Page 49 of Phantom Flower

“You can’t control everything,” I whispered.

Dimitri’s mouth curved up.

“Watch me.”

Chapter 14

Dimitri Morozov

As soon as we were alone, Alexei slammed me against the wall. His forearm pressed hard against my throat, pinning me. He was bigger than me, built like a fucking tank. I was faster, better with a gun, and I could hold my own in the ring, but when it came to pure brute strength, Alexei had always had the advantage. And right now, he was using every inch of it.

“Are you fucking insane?” he growled. “You just announced to the entire fucking school that you’re the one who had that boy on his knees in the woods. Do you have any idea what you just did?”

From the side, Ilya spoke up, though he did not sound particularly urgent.

“Alexei. Let him go.”

Alexei’s arm locked against my throat like he was seriously considering choking the life out of me.

“I’m not letting him go until he explains what the fuck is wrong with him,” Alexei snapped, not even looking at Ilya. “That video was already spreading. People were already talking. And instead of handling it quietly like a normal person, you decide to stand in the middle of the hallway and claim him like some kind of trophy? In front of everyone?”

I smiled, even with his arm cutting off my air.

“Are you worried my father’s going to disown me and hand the position to you?”

Alexei’s jaw tightened. I knew I had hit the nerve I was aiming for.

“Don’t start that shit with me, Dimitri.”

I kept smiling, even as my vision started to get a little hazy around the edges.

“Come on, Lex. You’ve always been the responsible one. The one who actually gives a fuck about keeping things clean. If I get thrown out, who else is my father going to give the empire to? You’re his brother’s son. He raised you. You’re the spare he’s been keeping warm just in case I fuck up too badly.”

Alexei’s arm pressed harder for a second before he suddenly released me with a frustrated growl. I dropped back against the wall, coughing once as air rushed back into my lungs.

“He’s not wrong, Dima,” Ilya said, his voice unusually serious for him. “You went too far today. That wasn’t just you being possessive. That was you setting fire to the whole fucking house while standing inside it. Your father is going to hear about this. Ivan doesn’t like surprises, and he especially doesn’t like when his only son starts making public declarations about some random boy.”

I rubbed my throat, still smiling faintly as I looked between them.

“Random boy?” I repeated. “That’s cute. You both know he’s not random.”

Alexei ran a hand through his hair, pacing a few steps away before turning back to face me.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said. “That video was already bad enough. Now the entire school knows it was you. That means it’s only a matter of time before it reaches your father. And when it does, he’s not going to be happy. He’s been trying to keep you in line for years. This is going to make him think you’re losing control.”

I pushed off the wall and rolled my shoulders.

“I don’t give a fuck what my father thinks,” I said flatly. “He can be disappointed. He can threaten me. He can try to control me like he always does. But I’m not backing down on this.”

“This obsession with the Kurosaki boy is getting out of hand. You’re drawing too much attention.”

I tilted my head, studying both of them.

“You’re both acting like I lost control,” I said. “I didn’t. I made a choice. That video was already out there. People were already calling him names. I wasn’t going to let that shit continue.”

Alexei’s eyes narrowed.

“So instead you decided to claim him in front of the entire school? That’s your idea of protecting him?”