***
Julian kept his arm draped over his eyes as he listened to the sounds of Quinn moving about her room. He gritted his teeth together and launched up from the couch when the shower turned on. Prowling the living room, he felt like a caged lion as he paced from the doorway to the window and back again. His skin felt too small for him. All he wanted was to go into the bedroom, pull her into his arms and crush her against him. He could lose himself in her again like he had for those few minutes in the movie theatre gaming house.
He never should have kissed her; he never should have gone into her room last night, but there was something so damn irresistible about the stubborn woman. He was supposed to be trying to keep her safe, not molesting her in the hallway of someone else’s house. He wasn’t supposed to be entering her room when she was vulnerable and trapped within the memories haunting her, but it was impossible for him to fight the pull of her.
But he should be fighting against her in every way in order to ensure she was never hurt again. All he’d ever done in his life was bring misery to others. And death, he’d brought a lot of death into other’s lives. From what he’d seen she’d had far too much of that already in her life.
He’d never hated his ability before; there had always been things he’d never wanted to see from a person, but he’d always been able to use that to his advantage. Tormenting people and vampires with his knowledge of their pasts and loved ones was something he’d thrilled in. He’d wielded his ability with more lethal intent than he’d wielded his fangs over the years.
Now, he cursed it. Now he found himself wanting to comfort someone rather than use his knowledge to crush her with it; something he most likely would have done just two years ago. Quinn was everything he would have despised then. Good, loving, caring, and able to keep her murderous impulses under control when he’d never bothered to even try.
Frustration built within him. He had this knowledge, and there was nothing he could do with it. Not until she opened up to him, but she was willful and hiding behind her trauma.
And he might be the worst possible man for her to open up to. He wasn’t right for her, he’d never been right for anyone. There was too much in his past. He’d spent these past two years trying to be different, but there were things he’d done in his lifetime no one should know or be exposed to.
She was a vampire, but she was also an innocent, something he never had been, not even when he’d been human. He’d only bring her more hurt, something he refused to do. She was just so tempting with her full mouth, haunted eyes, and that defiant thrust of her pointed, scarred chin.
The vibration of his phone drew his attention to where he’d plugged it in by the rickety TV stand. If he didn’t think she’d kick him in his nuts and stake him in his sleep, he’d replace all of her shitty furniture, but going against her wishes would only push her further away and that was the last thing he wanted. Grabbing the phone, a smile curved his mouth when he saw Cassie’s name on the screen.
“Hello Buttercup,” he greeted. “How are things in the tundra?”
Her cheerful chuckle caused him to smile more. He may not be in love with her anymore, he’d managed to move on from that over the last two years, but he still loved her dearly and she would always be one of the most important vampires in his life. He’d discovered he was capable of becoming a better man because of her; he owed her his life and so much more.
“It’s not that bad up here, if you came back to visit more often you would know that,” she chided.
“We’ll be back soon. I’d prefer to wait till spring but I’m sure we’ll be back before then. How are things?”
He could feel her sober up across the airwaves, feel the smile leave her face and her laughter fade away. “Everyone is doing well; Barnacle misses you.” Barnacle was one of the children they’d taken under their protection a couple of years ago. They’d found him, and other orphaned children under the control of The Commission. It was also where they’d first encountered and befriended Lou. “Devon does too. He’s a little outnumbered by women up here right now.”
“Better him than me,” he replied with a laugh. “Now, what’s wrong?”
“How can you always tell?”
“It’s in your voice; what’s wrong?”
“I had a vision.”
He turned away from the closed door of Quinn’s room and paced toward the kitchen. “What did you see?”
Silence drifted across the airwaves. He could hear her moving about; picture her walking out of one room and into another. “A desert, a woman with brown hair and golden eyes.” Julian stopped pacing; he turned in the doorway to look back and make sure her door was still closed.
“What about her?”
“She’s in danger. I didn’t see what is after her but I got this…” she broke off as she searched for words. “This impression of danger. She must be kept safe. I don’t know why, I only know we have to protect her. I don’t know how you’re going to find her…”
“I think I already have,” he said quietly. “Scars on her face?”
“Yes.”
His hand tightened around his phone as the water of the shower turned off. “We’ve found her. Her name is Quinn.”
“You have to get her somewhere safe.”
“That’s a problem seeing as she won’t leave. She kind of reminds me of someone else in that way.”
Cassie chuckled. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“I’m sure you don’t. We’ve already encountered a group of vampires after her. One of them informed us that a vampire also had a vision about her. The vamps are hunting for her, but they don’t know where she is or what she looks like. There’s another evil in this town too.” He quickly explained what had happened in the bar the other night and the hunt he’d been on ever since.
“You’ll find them.” He could hear her fingers tapping against a countertop. “Why are they hunting her?”
“She’s powerful, extremely powerful, and I think they’re trying to become the new Elders. Or trying to regain a threshold of their former power in the world by forming an alliance.”
