by Tigris Eden
Oh, hell.
Fuck. He didn’t have friends. Not really.
Yeah, you do. His new conscience supplied. The new voice in his head had been on a roll lately. But yeah, Jacobi was his friend. The Unit was his family. That, he could say was crazy. He’d spoken to his sister and they’d both agreed she was progressing. She’d even met him in Paris last weekend. A quick trip to clear his head. He probably shouldn’t have gone, but he was in the same country as Jorunn, or at least above her. Somehow knowing that had made him feel better. He and his sister had spent the weekend sightseeing. Gregor and the others had told her it would be good to get out and see what Solum had to offer. He’d taken Yewa all over. Hoping without hope that she would want to come back. But in the end, she’d chosen to remain in Fion.
“Fuck, man, you’re all spacey and shit,” Jacobi snapped him back to the present, and D grunted. He may be spacey, but that was only because he had a lot of shit on his mind. He downed the last of his beer, paid the tab, and stood.
“Gotta get back to the Unit. Some people I want to talk to. But seriously, Jacobi, real talk. I want you to know I appreciate you and all you’ve done for me in the past.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jacobi stood, eyeing him as if he had two heads instead of one.
“Seriously, we’re cool right?” Dietrich asked.
He may have had an epiphany or some shit, but he wasn’t about to hug it out with the male. Hell no.
“Yeah, man. We’re cool.”
“Good. Talk to you later. Tell Tavarious’s family I’ll call on them soon to check in, see how they’re holding up. If they need anything, holla at me.”
Jacobi gave him a head nod before heading off into the crowd. Dietrich headed out the door. There were some people he needed to talk with. He just hoped him coming correct didn’t make the others view him as a pussy. After that, he was going to concentrate on making sure he was not only true to himself and those around him, but worthy. Especially for one woman in particular. Because although the Unit was his family, he understood at the end of the day he really only wanted one person at his side for the remainder of his time. And that was Jorunn.
Draven and Jesminda were a testament to the kind of relationship he wanted with Jo. If they could do it, his ass sure could. He had everything to give and nothing to lose but his heart. For the first time, in a very long time, Dietrich knew without a shadow of a doubt, he was truly in love with a woman that would love him just as equally, if not more.
Chapter 28
Two months later.
She was back. Topside, as Ryn liked to say. There were a lot of questions her father had been able to answer. He was still in the Oasis room, but heavily guarded and only allowed one visitor a day. She still thought of him as her father, he was just a dysfunctional one. He’d known all along who and what she was. The Fates had told him the outcome of his thread, but he hadn’t listened. He’d done the exact opposite of what was woven into his tapestry. The results, although somewhat altered, had still produced the same outcome. Trapped and desperate. He did have information she knew Gabe and the others would need, and that had been one of the main reasons she’d come home. That, and she wanted to check in on her brothers, Khalid and Beats.
She was not topside in hopes of seeing Dietrich. Well, maybe just a glimpse. She’d been back two weeks, and Gabriel had agreed to meet her at her shop. Despite her appearance, she was able to appear human. Humans only saw what she wanted them to see, just another female doing the hustle and bustle of the city grind. Even her eyes were normal to them now, which was a plus. She didn’t need contacts, and she didn’t have to wear shades or answer questions about her oddities.
She was just regular old Jorunn McClellan. To the rest of the immortal community, she was a Dark Faery. Well to everyone, except those who knew what a Fionan was. She even had wings. Fully functional wings that, to her, resembled a dragonfly’s wings.
Khalid had thrown her a huge welcome home party. He was still all about the movement, but now Jo wasn’t so sure if the movement was even a good idea. Jorunn was seated in the shop and saw when Gabriel and Xee walked in.
“Woman! You look amazing!” Xee said, throwing her arms around Jorunn.
“You do, too. You want to tell me why you’re all aglow.”
Xee laughed. It was infectious. Jo couldn’t help but join in.
“Oh, duh! I’m so pregnant. The first month was the worst. Angel boy here is treating me like glass. I can’t even get good dick if you know what I mean.”
