Alright guys, I'm trying to get this chapter done in time to upload it the same day as the last chapter because I wasn't able to get the previous chapter up when I wanted. Also, I just HAVE to say this: Bloodlines was AMAZING! I hadn't gotten the chance to read it yet, and I did yesterday. I'm not going to say anything here just in case someone wants to read it and hasn't yet, but if you haven't read the Bloodlines series, you should totally check it out.

Without further ado…you guys know the rest :)

"Uh…" I groaned, leaning back over the railing of the gazebo and wiping my mouth. Dimitri was holding my hair and rubbing my back, trying to make me as comfortable as I could. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head, running his fingers through my hair. His face was completely serious when he said, "Don't apologize for being sick, Rose. You can't help it and I don't mind being here for you. I actually prefer it when I'm here to comfort you."

"Still…it's pretty gross. I should go brush my teeth." I murmured. My stomach did another flip. "Well, never mind." I promptly flew back over the railing and proceeded to empty my stomach, if that was even possible. I'd thrown up twice already – this made it three times – and I wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and sleep.

"Do you think you have a bug?" Dimitri asked once I was finished.

My stomach felt a lot better now; I was no longer feeling queasy. Taking that as a good sign, I turned around, leaning against the gazebo's railing for support. My forehead was covered in sweat, so I wiped it as I replied, "Uh, I don't think so."

Before I could react, Dimitri reached for me, pulling me against him so he could be the one I leaned on instead of the railing. "Well, then, what…?" He stopped, going still. He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket as he turned me around. When the light from it flashed before my eyes, I winced, the light making my head pound. "Oh, Roza, what have you done?"

"So I drank a little bit, had a little fun. No big deal." I shrugged.

He shook his head, putting his phone away as he did. "'No big deal'? Rose, did you even think about the complications of your drinking at a time like this? You were intoxicated tonight, meaning your reaction time was a lot slower. If that beast came for you again…you wouldn't have been able to protect yourself."

"I'm alright." I assured him. "I wasn't alone. There were six of us."

"Oh, so getting the rest of your friends involved is so much better."

It was my turn to shake my head, but I immediately regretted it. The world spun again. "As much as I love getting lectured, do you think we could postpone this one? I feel like an eighteen-wheeler just ran over my head and is getting ready to reverse back on it."

His hand reached out and stroked my hair again, his face going soft. "Of course. You need some sleep. Tomorrow, though –"

"I know, I know." I said, bringing my hand up to lay it on his. "My phone will be on so you can call me and resume the lecture." He smiled, leaning in to give me a kiss. "No! My breath is horrible!"

He laughed, gazing into my eyes. "I really don't care, Rose. I've spent long enough away from those lips."

This time I let him kiss me, trying to forget about my rank breath. I leaned into him, my hands on his chest. His body felt so good. It set me on fire and chilled me at the same time. His hands roamed along my body, too, making me shiver in delight. I'd been waiting for this for what seemed like forever, missing his touch every second that went by. This was so much better than earlier, so much more passionate than it had been with Adrian –

I pulled myself away from Dimitri, automatically feeling guilty. In a snap decision, I realized that Lissa was right. I regretted what I'd done earlier with Adrian, especially because I knew I couldn't hide it from Dimitri. It wouldn't be right to start out our relationship – again – based on lies. So, with a deep breath, I braced myself for what might happen next.

"Dimitri, I have to tell you something. Something that you aren't going to like, but has to be said. I don't ever want to lie to you again." I told him, begging him to understand with my eyes. He obviously had no idea what was coming based on the look on his face. He nodded slowly and backed away from me, letting go of my waist as he did. Reluctantly, I whispered, "I kissed another guy tonight."

The look on his face never changed, but I knew he wasn't happy. How could he be, hearing that I'd been in the arms of another man just hours ago? He sighed, looking down at his hands. "I understand."

"Just give me a chance to explain – what? You understand?" To say I was shocked was an understatement.

