Page 86 of Dmitri

Fuck, I’m exhausted. Wired. Annoyed.

Flicking the lamp on, I frown at the book I bought today while shopping with Knox. Fucker dragged me into the romance section of a huge bookstore like it’s the secret passage to happiness. For all I know, he’s right. What did I have to lose by at least checking them out? And with Daelyn on my mind, I’d headed right to the dark romance because I figured dark and dangerous love stories fit my mood best. Now here I am with a vampire book I never planned to read.

Turning to the prologue, I stare at the words on the page. Okay, well… that’s actually kind of interesting.

Four hours later, I’m invested and can’t put it down. Sleep can fuck right off. This guy’s mate is in danger, and neither ofthem even realizes it.

About six more chapters later, I crash into a fitful dream…

“Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Dmitri. Happy Birthday to you!”

Mom claps when I blow out the candles to my cake.

Dad sits across from me with this huge smile on his face and hands me a knife. “Cut it up, Son.”

My mom makes me the same yellow cake with white icing every year for my birthday. I don’t like it, but I’ll never tell her that. I just eat it like a thankful son should and tell her what a great job she did on the decorations and lettering.

“I have a very special present for you,” she says, her eyes beaming with delight.

I’ve never gotten presents on my birthday. On instinct, I look over at my dad.

Okay, he’s just as surprised as I am. That’s weird, right?

“It’s for both of you.” Mom gets up and heads over to her purse. She pulls out an envelope and places it in front of me. “Open it.”

I tear the flap and pull out the slip inside. It’s a black and white picture of a… “What is this?”

“You’re going to be a big brother,” Mom squeals. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

I’m not sure what reaction she’s looking for, but it’s not the one she gets.

“What?” Dad stands up and snatches the sonogram picture from me. He scans the photo, brows furrowing, then his jaw clenches tight, and he glares at my mom. “Anya.”

She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him.

He pries her off him and backs away. “I… I need a minute.” He grabs his keys and leaves.

“Come on, silly.” Mom squeezes my shoulders and kissesmy cheek, unfazed that my dad’s just bolted. “Cut the cake. I’m starving!”

Numbness spreads through me. I’m going to be a big brother. My mother will have another child to hurt. My dad’s got another mouth to feed. I can’t understand how this could have happened. The way my parents have been fighting lately, I find it hard to believe they would—

Okay, I’m not thinking about that. I’m nervous enough about tonight, I don’t need one more thing to make me nauseous.

Eating birthday cake with my mom, seeing how happy she is, I latch onto the hope that this will be what turns her around. She’s having a baby. That explains why she stopped drinking. If she can stop drinking, she can stop hitting. Right?

Later, at the fight, I go against a twenty-four-year-old that’s my size and weight. I look older for my age, so no one raises issues about me as far as I know. Which is good, because I stare at my opponent and turn him into the bad guy, just like my dad said to do.

I turn him into my mom.

And I don’t stop swinging until the bell rings and I’m ripped from his limp body by Silas and two other men.

My dad never shows up for the fight…

Knox is stupid loud in the bathroom, clearing the gunk out of his throat and brushing his teeth. He showers, dresses, and comes out in all his good morning glory. “You look like shit. Want breakfast?”

“No.” I sit up and run a hand across my buzzed hair. It’s gotten a little longer since I haven’t clipped it for a couple of weeks.

“I gotta go into the club today. A new stove is being installed and I want to make sure it goes smoothly.”

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