Moving Objects

Chapter 7

I felt myself sway on my feet before the world tilted on its axis and I saw Dad moving towards me in slow motion. Arms wrapped around me and caught me as I sank to the floor. My ears rang as two sets of brown eyes appeared above me, both their mouths moving but I couldn't hear anything that came out of their mouths.

Breathe. That was the only word I could make out from Dimitri's lips when I realized that the gasping noise I could make out was me. Abe looked panicked as he kept talking while Dimitri's hand came down on the top of my head, brushing my hair back while his other hand rested on my shoulder. I tried to control my breathing and choked on it but forced myself to breathe.

I watched Dad's eyes move from me to Dimitri's hands then to his face, which was clear with worry and concern. Something flashed in his eyes as the ringing in my ears stopped and I reached up, putting my hand on his arm.

"What...happened?"

Dad wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a sitting position. "It's a side effect of being closer to me. You are stable on your own but being near me makes you less stable. It's something we'll need to work on. You burned yourself out," Dad explained softly. I nodded my head but slumped back a little, Dimitri's hands flying to my back to keep me upright.

"Can we pick this up another time? I'm exhausted," I whispered, giving him a weak smile. Dad nodded and put his hands out to help me stand up before wrapping an arm around my waist.

"I'll help her back to her room, Belikov. Good night," Dad said curtly as he directed me to the door. I turned my head to look at Dimitri and he gave me a worried look and it made me want to go back to reassure him, but I could barely keep my eyes open.

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I rolled over and tucked my nose under the blanket, shivering as the cold air hit my overheated skin. Nightmares from Spokane hadn't eased yet and still woke me from a dead sleep. I peeked my eyes open and just about jumped out of my skin seeing a hulking figure sitting next to my desk, but I quickly figured out who it was.

"Breaking the rules again? You know male students aren't allowed in female dorms after curfew."

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not a student," Dimitri said quietly as he moved to sit on the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged and snuggled deeper into my blankets while reaching my hand out to grab his.

"I feel like I got hit with a boulder," I grumbled. Dimitri sighed quietly and brushed my hair back from my face before leaning down and pressing a tender kiss to my head. I tugged on his hand and wiggled back on the small mattress, pleading him to lay down next to me.

Dimitri toed his shoes off and laid beside me, tucking himself under the blanket and draping his arm over my waist. I rested my head against his chest and sighed contently.

"He didn't give you a hard time earlier did he?"

Dimitri sighed and kissed my head again. "No, he was being shifty with me but it's nothing I can't handle. I handle you just fine," he said, squeezing my waist playfully. I poked his stomach because that was all I had the energy for.

"Do the nightmares go away? Of your first kill, I mean," I whispered into his chest, letting my eyes fall closed. Dimitri sighed and rubbed his hand up my back firmly.

"No. I wish I could tell you that they do, but they do become less frequent."

I nodded again and shifted around so that I was flush to him, moving my face into the crook of his neck. "I don't know how long you can stay, but will you hold me until I fall asleep?" I asked as I finally got comfortable. I could feel Dimitri nodding his head as I started to fall back asleep.

I quickly slipped back into a dream state, but this time it was worse. Instead of standing in front of the Strigoi Isaiah, I was standing in front of a Strigoi Dimitri. Everything else was the same as the day Mason died, but Dimitri was the one standing over me, his eyes crimson as they bore down at me.

"If you hadn't led him on he wouldn't be dead. This is your fault," Strigoi Dimitri sneered, batting the dull sword from my hands. It clattered to the floor a few feet away from me and I stumbled back, scrambling for another weapon to defend myself but his hand wrapped around my throat.

"You brought this upon yourself," he said, almost amused. I clawed at his hands but it was useless.

"Roza."

"Roza."

"ROZA!"

My eyes snapped open and it was like a band snapped. I was laying on the floor near the door, Dimitri on the floor across the room with the bed turned over. I pushed myself up and scrambled to Dimitri, kneeling beside him and cupping his face.

"Oh, Dimitri," I whimpered at the sight of the gash across his face. It ran from the corner of his eye down to his jaw. I jumped up and grabbed a towel and a bottle of water before returning to him. He had pulled himself up and was leaning against the wall, his hand cupping his face before I pulled his hand away and pressed the towel to his face.

"I did this," I moaned, mortified with myself. This was what my parents were worried about, me being out of control. I pulled the cloth away to look at the wound, sighing to see that the blood flow had slowed. Dimitri tried to catch my eye, but I refused to meet his as shame and embarrassment flooded through my veins.

Dimitri put his hand on top of mine and squeezed my wrist gently. "It's ok. You were having a nightmare."

"I hurt you," I whimpered.

"It's ok. I'll heal. Sweetheart, it's ok."

I sniffed and nodded my head, mostly to appease him. But it wasn't ok. I was already lashing out. Dimitri got himself to his feet and pulled the cloth away from his face and checked in the mirror. I stood where I was while wrapping my arms around my stomach, watching Dimitri examine the cut. He turned around and must have seen the look on my face before moving to comfort me, but I shook my head and stepped back.

"Please don't. I need to calm down first."

He nodded and moved to the bed, flipping it back up and putting my pillows and blanket back on it. I looked around trying to find what it was that he cut himself on before my eyes fell to the radiator. The radiator that I had complained to maintenance about because part of the mechanism stuck up and I had cut my leg on multiple times.

Dimitri sat down on the bed and watched me as I paced the small length of my room before catching my hand and pulling me to a stop. I turned and looked at him with brimming tears but he stood up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tightly to him.

"I'm fine Rose. Take a deep breath," he said in my ear. I nodded and wrapped my arms around him before pulling back to look at him.

"I have a bandage kit in my desk. Sit down," I said before grabbing it and putting a makeshift bandage on the cut. It didn't look good, but it would cover it for now. I cleaned up all the trash and tossed it before looking at him awkwardly. He scooted back along the bed and laid down, laying his arm out beside him for me to join. I shifted on my feet before he narrowed his eyes at me. I climbed onto the bed and laid my head in the crook of his arm.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, I feel fine," he said tiredly, squeezing my arm. I didn't believe him but I was so tired that my eyes started to droop shut. I tried to think about everything and anything but Mason, and I decided that I would resort to the one thing I've tried to not think about. The cabin. It would give me different kinds of dreams, but it would be worth it.

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