“Things change. Just give me a couple weeks to adjust and if I don’t have any residual signs of Dmitri we’ll mate fully. For now—let me give you this.” Dji pulled her to him and kissed her.
She couldn’t help herself, she melted into the kiss, her mouth opening to allow Dji’s tongue entrance. Tomorrow would have to be soon enough to fight for him. She knew in her heart that Dmitri was well and truly gone. The change in Dji was visible. Maybe she’d give him the week he wanted, but they didn’t call her the Ice Queen for nothing. She was going to have her way and he would be hers. They belonged together and he deserved to be happy after the hell he’d been put through for centuries.
“I love the way you taste,” Dji murmured against her lips.
They were breathing the same air. It was just as intimate as having a part of him so deep inside her she’d feel it for days.
“This doesn’t let you off the hook.” Ive stared deep into his eyes and they continued to sit there with their foreheads pressed together, gazing at each other.
“Fair enough. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired and we have a meeting in the morning.” Dji fought with the tangled blankets, then slid beneath them.
Ive followed suit. The travel and the phenomenal sex had taken it out of her. She didn’t even really want to argue. Those who knew her would be shocked that she’d let it go, and she curled around Dji with her head on his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.
Chapter Nine
Dji looked around the room filled with strangers. The memories from Dmitri still resided in his head and some of these people looked familiar but he didn’t really know them. Zareb and his mate Joy walked into the room and all eyes seemed to be drawn to them. Joy was flushed a pretty red. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. Ive had almost made them late with her shower. She loved the water and he was finding a new respect for it.
Once Zareb and Joy had settled onto a couch with another couple, the pack leader Russ spoke.
“Now that we are all here we can begin.” Russ grinned in Zareb’s direction. “For the record I would like to state that I am the alpha here. I know there were some questions before the group of you went to Africa, but I’m in charge. There may be members in here stronger than I am in the magic realm, but that doesn’t make me weak.”
Dji wasn’t sure what Russ was speaking about. The leader didn’t look weak to him. He exuded power and calm. Dji would follow Russ. Zareb seemed to have much faith in the wolf.
“It is how it should be. As I have stated before, the alpha should not have a guardian’s power. Too much, and it could corrupt the best of us.” Zareb spoke and Dji couldn’t agree more.
There was no way he’d want to be the leader. Look what had happened to him—a strong alpha wouldn’t have let himself be possessed. Just another of his failures.
“Well put, Zareb. I also want to reassure everyone on Djimon’s presence. The man here in this room is not the one who was against us. That soul was named Dmitri and is no longer a threat. Most of you know this, but I wanted to reinforce it. Zareb, please fill us in on what happened.” Russ gave Zareb the floor.
Dji watched Zareb bow his head towards the alpha in respect before speaking. “Our trip was not as uneventful as we had hoped. The plane crashed in the middle of the jungle, killing our pilot. We had to leave him and the plane. We should inform his family.” Zareb looked towards Russ and at the alpha’s nod he continued. “Once on the ground we moved as fast as we could, but were ambushed. They separated Joy and me from Dji and Ive. I believe that is because they thought Djimon was still Dmitri and they wanted to rescue him from us—he had followers in Africa. Ive and Dji will have to fill you in on that part of the journey. Joy and I managed to keep the Vessel with us.”
“So nothing escaped from the vase?” The woman next to Joy spoke. Dji believed it was Joy’s sister Valerie, but he wasn’t a hundred per cent sure of everyone’s name.
“Unfortunately that is not the case. Dmitri’s soul tried to escape, but it was unsuccessful. We ran into an old tribe mate who managed to survive the carnage when Dmitri first emerged, Baakir. He came back with us.”
“Yeah, we should keep an eye on him,” Joy interrupted.
“Why is that?” Russ looked between Zareb and Joy.
Dji could understand the hesitation to completely trust Kir, but he should fall into that category too. After all—not too long ago Dmitri had tried to kill everyone in the room.
