me back to him, dissolving space between us and moving the two of us away from the cold unit and pulls me to sit with him on a pile of mats. I curl up in his lap, not removing my arms from around him and get comfortable.
"Do you want to talk about the nightmares?" Dimitri asks into my hair, his lips caressing my head. We have talked about it before; they are the same ones over and over to the point where I know them by heart.
"No. They haven't changed since the last time we talked about them," I groan and sit up to look at him. He frowns slightly, wiping the few stray tears that escaped my eyes with his thumb.
It's moments like this that I live for lately - when we have our small moments of affection. I move my hand to catch his, holding it against my cheek and enjoy the feeling of his touch before letting go.
"I just wish I could sleep," I whisper and blink with heavy eyes. Dimitri lets go of me for a moment to shrug his duster off and leans back against the wall, pulling me to lay on him. He flicks his duster around me and smooths my hair down before pressing a kiss to my head.
"We've got a little over an hour. Try and go back to sleep, Roza," he says tenderly. I tilt my head up and smile at him, and he leans his head to give me a chaste kiss and wrapping his arms back around me. I smile and rest my head in the crook of his neck, revelling in the feeling.
"You were asleep in minutes," Dimitri says into my ear, his breath warm against my flesh. I jolt my head up to look at him and he smiles down at me. "Sorry, your thoughts were a little loud."
I shake my head and continue dancing with him, grinding and gyrating against him as my hands travel up his back and neck.
"I was shocked you let me sleep to be honest. What would have happened if someone came into the gym?" I say loudly, mindful of the person behind me getting closer to me than necessary.
"I would have just shifted you over onto the matt and sat next to you with my book," he explains with a smirk and I shake my head. I can feel his phone buzzing in his pocket against my hip, and I slide my hand down his chest into his pocket, giving him a saucy wink as I pull his phone out and hand it to him. He rolls his eyes and presses a kiss on my lips.
"I have to take this, I'll be outside," he says before moving through the crowd to the exit. I turn to head towards the bar and order a drink, sipping it down before ordering another one.
"What is a sexy thing like you doing by yourself at the bar?" a man asks, sliding next to me at the bar, his chest brushing my shoulder. I toss him a look and shake my head, raising my glass to my lips. Usually, if I ignore them long enough, they go away, but this guy seems to be persistent.
"What's your poison? Scotch, Whiskey, Vodka, Bourbon, Gin?" He asks, brushing his hand over the bare skin of my back and I step out of his reach.
"I'm not interested," I bite out, tapping my nails against the counter while I wait for Joe, the bartender, to bring my drink.
"Babe, I thought you were still in the bathroom!" Ivan says as he approaches me, I turn and he plants a chaste kiss on my lips, and wrapping an arm around my shoulder, glaring at the man beside me.
"I came here after I left," I say with a grin, and a little shell shocked that Ivan kissed me.
The guy takes one look at Ivan and bolts, making the two of us laugh. I nudge his arm off my shoulder before punching it.
"Why did you kiss me?" I laugh, making a dramatic gesture of wiping my lips and aux gagging.
"I wasn't going to watch my best friend's girl get hit on after you told him no. Besides, Dimitri would have done the same for me," Ivan jokes and asks Joe for a vodka tonic when he sets my drink down in front of me. I scoff and sip my drink as we walk back towards the table we got earlier, and I plop down next to Eddie.
"If you and Belikov dance any closer, everyone is going to see what I've seen," Eddie quips and I groan, lightly banging my head on the table. I'm never going to live that down.
About twenty minutes go by and Dimitri is still not back inside. I brush his mind and see that he is still on the phone and I prop my cheek on my hand, stirring my drink with the straw.
"I don't like Dominic," Ivan says bluntly, and I let out a laugh, rolling my eyes.
"I don't like Dominic much either right now," I say, tipping my glass to my lips. "He tried to persuade Dimitri to "take me out" after what happened last week. That's what he meant by 'I'm surprised to see you around."
Eddie downs the last of his pint and sets it back on the table and nods in agreeance to our statements. "He's loyal to Dimitri, that's why he's still around. And it's why he hasn't tried to end you himself," Eddie says, and I furrow my brows at him.
"What do you mean?"
"After I was awakened, he bitched about you to me for a few days, trying to get me to turn on you essentially. But me, being the loyal best friend that I am, told him to go fuck himself," Eddie says running his hand through his hair. "But the weirdest thing is how he stares at you sometimes like you're something to eat."
Ugh. Dominic has been a real pain in the ass lately. Anytime I tell him to do something he makes a snide remark and walks away or ignores me completely. I've brought it up to Dimitri multiple times and he has spoken to him, but nothing has changed.
Keeping up with the illusion of him and I being the "soulless" monsters we are is becoming difficult, a few times we have almost slipped in front of the others, and thankfully Ivan has become perfect at helping us pretend that nothing has happened.
"I think I'm going to head back soon, I'm not really in the mood to club," I say downing my drink and grabbing my coat.
