Dimitri (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 6) (18 page)

“That’s a neat trick,” Jake quipped.

“Yeah, I could almost deal with that one. When I’m with her, it’s just like we’re combustible…she’s so hot,” he reflected. “The other thing is that my wolf seems to shake off this thing that’s killin’ him, or at least, I can’t feel it when I’m with her, skin to skin.”

“So why aren’t you with her?”

“Catch number two. Long story short, if she takes a mate, she says it’ll kill her tiger.”

Jake gave him a look of confusion.

“Apparently, when her mom mated a wolf, she lost her ability to shift.”

“Having a wolf for a mate is a death sentence? No wonder she avoids wolves.”

“Thanks so much for puttin’ it out there like that, but yeah, if we mate, she makes it sound like she’ll never shift into a cat again. She’s hybrid. Maybe she’d shift into a wolf? Who the hell knows? Like I said, complicated.” Dimitri sighed. “And to top it all off, she doesn’t recognize me as her mate. Not a clue. Nor does she know that my wolf isn’t healed.”

“Still waiting on good news,” Jake joked.

“It gets better…wait for it…and then there’s Ilsbeth,” Dimitri continued, pushing up out of his chair. He reached for a bowl of eggs and began to whisk. “She wants me to move in with her.”

“You gotta be shittin’ me.”

“I wish. The ceremony she did involved a bunch of naked witches and one very horny Ilsbeth telling me her spell didn’t work and that I should be with her at all times in case something happened.”

“Hell, no.”

“She kissed me.”

“The witch still has the hots for you?” Jake laughed.

“I told her it wasn’t going to work,” Dimitri continued. “And now that I’ve found my mate…well, you know that’s not going to go over well. Ilsbeth’s already a tad cranky.”

“Goddess, that woman is beautiful,” Jake began, “but so is a samurai sword. Both can kill you or slice your dick off. Knowing Ilsbeth, she’d go straight for your big head.”

“And this thing with Gilly…shit, she’s so fucking amazing. I want her so bad…fightin’ the chemistry is like trying to paddle up the Mississippi with a toothpick.”

“I can see that’s goin’ real well for ya.” Jake glanced to the dishes spread all over the kitchen.

“We aren’t even sleepin’ in the same room, let alone in the same bed. Not only does she not want to be around pack, because she’s afraid she’ll meet her mate, she doesn’t want to date me because she’s afraid I’m gonna meet my mate, and leave her. It’s all sorts of fucked up.”

“Isn’t that a kick in the nuts?”

“Worse. My balls are bluer than the sky on a spring day.”

“You have to tell her.”

“What am I’m goin’ to tell her? That I’m her mate and that I want to mark her? That I want to take away her ability to shift? Kill her tiger? No fucking way, man. I can’t do that to her,” Dimitri insisted.

“Are you sure that she’ll die? I mean, maybe something else happened to her mom,” Jake suggested.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I never heard of a hybrid shifter that wasn’t part human mating with a wolf. It’s impossible. So this thing about her spirit dying…I just don’t know.”

“Logan’s mate went wolf.”

“She was human. And besides, and don’t take this the wrong way, I love my wolf, but she’s a tiger. You saw her. She was magnificent.”

“Badass.”

“Yeah, she was,” Dimitri said, recalling the way she’d gracefully run over to the car. “I can’t do that to my mate…kill her beast. I’ve got to either let her go or find a way to save her.”

“Ilsbeth.”

“Maybe. I’m not going to be able to go on for much longer. I’ve got to be with her. This roommate shit isn’t cuttin’ it.”

“What was your first clue?” Jake asked, a smartass grin crossing his face.

“What? Cooking soothes me.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s kind of funny to see you inked and muscled out, wearing pretty much nothin’ but an oven mitt. It’s a new look for you.”

“It is what it is.” Dimitri heard Gillian turn the doorknob and again held his fingers to his lips, shushing Jake. “Not a fucking word.”

“You have to tell her.”

“Just please. Not now.”

“Logan’s going to freak out the second he sees you. This thing with your wolf…you’re the beta.”

