“I’ve dreamed of this for so long, Kate-mine,” he whispered in her ear. “To give you pleasure and to make you my mate. You will be truly mine.”
Kate felt like someone doused her with a bucket of cold water. She took her hands out of his trunks and pushed him away. “Petros, you know this is just sex, right?”
“You are—what?”
She swallowed audibly. “I mean, this. We’re two horny adults. It doesn’t have to mean anything.” No, she couldn’t be anyone’s. She vowed to herself that she would never belong to someone who would control her ever again.
“You think this is just about sex?” he said, stepping away from her.
He was angry again. She could feel it radiating off him in waves. Well, she was furious, too. She hopped off the counter and pushed at him. “What you want from me, Petros, I can’t give.” She just couldn’t. Not again.
“Why do you deny yourself?” he asked.
“I thought that was what this was about? To stop denying ourselves?” He was making this so difficult! “Why the hell did you jump in the water anyway?”
“To save you! I thought you were drowning!”
“Well, you should have let me die then!”
Petros’ eyes glowed with a dangerous light. The power, anger, and loathing that radiated from him made Kate stagger back. He let out a pained roar, turned on his heel, and walked out the door. The sound of the door slamming made Kate grab the counter in fright.
She stood there, feeling the adrenaline leave her system, shock taking its place. What the hell just happened? She thought they were having fun. Clearly, he had misunderstood her intentions.
“That asshole!” She brought down a fist on the counter. He was the one sending mixed signals. Ignoring her and then letting that skank Agatha rub her tits all over him the whole week. Then jumping in to “save” her like he was some hero. He kissed her first!
“Kate? What are you … oh my God!” Amelia exclaimed, taking a deep breath. “Did you have sex in here?”
“No!” she denied. “I mean ….” She bit her lip.
“What’s going on?” Sybil said, coming up from behind Amelia.
“Apparently, Kate did not have sex on my parents’ kitchen counter,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes.
“You had sex with Petros?” Sybil asked, confused.
“What? I said I didn’t!” Kate protested. “Well, almost, but … ugh!” She walked over to the fridge and grabbed the bottle of wine chilling on the shelf. “Can we just get on with our girls’ weekend please?” She unscrewed the top and took a healthy swig. It was going to take a hell of a lot of alcohol to get her drunk, and even more to make her forget about Petros, but it was a good thing she was prepared.
Chapter Seven
“Fun weekend?” Christina asked as Kate entered her office.
Kate plopped down on the chair in front of the other woman’s desk and lowered her dark glasses down to the bridge of her nose. “Yeah, it was. But don’t worry; this hangover’ll be gone in an hour or two.”
“How much did you have to drink?” Christina asked.
“Not enough.” Kate pulled the glasses over her eyes again. “So, that’s one dirty move you pulled.”
“Excuse me?”
“Having your fun little team building exercise the same weekend I’m having my girls’ night with my best friends?” she accused. Ouch. Even the sound of her own voice made her head throb. She probably shouldn’t have had that tequila this morning, but she vowed to drink every last bottle of liquor they had brought for the trip, and she was no quitter.
Christina stood up and walked over to her side of the table. “Kate,” she said as she sat down on the chair opposite from her, “Did something happen between you and Petros?”
“Ha! I wish something did! Then at least I’d have gotten a good screwing out of this mess. God, I hate men!” She shot to her feet. “Tell me, are all guys from Lykos stubborn, confusing, and infuriating assholes?”
Christina’s brows furrowed together. “Why don’t we talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” Kate whipped the glasses off her face. “How that stupid man kept going on and on about being mates, and then he ignores me for a week? How he says I’m his mate, and we’re going to be together, and then lets that bitch sniff around him? Or how he saves me when I’m pretending to be drowning and—”
“Hold on!” Christina raised a hand. “You what?”
“I was playing this trick I did with Sybil and Amelia when we were at this God-awful camp one summer,” Kate explained. “I went into the water and started flailing my arms, pretending I was drowning. They were supposed to jump in—”
“No!” Christina gripped Kate’s arms. “You didn’t!”
“I did.”
“Gamisou!” Christina’s face faltered. “Sit down, Kate.”
“I don’t—”
“Sit. Down.”
Christina’s face had gone completely serious, and Kate didn’t have a choice but to plant her butt on the seat. For a human, Christina sure was scary. “Okay,” she said. “Now what?”
“Has Petros ever talked about his past? What happened when he was a child?”
Kate shook her head.
“Or about any recent events?”
“No.”
Christina paced back and forth. “I swear, I’m going to lock you two in a room until you sort this out! No wonder Petros has been on a tear since Saturday!”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Kate asked.
With a long sigh, Christina sat down. “This isn’t some big secret, so I’ll tell you. Petros wasn’t one of us. I mean, he wasn’t born on Lykos.”
“He wasn’t?”
“No. Petros washed up on one of the beaches on the island when he was a young boy, maybe four or five. An old fisherman and his wife found him. They thought he was dead, but they were able to revive him.”
Kate gasped. “What happened to him?”
