“Why didn’t I like that he was in prison?” River asks, shocking me.
“You didn’t?” I ask.
Several of the guys shake their heads.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Raiden says, his gaze thoughtful.
Evander nods in agreement and then looks at Coen, “Sorry, what did you want to talk to us about?”
He looks at me, “I’ll start from the beginning, because the guys don’t know how Dimitri works.” I nod, and he gives me an imploring look, “Love, I know that this is difficult, but all I ask is that you listen to me, and that you remember that I would never do anything to hurt you.”
I nod, “I know that, Coen.”
“Is this about the singing thing?” River asks bluntly, “Also, dude, I had no idea that you could sing.”
Coen grins, “Yeah. It does. So, I watched the trial, and I knew that Neith was going to need me. As I was making my way to you, Dimitri knocked.”
“Knocked?” Doc asks curiously.
“Yeah, Dimitri can speak into your mind, but it only works long distances with people that he has a connection with or those that are doing a job for him. Like with the head in Ireland,” I explain.
“It works across realms?” Raiden asks incredulously.
Coen’s eyebrows rise, “You know I hadn’t considered that. But it clearly works across realms. Dimitri was in the SID prison at that point.”
“Which means it also works through the wards that are layered over the prison,” Griff points out, looking more impressed than anything else.
“Dimitri is a hellhound, and nothing quite works how you think it would with him,” I add, as an explanation. “Kind of like me.”
“Wow,” Reed mutters. Looking at Coen, he adds, “Sorry, you were saying?”
Coen looks at me and continues explaining, “He knocked, and told me that I had to get to you, that you would need me,” Coen says, and I gulp. “I was there for some of it. I was on the receiving end of some of his vitriol. I remember what he was like, how he spoke, and he wasn’t like that when he knocked, he was Dimitri. I didn’t have time to be tactful, and I had a feeling, something that I had been thinking about for a while. I knew that I may not get another chance to ask him, so I asked him if he was being controlled in a similar way to what I had been.”
My breath catches in my throat.
Of all the things that I thought Coen was going to say, that wasn’t it.
Coen watches me closely as he continues, “He said that he had. When I first fell under Kylen’s control and realized how complete it was, I immediately thought of Dimitri and how his personality changed so suddenly and completely. Especially how he treated you, he fucking loved you more than he loved life.”
My gaze drops to my lap.
Everyone stays silent, and I’m really grateful for it because it gives me a moment to compose myself. I’m even more grateful when Ransom’s hand reaches for mine under the table and he threads his fingers through mine.
After a moment, I look back up, although I don’t say anything.
Doc looks at Coen, “So he is being controlled like you were?”
Coen nods, “Yes. However, I’m not sure that he’s being controlled in the same way. I think he’s being controlled even more completely than I was. His control changed who he was completely and must have been incredibly powerful.”
“So he’s not as deadly when he’s not being controlled?” Griff asks.
My smile is sharp, “He’s deadlier. But the Dimitri I knew had a moral compass, albeit a somewhat grey one.”
“And if someone threatened Neith, then all bets were off,” Coen grins.
“That might be why he wants to see you?” Reed suggests gently.
I start to nod, and I feel the hope begin to stir and squash it, “Or he could just be playing us all.”