"Yes, I understand. You let me know how you feel about me and gave me the time I needed to think things through, without ever calling or texting, or even trying to convince me that this relationship can work. Not knowing what would happen between us… Well, I've been there before." I grimaced at that part. "If alcohol was also in the mix, it doesn't surprise me that you'd go to someone else for comfort. I don't like it, but as long as you can promise that it won't happen again…I understand."

I looked up at him, not being able to believe that I could call this wonderful man mine. "I can absolutely promise you that it won't happen again. I love you, Dimitri. I love you so much…" With that, I began babbling, telling him that I'd do anything, anything to be with him and keep him safe. I don't even remember everything I said, but it must have started to get bad because Dimitri laughed and pulled away from my reaching arms.

"Roza, you really are drunk. You should go inside and get some rest." he told me.

I didn't even bother telling him that I wasn't drunk anymore, that I really meant all those things I'd just told him. It was enough for him to hear it. "You're right. I should head inside."

Suddenly, he stopped, gaze thoughtful. "How long are you staying here?"

"Uh…as long as I want, I guess. My parents know I'm over here and they told me that as long as I called to check in, I could stay until tomorrow night. Why?"

"Well…" he began, clearly not knowing how to go about telling me whatever it was he wanted to. "Seeing as how your parents know you're over here, and it's late so no one will see… Would you like to come to my place?"

My heart stopped as a million thoughts ran through my head. Dimitri is inviting me to his apartment! We'll be alone together all night! I began nodding, making his face light up, but then I groaned. "Andre."

"What was that?"

"Andre." I repeated louder. "Lissa's brother. He knows I'm supposed to be spending the night. It'll look a little weird if I'm not here tomorrow."

Dimitri smiled, throwing me off for a moment. "Who said you won't be here tomorrow? I was planning on dropping you off here tomorrow morning."

With that, we decided to talk to Lissa about our plan. Dimitri stayed out in the gazebo as I – clumsily – made my way back into the house and upstairs to Lissa's room. She was watching TV, looking like she would fall asleep at any minute, but she shot up when she saw me. "How did it go?"

I gave her a goofy smile and she laughed. "It was amazing. We're back together. But…I have something I want to run by you…"

"What is it?" Her smile had turned into a frown.

"Well, seeing as how my parents think I'll be here until tomorrow night, and your dad isn't here… Dimitri and I wanted to see if you'd cover for us if I went over to his place tonight."

Her eyes widened as she realized what I meant. She shook her head, jumping off the bed as she did. "No, Rose. I'm sorry, but… I completely accepted your relationship with Dimitri, even though it's not exactly…appropriate. But I don't know if I can do this. You're still underage, even if only by a few months, and what you're talking about is illegal."

What was she talking about? Everything about me and Dimitri's relationship was wrong in the eyes of others, except Lissa's. She knew how we felt about each other – that this wasn't just about… And that's when it hit me. "Oh my God, no!" I shrieked. "You think I want to go off with Dimitri so we can…? Not that I wouldn't enjoy that or anything, but we're not doing this so we can have sex. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. I feel like crap. We just want to spend some time together after so much time apart."

Lissa sighed, relieved. Honestly, I had no idea why she was so concerned about us having sex, but it didn't really matter at that moment. And it wasn't like I was going to run off and tell her about it when it happened. Sure, I'd tell her at some point after I'd lost my virginity, but not immediately. That just seemed way too personal to me.

"Alright then." she said, getting back on her bed. "Andre has football practice bright and early tomorrow morning and I'll still be asleep, so he won't notice you're gone. He won't be back until noon for lunch, so make sure you're back before then. My dad isn't supposed to be home until the evening, but if he comes home early like before with Christian, I'll just send you a text and tell him you aren't feeling well to buy you some time."

I ran over and pulled her into my arms, squeezing her tight. "I love you, Liss. Thank you so much."

"What are best friends for?" she asked, squeezing me right back.

[BREAK]

"So that was who I'd heard when I called you that night?" I asked, relieved.

Dimitri and I were in his bed – fully clothed, unfortunately – and staring at each other. We were only a couple of inches apart, holding hands. We would've been closer if it weren't for us wanting to be able to see each other. I never realized just how much I loved looking in his eyes until then.

