Dimitri

I set the knife down carefully and stepped closer to the cage. The floor creaked beneath my boots. He immediately tensed, lips curling back to reveal sharp teeth.

“Did you really think you could escape?” I asked quietly.

His growl deepened.

The sound crawled under my skin.

I crouched in front of him slowly, like approaching a wounded wolf in the forest. Except this beast was far more dangerous than any wolf. I knew exactly what he could do to me if I gave him one mistake.

Still, I reached toward him.

His eyes burning with hatred.

Hatred.

Not fear.

Never fear.

A smile pulled at my mouth before I could stop it.

“There you are,” I murmured softly. “I was wondering where that fire went.”

He stared at me in silence, and I could practically see the calculation behind his eyes. Watching. Waiting. Searching for weakness.

Smart creature.

Too smart to leave free.

I slid closer until I was right against the cage, my arm resting lazily over my knee. Close enough to smell the forest on him beneath the sweat and iron. Pine. Rain. Wet earth.

Home.

“You keep trying to run,” I said, almost thoughtfully. “But every time you fail, you come back angrier.” My gaze drifted to the collar around his neck. “You still don't understand yet.”

His lip twitched.

I tilted my head.

“No matter how far you go,” I whispered, “I will always find you.”