“Blossom, really?”
Xee looked up at Gabe and pouted.
“Well, I’m not telling tales. When’s the last time you gave me a good stroking? Huh? You gotta pet the cat, lick the cat, love the cat.”
Jorunn laughed again. Xee had zero filter.
Gabe was blushing, and then his eyes darkened as Bren and Stegis came through a side door. He pulled his mate closer and made sure they knew he was more than ready to throw down.
“Bren. Stegis. This is Gabriel and his mate Kapua.”
“You can call me Xee.”
“Nice to meet you both, although we know all about the Harbinger of Death. Your brother used to come and visit Fion frequently.”
“Yeah, well, Michael’s kind of a douche that way. Always running off at the mouth.”
Right. She had no idea what they were talking about.
“So, what you find out?” Xee asked, steering the conversation back in the right direction.
“Well, you’re not gonna like this, but Enri is the one who needs to drink from the cup. It’s made from the bones of the Defiant Ones. According to Phineas, it can only be consumed by a Fallen who’s reformed. Or one who’s just as bad. It could go either way.”
“Yeah, we had some guys claiming to be part of some organization show up last month looking for Enri. Said they were told they’d find him at the monastery if he didn’t return in enough time,” Bren commented.
“What did you tell them?” Gabriel asked, concerned.
“Oh, we told them that Enri had come through, but he left when he couldn’t find what he was looking for. I think they believed me,” Jo said.
Gabe cursed.
Xee winced.
“Yeah, exactly. Shit storm is headed your way and I would say pretty damn soon,” Stegis tossed in.
“How the fuck do we get the crackhead to reform?” Gabe asked, mostly to himself, or maybe he really wanted their suggestions.
Stegis answered Gabe’s question. “He needs to find peace. Love. It’s the only way.”
“That shit won’t happen. We’re fucked. Everyone should just pack a bag now and find an untouchable realm,” Xee said.
“Well, we have time. Not much, but enough,” Bren answered.
“All right, I will let the others know. How’s Dietrich’s sister?” Gabe asked.
“Reflective and content,” Stegis said, walking over behind the counter to grab a coffee cake. “She walks the grounds mostly. She’s learning our people’s anatomy so she can assist with healing. Dietrich was there two months ago and took her topside.” Yeah, and when Jo had found out he’d come but didn’t bother to visit, it had crushed her. Stegis handed the coffee cake to Xee who looked up, shocked.
“Hey, how’d you know?”
“Your little one told me. Would you like to know what the baby is?”
“Sure,” Xee said.
“No,” Gabriel interrupted quickly.
“Why the hell not, Angel boy? It will make shopping so much easier.”
“Blossom, just wait for our little one.” Gabriel looked to Stegis. “Thank you for the offer, but the answer is no.”
Xee pouted but gladly accepted the coffee cake and began to eat.
“It’s good to hear that D’s sister is doing well. He’ll be happy to know she’s okay. He was a bit of a pain at first, but now he’s back to his old self, well, more like new and improved. He’s out there seeing women again,” Xee smi
led, looking directly at Jorunn.
Hearing that he was doing well, made her stomach flip nervously. He was seeing other people, but hadn’t once sought her out? Damn, so he didn’t love her. Stegis reached for her hand, and Bren touched her cheek. Jo could feel the couple across from her eyeing her intently. Over the past two months, she and the brothers had bonded well. Too well. It was bordering on intimacy. Hell, maybe she should take them up on their offer. Dietrich had obviously moved on.
Stegis and Bren had been patient. Only offering their friendship. She had feelings for them, but it hadn’t moved any deeper than a familial type of love. They were like brothers.
“I’m happy for him.”
“Bullshit! You’re pissed,” Xee argued.
“No, Xee, please. I have to ask you both to leave now.” She wanted to hurt in private. At least for a little while. “I have a buyer coming in a bit. We’re selling Jo’s, and I’ll be taking on BARE full time now that Phineas is unable.” She really did have a buyer coming, but she needed a moment to collect herself.
