Dimitri (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 6) (32 page)

Dimitri clicked out of his email, his thoughts drifting to Gillian. Like an earthquake, she’d shaken his very existence. He laughed to himself, recalling how he’d mercilessly teased his Alpha when he’d found his mate. Only now did he comprehend the wonderment of mating. An incredible rush of happiness welled in his chest, the strength of her blood renewing his wolf and his soul.

He knew he should regret how they’d mated, her forcing his hand, but he couldn’t summon any. Still, though, he remained amazed at Gillian’s gift. Even this morning, she’d continued to give to him and appeared at peace with her decision. She’d told him that she was no longer able to feel her tiger, but that the wolf within her paced. How she’d merge with his pack was still in question. She may have been willing to submit sexually, but doing so within a group dynamic remained to be seen. Her beast had been independent and dominant, and he wasn’t convinced that anything had changed.

Jake entered the kitchen, jarring him from his thoughts. He gave a wave and picked up his coffee, taking a draw of the black chicory.

“Afternoon.” He glanced to catch the time on the wall; it was nearly one o’clock.

“Hey.” Jake moved to the coffee pot and rummaged through the cabinet, searching for a mug. As he poured himself a cup, he looked around the kitchen. “What’s up? Cooking spree over?”

“You know I only do that when I’m thinking.”

“Upset is more like it.”

“All is well with the world, my friend.” Dimitri smiled, his eyes lighting up over the rim of his coffee. He set it down and gestured to the food on the table. “Sit. Brunch. Eggs. Bacon. Yogurt. Granola. Fruit.”

“What the hell? I was hoping for flapjacks and biscuits.”

“No way, bro. Eatin’ healthy. I gotta maintain my girlish figure,” Dimitri joked, touching his hand to his belly. “Keepin’ it tight for my woman.”

“Yeah, right. As if you don’t work out every freakin’ day anyway. What is up with you?” Confused, Jake had expected them to deal with the fallout from the drama of last night’s killing in Mordez.

“I’m great. No, scratch that. I am phenomenal.” Dimitri laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder.

Jake shook his head.

“You wanna know why I’m in such a good mood?”

“This have anything to do with Gilly?”

“Close. This wolf here,” Dimitri set his cup on the counter and held his arms wide open, “is officially mated and lovin’ it.”

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Jake asked, astonished at his beta’s declaration. “I was there for most of the, uh, show last night and you’re telling me I missed this?”

“Nope. Not kidding. And yep. Ya missed it.” Dimitri laughed, exhilarated with his news. “It’s done.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little quick? I mean, you just met her less than a week ago. Don’t get me wrong, Gilly’s great and I’ve heard that mating thing is hard to fight. But I thought the marking would give you some time. Do you love her?”

“Number one. Yeah, it’s fast. Number two. Don’t care. Too late now. Number three. I’m not an idiot. Of course I was goin’ to wait to mate with her. But there were extenuating circumstances.” Dimitri avoided the last question.
Do I love her? Goddess, help me.

“Extenuating circumstances, huh?” Jake shook his head in disbelief. He reached for a piece of bacon and popped it in his mouth. “What in the fuck could cause you to go and mate her when you couldn’t even shift last night? Obviously your wolf had enough in him to drop fangs, but shit, you’ve got issues. You should call the witch.”

“Don’t need her.”

“Have you lost it? All that sex knock your brain around?”

“Maybe you need a demonstration.” Dimitri stripped off his shorts, and made his way around to the open area of the family room.

“Not sure what demo you got going on but seeing you nekkid has been done. I’ll give you last night. That was freakin’ awesome, but bro, we’re alone. Everything ya got there,” Jake gestured to his groin, “seen it.”

“I’m not talking about sex,” Dimitri said. “I’m talking wolf.”

Calling the power within, he allowed the seamless transformation to commence. The spectacular brown wolf barked and growled. He stalked up to his friend, who wore an expression of amazement. Jake reached out to Dimitri, running his hands through his fur as if to confirm what he was seeing was really happening.