She made a hissing sound. “Julian…”
“It’s not going to happen, Cass,” he assured her. “I won’t allow it. Besides, just because some of them may be amongst the oldest still in existence that doesn’t make them an Elder. None of them will be able to make it through me.”
“Maybe we should come down there.”
“No.”
“But what if something happens?” she asked worriedly.
“We’ll be fine,” he assured her.
“We can help keep her safe.”
“And you could end up becoming a target for them. She is extremely gifted and stronger than she should be, but they’d completely bypass her if they believed they had a chance of getting their hands on you. No matter how powerful she is, you’re stronger, Solar.”
He could practically hear her teeth grinding over the airwaves. “I hate it when you call me that.”
“I know.”
The sound of her laughter helped to ease some of the tension. “You’ll let me know if you need our help.”
“I will.”
It was a lie, what he’d said before had been the truth. He didn’t think many vampires knew what Cassie was capable of, but if they ever figured it out she would become their biggest target. They’d either try to take her out or try to find a way to bend her to their will.
At heart, she was one of the purest souls he’d ever met, but she’d do anything for her loved ones, especially Devon. He would never take the chance of putting the most powerful vampire in the world into the hands of vampires who would destroy her. He’d have to call Devon later and make sure he knew Cassie wasn’t to come anywhere near Arizona, or Quinn, until everything was sorted out.
“Liar,” she muttered.
“You know me so well.”
Seconds stretched by before she spoke again. “You take care of yoursel
f and the others, Julian.”
“Of course.”
“You’re still so annoyingly stubborn.”
He laughed as he turned away from the bedroom again. “So are you, but if you come down here I’ll kick your ass and so will Devon. Think of Barnacle and stay safe, for once.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… I’m going to be calling and pestering you all, and I’ll be on the first night flight out if it becomes necessary.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
“Stay safe.”
“I will,” he promised.
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
He hung up the phone and turned to find Quinn standing in the doorway of her bedroom. Her hair hung in wet tendrils around her face. The look in her eyes was one he’d never seen before. For the first time since he’d met her, she appeared almost vulnerable as she stared at him.
The scar on her chin, and across her eyebrow, stood out more sharply against her paler than normal skin. He suspected the one cutting across her temple was also more noticeable, but her hair covered it. Even in her simple black pants and shirt she wore for work, she was incredibly alluring. The shirt hid most of her curves but the pants hugged her muscled thighs and calves.
“Did you get any more sleep?” His voice came out gruffer than he’d intended, but seeing her brought his lust racing back to the forefront. He ground his teeth against the urge to take her into the bedroom and spend the rest of the night barricaded in there with her.
“No.”
Her gaze slid to his phone; she didn’t ask who he’d been talking to as she moved away from her bedroom and toward the kitchen. He stepped out of the way when she turned sideways to walk past him. The fresh scent of her cucumber shampoo filled his nostrils; he resisted the urge to grab her and pull her into his arms.
“That was my friend, Cassie.” She didn’t look at him as she opened the fridge and pulled out a can of Mountain Dew. There was a subtle stiffening in her shoulders though. “She had a vision that you’re in danger.”
“She has Melissa’s ability?”
“She has many abilities.” She finally shot him a questioning look over her shoulder. “She’s a rarity.”
“I see,” she murmured as she opened the can.
“Like you.”
Below her left eye, a muscle began to twitch in her cheek. Her scar stood out starkly against her skin when she clamped her lips together. “So I remind you of her?”
He sensed he’d somehow entered shaky ground. “No, you don’t.”
Her stony expression didn’t ease as she placed her soda on the counter. “I have to feed.”
“Let me shower and I’ll go with you.”
“I’d prefer to be alone.”
“That was hardly an option before Cassie had her vision; it’s even less of one now.”
He could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears as her hand clenched around her can. “I never asked you to become a part of my life.”
“Maybe not, but you’re stuck with me until you’re not at risk anymore.”
Dropping the can into the sink, she turned away and folded her arms over her chest. She focused on the back wall. “Hurry up.”
“If you leave this apartment, I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” she demanded.
“I’ll tie you to the radiator for the rest of the week and spoon feed you blood.”
A new muscle began to twitch on the other side of her face. “And I’ll suck the life from you until you’re nothing more than a husk if you try.”
A startled sound escaped her when he flew across the room and slammed his hands onto the countertop on both sides of her waist. “Do you honestly think you can?” he grated through his teeth.
“You don’t know what I’m capable of!” she shot back. “You have no idea the extent of what I can do.”
He grabbed one of her hands and pressed it against his chest. “Then do it.”
“Stop it!” she shouted and tugged at her hand. He refused to relinquish it.
“Come on, Quinn, do it.”
A sneer curved her upper lip; she tugged more forcefully at her hand. She struggled to keep her ability suppressed. However, he could feel the growing tidal wave rising between them. He’d realized when they’d kissed last night that she didn’t always have control over her ability, but it wasn’t always painful, not when she was giving and taking in equal measure.
