Not even bothering to knock, he walked right into her office. “It’s getting late, cher, you should get home and rest, non?”
Her head whipped toward him, and her expression changing from surprise to shock and then anger. “What the hell are you doing here?” She bolted to her feet and walked toward him. “And how did you get up here?”
“I have my ways.” He stepped forward, moving close enough to get a whiff of her delicious scent. “Now, I think we need to talk.”
“I think you need to leave.” Her voice took on a deadly edge. “Or you’ll regret it.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” When she tried to sidestep him, he merely blocked her way. “Why?”
“Excuse me? Avoiding you? I’m up to my eyeballs in work and—”
“Don’t lie, cher.” He caught her chin and tipped her head up. Defiant emerald eyes shot up to meet his gaze. “Something happened back there. When we were in the shadows. It was like … you were glowing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re the one with powers, you tell me what’s going on.”
“I can tell you one thing.” His finger traced a path from her chin, down her neck, to her collarbone. “No one I’ve taken into the shadows has done that. Or made me feel this way.”
She shivered, but didn’t move an inch. “I don’t—”
“I said, don’t lie to me. What happened back there?”
Her nostrils flared.
“You know, don’t you?” His wolf urged him on, scratching at him and growling at him to … what? “Why do I want you so bad? I can’t think about anything else but you. To take you. Possess you. I need to know.” The words spilled out of his mouth so fast, he couldn’t stop them. But it was true, all true.
She swallowed and turned her face away. “You can’t un-know if I tell you.”
Her words sounded like a warning. Maybe he should back off. But he was never good at taking heed of warnings. “What is it?”
“I … you understand that this doesn’t change anything?”
His patience was running short. “Just tell me.”
“I … I think we’re … True Mates.”
“What?”
A line appeared between her knitted brows. “You—you don’t know anything about True Mates?”
“Should I?”
Her head cocked sideways. “No one in your clan told you?”
Ha. As if Remy took his time to educate his Lycans on anything except what he needed them for. “Why don’t you tell me then?”
She took a deep breath. “I need some … please … just move away …” Her hands hovered over his chest, like she was afraid to touch him.
Obligingly, he stepped back. “Now talk.”
“Lycans supposedly … I mean, some of us have that one mate they’re meant for. Some call it magic, or fate, and others think it’s science and evolution. A survival instinct to ensure the continuation of our race because …” She took a deep breath. “I’m getting ahead of myself. Well, let’s just say that we could be True Mates.”
“Like … soul mates?”
Her face scrunched up distastefully, a move that sent a painful stab to his heart for some reason. “No, I … it just means we’re biologically compatible.”
“And how do you know this?”
“There are signs … see …” She hugged herself, her hands scrubbing down her arms. “My parents were True Mates, as well as the former Alpha—he’s my uncle—and his mate. I’ve heard it all my life, what they felt when they met.”
“And that is …”
“Your scent … it smells so good to me. And then, when we touched, there was that spark of electricity.”
Her words sent him into shock. So, she had felt it too.
“And my wolf, she … it’s like she …”
A tightness in his chest coiled up like a spring as he recognized each and every one of the things she said. “You caught mine’s attention the moment you walked into the room,” he finished.
Her face went pale, and her head bobbed.
“And now it won’t stop hounding me.” He gritted his teeth. “It wants to be around you all the time and make sure you’re safe.”
Her voice was barely a whisper. “Mine too.”
“But …” No, he couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be. “Am I supposed to do anything? Do we have to get married?”
“No!” The horror in her voice sent another stab of unknown pain through him. “I mean, it’s not a requirement or anything. For us to …”
That should have made him feel relieved. Instead it made him feel something he shouldn’t. Had no right to be feeling. “I can’t stay here. I won’t.”
“I know.”
Dread filled him. “What do you mean, you know?”
“Nick told me everything. He had to, before I agreed to take you on.” She blew out a breath. “Xavier’s been causing him trouble since he was just a kid. I wasn’t really surprised to hear that he’d snuck out of his latest boarding school to go to Mardi Gras.” Green emerald pools fixed on him. “And you saved his life.”
“I was at the right place at the right time.” Actually, he’d been on one of the “errands” his former Alpha had sent him on to a biker bar in New Orleans. That’s where he saw the younger Vrost, who had the bad luck—or perhaps it was his lack of common sense—of pissing off the local MC chapter by hustling them at pool. He won fair and square, but the president didn’t like being made a fool of, so he had Vrost drugged, and then sent his guys to mess him up. The bikers were about to cart him off to God knows where when Delacroix intervened. “I didn’t really think he was in danger.”
“That’s not how Nick put it. He said those guys put so many drugs in his system, he would have died if he wasn’t a Lycan. You took him away to safety with your little trick and then called Nick.”
What choice did he have? The boy was unconscious, and the only thing he had on him was a phone. There had already been several missed messages from his father at that point. Of course, when he realized who Nick Vrost was … well, at that time, he thought it had been good luck. Little did he know that the only way Vrost could get him free of Remy was to transfer him to New York. But he was desperate that night he contacted Vrost, and by then, he had no choice. It was either stay and follow orders, join New York, or go Lone Wolf, which he had not been prepared to do. He could only choose the lesser evil.
