Diamonds Shatter

Chapter 14

14. Keepers Secret

Angelo was right.

Dimitri’s head hurt like hell.

He opened one eye, slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was back at home, in the living room of the loft, lying down on the larger white sofa.

 The loft was completely silent. He looked over to the other couches, thinking someone might be asleep there, but both were empty. Again he felt painful pressure against his head. Dimitri opened both of his eyes then, and looked up.

Maybe his head hurt so badly because Anna was pressing down on his head really hard with a cold pack. Dimitri squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed at the sight of Anna, but he couldn’t remember why her face brought a heavy pain to his gut.

“Dimitri?” she whispered, more quiet and hesitant then she usually was. Dimitri blinked a couple of times, Anna’s face was looming above him, and he realized that he was lying in her lap. He quickly sat up, and scooted away from her. A wave of dizziness passed over him, but he tried ignored it, instead studying Anna’s face.

 Her hair was a tangled mess, blood was splattered in different shades of red all over her, and she had bruises around her neck in the shape of fingers, not to mention a whole array of others bruises and cuts scattered across her body.

As he studied Anna, memory of the previous events started to return. The dizziness got the best of him, and Dimitri laid his back against the armrest opposite Anna, folding one leg up, as he stretched out. His gaze turned into one of confusion.

“You're alive.” He stated. Anna simply nodded, then winced in pain, her hand going instinctively to her neck.

“So are you,” she noted.

 “But that-Vincent, he broke your neck.”

Anna was about to shake her head, then stopped herself, going rigid.

“No. It was kind of like what a chiropractor would do. He didn’t get the chance to finish me off, only sprained my neck little,” Dimitri shook his head, in confusion

 “But you fell, I saw your limp body fall. Anna, I thought you had died.” He said, still confused. Anna turned towards Dimitri, her back against the armrest as well, and her small smile turned apologetic.

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a good actress. I wanted Vincent to think I was dead so he would leave me alone. I’m sorry if I had you worried.”

 Dimitri took a few moments to let that sink in. Anna was alive by a mere hairsbreadth of a second.

 “How do you feel?” Anna asked gently reaching out for him, then she stopped, and simply handed him the ice pack.

 “Fine.” Dimitri lied. “Where is everyone?”  He asked, looking around at the emptiness around him.

 Anna looked around too, seeming to notice that the two of them were sharing a couch in giant empty house. She made no motion to move though.

 “They went out for a Starbucks run. Caffeine seems to cure any ailment.” she said simply. Dimitri didn’t say anything. The awkwardness he had felt earlier of seeing someone he had thought died, now alive, and aiding him no less, was starting to fade away, and he relaxed now, sinking back into the couch.

“Dimitri? Back at the Rose Angelo had called you a Keeper, why? What did he mean?”  Anna asked hesitantly, not sure if it was too soon to bombard him with questions.

Dimitri wasn’t expecting that. He just looked at her. Had she truly not figured it out by now? He kept looking at her, taking in all the bruises and cuts on her body, injuries that she had gotten because of him, and yet there she stood, faithfully by his side, without knowing why she had to go through what she went through. Anna had almost died, because of his carelessness.