“He was influenced by Dmitri and the Vessel, but in the end he helped us. But Joy is correct, we should keep an eye on him. He might need help as well, getting used to a new life,” Zareb answered.
“Then we’ll see what we can do. I am assuming that the Vessel has been disposed of?” Russ questioned.
“Yes, Joy and I made sure it was sealed and Djimon added some extra power to the ground. We both think it would be good to send someone to the burial spot periodically to check the barrier.” Zareb confirmed.
“I concur. I’ll send pairs starting next month.” Russ agreed.
It relieved Dji that Russ took the situation seriously. No one should go through the hell he had and, if they could prevent such a happening, the world would be a better place.
“I think that would be wise, Russ. It might be nice to have the shifters here see where they came from.” Zareb sounded excited.
Dji would need time to come to terms with his homeland and its magic before he would return. If he could help it, he never wanted to go back to the spot where the Vessel was buried. Not that he’d be tempted to dig the thing up, but he still worried he could be possessed again.
“Africa is very rich in magic. I wouldn’t mind going back, as long as I had access to a decent bathroom, or a car. I don’t think I want to ever walk again,” Joy piped up.
Valerie laughed.
“Zareb, you can help me with a rotation schedule. It might be nice for the magic users to go first.” Russ looked over towards the couple on the couch next to Joy and Zareb.
“Oh, hell, no. Aren’t Max and I the only magic users who haven’t been?” Valerie looked horrified.
Now it was Joy’s turn to laugh. “You’ll be fine, V.”
“Says you, the person who probably won’t have to go back.” Valerie crossed her arms across her chest.
“Is there anything else we should discuss?” Russ’ gaze touched everyone in the room.
“I think we are safe for now. The Ancients have not spoken to me since our return. I am unsure if that is a good sign or a bad one. I will try to commune with them and let you know what they have said. There was a hint that our world could be exposed to humans, but I think we took care of that when the Vessel was destroyed.”
Dji sure hoped so. The only thing worse, to him, than being possessed was having the humans exposed to shifter life. Being a science project wasn’t on any of their agendas.
“Then this meeting is adjourned.”
They all began filing out of the room. Dji followed Ive.
“Dinner isn’t for a while, I don’t think. We could go for a walk around the grounds.”
“I think I’d like to think for a bit. Maybe you could talk to your friend—Vivian.”
He thought that was the name of the princess of her tribe. They’d spoken of her a little when they’d woken up.
Ive’s eyes watered and her forehead crinkled. He’d hurt her. He hadn’t meant to, but it was time to decide if he should stay or not. It might be better for him to go off on his own away from the pack. He could cause more harm than good. He had to think of Ive’s future.
Not something he’d ever had to do. Sure, Dji was charged with protecting his tribe, but a mate was another matter altogether. If something happened to her he might as well give up. And he could be the thing that happened.
“Sure. Yeah—find me later?”
Dji nodded and left the house. He didn’t go far. The porch swing on the veranda would do the trick. He pushed against the ground and let the sw
ing go back and forth. There was a light breeze. The pack house was truly magnificent. The wooded area alone was wonderful. Dji could imagine runs through those magical-looking trees. He’d like to explore the land more, if he stayed.
That was the big question. On one hand, he had the support of people who seemed on the ball. The core group in the meeting were all strong. Most in magic, but others in shifting power. They were connected. Even he could see that. The Ancients must have a plan he wasn’t aware of. They hadn’t talked to him once Dmitri had taken over.
What should I do? Are you there, Ancient ones? A sign would be nice.
No one answered, but he should have expected that. His faith wasn’t the strongest right now. Dji wasn’t alone for long. He felt another presence. One he recognised. Zareb was there.
Is this my sign?
“Where is Ive?” Not the question he’d expected, but easy to answer.
“I needed some space.” Dji didn’t even bother to look up.
“If that is your hint to leave you alone, it will not work. You should know me better than that, my old friend.”
