Dimitri (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 6) (11 page)

“Easy, Gilly,” she heard Jax say. The rumble of his voice caused her to startle.

“J…Jax.” Surprised to hear his voice, she turned her head toward the large sunken living area. The commanding Alpha stood tall behind his beta, Nick, who was sitting on the sofa, stroking a small white wolf who lay in his lap.

Although she knew that wolves thought little of clothing, the sight of them only wearing jeans took her off guard. Both men, with their tan sculptured bodies, looked as if they belonged in the magazine they ran. Gillian’s eyes met Jax’s and she studied his face, recalling how their eyes were the same shade of gold. Even though she’d rehearsed her speech well, no words left her lips and tears pricked at her eyes.

“Here, kitty, kitty,” he taunted, giving her a wry smile.

He knows.
“Jax…I…need your help,” she managed.

“Come sit. We need to have a chat,” he told her, walking around the large red leather sofa. Looking toward Nick, he nodded. “In private.”

Gillian slowly moved toward her brother but abruptly stopped as the animal on the couch shifted into a naked woman. Intrigued by the transformation, she watched as Nick kissed her before letting her off his lap. She gave Gillian a sideways glare before traipsing down the hallway.

Stunned at the display, Gillian forgot what she was doing. Being a tiger, she wasn’t used to the open sexuality that wolves exhibited. She, too, stripped bare before shifting into her beast, but unlike the wolves, she ran alone. Taking a quick breath, she composed herself and returned her gaze to Jax, who gestured for her to take a seat. Her heavy backpack remained on her shoulders as she sat in the far corner of the couch.

Nick scooted across the sofa until his thigh brushed hers. He sniffed and smiled, and she flinched in response. Yet when he reached over to help remove the straps of her bag from her shoulders, she relaxed enough to allow him to take it. The close proximity of the other wolf brought forth an odd familiarity, making her think once again of Dimitri. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate. Now was not the time for lust or pipedreams.

“She smells of a wolf,” Nick noted, brushing his fingers through her red locks. “And chemicals.”

“Well, she is a wolf, isn’t that right, sister?” Jax asked, his expression impassive.

“I’m…I’m a tiger. But you know that, don’t you, brother?” Sweat beaded on her brow as her anxiety rose, but she refused to show fear.

“A sister?” Nick clapped his hands and laughed. “Now this is an interesting development.”

“Indeed, it is,” Jax replied.

“How did you know? I didn’t say anything…” Gillian stopped speaking and shook her head, feeling both inexperienced and vulnerable. Dammit, she’d been foolish to think she could hide from an Alpha.

“This morning, I got a call from Logan Reynaud.”

Gillian stared back at Jax, putting the pieces together.
Logan Reynaud?
She recalled her conversations with Dimitri. He’d mentioned the first name of his Alpha: Logan. Dimitri must have called his Alpha. He’d gone back to New Orleans, all right, but not before making sure she was protected by Jax.

“Dimitri,” she whispered. “But how did you know about me…my tiger…about us?”

“Ah well, after you blew me off a few months ago, it got me to thinking. Why would a starving photographer refuse to speak to someone who was offering her the job of a lifetime? So I did a more in-depth background check. Your mother, Mirabel, I knew her many years ago. When my father died…”

“She was devastated…couldn’t live here anymore. I don’t have any memories of my father…our father…or you.”

“It isn’t surprising you don’t remember. When Alpha died, Father, you were a toddler. I knew you existed, but when Mirabel asked me to leave her alone, I did. I understood that you were a tiger and the dangers that would be presented to you should you grow up around pack. What I didn’t expect was that Mirabel would change your name to one I didn’t easily recognize. I knew you as Kaitlen. But here you are…Gillian Michel.”

“Gillian…it’s my middle name. My last is a family name on my mother’s side. She wanted to protect me. I didn’t even know you existed until we met a few months ago. You have to understand, I’ve gone to great lengths not to be around wolves. When I told Mom about you, the opportunity, that’s when she told me…that I had a half-brother in New York.”

“You stopped calling. Wouldn’t return my calls. You do know that doesn’t go over too well with an Alpha, don’t you? Did you really think you could get away with that?”

She gave him a small grin, sensing he was teasing her. She’d thought it difficult, but not impossible.

