“And then what happened? Did they stop you from talking to her?”
“Not quite.” Heat crept up his collar. “Well.…” He relayed the disastrous events of that morning.
“Oh no.” Julianna shook her head violently. “If you turn around and tell her you love her now, then she’ll think you’re insincere. Believe me, that’s not what she needs right now.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Women’s logic,” Duncan explained. When Julianna glowered at him, he kissed her cheek. “I mean, it makes perfect sense. You should listen to my mate, she’s beautiful and smart. Please, continue, darlin’.”
Julianna’s lips pursed. “Tell me again, if what happened between you and her was consensual, then why did she have Daric take her away? Why not explain to her father that she wasn’t kidnapped or held against her will?”
“It was her choice to leave. Because she was angry at me,” he groused. “We had a fight just before Creed arrived. I asked her to stay, gave her an offer, and she accused me of trying to make her my mistress.”
“And what exactly did you offer her?” Julianna asked.
“Anything she wanted. A position in the palace. Money to fund her expeditions. Or she didn’t have to do anything at all and I’d take care—”
“Och, mon, that sounds pretty much like a mistress,” Duncan interjected.
“So, you insulted her.” Julianna’s sharp eyes sliced into him. “And then what?”
“I thought she was angling for something bigger. To be my queen. I did not want to raise her hopes, so I told her that was the one thing I cannot do. You don’t understand.” Godsdamn, what was it about this woman that he just spilled his guts when she asked a question? “But I would give her everything else except that.”
“You fucking bastard.” But Julianna’s voice wasn’t excited or agitated. It was low and deadly. “And what about when you did take a queen and you had kids? Was she just supposed to hang around and see all that or were you going to send her to a harem retirement home with all your other castoffs?”
Gods above and below, did women have a hive mind of sorts? “She made that clear to me this morning that’s what she thought I meant. But it is not. Having anyone else but her was the furthest thing from my mind.”
“Then why did you offer her that? Couldn’t you … I don’t know, date her first or something? Get to know each other?”
“I …” He didn’t know what to say. At the time, he thought he already knew everything he needed to know about her. She was beautiful, passionate, but also so kind and intelligent. Perhaps his heart had already known what his mind did not, but he had been desperate to keep her, but also protect her from—
“It’s not about her.” Duncan’s bright green eyes lit up with understanding. “It’s about your mum.”
Karim had never told anyone outside his family about his mum except Duncan and Desiree. They had been friends for a few months at Eton when one of those snotty uptight kids dug up the old gossip about his mother’s suicide and began taunting him with it. He didn’t want to go back to Zhobghadi, and he’d been trained not to act on his impulses, so he didn’t try to fight them. So Duncan had beat those bastards to a bloody pulp and was gated for a month. After that, Karim had confided in him what really happened.
“It’s all right,” Duncan said in a soft voice. “You don’t have to say anything.” He looked at Julianna, as if pleading to her not to ask anything else and trust him. She nodded and then sat down, seemingly mollified for now.
“Thank you my fr—brother.” He sank back on the armchair and placed his face in his hands. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”
“Grovel,” Julianna offered.
“Grovel a lot,” Duncan added cheerfully. “I’ve heard girls really like it. Get down on your knees.”
“A future king does not—” When he saw the dead serious look on Julianna’s face, he thought better. “All right, I will … do my own form of groveling. But first, I must find a way to see her. I don’t know how I’ll manage that though. She hates me and doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Better she hates you than be indifferent,” Duncan pointed out. “At least she feels something for you. You just have to woo her.”
Grovel and woo her? “I must see her.” The ache in his chest at being away from her was too much. His dragon roared in his head.
Mine. Ours. Mate.
The voice was so loud and ringing, he was deafened for a moment. Mate? He rubbed his temple with his fingers. “Duncan … you called Julianna …” Did he imagine it? “You called her your ….”
“Mate?” Duncan cocked his head at him. “Aye? And?”
“Is that just between two Lycans?”
“Usually, but not all the time. What’re you saying, Karim?”
“Oh. My. God.” Julianna’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Karim. Does your dragon call Deedee your mate?”
“I … yes.”
Mine. Ours. Mate, The Great One repeated, as if to prove a point.
They looked at each other. “My brother, there’s something else you should know.”
There was more? “You’re not going to tell me unicorns or Santa Clause is real, too, are you?”
“No, not at all.” Duncan drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa. “Er, well, Lycans can call their significant other mates as a general term, but more often than not, we are referring to our True Mate.”
“It’s the one we’re destined to be with.” Julianna’s gaze slid to Duncan, a warm smile creeping on her lips. “We don’t recognize them right away, not all of us anyway, but there are obvious signs.”
“What signs?”
“Well, your wolf—er, animal will feel possessive and connected to the other person,” she added. “And er,” her hands went down to her belly. “You get pregnant the first time you’re together, as long as you’re not using condoms.”
Karim stared at her, dumbfounded.
“And that look on your face tells me you didn’t wrap your willy, didja?” Duncan guffawed. “Oh dear.”