“Come on, Blossom, we got what we came for.”
Xee stood, and Jorunn stood with her.
“I’m coming back with the girls and their kids. Caleb hasn’t changed yet, but we all think he will in due time.”
“Caleb?”
“Draven and Jesminda’s son. He’s still in wolf form. The little guy is the cutest thing on four legs though and he’s fully merged now, body, soul, and spirit. He’s still getting the hang of having to deal with all the attention from the Unit.”
“He will change when he’s ready,” Bren said, smiling at Xee. “We are happy he found his mother and father.”
Xee nodded.
“Me, too. Jes was always on the rag. Like all the fucking time. Now, she’s a ball of sunshine. We’ll get together soon,” Xee said, pulling Jorunn in for another hug.
“Of course, I’ll keep you posted on my schedule.”
“All right. Toodles my noodles.”
Then they were gone, and the façade she’d held tight to while being told that Dietrich had moved on melted away.
“You two can take off. I’ll be fine. Cesar’s human, after all.”
“Still think it’s a bad idea.”
“No, it’s a perfect idea. I need to get things straight with the club.”
“Okay. We’ll talk later, Jo.”
Stegis pulled her in for a hug and kissed her check.
“Later,” she called softy. They guys were adjusting to being topside. Khalid and Beats got along with them really well. Things were almost the way they were supposed to be. Almost.
Chapter 29
There was something ab wrong with him. He was open. Raw. It was like there was an overload of emotions threatening to break free and unchain him from his bad attitude, and general hatred of life. Like he’d finally found out how to see clear of all the bullshit and to the heart of what mattered most. Jorunn. He’d had his emotional breakthrough. That shit had been rough. But he wasn’t a female, so why the ache now? So strong and potent. Would she be able to forgive him? Would she even listen to what he had to say to her?
Dietrich grunted.
She’d better let him talk. The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth. She’d probably slap the shit out of him just on general purpose. He’d been MIA for two months, and in that time, a lot had changed at the Unit and with him. The twins and their mate were well on their way to becoming upstanding parents to their two little monsters who he’d affectionately dubbed E Double and Double E. The kids were cute, he’d give them that. Jesminda was clearly on the mend now that Caleb had been returned to her and Draven. The little pup was a handful, and had immediately taken a shine to him. Why the hell for? He’d never know. Guess the kids just gravitated to him.
Call me Uncle Dietrich.
For the last couple of months, there had been a gaping hole in his chest that couldn’t be filled. He knew why, but he also knew he had to fix himself before he could explore what he wanted to with Jo. His sister was free of the Agency, but now, she was staying on permanently at the monastery. Something that took a while for him to come to terms with. He’d gone to check up on her. He hadn’t run into Jorunn, but Yewa had kept him updated. Dietrich stood on the corner across the street from Jo’s Cafe. The owner hadn’t shown up in days. But he knew she was back. Had gotten the information from Xee the other day when she’d said something about meeting an old friend. Every day since, he’d returned. He would stand across the street for a chance at a glimpse of her. If it hadn’t been for Xee reassuring him that she was, in fact, alive and doing well, he might have busted inside, halfcocked and ready to open up a few skulls. But that was the old Dietrich. He was working really hard on being this new person that had snuck up on him and introduced himself.
Will the real Dietrich Johnson please stand up?
Yup. And, apparently, he was a comedian now, as well.
He’d finally found someone he could trust. Jorunn was right. Love was real. It was a tangible thing that kept him up at night and made his chest ache and his stomach roll. But it also gave him peace. Something that had constantly eluded him since the betrayal of his tribe and the loss of his family. Three hundred and forty-six years was a long time to hold a grudge. Jorunn had showed him the path to freedom, and although he’d fought her every step of the way, she’d still managed to get him there. Fuck if he wasn’t glad for big miracles. He was eternally grateful to her, and he needed her to hear him out. He’d come here for the past week, hoping past hope that she’d give him the chance he knew he didn’t deserve. She’d said she would be waiting for him. Damn, just playing her voice back in his head cracked his chest wide open. If he weren’t such a strong male, he may have even teared up.