“It’s part of the reason I went to California. It seemed like such a great job, but…” She sighed. “I guess if you talked to, um, Dimitri’s Alpha, then you know why I’m here.”

“We’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s be frank, shall we? I know why you don’t want to be around wolves. Mirabel, she couldn’t shift. She gave up everything for my father. Yet in the end, the gifts she gave him were wasted. He died fighting for all of us during that attack.”

“I’m sorry.” She’d never known her father but sympathized with his loss.

“I killed his murderer,” Jax stated without emotion. “I lost everything. My father. My stepmother. I know what it feels like to mourn. I would never have done anything to compromise your ability to shift.”

“I’m relieved that you understand why I can’t be around your pack. I do. But I need your protection. If you could just talk to Chaz or do whatever Alphas do…please,” she pleaded.

“Jax, I don’t mean to interrupt, but when I said she smelled like a wolf, I wasn’t referring to her,” Nick explained further.

“Well, that’s not at all possible. I’m a tiger and you both know that, not that I let people go around sniffing me like a dog. No offense,” she added, upset that she could have been so careless as to compare a wolf to a domestic animal.
Shit. This is so not going well.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m afraid. Dimitri almost killed Chaz. I should have done it…I wanted to do it, but the silver…it made me sick.”

“Did you just say that Dimitri almost killed the Alpha?” Jax exclaimed.

“Yeah, he could have easily killed him but he released him.”

“Isn’t that interesting?”

“I don’t think he wants to be Alpha. I don’t know Dimitri that well, but he seems loyal to his pack.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Nick laughed. He got up and crossed the room. Slipping behind the wet bar, he rummaged underneath it. “Something to drink? Soda? Water?”

“Beta, be clear with your thoughts. Do you think our sister lies about her relationship with the Acadian wolf?”

“His scent is all over her,” Nick confirmed. He pulled out three tumblers and set them on the counter. “Maybe we need something stronger. Wine or whiskey?”

Jax’s eyes flew to Gillian, who wished she could cower behind the furniture. Her face grew hot, as she wondered how they could smell him on her. She’d taken a shower, but apparently that wasn’t nearly enough to hide the intimacy of their night together.

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Jax quipped, rubbing his chin. “Wine. Bring the bottle.”

“I’m not sure what you think went on between Dimitri and me but I’m telling you that nothing happened. Not that I need to report who I sleep with to you.” Gillian looked over to Nick. “Wine. Best idea of the day.”

“I’m your big brother, kitty cat.” Jax smiled and raised an eyebrow at her.

“Very funny. Thank you,” Gillian said. She gladly accepted the filled glass that Nick handed her. Taking a sip, she thanked the Goddess for grapes.

“You do know what happens if you mate with a wolf?”

“Mate,” Gillian choked, spitting out her drink. “Who said anything about mating?”

“You carry his scent. That means you’ve been intimate,” Jax noted.

“Oh my God, do you wolves have no secrets?”

“This is our nature. Besides, a simple review of the facts would tell me you care about him. You saved him from certain death. He reciprocated. You left without him. Now that I don’t quite understand, but and this is a big but, he specifically had Logan call me to tell me everything and to request protection on his behalf. It’s a very unusual circumstance for an Alpha, one in a state hundreds of miles away, to call another Alpha to ask for protection for an individual who is not even in his pack. He is now indebted to me, you realize? Of course, I owed him one, but nonetheless, this is a sacrifice on his part.”

Gillian sat silent. She hadn’t needed him to summarize the past seventy-two hours for her to tell him that she cared about Dimitri. But as she sat quietly, her beast purred at the thought of seeing him again, yearning to have him inside her, his mouth and hands taking whatever he wanted. One night would never be enough.

“Are you listening?” Jax asked.

“Yes, sorry, I just was thinking.”

“Good, I want you to think, because Mirabel lost her ability to shift when she mated with my father. I’ll admit, I don’t know the details. Perhaps she denied her wolf and that is why. But nevertheless, there was a sacrifice. Her tiger died.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Gillian responded, frustrated with her predicament. She missed Dimitri, and despite her otherwise good judgment, she knew she’d end up in his arms again.

“This thing with Chaz…you’re in deep, lil’ sis. What exactly made you think you could travel to Cali, into another wolf’s territory, without notifying him?” He changed the subject.