“Nick owed you for what you did for Xavier,” she finished. “And you didn’t waste any time calling in that favor.”
“Yes.” That was the short version anyway. “Vrost and his Alpha had friends in high places. He owed me, why shouldn’t I use that?” He was free from Remy’s influence, and that was all that mattered. “Fuck,” he muttered. How did they get to talking about his history? “You’re good at changing the subject. So, this is why you’ve been avoiding me? Because you didn’t want me to find out we were supposedly True Mates.”
There was a long pause before she answered. “Yes. I … not exactly.”
“Not exactly? Were you just going to leave me hanging without any explanation as to what was happening? Or avoid me forever?”
“I … you see.” She blew out a breath and muttered something under her breath. “This wasn’t … I was going to …” Her hands curled at her sides, and her teeth clenched. “I wanted to talk to you about something. To offer you … a way out. I just didn’t know how to go about it.”
“A way out?” he echoed again. This was frustrating, the way she talked in half sentences and riddles.
“You see, I wanted to ask you to … this wasn’t … I was going to—”
“Cher, just spit it out.”
“I want you to give me something.”
“What?”
“A baby.”
Something short-circuited in his brain. Surely, he heard wrong. “Excuse me?”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “You heard me. I want … I want a pup.”
“With
me?”
“Y-yes.”
His wolf howled in agreement. But him … “Surely I’m not your top candidate.” This was a joke, right?
“You’re not,” she bit out. “But my she-wolf thinks you’re our True Mate, so I don’t have a choice. You’re the only one who could give me a pup.”
He scratched his head. “I’m not an educated man, hell I didn’t even finish high school, but I’m pretty sure I know how biology works.”
“Not True Mate biology,” she said. “You see, if we … if we … you and I …”
“Fucked,” he completed.
Her lips pursed distastefully. “Yes. If we did, then I’ll get pregnant right away. We don’t even have to do it more than once.”
He stared at her, still waiting for the punchline. When she remained silent, he knew she wasn’t joking. “You’re serious.”
“I am.”
There was something in her voice … a quiet desperation. So, she wanted a baby so bad that even he would do?
“I could give you something too,” she added. “Something you want.”
His jaw tensed. “And you know what I want?”
“You want freedom,” she stated. “I can help you.”
A sardonic laugh escaped his lips. “You can get the Alpha to free me from my sentence? I doubt even you have that power. Vrost was very clear on that.”
“I can get you out of GI,” she said. “You could get a cushy job guarding the Alpha or his family. It’s what you wanted, right? What you thought you were signing up for?”
That’s what Vrost had initially told him. That he would be part of the training group for the Lycan Security Force, and he would be spending the rest of his time here standing in the background looking tough or opening limo doors. Compared to what Remy had him doing all his life, it sounded like a vacation. “So, you could have me transferred?”
“Yes. And who knows? If Lucas likes you enough, he could shorten your service.” She huffed. “I’m sure someone like you could make that work.”
“Someone like me? You mean an opportunist.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “If it walks like a duck …”
So that’s what she thought of him? She’d already made up her mind that he was a selfish prick, but a prick she could use. “You obviously don’t have a good opinion of me, but you’re willing to let me fuck you.”
“I told you what I want,” she said. “And what I can give you. It’s up to you to accept or not.”
“I wouldn’t make a good father.” Jesu. Him? No, it was a bad idea. He didn’t have a clue how to be a father.
She snorted. “I don’t need you to be there for that.”
“So, I would get you knocked up and just conveniently disappear?”
“Sounds like every guy’s dream,” she shot back.
“You have a high opinion of yourself, if you think that way.” The words flew out before he could stop them, but he couldn’t help it. Hurt flashed across her face for just a second, but it was enough for his wolf to slash his insides in anger. Not that he needed the reminder that he was a bastard for saying that. “You could be wrong. Are you willing to test the theory that we are True Mates?”
She ground her teeth. “To get what I want, I’d do anything. Surely you can understand that.”
He did, but … a child?
“I’d take care of everything,” she added. “You wouldn’t have to do anything. In fact, I’d prefer it if you weren’t in the pup’s life. Or mine. I don’t want or need a relationship, so I’m not going to trap you into anything or ask for child support. I won’t tell anyone you’re the father. It would be the perfect arrangement. You get what you want, and I get what I want.”
She was right. His brain was telling him to take the bargain. It was the perfect arrangement, and he wouldn’t have to fight anymore. Not to mention, he could finally get her out of his system by having sex with her. His body, too, was telling him yes. “I don’t think so.”
“What?” She looked truly surprised, like it hadn’t occurred that he would say no.
“I said … no.” Lord, why was it hard to say that one little word?
“Oh.” She straightened her shoulders, then walked around to her desk before sitting down. “All right then.”