We'd been laying there for about an hour, talking about everything we could think of. He told me about his childhood in Colorado and I told him about mine here in Bozeman, Montana. He'd also told me about visiting Russia, where his family had come from. Hearing him talk about all the wonderful sights there and seeing his face brighten as he talked about the visit made me want to go there with him someday.

He'd also told me that he'd gone back home for the week to think things over. He actually brought the situation to his mother, who completely accepted us. Apparently, Dimitri had never been so into someone that he'd gone to her for advice and she was convinced our relationship was a good thing. He said that she had been a little weary of the age difference between us, but hadn't thought a thing about it again after she listened to him talk about me and realized he was in love with me. It had actually been her who had convinced him to get back together with me. I already liked her.

I'd been getting really sleepy, but remembered something I'd been wanting to ask him for a while: who the female was that was in his apartment when I called him before going to the theater. He'd calmly explained to me that it was his sister, Viktoria, who'd unexpectedly visited him. She was a couple of years younger than me – which was disconcerting, but it apparently didn't bother him – and had gotten their mom, Olena, to drop her off here for a couple of hours while she went shopping with friends.

Dimitri nodded. "I probably should've explained that to you a long time ago, but we never really got the chance to talk about it. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. It was mostly my fault, anyway." I shrugged before smiling at him. "She called you something while she was over here… 'Dim'- something? I know it wasn't your name."

He laughed, his eyes sparkling as he did. "'Dimka'," he told me. "It's the Russian nickname for Dimitri. Although we never lived in Russia, we kept up the old family traditions. I can speak Russian fluently."

"Dimka…" I whispered, letting the word roll off my tongue, trying to get a feel for it. "I don't understand how you get that from Dimitri, but alright. Can you say something to me in Russian?"

He smiled, reaching out toward me and brushing my hair back from my face. He said something in Russian, like I'd asked, but I had no idea what he was saying. When he stopped, I gazed at him, wondering what else there was that I didn't know about him. Just when I was about to ask him what he'd said, he continued, blowing me away.

"What did you say?" I asked when he was finished.

"I said, 'You're so beautiful, it hurts me. And I swear I won't let anything hurt you ever again.'"

I'd closed my eyes when he said the first part, a blush creeping up on my cheeks. I loved it when he said things like that to me, but it had sounded that much more special in another language. I felt myself relaxing even more, which surprised me. I'd thought that this might be a little awkward, but it wasn't. As soon as we'd slipped into his apartment, everything felt natural…felt right.

"Roza?" Dimitri whispered.

I opened my eyes, not realizing that I was falling asleep. I reached over and cupped his face in my hand, happy that we were laying down face-to-face so it was easier for me to do so. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drift off. You're kind of amazing, you know."

Since I'd let go of his hand to cup his face, he rest his hand on my hip, pulling me closer. He chuckled. "Oh, I think you have us confused. I don't think you even know how amazing you really are. But for now, it's time to sleep."

I groaned, protesting. "No, I don't want to go to sleep! I want to spend every moment we have together here, with you."

"You will be with me, Roza. You'll just be asleep. We both need to rest, especially you after the night you've had."

He grabbed my hand, turning me around so that my back was to him before pulling me up against him. I was now in a black tank top and shorts for sleep and Dimitri was wearing flannel pants – which I'd made fun of him for – but no shirt. The skin-on-skin contact was enough to leave me longing for him in ways I'd never longed for anyone before.

I burrowed closer to him, protesting as I did. "But I'm going to feel like crap in the morning."

He laughed, his chest shaking against my back. "You're going to feel bad tomorrow whether you sleep or not, so you might as well get some rest. I'll have something for you in the morning to help with that."

I nodded as we fell into a comfortable silence. Dimitri turned over and flipped the lamp off, which had been the only light in his bedroom until now. I still wanted to stay up and spend all the time I had with him awake, but I knew he was right. I needed sleep if I was going to feel better at all. In fact, I could already feel sleep trying to take me now that it was completely dark.

