bench, his head tilted up toward the night sky. I didn’t see him move even an inch from the time I laid eyes on him till I was standing right beside him.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?” I asked, trying to strike up conversation.
“I used to think so,” he grumbled, interlocking his fingers across his chest and turning his gaze toward me. I was surprised to find anger in his expression. “What do you want, Claire?”
I stammered, taken aback by his tone. I knew things hadn’t ended well between us, but I thought we had moved past that. I had hoped we could still be friends despite everything, but maybe we couldn’t. He was a different Dmitry than the one I once knew. I knew it wasn’t just because of us either. His physical appearance may have been scarred, but something inside him had been too.
I took a seat beside him, my breath catching in my throat as I studied him. Yes, he was very different, I could see it in his eyes; I could feel it emanating from him. Without realizing it, my hand lifted to touch the scar that trailed down his temple. He jerked away from my touch, and I hesitated before reaching slowly for him again. This time he didn’t pull away.
The scar was smooth under my fingertips, the new skin was delicate; a stark contrast from the wound that had caused it. I didn’t want to imagine the pain he had gone through the night of the attack, but I was grateful he had survived. Despite his aggression toward me, I was glad he was here.
“How come it didn’t heal?” I asked curiously, my words coming out as a whisper as I pulled my fingers away.
Dmitry’s dark eyes found mine, an explosion of emotion being held at bay. At that moment I wished I could read his mind, but he kept his feelings locked down. I could only catch glimpses, like sand sifting through my fingers.
“They were too severe. I wasn’t able to feed quickly enough to assist in the healing. If it weren’t for your boyfriend I probably would have lost my eye,” he said, turning his gaze from mine and back toward the sky. His words were bitter.
“I’m sorry.” I tilted my head, trying to get him to look at me.
“For what?” he shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable being so close to me.
“For… for everything.” Sorry just didn’t seem good enough, but I couldn’t think of another word to apologize for what I’d done. His world, and everyone else’s, seemed to have been so much better before I came around.
“Whatever, it’s not your fault.” He sat up suddenly, turning toward me fully. After a deep, heavy breath he allowed his eyes to fall onto my face. My heart thumped in my chest as he leaned toward me. The realization hit me that this was the first time we’d been alone together since I left Noire. Despite everything, I couldn’t deny how incredibly attractive he was. He drew ever closer, watching my every feature for a reaction as our faces were only inches apart. Was he going to kiss me? Part of me hoped he wouldn’t, but another part of me craved the touch of his lips on mine again; the electricity that had shot through me when his fangs caressed my lips. It was wrong, it felt so incredibly wrong.
My body began to shudder, either from nerves or anticipation I didn’t know, but it brought a smile to Dmitry’s face. He pulled back, chuckling lightly to himself. What the hell was so damn funny?
“I knew it!” He leaned into the bench, lacing his fingers behind his head as he sat lazily.
“Knew what?” Aggravation began to bubble within me. He was playing games with me and I didn’t like it. Especially when it involved my emotions.
“That you still have feelings for me,” he answered, triumphantly.
“I… I… I do not!” The second the words left my mouth, I knew they were a lie. I would always have feelings for Dmitry, but they were different from what I felt for Arrick. Yes, Dmitry was stunningly handsome, and incredibly smart, but there was a very important piece missing between us. There was no connection like what I had with Arrick.
“I didn’t come here to talk about what I do and don’t feel,” I growled at him. I liked this new Dmitry less and less.
“Then why did you come here?” he said, curtly.
Drawing in a breath, I collected my emotions.