3. Dimitri

Chapter 3

Dimitri

I could only stare at the gorgeous man as he left the bakery. He was a warlock but didn't belong to the council. That told me he was visiting, which meant he was either related to Master Edison or one of the other warlocks in the council.

"He does not seem too happy," I said absently.

"He asked about how to eat the muffin. Seemed stuck-up to me, but that could often be the case with those warlocks."

I glanced at Malorie, narrowed my eyes, then simply turned and left. I needed to follow my mate, but I knew he wouldn't be too difficult to locate. He was my mate, and my dragon had gotten his scent. I was an incredible tracker, and if needed, I could shift and find his scent anywhere on the mountaintop.

I honestly expected him to be outside somewhere, but a few steps away from the bakery, his scent disappeared. He was a warlock, and that told me he'd used magic to go wherever he'd disappeared to. That wasn't going to be an issue for me and my dragon though. But I was going to be logical about things and first ask about any warlocks visiting the area.

Knowing Master Edison was still in the council building, I returned to the building I'd left just moments ago.

"Forget something?" Slater asked as I checked back in with the front desk.

"Not exactly. More like found something and have a question."

"Have fun with that, then, I guess."

I nodded, and after putting my badge back in my pocket, I went to Master Edison's hallway. As it so happened, that was also the hallway that my dedushka was in, and if nothing else, I knew he would be able to get the answers I needed.

I was a bit surprised when I approached Master Edison's doorway and found so many in his office. I had paused long enough to gather attention though, and all talking ceased, and I found several pairs of eyes staring intently at me.

"Is something amiss, Dimitri? Your grandfather should be in his office, as far as I'm aware."

I shook my head. "I had a question for you, Master Edison."

"Then, by all means, come in and join us."

I stepped into the office and glanced around. Master Edison was having some sort of meeting with his team, it seemed.

"I was curious if you knew of any warlocks visiting the area? His scent is familiar, which tells me he has family here."

"Caspian is visiting," Rainier said. "He was messaging me earlier about using our family's cabin in Timber Valley. He should be here on the mountain by now though. He's come to see his brother Sebastian."

That gave me the answers I needed. I spent every day with Benjamin, and Benjamin was related to Sebastian, which was why my mate scented somewhat familiar.

"Thank you," I said to Rainier. I turned to leave, my next destination Sebastian's house to claim my mate.

"Wait," Rainier said, his hand on my arm. I glanced down at it, then up at his face. "Why do you ask?"

"He's my mate. I will go discuss claiming him now that I know where to look."

"Hold up a moment," Rainier said, his hand on my arm tightening. There were chuckles from the others in the room. It was Alistair who stepped forward.

"You can talk to him, yes, but you have to understand that Caspian might not necessarily be open to a dragon alpha bulldozing him. I had to tread carefully when I was courting River."

I looked to Rainier. "Has my mate been traumatized?"

Rainier sighed as he shook his head. "No. But he lives in Spain, Dimitri. He's a partner in his family's law firm. It's not exactly simple for him to just up and move here."

"Then I will move to Spain until he can." I looked around at the others in the room. "It is not as if my services as an enforcer are needed. It is always the warlocks that go out on the assignments." Should I have said that? Most likely not. But even Dedushka knew there was an imbalance among the enforcers, and the warlocks and hellhounds tended to be favored. It was understandable: they had magical powers.

A glance at Master Edison showed his face was one of contemplation. I knew I was in a position of privilege that others weren't, and I could say things of that nature. I didn't use the fact that my grandfather was the created dragon for exceptions, but I wasn't afraid to speak my mind when there was an obvious imbalance and others had started to talk about it.

"Have you discussed this with your grandfather?" Master Edison asked.

"Nyet." I didn't feel the need to talk about the fact that I'd met my mate with them. That and this was where the warlocks were. I needed to ask about one, so to me, it made sense to have come here. "I did not believe he would be aware of warlocks visiting the mountain."

Master Edison shook his head. "No, I meant the other comment."

"Ja. I am not the only enforcer who has noticed that those of us without magical powers are often left here to…twiddle our fingers? Is that the phrase?"

Alistair chuckled. "Thumbs," he told me.

Ah. "Yes, that." I looked to Rainier. "Thank you for the information. I will not be forceful with my mate. I can be patient. My dragon is known for his patience. It is how I am so skilled with my tracking."

"Tracking?" Alistair asked.

I shook my head. "You should read the enforcer files. But also, do not forget that as someone from the created dragon's line, I have other abilities. As I am certain you are as well?"

Alistair nodded.

"I will go talk to my dedushka about Caspian." I looked back at Rainier. "Thank you for the information."

I didn't give them more of an opportunity to say anything. I wanted to share my news with my dedushka and yéye.

It only took moments to reach Dedushka's office. I found him and Yéye there, talking to one another.

"Dimitri, back so soon?" Yéye asked.

"Ja. I have met my mate just moments ago."

That expectedly brought excitement. "Moments ago when?" Yéye asked.

