Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust by Jessica Dalton (book series for 10 year olds txt) 📕

that I was straddling him. I lent over him and wrapped one hand around his large throat and the other hand I rested on the matt beside his head to hold my self up.

A large grin spread across Dimitris face, but I knew better than to relax, and I was right because no sooner had he smiled at me I saw his arm move and all of a sudden he was knocking away the hand I was using to hold myself up. So that I was now practically lying on top of him our noses almost touching. And then I had hardly got my breath back and I was suddenly lying flat on my back. Our roles had reversed and it was now Dimitri who was lying on top of me. He had me pinned at the waist, where he was sitting, and he had me pinned by my arms where he was holding me down.

There was no way out of this one. No matter how much I struggled beneath him I couldn’t get him off me, he was just too heavy and too strong for me. He lent over me, my chest moving up and down in overdrive as my heart pounded twice as fast as it had been doing all day. I gave one last feeble attempt to escape just as his lips found the exposed flesh on my neck and planted a small kiss there. And then he nipped me ever so slightly before kissing it again.

There was a round of applause from beside us and I saw all the vamps still standing there with huge smiles across there faces.

“can I have a go now, that looked like fun.” the guy who had spoken before said as he looked at me and Dimitri who were still in a tangle of limbs lying on the floor.

I noticed all the other vamps taking a good look at the view in front of them and for some un known reason I was now feeling very self conscious.

I looked back up at Dimitri who was still hovering over me. He was looking right into my eyes.

You did really well. He told me in our heads. I have to admit I was surprised at how well you defended yourself.

Yeah I did so well I lost. I told him.

His mental laugh echoed through both of our heads.

You couldn’t beat me Ashes. Especially not straight away, maybe not even one day. He told me.

Is that a challenge? I asked him.

Maybe. He laughed.

“hey you two? Earth to Dimitri and Phoenix. Stop staring into each others eyes and answer the question.”

“no you can‘t have a go Rowan. We haven‘t finished training yet.”

Once again I suppressed the urge to complain.

“does your training consist of you two lying there all night, staring into each others eyes?” Rowan asked, slightly huffily.

I looked over at Rowan, the only vampire who had really talked since they all came into the room, he seemed the second most friendly, Quinn being the first and excluding Dimitri.

I felt Dimitri lossen his hold on me as he got ready to get up, so I winked at Rowan caught him grinning back at me and I flipped Dimitri over my head using my legs to push him over. He landed with a loud smack and then we both jumped up and faced one another.
We circled for a while trying to guess who would make the first move, but before I could make my own move Dimitri had me pinned back on the mats and was mercilessly tickling me.

And let me tell you, I am extremely ticklish. I half screamed half laughed and tried to squirm away, but it was impossible.

“oh god!” I gasped out between shrieks of laughter. “mercy, I call mercy!”

Dimitri rolled off me and we both lay side by side laughing as I tried to get my breath back.

I rolled onto my side and smiled at Dimitri. As he had been tickling me I had seen what he was thinking and I couldn’t help the huge grin spread across my face.

When I was down and it seemed useless to try and cheer me up my brothers had always - since we were kids- tickled me until I was laughing and would only let up once I called for mercy. Having access to my memories Dimitri knew that and had decided to do the same. I hadn’t even realised that I was feeling low until he had started tickling me and I was laughing.

I haven’t laughed like that since before Jaz died. I told Dimitri in our heads.

I know.

I smiled at him again and lent over and kissed him on the cheek.

“thank you.” I said this time out loud.

Ignoring all of the confused looks that the other vamps were shooting our way I pulled Dimitri to his feet and we headed for the two bulls eye’s for the archery and knife throwing training.

****************************************

“you‘re a really fast learner.” Dimitri said as him and Quinn walked with me towards the shooting range.

I had just finished with my first day of training and apparently I was a natural with both a bow and arrow and knives.

“how long are all the other vamps going to be watching me train?” I asked Dimitri and Quinn as I looked over my shoulder to see the vamps still standing against the far wall.

“until you stop surprising them or until something more interesting comes along. One or the other.”

