by Kym Grosso
DIMITRI
Immortals of New Orleans, Book 6
By
Kym Grosso
Copyright © 2014 by Kym Grosso
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
MT Carvin Publishing
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Edited by Julie Roberts
Formatting by Polgarus Studio
Cover design by Cora Graphics
DISCLAIMER
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, locations and events portrayed in this book are a work of fiction or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events, locales, or real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
NOTICE
This is an adult erotic paranormal romance book with love scenes and mature situations. It is only intended for adult readers over the age of 18.
Acknowledgments
While the characters speak to me and I tell their stories, my books aren’t released without the assistance of so many wonderful people. I’m very grateful to everyone who helped me with my book:
~My husband, Keith, for encouraging me to write and supporting me in everything I do. Thank you for managing my business so that I can concentrate on writing. I love that we can laugh and learn on our journey. I look forward to reading you more naughty passages from my books and getting your feedback. You are the most amazing husband and father, and not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for your support.
~Julie Roberts, editor, who spent hours reading, editing and proofreading Dimitri. You’ve done so much to help and encourage me over the past two years. As with every book, I could not have done this without you!
~My pre-beta readers, Rochelle and Maria, who help give me such important feedback and insight during the editing process. You both are awesome!
~My dedicated beta readers, Brandy, Denise, Elena, Elle, Gayle, Jerri, Jessica, Julie, Karen, Lacy, Leah, Rose, Sharon, Stephanie, and Tanner, for beta reading. I really appreciate all the valuable feedback you provide.
~Cora Graphics, cover artist, for designing Dimitri’s sexy cover.
~Stuart Reardon, cover model, for the amazing image on Dimitri’s cover.
~ Love N. Books, for image acquisition.
~Polgarus Studio, Jason, for formatting Dimitri. You do terrific work, presenting my books so they look their best digitally and in print.
~Gayle, my admin, who is one of my biggest supporters and helps to run my street team. I’m so thankful for all of your help!
~My awesome street team, for helping spread the word about the Immortals of New Orleans series. I appreciate your support more than you could know! You guys are the best. You rock!
Chapter One
Dimitri yanked on the restraints, his wrists firmly secured above his head. The sweet scent of a woman danced through his mind and he swore he felt the warmth of a smooth hand on his thigh. A moan alerted him to the fact that he wasn’t alone, and his cock hardened in response. If it weren’t for the caustic pain tearing through his muscles, he’d have thought he was having a wet dream. But as he attempted to open his eyes, memories of his last thoughts slammed into him.
Teeth. Claws. Blood. Submission. As his chest heaved for breath, his hands curled into the bed and saliva dripped from his mouth as he recalled being attacked on the beach. A pack of feral wolves had torn into him. Helplessly, he’d fought them, unable to shift. At some point the slashing agony of the attack had ceased; the smooth sound of a woman’s voice curled around him in comfort as he surrendered to unconsciousness.
“Shh…you’re okay. Stay still.”
Not his Alpha’s command, yet Dimitri’s mind quieted. His dried, cracked lips parted. But before he had a chance to utter a word, the seal between where her skin met his began to heat. His eyes flew open and rolled back into his head as tendrils of healing seeped into his skin. Instinctively, he thrashed against the bindings. His hands fisted the leather, and he shook the bed’s metal frame until it rattled uncontrollably. As the tingling spread throughout his body, overwhelming relief from the pain swept through him and he gasped. By the time it was over, tears ran down his face. Not only had the crushing misery disappeared; for the first time in weeks, his wolf howled in celebration.
“My wolf,” he cried. “You healed me? How? What are you?”
“You should be okay once you shift…for a few days, anyway,” the female responded breathlessly, her lips accidentally brushing his chest. “Can’t promise you any longer. You need to see a witch. A shaman may be able to help.”
“But how did you know? My wolf…” Dimitri’s words trailed off as his vision slowly came into focus. He glanced down to the silky raven hair that brushed over his abdomen.
“Your wolf…he recovers.”
“Jesus Christ, the pack. They tried to kill me. How did I get here?”
“You’ve got an awful lot of questions for an almost dead man,” she responded.
“What can I say? Near death does that to a guy. Last thing I remember, those dogs were takin’ a bite outta my neck. As much as I wish I had nine lives, I ain’t no cat, if you noticed.”
“Oh I noticed.” She laughed, concealing her face. “Seems to me, you should be doing a little more thanking and a little less asking.”
“Now don’t take it the wrong way, cher. It’s not that I don’t appreciate ya healin’ me with whatever voodoo you do, but you’ve gotta see this from my perspective.” He gave a small chuckle as his wrists tugged the straps taut. He glanced at his makeshift handcuffs, noticing she’d used belts to restrain him. “So ya want to tell me why I’m tied to the bed? Believe me, I’m down with the kink as much as the next wolf. But call me crazy, this doesn’t really seem on the up and up.”
“Sorry, lover boy, but I did it for my own safety. You were a bit wild when I brought you here. You know what they say when a dog gets hit by a car…it can bite out of fear and pain.”