"Just before I came back into the building," I told them. "I was at the bakery to get something for supper this evening," I told them. "But when I arrived, there was a warlock I've not yet met there. I scented him immediately, but he left right away." I sighed, going over the interaction, short as it was, in my mind again. "I came back here to talk to Master Edison and ask if there were any warlocks visiting."

"What did he say?" Dedushka asked.

"It was Rainier that told me Sebastian's brother Caspian was here to visit. I cannot be absolutely certain Caspian is my mate, but if he is the only warlock visiting, then that will give me my answer."

"Where is he now?" Yéye asked.

I sighed again. "I am not sure. He left the bakery, and when I followed, he was already gone once I'd reached outside. I do not know if he was upset with me, with the fact that we are mates, or if Mallorie had said something to him to upset him."

Dedushka narrowed his eyes. "I will have a discussion with them again about their daughter. There have been several comments from enforcers about her being curt and rude."

I shrugged. "I was not there for that conversation. She did mention how she thought Caspian was a bit rude and then mentioned it was expected because he was a warlock. I did not care for that comment."

Dedushka's displeasure could be felt in the room. "I will discuss it with them. It might be that they will need to not have her work in the front. They won't want to lose their contract with the council."

Yéye touched Dedushka's arm. "I want to hear more about his mate. What all happened? You said he took off. Did he say anything to you at all?"

I nodded. "Just that he supposed it had to be one of us. I do not know what that meant. After that, he left. I followed, but not fast enough."

Dedushka handed me a piece of paper. "This is Sebastian's house number. You can go ask if Caspian is there. If not, Rainier has a cabin in Timber Valley that he donated to the pack. His family use it when they come to visit from Europe. Here is its location if he isn't at Sebastian's." I took the slip of paper and placed it in my pocket.

"Thank you."

"This means you won't be joining us for supper, then?" Yéye said.

I shook my head. "I wish to locate my mate and at least have a full conversation with him. I do not know if that will be possible, but my dragon most likely will not rest until I am able to learn who he is at the minimum."

"That is to be expected," Dedushka said. He wrapped his arm around Yéye and pulled him in close. "Do you remember when I first located you and how my dragon pushed?"

Yéye grinned. "You were relentless."

"You know by now that alpha dragons will do anything for their mates." Dedushka looked at me. "I will expect you to need time off, so I will put that in."

"I haven't claimed him yet."

"I have no doubts. He is a warlock; you are a dragon. They are a great pair, if I do say so, and I have no doubts that you will have no issues with claiming your mate. A quick message to let us know though?"

I nodded.

"Do you want us to let your parents know?"

I was surprised by Yéye's question. I'd not even thought about my parents, which told me that I was already having issues focusing on anything other than my mate.

"Yes. I expect they will head this way, which isn't necessarily bad. But Rainier said that Caspian, if he does end up being who my mate is, works for his family's law firm, and he might not be able to simply up and move here."

Dedushka nodded, but Yéye seemed concerned. "Will you leave?"

"Ja. If Caspian wants to remain in Spain, I have no issue with joining him there. I will miss being able to see you so often, but I will go where my mate wishes."

Dedushka pulled Yéye in tighter when he started to say something else.

"Go. See if Caspian is your mate or not. Perhaps he left because he was simply flustered. I have never known a warlock to deny their One though."

I nodded again. He wasn't wrong. Although warlocks no longer had to be claimed by their Ones so quickly, they would still want to be with them just as much as any other paranormal would.

"Thank you. I will message later to let you know how things are going."

Yéye held out his arms, and as I pulled him in for a hug, he squeezed me tightly. "I'm so happy for you, and I know your parents are going to be thrilled."

I grinned. He wasn't wrong. I wasn't the only one who still hadn't found my mate, but the fact that I had, or any dragon finding their mate, really, was always a reason to celebrate.

"I know they will. I am, as well. He's quite stunning," I told him. I let go and stepped back. My dragon was pushing, but it wasn't anything I couldn't control. I knew they both felt him just under the surface though.

"Go, find your mate. If you run into any issues, let us know."

I nodded, then left the office. There was no reason to stay longer, and we all knew the longer I waited, the more irritated my dragon would become.

It didn't take long for me to make it back down the hallway. I passed Master Edison's office but didn't stop. I didn't feel the need to discuss things further with them. I'd gotten information from Rainier already, and beyond that, I didn't need to talk to Master Edison for anything. No one in the office had mentioned any other warlocks that were visiting the mountain, which led me to believe that my mate truly was Caspian.

I left the building, waving to Slater on my way out the door. Dedushka would check me out if needed for more than the evening, and as I stepped out into the cold air, my mind seemed to clear. The breeze picked up, and there was no mistaking what I was scenting, or rather who. I turned toward the direction the wind was coming from and found him sitting on one of the benches outside the main entrance.

He truly was stunning. Yes, he was my mate, and I would be attracted to him no matter what, but this man, my perfect match, was absolutely gorgeous.