Easily shifting back into human form, Dimitri crouched at Jake’s feet. The thrill of the metamorphosis left him energized, optimistic and looking forward to the full moon.

“But last night? You couldn’t…”

“Gillian,” Dimitri stated, his voice serious. “She did this.”

“What?”

“Her breed. It’s why Chaz was…is after her. Her mate would inherit her gift. The spirit of her beast. The mating healed me. She healed me.”

“I don’t understand how…”

“She lost her tiger. It’s gone.” Dimitri raked his hands through his hair and reached for his shorts. He put them on and waited on Jake’s reply.

“She can’t shift anymore? No way. She was beautiful. Her cat…just no.”

“This is why she always stayed away from wolves. She knew she’d find her mate. I wanted to wait, but last night…” Dimitri paused, recalling how she’d bitten him. “We’d discussed it and agreed to wait until the morning to make a decision. But then she bit me. Really bit me….hard. Not a mark. She broke skin. It’s not like I had a choice. Once she drank from me, I was done for. Game over.” Dimitri picked a bowl off the table and spooned in the yogurt. “I wish I could feel guilty. I know we should have waited, but my wolf wanted her so damn bad. I can’t even blame it on him. It’s me. She’s mine. I want her in my life.”

“You’re in love with her,” Jake laughed.

“I cannot confirm or deny those allegations,” Dimitri said with a sly grin. He could hardly believe it himself that he was falling for one female. The idea of him being with one woman for the rest of his life had been a foreign concept, but this morning, he couldn’t see himself with anyone else.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be? Okay.” Jake shot him a sideways glance and picked up an apple out of a basket on the table. “You got it bad.”

“Maybe I do. Again, that falls into the category of ‘don’t care’. She’s mine and no one’s taking her away from me now.”

“Again…what about her shifting? What’s the deal?”

“Don’t know yet. She said she can feel her wolf. Heard her last night when she was at the club. Gillian seemed okay with everything this morning.”

“I don’t know how. Think about it. You’ve been an animal your entire life. And poof. It’s gone.”

“I hear ya. Even after she told me her theory about being able to heal me with the mating, I didn’t want to do it. But what’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do but wait and see.” Dimitri didn’t mention to Jake that he might have super kitty powers. But his wolf was healthy and robust, as if nothing had ever happened.

“So is she going to try to shift? Before the run tonight?”

“I’d like to see her try. Let’s give her some space, when she gets down here, okay? I want her to eat and relax before we start shifting. ‘K?”

“You got it.”

Dimitri nodded to the steps, alerting Jake that Gillian was coming downstairs. She may have already heard part of their conversation, but he’d been serious. Gillian needed both sustenance and rest if she was going to try to shift and run with the pack. Knowing how she’d battled the wolf in the bathroom the previous evening, he was certain she’d be ready for revenge. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the conversation.

Gillian adjusted the straps on her bikini. An odd sense of calm had settled over her mind. It was as if their mating had infused a shot of happy juice into her veins. Showering, she’d thought of her tiger, still unable to feel her. But the wolf inside paced, growing stronger. There was no doubt in her mind that she could shift. She’d been tempted to transform right there in Dimitri’s bathroom, but thought better of it, considering she should have the support of others as she did so.

She dragged the brush through her hair, securing it into a ponytail. As she turned to go downstairs, she smiled, seeing Dimitri’s mark on her shoulder. Feeling light as a feather, she bounded out of the room. Giddy like a schoolgirl, she couldn’t believe they’d mated.

Never wanting Dimitri to feel guilt for their actions, she’d taken the decision away from him. Knowing that his wolf had been fully restored, her heart was full of pride and what she knew was the seeds of love. Hearing voices coming from the kitchen, she smiled.

“Hey there,” she called, her bare feet padding across the smooth wooden floor. She fell into Dimitri’s embrace, giving him a quick kiss.

“You trying to get me back in bed, woman?”

“What?” she laughed

“That bathing suit is killin’ me. You’re gonna give me heart failure.”

“You’re the one who gave it to me.” She shoved at his muscular arms, ones that never moved from her waist. “I need sun. I’m tired of lying in bed.”