“I think I know my role in this pack. My wolf is…”

“What’s wrong with your wolf?” Gillian asked. Surprised, her eyes went as large as saucers as she saw all the food. “You made this?”

“I like to cook,” he said without explanation. “Have a seat.”

“Expecting company?” She smiled. A rosy tinge spread across her cheeks as her gaze traveled from his ripped abdomen up to his eyes. Desire ran hot through her body, and she glanced away. Reaching for a glass of juice, she held it to her forehead before taking a drink.

“No, I just, uh…it’s a hobby.” Dimitri fought the erection that threatened to give his ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron new meaning.

“We’re going to see a parade, right?” Gillian had heard their muffled voices and suspected something was off, but seeing Dimitri half-naked distracted her thoughts. Resisting him was turning into an impossible feat.

Locking herself in a bedroom had been the only way she’d been able to keep her hands to herself. Confused by her out of control libido, she’d immersed herself in the company information that Jax had sent with her camera equipment. Nick had emailed her first assignment, and she was actually looking forward to shooting today.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Dimitri said.

“Okay,” she responded.

“It’s Saturday, so that means everyone’s going to be out…humans and supes. I’ve got a few pack members who will travel with us, keeping an eye out for trouble. So far, there’s been no sign of Chaz in the city, but we can’t be too careful.” It wasn’t that wolves couldn’t handle the issues, but shifting out in the open wasn’t accepted. They needed to blend…go get the pictures and come home. The only reason Dimitri was even considering taking her out was because he couldn’t take another second of being locked in the house, caged with no hope of release.

“Don’t forget. Tonight’s the Loups and Sorcières Ball.” Jake stood and took his plate over to the sink.

“Ilsbeth better damn well be there,” Dimitri blurted out, then quickly regretted he’d mentioned her in front of Gillian. He blew out a breath. Sooner or later she’d find out about the witch.

“What’s Loups and Sorcières? Who’s Ilsbeth?” Gillian asked. Intuition warned her that her wolf hadn’t told her everything, but she kept her own secret held close.

“It’s a Mardi Gras event we hold every year with the witches,” Jake explained. “Mostly wolves and witches, but he invited a vamp.”

“Leo’s a friend,” Dimitri said, pouring the scrambled yolks into a hot pan.

“He got you into this mess,” Jake noted.

“Sorry, I don’t follow.” Gillian looked to Jake and then Dimitri.

“Léopold Devereoux. Vampire. His woman got herself involved with a demon, and my beta, here, jumped into a hell pit to save her and Logan’s kid.”

“Your wolf got injured,” she commented.

“Yeah, my wolf.” Dimitri kept his back to them, not wanting to share his pained expression. Fuck, he needed to get this situation fixed yesterday. Between not being able to make love to his mate, walking around with a hard-on twenty-four-seven and his wolf fading fast, he had to find resolution. But instead of going over to the coven to break down the damn door, he was going to a freakin’ parade.

“But who’s Ils…”

“Ilsbeth’s the witch I saw. She was helping me.”

“Why do you need to see her? I thought everything was okay.”

“I need to ask her about something else.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, he reasoned. Aside from asking Logan and Léopold for help, Ilsbeth was the only other person he could think of who would know anything about mating tigers, how to save her ability to shift. He cringed, afraid that once she found out he was lying, she’d throw his ass to the curb. Unlike his wolf, who’d already rolled over in submission to the idea of mating, she had to choose him.

“Gilly’s already the talk of the pack,” Jake noted with a grin.

“What do you mean?” Gillian’s stomach dropped.

“He means that you’re my mate. Or did you forget?” Dimitri flipped the omelet, added a sprinkle of cheese and onions. He turned off the gas and set it aside.

“I, um, I didn’t forget.” Gillian’s eyes widened. When he’d said mate, it had taken her off guard; she’d forgotten that they were supposed to be pretending to be mated.

“You should see your face,” Jake laughed. “D, I think she forgot.”

Dimitri came up behind Gillian, who sat on the bar stool. It had been the perfect excuse to touch her again. His arms coiled around her waist, resting underneath her breasts. Nuzzling her hair aside, he pressed his lips to her neck. The fragrance of her coconut-scented shampoo drifted into his nose, but it was her natural essence that registered with his wolf. His cock jerked to attention, grazing against her back.

