Chapter 4
Dimitri Morozov
I stepped out of the shower with a towel low around my hips and another over my shoulders, dragging it through my wet hair.
Training had been brutal today. Three rounds on the heavy bag, sparring with Alexei until my knuckles split, and Ilya laughing the whole time like the sadistic little shit he was.
I had expected the usual bullshit from them afterward: Ilya spinning that knife and talking about finding someone to fuck the adrenaline out of us, Alexei grunting in approval.
Instead, both of them were standing in front of my locker in the private changing area.
Ilya turned first, that pretty face split by a smirk that never reached his eyes. “Well, well. You might want to brace yourself, Dima.”
Alexei didn’t say anything. He just stepped aside so I could see what they had been staring at.
My locker door was wide open.
Inside, every piece of my gear had been fucked with.
The black training shirts were slashed with cuts that looked like claw marks.
My hand wraps were cut into useless ribbons and scattered across the bottom like black confetti.
The leather jacket I wore after sessions was painted over in thick black strokes, and right across the back someone had written PSYCHO.
But the worst part was the robe hanging from the hook in the middle.
That was the part that made me fucking boil.
My name was crossed out with the same black paint.
Above the number that marked it as mine, in bold mocking letters, it said:
THE ONE WITH A brOKEN DICK
Below it, smaller: Next time I will make sure to hit you harder.
Ilya let out a low whistle, spinning his knife faster between his fingers. “Whoever did this has a death wish. Or a very specific sense of humor. I’m leaning toward death wish.”
Alexei studied me. “It’s him. The Japanese boy. No one else would dare.”
Most people in this academy would have cried if they had my attention. They would have transferred. They would have begged.
Rei Kurosaki had painted my gear black and written that he broke my dick.
I reached out and touched the edge of the ruined robe. The paint was still wet. He had done this recently. Maybe while we were training. Maybe he had slipped in here with that scared little friend of his, or maybe he had come alone because he decided he wasn’t going to bow after all.
Good.
I had wanted him to fight. I just hadn’t expected him to fight like this.
Rei Kurosaki had wanted a war.
He was going to get one.
And when it was over, the only thing left standing would be me, with him on his knees.
***
The second Rei Kurosaki stepped out of the main doors, he didn’t even make it ten steps before I was on him. My hand shot out, fingers twisting hard into his dark hair, yanking him backward so fast his feet stumbled.
He gasped, his body jerking against mine.
Up close, I could see that delicate little flower clip tucked into his hair better.
It looked completely out of place on someone who had the balls to kick me.
He tilted his head, eyes widening when he realized it was me. “Let me go!”
I smiled and tightened my grip. “That didn’t work the last time you said it. What makes you think it’ll work now, little fairy?”
His eyes narrowed.
I could see the shift in his stance, the way his leg tensed. He was already thinking about kicking me between the legs again.
I leaned in closer, my lips right next to his ear. “Try it. Kick me again and I’ll break your leg. I’m not in the mood to be gentle.”
Fear flashed across his pretty face.
As it should.
He swallowed hard. “What do you want?”
I let go of his hair but kept one hand firm on the back of his neck, steering him. I nodded toward my black car parked at the curb. “Get in.”
“Absolutely not!” he snapped.
I glanced around. A few students had already stopped to stare, pulling out their phones.
“Get in the car,” I said calmly, “or I’ll drag you by your hair in front of all these people. Is that what you want?”
He swallowed. For a second I thought he might still fight, but the growing crowd won. He finally moved and climbed into the passenger seat.
I smirked, shut the door behind him, then walked around and slid into the driver’s seat.
The trap was set.
And Rei Kurosaki was now sitting exactly where I wanted him.
I didn’t give him a second to settle. I started the engine and pulled into traffic.
Rei sat stiffly next to me. His back was straight. His hands were tight on his legs.
The black flower in his hair was still a bit crooked from my grab.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. I just drove. My eyes stayed on the road.
“Dimitri,” he said. “Answer me. Where are we going?”
Still nothing. I pushed the gas a little more.
Rei shifted in his seat. He was starting to look tense. “This is not funny. Slow down.”
I glanced over at him, smiling, then floored it.
The car shot forward like a bullet.
“Slow down!” His hands went white on the seat. “You’re going too fast!”
I smiled wider and drove even faster. I had felt good having control. This was exactly what I wanted: watching that pretty defiance crack under pressure.
His breathing got fast. “Dimitri. I’m serious. Slow down now.”
I turned sharply.
The tires squealed.
I pushed the gas again.
Rei’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He was on the edge. “Stop playing around!”
I chuckled. “Consider this foreplay, little fairy.”
“Foreplay?” he hissed. “You’re insane. Slow down. Fuck, please!”
I didn’t. I went faster. His breathing turned desperate, like a cornered animal fighting for its life. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
His hands clenched and unclenched spasmodically. “Stop! Dimitri, stop the car!”
Suddenly, he lunged. His hand shot out and grabbed my upper arm, fingers digging in hard, yanking at me.
“Go slower! Please! Just slow down!”
I looked at him properly.
His face was pale.
His eyes were wild with real fear.
Not the kind of fear I thought he would have.
His chest moved like he was about to pass out.
His grip on my arm was tight and scared.
Something moved in my chest. Not guilt. Fuck that. But I saw it clearly.
This reaction wasn’t normal.
Not for a simple fear of speed.
Something was off.
Trauma?
I eased off the accelerator and slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a violent stop on the side of a deserted road leading into the dark woods.
No one around.
Perfect isolation.
“We’re here,” I said flatly, as if nothing had happened. I pushed open my door and stepped out.
Rei stayed frozen in the passenger seat for a long second, breathing still erratic. I walked around the car, opened his door, and loomed over him. “Get out.”
He glared up at me, jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping.
“You’re a fucking monster.”
I leaned down, one hand braced on the roof of the car, the other gripping the doorframe, caging him in.
My voice dropped.
“And you’re the idiot who poked the monster, Rei. Now get the fuck out of the car before I drag you out myself. We’re going to have a little chat.”