Dmitri

Chapter 6

"Just talk to him Elena. You won't know anything until you do."

Even though Ana made sense, I was still nervous.

Even so...

"You're right." I sighed and turned my head to look out the window. "I just wish it wasn't all so complicated."

"Yeah, I get that." Ana said softly, and I knew that if anyone understood complicated, it was Ana.

Lord knew she hadn't had it easy with Luca. I mean familydrama, nearly getting shot to pieces, yeah... talk about complicated.

"I should let you go. You're probably tired and I need to find Dmitri anyway. Call me when you know something?" 

"Absolutely."

After hanging up, I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to explain everything to Dmitri.

The truth was, I'd lied to Ana. It wasn't Dmitri who was avoiding me, it was the other way around.

He'd been gone by the time I woke up this morning, and I got that. He was a busy guy, he had a lot of things to deal with, and my mess was just one of them.

Still, he'd come back a few hours ago and since then I'd pretty much been hiding from him. I mean, I was still struggling with the fact that I might be responsible for my parents murder, now I was falling fast and hard for a man most women would be smart enough to stay away from, and I was terrified that same man wouldn't want me anymore once he found out the truth.

Closing my eyes, I rested my forehead against the window and took a deep breath.

Like ripping off a bandaid I thought, quick, and then hopefully not too painful.

***

~Dmitri~

Elena was avoiding him. That had become perfectly clear in the last few hours and he did not like it.

He considered that she might have changed her mind after what happened the day and the night before, but something told him that wasn't the issue. No, his Elena was keeping something from him and he intended to find out what that something was.

"Dmitri?" Surprised to hear Elena's voice in that moment, he looked towards the door of his study and saw her standing just inside the door, her eyes falling as he looked at her.

"Does this mean you're done avoiding me?" He asked with an arched brow and watched her bite her lip as her eyes slowly lifted to meet his.

"I didn't think you noticed." She said in a small voice and he rose from behind his desk, rounded it and moved to the front so he could lean back against it.

"Come here," He ordered quietly and watched her suck in a deep breath before she walked to him and he pulled her into the circle of his arms and dipped his head to catch her eyes as she tilted her head back.

"Are you here to tell me why you have been hiding all day?"

Her head fell forward and pressed against his chest as her arms slid around his middle.

"I have to tell you something." Her voice was so quiet he could barely make out the words, but he definitely heard the slight tremble in her voice.

"Elena," He murmured and tightened his arms around her small body as he dropped his head to press his lips to the top of her hair.

"It's my fault that my parents are dead." She whispered and Dmitri froze as he slowly lifted his head, slid his hands from her waist up over her arms to curve around her neck. Using his thumbs, he tipped up her head and caught her eyes.

"How are Mikhail and Tasha's death your fault?" His voice was cautious, controlled and he was studying her carefully as she swallowed hard and tears filled her eyes.

"There's something you need to know about me. Something about me and... Romero."

Closing his eyes, he dropped his head and kissed her forehead. When he pulled back and opened his eyes, he caught her beautiful blue ones and dragged her even closer.

"Elena, I know what happened." The tears spilled over as she stared up at him with big eyes filled with confusion.

"You know?" She whispered, a hitch in her voice.

"Mikhail told me when it happened. It was a situation that required my knowledge and interference with Carlos. I know Elena, and what happened to your parents is not your fault. It is Romero and his madness who is to blame, no one else, and I promise you, moya koroleva."

***

~Elena~

He called me "his queen", and I loved that, I loved the thought of being "his" anything.

The tears kept coming as I pressed closer and clenched his jacket with my fist.

I wasn't sure why I was even crying anymore. Relief, residual fear, grief and not a little guilt, probably all of the above.

"I was so scared." I whispered, "So scared you wouldn't look at me anymore, wouldn't want me anymore."

"Angel," He murmured, his lips against my hair and that felt so good, so safe, a sob broke free.

Next thing I knew, Dmitri picked me up with one hand under my knees, the other around my shoulders and he was carrying me across his study and over to the couch I'd fallen asleep on the night before.

Once he got me there, he settled in with me in his lap and I pressed my face into his neck as his arms held me tight to his big frame.

I have no idea how long he sat there, holding me and murmuring sweet, soothing words into my ear, I just know that eventually, I cried myself to sleep.