“I should be dead,” Dji whispered.
And he should. The carnage he’d caused in their first tribe still gave him nightmares. He’d done that. His body had been responsible and his soul hadn’t been strong enough to withstand an evil possession. Some protector he’d made. Killing a whole tribe wasn’t keeping them safe.
“There will be no talk like that. It was not you in charge of those happenings,” Zareb reassured him, but it didn’t really help. They were just words.
“I was there. I could sense what was happening. If you’d been possessed, you would have fought harder and won. I think that is why Dmitri picked me. I’m weak.”
“Enough. I will not have you speaking of my brother that way. Not when it should have been me. You were always the better person.” Zareb sat down next to Dji.
“When I was trapped, I tried to escape, but I wasn’t strong enough. There’s no doubt about that. It was only after I was exposed to Ive that things came into focus.”
“It was fated. You should know how the Ancients work.”
The Ancients. Where were they in all of this mess? Always a voice and never any actual help. They always spoke in riddles that you had to figure out. Dji had never had a strong connection with the deities. It was supposed to strengthen when the final ceremony took place, but all hell had broken loose and it had never happened for him.
“Then, if it was fated, you have no call to feel guilt.” Dji stood his ground.
It wasn’t Zareb’s fault that Dji had a defective soul.
“But I do because it was I who led you to that Vessel and I do not like that you call yourself weak. You are one of the strongest men I know. You have survived and you have a mate now,” Zareb tried to reassure him.
“I won’t be claiming her.” Dji shook his head.
He didn’t know when he’d come to that conclusion, but he knew it was the right answer. He had much to atone for.
“What does Ive have to say about that?” Zareb raised a brow.
“I—” Dji looked up at Zareb.
He didn’t even want to face his mate, but he wouldn’t take the coward’s way out. He’d leave that night after dinner and hope he could face Ive and not run like the gutless man he was.
“Do not punish yourself. Do you know what Ive did for you? Did she tell you how she came to be here?”
“I’m not worthy.”
Zareb stood and glared down at him.
“You will stop this now. I will not see you belittle who you are. You are Djimon, my brother, the protector, my friend and Ive’s mate.”
“Those are just words. I have been inside looking out, I’m not who I once was.”
“You do not have to be. Find yourself and let Ive help. She put herself on the line for you. If not for her, you would be dead. Go to her, make right by her. Then come find me because I do want to get to know you, help you to find yourself again—and Kir is here as well. That is something—for the first time my family is here. In all my years of fighting with Dmitri I could never dream there would be a day some of my tribe would be near me. Do not make me lose that again so soon.” Zareb kissed Dji on the forehead and left him.
It was a lot to think on. He’d been determined to leave, but now he was thinking of staying—this back and forth was just like something he would do. Would he ever feel like himself again and not this head case who couldn’t make up his mind?
Lunch was announced. It was time to go speak to his mate. Or, maybe—after lunch would be better.
Ive wasn’t hard to spot. She was a beacon of light to him. Talking seriously could wait.
“Did you have a nice time with Vivian?” Dji pulled out a chair for Ive.
“It was good. How was your time alone?”
“Zareb interrupted me and we spoke for a bit. It was nice talking to my brother.”
Dji noticed that Pete had sat down beside him. Grey wasn’t far behind.
“Where have you been all day?” Grey was seething.
Pete was staring down at the table not talking. Grey sat and Pete stood, leaving the dining area.
Grey stared after him but didn’t move to follow. They seemed to be having as much trouble as he was.
“Grey—it’ll be okay.” Ive soothed her brother, but looked at Dji.
He figured the words were for both of them. Tonight wasn’t going to go well. He could feel it in his bones.
Chapter Ten
Dinner wasn’t too bad. Mostly small talk. Ive could see that Grey wanted to leave, but forced himself to stay. The road wouldn’t be easy for her twin. Hell, it wasn’t easy for her. In her gut, she knew Dji was on the verge of leaving the pack. She was strong and would live through his abandonment, but she didn’t want to.