“We don’t know exactly,” Christina said. “But a few days later, they found two more bodies. A man and a woman. His parents, most likely. Petros was too young to remember anything, but we think they were trying to seek sanctuary in Lykos. There was a storm, and their boat must have capsized.”
“Oh no.” Dread filled her as she thought of Petros as a young boy in a boat with his parents. How scared he must have been. And his poor parents ….
“We took him in, of course. He was a wolf, after all. The fisherman and his wife raised him,” Christina explained.
“His biological parents … drowned?”
“Yes,” Christina said.
Oh. My. God. Then she realized something. “I’m the asshole,” Kate exclaimed and covered her hands with her face. Petros saw her drowning and probably relived the trauma of losing his mother and father.
“That’s not all,” Christina said.
“There’s more?”
She nodded. “A few months ago, there was a mission in Cyprus. The Agency traced sources of bloodsbane being manufactured somewhere on an island off the coast. Petros went in with his team, but they were expecting them. Looking back now, they were probably part of The Organization. His team was ambushed.”
Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. “Did they make it out?”
“Most of them did,” Christina said. “Except for one. Milos, his best friend growing up. They were making their escape on a boat, but Milos was shot and tumbled overboard.”
“Oh no.” Kate really felt like dirt now. No wait. Was there something lower than dirt?
Christina gave her a weak smile. “You didn’t know. But that doesn’t excuse all this bad behavior. From either of you,” she clarified. “You guys need to talk. I know I’ve been a bit pushy, but you know … Petros, he’s a great guy. He’s saved my ass a couple of times in the field. You couldn’t ask for a better mate.”
“I …” She wasn’t sure about the mate part, but Kate knew when she was in the wrong. “I’ll apologize right away.�
�� She stood up.
“Umm, give him some time, okay?” Christina said. “And if he doesn’t accept your apology, don’t give up easily. You guys are mates; it’ll all work out.”
The words made her chest constrict, but she found every ounce of confidence she had, balled it together, and held onto it. “Thank you, Christina.”
“I have faith in you.”
Kate nodded. She needed every bit of help she could.
Kate went straight to her cubicle, trying not to look over at Petros’ office as she walked by. He probably wouldn’t even glance her way, anyway. As she sat down and opened her laptop, she tried to work but couldn’t concentrate. For one thing, her wolf was furious at her, scratching and growling at her. How could she hurt their mate like that?
I don’t know. I’m just a great big jerk, I guess.
She wanted to wait and figure out what to do, but she couldn’t sit still and just do nothing. The image of Petros as a kid, losing his parents and then later his best friend, kept popping up in her mind. The urge to make things right was much too strong, and she got up and marched over to his office. Her heart hammered, but she kept on until she reached the door. She saw Petros inside through the glass and didn’t bother to knock as she opened the door.
“Petros, I—”
But he wasn’t alone. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck! Of course she had to be here. Agatha turned her head toward her with an eyebrow raised.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” he asked, irritation in his voice.
Agatha said nothing, but her red-painted lips curled into a smile.
“I—I need to talk to you.”
“Then speak,” he said. He was looking at her, but at the same time, he wasn’t. It was like she wasn’t there, and his gaze was passing through her.
“In private.”
“You can say what you need to now or wait and make an appointment.”
“I just …” Just say it! “I’ll wait. Later.”
Dejected, she turned around with her head hung low as she walked back to her cubicle. She swore she felt Agatha’s sneer, even with her back turned. Someday, she was going to get back at that bitch, but for now, she had to figure out how to make Petros listen to her, if not forgive her.
She bided her time, waiting until six p.m. when most of the staff were shutting down their computers and getting ready to leave. Petros was also packing up, and she quickly ran out of the office. Skipping the elevator, she went to the staircase, taking the steps two at a time so she could get to the parking lot faster. She spied Petros’ truck where he usually parked it, strode over, and waited.
She didn’t have to wait too long as she immediately saw him as he exited the glass doors of Lennox Corp. He seemed distracted and didn’t notice her until he was a few feet away.
Blue-green eyes turned to steel. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d wait for later.”
“For what?”
“So we can talk.”
“About what?”
Stubborn wolf! “I wanted to say sorry. For … everything.”
He didn’t move a muscle, but she saw a tick in his jaw. “You’ll need to be more specific than that.”
“I—”
“Petros! Petros!” came the breathy voice from behind. “Sorry, I did have my keys in my purse.” Agatha’s gaze turned to Kate, her eyes sharp and cold. “What is she doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” She clenched her fists at her side. The growl was in her throat, but she swallowed it. No, she told her wolf. Don’t give her the satisfaction. “Are you headed somewhere?”
“There’s this new bar in town, Argo’s,” she said. “We’re headed there for a drink.”
“All of us,” Petros added, waving to a group of agents who were walking in the parking lot. “Agatha is riding with me, so we all don’t have to drive.”
“We just had so much fun over the weekend and wanted to hang out again. We would have invited you,” Agatha said in a sickly sweet voice, “but we didn’t want you to feel left out since you’re not one of us.”
Petros shot Agatha a warning look. “It’s not—”
“It’s fine,” Kate said, pasting a smile on her face. “I heard about that new place. It’s some big corporate chain, right? I don’t know; I think The Den is still way cooler.”
