THE SORTING

THE TALK

Calming me down should be a full-time job. I'm sure Dom has never heard anyone say sorry more times than I have in the last three hours. I couldn't help it. I felt so horrible about shutting him out. We hadn't moved at all since he pulled me next to him. His arm must be getting tired from rubbing my back, but I doubt he'd ever tell me that. The sun had come up a while ago, the mess of the room illuminating. The discarded clothes were visible, and I could see crumpled papers and random food wrappers thrown around without a care. I wondered if Dom had to leave for work soon. He probably did. I sat up quickly, startling Dom, wiping my face of tears, old and new. Dom sat up quickly as well, letting out a yawn and stretching. I turned to face him, knowing I probably looked horrible. My face was probably red and sticky, whether from crying or sweating, and my eyes were probably puffy and purple from lack of sleep and rubbing them so hard. I don't even want to think about the rats nest that my hair most likely resembled. I gave Dom a defeated, guilty look. He responded with a soft smile.

"If you say sorry one more time, Vivienne, I am going to have to start an "apology jar" and charge you a dollar," Dom joked. I let out a soft smile followed by an amused breath, looking down at my hands. I didn't know how to start the inevitable conversation we needed to have. How do I explain myself? Would he even listen to an explanation? Dom must have been able to tell I was in my head because he grabbed my fidgeting fingers in his steady hands. I looked up at him, hoping he'd go first. Please go first.

"Stop blaming yourself. I am not mad. And you do not have to explain. I understand why you needed space. I would have given you space for the rest of my life, if you needed it,' Dom said softly, his thumb rubbing my hand. He gave me a reassuring smile. My gaze drifted to our joined fingers. I cleared my throat.

"How did you even do that?" I questioned, referring to his bloody kill. He punched straight through a man's chest. I was told by Hunter much later that the man's heart was basically obliterated. I couldn't fathom having that much strength. Dom didn't answer right away, the silence making me lift my head to look at him. He was staring off into the distance. He started with a sigh, before our eyes connected.

"Our species is very strong, little one, even in our human forms. We also heal faster than humans. It is not instantaneous like the stereotypes perpetuate, which is why we need medical staff, but injuries are not as severe," Dom spoke. He sighed gruffly, standing up. He paced around the room, his feet disturbing the clutter on the floor.

"I should not have done that in front of you. Killing that man in that graphic of a nature was barbaric, especially in front of you," Dom asserted. It was like he was scolding himself. My eyebrow furrowed as I took in his stressed state. Was he torturing himself as much as I was? Did he blame himself too? I stood quickly and padded over to him. Dom was so in his own head he didn't even see or hear me approach him. I stopped in front of him, causing him to stop abruptly, almost knocking us both over. Dom's hands found the curve of my back and pulled me closer, balancing both of us. My hands traveled to his face, one on each side, forcing him to look at me. We stared into each other's eyes. I could see the pain in his.

"You saved me" I muttered in a heartfelt whisper. I could physically feel Dom relax. His shoulders dropped. I wondered how tense he must have felt all this time. His body leaned into mine ever so slightly and his hands caressed my back. We never broke eye contact. Dom leaned down a bit, his eyes closing, our foreheads connecting. He took a deep breath.

"I am so sorry, Vivienne," Dom confessed. I almost didn't hear it.

"That's a dollar in the apology jar," I joked without missing a beat. Dom let out a laugh, his whole body shaking with it. I had missed his laugh. I had missed a lot of things. With my hands still on his face, I removed my forehead from his, causing his eyes to open. I pulled him down, joining our lips together in a long-awaited kiss. I felt the fireworks just like I did when we first met, but this time there was weight to them, depth. We had been through so much in just a few months. We could get through anything now. I really believed that. We broke apart, breathless and giddy.

"Don't you have work today?" I asked, still not sure of the time. There was a clock on the wall but my glasses were left in my room hours ago. Dom released me from his grip with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face. I looked at him, confused and intrigued. He walked over to the table next to the bed, grabbing what I assumed was his phone. He typed for a second and then held the phone up to his ear. I waited eagerly.

"Yes, King Alpha. Good morning to you, as well. I am needing the day off. As I understand, you do not have any events or outings scheduled today. I am fairly certain the rest of the detail can handle security without me for one day," Dom requested. He spoke with such authority and purpose. He was silent for a moment, as I'm assuming the King Alpha was speaking. A smile creeped onto his lips as he stared at me. "Vivienne will also be needing the day off, yes sir,' Dom responded. My eyes widened. How did he know? "Thank you, sir. Have a great day," Dom nodded, as he hung up the phone, tossing it to the side. "What were you saying about work?" He teased as he stalked over to me. I replied with nothing but a grin and a squeal as his arms encircled me, picking me up, bringing me over to the bed. I never wanted to leave this room as long as Dom was in it and I doubt he'd let me leave, even if I tried.