Page 98 of Dmitri

That catches me off guard. I don’t understand why Addie can’t be at the club if it’s safe there. But I’m going to follow Daelyn’s lead for now because she needs this power more than me. I’m not happy about it, but I’ll take what I can get, and give what I can to Daelyn in the meantime.

I think on some primal level, my instincts have scrambled. I want to protect her, but there’s also a feral part of me that wants to possess her. If she’s mine, no one will ever touch her again.

And make no motherfucking mistake…

Daelyn. Is. Mine.

???

Daelyn packs a bag so fast, it’s like she’s expecting her house to explode in t minus ten seconds. “There’s another problem,” she says, stuffing underwear inside her duffel. “He tracks my location on my cell. If I turn it off, he’ll—”

“I see what he’ll do,” I growl, glancing at her throat.

Her cheeks blaze red. “I don’t want him to know where you live or about the Monarch Club.”

I appreciate her attempt to protect me, but it’s a forgone conclusion. “I live at the Monarch Club.” That takes her by surprise. “And it’s fine if he sees you’re there. No one can get in without being vetted, so there’s no risk of someone slipping in who shouldn’t be there.”

“I got in,” she counters, making it clear she doesn’t belong at the club.

“I fuckingvouchedfor you.” Does my tone sound harsh? Yeah. Do I care? No. I’m pissed the connection I thought we had, that felt so fucking real, was only an act. She’s done all this not because she was interested in me, but on behalf of someone who forced her to do it.

But what should I expect? That some woman was going to drop into my life and bethe one? That shit only happens in the books Knox reads. And for Ryker, apparently, because he’s got Tara now.

This sucks. I thought I’d found a flicker of light in my darkness. It’s why I’ve been calling her Firefly.

Damn, my head hurts.

“Let him see where you are. He’ll think you’re doing your job.” Again, my voice is harsher than normal. “But you can’t have your cell in the club. It goes back into the security center we have in the lobby.”

“I need to be able to check in with Addie.”

“You can call her from my phone.”

Daelyn shakes her head. “She can’t be involved. That includes having your cell number on hers. I don’t want to explain or lie to her about why I’m not using my phone to call her.”

She’s either being way too paranoid or way too protective. The woman is living with Daelyn for Christ’s sake, so Addie’ssemi-involved already, whether they realize it or not. The way Daelyn’s acting, however, has me suddenly curious about Addie’s age.

“I’ll make sure you can use your cell during off hours at the club.” It’s a dick move. I could let her keep her cell in my room in the basement, since we’ll be training down there, but I also want a goddamn power card here. If it’s her cell phone, so be it. I need ways to make Daelyn give me more information and holding her cell phone for ransom may help with that. “Ready?”

She hoists her duffel bag over her shoulder and stops in front of me. “I’m so sorry, Dmitri.”

I clench my molars and don’t respond.

Sheshouldbe sorry, but also, I don’t blame her for what she’s done. We’ve all been stuck between a rock and a hard place before. Doing what’s right or what’s easy aren’t always options. And as she looks up at me with blood vessels busted in her face and a handprint bruised across her delicate throat, I know one thing is the truth between us: She protected me. That’s how she earned those marks.

We make it back to the Monarch Club in no time, and I’ve used the bike ride to settle my nerves and come up with a new game plan. Parking in the back, I swipe my key card and hold the door for her. She handed over her phone before we even left her house.

Daelyn follows me through the club, passing Sophie and a guy she’s got on a leash. I don’t say a word and keep my focus on the doors that lead to my dungeon. When we get there, I let Daelyn inside first.

Her eyes sail around the nearly empty room. My cot is against one wall, a punching bag hangs in the center of the room, and there’s a rack with all my clothes hanging neatly on the far wall.

“The bathroom’s through there,” I say, feeling suddenlyawkward and ashamed.

I came from nothing. I’m used to nothing. And I’ve just let the enemy into my sacred space. No one comes down to this forbidden area except for a select few I allow. Yet I just let this little monster in and held the goddamn door for her.

“Put your things down over there and sit on the floor.”

Daelyn’s brow knits with confusion, but she does as I command.

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