Enola climbed out of the back seat of the limo. She was returning to her grandmother with her tail between her legs. She had not only put her friend in danger, but she had endangered her child as well. How was she going to explain that she’d set her entire building on fire, simply because she was having an erotic dream about a man that she’d met once? She couldn’t. But what was even more embarrassing was, she wouldn’t have to since her grandmother was a fucking mind reader.

“Oh, baby,” Ruby breathed, pulling Enola in her arms. “I feel your pain.”

Enola began to cry because coming from Ruby, she knew it was the truth.

“I almost killed them,” Enola sobbed.

“It’s not your fault baby. You were right. You didn’t ask for this. None of this is your fault.”

The driver walked past them with Enola’s luggage in tow. She stared at her bags, wondering if she’d ever be able to go home again. She’d had to take an extended leave of absence from work. And once she was sure that Crystal and Dania were going to be okay, she created an excuse for her absence.

“Ruby, why is this happening now? I’ve never set anything on fire before.”

“Baby, the weaker Mamma gets, the stronger you get. And the stronger you get, the weaker she gets.”

“That sucks,” Enola said with a frown.

“That’s our way, Nola. It is what it is.”

Enola sighed, realizing that her destiny to be the strongest was essentially killing her grandmother. Her gran was right about one thing: nothing in her life would ever be the same again.

“Come on, child. Let’s get you settled. I’ll pump some of my good ole’ étouffée in you. That’ll make you feel a little better.”

 

* * * *

 

Enola stretched out on a lounger by the pool. Ruby was wrong. Her shrimp étouffée was absolutely delicious, but it didn’t make her feel better about almost killing her best friend and her little girl. Her inability to deal with her issues almost killed two people that meant the world to her.

“Miss Nola, you have a caller.”

Enola looked back at Benjamin. Her gran and aunt referred to him as a valet. To Enola, a valet was a fancy way of saying servant. He was rather well dressed to be a servant, and Enola could swear that he was wearing an Armani suit. Or maybe it was a very good knockoff.

She smiled at the handsome, older, Hispanic man and asked, “Who would be here to see me?”

He smiled in return and gestured towards the patio door. It was Gideon.

“Hello, Miss Nola,” he said as he stepped out onto the patio.

Enola stood, shocked to see the man of her dreams—literally the man of her dreams.

“Gideon,” she breathed, condemning herself for being so breathy.

“Walk with me?” he requested, holding out his hand.

Enola stared at his hand a few seconds before accepting it. To say that his presence was unexpected would be an understatement. But Enola said nothing.

Gideon led her around the pool and down a set of stairs that led to her grandmother’s rose garden. “I’m happy to see that you’ve returned,” he expressed in a deep, sexy voice.

Even though Enola was hypersensitive to the feeling of his touch, she was able to look up at him and ask, “Why?”

“At this point in both of our lives, you need to be here.”

Nola halted their leisurely stroll and looked up at Gideon. “What makes you think that you know what I need? With all due respect, Gideon, you don’t know me, and you don’t have a clue what I’m going through right now.”

“Nola, darlin’—” Gideon started.

Enola began to laugh at the reference.

Enola noticed the question in his eyes. She shook her head, stifling her laughter. “Sorry.” She chuckled softly. “You said, ‘Nola darling.’ It reminded me of a Spike Lee movie. She’s gotta…never mind. You wouldn’t know it,” Enola dismissed.

“She’s Gotta Have It,” Gideon said with a smile. “I’ve been around for a long time, darlin’. It ain’t a lot of shit I haven’t seen.”

“Aw, okay. My bad.”

Gideon pulled her closer and looked her directly in the eye. The look of determination in his beautiful gray eyes told Enola that he was serious about what he would say next.

“Nola, I do know what you’re going through. I know what’s going on in your life. Everything. You and I are connected.”

“Connected? How?” Enola questioned.

“In the strongest possible way,” Gideon confirmed.

“Gideon, what the hell are you getting at?” Enola asked with narrowed eyes.

Gideon placed his hand on her upper arms and looked deep into her eyes. “You’re my mate. We’re destined to be mated forever.”

Enola stepped out of his hold. Shit was beginning to get heavy.

“Mate?” Enola frowned.

“Yes, Nola. I’m a shifter; half man, half beast. You met my beast when you and your cousin were attacked by vampires.”

Enola recoiled and pushed Gideon away. Well, she tried to push him away. He was big. She remembered the large beast that had attacked the vampire that had attacked Margo.

