Page 40 of Phantom Flower

Tyler Voss was a senior, one of the guys who hung around the rugby team even though he was not on it. He had been staring at me more than usual the past couple of weeks. I had written it off as rumors spreading about me and Dimitri.

I was wrong.

“What do you want?” I asked, keeping my voice flat.

He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “Heard you and Morozov have been getting real close. Thought maybe you were into that kind of thing now.”

I took a step back. “Not interested. Move.”

He stepped closer, crowding me against the stone pillar near the gate. He grabbed my arm.

“Come on,” he said.

“Let go of me.”

His grip tightened until I felt my skin bruising under his fingers. He leaned in. I could feel his breath against my ear. I wished the oxygen would leave his lungs.

I tried to yank my arm free, but he was stronger. Panic started crawling up my throat, the same sick, helpless feeling from the woods. Only in the woods I had not felt real danger. It was more of a thrill mixed with hatred. Here I felt pure fear and disgust. His touch was grossing me out.

“Get the fuck off me.”

Tyler’s other hand grabbed my jaw, forcing my head back. His thumb pressed against my bottom lip.

“Open that pretty mouth and maybe I won’t tell everyone how you begged for it.”

The rest of his words died.

Someone slammed into him from the side so hard that I heard the crack of bone. Tyler went flying backward and hit the ground. Before he could even roll over, a black boot came down on his chest.

It was Dimitri.

He looked completely calm. His face was blank, his eyes colder than I had ever seen them. He did not say a word as he reached down, grabbed Tyler by the front of his shirt, and hauled him up only to drive a fist straight into his face.

Tyler’s head snapped back and blood sprayed across the stone.

“Dimitri, stop!” I shouted.

I hated seeing this. I did not like observing violence.

He hit Tyler again and again. Tyler tried to fight back once, swinging wildly, but Dimitri caught his arm and twisted it behind his back until something popped. Tyler screamed.

Dimitri slammed him face-first into the pillar I had been standing against seconds earlier.

I ran forward and grabbed Dimitri’s arm with both hands.

“Stop! You’re going to kill him!”

For a second I thought he might turn on me and hit me instead. I had never seen him so angry before.

Dimitri let go.

Then his fingers wrapped around my bicep like a vice and yanked me away from the side gate. Tyler was still on the ground behind us, groaning and spitting blood, but Dimitri did not even glance back. He just dragged me toward the black car parked under the trees.

“Dimitri, wait. What are you doing?” I tried to pull free, but it was useless. His grip only tightened.

“You’re coming with me.”

“I have my own way home.”