Jake (Immortals of New Orleans #8)(38)

"What's up?" Quintus asked.

"Nothin'." Jake pecked out a message to his Alpha. Ilsbeth's a no go. Spell's at Serpent's Breath. Quintus & Kai in tow. He'd call him afterwards and tell him everything he knew about Kai's nature.




       
         
       
        
"You know, trust is an important part of a relationship." Quintus gave a half grin.

"You and I don't have a relationship," Jake countered. He peeked inside the takeout bags. The smell of jambalaya wafted into his nostrils and his stomach growled.

"We do have a relationship. You may have been a little irritating at first, but you're growing on me." Quintus set three glasses in front of him and began to pour. "Alligator Sauce Piquant?"

"That's rich. Me growing on you?" Jake paused, not hearing what he'd said. "What about alligators?"

"Alligator Sauce Piquant? You like?"

"Sure do."

"Lots of good things for dinner." Quintus laughed, continuing to fill the glasses.

"Hey man, don't take this the wrong way," Jake retrieved the containers and set them onto the table. He ripped the end off a piece of French bread and bit into it, continuing, "But you're a vamp. Shouldn't you be craving blood?"

Quintus nodded, handing him a glass of wine. "Yes and no. It's true I need blood to live. And some vampires, they prefer only blood. Purity of the race and all that bit. I, myself, I still embrace the comforts of my humanity. Life does not lie within my breath. It lies within the enjoyment of the day. Shrimp creole? Ah, well, that brings me enjoyment."

"Fair enough." Jake glanced to the large curved stairway, listening for Kai.

"You've tried to mark her?" Quintus asked.

"Mark her?" Jake exclaimed, spitting out his wine onto the table. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Jesus, look what you made me do."

"It's happened, no?"

"I'm goin' to give you the benefit of the doubt, Quint. But if you are as old as you say you are, my guess is that you know about the birds and the bees and how it goes with us wolves."

"Yes. Of course I know how it works." Quintus rummaged through the cabinet, looking for plates.

"Upper left. Next to the fridge." Jake went to a drawer and opened it, retrieving utensils. "So then you know how it is. I already told ya. Wolves mate with wolves. We aren't like vamps. I mean, I guess you can be a part shifter and it still can take. Dimitri's mate was a tiger. But still, she was wolf. If she'd been all tiger, it couldn't happen."

"Kai is not a shifter?"

"Yeah, technically she is. Look, I'll be the first one to admit that there are some differences. A pixiu? I don't know what the hell all her powers are or what she'll change into, but she says she can't mate. Not at all. She also says she can't bear children." 

"Pixiu. They can take a partner of sorts. I suspect you are hers."

"Jesus fucking Christ. This cannot be happening." Jake blew out a breath and hung his head. He recalled his wolf's feral reaction to her.

"I see you already feel something." Quintus shrugged and sat down at the table.

"I know all about destiny. Hell, I'd be the first one to tell a wolf to suck it up and accept his mate, but Kai? I'm just really into her. But I shouldn't be. She'll get hurt if this continues. Not that it's any of your damn business but I try to stick with other wolves. I've had an occasional vamp here and there. These girls all know the score. We aren't mates but we get it on with no worries. You've gotta be careful with other species. Humans. Witches. Can't get too close. Look what happened with Ilsbeth. She almost killed D trying to off his wolf. That's some serious shit, right there. And my guess is that she's not the first witch to try something like that when she's hot for a wolf."

"Ah, but the pixiu. She has more than just a mate."

A look of confusion washed across Jake's face. "I don't know what you're talking about. Why in the ever-loving hell would I mark her?" Because your wolf wants her.

"Because," Quintus held the glass in the air, pausing as he swirled the red liquid, "the pixiu. She has a master. You, my friend, shall be hers."

"What the fuck is that supposed to even mean? I like a little Dom play as much as the next guy but shit, I'm not into being anyone's master. Nope. I don't want a slave. Not for me." Jake's pulse raced at Quintus' claim.

"A master doesn't always refer to slavery. The master, he is a teacher. He is the leader. Proficient at his skills. Others defer to them, devote themselves to their happiness. Kai, though, she's not going to be one to easily submit. Her powers, they will become the treasure of her master, to be utilized as he sees fit. To protect others. This good fortune she absorbs from others? It becomes his."