Little Red

Chapter 32

Demitri eyes me fondly.  "You may want to head upstairs and go to bed, it's been a long day."  He suggests, running a hand through his hair.

Nodding, I head towards the door.  

"Goodnight,"  I offer with a small smile. 

His "Goodnight" floats down the hall after me. 

As I trudge up the stairs to our floor, I go over the day's events in my mind.  It truly has been a long one.  I'm looking forward to a hot, relaxing shower.  

Entering my bedroom, I drop my cloak on the desk chair with a sigh.  Slowly, I remove each weapon and carefully put them away.  Once I'm satisfied, I trudge to the bathroom and flip on the light.  My reflection greets me tiredly.  

Her dark hair is slightly mused, and her green eyes look empty.  

I unzip my suit, and Demitri's mark draws my eye.  My mind wanders here and there as I entertain several thoughts.  Once I snap out of it, I turn on the water and finish undressing.

Unfortunately, my shower is not as calming as I wished.  I keep thinking back to those wolves, and Demitri's rage in the field.  He tore apart 5 fully grown werewolves like it was child's play.  And for a moment when he turned and looked at me, I thought I saw a flash of fear in his eyes.  He was afraid of losing me, I was sure of it. 

The hot water cascading down my back doesn't compare to the warmth I felt in his embrace tonight.  It was soothing, and it felt so...right.  Like there was nowhere else in the world I should have been but in his arms.  His actions tonight proved that he deeply cared for me.  How deep exactly, I'm not sure.  But I can't deny the way I feel about him, either.  

Subconsciously, I reach up and touch the mark on my neck.  I trace the raised skin absentmindedly, going over the curved lines first, then the small D.  

We're making progress.  It isn't perfect and we still have a long way to go, but we're heading in the right direction.  Demitri hasn't been a perfect mate, but neither have I.  He's apologized, and his present actions show he's determined to be better.  I'm not letting him get off too easy, but I also don't want to dwell on the past when our future is so bright.  At some point or another, I have to let go of my pain and allow myself to experience what we have. 

That night, my bed doesn't lull me to sleep like usual.  I toss and turn for what feels like hours, struggling to find that sweet spot.  In my frustration I make a discovery: I'm afraid.  The events of tonight keep playing through my mind, no matter how many times I try to distract myself.  My imagination forces me to think of what could have happened if Demitri had not arrived when he did.  

I've never faced 5 wolves on my own before.  The closest I've ever come to something like that was when Victoria attacked me, and when I saved that little boy.  Both times I was confident in my abilities, and fueled by my anger.  However, I doubt I have ever trained hard enough to take on so many wolves at once.  I'm determined to work harder.  Life hasn't proved itself to be on my side, and I want to be able to protect myself & my pack.

A sudden thought overtakes me, and I slip out of bed and make my way down the hall.  Slowly, I push open his door.  The heavy wood groans against my palms.  The room is dark and empty.  Demitri's most likely in his office stressing himself out, and I can't say I blame him.  5 wolves entering pack land undeterred puts everyone at risk, and something must be done about it.  

Padding into his empty room, I feel uncomfortable invading his space.  Which is silly because we're mated.  Technically what's his is also mine, I rationalize. 

His scent washes over me, radiating from the room.  It smells like oak trees, clean laundry, and something else that is so characteristically Demitri.  His room is much larger than mine, and in the darkness I make out the shadow of a large bed in the center.  The walls are a fair shade of navy, and the carpet is a plush grey.  On one side sits a large window with a cozy bench underneath.  It overlooks the Dark Night forrest.  It looks like the perfect reading spot.  I make a mental note of that before moving on.  There's a large door along the opposite wall, most likely leading to the master bathroom and a closet.  Next to that, I spot a wide chest of drawers.