~ Chapter Forty-Two ~

I went downstairs alone to distract Dimitri’s relatives from the fact that he was missing. We didn’t need them asking questions, especially after what we’d been doing in the confines of our bedroom. I had yet to think about it without flushing, which still annoyingly showed up on my complexion.

Kia was the first person of the Stone/Brock family that I found; she was on the way to the stairs, a blank expression on her face, but stopped when she saw me. She smiled - to my surprise - and reached out her hands.

“Erika, I was just coming to see you two. I wanted to know if everything is okay.”

“Everything’s fine,” I replied quickly, fighting off the heat rising through my body. “I was just explaining something important about my trip this morning.”

Kia nodded. “Dylan mentioned that, though he’s much more preoccupied with this Gina woman. I haven’t heard of her before.”

“She’s a great woman,” I admitted as I casually guided Kia back down the stairs. “I worked for her for a while.”

“Dima told us everything about you two. It sounded like you really… had your opinions set.”

“Yes.” I looked away. “I hope you won’t hold it against me. I was only trying to avoid the situation I was in before - you know, with Alpha Roger.”

Kia scoffed as she nudged my shoulder with her fist, not so much that she could hurt me. “I remember hearing about that monster years ago. I’ve never really been a part of the werewolf community, you see. First I was so preoccupied with Liam and Leslie, and then when Dimitri and Alek were involved, I didn’t have time for anything but my boys.

“Jackson made things a little complicated at first but now I have a group of people I can rely on, so I’ve never even thought about being a part of a pack. But I imagine having someone like that in charge was horrible.”

I led Kia to the couch in the living room, ignoring Dylan telling a story to Liam and Jackson. “Weren’t you born in a pack?” I asked to change the subject.

“No,” she laughed. “I was born in the middle of the woods, pretty much. I never even saw a hospital until I was twelve.”

My brows raised in surprise.

“Now I’m more of a city girl, but I like a more down-to-earth place - like a country club, for example.” She sent me a wicked smile.

“I respect that you and Dima’s dads can get along so well.”

“What about you? What’s your parental situation?” she asked, then paused. “Oh, you don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable.”

I barely smiled. “It’s okay. My dad worked closely with Roger, and my mom… kind of has always just fit into the background. She’s never been a very strong figure for me.”

“Have you kept in touch with either of them?”

That question made me think about my parents for the first time in a while, and I felt all of the blood in my face rush away when I realised that I didn’t know if they were even alive. I hadn’t heard anything from them for so long, I couldn’t be sure they had survived the fall of Roger’s pack. They’d relied on that pack, even if they should have been capable in their own hands by now.

Sensing my sudden unease, Dimitri walked into the room and placed his hand comfortingly on my shoulder. I quickly lay my hand on top of his.

“Um, no, I haven’t kept in touch with them,” I told Kia stiffly. “I don’t think there’s… any reason to be. I haven’t needed them for years and I certainly don’t need them right now.” I rubbed Dima’s hand affectionately, thinking of the lucky situation I had entered.

Kia’s smile was hesitantly supportive, like she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to disagree or not. “Well, if that is how you feel, dear, then maybe that is good that you aren’t being held back by them.” She waited, bracing in case she said the wrong thing.

“It is how I feel.”

“Maybe now isn’t the time to talk about that… Mom,” Dimitri muttered softly over my shoulder. He leaned down to rest on the back of the couch - which was an impressive feat considering his height - so that he was close to me. I turned just my head in his direction and barely placed a kiss on his cheek, which he leaned into slightly. Our eyes caught, but we got shy and looked away quickly before anyone could notice the heat rising to our cheeks.

“Erika!” announced a southern voice across the room.

I looked up at Liam Brock.

“Would you like to have a chat? It’s been a while since Dimitri has had a lady.”

My cheeks felt even hotter than before. “Um, I wouldn’t argue with that.”

He laughed. “It’s okay, hun, no need to be uncomfortable. Perhaps another time when we’re closer.”

“Right.” I leaned against Dimitri to hide away from their stares.

Someone lightly tapped me on the leg, so I turned my head in the direction of Jess - who I hadn’t even noticed was in the room until that very moment. She was barely smiling at me, looking just as uncomfortable as I did.

“Hey, let’s do a quick training session? You’ve been slacking lately.” That was a lie, but I’d take anything to get out of the room for a short while.

“Sure,” I muttered, and we both got up. Dimitri stood upright along with me but didn’t follow us out. We shared a quick kiss before I walked away.

/////

“Do you wanna talk about them?” Jessica asked.

I blocked her attack, throwing it back at her, and growled, “No.”

She threw a successful leg into my gut, sending me down to my knees in a second, then jumped to hold me in place. Her lips were just beside my ear. “You sure? Dimitri has a lot of parents.”

“It’s fine,” I grumbled, shoving her off of me. She landed on her back on the ground, and I held her down for the count. “Besides, it’s too distracting.”

“Erika, everything is distracting right now. You’ve got a lot on your plate, including Dimitri himself. I know he isn’t easy and when you combine him with - say - the problems we’re having with the rogues, and even Gina not being in office… I’m just saying sometimes you’re allowed to take a break for a little while.”

“I’ll take a break later,” I suggested.

“Why not now? There’s nothing beckoning you to service right now, so why not now?”

I glared at her. “I want to train.”

She hesitated but nodded her head and brought herself up to her feet, taking up a stance against me. I silently began an attack on her, but suddenly it didn’t feel the same. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off and I didn’t know why - or what it was that seemed off. I could trust Gina, and if she trusted Clayton then I could trust him, too, so what could possibly be wrong?

Surely not Dimitri’s lovely family… it had to be something else.

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