41. Dimitri
Ishould have stopped her, but I couldn’t, not when I felt her fear so potently, as if it were my own.
No, trapping her would have only made everything worse, and honestly, I’m not sure I could handle worse right now.
I knew that she wouldn’t take the news of her aunt coming well, which is why I wanted to let her know now and without anyone else around.
Seeing the way she shut down broke my heart, though. Whatever I thought I knew about her aunt, it’s worse, and the thought is enough to make my blood boil and my stomach roll.
Wren doesn’t deserve all the shit she’s been through.
I fight the urge to go after her, not only because I know she needs time but because I can’t guarantee I’ll behave the way I’m supposed to when I find her. She doesn’t want me to quit or lose my job over us being together, and that would be a genuine possibility if I got my hands on her right now.
I pace my office, trying to breathe through her emotions as they threaten to overwhelm me. Powerful emotions can be hard to navigate when they are your own, let alone someone else’s, and after years of our bond being closed, feeling all of this from her is overwhelming.
Her panic shifts to fear, and I’m about to throw caution to the wind and say fuck my job when I pull out my phone to call her. I pause, my fingers hovering over the screen because I know she won’t answer, but I know someone who will.
I click off our message thread and over to my phone and quickly type out a message to Julian asking if he’s seen her.
I just need someone to be with her, even if it can’t be me. She shouldn’t be alone, and maybe he can offer her the comfort I can’t? I continue pacing the length of my office as I wait. Minute after minute, as time ticks by, and I don’t have so much as a read receipt, let alone a response.
Fuck it.
I nearly rip the door off its hinges as I storm out of my office and into the hall. Students take one look at me and trip over themselves to get out of my way. Usually, I’d keep better control of myself, unwilling to let them see my emotions, but right now, I couldn’t care less.
If it gets them out of my way, I’ll take it.
“Dimitri!” Rose’s voice rings down the hall like nails on a chalkboard, but I keep going without even glancing her way.
“Dimitri!” she calls again, closer this time, and I bite the inside of my cheek and keep going.
I have more important things to do than play nice with this girl who gives me the creeps and is encouraged to do so.
No, the only girl I care about is hurting and most likely alone. Rose could be on fire right now, and I wouldn’t lose an ounce of sleep walking past her.
The second her grimy fingers touch my skin, I lose it, swinging around to face her as I rip my arm from her grasp.
“Don’t touch me!”
She recoils as if I physically hit her. I didn’t, but I did let my powers bleed into my words, and that might be worse for her, given she’s weaker than me.
With incubus and succubus, our power comes from sexual pleasure, and while many would assume she would be more powerful, I have far more stored.
That’s before you add in our age difference and my sorcerer heritage.
Not to mention the fact that Wren has been feeding me for the last few weeks; her lust and longing mixed with my own have filled my stores more than sex ever has. I’m not sure if that’s because of our bond or something else, but it doesn’t matter, not right now.
In true Rose fashion, she rebounds in seconds, her shocked expression melting away to annoyance and embarrassment. I doubt anyone's ever spoken to her like that before.
“You can’t talk to me like that!” she hisses, stomping her foot as she moves to reach for me again.
This time it isn’t me who reacts, but my beast, as a growl rips from my throat, low and threatening. It’s impossible to miss, and her beast must understand it for exactly what it is because she freezes, eyes wide in shock.
“D—Dimitri…” This time, when she says my name, her voice lacks her usual confidence, and her lip wobbles. I’m sure that works on most people; hell, before Wren, it might have worked on me, but never again.
“It’s Mr. Adler, and if you need to talk with me, you can schedule office hours like the rest of the school,” I bite out, choking on the urge to tell her to get fucked because Wren doesn’t want me to lose my job, and that’s a fantastic way to do that.
This time, when I turn away, she doesn’t call after me or follow, which is good because I might have very well lost control of my beast if she touched me again.
No, all he wants is Wren, and for once, I’m in complete agreement with him.