Dimitri wrapped his strong fingers around her other arm. “Go to your mate, Erin,” he ordered. “Rosa will join you in a minute.”
He didn’t make it a suggestion. Before the words were out of his mouth, he escorted Rosa away from the group of confused and concerned werewolves. His boots crunched over the salt and sand on the cleared asphalt. Everyone’s thoughts crowded in her mind, and then suddenly it was just the sound of Dimitri.
She looked over her shoulder, turning her body so that as he stopped, she almost walked into his steel chest. “They all went back inside.”
“Afraid to be out here alone with me?” he growled.
“Not at all.” She frowned and looked into his dark, penetrating gaze.
Or would you rather be alone with me somewhere else?
He didn’t want her in his head, yet asked her questions with his mind.
It was a trick. Rosa didn’t dare look away from those dark, smoldering eyes. His hard edge softened a bit. The muscles around his mouth relaxed. Finally he blew out a sigh and turned his attention to the restaurant.
“Would you want to be with someone who could second-guess your every action?”
She studied his profile, which made her insides pulse harder. “I’m not sure.”
He didn’t look down at her. “You’re not sure.”
“No. I mean, I would need to know more about the werewolf. That trait alone isn’t enough information.”
“I think it is.” He stared down at her, looking so dangerous that another werewolf or bitch might run or turn tail and not want anything to do with him. “What if every thought you had, every decision you made, was acted upon before you announced it?”
He might be trying to intimidate her by tightening his muscles and glaring at her like he would pounce and attack at a moment’s notice. Rosa wasn’t daunted.
“If I cared about that werewolf, it wouldn’t bother me if he knew my mind.” She understood where he was going with this. He tried turning the tables, asking her how she would like it if he climbed into her head. She dared place her hand over the hard, steady beat of his heart. “If a werewolf wanted me enough to take the time to know my thoughts, I would be flattered.”
Dimitri growled and grabbed her wrist, squeezing hard enough that bones pressed against each other. She wouldn’t flinch from the pain.
“Silly bitch,” he hissed. “Any male in our pack, in all the packs in these fucking mountains, would kill for the opportunity to have you at his side.”
It hurt to yank her wrist from him, but she did it anyway. And she didn’t try hiding the spiciness of her anger.
“Apparently not any werewolf,” she whispered harshly and then turned from him and marched back to the restaurant.
As proof that everyone inside watched and waited, Erin darted out of the restaurant before Rosa reached the door. She looked past Rosa at her littermate, and then at Rosa.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Just peachy.” She turned on a dime, wishing she could talk to her cousins but knowing now that it would have to wait. Energy ran too high in the males of her pack at the moment. Discussing this further in American werewolf territory would be idiotic. “I’m heading back to my den. I’ll call you later.”
Erin nodded, again glancing past her where Dimitri still stood. Let him face the wrath of his pack. She would more than likely hear from each of them later. Right now she just wanted time to regroup and get her insides under control. It sucked being so angry at a male and craving him to fill the void that pulsed inside her all at the same time.
She yanked her car door open with her mind before she reached it. She better be careful or her gift, the very thing that Dimitri obviously despised about her, would take over and get her in trouble.
Nonetheless before she could climb in, her car roared to life and almost kicked into gear and jumped forward.
“You aren’t fit to drive.” Dante was by her side before she even smelled him approaching.
“I’m fine,” she lied.
Dante growled, taking her arm and pulling her from her car.
She did smell Dimitri approach and looked up at him, fighting the burning sensation that suddenly attacked her eyes.
“Take your paws off her,” Dimitri hissed through clenched teeth.
Rosa noticed the American pack leader, and the others, watching from over by the restaurant. This was going to get bad—real bad. It was no secret that Dimitri and Dante thought very little of each other. Well that was putting it mildly. Each werewolf would love the opportunity to kick the crap out of the other.
Wouldn’t it just be lovely if she gave them cause to?
“I’ll take care of matters in my own den. You go handle pack matters, if you can do that without fucking it up.”
