Chapter 7
Dimitri Morozov
Smoke curled from my mouth as I leaned back in the chair, boots propped on the small coffee table.
The basement was quiet now.
Two of my father’s former men - traitorous pieces of shit - lay bleeding out at my feet. Their bodies were broken in all the right places.
They had been selling information to the Italians.
Greedy little rats who thought they could play both sides and walk away rich.
They were wrong. My father assigned me these cleanup missions for a reason. I enjoyed them.
I loved killing.
I took another drag of the cigarette, eyes half-lidded, and scrolled through my phone. Rei’s Instagram was open.
I had stalked it thoroughly after bringing his unconscious body back to that fancy house last night. The picture I had chosen was recent - him smiling (actually smiling) with some bigger guy’s arm slung possessively around his shoulders.
They were outside some Tokyo temple, cherry blossoms in the background. Too fucking cozy.
I attached the photo and hit send.
Dimitri:
Who the fuck is that?
The response came almost instantly.
Good boy. He was learning.
Little Fairy:
Why does it matter? It’s none of your business.
A smile curved my lips.
I could picture him right now.
Dimitri:
Answer me, or I’ll come find you and get the answers straight from that pretty mouth of yours. We both know how well it opens.
The typing bubble appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Little Fairy:
He’s a friend from Japan. He was visiting a few months ago. Happy?
A friend. Sure.
The way that bastard’s arm was wrapped around him screamed more than friendship.
I made a mental note to look into this “friend.” If he ever showed up in New York again, he might need a casket.
Dimitri:
He seemed very touchy for a “friend.” I’ll remember his face.
Little Fairy:
You’re insane. It was just a photo. Delete it and stop stalking my socials.
I chuckled. One of the dying men groaned weakly on the floor. I ignored him.
Dimitri:
Why do you always wear those flowers in your hair? Real answer this time.
Little Fairy:
I just like them. Why are you asking me so much? What do you want?
Straight to the point. I liked that fire.
Dimitri:
You. I already told you that. I want you on your knees again, this time with my cock instead of my gun. I want to watch you cry and come untouched while I ruin that tight little throat properly. I want every single breath you take to belong to me.
The bubble appeared and disappeared several times.
He was rattled.
Perfect.
Little Fairy:
You can’t have me.
Dimitri:
Too late, little fairy. I already do.
Little Fairy:
[eye roll emoji] Don’t you have anyone else to annoy? Go torture someone who actually wants your attention.
Dimitri:
Jealous? Don’t worry. You have my undivided attention.
Little Fairy:
I have to go to sleep.
Dimitri:
Goodnight, little fairy.
I locked the phone and crushed the cigarette under my boot. One of the men on the floor let out a final gurgle. I stood and left.
I took the stairs two at a time, lighting another cigarette as I climbed. The penthouse above was dark except for the city glow bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My father’s men would clean up the mess by morning.
They always did. I didn’t need to babysit corpses.
My mind was already upstairs, back on the phone in my hand.
I could not stop thinking about him. That red flower in his hair had been a nice touch today.
Defiant little thing.
I had watched him from across the quad earlier, the way he kept touching it like it was armor.
Cute.
He thought it made him untouchable. It only made me want to pluck it off and watch him squirm when he realized nothing protected him from me.
The phone buzzed in my hand.
Ilya:
That fucker is sniffing around again. Can I stab him in the eye????????!
I exhaled smoke through my nose. I already knew who he was talking about.
Kento Kurosaki. Rei’s older brother.
The one who had glared daggers at Ilya earlier that day. If he kept showing up near my territory, I would handle it the same way I had handled the rats in the basement, especially if he tried to keep Rei away from me.
Dimitri:
Ignore him for now.
I locked the phone and stood.
Tomorrow I would see Rei again. I would make sure of it.
***
I leaned against the pillar near the east entrance. Ilya and Alexei stood next to me.
Students gave us a wide berth.
Good.
I wasn’t in the mood for noise.