Heading out of the club and looking around for Dimitri he isn't anywhere around the front, so I head around the back to find him. Slowing when I hear multiple voices, I stop just short of the end of the alley and lean against the wall to listen.
"…you need to cut your losses with her! There is something off about her, she tried to kill you for God's sake! She will slaughter you the moment your guard is down!" a voice hisses and I relax, letting myself slip into Dimitri's mind.
Looking at Dominic, I can feel Dimitri's anger swirling inside of him, and he clenches his fists against his chest with his arms crossed.
"I don't know where you are getting that idea from. Rose is as loyal as they come, and I know her much better than you do. You need to take a step back!" Dimitri snarls, gritting his teeth together with so much force I'm surprised he hasn't cracked.
Rose?
I'm here. I'm around the corner, and I'm watching.
"Look, I get she's a great fuck, but you need to think about the team as a whole. Sure, she's hot and crazy – and some guys like that. But she is going to bring us down, and she is going to start with you!" Dominic shouts, shoving Dimitri and I pull myself out of his head and stepping around the corner.
Dimitri catches me in the corner of his eyes and lets a predatory smirk cross his face as he shoves Dominic back and I step to intercept him. Pinning him down, I lean over him with a wicked smile.
"I think it is you who is going to be bringing us down. I was Dimitri's partner before you became his second in command, and I'll be damned if you think your going to oust me. It's a shame really, at one point in time I respected you and thought you were of use to us. But now… good-bye Dominic," I growl and yank him to his feet, pushing him back towards Dimitri. Dimitri grips Dominic around his chest and yanks his head to the side, baring his neck to me.
I stalk towards them slowly, letting the Strigoi part of me take over.
"Thanks baby, I was getting a little hungry," I purr. Watching Dominic struggle is arousing in a way, making my blood pump in my veins with excitement. I lunge and sink my teeth into him, moaning when his blood hits my taste buds and he lets out a throaty moan. Watching Dominic's memories float through my mind is riveting; he was jealous of Dimitri – because Dimitri had me and I was what Dominic wanted most.
I release Dominic and lick my lips before stepping back and raking my eyes over his half-living form.
"Go ahead Comrade, see for yourself why he wants you to get rid of me so bad."
Dimitri leans down to drink and I watch with a smile, enjoying the look in Dominic's eyes when he figures out what is happening, but once he does he is too far gone, and Dimitri drains the last of his blood from his body.
Dropping his unceremoniously to the ground and kicking him to the side, Dimitri latches onto my arm and pulls me to him, kissing me forcefully and I moan when he snakes his tongue into my mouth.
"You're mine," he growls and hoists me up over his hips, swinging us around to press me against the brink behind us.
"Always," I promise between bruising kisses and our blood lust pushes us forward.
Tightening my legs around him as he moves to unbuckle his pants, I bite down on his lip and he hikes my dress further up, sliding my panties to the side. Excitement bubbles up inside both of us and I let a whine slip when he slides into me, moving at a vigorous and brutal pace.
Not caring about the scraping on my back this will cause, I pant into his ear and tighten around his cock when he growls in my ear, sucking and licking the skin just below it.
There is no tenderness or soft caresses in this, this is raw and hot. Fucking roughly and passionately, we both climb higher before sinking our fangs in each other's necks simultaneously and it's like the sun has erupted between us. Drinking deeply, I twist a hand into his hair, tugging roughly while he squeezes my hips with bruising force. Releasing him from my lips, I throw my head back as I hit my climax.
"Dimitri!" I say in a piercing scream while I wither in his hands, shaking uncontrollably as I climb back down to earth, holding him tightly and moaning while he continues to drink.
Pulling his face from my neck, he kisses me again for vigour and pressed his tongue into my mouth, rubbing it against mine. We slowly move from blindness lust back to the loving caresses and kisses we've become accustomed to.
Pulling out of me and gently setting me back down onto my feet, Dimitri leans against me and kisses me slowly, skimming his hands over my waist and arms.
"God, I love you," he whispers against my lips. I giggle and stretch up to press my lips against him again when the ringing of my cell phone shatters the perfect bubble we are in.
"Ignore it," Dimitri pleads, biting on my bottom lip and then sucking it to soothe the sting. I let my phone ring out, but it rings again five minutes later, and I groan, pulling my face away from Dimitri's.
I reach into the front of my dress and remove my phone from my bra, giving Dimitri a loaded wink when his eyes follow my movement.
We need to talk ASAP – Abe.
I purse my lips and look at Dimitri, turning my phone around for him to see and we both pull away from the wall. We head back to the house and he shakes his duster off and wraps it around my shoulders. I smile and shrug it on, breathing in the intoxicating smell of him that lingers of the leather.
"What are we going to say if the others ask where Dominic is?" I ask, leaning into him as he wraps his arm around my shoulder.
"We simply say we don't know where he went," Dimitri replies and squeezes my shoulder.
Getting back into the house, I sit down on the couch and place my feet in Dimitri's lap when he sits down beside me and scroll through my phone to dial Abe. Let's see what he knows.