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Dmitri

"Why do you even care? I mean, I'm not anything to you guys." I hear Sky ask.

I never eavesdropped on Chris and Sky's earlier conversation, and not because I didn't want to. Ally was standing outside waiting for Chris to finish so she could question Sky. I didn't want to seem obvious, so I left, instructing Ivan to remain at the door and inform me once Chris was done.

As soon as he pulled his vanishing act, Ivan let me know. I promptly dismissed him once Ally entered the room, a look on his face telling me he knew exactly what I was up to. I was relieved to hear that Chris had not been beating her. It saved his life. Luckily, as his ability to come and go made it difficult to detain him had he been the cause of the injuries. Part of me had and still did, want to inflict pain upon him. For reasons that were illogical considering the year that permeated the space between Sky and I. Him being in Sky's life during moments that, as I was hearing, were not pleasant. And then his intimacy with her. All things I hated him for.

I can only imagine how hard it was for her to leave. I know how much she loved her shop. The passion when she spoke about it used to make me envious—and then leaving her house behind. She had luckily not sold it, but she had uprooted herself, nonetheless. Leaving behind everything she knew, everyone she knew, which weren't many. All because of some crazy bitch and some asshole wizard that ruined what we were just starting to cultivate in terms of our relationship.

Deep in thought, I missed Ally's response to Sky's question. 

"So, when can I get out of here? I have some things I have to sort out," Sky asks her, trailing off at the end, not elaborating.

"Well, you can't leave just yet. Let your body get a bit stronger, and we will assess you by the end of the week."

Ally gets up from where she is seated. "Okay, I'll check in on you later. Get some rest."

"Oh, Ally, before you leave. Can you please give this tea to the kitchen and ask them to make me some?" Sky asks, handing Ally a container.

"Sure," Ally says before she exits the room, tea in hand. She doesn't notice me off to the side as she goes downstairs. She hesitates on the stairs as she opens the container containing the tea, taking a sniff of the ingredients. Her body stiffens briefly before she puts the lid back on and heads out the huge door.

Quietly, I enter Sky's room, hesitant that she will throw me out like earlier. She is sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling down the sides while her hands once again cup her head. I arranged for someone to go buy her some clothes, much smaller in size than the last time I bought her the dresses. She was wearing a T-shirt and some sweatpants. Even looking like she does right now, she is gorgeous. My chest clenches uncontrollably.

"Skylar." She nearly jumps off the bed, her movement causing her to flinch with pain. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Geez, Dmitri, you gave me a fright." Her face is pale. I'm not sure if it's because I scared her or just due to her current overall state.

"I know you probably don't want to see me, but I just came to apologize for what happened earlier. I shouldn't have exposed you like that. I was just angry with Chris. I admittedly still am."

"I accept your apology Dmitri, but what you did was wrong. This has nothing to do with Chris. Nothing."

"Don't give me that Skylar. He is your boyfriend, for fucks sake. If you were mine, I would definitely notice small changes, let alone the state you're in now. Doing nothing is as bad as doing something in this instance. Look at you." I intended to keep my anger at bay, but I could hear it in my voice. I needed to calm down. I start pacing, hoping to release some of the energy building up inside me.

She drops her head, some guilt creeping into her features. "About that. He isn't my boyfriend. He never was. He certainly wants to be, but I don't feel the same way, not after...well, we are just friends. At least that's what I thought, but now he says he loves me, and now I need to find somewhere else to stay because it will be awkward if I keep living there. And I don't want to owe anyone anything." She is rambling, nervousness making the words tumble out of her mouth.

Her words halt my pacing as they sink in. They are not together. But they were intimate? Maybe it was a once-off thing? Whatever, they are not together. Relief washes over me like a cool shower on a hot summer day. I mentally punch myself. Why did I even care? She left me.

"Why would you tell people you guys are together when you're not?" I ask, facing her.

"Well, Chris said it would be easier since we were living together...are living together in a small town. He said the locals would talk less if they thought we were together. And also, in case anyone came looking for me, which they clearly didn't, it seemed like a good ruse, you know. To tell them we are in a relationship, hence why I up and left Willow Falls. Look, saying it to you now, it doesn't quite make sense, but it did at the time." She looks away, embarrassed.

It didn't make sense. This feels like a ploy by Chris to get closer to Sky, considering what she has said about his feelings toward her.

"I did look for you, but after your message to me saying I must stop my search, I did as you requested." These words elicit a small frown from Sky, her head shaking from side to side slightly.

"What message? I never messaged you after I left. You must be mistaken." She looks distressed and anxious, not feelings that would aid her in her current state. I would have to dig into this more later.

"Well, you still have your house in Willow Falls, and I'm sure you can set up your shop again. That location your shop was in before is still vacant. I'm sure the person who owns it would be more than willing to rent it to you." For good reason. I had purchased the property and was now the new owner.

The property stood vacant for the whole year and not for lack of interested parties. Various townspeople had already approached me, requesting to rent the spot, which was situated in a prime location. I declined each one, citing my busy schedule and lack of interest in managing the rental then as a reason for my disinterest. All were just lame excuses that didn't make sense. I just couldn't visualize any other shop in its place other than Sky's Naturals. There was a part of me that held hope she would come back. Hope I hated for being there, considering she had just up and left me.

Her face was speaking a thousand words. She looked stunned.

"Mmmm, that all sounds easy when you say it, but it's not that simple, Dmitri. There's history there, one that, for me, has not been all pleasant. I don't think I belong there anymore. I don't know where I belong." Her eyes start watering, but she quickly covers up by putting another one of her fake smiles on. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone. If I stay in Willow Falls, you have an obligation to protect me. Whether you or I like it, that's not fair on either of us, considering our past. Staying with Chris at this point is also not an option. The best thing to do would be to move to my aunt and uncle and then take it from there. Go somewhere new. A fresh start. Somewhere where I am no one's responsibility or burden and where I don't always feel indebted to anyone."

"You don't owe me anything, Skylar. You never did. I want to make that clear. Also, you have a house in Willow Falls, so it's not like you have nowhere to go. As for the protection you speak of, it's not exclusive to you. We offer protection to the whole town. Whether it was you or someone else having issues with Hunters or some other creature, we would do the same. If you return, there will be no special treatment, and I doubt we will even see each other. Don't stay away on my account or on account of the brief, meaningless encounter we had previously."

Words minimize what was probably the most profound relationship of my existence. I want her to contradict the lie with the truth and tell me I'm wrong. Instead, I am met with silence and a deadpan expression, no emotion permeating the beautiful features of her face. After minutes pass, green eyes meet hazel ones. She finally speaks, her voice as flat and emotionless as the rest of her.

"Fine. I will move back as soon as I have the all-clear from Ally. I'm glad we can put our short-lived, insignificant interaction behind us with such ease."

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