29: Demetri the mysterious

"Demetri."
The moment it had left my mouth Demetri's eyes softened and he offered me a gentle smile. It was one which, strangely enough, made my cheeks heat up and my hands shake. It was a feeling of nervousness belonging to the old version of Phoenix, and just that thought made me nervous enough already.
"If it isn't Phoenix Selene Ackerman. It's been a while, hasn't it?" He said softly. I nodded at him and finally returned his smile, and that was when Alice finally made her appearance into the front hallway. She was sweating and panting and terrified out of her mind, even more so when Sebastian gave her the deadliest death glare, I'd ever seen him give anyone, not even me.
" I thought I told you *not* to visit her or wake her up. Can’t you do anything right!" Sebastian uttered. And it was then that the calmness of the room shattered, and I snapped.
"You do not get to talk to my friend that way!" I yelled out, startling both Alice and Demetri. Sebastian was, however, used to my tantrums and shrugged. "I gave her an instruction, and she failed."
"Even if I hadn't shown up at her room, she would have come out here looking for him. They are mates after all, and their bond is virtually unbreakable. Trying to keep them apart for even a second would be stupid." Alice uttered, more to herself than anyone else. Unfortunately for her, though, everyone had heard what she'd said and Sebastian- as expected- did not take her words lightly.
"I don't care. An order is an order. And enough of this 'mates' talk. I didn't bring him here so that he and Phoenix could reunite like a happy couple-"
"-Then why did you bring him here, Sebastian?" I asked seething. Sebastian had a way of getting on my worst side possible, and the fact that he was being rude to Alice did not make it any better.
"Tomorrow." Was all he said.
"Tomorrow?" I repeated, waiting for a proper answer from him.
"Tomorrow, yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I will be leading Demetri to his room." Sebastian was just about to walk away when suddenly Demetri spoke up.
"If you wouldn't mind, Sebastian. I'd like to talk with Phoenix a bit more. I haven't seen her in a while and well... I've missed her." I honestly wished he hadn't even opened his mouth because the moment he said that I saw how Sebastian's fist closed tightly and shook violently. Within seconds, Sebastian turned around and attempted to launch a punch into Demetri's face, but to my surprise, Demetri caught it right in his hand and held it there.
"I thought we were supposed to be civil. You know what happened the last time you tried to take all of Phoenix's attention."
The last time? What did he mean by that? Did Sebastian and Demetri know each other? Had I met them before? These questions circled around in my head over and over again but were disturbed the second Sebastian retracted his hand from Demetri's. It was then that I saw the brilliant, bright blue of his eyes had changed to an even darker shade in the dim lighting of the room. In fact, they almost seemed a dark greenish colour now.
I was left stunned. I knew for a fact that Sebastian was undeniably immensely strong. In fact, he'd been the strongest creature I'd ever fought off. Yet now, he seemed to have met his match, perhaps even more than his match.
Sebastian growled lowly but made no effort to fight. Instead, he just turned around and began stomping off.
"Well, that was weird." Alice said, voiceing exactly what I was thinking. Her words seemed to fluster Demetri who nervously scratched at the back of his neck.
"I guess he doesn't like me very much."
I raised my eyebrows at this, suspicious at his strange behaviour and said, "I think it's you who doesn't like him very much."
Demetri said nothing to this and instead shifted his eyes downward towards the floor. The entire room was now engulfed in this sense of silence which was plagued by questions I knew would not be answered.
"Well... I think I'll get going to my room. Since Sebastian didn't have the chance to take Demetri to his room, why don't you find one for him. I'm sure you know this place better than I do." Alice said, already on her way out of the hallway. I was just about to stop her as I begged, under my breath, for her to stay, when she practically bolted away.
Awkward was an understatement for the situation I had now been thrusted into. "So," I began, immediately catching Demetri's attention, "shall we?"