Before I could drift away, though, I turned around, surprising Dimitri. I brought my lips to his, loving the heat I felt when they collided. He brought his hand up from my hip, caressing my face. The kiss was passionate and gentle at the same time, actually reminding me of Dimitri's personality. After all the years he'd spent learning how to fight, he could take down anyone in his way. But, at the same time, the same hands that could inflict pain touched me so, so delicately.

As we pulled away, gasping for breath, I whispered, "I love you, Dimitri Belikov. More than you could ever know."

He looked deep into my eyes, his own eyes softening as he did. "I love you, too, Roza."

I turned back around, mumbling a goodnight. Just before I fell asleep, I could've sworn I heard him say, "More than the earth, the heavens, and the stars combined."

[BREAK]

I'd been right; I did feel like crap when I woke up. I was groggy as well, but I took in everything around me, remembering the night before and how it had been so perfect.

Dimitri's bedroom had tan painted walls with white trim. His floor was made out of wood, but I didn't know what kind it was. I'd already proved I didn't know a thing about wood from my encounter with Fink. There was a dresser and fireplace to my left, a bedside table and closet to my right. If I went past the fireplace, I could go into the bathroom from the doorway there, which was decorated in the same tan color as Dimitri's bedroom and was spotless.

I stretched and yawned, rubbing the bridge of my nose as I did. My head was pounding and my stomach was still upset with me for all of those shots last night. I was debating what order I should do things – medicine, bathroom, food or bathroom, food, medicine – when I realized something was wrong.

I shot up, turning around to find Dimitri wasn't there. I hopped out of bed, momentarily distracted from my headache, and ran forward into the doorway that led to the living room. It consisted of a couch, a loveseat, and two chairs set around a glass table. There was a large, flat-screen TV on one wall. Last night I'd asked Dimitri how he could afford all of this on a counselor's income and he'd told me that he also had a trust fund that his grandmother – Yeva, he'd called her – had set up for him when he was born. After all the years of interest, it'd generated a lot of money.

But I didn't pay attention to any of that now. I immediately ran to the doorway on my right, to the kitchen. My heart automatically slowed down as I spotted Dimitri at his kitchen island, arranging plates of food on the counter. He hadn't changed out of his flannel pants, but he'd put on a loose black shirt.

"Hey, what gives?" I asked, coming around the island to him.

He automatically wrapped his arms around me when I reached him, kissing the top of my forehead. "What? I thought you'd like breakfast."

I shook my head. "No, not that, but thank you. Why do you have a shirt on?"

"It's a little hard to cook bacon with your shirt off." he told me, laughing. "Grease splatters hurt."

I'd finally calmed down from the fear of his disappearance, so my head was starting to hurt again. I snuggled into his chest, wanting to bury myself in his arms and forget the pain. He must've realized I was in pain, then, because he pulled my head up by the bottom of my chin so he could get a good look at me. "I look horrible, I know."

He shook his head. "No, you look beautiful. Let's see if we can get you feeling that way."

Dimitri made me sit down at his kitchen table as he made me a plate of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. The food smelled good, but I was hesitant to eat, my stomach still not agreeing with me. He sat a glass of coffee down in front of me before getting his own plate and coffee. We ate in silence, but it was comfortable, our feet mingling together under the table.

When we were finished, Dimitri took our plates to the sink, grabbing a glass that had been on the counter that was filled with some brownish liquid and handing it to me. "Here, drink this. It'll help with your hangover."

"Does it taste as disgusting as it looks?" I asked, frowning at the glass.

He laughed. "It's not great, but it's not that bad. Either way, it'll get rid of the pounding in your head. Just drink it down. Do it all in one big gulp that way it's easier going down."

I obeyed, not actually tasting the concoction until I'd already swallowed it all. The full impact of the flavor hit me as I breathed in and a shudder went through my body. It tasted a little bit like whiskey, but with a sour edge to it. Even so, I'd already started to feel better.

