Rumor Has It

Vampires can be vicious when it comes to gossip.

They’ve proven it time and time again. Returning to the academy and befriending—or something like that—Adrian Ivashkov were just the beginning. I never realized how cruel rumors got until this new one surfaced. It was a warning sign. No doubt just saying that there was more to a relationship of a student and her mentor was only the beginning.

I deeply exhaled as I entered the gymnasium for my after school training session. This and the session before school are my favorite classes/sessions of the day. Though, not for the reason that they should be.

The reason that they are my favorite lay right in the middle of the gym floor reading a western novel. I didn’t understand his fascination with them, or why he liked the music that he did, but that’s certainly not why I feel light on my feet when I’m around him. I never could put my finger on exactly why I had the feelings that I do, but it really didn’t matter.

He finally glanced away from his book to see who had entered and quickly bookmarked his spot before climbing to his feet. I watched as he lightly tossed his book to the side, followed by retying his hair at the nape of his neck. Unfortunately, he was in strict instructor mode. Something I wasn’t always fond of.

“Rose.”

Against my better judgment, I saluted him. “I’m ready to go, comrade.” Maybe the charming Rose Hathaway bravado would keep my mind from wandering today.

He was expecting that, I suppose.

That’s when I noticed that maybe he wasn’t in instructor mode at the moment. Yes, his facial expression was as stern as usual, but his eyes sported concern. Maybe even worry. Normally, it’d make my chest grow light or my heart would flutter at the thought that he cared for me. Given the circumstances, though, my chest tightened and my eyes, more or less, stung.

I sighed. “You’ve heard, huh?”

“You hear a lot when on patrol.” His mouth tightened into a thin line. “A lot of things you don’t want to hear even.”

“Do you know if—?”

“It’s a rumor,” he stated as if reading my thoughts. “Administration wouldn’t get involved unless it got serious.”

I frowned. “When you say serious, you mean...”

He did his cool eyebrow trick then. I took a mental note that he still needed to teach me that, along with the meanings of his various Russian swears.

His face fell then. “As impossible as it is, you being pregnant. Running off together. An engagement. Something along those lines.”

“In other words, things that are far from your mind when it comes to me?”

His eyes narrowed. “Not necessarily, Rose.”

My mouth twitched and I was forcing myself not to smile. To make sure I wasn’t too obvious I didn’t say a word.

There was very little conversation up until I was handed a silver stake to practice with.

I had a tendency to focus my anger on the dummies when I was allowed to work with them and a stake, more before the incident in Spokane than after. Nonetheless, my fury resurfaced for the first time in weeks and I seemed to focus it all on two of the dummies in particular.

“Rose?”

I ignored Dimitri’s attempt at getting my attention. I drove the stake through one of my focus’s chests with all the force that I could muster.

“Rose!”

Again, I ignored him. This time, I was just trying to get the stake out without rupturing the artificial ribs further than I may already have. It took a while, but I managed. When I was done, just for the hell of it, I kicked the dummy over and muttered, “Bastard.”

“Rose! Stop it.”

This time, I listened to him, feeling a serious case of déjà vu. I loosened my grip on the stake and took a step back.

Despite my best efforts to avoid eye contact, he was at my side quickly, forcing me to look up at him. I really should have expected he’d do something similar to lightly holding my chin.

Hello, Zen life lesson.

“Why do you always seem to hold a grudge against someone? It’s not healthy.”

“Why is there always someone that likes to irritate me?” I shot back. “They’re questions to which we’ll never know the answer.”

He sighed. “Why can you not take your anger out in writing? It’s a lot healthier than imagining a practice dummy as a fellow classmate that you don’t like.”

“Me write?” I twitched.

Judging by his reaction, my facial expression must have made him think that I thought he’d grown a second head, which, truly, would be more realistic.

“It works for some people.”

“And I suppose reading old western novels do too.”

For the slightest second, he grimaced. “They help take my mind off my problems.”

I bit my lip, doing my best to suppress the laugh that was caught in my throat.

He knew me, though. “What’s so funny?”

I held up one index finger, signaling to give me a moment, and then burst into laughter. I even had to wipe away tears of mirth before I was able to compose myself again.

Dimitri just stood there. Had I been someone else, I’d say he was just standing there with nothing to do, but I saw the hidden amusement and, not surprisingly, annoyance hidden in his features.

“You can’t deny that you’ve never wanted to put on cowboy boots, hop on a horse, and save a damsel in distress,” I mused.

“I can’t really say that I have.”

“With as many of those books that you read, you can’t tell me that it hasn’t crossed your mind once.” I glanced across the room to see his duster folded over the back of a chair. “Your coat even resembles that of a cowboy’s.”

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I can say that it hasn’t.”

“Not even when you were little?”

“That is irrelevant.”

I grinned. “Not really. I never specified—”

“Rose,” he said, practically void of emotion, “I believe we’re through for the day.”

I huffed. “What? You don’t want anyone knowing your deepest, darkest secret?”

Anger flashed in his eyes. “Even if it were true, it wouldn’t be my ‘deepest, darkest secret.’”

“Then what—?” I blinked. “In many technicalities, we aren’t a secret.”

He closed his eyes momentarily. “Rose, I think you need to leave.”

I rolled my eyes and took a step forward. “We still have time to practice. You’re supposed to be helping me catch up with the other seniors.”

“Which I’ve done and what I shouldn’t have.”

“You really are not chastising me about Lissa and I running away are you?”

“Someone has to acknowledge the idiocy of it all.”

I tried to give my meanest glare then, but it had no effect whatsoever. So, I relied on simply crossing my arms. I didn’t have a response to that.

I think Dimitri had actually rendered me speechless. It’s a rare occurrence for me to not have something to say to someone.

In the past, Dimitri has made his thoughts known on my maturity. So maybe this blow shouldn’t have been as hurtful as it was. I suppose that I was wrong.

“Everyone makes mistakes, but,” I sighed, “you know that I was trying to protect Lissa. Not endanger her.”

“That still doesn’t take away from the fact that you both could have been killed.” He straightened up, no longer leaning against the wall. Instead, he was directly in front of me again.

If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was bipolar. Since I did know better, I say he was just mood that day. Or thinking over what could have happened.

I dared to look up into his eyes. Those warm brown eyes that always made me melt.

He hesitated before brushing hair out of my face. His expression softened then. “Don’t run off again.”

The funny thing is that I didn’t even know him until right before returning to the academy. He was part of the search-rescue-team-thing…and we didn’t really start off on the right foot.

Irony was turning out to be my new best friend.

“I haven’t planned on it, but, if you bring it up again—”

He pressed his forehead against mine. “Rose, please.”

I smiled. “Okay, fine. So as long as you don’t keep denying your cowboy wishes.”

“What?” Dimitri chuckled. “Oh, Rose, what am I going to do with you?”

I pondered that statement longer than I should have. There were plenty of things that I’d like him to do with me, but I prefer keeping G-rated thoughts…PG-13, really. I shook my head as if to clear it.

The gym doors swung open then and Dimitri and I jumped back, allowing a foot or so between us.

Inconspicuous I hope.