Dimitri moved so fast, without giving his actions any thought beforehand. Rosa couldn’t predict from his thoughts what he would do before he did it. He raised his fist and sent Dante tumbling backward with a quick, sharp blow to the side of his face.
A female screamed—probably Moira.
“You motherfucking son of a bitch,” Dante spit out.
Again actions happened without thought. Rosa hardly had time to register the fact that Dimitri had punched Dante in the face—hard—when Dante sent Dimitri sailing backward across the parking lot.
Ollie and Nicolo both jumped in between the two males. Rosa raced across the parking lot, reaching for Dimitri and willing him forward so that he wouldn’t fall on his ass. The look on Dimitri’s face was enough to tell her that he must feel like he was being thrown around like a rag doll. First knocked backward, then yanked forward by her.
She reached Dimitri, releasing her hold on him the moment she knew he could stand on his own.
“Don’t you ever use the gift in public, outside our territory, again,” Dimitri told Dante with surprising control in his tone. When he pointed at Dante, his hand didn’t shake. In fact, his entire body seemed poised and hard as steel. “That is, unless you don’t want to have a pack.”
Dante’s eyes glowed silver. His hair blew wildly around him and he looked like he would leap and attack in the next moment.
“Rosa, get over here now,” he ordered with a harsh coolness that about chilled her blood.
“No. Go to your den, Dante.” She stood in front of Dimitri and didn’t move when he walked around to stand in front of her.
Dante raised one eyebrow, not taking his attention from her. “A moment ago you wanted to talk to me.”
“That was a moment ago. I don’t want to talk to you now,” she growled, feeling her teeth grow in spite of her efforts to remain calm and keep her wits about her.
“He’s not worth it, Rosa.”
“That’s my choice.”
“He despises what you are,” Dante told her, pressing hard against the open wound Dimitri left on her soul. “You possess the gift that makes Malta werewolves so much better than any breed on this planet.” He spoke quietly, stepping forward just as silently, like a dangerous predator moving with calm confidence before he attacked. “That very blood that flows through your veins turns his stomach.”
“Enough,” Dimitri ordered. “Don’t speak my mind for me, male. Your pack leader is ordering you to your den. Disobey me and you look for a new pack.”
“Don’t,” Rosa pleaded, hurrying around Dimitri and putting her hand on his chest. “Please. Not over me.”
“It’s more the truth to say you would break up our den over the likes of him,” Dante told her and turned and reached for his mate, then headed to their car.
Chapter Six
His muscles ached, the change dying to leap to life inside him. Dimitri stood still, dragging the cold air deep into his lungs. He watched Dante and Juan leave with their mates. That bastard would push his last nerve one of these days. Regardless of how strong the gift pumped through Dante, Dimitri would tear the werewolf’s throat out.
Rosa’s pained look when he hit Dante brought him pause tho
ugh. And then the words Dante spoke to her. Telling her that Dimitri despised the very blood that ran through her annoyed him worse than some of the out-of-line comments the asshole had made in the past.
And it wasn’t true.
“Good job handling the matter,” Ollie Grayson told him, walking up with Nicolo behind the American pack leader.
Dimitri knew Ollie liked Dante and spoke out of professional courtesy only.
“I apologize on behalf of my packmates for the outburst in your territory.”
Ollie nodded his head once and then looked like he might say something about Rosa. Instead, he crossed his arms, giving Dimitri his full attention. The werewolf didn’t smell angry—in fact, if Dimitri were to guess, he probably didn’t give a rat’s ass that Dante and Dimitri almost went at it in his parking lot. The pack leader had other things on his mind.
“What is this I hear about you visiting Werewolf Affairs?” Ollie wanted the details, as would any pack leader if his neighboring pack were in contact with the government.
“I wouldn’t get your tail bent over any surprise inspections.” Dimitri didn’t feel like sharing the details of how those pompous assholes practically chased him out of their office. “I just dropped off some paperwork.”
“Mind if I ask what for?”
Yeah. He did mind.