“Enola, I’m a wolf. We mate for life,” he informed.

“So, you want to mate with me…like a dog?”

“Call me a dog again and I will bend you over on this grass and fuck you like a dog.”

Enola scoffed at his vulgarity. “Don’t forget, dog…I can turn into a big, angry bird that can set creatures like you on fire.”

One side of Gideon’s mouth lifted in a smirk. “Darlin’, it would take more than your hot ass to kill me.”

Enola rolled her eyes and walked away. Not only had she found out that she was some powerful Voodoo chick, and a damn phoenix, but now she had just been informed that she was betrothed to a man that turned into a giant dog whenever it suited him.

“Gideon, I have no desire to kill you, but I will not be told who I am to spend the rest of my life with. I just wanna get through the shit that I’m dealing with right now if you don’t mind.”

“I do mind. I mind you trying to deal with your life issues without me, I mind you not taking the mating process serious, and more than anything, I mind you calling me a dog. I’m a wolf. Not only a strong wolf, but I am the wolf. And you, Nola, are my bitch.”

Enola whipped around and glared angrily at Gideon. “Wait…what? Did you just call me a bitch?”

“Nola, I called you my bitch. That’s different. I’m a wolf, a beast. Bitch in my life is not a put down, it's a declaration. Nola, you belong to me.”

Nola looked him straight in the eye and said, “Gideon, I am my own woman. I belong to no man.”

Gideon pulled Enola closer and wrapped his large arm around her waist. “Nola, that may have been true before, but not now. Now, you are my life, my responsibility. And know this…you do belong to me.”

Enola stepped out of his grasp. “Gideon, you’re hot and everything. I’ll admit that. But, I got enough shit to deal with.”

Enola turned and walked towards the house. Gideon was definitely nice to look at. And, since she was having exotic dreams about the man, he was definitely sexy. But Enola wasn’t even sure who she was, and being assigned as some stranger’s mate wasn’t a priority.

Enola’s brisk walk was halted by a thunderous growl. She whipped around, fell on her ass, and came face to face with the black wolf that had saved her cousin. The wolf crept towards her, and not even Enola could deny how beautiful he was.

The large wolf straddled Enola and placed his paw on her chest. He lowered his head and licked her chin. Enola stared into the beast’s eyes, and she was amazed. His diamond gaze was all Gideon. Even as a wolf, he was giving her bedroom eyes.

Enola reached up and ran her fingers through his soft mane. She rubbed the beast behind its ear and smiled up at him. “You’re cheating. Turn back,” she said with a grin.

Gideon licked Enola’s chin and eased back. In front of her very eyes, he transformed back to a man. To Enola, the transformation seemed painful.

In front of Enola, he stood totally naked, and without an ounce of shame. And, in Enola’s opinion, he didn’t have a damn thing to be ashamed of. His muscular body was a work of art, and his dick was enormous. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t look away. God made the man that beautiful, and it would be a sin not to appreciate him.

Enola sat up on her elbows. “Gideon,” she whispered. “Your clothes—”

“I’m an animal, Nola. Covering is not a priority. This is me. Do you want me, Nola?”

Gideon’s hand slid across his muscular torso, down to his sizeable junk, and caressed a flaccid penis that had no right to be that big.

“Yes,” she responded truthfully.

Why lie? Enola wanted him more than she’d wanted anything in years. It wasn’t the time for her to play the, “I’m a good girl” game. She was craving his big, beastly dick in her neglected pussy.

Gideon took a step Enola’s way, filling her with anticipation, but the sound of someone’s throat clearing was the equivalent of a cold shower. It was warm, dark, and the night sky was filled with stars. Gideon could have had her, right there in the grass beneath their feet.

“Monsieur Toussaint, Madame Roux thought you might need something to wear. I took the liberty of putting together a few things.”

Benjamin handed Gideon a bag filled with clothing and turned to leave.

“Please tell Madame Roux that I am thankful.”

Enola chuckled. His mouth might have said he was thankful, but his demeanor said otherwise. Gideon was clearly not happy about the interruption.

‘Enola Roux, can you at least let the man buy you dinner before you roll around in the grass with him?’

“Get out of my head!” Enola screamed towards the house.

“There is no need to scream.” Gideon grinned. “She can definitely hear you.”

“Ughhh, I’m going to bed,” Enola huffed.

She walked towards the patio door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gideon said at her back.