Chapter 4: Chapter Three
Elena glanced at the clock on the wall above her desk. It had little cat paws on it that moved with each tick of the second hand. Two minutes to nine. Would he be late? Would he even show up? Would his good-looking friends convince him he didn't really need to volunteer at a shelter when he could walk into any agency and land a modeling contract? She sighed and absent-mindedly flipped her phone in her hand.
"When is the new volunteer coming again?" Patty asked hurriedly. "I can't believe you hired him without asking any of us. We're all supposed to sign off on volunteers, Lena."
Patty was a lovely woman with light brown curls and dark brown eyes. She was heavier set, like Elena, and had a sparkling personality when she wasn't stressed about work. Which was most of the time.
Jenna, who had been there the longest, was off today, which was probably fine. She didn't really like guys much--though Elena wasn't sure if she liked girls either--and she would only make Dmitrei's day more awkward. Which it already would be. He had this ethereal look to him, almost like he wasn't from this world and needed to be protected, despite his height and the sense of power radiating off him.
Still, Elena knew better than most that there were more strengths than just the physical. The door to the shelter dinged as a man's tall shadow blocked the bright morning light streaming through the doorway.
"That must be him," Patty said.
Elena put up a hand. The three seconds it took Dmitrei to walk through the second set of doors into the florescent light where she could see him were the longest of her life.
"Holy Moses," Patty breathed out putting a hand through her hair and leaning back in her chair making it creak. "What the heck is he doing here?"
Elena bit her lip fighting her own reaction as a wave of attraction ripped through her, "He really likes one of the cats."
"Smoking hot and loves animals?" Patty fanned herself and Elena stood to walk around the counter and greet him.
Once again she was impressed by how impossibly tall he was. Intimidating, though the expression on his stunningly handsome face was mostly neutral. The angles of his cheekbones and jaw and nose appeared plotted by someone who was trying to draw the most beautiful male visage possible. His eyes looked astonishing with the blue sweater he wore. A sweater that skimmed the bulging muscles of his tall body making her mouth water. She liked a hot guy as much as the next one, but she had never had a reaction like this.
She wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt before holding out a hand for him to shake. When he took her hand, he simple held it for a moment, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression as he looked her over.
Then his expression changed. It became readable. His blue eyes were mercurial. Heat. Want. Was that even possible? She pulled back and he let her go, cocking his head as if he weren't sure what he had done wrong.
"You pulled back. Was I hurting you?" he asked.
"No," she said. In fact, it had felt good touching him, like something warm and soothing was flowing through her. But it had been too intense, and she felt as if her legs were going to melt right out from underneath her if he stared at her with those blue flames any longer.
She stepped back, adjusting her clothes. Her eyes skimming up him, she couldn't believe how long his legs were and how the wide, strong muscles filled his jeans. She looked up and saw a slight smile quirking the side of his full lips and she caught her breath. It was like seeing just the slightest hint of sunlight peeking out from behind a cloud, and she could imagine how beautiful all the rays would be if it could just come out farther. As quickly as he'd smiled, it was gone. Once again hidden behind a handsome mask of indifference.
"What should I start with?" he asked.
She bit her lip and folded her arms. Normally, they would ask the new volunteers to clean cages to get used to the place, but if she asked that of this clean-looking, gorgeous male who looked like he had never gotten his hands dirty in his life, would he run? Then she wouldn't be able to see him again and she'd never been so intrigued by a human being in her life. Still, she should treat him like anyone else. Maybe she could help him with the cages and that would make it better.
Or are you just trying to spend more time with him because he smells so damn good?
"First, we clean cages."
"Girl, that man doesn't need to clean any cages!" Patty shouted and Elena grinned as she lead Dmitrei to the back.
"Ignore her," she said as Dmitrei glanced curiously over his shoulder.
"I'm Patty, and you're heaven to look at," she called out.
"Heaven?"
"You don't know what heaven is?" Elena asked as she opened the door to the back.
Dmitrei held the door for her, giving her a hint of his spicy scent as she walked through, brushing by his body and suppressing a shiver.
"No, I know what heaven is. I don't know why she says I'm heaven to look at."
"She just means you're pretty is all."
He sat on a bench while she pulled cleaning supplies out of the cupboard. "I thought women were pretty."
"Men can be pretty, too," she said averting her eyes as she gestured for him to follow her to the first set of cages. She gently began lifting animals out, putting them in a temporary holding area where they could play while she cleaned.
He crouched beside them, watching them play, "I don't think there is anything particularly feminine about me."