Nicolo shifted from one foot to the next, casually moving closer. Probably because he felt he might have to jump in and save his younger littermate. Dimitri didn’t feel like dealing with that either.
“Just turning our pack into a town,” he said nonchalantly, then ignored Ollie when he would have pressed with more questions. Dimitri turned his attention to Rosa, who seemed overly concerned with the ground. “I’ll follow you to your den.”
She looked up, her large brown eyes moist and glowing, as if she fought tears. If she did, something told him it was because so many emotions swarmed inside her and she didn’t want all of them smelling her. If that were the case, she succeeded. Rosa nodded her head once. She walked over to her car and then pulled her door open, this time using her hand.
Dimitri followed Rosa to her den, but didn’t go inside. His cell phone rang as he stopped his truck in front of her place.
“It’s Juan Anthony.” Nicolo handed the cell over after glancing at the small screen.
“Yes,” Dimitri answered, staring out his windshield when Rosa parked her car in her drive and then got out.
The cold breeze caught her hair and she wrapped her fingers around it at the base of her neck and stared at him.
“How is Rosa doing? She won’t answer her cell.” Juan seriously sounded concerned.
“She just arrived at her den, and she’s fine.”
Juan sighed. “My mate reminded me of a similar situation like what happened outside the Eat and Greet. She brought up the time you beat the crap out of me when I wouldn’t leave Erin alone.”
Dimitri flashed back to that time, almost a year ago, and how desperately he fought to keep his youngest littermate, his only sister left, from becoming part of Juan’s den. It was a fight he lost. Erin sniffed after Juan until she snagged him. Nothing stopped the little bitch, no matter how hard he fought to talk sense into her.
“I’m not chasing after your cousin,” Dimitri told him honestly, watching Rosa endure the cold as she continued watching him.
“And I didn’t chase after Erin.”
Dimitri heard Erin squeal in the background and then say something in a low, cool tone that Dimitri couldn’t pick up over the phone.
“Your point is made. I’m sure if you call Rosa, she will answer.” He told Juan he would talk to him later and hung up the phone, then got out without saying anything to Nicolo. “It’s cold out here. Head inside and answer your phone when your den calls to check in on you.”
She looked surprised but then glanced at his cell phone in his hand. “Who were you talking to?”
“Juan. He reminded me of the time I kicked his ass and about killed him when I found him with Erin.”
She chewed her lip, probably to hide a grin, although he smelled her amusement. “I’ve heard that story a couple times.”
“I’m sure.”
“None of them should fight for me. I’m not their littermate.”
“That doesn’t mean they don’t care.” He wouldn’t tell her that Dante didn’t fight over just anyone. He wasn’t in the mood to say anything nice about the werewolf.
“I went into Valle today to talk to Dante and Juan.” She paused, searching his face but then glancing past him at his running truck. Her expression wasn’t the same as it usually was. Her scent distracted him, her lust and the smell of lavender a damn appealing combination. But her face almost looked strained. “When I was fifteen, Dante taught me how to use the gift. I have plenty of memories of being a cub without knowledge of the gift or what it could do.”
“Why did you want to talk to them?”
“Because you told me to figure out a way to not hear your thoughts.” She shook her head and then brushed a thick strand of hair over her shoulder. “I’m trying, Dimitri. God. I swear I’m trying. But it’s like trying to remember not to breathe or blink. I went into Valle to ask them if they could help me to quit using the gift.”
“What?” He simply stared at her, not sure if he heard right.
She didn’t smell insane, but maybe something that happened to her before she arrived in the mountains pushed her over the edge and it wasn’t obvious.
Rosa moved closer, looking up at him and placing her hands flat against his chest. “You need me, wolf man. And I want you. If you can’t take me the way I am, I’ll do what I can to get the gift out of me.”
He gripped her wrists, obviously needing to shake some sense into her. “Like hell you will. No one possesses the gift and then wants to get rid of it. Keep talking like that and I’ll tell your mother to give you a full physical.”