“Hey now, no need for name calling. There’s no dog here. You got yourself a wolf, darlin’.”
“I know what you are. Doesn’t matter. I take my life pretty seriously. I admit I’m not in the business of tying up men, but I can assure you that I trussed you up for self-preservation purposes only.”
Dimitri felt the lilt of her smile curl against his skin and silently cursed as his dick twitched in response. He laughed inwardly at his predicament, as he jerked at his bindings. Sure, he was tied up good. On the up side, he’d survived the attack and had woken up with a beautiful woman next to him. Not the optimal situation, but it could be worse. He was alive and damn, if it didn’t turn him on to feel the top of her thigh brush against his own. ‘Bondage anytime anywhere’ just might become his new motto. He knew it was wrong to be thinking about sex, given the seriousness of the situation, but hey, when in Rome…
“You never did explain how a lil’ bit of a thing like yourself took out a wolf pack.” Dimitri left the statement open, hoping for an explanation. As much as he wanted to demand answers, he was tired and enjoyed the warmth of her next to him. He was horny, no doubt. But moreover, he needed comfort.
“No I didn’t,” she hedged.
“Seriously, I need to know. Why rescue me? How did we get in this shitty hotel room?”
“I’m a healer.” Gillian pushed upward, releasing herself from
the warm embrace she’d provided to Dimitri. She sat on the edge of the bed, her face toward the door and looked to her palms. “I usually use just my hands.”
Dimitri resisted the urge to beg his savior to come back to bed. As the covers fell away, he caught sight of her white cami, which had ridden up, exposing a small tattoo written in Chinese. Before he had a chance to read it, she tugged down the fabric, concealing the ink. Her black thong trailed down into the cleft of her perfect heart-shaped ass.
He closed his eyes for a split second, knowing full well he shouldn’t try to flirt with the sexy stranger who’d rescued him. But his wolf, seeking mischief, howled in amusement. Curiosity got the best of him. He lifted his head, straining to see her face, which was hidden beneath a stream of silky hair. A small growl of frustration escaped his lips. He wished he could touch her, but fuck it all, his hands were bound.
“Listen, cher. I’m feeling better now. Promise I won’t bite. How’s about you loosen up these belts?” he suggested, eyeing his bindings.
Her pink lips parted in a devious grin as she climbed up him, straddling his torso. It was then that he finally caught sight of the gorgeous female holding him hostage.
“Tell me how you did it. How’d you save my ass from that pack?” he asked, distracted by her scent. One of her hands pressed firmly next to his face, and he instinctively turned his nose toward her skin and sniffed. Underneath the clean cucumber smell of the soap, he detected the presence of shifter blood. “Are you a wolf?”
“No,” she responded as she checked to make sure his hands were still well secured to the bed and that the strap wasn’t cutting off his circulation. She leaned over and unbuckled his ankles. Still bound, he wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m just the person who healed you. Nothing special about me.”
“Excuse my French, but I call bullshit. You’ve got to be something special. No man or woman interferes with a pack attack and walks away unscathed.” Dimitri sensed her distrust. Despite the untruth that slipped from her lips, she wasn’t successful at looking him in the eye while she said it.
“Let’s just say I’ve got a few tricks in my bag. I got lucky and managed to get you away from those assholes. All you need to know is that I’m a healer and that it worked.”
As she attempted to retreat, Dimitri rattled the bedframe, attempting to free himself. “Why? Please. I need to know why you saved me. Why you’re half naked in bed with me. Don’t get me wrong, what you did…you look…” Beautiful. “Nice.” Real smooth D, he thought to himself.
Gillian focused in on his rugged masculine face. His deep brown eyes met her own. “I use my hands to heal. Your injuries…you almost didn’t make it,” she sighed. “I don’t heal people very often.”
“But you did a helluva job here.” He glanced to his torso as she moved to peel a large bloodied bandage off his neck. Her fingers trailed over the newly scarred skin.
“Don’t take this the wrong way.” She gave him a broad smile and lifted herself off him. “As cute as you are, I don’t jump into bed with strangers. Well, maybe I did for you, but that doesn’t include sex. It was just necessary to heal you. I had to use all of me. Skin to skin.”
Skin to skin, huh? Dimitri laughed as he watched her leap off the bed. Oh yeah, he could think of quite a few things he’d like to do with this little minx, skin to skin. He bit his tongue as she continued.
“I’ve only done it one other time. All you need to know is that on the beach I healed you enough to stop the bleeding. Then, I paid a few guys to help me move you here. You know, a no questions asked kind of thing,” she explained, and began to rummage through her canvas backpack.
“So you think I’m cute,” Dimitri teased.
Gillian stopped cold, her jaw dropping. She turned her head to him and glared, before returning to her task.
“Doesn’t matter what I think of you.” She blew out a regretful breath and yanked out a pair of jeans. “You’re not the only one who’s got trouble. I’ve gotta go.”