“But how … she said it wasn’t easy … and her—your kind didn’t—” Karim’s brain scrambled for the right words. Desiree could be pregnant. With his child. At this very moment. His head was spinning.
“Here.” Duncan shoved something at him—a silver flask. “From the distillery.”
“Thank you.” He took it and threw his head back, taking three big gulps before giving it back.
“So, congratulations?”
“This changes everything. No—” He stood up. “This changes nothing. It is always as I have known, my heart has known. She is mine, and she must be my queen.”
“Wow, I’m a little turned on,” Julianna stage-whispered to Duncan.
“Oi!” Duncan growled.
“I’m joking, you oaf. Besides you should be glad that, since I got pregnant, I’m only turned on all the time and not freaking out or crying at the drop of a hat.” She kissed him on the mouth. “All right, my clan and I will back off for now,” she said when she turned to Karim. “Let’s win you a queen.”
“I must go and see her.” Not even her two guards could keep him away now, not if she was carrying his child.
“But take a day or two and get some groveling lessons from Duncan,” Julianna said, making Duncan chuckle. “He’s pretty good at it.”
“And you need to bring some big guns,” Duncan said. “More than just your declaration of love. A grand gesture, if you will. Something she can’t ignore.”
“Hmmm …” Karim thought for a moment. “I may have an idea.” It was underhanded, but he was a man in love, and he was desperate.
Chapter Eighteen
Deedee clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists as she exited the New York University Archeology Department, tears pricking at her eyes. Don’t, she scolded herself as she walked out of the austere, red-bricked building that was decades older than her, where dozen
s of the world’s most prominent archeologists had passed through. No, no, no, she was not going to break down here, where any of her colleagues could walk by at any moment and see her bawling in defeat.
“That wasn’t fair of them to do that, mon petite.”
“Mother almighty!” Deedee jumped back, and clutched her chest. “How is it you do that?”
“Do what?” Delacroix asked, a grin on his face.
“Just … show up like that?” She didn’t even hear him following her, and her enhanced senses could pick up a pin drop a mile away.
“I dunno.” He shrugged. “I just do it.”
“I told you guys to stay outside,” she said. “You weren’t supposed to follow me in. How did you get past the guards?”
“You done yet?” Jacob was leaning against the outside wall. He ran a hand through his longish, golden-red hair. “What happened?”
“They’re taking back her funding,” Delacroix said. “After she got lost in the desert, they didn’t have confidence that she could continue with her research.”
“Were you inside the boardroom too?” He had basically repeated what the board of trustees had told her verbatim. “How come no one saw you?”
“I—”
“Those assholes,” Jacob cracked his knuckles. “They know how important this is to you, right? I knew it was bad when they asked you to come in.”
“Don’t worry, mon petite, there must be some way to appeal.”
Deedee slapped her hand over her eyes. How was this her life now? Two days ago, these guys were virtual strangers to her, and now, they knew all her business.
She shouldn’t have invited them to come into her house, but she felt bad they had to stay outside her place all day and night. They weren’t going to leave her alone, since they were so determined to guard her, so she thought they might as well stay inside. However, they seemed to have taken that as an open invitation and made themselves at home on her couch, eating her food, and watching movies on her TV.
“It seems strange, non? It was a freak sandstorm, anyone could have been lost. What could have swayed their minds so?”
It wasn’t a what. It was a who.
She knew it had to be Hanford, that slime ball. First, he left her to die out in the desert because he didn’t want to be outed as a predator. And now, he probably found out that she survived and was using this to show her how powerful he was and that she better shut up about his assault.
This was really frustrating—no, it was enraging. But frankly, she was just too tired right now to even think of fighting back. However, now that she knew to what extent Hanford would go to punish anyone who said no to him, she knew she couldn’t just stay quiet. Because if he did it to her, then who knows how many more women had he done it to or would do it to in the future? The next thing she needed to do was call the police in London, where she knew Hanford was based. Or should she have called the NYPD? But did she need to go get a lawyer first? How did it work if they were from different countries, and the assault happened in another?
“How about we go to a diner?” Jacob asked. The man ate almost as much as … well, she did these days. “Drown ourselves in French fries smothered in gravy and cheese. Isn’t that what you guys eat, Delacroix?”
“I’m Cajun, not Quebecois.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whaddaya say, Deedee?”
The two of them looked at her hopefully. “Fine. I guess I am kind of hungry too.” Maybe food would help. She couldn’t think on an empty stomach after all. Maybe after a meal, she could regroup and figure out what to do. About her career going down in flames and that asshole Hanford. “Let’s go get some lunch.”
They made their way back to the parking lot, and as usual, the two Lycans were joking with each other and trying to make her smile. She hated to admit it, but it was kind of nice to not be alone with her thoughts all the time. Because whenever she was by herself, all she could think about was—
“Halt.” Delacroix stopped and raised a hand. He glanced around, then nodded at the black SUV blocking their car.
