From Darkness To The Light - Chapter Forty

Am I dead? I thought for sure I died in Dimitri's arms when I finally gave into the darkness. I feel arms around me, and a body pressed up against my back. The familiar smell of Dimitri fills my senses. I can feel Dimitri breathing slow and steady on my shoulder, letting me know he is asleep. Do we sleep in heaven? This can only be heaven if I'm with Dimitri again. I make my sleepy eyes open to see a familiar room. This is Dimitri's room, maybe I'm not dead. I move my arm and find an IV attached to my arm. It is hooked to a bag of blood that hangs on a nearby pole. 

"Your awake," Dimitri says as he goes to sit up. I roll over to see Dimitri wearing his PJ bottoms with no shirt. My mouth goes slack at the very sight of this beautiful man. 

 Dimitri reaches over, shutting my mouth with his finger as he grins at me. He shifts close to me as the smile fades from his face. 

"How do you feel?" Dimitri asks. "I feel tired," I reply. 

Dimitri shifts off the bed, then walks around to my side of the bed. He sits down on the edge of the bed, pulling me into his lap. "You scared me," he says as he wraps his arms around me. 

He places me on the bed, then drops down on his knee in front of me. "What happened in there?" he asks as he takes my hands into his. 

"That women feed on me every day and was very rough with me. I got desperate, so I tried to end the pain by starving myself to death. 

"I'm so sorry, Emily. I never wanted to put you in danger. I didn't keep you safe. I'm not worthy of you. "I tried to get to you, but they had me outnumbered," Dimitri says as he hangs his head down. 

I stand up, causing Dimitri to get to his feet. I pull him to me, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You did your best. It was just meant to be. We were destined to be in their hands. It was our fate. I do not blame you or look at you as a failure," I tell Dimitri, who lets out a sigh. 

 "Emily, I love you. I will never let anyone hurt you again," I promise, he says as he runs his hand down my cheek. 

 "I wish that was true, but we both know that she will not stop until she gets her hands on me and you out of the picture permanently. I will never be free of them," I say as I have come to accept my fate.  

 "You don't have anything to fear, I promise," Dimitri says as steps closer to me. "Don't make promises that will have to be broken later," I tell him. 

  "This is a promise that I will keep. You don't have to worry about them ever again," he says as he grabs ahold of me, pulling me into his arms. I have no chance to respond when Dimitri covers my lips with his, taking me by surprise.  

"Let's get you something to eat," Dimitri says as he leads me down the hall. As we walk down the steps into the kitchen, I noticed that there is no one in sight. I watch Dimitri move around the kitchen with ease. This is something I have not seen him do. "I'll fix you some soup, it will make you feel better," he says as he loads the processor with the ingredients that he has gathered. 

He walks over to the stove, placing the pot on the burner. He goes to work, adding various spices. My stomach starts to growl as the smell of the soup fills the room. 

When it is done, Dimitri makes me a bowl. I sit down at the table, taking in the delicious scent. I take a bite, and it's heavenly. "I didn't think you could cook like this," I say between my bites. "I learned all kinds of things growing up. Me and Daniel were both taught by our mother to cook at an early age. We needed to learn how to survive on our own when we were sent off to study to be guardians," he says as I swallow my next bite. I finish the bowl in no time, and I'm about to bust. "That was delicious, thank you," I say. 

 "Come, let's get you a bath," he says as he leads me into the bathroom. When we get into the bathroom, he lays out the towels and some clean clothes. Dimitri then walks over to me, taking me into his arms. "I love you," he whispers as he places his forehead against mine. 

"I love you too," I say as I place a kiss on his lips. He lets me go to start the bathwater. He then walks over to me and starts addressing me. I feel my face growing hot as he finishes with all the buttons on my nightshirt. He pushes the shirt off my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. He finishes undressing me, then removes his clothes too. 

I look over and give him a suggestive look. "Don't think about it," he says as he points over to the bathtub. 

He climbs in behind me, pulling me against his bare chest. He picks up the sponge to start washing me when I turn around to face him. His eyes grow wide from my sudden move. I pull his lips to mine in a kiss that makes grunt. I pull back, looking down at this man that is all mine. I run my finger across his bottom lip. "Emily," he warns. 

"What," I say with innocents. "No, this is not the time for that. We will have plenty of time for that. You need to save your strength, you're still very weak. Turn around so I can get you clean," he says as he spins me back around. 

  "Let's get dressed, I want you to meet someone," Dimitri says as he hands me my clothes after we get out of the tub. I get dressed and walk over to Dimitri, who has managed to pull himself together pretty fast. "Ready," he asks as he places his arms around my waist. "Where is everyone?" I ask as I look up at him. "You will find out," he says as he takes me by my hand and leads me out of the bathroom.  

 I follow Dimitri into a room that has a woman standing there waiting for us. I stop dead in my tracks. "It's Ok," Dimitri says as he gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. When I look at her, I see Night Walker, but she doesn't quite look like them. Her pale skin is so different from theirs, and her eyes are not red. 

"It's been a while, Dimitri, seems like you have gotten yourself into some trouble," she says. "I'm sorry I got you involved in this matter. I tried to deal with it on my own," Dimitri says. "You are family, we stick together. You should have come to me sooner, I could have helped you through this transition," she says. "I know, it's just that I'm a Nightwalker, not an original cursed," he says. "I understand, we will talk about it later, for now, who is the special girl you told me about?" she asks.  

"This is Emily, she is the daughter of the late lightling king and queen," Dimitri says. "It's nice to meet you. Dimitri has told me so much about you," she says. "Grandmother," Dimitri says with a grin. 

"Never mind him. My name is Amelia," she says as she looks over at Dimitri with a smile. Grandmother?" I ask. "It's a long story, I will explain everything later," she says.

"This is exciting, I have never met any of his family. He's been a mystery all this time," I say. "Yes, that is how a lot of my family are, you will understand when we explain things," Amelia says. 

"For now, we must go before the Nightwalkers get back. My people are keeping them away till I get you two to safety. They are not happy that I have stepped in. Once she found out Dimitri's true identity, she was furious," Amelia says. 

Dimitri wraps his arm around my waist as he follows Amelia down the hall. "Where are we doing?" I ask. "To my house," he says as he gives me a wink.