Demetri smiled and held a hand out for me to take, which I did, almost instinctively. His hand was so much warmer than mine and I savoured the feeling of sparks as we touched, but at the same time grew weary of them. As I'd said before, feelings for anyone would only complicate my life further, and that included feelings towards my mate.
"I was thinking you could show me a little more of this palace before we're banished to our rooms?" Demetri asked as we moved away from the entrance hall and deeper into the palace.
I waited a moment before answering, suddenly coming up with a sneaky little idea. "Okay, I will show you around if you agree to answer a few questions of mine. Deal?"
Demetri gasped and raised his brows before saying, "My Moon Goddess, you have changed." He then paused a moment and gave it some thought before nodding. "Alright. I will answer *some* of your questions."
"Some?" I questioned.
"Yes, only some. I'm sure you have many questions for me right now and in time, those that I don't answer today will be answered another day, when you're ready."
I agreed reluctantly and led Demetri further into the lounge area and then towards the dining room, where we stopped for a moment. "My least favourite place, the dining room."
"I guess the vampire nobles have been far from welcoming." He uttered, staring at his reflection in the shimmering surface of the glossy dining table.
"You tell me. I mean, they have even decided to send me off to a game of slaughter." Immediately when I said that he turned back towards me and held my eyes with his. In the light of the dining room, they'd returned to their soft, rich aquamarine colour. "I won't let you die, Phoenix."
"You don't really have a say in it, Demetri." I said, moving away from him and turning my head away, now engulfed in the sense of hopelessness which always seemed to plague the back of my mind. "Now come on, there are plenty more rooms to see."
As we walked past the dimly lit halls and into the various grand rooms of the palace, I finally began asking my questions.
"My father, is he doing alright?"
Demetri nodded. "He is, yes. Although he's still on trial, he still holds his title as Alpha..." And then he suddenly grew silent.
"What, what is it?"
He looked up at me and bit at his lip nervously. "Not today. Perhaps another day. Yes, I will answer you another day."
I was about to argue with him, but he began walking away, trying to avoid my piercing gaze. I was honestly becoming tired of being left in the dark, but what could I do? The more I asked, the more I was turned down.
So, I began asking other questions. "What about you? What made you decide to come here to a place you'll most certainly be receiving your fair share of hate?"
He chuckled at this but answered by saying that he'd never miss the chance to get to see me, even if the circumstances were at dull as they were now. Admittedly, the thought made me happier. In fact, just the idea that both Alice and Demetri were here made me stronger. I was no longer alone, I had people who accepted and possibly even loved me, and for that, I could not have been more grateful to Sebastian.
We continued to walk in a comfortable silence thereafter, until we reached the hallway with the beautiful portraits of the Kings and Queens before my mother and uncle's reign. It was there that I heard Demetri whisper, ever so softly beneath his breath, "They removed them..."
"Removed what?" I asked, naturally inquisitive by his reaction to the hallway. It had me wondering whether this was not the first time Demetri had been here.
Demetri turned towards me, quite startled himself, and then began shaking his head violently, allowing his dark blonde locks to fall into his face. "It's nothing. Why don't you show me to my room, I'm starting to feel a little sleepy."
I wanted to push on, I *needed* to, but I knew no answers would leave his mouth. And so, I nodded and, with a deep sigh, began leading him towards the passage I knew would be empty enough for him to reside in peacefully. Once we'd gotten to the door of the room which was to be his, we both stopped and hesitated for a moment, until he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry Phoenix. I'm sorry that you were dragged into all of this. I'm sorry that I can't give the answers you need. But most of all, I'm sorry that once again, I've come between you and Sebastian." And with that, he immediately disappeared from my sight, hiding himself in his room and leaving me outside, confused beyond anything I'd ever been before.
It seemed there was definitely more to Demetri than I’d anticipated.
-----
Will Phoenix ever get the answers she needs? Who is Demetri really? Any ideas?
Stay safe! Stay healthy! Sending my love!

The Hybrid's Mates
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