Chapter 7 Dimitri
dimitri
. . .
The first month of year two blurred past, but the memory of Rune’s face, the hurt in her eyes when she’d seen my persona that was mated with Brynn’s persona during that damned assignment, clung to my memory like a curse.
I didn’t even like Brynn. I hadn’t wanted her smile or her flattery.
I’d only wanted to pass the assignment. Even though Rune had known that, I knew it still hurt her.
And every time I shut my eyes, I remembered the way she’d looked at me, like I’d betrayed what was between us.
My phone kept ringing. I wanted to ignore it. When I saw the name, dread clawed up my spine, but she wouldn’t stop calling.
“Mother,” I said flatly, answering it.
Her clipped voice sliced through the line. “Dimitri, I’ve finalized your mating. An elite vampire of impeccable lineage. You will just adore her.”
“The arranged mating? Father was serious?” A laugh broke from my throat, sharp and humorless. “No.”
“Yes,” she said, unbothered. “The contract is already signed with her parents. You’ve been drifting too long without purpose. This will secure you. Fates-forbid you fall for a non-vampire again.”
“You don’t control me anymore,” I snapped, fangs pricking my tongue. “Not my life and not my mate.”
I hung up before she could reply, throwing the phone onto my bed with a rippling growl.
It rang again. I cursed and answered, ready to lash out about the decades of being controlled by my mother, until a woman’s voice came through, soft and uncertain.
“Dimitri? I…I’m your arranged mate. My name’s Mary.”
My hand stilled on the receiver as revulsion surged through my gut.
“I don’t want this,” she rushed on. “I don’t want to be mated to you.
I already—” she cut herself off, then lowered her voice.
“I already have a mate. A fated mate. He’s not a vampire, and well, we’re keeping it secret until I can leave my family.
But the contract…this arrangement is binding until I turn of age. ”
Relief unfurled in my chest before anger surged through me again. “Then, we agree. I don’t want this either. Also, you’re not even of age?”
A small laugh ghosted through the line. “You sound…honest. And well, I’ve just turned twenty-five, but I don’t age out of my clan until twenty-six.”
“I’ve been there. My clan’s of age when they’re thirty. I’m thirty-five, and I’m waiting for my fated,” I admitted. Rune’s face flickered across my mind. “I won’t mate with anyone else.”
“Then, let’s ride this out,” she said firmly. “A year. Keep them satisfied with us having spoken, and we can hold off on any in-person meetings. Promise me we won’t mate.”
“I promise,” I said. “On my blood.”
“You seem nice,” she added, hesitant. “But I’m in love with my fated, and nothing changes that.”
My chest tightened. I swallowed Rune’s name back down. “I understand more than you know. I have zero interest in this mating.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
We hung up, and for a moment, silence filled the room. Then, a buzz lit my screen.
Morrigan Nocturnus:
Thank you for agreeing. You’ve made the right choice.
I almost hurled the phone across the room. Instead, I shoved it aside and grabbed my chalice. I needed blood before I lost my temper completely.
The common area was quiet as I walked toward the kitchen.
I made my way in, only to collide with Rune. Her scent hit me first. Midnight orchid, yes, but under it, the pulse of her blood. It was rich and intoxicating, much better than anything that had ever been in my chalice.
Where I’d bumped into her tingled with heat.
My fangs ached. My restraint was frayed, as it always was around her. Desire webbed through my veins, desperate for her.
She pulled back and moved around me.
“Rune,” I croaked, my voice rough. “Wait.”
She paused, looking over her shoulder. Her golden eyes cut through me like glass. “If I wait, what changes?”
I couldn’t answer that.
I knew she’d been hurt watching me with Brynn for the assignment, and I almost failed it because of her.
If she waited, I’d tell her that. I’d bite her again. I’d let my desire for her cloud my judgement, and when clarity came back, I’d probably leave her again. Because no matter how much I wanted her to be, she wasn’t mine.
She gave me a sad smile before she continued to her room and shut the door behind her.
I stood there feeling hollow. Fates, the feeling slithering through me was much worse than the hunger for blood. Slowly, I poured blood into my chalice, gripping it hard enough that the rim dug into my palm.
Back in my room, I pulled the opal amulet from my drawer—the one I wore when I needed to remind myself not to lose control. I drank the bitter cold blood, but none of it mattered.
Nothing would ever taste better than her blood.