That was it? She asked him for pup, and when he said no, she was just dismissing him? “What are you going to do now?”
“Does it matter?” She didn’t even bother looking up at him. “You know your way out.”
Her curt dismissal stung like a hundred paper cuts, and he could only nod and turn on his heel, then stalk out of the office.
His wolf growled at him, unable to understand what happened, only caring that he was walking away from her. He couldn’t explain it to the animal; merde, he couldn’t even begin to process it himself, what just happened. All he knew was that the emotions inside would explode if he didn’t get out of here, and if that happened, he didn’t know what he would do. He needed to get away now before he marched back in there and told her he’d changed his mind.
Chapter Five
Delacroix told himself that he had made the right decision. That she would offer up such a bargain was preposterous anyway. He’d never even dreamed of having children himself; the truth was, he hadn’t thought he’d make it past the age of twenty, as the “errands” Remy sent him on became more and more dangerous. To bring a child into the world …
But then again, there was another voice inside him asking, so what? Mika was a capable woman and would surely love and spoil any child of hers. It wouldn’t be an irresponsible decision. With his past indiscretions, he could have gotten any woman pregnant and none of them would have been half the mother she could be. And then there was the thought of fucking her. Being deep inside her, and driving into—
Immediately, he put a stop to those thoughts. Merde, was he really thinking about this? He hit his forehead on the table.
“Yo, D, everything okay?” Jacob cocked his head at him from where he sat across the cafeteria table. “Dude, did you sleep at all last night?”
How could he sleep these past two nights? Any spare moment he had were plagued with thoughts of Mika, wondering what her lips tasted like or how soft the skin would be between her thighs. And when he did manage to get any sleep, all he did was dream of her. That scent haunted him, even while he was dreaming, and it was driving him crazy. “I’m fine,” he snapped. “Just tired.”
Jacob raised his palms in the air. “All right, no need to bite my head off. Sheesh.”
He pushed his tray away, not really feeling hungry. “Have you ever heard about True Mates?”
“Yeah. Sure. My parents are True Mates,” he said nonchalantly.
“And …”
“And?”
He needed to know, and Jacob was possible the only person he could ask. “Do they really … is it true that they just need to do it once and—”
“Ew, gross!” He made a gagging sound. “I do not want to think about my parents having sex.”
“I wasn’t asking about them,” he sighed. “I mean, is there really such a thing?”
Jacob stared at him; his mouth open. “Are you serious right now? You’ve never heard of them?”
“Non.”
“Well, here’s what I know.”
As Jacob proceeded to tell him pretty much what Mika had told him about True Mates, he listened intently.
“.…and that’s just about what I know. I’m not really into this shit.”
“So True Mates don’t even have to be both Lycans?”
“No. Look at Deedee and Karim.”
“The king and queen are True Mates?” Why did he not know this? “But no one’s ever said anything before.”
“I dunno. Maybe you weren’t listening. How do you think she got knocked up so quick?” Jacob pointed to his roast beef sandwich. “Are you going to eat that?”
“Go ahead.”
So, she was telling the truth, at least abou
t the existence of True Mates. But that didn’t mean he and Mika were such a pairing.
His wolf let out a low growl of disagreement.
Oh, what do you know?
“So,” Jacob began as soon as he finished gobbling up the sandwich. “We’ve got the night off tonight. Whaddaya say we go for dinner at Petite Louve and then head to Blood Moon? A couple of other guys are going.”
It had been a while since he’d had a nice meal. He’d been to the French restaurant before, and the chef was Lycan. “Why not?” And then afterwards … well maybe he’d get lucky at Blood Moon. The club was the place to be for Lycans, and on a Friday night like this, it would be packed. A little friendly female company wouldn’t be bad, help him forget all this business about True Mates.
His wolf yowled at him again, obviously displeased at his thoughts.
Shut up.
“That was delicious,” Jacob said as he polished off his steak and took a swig of wine.
“I agree.” Delacroix’s mood lifted considerably as soon as they left HQ. He’d been cooped up there for too long, and a night out was exactly what he needed.
His wolf, on the other hand, was still a miserable bastard, whining and clawing at him, but he ignored it. Tonight, he was going to have some fun, and no one, not even the animal he shared his body with, was going to ruin it.
“God, I can’t wait to get to Blood Moon,” said Jack Moore, a GI agent who Delacroix remembered as one of his fellow trainees from the Lycan Security Force last year. He quite liked the guy, as he was affable and always willing to lend a hand. “Last week, I met this blonde there who was smokin’ hot. Not to mention smart. Works at Fenrir’s legal department. We went to her place, and she kept me up all night long.”
“Can’t be too smart if she took ya home,” quipped Tony Buzzio, a wisecracking Lycan who grew up in Jersey. New York and New Jersey were tightly allied, so it made sense that there were a few Lycans from that clan who joined GI.
Jacob called for the check. “It’s still a little early. Let’s go grab a few drinks at that bar on forty-sixth before we head to Blood Moon.”
Shadow Wolf Page 6
