Page 41 of Phantom Flower

“No, you don’t.” He opened the passenger door and shoved me inside before I could argue again.

I sat stiffly, my heart still pounding from the fight and from the way he had looked at me afterward.

He was so quiet. It was kind of scary.

I kept stealing glances at him. His knuckles were split and bloody.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said. “I could have handled it.”

Dimitri’s mouth curved, but it was not a smile. “He’s lucky I didn’t break his neck.”

I swallowed. “Still. It wasn’t your problem.”

“Everything about you is my problem now, little fairy. You should have figured that out by now.”

The car sped up.

My stomach tightened.

“Dimitri.”

My hands curled into fists on my thighs. My breathing started coming faster.

This felt too familiar.

My throat closed up.

“Slow down,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Seriously.”

Dimitri’s fingers tapped once against the steering wheel. “You’re scared.”

“I’m not scared,” I lied. “I just don’t like being driven by a maniac who just almost killed a guy.”

He let out a low sound that might have been a laugh. “You think I’d kill you?”

“I don’t know what you’d do anymore.”

That was a lie. I knew he wouldn’t kill me.

The car sped up even more.

I gripped the edge of my seat. “Dimitri, stop. This isn’t funny.”

“I’m not laughing.” His voice was calm. “You ran from me in the woods. Remember? You were so scared you could barely breathe. But you still came for me when I called. You still let me put my hands on you. How come you didn’t let him put his hands on you?”

My face burned. I hated that he was bringing that up now. I hated that my body still reacted to the memory even while fear twisted in my gut.

“That was different,” I muttered.

“Was it?” He glanced at me again. “You liked it when I hunted you. You liked it when I caught you. Don’t lie to me, Rei. I felt how hard you were.”

“Shut up.”

The car swerved slightly.

My heart was hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. My palms were sweating. “Dimitri, I’m serious,” I said, my voice cracking despite myself. “Slow the fuck down. Please.”

My eyes stung. I hated that he was doing this to me. I hated that he knew exactly how to get under my skin.