“Maybe it’s time Blackstone had some competition,” Agatha said. “Something shiny and new.”
“Well, people might be dazzled by shiny new things, but there’s nothing like a classic.” She bit her tongue. “Have a nice night.”
Kate pivoted on her heel, not bothering to wait for another cutting remark from that skank. She’d been humiliated enough, after all, and she knew when it was time to back down.
Petros didn’t want her apology. No, wait; he didn’t want her. And it was all her own damn fault.
Chapter Eight
Kate wanted to drown her sorrows, and she knew the perfect place to do it.
As Rosie put the chocolate peanut butter pie with extra-extra whipped cream on the table, the fox shifter asked, “Did you need some plates?”
She looked up at Rosie glumly. “Just a fork will do.”
Rosie shrugged and placed a fork on the table, gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, then walked away.
Kate stabbed the pie with her fork and shoved a big piece in her mouth. The chocolate and peanut butter concoction was amazing, and she felt somewhat satisfied. She was halfway done with the pie when someone slipped into the seat in front of her.
“What’s wrong now?” Sybil asked. “You said you were fine when we dropped you off last night.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Kate said as she swallowed another forkful of pie. She licked the steel clean, dug it into the tin, and offered Sybil a bite. “Want some?”
The dragon shifter grimaced. “No, that’s unsanitary.”
“We drank from the same six bottles of vodka over the weekend, and this is unsanitary?” Kate said. “Well, more for me then.”
Sybil reached over and gripped her wrists, making Kate drop the fork. “Who are you and what have you done to my best friend?”
“Excuse me? What are you doing here, anyway?”
Sybil released her. “Rosie called me,” she said and cocked her head toward the fox shifter. Rosie looked back at them and flashed them a knowing smile. “She said you weren’t looking like yourself, and I needed to come down and rescue you.”
Kate stared down at the half-eaten dish. “From her pies?”
“From yourself!” Sybil said in an exasperated voice. “Now, tell me what happened.”
Kate took a long, deep breath, then told Sybil what had transpired that day. “… And now he won’t even look at me. I’m just … I think I’ve really done it this time, Sybil. I don’t know if he’ll forgive me.”
“Kate,” Sybil began. “What you did was pretty bad, but it’s not unforgivable. You didn’t know what happened to him when he was a kid.”
“Then why is he so mad at me?”
“Have you considered it’s not just that one incident? Sure, Petros hasn’t exactly been a gentleman, and he can be stubborn. But all he wants is you. He doesn’t care about who you are or what happened to you before.”
“It’s the mating bond,” Kate pointed out.
“And so what if it is?” Sybil countered. “It just means fate or whatever or whoever out there in the universe thinks you guys are perfect for each other. Why are you fighting it? Is it because of that jerk, Tommy? It’s been years, Kate; are you still going to let him have control over you after all this time?”
The words made her freeze.
Oh God.
Sybil was right. All this time she thought she was free of Tommy, but she was avoiding relationships because of him. Somehow, even though he was gone from her life, he was still controlling her. Her aversion to Petros calling her “mine” was a reflex on her part, but her wolf knew he wasn’t like Tommy.
“He won't even talk to me. This is it. I’ve made a mess of things, and there’s no way I can fix it.”
Sybil brought her palms down on the table, sending the pie tin clattering across the surface. “Stop thinking like that!”
The smoke curling out of Sybil’s nose made Kate nearly jump out of her seat. “Sybil?”
“You’re Kate motherfucking Caldwell! You’re going to make him listen.” She stood up, pushing the chair behind her a few feet and sending it crashing to the wall. “Oops! Sorry, Rosie!” She gave the proprietress a sheepish smile. “I’ll pay for that.” Sybil turned back to Kate. “C’mon.”
“Wait, where are we going?”
Sybil was already tugging Kate toward the door. “We’re going to Argo’s!”
“You’re coming with me?” Kate asked.
“Of course,” Sybil said. “If that skanky-ass ho comes near you, she’s going to learn what dragon fire tastes like. I’m your ride-or-die-chick, don’t you know?”
Kate laughed until tears sprang in her eyes. “I love you, Sybil.”
“And I love you, you crazy chick! Now, let’s go.”
Argo’s was located in South Blackstone, a newer part of town that Lennox Corp. was developing to attract a younger demographic to live and work in the town. It was all industrial and modern, and several condos, as well as bars, shops, and restaurants had popped up over the last couple of years. Nathan’s loft was actually not far from where they were.
“What the fuck is this place?” Kate exclaimed as they entered the door.
“Are we supposed to be in space or something?” Sybil asked.
Argo’s had that ultra-cool industrial look inside, with sleek glass decor, black metal countertops, and stainless steel furniture. The waitresses were dressed in super tight silver dresses and carried trays of fancy cocktails. Some kind of modern “song” that sounded like an out of tune harpsichord and a timpani had a mutant child was playing over the speaker.
“Ugh. I can’t believe they let this place open in Blackstone,” Sybil said.
The Blackstone She-Wolf: Blackstone Mountain 6 Page 7