Diamonds Shatter

Chapter 10

10. Fate vs. Destiny

Dimitri was worried about Anna; he kept looking back at her thru his rearview mirror. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him, but when he checked on her again, he saw that she was smiling, lost in her own world. Seeing Anna smile made him smile too.

"I’m guessing we should cancel dinner plans?" he asked. Anna just nodded sheepishly, losing her smile and turning serious.

"We should just get settled in first, and then we can just order in." Natasha suggested, as Dimitri pulled up to the art gallery, and the four of them made their way to the loft above. Dimitri swung the door open wide and ushered everyone inside, leading the girls upstairs, to a spare bedroom at the end of the hall.

"You two can get settled in, I’ll order Chinese." Dimitri said, then he left the girls to themselves, and headed back downstairs.

Dimitri had just got off the phone with Happy Lucky Chinese takeout, when a knock came at the door,

"That was fast." joked Nick half heartily; he got up, but instead of getting the door he went into the kitchen.

Dimitri went to the door and swung it open wide, and instantly regretted it.

 There stood Michael, in the hall. To anyone else he would have seemed like any other college student, in worn jeans, and a green flannel, with an old backpack in place of his feathery wings, even his curly golden hair was messy and dull.

 To Dimitri however, he seemed like a threat, someone who knew too much for their own good.

 Dimitri didn’t say a word, he just stared Michael down, with a hand on the knife in his pocket, waiting for Michael’s first move. Questions were running thru Dimitri’s mind faster than he could process them. What was Michael doing there? How had he found the loft? Did he know what happened after he led Dimitri to the alleyway? What was his intention now? Dimitri found though that usually it was better to act first and ask questions later. Sensing Dimitri’s hostility, Michael quickly put both hands in front of himself, a gesture of surrender,

"Relax, I do not want trouble, I have come here for assistance."

"I can’t help you with anything." Dimitri snapped at him. Dimitri was starting to shut the door on his face, but Michael reached out and held the door open,

"Let me in, and I’ll explain everything." Dimitri ignored Michael’s protest, and once again moved to shut the door. "We can help each other," Michael pleaded. Again Dimitri paid him no attention, so with a sigh, Michael tried another way. "I know what you are." he said. That got at least some response from Dimitri.

"Yeah you’re a guy I‘m a guy... Doesn’t take the sharpest tool in the shed to figure that one out." Dimitri retorted icily. Michael just looked at Dimitri, and then he leaned in close and whispered in his ear,

"You left out the part about being a Keeper." at that Dimitri backed away from the door, completely tense, and unwillingly let Michael inside.

"Who told you?" Dimitri asked, with his jaw clenched tight, as soon as he slammed the door shut.

"No one had to tell me anything! It turns out that I am the sharpest tool in the shed." Michael snapped back. Nick came back from the kitchen then, with a soda in hand, and froze in the doorway. He looked at Michael, standing hesitantly by the door, and then to Dimitri who was standing in front of him, with a livid expression on his face,

"What is he doing here?" Nick hissed. Dimitri turned his cold gaze on him,

"I don’t know, I thought you invited him." he replied.