“It was supposed to be a job. Technically, I’m wolf, I know that. But Jax, I’m a tiger. You haven’t seen me yet…but believe me, Chaz sure as hell did.”

“What did he do to you?” Jax asked softly, knowing that she’d been attacked.

“You don’t want to know,” she said, unconsciously rubbing her shoulder where he’d bitten her.

“We’re family, Gilly. We may have been alone before, but no longer. What did he do?” he continued.

“He wants to mate with me. He tried to mark me,” Gillian admitted. She glanced up to Nick, who left the room, and she swore she heard him growl. “It didn’t take, though. If you know how it works, then you know I’ve got to choose who I mate with. He knew I was tiger but he underestimated my abilities. I shifted, killed his wolves and escaped. But he tracked me down…that’s how he found Dimitri.”

“Ah yes, that part of this story is quite interesting. One minute he can’t shift, the next he overpowers an Alpha.”

“That night on the beach…I healed him.”

“Yes, I do recall Mirabel had that ability as well.”

“It’s not a big deal really. As I told Dimitri, not many shifters actually need help recovering from an injury. But he did…and it worked,” she recalled.

“And the desert? What did they do to you?” Jax pressed.

“Stripped me.” Gillian lowered her eyes. It wasn’t her fault, she knew. Yet she was embarrassed that she’d been caught, tortured. “He was going to beat me…make me submit.”

“Sister, I’m very sorry for your ordeal. Good and evil exists in all beings. I swear to you from now on, you’ll be protected. As always, I have a plan. But first things first….Nick,” Jax called into the open foyer.

The hairs on Gillian’s arms stood up, waiting on the beta. A painful grunt tore into the air, and she sprung to her feet to view the source. Two large men, shackled in the arms of guards, stumbled into the foyer. She recognized them as two of the wolves who’d attacked her in the desert. Her chest pounded, adrenaline flooding her veins.
What are they doing here?

A caustic mixture of fear and hate seized her. The assailant who’d dragged her from her car was tall, with the musculature of a body builder. His eyes locked on hers as he exuded venomous hostility. She could tell he wanted nothing more than to kill her, but despite his huge size, Jax’s wolves easily held him in place. His partner, who was of smaller stature, was badly beaten; a red welt formed around his eye and blood dripped from his lower lip. Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized he was the same person who’d stripped off her clothes.

“You’re safe, Gilly. Breathe,” she heard Jax tell her. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Jax…what’s happening?” Gillian asked, looking at her abductors and back to her brother. “Where did they come from?”

“I picked them up a block from my place. They knew you’d come to me for protection. Probably hoped they could nab you again before you got here.”

“But how would they know I’d come to you? Oh my God, I knew I felt like I was being watched. I think they may have been at my apartment,” she rambled. Unable to control her anger, Gillian’s tiger roared to attack, smelling blood in the air. The desire for vengeance grew strong. Certain she could kill them, Gillian kicked off her shoes, readying to shift.

“No need, sister,” Jax cajoled, stroking her arm gently. “You’re under my protection now.”

“But Jax…they won’t stop. Let me kill them,” she protested.

“The need for revenge is sweet only in the moment. One must consider the big picture. These mongrels are but insignificant links in the pack chain of command. Nick,” Jax called to his beta, nodding for him to come take his place by his sister.

Gillian rooted her bare feet onto the cool tiles. She fisted her hands tightly, fingernails digging into her palms.
Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

Nick obeyed, flanking Gillian. He gave her an understanding smile and reached for her hand. He loosened her balled fist until she allowed him to put his fingers in hers.

“What we must do is address the source…the cause of your difficulties. The root of the problem, if you will.” Jax strode over to the tall, muscular wolf and pinned him with a cold stare. “This man, he attacked you? Was going to allow the Alpha to beat you?”

“Yes. He took me.” She nervously licked her lips, itching to shift. She’d never asked for permission to do so, but it was as if her tiger knew her brother was Alpha, acquiescing to his request to stay human. “He dragged me from the car…by my hands and hair. Held me down.”

“You attacked my sister?” Jax growled at the wolf.

“Fuck, yeah. She killed our wolves…she deserves to die. If my Alpha didn’t want to mate the bitch, I’d kill her now,” he challenged, glaring at him eye to eye.