The Dimitri Twins

Chapter 15

Arabella Dimitri

I smelt him before I heard him, and I heard him before I saw him. There is was again, that intoxicating smell of freshly cut sandalwood and pine leaves, smothering me, yet also feeling like it was the first time I had breathed properly in a long time. I was sure he was feeling the same. I wonder what I smelled like. Hopefully nice; I took a shower this morning.

He took a seat next to me on the bench, after wiping some of the snow that had landed on the seat off onto the floor. I looked down at his hand as he did that, then moved my head slightly, quickly scanning him, before resuming staring up at the clouds.

"So..." he started.

"So..." I mimicked.

"I don't exactly know how to start this," he said. Honesty; I like it. As we sat side by side, even though we weren't touching, I could still feel some kind of force, like it was pulling us together, jumping from him to me and from me to him. That's the mate bond for you; a damn finicky thing, and extremely hard to fight.

"I have wanted a mate since the day I learnt about them from my parents, and I have waited for mine since the day I turned 18. I hoped it would happen on that day, maybe the few days after it, maybe the tour of the packs I partook in, but still no mate. I hoped that when I found my mate, and we looked in eachother's eyes for the first time, she would run into my arms, and we would hold eachother tight, and we would cuddle all afternoon. Over the years I assumed she was a rogue, or dead, I guess I was right about the rogue part... What I am trying to say is, things don't always turn out the way you expected them to, but it doesn't mean it's a bad thing. You are my mate, I am yours. Yes, we don't know eachother, yes, we seem to be complete opposites on the surface, but you will never know unless you try," he ran his hand through his hair, turning his head to look at me. "I would like to get to know you, I would like you to come back with me and get to know me."

"I don't think I can be the Queen, or the mate, you expect me to be," I spoke.

"I don't think you will be, I think you'll be completely different, but I don't think that is a bad thing."

We sat in silence as I pondered over the words he said. "I don't know if I will stay, but I will give it a go."

"Really?!" he turned to face me, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You're being serious?" he was literally grinning from ear to ear. It was infectious, he made me smile slightly, as I nodded my head. "Fuck," he sighed, grabbing me in a hug and spinning me round. "I thought you would take so much more convincing! Jason was telling me how stubborn you were the entire way here, he told me about that one time with the casserole..."

"Ah, yeah," I spoke, my words muffled as my face was pushed up against his chest. "Let me down?"

"Oh, sorry," he said, placing me gently on the floor.

"She said yes! Strix, cocktails!" I heard Remus shouting from inside the castle, where I noticed we had a whole audience of people.

***

I swear, vampires and werewolves are supposed to be mortal enemies, yet tonight they partied together like they were the bestest of friends. Of course, none of the werewolves went to the upstairs room, I don't think their mates would've been happy about that...

"So, what's your favourite drink?" Nicholas asked me, as he leant with his elbow on the bar, facing towards me. I tilted my body so that I was now facing him.

"Depends on the occasion," I replied.

"On a night like tonight then?"

"Something strong," I grinned at him.