I just nodded and felt the tension in my shoulders shift and my muscles relax as I entered the shooting range. I walked straight over to the locker and took out my two favourite weapons of choice. The Berretta PX4 and the Smith and Wesson and picked up the appropriate bullets for each.

I stood at the first stall and loaded each gun, putting the safety on the Wesson as I cradled the Berretta. I looked behind me to see both Quinn and Dimitri loading Wessons.

“why do you need two guns?” Quinn asked nodding his head at the guns in front of me.

“they‘re my favourite, if I needed a gun I would have to take both of them with me.”

“which would you pull first?” he asked.

“the Berretta.” I said without even thinking about it.

“Why?”

“because it was my first gun, I trained with it for over a year before my dad bought me the Wesson.”

Before Quinn could ask me anymore questions I aimed my gun at the target and began shooting until my gun was empty. Then I hit the button beside my head to bring the target sheet up to me so that I could switch it for a new sheet.

There was a large hole right on the centre target where all my bullets had punched through the paper.

I changed the paper hit the button to send it back to the end of the aisle and picked up my Wesson taking the safety off I began shooting the target paper when it was still only halfway down the aisle. And as soon as it had hit the back wall I hit the button beside my head to bring it forward again as I emptied the Wesson while the target was still moving.

When it reached me there was a perfect whole in the centre of the page.

I unclipped it and looked over at Dimitri and Quinn to see how they were getting on. But neither of them had begun because Dimitri was watching me with a lazy smile and Quinn was starring at me with a slack jaw and wide eyes. And right behind them, standing nearer to us now were the other vamps, all with the same expression as Quinn.

“what?!” I asked irritably.

“I have never seen anyone do that before.” Quinn told me. “I mean the last target you shot. That was paper you were shooting, its flimsy, it moves and sways as the shuttle transports it from the front to the back of the aisle. Especially when your hitting it with bullet after bullet. How did you do it?” he asked.
“I have worked in Shooting ranges since I was sixteen, and I used all my spare time to practice after work. Its kind of like a hobby of mine.”

“still, you‘re very good.” he told me

“thanks.”

**********************************

We stayed in the shooting range for an hour before even I couldn’t last without a shower, some food and then some sleep.

I left Dimitri at my door and walked into my room kicking off my trainers as I went, bending down I pulled off my socks, and then pulled off my trousers. I went into my bathroom and turned on my shower. Getting the temperature right I stripped off my knickers and then my sports bra.

I let out a moan of pleasure as I felt the hot water hit my sore muscles.

I heard the Dimitri’s soft chuckle inside my head and I knew istantly that he was in his shower as well.

We both turned a blind eye and as a way to give him privacy I started to sing. I had never sang in the shower before but it was actually quite fun. Dimitri joined in and I couldn’t help but laugh as we sang.

When we finally got downstairs to the kitchen all the other vamps where sitting around an extra long table eating.

“Did you two have fun singing?” one of the vamps that I didn’t know yet asked.

“we were singing in the shower Ryder. So yes it was fun.” Dimitri told him as I burst out laughing.

“you two were in the shower?” Rowan asked.

“yes, well I had been really sweaty from training and I suppose Dimitri just felt like showering after rolling around on the floor with me and all my sweat rubbing off on him.”

“but you two showered together?” Rowan asked and all the other vamps looked up to see what me and Dimitri would say.

I looked over at Dimitri and tried not to laugh.

“we were trying very hard not to have a shower together guys.” Dimitri told the vamps in the room, while we both bit back our smiles.

“what?” Ryder asked in confusion.
“we were singing so that we could avoid having a shower together. You know distracting ourselves from the fact that we were both in the shower.”

“I still don’t get it.” Ari said.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Dimitri. “they‘re your men, you explain it to them.” I told him as I pushed myself onto the work top and caught the apple that Quinn threw my way.

“what do you want to eat and I will make it for you.” Quinn asked me as he left the table and walked over to the huge refrigerator.

“anything, just put food in front of me and I will eat it. I am absolutely starving!”

Quinn chuckled. “it’s a good thing Dimitri sent me and Ari shopping yesterday