“I wasn’t asking about them,” he sighed. “I mean, is there really such a thing?”
Jacob stared at him; his mouth open. “Are you serious right now? You’ve never heard of them?”
“Non.”
“Well, here’s what I know.”
As Jacob proceeded to tell him pretty much what Mika had told him about True Mates, he listened intently.
“.…and that’s just about what I know. I’m not really into this shit.”
“So True Mates don’t even have to be both Lycans?”
“No. Look at Deedee and Karim.”
“The king and queen are True Mates?” Why did he not know this? “But no one’s ever said anything before.”
“I dunno. Maybe you weren’t listening. How do you think she got knocked up so quick?” Jacob pointed to his roast beef sandwich. “Are you going to eat that?”
“Go ahead.”
So, she was telling the truth, at least about the existence of True Mates. But that didn’t mean he and Mika were such a pairing.
His wolf let out a low growl of disagreement.
Oh, what do you know?
“So,” Jacob began as soon as he finished gobbling up the sandwich. “We’ve got the night off tonight. Whaddaya say we go for dinner at Petite Louve and then head to Blood Moon? A couple of other guys are going.”
It had been a while since he’d had a nice meal. He’d been to the French restaurant before, and the chef was Lycan. “Why not?” And then afterwards … well maybe he’d get lucky at Blood Moon. The club was the place to be for Lycans, and on a Friday night like this, it would be packed. A little friendly female company wouldn’t be bad, help him forget all this business about True Mates.
His wolf yowled at him again, obviously displeased at his thoughts.
Shut up.
“That was delicious,” Jacob said as he polished off his steak and took a swig of wine.
“I agree.” Delacroix’s mood lifted considerably as soon as they left HQ. He’d been cooped up there for too long, and a night out was exactly what he needed.
His wolf, on the other hand, was still a miserable bastard, whining and clawing at him, but he ignored it. Tonight, he was going to have some fun, and no one, not even the animal he shared his body with, was going to ruin it.
“God, I can’t wait to get to Blood Moon,” said Jack Moore, a GI agent who Delacroix remembered as one of his fellow trainees from the Lycan Security Force last year. He quite liked the guy, as he was affable and always willing to lend a hand. “Last week, I met this blonde there who was smokin’ hot. Not to mention smart. Works at Fenrir’s legal department. We went to her place, and she kept me up all night long.”
“Can’t be too smart if she took ya home,” quipped Tony Buzzio, a wisecracking Lycan who grew up in Jersey. New York and New Jersey were tightly allied, so it made sense that there were a few Lycans from that clan who joined GI.
Jacob called for the check. “It’s still a little early. Let’s go grab a few drinks at that bar on forty-sixth before we head to Blood Moon.”
As soon as they finished paying the bill, the group got up and headed for the exit. Moore grabbed a passing cab, and the first group left. Delacroix flagged the next one that passed them and motioned for everyone to get in. While he waited for his companions to get in, something in his peripheral vision caught his eye.
Thanks to his Lycan vision, he clearly saw Mika sitting in the restaurant across the street, and she was not alone. Sitting across the candlelit table from her was a man, perhaps a few years older than her, wearing an expensive-looking suit. From the way she leaned forward and smiled at him, it was obvious she knew him well.
“Feet pue tan.”
“D?” Jacob asked from the backseat of the cab. “You comin’?”
“I’ll catch up.” He slammed the door shut without any explanation and stalked across the street. Not wanting her to see him yet, he melted into the shadows, following the path of darkness toward the large glass window.
He stayed hidden, thanks to the shadow cast by the building next door. While he couldn’t hear what they were talking about, he could see how familiar and comfortable they were with each other. Every now and then, he would say something that put a wistful look on her face, then reach across the table to cover her hand. It made him sorely want to pummel his face in, and his wolf agreed, letting out a growl loud enough to rattle his chest.
Who the fuck was this man? And what was she doing here with him? If she had a boyfriend in the first place, why come to him with that silly proposition?
Unless this man was—
Fuck!
As their dinner plates were being cleared, Mika stood up, and he knew this was his chance to find out what the hell was going on. Stepping out from the shadows, he marched right into the restaurant. Luckily, the host station was unmanned and so he followed her down a long narrow hallway into the rear of the restaurant, silently slipping into the shadows so she wouldn’t detect him. God, she was so sexy as she walked in her stiletto heels. Her little black dress clinging to her hips and ass made him jealous of how close the fabric was to her naked skin. Instead of its customary braid, her long black hair hung in loose waves down her back.
When she reached the end of the hallway, she went into the door on the right marked with the ladies’ room sign. The door was about to close but he managed to slip inside, then slammed it shut and locked it behind him.
The loud slam made Mika whip around, her emerald eyes widening with surprise. “What th—”
He grabbed her arms and pressed her up against wall, holding her