Then I saw him.
Rei walked in with Marco at his side. The timid little scholarship kid was hovering close, saying something that made Rei’s mouth twitch in what might have been a smile. The red flower was gone today. Black again. I wondered what their meaning was.
I pushed off the pillar and started walking. I let the space between us shrink naturally, let him feel me coming before he saw me.
Marco noticed first.
His shoulders hunched, eyes going wide like a deer that had just heard the wolf. He tugged on Rei’s sleeve.
Rei turned.
Our eyes locked.
He didn’t bolt. Good boy.
He held my stare, jaw tight, but I saw the way his throat worked when he swallowed.
I stopped a few feet away, close enough that Marco took a half-step back. Close enough that Rei had to tilt his head to keep looking at me.
“Morning, little fairy,” I said. “Sleep well?”
Rei’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”
Marco made a tiny, nervous sound. I ignored him.
“Marco, you go ahead,” Rei said.
His friend seemed hesitant, but Rei looked confident, so Marco nodded and said, “I’ll wait for you.”
Then he left.
I tilted my head, studying the way Rei’s shirt collar sat against his neck. “You didn’t answer this morning. Thought we had an agreement.”
“I was busy.”
“Excuses.” I took one step closer. “I was thinking about you last night. About that photo. The one with your ‘friend’ from Japan.”
Rei’s jaw flexed. “Leave him out of this.”
“Hard to do when he had his hands all over you.” I let the words hang. “Tell me, does he know how you sound when you’re choking? Does he know you come without being touched?”
Rei’s ears burned red, but he didn’t look away. Fire. That was what I liked about him.
Even scared, even pissed, he pushed back.
“You’re disgusting,” Rei muttered.
“And you’re still standing here talking to me instead of running.” I smiled. “Interesting choice.”
I reached out and brushed two fingers along the edge of his collar. His breath hitched, barely. Most people wouldn’t have noticed. I did.
“Wear the red one again tomorrow,” I said. “I like it when you try to be bold.”
Then I stepped back.
Rei stared at me for a second longer.
Then he left.
I lit a cigarette right there in the hallway. Rules didn’t apply to me.
Alexei appeared at my side a minute later, leaning against the same pillar. “You’re playing with him.”
“Obviously.”
“Your father won’t like this. You sure you want to start something over a pretty face?”
I exhaled smoke toward the ceiling. “Yes.”
Alexei was quiet for a beat. Then he shrugged. “Your funeral if the old man finds out you’re chasing ass instead of pussy again.”
I crushed the cigarette under my boot. “He is the least of my concerns.”
The rest of the morning passed in fragments.
I had class. I didn’t go. Instead I sat on the roof ledge overlooking the quad, phone in hand, scrolling through Rei’s Instagram again. More photos. More smiles I didn’t like.
I saved a few. Made mental lists.
By lunch I was back in the main building. I spotted Rei at a table near the windows with Marco. They were sharing their food. Rei looked calmer now. Until he felt me watching.
His eyes lifted. Found mine across the room.
I held the stare until he was the one who looked away first.
Tension. That was the game. I wanted him to reach the point where he hated me and wanted me in the same breath.
After lunch I caught him alone for thirty seconds in the hallway between classes. Marco had disappeared to the bathroom. Rei was at his locker, swapping books.
I came up behind him, close enough that my chest almost brushed his back.
“Still ignoring me?” I murmured near his ear.
He stiffened but didn’t turn. “I answered the text you sent this morning.”
He had—with an emoji
“Not the one I sent after that.”
He exhaled through his nose. “I’m not your entertainment.”
“You’re exactly my entertainment.” I let my fingers trail along the edge of his locker door, not touching him.
Before he could snap back, Marco reappeared. I stepped away smoothly, giving Rei space again.
I just watched from the steps as he left with Marco. He looked tired.
Worn down by the constant pressure of my attention.
Perfect.
I wanted him to break.
And when he did, I would be right there to catch every piece.