Chapter Seven
Elena couldn't believe what she had seen. Dmitrei. Quiet, mild-mannered Dmitrei, who sometimes seemed like he was from another planet, or time, tossing three grown men all over the place. It was as if he were bowling with bodies.
He had crushed a gun as though it were made of Styrofoam. He was no longer just off because of his weird social habits and manner of speaking. Now he seemed almost alien. Especially how he made the last man go completely still, like he was frozen in place. It was otherworldly.
She and Dmitrei needed to have a talk. Still, he did defend her. The thought have her a warm, contented feeling. She felt as though no matter what was weird about him, she was safe, like she wasn't wrong in trusting him.
The drive back to her place was quiet. She got the sense that he needed to calm down. So did she. when they pulled up in front of her house in her small, quiet neighborhood, she got out at the same time he did and walked around the car to him. He put his arm out and she took it, letting him lead her up the front steps.
"Want to come in?" she asked softly.
He nodded without breaking his long silence. In the soft flow of her porch light she could see his blond hair was mussed, there were lines around his eyes, and he didn't appear ready to leave her. She unlocked the door, turning the lights on as she showed him inside. They walked into her clean, modestly furnished living room and she gestured for him to take the biggest couch. He did, sitting down and staring at her, looking like a huge, confused alien in human form.
"We have to talk about what just happened," she told him. "There's no way I can believe you're normal."
He shrugged, "Think what you want."
"Do you mean that?" she asked in irritation. She folded her arms over her chest, "Are you seriously going to pretend I didn't see what I just saw?"
He looked up at her, heat in his sapphire eyes, "I protected you. That's all that should matter. And I'll do it again and again if I must. I see it as a privilege."
"But…" She fought a blush, "I mean, I'm grateful you protected us. But you… the gun… the guys…"
"What about them?" he inquired stubbornly.
She walked over and joined him on the couch. "Humans don't crush guns with their bare hands or knock people over like bowling pins."
"Was that like bowling?" he asked flatly leaning back in his seat. "If so, I kind of liked it."
"I didn't," she admitted. "We were in danger."
"I didn't like that part," he replied. "What I liked was the way they flew away from you. The way I could protect you and keep them from touching you. Punish them for thinking about you."
"There you go again," she said with a sigh, giving him a rueful smile. "Look, humans don't talk like that. Because we don't read minds."
"Maybe some do," he said.
"Do they also freeze people in place?" she asked, then let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, Dmitrei, I like you. I'm starting to really like you, but I need more of the truth form you if we're going to get any closer."
He went quiet, studying his hands as he slowly rubbed his palms together. Such long, deft, powerful fingers. She had always known, in the back of her mind somewhere, he was probably too good to be true, but she had no idea what he was.
"If I'm not human, what do you think I am?" he asked.
"Well, if you hadn't beat those men up, I'd say some kind of angel," she told him. "Just by looking at you, I mean."
"Angel?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.
"You know, sent from heaven. Wings?"
He laughed softly, "I may have wings, but I'm no angel."
A shiver went through her, and she pressed, "Then what are you?"
He stared at her again, offering no answers. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation. She never thought about the existence of other beings in the world. But as he stared at her, looking perfectly relaxed with those glowing sapphire blue eyes, she knew she was looking at one now. Yet, she had no idea what he was.
"You have wings, but you're no angel. Vampire?"
"No," he said with a small smile quirking the corners of his mouth. "I don't drink blood."
"A superhero? Like, from another planet?"
"No," he said, looking more amused.
"I give up," she said in defeat.
"Is it not enough to know that I'm different, but I would never hurt you?" he asked, leaning in toward her and stroking the backs of his fingertips over her cheek.
Warmth filled her, taking away all of her anxiety and she sank into it. What did it matter what he was when it felt this good around him? She had never seen him do anything but good things, except when evil people needed to be taught a lesson. Then he was downright scary. But this Dmitrei was another Dmitrei altogether. Kind. Warm. Soothing. Like the iciness that usually encased him pulled back a little, letting her see the true Dmitrei inside.
"All right," she said softly. "I'll stop the third degree for now. Whatever you are, thank you for saving me." She leaned against his shoulder, his body tensed then relaxed as he brought his hand around her. Even after the violence he wrought, being here, touching him felt completely right.
"I mean, I'll try not to think about it, but how did you do that?" she asked, mostly babbling to herself. "How did you make that man freeze like that, and how did you--"
Her voice cut off as his lips closed over hers, his hands burying themselves in her hair, his breath mingling with hers as they kissed, deep. He finally drew back, keeping their foreheads together, his eyes cast downward.
"What would you say if I told you I was a monster?" he asked sounding desperate beneath the calm tone of his voice. "What if I told you I'm not good?"
She looked into his unfathomable, swirling blue eyes, "I would try to understand why you felt that so I could tell you, you're wrong."
He went quiet again, his thumb stroking slowly over her temple, "I wish I was an angel, for you."
She smiled, enjoying his touch. "Whatever you are is enough for me." She put her hand over his, "Let's enjoy what we have."
The woman inside her didn't want to waste another moment. If he truly was something from another world, she didn't know how much time they would have together. Even if, a few days ago, she would have said this was crazy. Right now, the only thing that felt crazy to her was no taking the opportunity she had been given.
She reached a hand around the back of his neck, "Can you read my mind?"
"I could, but I don't want to."
"Why?" she asked, breathless from his stare alone.
He drew a finger over her ear and down her neck as he spoke, "Because I can usually tell what you're thinking. Anything else, I would want you to tell me on your own. I don't want to steal anything."
She felt touched by that, warmth pooled in her belly like hot cocoa. She moved until their lips were a breath apart, letting the tension tingle between them. He closed he distance, his hand snaking around her back and pulling her tight against him, his kiss became urgent, possessive, as his lips left hers and traveled down over her neck to her collarbone, and over the tops of her breasts where they met. He made his way up to her shoulder, kissing and caressing as he left his mark all over her skin and seared her to the core.
"Dmitrei," she gasped. "Don't stop."
"I can't," he said, picking her up in his arms. "Not even with all the magic powers in the world." He glanced around before asking, "Where is your room?"
She pointed at the stairs and he stormed toward them. Apparently, he felt all the heat and urgency she did. That whatever was between them was something wonderful that needed to be fully explored, right now. A taut sexual tension she had felt since their first meeting. Judging by his possessive hands on her, the feelings were mutual. When he reached her door, he kicked it open making it bang against the wall on the other side.
"You didn't need to do that," she started to scold him only to gasp as he tossed her onto her bed and crawled over her with a growl.
He was so big and feral. Maybe she had been thinking wrong when she thought of him as a human shape of an angel or superhero. Maybe she needed to think more along the lines of an animal.
"This is crazy," she said as he entwined his hands over hers and pinned her back against the mattress.
He nodded, his blue eyes cool as he awaited her permission. She struggled slightly against his hands and grinned. She felt no pain--her meds must still be working. It was time for her body to feel more than pain or the absence of it. She wanted to feel everything. With Dmitrei. Right now.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice.
"More than okay," she said looking up at him. "Take me."