Kir was on their other side sitting beside a woman Ive hadn’t been introduced to.
“Hello. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Ive and this is my mate Djimon.” Ive held out a hand.
“Hi. I’m Naomi. Nice to meet you. You’re the fox shifter, right? Part of Russ’ mate’s den?”
“That’s right.” Ive smiled.
“That’s great. Are you planning on staying?”
Ive looked to Dji, but he seemed lost in thought. If he left, would she stay? It would probably depend on her brother.
“I think so. I like it here and Vivian is staying.”
“Right. And your brother too. Pete is his mate, right? Sorry, I shouldn’t gossip.”
“No, no, that’s all right. Yes, they’re mates, but I have a feeling Pete is fighting it.”
“He’s had it rough. His damn parents should be shot.” Naomi shared.
The men were being quiet. Ive didn’t know if they were following the conversation or not. Kir kept sneaking glances at Naomi.
Would they all find mates in the Master’s pack? It seemed so unlikely, but some force had brought them all together under one roof. Now, if the men would stop fighting it and be happy, things would be peachy.
Ive didn’t hold any illusions. Her road wasn’t any smoother than her brother’s. Maybe for different reasons, but trouble still lay ahead.
Kir stood to leave and Naomi was quick to follow after saying goodbye.
“We should head to our room as well.” Dji stood and helped her out of her chair. They dealt with their dishes and were leaving when there was a commotion at the door.
“I can’t do this. No. I have to leave.” Kir looked panicked.
Ive wondered what Naomi had said to him that had spooked him.
“I—I agree.” Dji spoke softly, but Ive heard every word.
She couldn’t breathe. He didn’t mean… But he did.
“What the hell? We deserve a chance, Dji.” Ive’s eyes began to well. She rubbed at them.
“Ive—”
“Don’t ‘Ive’ me. Stay and fight for me—for us. You’ve just come out of something traumatic, don’t rush into a decision
you’ll regret. Give us time.”
Dji’s shoulders slumped, but he didn’t answer. With one look at Kir, they left the room and walked through the door.
Ive collapsed in the hallway. She didn’t care who saw. Tears streamed down her face. She’d thought she’d have time to convince him that they were meant to be. Enough of this shit. He couldn’t run away. He needed to let her in and running away wasn’t going to help. She stood and took a stunned Naomi by the hand.
“Come on. We’re going to go talk to Zareb. They can’t do this.”
“I’m sorry. So sorry. I shouldn’t have told Baakir we were mates. Men freak out about that right? And he’s new here, we’d just met. I screwed up.”
“Let’s fix this.”
Ive had to ask someone where Zareb’s house was so they could get there. Maybe he’d have time to do…something. Tears welled up again and Ive dashed them away. It took a while for someone to answer her knock. She hoped it wasn’t Joy. Joy already looked down on Ive. Her sister-mate wasn’t the most flexible person and they tended to rub each other the wrong way. And now it looked like they had another sister-mate. The three of them were mates to the first created shifters. They needed to be strong. And hopefully over time they could bond.
Zareb opened the door.
“They’re gone.” Ive didn’t even give Zareb a chance to say anything.
He held the door open and ushered them inside. Joy walked into the living room. It looked like they’d interrupted something. Joy’s shirt was mis-buttoned and her hair looked—rumpled, for lack of a better word. Shoot, it just wasn’t her day.
What’s going on?” Joy looked between the three.
“Baakir and Djimon are gone.” It hurt to even say it.
“Gone? Where?” Joy seemed confused. “For how long?”
Naomi broke in, taking over for Ive. “I was with Kir, talking to him after dinner. Djimon and Ive were leaving the room. Kir said something about not being able to do this. To—be here. Or talk to me, I guess.” Naomi cleared her throat before continuing. “Djimon said he agreed with Kir. That’s when they both took off.”
Redemption Page 6
