Reality Bites - Wattys 2018 Shortlist

Chapter 90 - I'm Yours

I woke up a few hours later feeling stiff and hungry. Someone had turned off the overhead lights and covered Dimitri and me with a blanket. He still had me firmly in his arms, and I smiled as I leaned back a little to see his face peaceful in slumber.

He really was the most handsome man I'd ever known. His face, his delicate lips, his eyes – pxarticularly when they sparkled with laughter or were filled with love. I loved the way he gathered the hair at the base of his neck. I loved how his huge hands dwarfed mine. And I particularly loved how when I was in his arms, I felt warm, safe and protected.

I was smiling blissfully at Dimitri, and smoothing stray strands of hair from his face, when I became aware of Baba sitting in a chair off to one side. I smiled at him, carefully lifting Dimitri's arm and rolling out from under it. I sat on the side of the bed stroking my Russian God's face for a moment, holding a finger up to my lips and jerking my head towards the door telling Baba I'd talk to him outside.

"Hey, Baba!" I said as I hugged him.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said. "Glad to see you looking so much better."

"Thanks! I'm feeling better, but I could murder a cheeseburger about now," I joked. Well, I was kind of joking. I really was very hungry! "What's going on at the courthouse?"

"Tasha is being held with no possibility of bail. They've sent in a psychiatric team to assess her mental state, but the initial indications are that she's formed an obsessive attachment to Guardian Belikov and has strong dissociative tendencies."

They needed a team of psychs to determine Tasha wanted my man and was mentally flipping out? Unbelievable! I could have saved them a lot of effort and told them that...

"In any case, you needn't worry about her darling. She won't be going anywhere any time soon, and she won't be allowed anywhere near you. Or him."

"Thanks, Baba. Dimitri has suffered enough through all this – I don't want him upset more."

"He's suffered enough?! He could have killed you!"

"But he didn't, Baba. He was compelled. He had no choice in the matter, and as you can imagine, he feels awful."

"He SHOULD FEEL AWFUL!" Baba was close to shouting by now.

"Stop it! I mean it. You and Mom. I don't care how worried you've been, punishing a man for something outside of his control is cruel, and I won't let you do it. Dimitri loves me. I love him. We're Guardians. Well, he is, and I'm all but one. It's a dangerous life. No, I didn't anticipate a situation where I'd be fighting against him for real, but it happened. I'm fine, but most importantly it wasn't his fault. I don't blame him, and in fact, I'm grateful that he invested so much time and energy in me to get me to the point where I can take on a Blood Master Seven in a genuine fight AND WIN. You need to remember Dimitri has given up everything to be with me. He's left his job, risked his reputation, put himself in danger time and time again. Hell, only a few weeks ago he really DID come close to dying protecting me. He deserves nothing other than our full love and support. Now I'm going back in there to soothe my man while he tortures himself worse than anything you or Mom could ever say. Until you're ready to put this behind you, don't bother coming to visit us!" I snarled, storming back into our hospital room and leaving an open-mouthed Baba behind me.

I was comforted to see Dimitri was still sleeping. I quickly visited the ensuite bathroom to relieve myself before carefully climbing back into bed, cuddling up against him. I was dozing when he stirred a little later.

"Hey sleepy," I smiled up at him, leaning up to give feather light kisses against his jaw.

"Hey, beautiful" he replied, his sleepy eyes looking into mine. "What time is it?"