Dimitri must have noticed because he smiled. "Feeling better already?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that stuff works. What's in it?"

"Family secret." he said with a smirk I'd never seen on him before. Again it hit me just how wonderful it was to be here with him, all alone together.

After that, I went to the bathroom before going back to the kitchen and helping Dimitri with the dishes despite his protests. As we worked – him washing and me drying – we talked more. We had a wide variety of topics we talked about, like what type of breeds of dogs we liked and what our favorite desserts were.

When we were done with the dishes, some of my hair fell into my face, causing me to catch a whiff of it and grimace. "I need to take a shower. Would it be alright…?" I asked, looking up at him while he dried his hands.

"Of course, but there isn't any shampoo or soap that you can use without going back home smelling like me." He smiled, pulling me into his arms. "I'll just run over to the shop down the street and get some for you. Do you have a particular brand you like?"

I started to shake my head, but stopped. "I don't, but Lissa does and my parents will notice if I don't come home smelling like her. She's been using the same shampoo and conditioner since we were little."

"What is it, then?"

I told him what kinds to get and ran to the bedroom, grabbing some money out of my bag. When I gave it to Dimitri, he started to protest, but I made him take it. He'd already done so much for me – including paying three hundred dollars to give me private self-defense lessons – that I couldn't let him buy anything else for me.

It turned out that the shop he was talking about wasn't that far because he'd been gone less than ten minutes before returning. I'd busied myself looking at all of his family pictures. Dimitri had a lot of family and I wondered if I'd ever be able to remember all of their names.

As he handed me the bag with all my stuff in it, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Make it quick. We only have two more hours and I want to spend every minute I can with you."

A thought suddenly occurred to me and I blushed uncontrollably. I turned my head, willing my hair to fall in my face and hide it, but Dimitri had already caught on. Brushing my cheek, he said, "What's this for?"

I kept my gaze at the floor, telling myself that – no matter what he did to try and get it out of me – I wouldn't tell him. "Nothing." I shrugged.

"Alright, then." he told me, laughing. "If you say so. Go on and get your shower, Roza. I'll be here when you're done."

Before I hopped into the shower, I grabbed my phone and sent a text to my mom, letting her know that everything was okay.

Dimitri's shower was big for his bathroom. It was a walk-in shower that had two shower heads on each side of it. I only turned on one, though, not knowing if I needed to save some hot water for Dimitri to take a shower with. I washed my hair before lathering up my body, my mind slipping away into thoughts.

I wondered if Dimitri was thinking about the fact that I was naked in his apartment right now. I knew that if he had been naked – anywhere that I was – I would definitely be wondering about him. I didn't give it too much thought, though. If I did… Well, I just couldn't.

I'd made sure to do as he said and make my shower quick. But, as I stepped out of it, wrapping one of the towels that was lying in a stack next to the shower around my body, I realized that I hadn't brought more clothes in with me. In my haste to send my mom a text and get in the shower, I'd totally forgotten to grab my fresh clothes.

I picked up my nightwear, which was still on the ground, and sniffed it. I grimaced. I guessed that the alcohol smell that had lingered on my party dress had stuck around on my body, making my tank top and shorts smell like it, too. Not only that, but there was an underlying smell of sweat in them, too. I knew I'd been sweating last night, but not nearly that bad. I turned beet red, wondering how Dimitri could've missed how badly I'd smelled. But, of course, he probably had and was just too sweet to tell me.

I debated on whether or not I should put my old clothes on for just a moment while I grabbed my new clothes, but I didn't want any of the smell to linger on me, especially because I had to go home later. Taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I decided to just go for it.

I opened the bathroom door, my towel still wrapped around me, barely covering my body. I shivered as the cold air hit me because I was still wet. I'd hoped I could make it around the bed, grab my clothes, and dart back into the bathroom without Dimitri seeing me, but that was impossible now…because he was laying on the bed.

He was reading a western novel – something I'd learned he enjoyed a lot – but glanced up when I opened the door. "Feel bet –" He immediately stopped talking when he saw me. His eyes slowly looked me up and down, taking in every detail. The blush I'd had earlier returned, but I knew he wasn't paying attention to that.