She relaxed her arms and he held her hands between them. Her wrists were so slender, her skin so soft. The gift was the only protection this female had. And as good as she smelled, as incredibly fucking hot as she was, Rosa needed protection. He wouldn’t always be able to be there to watch her.
“Possessing the gift is nothing if it keeps me from having what I really want.”
“Why do you want me so much, Rosa?” That was one thing he seriously didn’t get. “I’m a real asshole. Ask anyone.”
When she smiled, his heart about melted. Heat sank inside him, hardening his cock. The pain from it stretching inside his jeans made it damned hard to concentrate on anything other then figuring out a way to be inside her again—and soon.
“If you were an asshole, you would fuck me and then mock me for wanting more of you. Is that what you’re doing, Dimitri?”
“There’s nothing about you to mock. But that doesn’t prove I’m a good male. Who I am can’t be changed. And for now, making the world around us see that Malta werewolves are a powerful and honorable breed will take someone who can handle it rough, take it hard and not be crushed by the cruel blows we will inevitably face.”
Her soft, almost tan eyes smoldered with enough heat to warm the space between them. She pushed against him, pressing their hands between their bodies, and gazed up at him with more affection than any bitch had ever shown him. It damned near made him dizzy.
“You’re right,” she whispered. “You’re a perfect pack leader. I have no doubts. But you are hard, ruthless and capable of taking nasty blows because you care. Just as you care and want me. I’m sorry Dimitri, but you aren’t an asshole.”
God help him. He was going to kiss the bitch. He shouldn’t. The last thing she needed was encouragement. As he lowered his head, brushed his dry, cold lips over her moist, warm mouth, he searched for the words, for a way somehow to convince her that she didn’t see him as he truly was.
Dimitri didn’t want to hurt her. Hell. Right now he wanted to make her feel real damned good. But it wasn’t fair to Rosa for her to stare blindl
y at him. He was truly clueless why she wanted him so badly. Although more than once in his life, a bitch had told him he looked good, that sex appeal disappeared after the tragedy in Malta. Everything that was loving and caring vanished the day his pack, his den, his sire and mother burned to their death.
Somehow Rosa freed her hands from his and wrapped them around his neck. She pulled his head down closer, deepening the kiss. Her body pressed against his, stretching and relaxing so that he felt every inch of her. He gripped her ass, lifting her slightly and allowing her to feel how hard he was. She groaned into his mouth, letting him know without words that even through their clothes, she wanted what he had to offer.
Dimitri broke off the kiss but was unable to let her go. Resting his chin on top of her head, he opened his eyes and stared at her tidy den behind her. It was a den filled with love, tended to by a bitch with more compassion and decency than he deserved.
Letting go of her, he turned slightly and glanced at his truck. Nicolo spoke on his cell phone and glanced his direction when Dimitri looked at him. Son of a bitch. He swore he saw understanding in his older littermate’s face. It was as if Nicolo knew how painful it was having his insides turned upside down with need for a bitch who, if he were smart, he would chase away.
Sometimes he wondered how smart he actually was.
Dimitri poured coffee the next morning and then blew on it, watching as his breath formed a cloud over the coffee mug. There wasn’t time to mess with building a fire, not if he were going to head down to the WA office. It was a task he wasn’t looking forward to but that couldn’t be delayed. He told them yesterday that he would be in first thing today. Not showing up would discredit him further in their eyes.
And that was the first thing on his list to take care of. Those werewolves down at that office would learn to respect him. It was the only way they would acknowledge the strength of Malta werewolves. He was the example for all of them.
Gulping down half his cup, he then refilled it and headed in to grab his coat and start the truck to warm it up. It would be a hell of a lot easier to get to the bureaucratic office if he simply let the change rip through him and headed across the mountain in his fur. Maybe if werewolves spent a bit more time running in their fur and living the way they were meant to be instead of demanding forms be completed in triplicate, then Dimitri wouldn’t have to go face the stench of too many suppressed emotions this morning. And all so that his pack could have decent roads and a store or two to call their own.
'Til Death Page 7