Last night, it had been a pleasant sensation one that had slid beneath his skin and escalated his desire for her. What he felt swirling up between them now wouldn’t be pleasant and more like what he’d experienced with her that first night. He would withstand it if it helped to get his point across. She may not like it, but she was stuck with him. He only wished she didn’t hate the idea as much as she did.
“Let. Go. Of. Me!”
The words were spat succinctly at him. However, they weren’t what caused his mouth to drop and his defense against her to slip enough that his whole body jerked from the zap he received from her. That zap was nothing compared to the astonishment rolling through him right now. He’d assumed that after nearly six hundred years on this earth nothing would dumbfound him anymore. Especially not after what he’d gone through with Cassie and the others, but he’d been completely wrong.
The air between them began to crackle; it felt as if little snaps of electricity rapidly fired into his skin. He could actually see little bursts of golden sparks building between them. She blasted him with enough force to knock her hand away from his chest and finally free herself of his grasp.
Her chin lifted defiantly; her eyes had a wary air about them as they held his. He’d never seen eyes like that before, he’d believed Cassie’s eyes were the strangest things he’d ever encountered, but Quinn’s were something entirely different. They were spectacular and eerie; they caused a chill to run over his skin as they also drew him forward with their enchanting beauty.
They hadn’t turned entirely red; instead, the honeyed hue of her eyes had deepened to a molten gold color. Red danced around the outer rim of her pupils, like flames they actually seemed to be leaping and burning as she glared at him. The odd thing was that like Cassie’s eyes, the whites of hers had also become completely red.
What is she? He wondered as he tried to assimilate what he was seeing with everything he knew about vampires.
He rested his hand upon her arm again; she went to throw it off, but he kept hold of it as he blocked the rush of images trying to fill his mind from the contact. “What are you?”
“I’m a vampire.”
“No, you are much more than vampire, Quinn. Your eyes.” She flinched and dropped her head down. He took hold of her chin and nudged it up, so she had to look at him again. The color of her eyes hadn’t changed at all, her posture had eased a little though. “Were you a Hunter before you were changed?”
Just because Cassie’s eyes had become entirely red after she was changed didn’t mean it would be the same for every Hunter turned vampire. Cassie had always been an anomaly amongst the Hunter species.
“Quinn, if I’m going to keep you safe, you have got to tell me what is going on. What I’m dealing with, what we could be up against, and how many others know you’re different?”
“No one knows,” she murmured. She tried to drop her head down, but he kept his finger under her chin. Flames leapt higher in her eyes; she didn’t jolt him again, something he was thankful for.
“What were you before you became a vampire?” he demanded.
“What makes you think I was anything other than human?”
She may be the most stubborn, infuriating woman he’d ever come across, but if the look she gave him was any indication, she felt exactly the same way about him. “I’ve seen what a Hunter’s eyes look like after they become a vampire. Your eyes aren’t exactly the same, but there are similarities. You knew Hunter’s heal faster, you know more about Hunters and Guardians than any vampire your ag
e should. And your power is far stronger than it should be at your age. Talk to me.”
Her eyes shot around the room, he couldn’t tell if she was looking for an escape or contemplating punching him in the face. “I’m going to keep you safe, Quinn. Please, talk to me.”
Her eyes were filled with resignation when they finally came back to his. “The only people who ever knew about me are all dead.”
“It takes a lot to get rid of me, many have tried, all have failed.”
“I don’t blame them.” He couldn’t help but smile at her, his thumb traced over the scar running down her chin. “Don’t. They’re hideous.” She tried to push his hand away; he kept hold of her.
“No they’re not,” he assured her. “You’re still beautiful…”
“I don’t care what they make me look like. I’m glad people can see them.” She seized hold of his hand and tried to pull it away again as desperation filled her. “You don’t understand what they mean! Don’t touch them, I can’t… Just don’t.”
The fire in her eyes blazed higher, the air between them crackled. She was keeping herself restrained but only barely. Her obvious desperation bothered him more than any of her anger, resentment, and fight ever had. He removed his hand from her chin and dropped it back to the counter beside her in an attempt to help ease her somewhat.
Her shoulders slumped, the sizzle in the air lessened. He contemplated pulling her into his arms and hugging her instead of continuing to push her to finally get the answers he wanted from her. He knew if he backed off now though, he would lose the weakening he felt in her defenses.
“Quinn…”
“You’ve barged into my life and turned it upside down. This is my life! They are my scars!”
The hitch in her voice broke him, before he could think he reached out and pulled her against his chest. She remained rigid against him, her arms hung limply at her sides. His lips dropped down to her ear, her damp hair tickled his nose as he buried his face against her neck and inhaled her enticing scent.
He didn’t know what he’d been looking for when he’d grabbed her, but when her body finally eased against his and her arms slid around his waist, he knew he’d found it.