“I can give you something to do in bed if you want,” he countered.

“Is that right?” She smiled. “Guess I better eat something to keep up my strength.”

“Hey there.” Jake waved hello and opened the refrigerator, looking for orange juice.

Gillian gave Dimitri a devious grin and broke free of his arms. Slowly approaching Jake, she glanced back to Dimitri right before she swatted Jake’s bottom. He jumped, nearly banging his head on the inside of the fridge.

“Hey, now. What’s that for?” he asked, smiling.

“That’s for not coming to my rescue last night.” She pointed a finger at him.

“What can I say? I know better than to interfere when my beta’s trying to teach his mate how to submit. Although I must say, D, I don’t think you trained her very well. She just spanked me.”

Dimitri raised his eyebrows, shrugged and laughed.

“And this,” Gillian wrapped her arms around Jake, hugging him, “is for saving me last night.”

“Now this is more like it. Oh yeah.” Jake returned her embrace, watching the look of amusement on his friend’s face.

“And this,” she stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek gently, “is for last night. Turns out, that after you refused to help me, I got lucky…really, really lucky.”

“Aw baby, I’m the one who should be thanking you and D.”

She reached behind him, grabbing a bottle of water, then pulled away from his arms. Unscrewing the bottle, she gave him a flirtatious wink before taking a drink.

“She’s somethin’,” Jake said, still surprised. He held his fingers to his lips, and looked to Dimitri, who seemed to enjoy the way his mate had thrown his friend off kilter.

“Yes, she is.” Dimitri drew Gillian into his arms. They exchanged a brief embrace, and he guided her to the table. Standing, she began to pour herself cereal.

“I’ve gotta make a call to Logan, let him know what happened last night,” Dimitri announced.

“Last night?” Wide eyed, Gillian looked at Jake and then Dimitri.

“Not everything, cher,” he assured her. “I want to let him know I’m healed, find out what dickhead told him.”

“Dickhead?” she questioned.

“The wolf from last night. Logan has him held up in a cell. They’re coming soon.”

Gillian silently nodded in response.

“Can you two play nicely while I’m gone?” Dimitri asked.

“Hey, I’m not the one who’s slapping asses this morning. Look to your girl over there.” Jake grinned at Gillian.

“What? His ass was just there…waiting for me. Besides, it’s true. He didn’t save me. All’s fair.”

“Also, I forgot. Jax texted me earlier. I sent him my address, so he should be here any minute,” Dimitri mentioned as he walked out of the room.

“Do you have any sunscreen?” Gillian asked.

“What?” Dimitri turned, giving her a questioning look.

“You know. Sunscreen. I want to lay out for a bit.”

“You don’t get sunburned. You know that, right? You’re a shifter.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to dry out my skin.” Gillian smiled, giving a side glance to Jake. “Besides, Jake, here, owes me. I think a nice back rub will suffice.”

Dimitri laughed in response. “No sunscreen, but the lotion’s underneath the sink. And before you make any wise cracks, wolf, I like to keep my skin soft, too, okay? No judging. I’ll be back in a bit,” he told her.

He thought to tell her he loved her as he left, as if he wouldn’t see her for eons. The words caught in his mouth; he was aware that it was completely irrational. Yet as he walked down the hallway, looking over at his mate, her smile melted his heart and he was certain he’d fallen in love.

Gillian stretched her hands above her head, reveling in the sunshine. The deck provided a spectacular view of the bayou, and Gillian began to understand why this place was so special to Dimitri. The day he’d refused to kill Chaz, unwilling to take over his pack, had confused her up until now. Most wolves aspired to be Alpha, no matter the circumstance. But Dimitri showed steadfast loyalty to both his Alpha and pack.

The quiet hum of crickets serenaded her as she spread a towel on the chaise. She smiled at Jake who joined her, wearing only his shorts. Barefoot, he trod across the cedar planks. Silence settled, each unsure of what to discuss. Gillian, unable to handle the quiet contemplation, broke the reticence.