“Not again.” Jacob rubbed his hands together, his eyes glowing. “That bastard doesn’t know when to quit, does he.”
“Calm down, mon ami. We are in public.”
Deedee felt her heart race in anticipation, and her wolf raised its head, waiting. The passenger door of the SUV opened, and sure enough, Karim stepped out.
“I’m not here to harm anyone.” He raised his hands, palms out. “I came to talk. Just talk. As you can see, my bodyguards are inside,” he nodded back to the SUV behind him, “and they will stay until I say they can come out.”
Oh, she wanted to tell him to leave her alone. She’d done it already, right? But now, here he was back again, and her traitorous heart did a little flip-flop as soon as she saw him. Whether he was wearing his traditional garb, his military uniform, or in his dark suit as he was now, Karim just had the presence that made everyone stop to attention. And goodness, it hit her just how handsome he was. Had it only been a few days ago they were wrapped up together on that balcony?
“Say the word, Dee.” Jacob was already raising his hands. “Say the word, and he’s gone.” Delacroix nodded in agreement.
“Let’s talk, Desiree. Just talk.”
Her wolf begged and whined, and she knew there would be no peace. She would have to harden her heart against him if they were alone for even a second. She had to, otherwise, she didn’t think she could survive another disappointment. “I don’t understand why you’re still here. I thought I made myself clear the other day. Not even if you have an army would I come back with you. So I suggest you leave now.”
“I didn’t bring an army.” He cocked his head back at the SUV. “I brought someone else.”
“Someone—”
The car door flew open, and an excited squeal pierced the air. “Deedee!” Amaya flew out of the car and straight into her. Small arms squeezed her tight. “Surprise! Are you surprised? I was so excited when Karim sent for me and told me I was coming to see you. You left so suddenly after the Easifat that I thought—”
“Slow down, Amaya.” She put the little girl down with a short chuckle. “Breathe. That’s it.”
“Oh Deedee! I cannot believe I am here. In New York. And with you.
“Yes, I can’t believe it either.” She slid a dirty look toward Karim, who suddenly found a stone on the ground interesting.
“Karim said that if I asked you nicely, you might show me around?” Big doe eyes looked up at her. “Please, Deedee? I want to see New York with you.”
“I …” What was she supposed to do? It’s not that she was busy or had to go to work. And if she were honest, she had felt guilty at leaving Zhobghadi without saying goodbye to the girl. “Sure. Why not?”
“Hooray!” She hugged Deedee then turned to Karim. “How was that, Karim?”
“You did well, little one.” He held a hand up and Amaya rushed to him to slap her palm to his. “Go on ahead into the car, we will be along soon.”
As soon as Amaya was inside the SUV, she poked a finger at Karim’s chest. “That’s not fair. You play dirty.”
“I play to win, habibti.” He brushed a knuckle on her jaw, making her shiver. “Surely you know that about me by now.”
She groaned inwardly. Really, did she expect any less?
Deedee had to admit, she was having fun. Although she’d lived in the city most of her life, she had avoided most of the touristy places, as all New Yorkers did. And now it seemed in a single afternoon, she had visited them all—Times Square, The Empire State Building, Central Park, The Natural Science Museum, and of course, The Met, where Amaya had been thrilled to see the Ancient Egyptian exhibition.
She rode in the SUV with Karim and Amaya, while Jacob and Delacroix followed behind in their vehicle, along with two of the Almoravid. She tried to discreetly check on the two guards that Jacob had burned, and although their arms were covered up, they didn’t seem to be in pain or uncomfortable. That was som
ething she had been meaning to ask Karim. Were they wearing fireproof clothes? Perhaps it was a requirement when protecting a dragon shifter.
“This is amazing.” Amaya’s eyes widened as their server placed a large dish of ice cream on their table. After having some New York-style pizza for dinner, Deedee brought them to a famous dessert place on the Upper East Side, where they specialized in gigantic chocolate ice cream sundaes. The three of them sat in one table, under one of the restaurant’s iconic Tiffany lamps.
“Try it.” She motioned to the three straws sticking out from the monstrosity of a dessert.
Amaya didn’t need a second urging as she happily sipped from her pink straw. “Mmmm!” Her eyes lit up, in that way only a child who was about to get a sugar rush could.
Karim looked suspiciously at his own straw and then took a sip. “It is … very sweet.”
“That’s the point.” As she took her own sip, she closed her eyes. “My brothers and I used to have to get one each of our own. Neither of them would share with me.” When she opened her eyes, she saw Karim staring back at her—or rather, her lips, as she licked a bit of chocolate from the corner of her mouth. The heat in his gaze was unmistakable.
A bright flash blinded her, and all carnal thoughts evaporated out of her mind. When her eyes focused, she saw what had caused it—a man was outside on the other side of the window, a large professional camera in his hand.
“Damn paparazzi.” Karim barked at his bodyguards, who were already halfway toward the door.
“Let me take care of this, mes amis.” Delacroix stood up slowly and made his way toward the exit. “He won’t bother us again.”
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