Dimitri's Point of View in Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy) (Book 3)

Part 9

Chapter 9:

My feet crunched in the freshly lain snow as I made my way out of the dorms. After my confrontation with Stan last night I had been too wild up to go to sleep. Adrenaline had coursed through my veins till five in the morning; luckily I had Sunday off and wouldn’t attend church till eight. I was happy until I found out Rose had community service, and all that happiness burst into something else. Something mixed with passion, longing, love and giddiness.

I shook the feelings away as I made my way to the chapel. I wasn’t neglecting my love for Rose like I had at the ski lodge, but I wasn’t enforcing it either. I needed to stay calm and collected, I needed to get her to pass the final test, and I needed her to graduate so we could watch over Lissa. But most importantly I needed her to focus on knowing what to do in intense situations, Spokane was proof enough to me that I won’t be there all the time to watch and protect her. And even though she had done a good job at getting her and her friends out, not all of them made it. And that single mistake, will affect her forever, as a guardian and as a person.

Shivering at the thought of a screaming Rose crouched over Mason made me aware of my surroundings. I was nearing the chapel, snow falling lightly, blurring its dark furnishing. It was seven thirty, so no one was around yet except for the one person I needed to talk to before the service.

I open the huge wooden doors that prevent the cold and snow from drafting in and step inside. My feet echo against the walls as I make my way towards the stage. The wooden doors close with a bang making my footsteps sound like padded drops from a sink compared to a waterfall.

The priest looks up from his work then. He had been huddled over one of the old dusty bibles that he stored in the back. His pen tapping the side of the podium as he rests his head in his hand trying to put together the service. My heart beats faster at the sight of him, knowing that I may be interrupting whatever work he was doing and preventing him from finishing it. I wonder if God would strike me down for that. But didn’t have the time to consider it before the old man smiled at me.

“Dimitri, what can I do for you?” His smile was genuine and wrinkled at the corners of his eyes, making him look much older than he really was.

I nodded and smiled back. “My student Rosemarie Hathaway has community service today and I was wondering if she could help you with anything.” He nodded his balding head, eyes lost in thought. “I also will be assisting her.”

The priest’s graying eyebrows went up at that, crinkling his forehead, which made him look twenty years older. “Is that so?” He cleared his throat. “Well, Dimitri, I think I can fit in a time for the both of you. See me after the service today and I will find something for you two to do.”

I nodded and thanked him. As I turned around and started to walk away his deep voice rang through the wooden chapel. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve been watching the way you look at her.”

I freeze in mid-footstep. And spin as fast as I would if I were to face a Strigoi. I try to keep my voice even. “I-I…What do you mean Sir?”

He smiled, there wasn’t anything hidden behind that smile, being a servant of God. His eyes lit up at my attempts to act surprise. “During the services, I see the way you two steal glances at each other Dimitri. There’s nothing to hide. At first it looked as though you were checking on her protectively, as if she were in danger all the time. But then I looked again and saw something different in your eyes.”

I lowered my head, I couldn’t lie to the priest, it would be a sin to, and would be wrong. I nod as if I understand, but really I’m just shocked he had figured it out. Him out of all people. He took my silence as an invitation and kept talking.