“Hold up there, girly. You did notice you didn’t untie me all the way. I suppose I could break this freakin’ metal if I yanked hard enough…”
“Just cool your jets, wolf. I called your friends. They’ll be here soon enough, and they can untie you. You know… so you can shift.” She slipped on her pants, zippered up, and turned around to face him. “I healed you, but that doesn’t mean you can go ballistic over there trying to get out of the damn bed. You need to shift. But not while I’m here.”
Dimitri licked his lips. His gaze fell to her perfect little nipples, which were standing at attention. His eyes darted up to hers, and he laughed, aware she’d seen his actions. He thought it interesting that she pretended not to notice him. Instead, she retrieved a black leather motorcycle boot from under the bed and hastily shoved her foot into it. Even though his Alpha was the shopper in the pack, he recognized the expensive camera equipment she had stowed on the dresser. They may have been holed up in a shithole of a motel, but this girl had assets. He suspected that she might be a photographer and wondered what kind of trouble was chasing her.
“Why don’t you explain to me exactly why I can’t shift in front of you? Afraid of the big bad wolf? I’m not lookin’ to eat you.”
“No offense, but you don’t scare me. I do recall it was me saving your ass.”
“I’ve got a fine one.”
“Yes, yes you do.” She laughed, shaking her head. “But did it occur to you that maybe it is you who should be afraid of me?”
“Never crossed my mind, cher. Come on now, let me go. I promise to be a good boy…shift and shift back. I can’t imagine they allow pets in this,” he looked around the seedy hotel room, “flea shack.”
“No, I don’t imagine they do. Just please don’t…”
“Dimitri…Dimitri LeBlanc. Rolls right off the tongue.” He gave her a broad smile, attempting to throw her off her game.
“Dimitri, I just can’t be around another wolf. Please, I swear your friends will be here soon,” she said nervously. She plucked a black tank top out of her bag and slipped it over her head.
“You’re telling me you’re not a wolf?” he began.
“Yep.” She offered no information.
“But you saved me from a pack of wolves.”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“And you’re not going to tell me how you did it or what pack you’ve been hangin’ out with?”
“Um…” She turned to him, smiled, and shook her head. “Nope.”
“And you think that just because you saved me, you get to call the shots.”
“Well, let’s see. I’m here. And you,” she laughed and yanked on her other boot, “you’re indisposed…at least until someone comes for you. Not much you can do about it, huh?”
Dimitri had had enough of her games. The rush of the challenge surged through his body, and his wolf pressed him to take her, to show his majestic presence. He jerked his right arm and tore open the metal clasps of the belts. Quickly releasing his other hand, he leapt off the bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. As quick as lightning, he backed her against the wall, his hands on either side of her head.
His beast unleashed, Dimitri lowered his face, sniffing his prey. The wolf had gone feral, too long kept hidden away in a dungeon of despair. It trusted no one. As he took in the exquisite scent of the female, he drew closer, yet still didn’t touch her body.
“What are you doing?” she breathed against Dimitri. Her palms reached up slowly until they were laid flat on his chest. Gillian didn’t want to stop him; she secretly wished to feel him one more time, to soak in the power of his wolf.
“Your blood,” Dimitri growled. “You’re shifter. But how does one woman take on an entire pack? I sense no wolf…you are something…something special.”
“I…I…I’m not wolf,” she protested breathlessly.
“You smell heavenly,” he breathed. Dimitri reined in his wolf, exhilarated that he’d found the animal within. Taking a d
eep breath, he slowly raised his head, and stared deep into her amber eyes. A small rectangular section of brown bled up into her irises. Captivated, he drew closer still.
“Your eyes,” he whispered.
“I know.” Flustered, she broke eye contact and looked to the floor.
“No.” Dimitri gently caressed her chin until her gaze once again met his. “Don’t hide from me. Let me see your eyes.”
“Heterochromia, um, that’s the technical term. I was born with…”
“They’re beautiful. Like a cat.” He smiled, pondering her origins.
“Yes,” she agreed, unable to stop the burn that grew in her gut.
“Very pretty eyes. Unique. Tell me your name,” he asked. Unable to resist, he brushed his cheek against hers.
“Gillian…Gilly. My name’s Gilly,” she confessed. A shiver ran through her body as his soft beard brushed her lip.
“Thank you, Gilly.” He smiled, retreating. “I’m grateful you saved me.”
“Well, yes, but you’d better let me go. As I told you, I’ve gotta get out of here. They’re after me,” she said nervously.
“Let me help you, repay you for your kindness,” he told her. Now, just what kind of trouble are you in? Tell me why you saved me. How do you know the wolves that attacked me? Yes, he wanted to help her but this interesting woman was hiding something. His wolf would not rest until he knew everything. It had been his experience that neither humans nor immortals did good deeds with no reward in mind. Whether to relieve their own conscience or get compensation, there was always a reason. “At least let me see you home. If you called someone from my pack, they’ll help us.”
“No, the people after me are going to track us eventually. They’ll know your scent. I’m sorry, but it isn’t safe. Your wolf is weakened. What you need to do is find a witch to help you. I don’t know where you live, but you need to go home…alone. We can’t stay together. You can catch a flight out. The airport’s only about twenty minutes from here. I’ll divert them…I’m going by land,” she rambled.