"I, uh, forgot my clothes." I explained before starting to walk around the bed. I never got to my bag.

Dimitri had gotten up as I began walking and had his arm around me before I'd even registered he'd moved. "Roza," he whispered, eyes never leaving my body. He gulped before he could go on. "You're playing with fire, coming out here like that."

I wanted to laugh, but, seeing the way he was looking at me, I couldn't. "See something you like?" I whispered right back.

"Oh, very much."

As his lips came down on mine, the entire world was nothing but Dimitri. I wrapped my arms around his neck, completely forgetting about the towel that covered my body. It slipped to the floor, but I didn't care. All I could think about was how much I wanted this. That sneaky little voice whispered, You made a promise to Lissa! but I wasn't paying attention. Nothing else mattered except Dimitri and the way he held me so close.

He broke away from me, his breathing ragged. "We shouldn't…" He trailed off as he looked down, seeing my naked body in front of him. My heart was pounding like it was about to jump right out of my chest. I held my breath, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. He just…stared.

I was suddenly extremely and terrifyingly self-conscious, something I had never used to describe myself before. The way he was staring at me, taking me in, made me think he could see right into my very soul. I broke away from him, bending down to grab the towel, but he wrapped his fingers around my wrist, stopping me.

"No," he whispered.

I stared up at him, a shiver going through my body, making my legs feel like jelly. "No?"

For one more second, he took all of me in his gaze. "No."

I was off my feet before I knew it, his lips crashing into mine again. I was vaguely aware that we were moving, but I couldn't pay any attention to it. Dimitri controlled all of my attention, his body so close to mine. He set me down on his big, fluffy bed gently, holding himself over me by my shoulders. He looked into my eyes for only an instant, but I knew what he was trying to say with that look. Are you sure?

"Yes," I whispered immediately, no hesitation whatsoever. I knew what I wanted and I wanted it now.

His clothes were gone in less than a minute, but he stopped once they were all off, letting me take in his naked body the way I'd let him. He was beautiful, his body filled with incredible strength. I could see more of his muscles than I'd ever seen before and let me tell you…he looked like a god.

Once he'd let me completely see him, though, he was back to business, kissing from my neck down to my stomach. I was a little worried that he would go further than that – I'd never had anyone down there before – but he didn't, probably realizing that it would make me nervous.

He came back up, kissing me on the lips once more before pulling away. "You're absolutely sure?" he whispered, eyes locked on mine. "You have no doubts about this?"

My breath caught in my throat from all the emotions running through me, mostly nervousness. I'd heard that the first time a girl had sex, it hurt, and I was a little scared of the pain. But the hunger I felt for Dimitri overpowered that fear and I nodded.

Dimitri nodded right back, reaching over to his nightstand's drawer and opening it. He retrieved a condom from inside, sitting back up to remove it from the package. When he looked at me and saw what I thought was passion written all over my face, he chuckled. "Safety first."

"Of course," I replied, finding my voice. This was really happening. I couldn't believe it. I felt like pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but I didn't want to take away from the joy I was feeling right now. Anyway, why would I want to wake from a dream this good?

Once we had protection covered, it didn't take long.

Yes, it did hurt, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would. It was tolerable, especially because it didn't last that long. The pain went away as we rocked together, the feeling of it so foreign and new to me. It felt odd for a few minutes after that, but I really didn't care. This wasn't so much for the pleasure as it was just to be this close to him, to merge as one.

But, as the minutes ticked by, it did turn to pleasure. A small moan escaped my lips as I grabbed the back of his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, voice filled with concern.

I nodded, looking at him hungrily. "More than okay."

With that said, we totally let go. Everything after that was a blur of ecstasy. Dimitri's hands roamed all over my body, soft and hard at the same time. At one point, he rolled over, putting me on top and letting me take control.

"Oh, Roza," he moaned. I smiled, loving the fact that I could make him feel this good.