Fuck, he was screwed.
But in the best way possible.
There was movement out of the corner of his eye and he caught a flash of curls. It was her. Finally, she showed.
Dietrich strode across the street with purpose, but stopped dead in the middle of the street when the guy opening the shop door wasn’t her brother Khalid. In fact, it was some fool he’d never seen before.
Who the fuck is that?
Hadn’t she said she loved him? If it were true, then why was this male putting his arms around her? Better still, why was she smiling ear to ear like he was the best thing in her life at the moment. A car honked, getting his attention. Hell, it got everyone’s attention, including hers. Shit, he couldn’t turn back now. He’d come because he had something to say, and if this guy was some Bob she wanted, well, then it was his damn fault for letting her go in the first place. He’d just have to do everything in his power to change her mind. That’s it. That’s what needed to be done. He needed to change her mind.
“Dietrich?” Her voice was literally sex and sin, and carnal images rose unchecked in his mind as he moved toward her. The guy standing next to her hadn’t moved a muscle. Maybe she’d really moved on. The male didn’t look the least bit intimidated by Dietrich approaching. It wasn’t like he had a smile on his face, or a sign on his forehead that advertised he was friendly and approachable. He was still a deadly motherfucker. He was still all about that life. So why the hell wasn’t this guy kicking rocks in the opposite direction?
“Jo, you think we can talk in private?” He asked.
She looked a little worried at his request, and fuck if that didn’t hurt his feelings. He hadn’t been the nicest person the last time they’d talked. But he wasn’t that asshole anymore. He was the new and improved Dietrich. He’d still fuck a person up in a heartbeat, no hesitation whatsoever. But he was just a man in love now, totally bound to the woman who stood in front of him. Yep, he was whipped.
“Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Cesar.”
Was she serious?
The beginnings of a growl rumbled in his chest. Cesar looked to be about their age in human years, hell he was human. Smelled of mortality. Fine, he could wait this
relationship out if he had to. Fucker had maybe fifty, sixty years tops before he’d die of natural causes.
Or you could speed things along.
No, he wasn’t going to interfere in her personal life, what if she was truly happy? No, she couldn’t be. Only he could make her happy. Dietrich cleared his throat and spoke from the heart. Honesty, trust, and all that other stuff he’d ignored over his long life, was now front and center.
“You know everything there is to know about me, Jo. When you offered me the world, I turned it down like an idiot. It wasn’t you I didn’t trust, not really. It was me. I didn’t trust myself to know how to give you what you wanted. But I was wrong about that. I’d built up so many walls that I almost died a mortal death. You have to understand, going through the shit I went through was hard, and suffering from the loss of my sister and not being given the chance to truly process it, only to lose my other sister was devastating enough.
Jo started shaking her head.
“What?”
“You still haven’t figured it out. You can’t bully people into doing what you want. I’m glad you were able to process. I know you lost Andina, and suffered things most people would buckle at. But you’re alive. Yewa is alive. Alive and well and thriving. She’s really happy where she is.”
There it was.
Another reason he loved Jo so much. She was able to say what everyone else was too pussy to say to his face. He’d approached Xee with the same solution and she hadn’t told him it was a bad idea, but she hadn’t necessarily said it was a good idea either.
“You’re right. But there’s more.”
She snorted, and it was the cutest sound coming out of her very kissable lips, that were full and just... Stay on track.
“Jorunn, I’m trying to say something here. Can I please finish?” Jesus, now he was begging.
“Even if I’m late. I’ll wait.” Fuck. Now he was rhyming. “I’m trying to tell you how I feel.”
“How you feel about what, Dietrich?”
He couldn’t read her expression, and Cesar had a goofy grin on his face. Under any other circumstances, he would have gladly introduced the human to his fist. He should have written this shit down. Or had one of the females draft him a letter so he could post it or some shit. Cause he was really fucking this up. “Woman, I can’t read you. I don’t know if I’m making this worse or if any of what I’m saying is getting through to you.”