“Mate,” he growled. “We must be convincing. No more hiding in bedrooms.”

“I…I…” Gillian lost her speech with Dimitri so close. Her tiger had gone wild, lusting after the wolf who she had been working carefully to avoid.

“That’s right, cher. You feel it too, don’t ya? Don’t deny it,” he told her. Dimitri darted his tongue against her skin, yearning for a taste of his mate. Barely cognizant of Jake walking out the door, he ran a hand down the top of her thigh.

“Dimitri…I…what’s happening?” she breathed. Excited and bewildered with her reaction to him, Gillian rested the back of her head against his chest. It should have felt wrong to be with a wolf, to desire someone so badly that she’d give anything to be with him. Rebuking her own feelings for the past two days had done nothing to quell the emotion blossoming in her chest. She was changing, transforming just by being in his presence and she wasn’t sure if she could go back.

“Today, you’re my mate. Tonight, you’re my mate. That’s what’s happening, darlin’,” Dimitri said. Forever she’d be his mate…if he could find a way to keep her.

“Okay,” she found herself saying.
Okay? Did I just agree to be his mate?
No, this was role playing, a farce to keep her safe…wasn’t it?

“See, that’s right. You know me…can feel me…your mate.”

“Dimitri, please. We can’t…”

“Oh we can and we will, cher, but first we gotta go take some pictures.”

“What?”

“Laissez les bons temps rouler!” Dimitri released her, untying his apron.

“Where’re you going?” Gillian asked, stunned by the surging electricity running through her veins. As he walked away, her mouth gaped open at the sight of his spectacular bare ass.

“To get dressed. Work before play. And believe me, we’ve got lots of play to do. So we’d better get busy.” It wasn’t lost on Dimitri that Gillian had just about chosen him, and she didn’t even know that they were mates. Damn if he was giving up the woman who fate had bestowed upon him.

Even though she had a press pass, the enormous crowd kept shifting, rhythmically jostling the spectators like shells being tossed about in the sand by breaking waves. Bracing her arms, she steadied her camera and focused the lens. A series of clicks fired as she captured the brightly colored float. Beads flew through the air like streams of plastic rain. Snap. Snap. Snap.

Gillian felt Dimitri’s hands on her waist, his chest at her back. Lowering her arms, a broad smile crossed her face. Even though she was working, it felt like a date. They’d toured the French Quarter so she could take shots of the elaborate purple and gold Mardi Gras decorations that adorned the buildings. Despite the enormous breakfast he’d cooked, he insisted on taking her out to his favorite open-air café. They’d sat at a window table, talking for hours. She’d told him about growing up in Seattle, her life in New York. He’d told her stories of life on the bayou, how he’d come into being a beta within the pack, about his close relationship with Logan and Jake. They’d laughed and people-watched, drinking Bloody Marys and eating oysters and crawfish.

During their adventure, she’d felt woefully underdressed for the celebration in the streets. They’d ducked into a gift shop and she came out wearing a frilly red tutu and a matching mini-hat that clipped into her hair. On the way to the parade route, they’d stopped to listen to street performers, dancing in the streets. Infected by the spirit, Dimitri had taken her in his arms, twirling her as if they were in a ballroom. With a dip, he’d kissed her in front of an applauding crowd.

As another parade commenced, a teddy bear flew by her head, reminding her that she was supposed to be paying attention. Dimitri reached a long arm up into the air, easily catching it. Bright blue beads flew toward her and she extended a hand. With a snap, she caught the slippery chain and screamed in excitement. Laughing like a child opening a gift, she turned to Dimitri, whose warm eyes locked on hers.

Gillian’s smile waned as the moment turned to heat. She lifted the beads as high as her hands would go until Dimitri bent over to receive them. At the same time, he turned over the stuffed toy, and gave it to her. She smiled, their lips inches apart, and she prayed he’d kiss her. When he leaned in, only brushing his cheek against hers in a hug, she exhaled, her heart pounding hard in her chest.