He looked my way as I approached, and when he stood, I walked close enough to get a deeper scent of him. This time though, it was only him; there was no interference with the scents coming from the bakery.

"Hello," I said as I stood there, taking him in. He had dark hair and eyes that weren't quite blue and not fully green. They were certainly eyes one could get lost in for a time though, and his skin looked like he spent time in the sun regularly. I wanted to see if it was that color everywhere, under all of that clothing. Would it be soft? Rough? Would his body be lightly toned, or would it be on the skinnier side?

"Hello," he said. We stood there staring at one another for a moment.

"Are you disappointed in who the fates paired you with?" I asked. I was a dragon, so of course, I knew how possessive we could be when it came to our mates. Not everyone wanted that, and perhaps he was such a person.

"No, not at all." He pulled his hand from his pocket and held it out. "I'm Caspian," he said.

I grinned. Rainier's nephew. I took his hand, wishing the leather glove wasn't on it. "I am Dimitri, Caspian, and I am thrilled to meet you." I brought his hand upward, and when my lips touched it, they were met with warm skin and not the leather I was expecting. I took advantage and pulled his hand a bit closer, and after I turned it over, I placed another kiss on the inside of his wrist. The quiet moan I heard told me I had made the correct choice. When I looked up at my mate, his eyes were partially closed, and I smiled.

"You are a dragon," Caspian said.

I nodded. "And you are a warlock," I replied. "Would you care to spend the afternoon discussing things? I very much would like to get to know you."

"Is that all? You just want to talk?"

I snorted. "I am several centuries old. I very much wish to throw you over my shoulder and take you to my bed. I will refrain, though, as I understand you may not wish for such things."

"Oh, I very much want those types of things. Although I do believe we should probably discuss certain things before we get to those types of activities."

"Would you like to go to my place? It is just over there." I pointed behind us. "Or we can go to yours, although I will have to ask for a bit of help with that as I don't believe I can get to Spain nearly as quickly as you can."

Caspian's eyebrows rose. "How did you know I live in Spain?"

"When I followed you from the bakery, you were gone. It made the most sense to ask Master Edison if there were any visiting warlocks on the mountain. I already knew you weren't an enforcer."

"Ah. And he told you who I was?"

I shook my head. "Rainier did."

Caspian's smile was instant. "What all did my uncle tell you?"

I shook my head. "Only your name and that you were visiting your brother. I also discovered that you are a lawyer for your family's firm in Spain. That is the extent of my information about you."

"Well, you know more than I do. I told my brother I would have to take a rain check for this visit, and I'd let him know more later. Then I left to hopefully not be too late to find you."

I ran my thumb across Caspian's knuckles. "I am here. I would not have left without trying to locate you. My dragon was fully prepared to track you down if needed." That earned me a smile.

"Well, I don't really wish to return to Spain just yet, although I think I will have to eventually. So maybe we can go to your place? I assume you live in the town houses like Sebastian did before he met Drew?"

"I do. But there is nobody beside me, and I am on an end unit. I could have stayed in my grandfather's cabin, but I wanted a bit more privacy than that."

"Is your grandfather here?" Caspian's face was easy enough to read, and I knew the question was coming before he even asked it. "Grandfather. You sound Russian but look Chinese," he said out loud. "Your grandfather is the created dragon."

I nodded. "Ja. Sergei is my dedushka. Chin is my yéye."

Caspian nodded. "I didn't really see that coming. I was hoping to find my One soon, but I wasn't expecting someone from your family line."

I shrugged. "It is just family. Your family has a lineage as well."

Caspian snorted. "Yes, but not impressive as yours."

"It's just family. They are quite happy for us," I said. I brought Caspian's hand to my mouth and kissed his knuckles again. "If you are ready? I wish to get you out of the cold. Although, you do seem as if you are dressed for it."

Caspian nodded. "Better than you. I would ask if you were cold, but you're a dragon, and I can feel the heat coming from you. I guess I won't have to worry about ever being cold again."

I grinned. "Nyet."

"Your languages. You've spoken a bit of both Russian and Chinese. Will you teach me?"

"I will. I do not speak your language though. Perhaps we can teach each other?"

Caspian grinned. "You speak English well."

I nodded. "My mother is English."

"I can't wait to hear all about your family. Are they still alive?"

I nodded. "They will most likely be here within a week. Not that we will need to see them anytime soon. My grandparents are going to let them know I have found my mate, and they will, of course, come to celebrate. Even if without us, they will celebrate with my family. It is a joyous thing when a dragon finds his mate."

"Well, I'm happy to meet them. Later."

I nodded. I knew Sebastian's parents were still alive. I'd seen them from afar when they'd been here after Sebastian had found Drew.

"Then I will ask that you follow me, and we can go to mine and get out of the cold and discuss our future together if that's what you wish."

Our hands still laced together, Caspian held his other one out and smiled.

"Lead the way."

I could certainly do that.