When he reached his peak, he brought me with him, sending me high above the clouds. It was amazing; like nothing I had ever experienced before. Small aftershocks went through my body, making me jolt. When I did, it sent the aftershocks into Dimitri, making him moan a few more times.

I collapsed next to him, a giant smile on my face. He reached over, putting an arm around my shoulders and bringing my head to rest on his chest. We were both sticky and sweaty, but it didn't matter. As we lay there, trying to catch our breath, he whispered, "I love you so much, Roza."

I gulped, willing the prickling in my eyes to go away. I would not cry right now, not when everything was so perfect. I took a deep breath, gaining control of myself. "I love you, too, Dimitri. I love you, too."

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. If it weren't for the fact that I had to get back to Lissa's, we probably would have taken a nap, not bothering to put our clothes on. I knew I was exhausted – especially because I'd only gotten four hours of sleep – but Dimitri had this glow about him that made it hard to tell if he was tired or not.

With a groan, I rolled over, not really wanting this moment to end, but knowing it had to. Dimitri looked over at me. "What are you doing?"

"Checking my phone." I replied, a little distracted at how my body felt post-sex. I was sore all over, not just in my most sensitive area, which I hadn't expected. Honestly, it didn't matter right then. "I need to check what time it is."

"Okay," Dimitri sighed, his eyes still taking in my naked body. I hadn't known how he would look at me after sex, but I was glad to see that he was still in awe. "That was…absolutely amazing."

I smiled, temporarily forgetting my phone and turning back to him. "Eh, I've had better." The look on his face was priceless. I suddenly wished I had my cell phone camera up so I could get a picture of it. "Easy there, comrade. I'm just joking. It was amazing for me, too." My voice softened on the last part.

He laughed, running his hand along my right cheek. "I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

I shook my head, smiling. "No, you didn't hurt me. Much." He didn't seem pleased at hurting me at all, but he must have known it would happen. A thought popped into my mind and I went with it, deciding it wasn't a problem anymore. "You know what I was thinking of earlier? When I blushed?"

He shook his head, taking my hand in his. "What?"

"I thought…if you wanted to spend every moment you could with me, you could just get in the shower with me. Now, I kind of wish you had." I explained, looking away from him.

He tilted my head to look back at him and smiled. "We'll have to keep that in mind for next time."

My smile widened when he said that. "Definitely."

With another sigh, I turned back to my phone, wondering if it was past noon. I honestly had no idea how much time had gone by while we made love. I was still on cloud nine when I opened my phone, seeing that I had two text messages.

I opened the first one, seeing it was a multimedia message. I left it on Dimitri's nightstand to load as I grabbed my new clothes and went to the bathroom. When I came out, the message had been loaded and I opened it.

My blood ran cold. It was from a blocked number, just like the text I'd received after Mason's funeral, but that wasn't what nearly made my heart stop. It was the picture. A picture of Dimitri and I in Lissa's gazebo, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Dimitri asked, sitting down next to me and kissing my neck. He was fully dressed now and had a soda in his hand, I guessed to replenish his energy. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I silently held my phone out to him. When he saw the picture, everything about his expression went hard. He was silent a few moments more, but then turned to me. "Who sent that to you?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. It's from a blocked number."

"So it could be from anyone?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, but…" I stopped, looking at the picture again. "I got a text message from a blocked number just after Mason's funeral. It had told me to watch my back, but I didn't pay any attention to it at the time. Then I got attacked. So I'm thinking…"

His eyes went wide. "Your attackers are the ones who took this?"

I nodded. I scrolled down from the picture, seeing that there was text written underneath it. Come clean or face the consequences.

I showed it to Dimitri and he scowled. "'Come clean', my ass." It was the first time I'd heard him say anything like that. Under normal circumstances, it would've been funny, but it wasn't right then. "Don't worry about a thing, Rose. I'll make sure they don't get anywhere near you."

I nodded, getting out of that message to open the other one. This time my heart began to race instead of chill. "Uh, Dimitri…?"

I gave him my phone again. When he read it and who it was from, he went completely still.

It was from my mom.

Where are you?!

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