She gave him a placating smile, "I don't either." She sprayed down the inside of the cage and began to wipe it clean. "I think some women just use it to mean really good-looking. Very attractive. Sexy."
She was spraying again when she felt the bottle lifted out of her hands. She looked up as he opened a cage next to her and began working with it, taking his own rag to it. Then he looked over at her, blue eyes inquisitive, "Do you think I'm really good-looking? Very attractive? Sexy?" He grinned as he repeated her words and she felt butterflies flutter to life in her stomach.
She laughed nervously, "What do you think?"
He cocked his head, "I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."
"Of course I think you're attractive," she said because she saw no point in lying. It would be like telling the sun it wasn't shiny.
"Interesting. I had no idea," he said.
"You didn't?" she asked.
"Of course not. I didn't read your mind." He returned to scrubbing. It bothered her they way he said that. As if he were saying he could have read her mind, but chose not to.
A little chill rippled up her arms as she began to work on another cage, removing the little bowls and bedding so she could put them back after. "So, um…" she trailed off. How did one even ask a handsome man about whether he could read minds? She decided she was reading too far into it and decided to drop the subject. "So, um, where are you from?"
He looked over at her, his blue eyes so bright near the center and so dark on the outside that they stood out incredibly from his face. He answered her quietly, "Somewhere else."
"Oh," she said as he stood up and walked over to Sebastian's cage, running his finger over the lock.
"Do you mind if I get him out?" he asked.
"Sure." Normally, it wouldn't be time for a break, but he was a volunteer, and besides, it was interesting to watch this mysterious man interact with animals. She sat on a bench, dropping her cleaning rag back in the bucket and let herself rest as she watched Dmitrei.
He opened the cage slowly. Once again, Sebastian lit up like he had only previously done for Elena. The graceful, mangy-looking cat moved into Dmitrei's arms and began purring immediately, turning on his side and rubbing his cheek against Dmitrei's arm.
She swore she saw a slight smile on Dmitrei's face as he watched the cat make himself comfortable. Dmitrei raised a hand, stroking over the cat's chin and Sebastian closed his eyes on relief. The purring stopped soon after as Sebastian had fallen asleep. Elena couldn't believe what she saw. One of the grumpier, most nervous cats in the shelter was behaving like a perfect lap cat. As of he were in no pain at all. They tried to keep Sebastian medicated, but it never have him relief or relaxation like that.
"There, there," Dmitrei muttered quietly. "Does that feel better?" He stroked his fingers over the cat's head. "I guess I haven't lost my touch."
She walked up behind him quietly, peeking around to look at Sebastian. "You're magical. I've never seen anything like this with him," she said, astonished.
Dmitrei shrugged, his attention focused on the cat. He stroked over the little cat's face and head, where most cats enjoyed being touched.
"So what other magical powers do you have?" she asked, watching him in amazement.
"Magical powers?" he asked, his hand froze on the cat as he stared at her in confusion.
"It was a joke." She gently nudged him in the side, "Geez, you need to lighten up."
"Lighten up," he said skeptically. "I keep hearing that. Not sure what there is to lighten up about with the world going to hell."
She looked at him in surprise. What a gloomy thing to say. He looks like he has it all together; money, looks, privilege. What could he possibly have to complain about? Yet, she knew, from personal experience, you could have wounds no one saw.
"Well, there's plenty of reasons to lighten up. Sunny days like today. Animals getting adopted into homes that will love and care for them." She reached out to stroke a cat through the cage. "Nice people who come in and volunteer." She glanced at the clock on the wall, "Yummy lunch in a few hours."
"It really doesn't take much to please you, does it?" he asked in amusement.
She shook her head with a smile, "Nope, I'm a pretty happy person." As the words left her mouth, a tiny spark of pain shot through her, reverberating down her spine. She fought back the wince, her smile falling away. The ache had been better, for some reason, last night and this morning, so she hadn't bothered with her medication.
Now she needed them. She carefully rose, hiding her limp, "I'll be right back."
"Are you feeling well?" His face showed concern as he asked her the odd question, like he sensed it.
She glared at him, she was good at hiding her pain. No one ever asked her about it. Yet he somehow saw through her mask. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, looking him over. What if he can read minds?
"I'm fine," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I just forgot something in my car. You keep working, I'll be right back."
She didn't intend to be short with him, but she never liked people picking up on her discomfort. She tried to keep it locked in the back of her mind. He was the last person she wanted looking at her with pity. She would go take her medication, do some quick meditation and deep breathing to relax and ease her muscle spasms, then she would return to work.
She meant what she said. There were too many good things in life to focus on the negative. She hoped she could show him the same.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone